《Ethereal Ascendance: A Journey of Transformation》


 Chapter 1: First Encounter

    I walked without a purpose on the busy street, and cars zoomed past me.


    It was an early autumn night. Just a few hours ago, I had a big argument with my parents and angrily left home.


    The reason might have been some small, unimportant things. It had happened many times before. But what really hurt me was my mom. She always used mean and untrue things to attack and accuse me, breaking my heart. Just a little while ago, we argued about some small stuff, and she loudly told my dad that I pushed her and even said I hit her...


    "What! You dare to hit your mom!"


    This was a serious accusation. My angry dad rushed over and slapped me. I felt stars in my eyes, like the room was spinning.


    "No! I didn''t, I just complained a bit..."


    I tried to resist, but my dad didn''t believe me. He kicked me over, grabbed a rope, tied me up, and pressed me to the ground. "Today, let me teach you a lesson."


    He said to my mom, "Go get the family rod!"


    "Yes! Hit him hard and make him learn!"


    My mom responded angrily, and before leaving, she even kicked me a few times.


    I knew exactly what they meant by the family rod ¨C my childhood nightmare, a stick they used to beat me when I did something wrong. It broke this time, probably because it hadn''t been long since the last time. My dad couldn''t give up, so he took out a belt and continued hitting me...


    "No! I haven''t touched her, I''m innocent!"


    I cried as I rolled on the ground, trying to avoid the belt. Although I couldn''t escape all the hits, at least I could make it harder for my mom to slap my face accurately.


    Even though I''d been through this many times, I couldn''t handle it. I knew my current pathetic state under the rod, but I also knew my weak heart couldn''t face these pains with strength.


    Because the more I dodged, the harder I would be hit.


    "Still trying to dodge!"


    In frustration, my mom lifted her foot to stomp on me. I couldn''t help but think of a scene in a movie where someone''s on fire, and people are stomping to put out the flames. But it wasn''t funny.


    But the tragedy didn''t last too long. In the chaos, maybe because of my good luck or my dad''s hurried tying, the rope behind me gradually loosened as I rolled. I took the chance, freed my hands, stood up, and rushed out the door.


    "If you dare to run away, don''t come back!"


    The shouts faded, and I cried, running on the street without caring about people''s stares.


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    Of course, this wasn''t the first time it happened, but every time, I couldn''t calm down.


    I was afraid of my parents, probably just because they beat and scolded me. But because I was afraid, they would beat me even harder, creating a bad cycle.


    So today, I ran away again, choosing to escape once more.


    I knew I tended to avoid things, unable to face everything calmly and endure, making things worse.


    Yes, running away from home wasn''t a smart choice, because I would have to go back eventually. After all, I was just a high school sophomore, and my parents had to take care of everything for me, including my survival.


    As I calmed down, I understood I would face more beatings and the usual punishments of facing the wall and kneeling all night.


    Suddenly, a cool touch on my hand made me look up at the sky. It had started raining.


    Only then did I realize I had unconsciously run quite far. No one on the street would bother looking at me anymore; they hurriedly passed by, seeming to mock my situation and making me feel lonely.


    I stared at the raindrops falling on the ground, not wanting to move. Even though I was wearing several layers of clothes, I hadn''t had time to put on a coat before leaving, and the rain in this northern city made me feel chilly quickly.


    "Maybe freezing to death like this wouldn''t be so bad..."


    "Haha, obviously you won''t freeze to death. You fool!"


    Talking to myself, it felt like there was another me mocking me in my mind. With a wave of tiredness, accompanied by a chilling feeling all over my body, I curled up by the roadside, leaning against a lamppost. My consciousness gradually sank into darkness in a blur.


    ...


    I didn''t know how much time had passed, but it seemed my whole body was soaked. In a daze, I suddenly heard a voice calling out.


    "Hey, are you okay?"


    Who was calling me? I looked up in confusion, seeing a myriad of colors. Upon closer inspection, it was an umbrella, held by a boy squatting in front of me.


    "Who... are you?"


    He looked about the same age as me, with an extremely handsome face that somehow gave off a slightly ruffian vibe. At this moment, he was looking at me with a concerned expression.


    I couldn''t help but furrow my brow, completely unable to understand the situation. This unfamiliar face, although mixed with a strange sense of familiarity, was definitely someone I had never seen. What was going on?


    The boy seemed to pause when he saw my expression. His gaze fixed on me for a while, then he made a surprisingly unexpected move ¨C he raised the umbrella over my head, exposing himself to the rain.


    What the heck? I was stunned by this action!


    "It''s okay; I just saw you crouching here."


    He gave me a bright smile. When I saw that smile, it felt as if my heart had touched something, something very distant, extremely vague, but unforgettable. I couldn''t seem to forget that feeling for a long time.


    "Do... do you need any help?"


    "Thanks, no need!"


    Clearly, I didn''t know him at all, so why did he suddenly come over to care for me? Although it felt strange, I still responded politely.


    As a man in his teens, I thought there shouldn''t be kidnappers or human traffickers targeting me. However, looking at his umbrella, then at his face, I shivered, suddenly more alert.


    This place wasn''t suitable for staying long; I should slip away quickly. Moreover, it seemed late now, and if I returned home any later, tonight''s punishment might be even more unbearable.


    Ignoring my thoroughly wet clothes, I stood up, pushing away the umbrella he held over my head, and ran towards home in the rain.


    What a weird person.


    Behind me, it seemed like the guy didn''t leave, still holding the umbrella in the rain, staring in the direction I left with a dazed expression.


    I couldn''t help but run faster...


    Three days later.


    In the school classroom, after the morning reading session, the class teacher pushed open the door in a hurry and walked in, creating a lively atmosphere.


    "Today, we have a new student in our class. Let''s welcome him with applause!"


    I looked up at the person on the podium, my face filled with incredulity, my eyes with a hint of confusion.


    "My name is Reilly..."


    He looked at me, the same handsome face, but now with a confident expression, introducing himself to the whole class. Our eyes unintentionally met, and in that moment, I seemed to read a deep, meaningful smile.

 Chapter 2: borrowing money

    Five years later.


    "Hello, my name is Flynn. Here is my resume and portfolio."


    I am currently in a job interview, feeling nervous as I hand over my prepared documents to the interviewer. As an average graduate from a local university, I anxiously await the interviewer''s response.


    "Hmm..."


    The interviewer takes some time to look through the documents before finally looking up.


    "I''ve gone through your resume, and it seems well-written, and your portfolio is decent. However, your major doesn''t align with our recruitment needs. Moreover, I feel that someone as talented as you might be underutilized in our company..."


    Upon hearing this, my heart, which was hanging on a thread, instantly drops. Based on my past interview experiences, this is essentially a polite rejection. It looks like another failed attempt at securing a job.


    The subsequent conversation is mostly small talk.


    ...


    "You can wait for our decision at home."


    The conclusion comes too quickly, too predictably. The interviewer''s last words linger in my mind as I walk out of the building, deeply disappointed. How many companies have rejected me since graduation? I''ve lost count. The glaring sunlight makes me a bit dizzy. Feeling my empty stomach, I recall the last time I had a proper meal was a day ago.


    I must eat...


    Thinking about food, I can''t help but sigh. Ever since I left home and moved to this place, I can only afford one meal a day to save money for rent. The landlord doesn''t allow cooking, and to make matters worse, even high-powered appliances are prohibited. So, I have to eat outside every day, but living in this city is expensive. With only a temporary job at a supermarket, I can hardly afford the daily expenses. Additionally, I recently moved, and the previous landlord withheld my entire deposit, claiming it was for the medical expenses of an elder. Reporting it to the police didn''t help.


    ...Considering the moving costs and other expenses, I''m practically penniless now. Looking at the contact list on my phone, I scroll through names, crossing out one after another. After hesitating for a while, I decide to make a call home...


    "Hello!" My mom''s familiar voice. It''s been a while since I went home. I nervously explain my situation.


    "Ha? Borrow money? You''re a grown-up in your twenties, and you dare to ask for money from home? You have hands, feet, a head, and a face; can''t you earn for yourself? We don''t have money at home! Are you sick or something!"


    The phone hangs up with a snap. I look at my phone with a wry smile. My mom''s words are not entirely wrong, but there''s a chilly tone in her voice. Unable to borrow money, what am I going to do next? The thought of being kicked out by the landlord and facing such a situation in the future makes me feel like I''m falling into a vortex of despair.


    Reluctantly, I pick up my phone and look at the names in the contact list. My gaze stops at a familiar name.


    Perhaps he''s the only one in this world who can help me...


    After a long internal struggle, I scratch my head in distress and press the call button.


    "Dudu¡ªdudu¡ª"


    After a long wait, someone finally picks up.


    "Is this Flynn?"


    It''s that cheerful male voice, accompanied by a noisy background and faint laughter.


    "I am..."


    "I know. Long time no see. Finally remembered to call me? How are you now?"


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    Yes, he is Reilly, a classmate who transferred to our high school class. Hearing his voice, I suddenly feel a bit breathless.


    "I... I need to borrow some money, not much..." Due to lack of confidence, my voice becomes smaller. This is not the first time I''m borrowing money, and past experiences have made me understand how challenging it is to borrow money in society.


    "No problem! Where are you? I''ll come over right now."


    His response is unexpected. Huh huh huh, so straightforward? Happiness comes too suddenly. I can''t help but feel a surge of energy, quickly telling him my location. Finally, I can relax and focus on dealing with the food of the day.


    Thinking back, although Reilly and I are not particularly close, he has always seemed to take special care of me over the years. Recalling the years of acquaintance with him, it seems he has never refused any of my requests for help.


    This makes it intriguing. If it were someone else, considering the strange situation when we first met, one might think he has some ulterior motives. However, through years of interaction, I am confident that it''s just a false proposition.


    Because I am a poor university graduate with no money or power, often hungry, and although I consider myself average-looking, I''m far from matching this guy. What could he possibly gain from me? Perhaps this can only prove that Reilly is a genuinely generous person.


    Although when Reilly transferred to our class in high school, it was quite sudden, the subsequent developments told me that he was just a handsome, wealthy playboy. Reilly''s father is a well-known CEO of an enlisted company in the city. In other words, he is a rich second-generation. When he first came to our class, his extravagant spending, outstanding looks, and good grades quickly attracted the attention of a large number of female students in the school, not just in our class, even in other classes.


    This became a bit scary. In just a week of transfer, rumors about him having affairs with three female classmates circulated within the school. And that''s not all; a few weeks later, through secret gossip among classmates, I heard news of him staying in a hotel with the class beauty. Shortly after, news of changing girlfriends again spread like wildfire.


    A series of rapid actions left people bewildered. In a short month, Reilly became the undisputed romantic expert and prince charming in the class, known by various nicknames such as the Prince of Flames, Prince of Guns, and more.


    What''s surprising is that in a school with so many rumors flying around, no teacher or class teacher has ever given him trouble. It''s a bit embarrassing to realize how well-connected he must be.


    As a classmate, our communication was limited in the beginning. Our conversations were few, and although many classmates often flattered him due to his family background, I didn''t bother to do so.


    Until one day, I escaped from home again because I couldn''t stand my parents'' violence.


    "Hey, isn''t this Flynn? What are you doing here? What a coincidence."


    Because it was lunchtime, I was hiding in a street-side garden, lost in thought. Suddenly, I heard Reilly''s familiar voice.


    "Isn''t my home nearby? Why can''t I be here!"


    I replied without much kindness. I remember the last time I met him was in a similar situation, feeling a bit embarrassed; who knows, he might see me in a humiliating state again. "Aren''t you living in the south of the city? This place is far from there, right?"


    The south of the city is considered the wealthy area in the eyes of the locals. Reilly''s home is there, and almost everyone in the class knows it.


    "Ha, it''s the weekend today. Of course, I have to come out and stroll around. Sitting in the classroom every day is so boring. Don''t you feel stifled?"


    Reilly scratched his head, and it''s rare not to see other people around. There are usually a few girls hanging around him.


    The words are not wrong, but on normal weekends, I have many things to do at home, like housework and assignments. I don''t have the luxury to come out and play like this wealthy guy. I just broke a plate while cooking, which resulted in my running out without eating.


    Just then, my stomach made an uncontrollable "gurgle" sound...


    "How about... having lunch together?"


    Reilly asked tentatively. It''s clear he heard it, and I feel a bit embarrassed.


    Things seem to be going beyond my expectations. I was about to refuse him when he acted as if nothing happened, coming over and putting his arm around my shoulder in a familiar manner, decisively deciding this matter.


    "I''ll treat you, no need to be polite. I just found a nice restaurant. Let''s go together."


    "Uh..."


    I wanted to resist, but the feeling of hunger quickly made me give in. In any case, I can''t waste someone else''s treat, especially from a guy who''s usually extravagant. I also don''t need to worry about saving money for him.


    "Is the nice restaurant you mentioned M Archway?"


    I take big bites of the hamburger, which tastes good. Since I skipped breakfast, I''ve already devoured three chicken wings.


    "Haha, the taste of this M Archway is much better than others. I really like it!"


    Reilly explains with some embarrassment. Actually, in this area with many main roads, there are few restaurants you can find, and most shops are concentrated in crossroads or alleys, mainly because the rent is cheaper.


    "Is that so? I thought they were all the same." I rarely eat this kind of Western fast food, and I can''t discern much difference.


    "Well, are you full now? I know a place with a great view. How about accompanying me there?"


    Uh, is he inviting me to play? It feels a bit strange, but I can''t decline after someone has treated me, right?


    I look at Reilly sitting opposite me, holding only a small bag of fries. I can''t help but marvel at this guy''s lack of appetite.


    "Alright, as long as it''s not too far. Where is it?" I burp contentedly and clap my hands.


    "Of course, it''s nearby!"

 Chapter 3: High school memories

    About ten minutes later, he and I were standing in an elevator of a skyscraper.


    "Hey, is this really okay? Aren''t rooftops usually off-limits?" I asked uneasily. I was surprised when Reilly said the "good spot" was this building near my home that I passed by countless times but never went in. Supposedly it has 80 floors.


    "Don''t worry, my dad is a shareholder here." Reilly waved the key he got from a manager downstairs. I guess rich people can do what they want.


    Soon the elevator reached the top floor. We went through a hallway and were met with a locked door. Reilly used the key to open it, revealing stairs upward.


    At the top of the stairs, we naturally arrived at the building''s rooftop.


    "Wow!"


    The howling wind rushed past my ears. Standing at the railing, I immediately felt a sense of openness in my chest. Spread before my eyes were endless urban views. Cars on the ground looked like ants crawling slowly in the distance. As far as I could see, the whole city was within view, nothing obscured.


    "Look over there, those birds are as high up as us now!" I pointed at a flock of pigeons flying by, a little excited since this was my first time seeing such a sight.


    "What do you think, don''t you feel much better now?" Reilly smiled knowingly.


    "When I''m in a bad mood I often come to places like this. There are many tall buildings near my home I can access." He looked up at the sky, his expression seeming distant, very different from his usual self.


    "I have a feeling I was floating midair, looking down at the vast earth, everything so tiny, it''s wondrous..."


    Is that how it feels? Hearing him speak, I couldn''t help but become curious, gripping the railing to look down.


    "It''s true, it looks so high!" I said excitedly, the first time looking down from such a height, everything felt fresh and new.


    "Hey, be careful..." Seeing me leaning over the railing, Reilly panicked and rushed over to grab me. But he accidentally stepped in a puddle on the rooftop, slipping and grabbing my pants instead...


    "Ah!" He yanked me to the ground, pulling my pants down to my knees.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to..." Reilly grimaced as he got up, also falling hard. He quickly apologized.


    "Pfft..." But seeing me in just my underwear with bare legs, he couldn''t help but want to laugh, puffing his cheeks trying to hold it in.


    "You..." I turned red and pulled my pants up, but the button was ripped off, liable to fall any moment.


    "What are you laughing about, this is your fault!" I was already so embarrassed, and seeing him like this made me angry.


    "I''ll buy you a new pair of pants...hahaha" He completely broke down laughing.


    "Pink panties too...so cute."


    What was so funny about this? It''s not like I bought these underwear myself, I''m a student without money for that. Seeing him look at me strangely, I was even more annoyed, though it was admittedly embarrassing for a guy to be seen in pink underwear.


    Oh well, I was humiliated again.


    Despite these seemingly unpleasant incidents, we still lingered on the rooftop for a long time that day.


    After this experience, I felt I had an initial understanding of Reilly, but still saw us as two people from different worlds. In later school life, he continued dating different girls, surrounded by different lackeys. We didn''t interact much. But strangely, whenever I encountered problems, he would jump in to help, including once when I was chased and beaten by delinquents on the street.


    That was mainly because of my girlfriend at the time.


    That''s right, I had a girlfriend in high school. It was our class beauty, Quinn. I was shocked when classmates said she liked me, but things progressed beyond expectations and we inevitably became a couple, secretly of course since relationships were prohibited at school.


    While out shopping with Quinn during a holiday, she was eyed by some delinquents. The situation was dire, I was almost desperate, but Reilly suddenly appeared and resolved the crisis. I was surprised he knew martial arts, quite impressive to beat multiple opponents alone, though he ended up badly injured too. But in my eyes, this was already very cool.


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    I don''t know if it was because of this incident, but Quinn broke up with me not long after.


    I always lacked confidence, feeling unworthy of her and that the beautiful class idol being with me would end someday. But the things falling so quickly still left me depressed for a long time. Perhaps that day she realized I couldn''t protect her at all, completely disappointing her. Whenever I thought about this, I blamed myself. I was so useless. From then on I deeply felt my powerlessness.


    High school life went by quickly. After the college entrance exams, we all split up. I entered into a local average university, not great but not bad either, while Reilly went abroad to study per his family''s arrangements.


    When he returned, I had just graduated. On the day I left campus, I got a call from an unknown number, it was him. I wondered how he got my number, but after a simple greeting, he hurriedly hung up.


    Until today...


    I anxiously waited at the roadside, though still a few minutes before the agreed time, I couldn''t help but worry Reilly might stand me up. After all, we hadn''t seen each other in a long time.


    "Vrrrmmm...vrrrmmm..."


    A sudden roaring motor approached, and a flashy sports car slowly pulled up before me.


    My mouth twitched. This must be the legendary XXX. I wasn''t too familiar with the emblem on the front, not paying much attention to cars, but being able to drive this around recklessly plus that flamboyant personality, it was likely him.


    Sure enough, the window rolled down revealing a handsome face. Though more mature than my high school impression, I could recognize him instantly from that irritating expression.


    I had an urge to punch that smug face.


    "Hey, long time no see!" Reilly smiled and greeted me. I hurried over only to see a scantily clad woman in the passenger seat.


    "This is my high school classmate, Flynn." Reilly introduced me to her.


    "Oh, hi!" I awkwardly returned the greeting, very uncomfortable with this situation.


    "Ooh, your classmate is a cute hottie too!" A coquettish voice called out from the backseat. So there was another girl back there!


    As expected from you!


    I was at a loss for words at this point, just wanting to take the money and leave quickly.


    "How much do you need, just say it!" Reilly generously took out his wallet. I saw it was stuffed with hundred dollar bills and various colourful cards.


    "Uh, not much, just $300 is enough." I had calculated this amount could tide me over until next month along with my part-time supermarket job.


    "That''s all? Are you sure?" Reilly looked doubtful like he misheard. "How about a few more bills? We''re all bros, don''t be shy! Or just take this card for now..." He tried to force a card on me.


    "No, no, no!"


    That far exceeded what I could repay. I quickly pushed his hand back and snatched out three notes before retreating.


    "This is good, since we''re bros, $300 is enough and I''ll pay you back!" I waved at him.


    Seeming resigned at my refusal, Reilly didn''t insist further, just sighing. "Alright, if you need anything else remember to call me!"


    The window had risen halfway when it suddenly dropped again.


    "Oh right, the high school reunion is tomorrow night, you know that?" He popped his head out to ask.


    Really? I had long lost contact with high school classmates, unable to spare time for such things under living pressures.


    "But I''m working tomorrow night..." I said somewhat awkwardly, recalling I was scheduled at the supermarket job. "But maybe I can get off early and still make it?"


    Reilly thought for a moment and indicated it should be fine. He raised the window again. "If any issues just call me!"


    "Bye!"


    I waved at the departing luxury car. Suddenly I felt strangely heavy, a high school reunion huh...


    Unconsciously, Quinn''s figure surfaced in my mind again.


    Time does fly.


    When I returned to my senses from work fatigue, it was already close to 10 pm.


    "Crap! It''s so late, what about the reunion?"


    Leaving the supermarket job, I hurriedly called Reilly.


    "What''s the matter, Flynn!" Reilly picked up complaining. "I called you so many times with no response!"


    "Sorry, sorry! I was busy with work until now, no time to check my phone."


    I wiped my sweat, repeatedly apologizing. I was also shocked to see 5-6 missed calls. They must have finished eating by now and probably went home already at this point. I felt deeply guilty about standing them up, wishing I had declined the invitation.


    I thought I could get off work early, but who knew business at the normally dead supermarket would be crazily good tonight? Starting evening, the checkout line formed a long queue that lasted hours, incredibly busy without a moment''s rest, not even time for a drink of water. Was the earth moving or something? I wanted to complain.


    "So what should I do now? You all..." I timidly began to ask again.


    "Dinner already finished long ago, you''re too late! Not even a chicken bone left!" Reilly impatiently cut me off.


    I see, looks like I could just head home then.


    "But everyone is still here, not willing to leave yet. We''re at Aurora KTV now. Only the teachers went home early."


    As expected, from the sounds I sensed something was off. Playing so crazily? They must be quite drunk already.


    "Anyway, come over now! It''s Aurora Entertainment, call me when you get here."


    Reilly was already sounding impatient.


    "Oh! Wait a minute..."


    "Remember to hurry and take a taxi over, don''t drag your feet and waste time!" He added one last line before hanging up.


    I was left speechless, just about to use the bus not running late as an excuse to escape.


    No choice then, I had to go. This was my fault today after all. So I ran to the curb and flagged a taxi.


    "Aurora Entertainment please."


    After giving the driver the location, I leaned against the door pondering.


    In the years since, many classmates must be better off than me, right? Not like rich kids like Reilly, but many should have good jobs now, in state-owned enterprises, institutions, foreign companies, and even working abroad...things I don''t even dare dream of now! I often heard that reunions were just venues for classmates to compare achievements. If you were successful it was fine, but me...just imagining those mocking gazes from classmates made my scalp tingle, wishing the taxi would crash and kill me. And Quinn would be there too right? If she knew the mess I was now... My fingertips unconsciously dug deeply into my flesh. I suddenly had an urge to yell for the driver to turn around, getting as far away from Aurora as possible!


    But that would be too unfair to Reilly since I already promised to come. And I still owed him money. I should have declined yesterday! Too late for regrets now.


    What must come will come.


    Standing outside the KTV room, I hesitated half a day, carefully checking my outfit again for any issues. Confirming there were none, I quietly opened the door.

 Chapter 4:class reunion

    "Let me say, listen to me. There is a green light, where is happiness?"


    "Unlike any meaning, you are the green light, so unique."


    ...


    Uh, who is that person standing on stage, holding a microphone, and screaming in exaggerated poses...


    I was shocked as soon as I opened the door. I''m sure he must be a classmate from high school, but it''s been so long I can''t remember his name for now.


    "Isn''t this Flynn? You finally came."


    I had just entered the room when someone found me. Astrid hurried over and led me to an empty seat in the room. I was still relatively familiar with her since we were high school classmates and went to the same university. We had just met recently.


    "I thought you were going to stand me up again, but Reilly was very sure you would come, so everyone is waiting for you!"


    "Why did you say ''again''? How could that be? I said I would definitely come!"


    I strongly argued, took a deep breath, sat down calmly on the soft sofa, picked up a berry from the fruit platter on the coffee table and put it in my mouth, and asked her in a low voice, "Who''s the one pretending to sing on stage?"


    Astrid rolled her eyes at me with a smile and said, "That''s Jaxon, our former math class representative! Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten everything?"


    "Oh, I remember now."


    With her reminder, I immediately had an impression. This guy was the fourth in our class rankings. He was always ranked fourth in exams, never breaking into the top three. No wonder he looked so familiar. I suddenly remembered that after graduation he got together with Lennox, the arts class representative. The two of them even posted a lot of lovey-dovey photos in our class group at the time. Speaking of which, Lennox was quite pretty. The two of them were a match made in heaven. I wonder how they are now.


    "I heard he recently broke up because Lennox cheated on him and he caught her on the street. Lennox didn''t even come today!"


    "Pfff..."


    "Are you okay?"


    Astrid was startled and asked with concern.


    "Cough cough cough cough...I''m fine! I almost choked on a seed..."


    I quickly waved my hand and secretly glanced to the side of the stage.


    The first person I saw was Reilly. At this moment, he was holding forth in the middle of another sofa, with several female classmates from high school on both sides, listening intently to his years of study abroad and travel stories.


    It was still the familiar style, unchanged. I couldn''t help but feel emotional. Sensing my gaze, Reilly smiled casually and nodded, which counted as a greeting. I nodded back and didn''t bother him.


    There were indeed many classmates today. This was the largest ktv suite, but it still felt crowded. I think there were about 30 people in our high school class. Now it looks like at least more than half have shown up. I could immediately call out most of their names when I saw their faces. But there were still a few that I just couldn''t remember no matter what.


    After all, it''s been four years...


    I was a little hungry. For someone like me who only eats one meal a day, the food in my stomach should have been completely digested long ago. Usually at this time I would already be in bed and asleep. After all, when you''re asleep you don''t feel anything.


    But now it was different. Looking at the variety of fruit plates and snacks in front of me, although they were just snacks, they were no less than a full meal to me.


    Hmm... it looks like I can finally replenish some nutrition tonight, I thought happily. I had actually relaxed a lot, because after looking around, I didn''t see the person I was concerned about, so she didn''t come either?


    Since the biggest psychological burden was gone, of course I wouldn''t be polite anymore. I reached out and grabbed a cream cake I had been eyeing. It looked really delicious!


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    But at this moment, another hand suddenly reached out from the side, slender and delicate, and it was aiming for the same target as me.


    Huh? I looked along that hand to its owner, and I was dumbfounded. It felt like being struck by lightning and my whole body froze.


    Quinn! How could it be her?


    I had searched the whole room earlier and didn''t find her at all. But the moment I let my guard down, she appeared.


    This gave me quite a shock. My hand shook and I quickly retracted it.


    She had been so close to me all along, actually sitting in the seat one person away on my right. Perhaps because she was hidden from view, including when I first came in and sat down, I didn''t notice her at all.


    "Quinn... classmate, long time no see!"


    I almost couldn''t help but use that term of address from the past, and then I forced my stiff facial muscles to squeeze out a smile.


    There seemed to be a flash of surprise in her eyes too. Her arm hung in the air for a good while, stunned. But then she regained her calm, nodded to me with a smile, and responded:


    "Long time no see, Flynn."


    Our eyes met, and we just stared at each other for a while.


    The atmosphere seemed to have become awkward.


    "Haha, you go ahead..."


    I laughed dryly to break the silence, gestured at the cake to indicate to her, then quickly sat back in my seat.


    Although I had mentally prepared various ways to respond to seeing her again along the way, the actual situation had become like this. All my efforts were basically wasted. I turned my face away, trying not to look in her direction as much as possible, but I still felt very uncomfortable, as if I was bristling. Indeed it was still a bit too close.


    Astrid was still sitting to my left. She had seen everything that just happened. She seemed to have always known about my relationship with Quinn.


    "Why are you so nervous? We''re all old classmates."


    She smiled at me understandingly and whispered to me.


    "Quinn also studied abroad during college. I heard she found a boyfriend in the US and might immigrate soon."


    "That''s great, she''s doing quite well, so I don''t need to worry."


    I nodded. This was not surprising at all. Given my current living situation, I felt that I couldn''t find a more miserable person than me in the entire room. Of course, to save face, I still had to pretend not to care.


    "Immigrating is a good thing. I hope she and her boyfriend can be happy."


    I solemnly blessed them in words. I couldn''t help but glance back at her again. Quinn didn''t seem to be affected at all, laughing and chatting with other classmates, not paying attention to this side.


    Seeing this scene, I suddenly felt complex emotions, seeming to contain a trace of relief, but also a trace of loss. I realized I didn''t know how I felt about her now. In principle, that relationship had ended four years ago. But meeting again, I found I still couldn''t adapt, and even had some expectations. People often say the feeling of first love is special. Is this what it is?


    "Do you really think so? Then telling me this is useless."


    Astrid smiled at me mischievously, with an expression of watching a good show.


    "Why don''t you just tell her yourself?"


    "This..."


    I was embarrassed. There was no way I could do that. My skin was not thick enough.


    "It seems you still haven''t seen through it after so many years?"


    Astrid looked like she understood perfectly. She made me completely at a loss for words. Was I that obvious?


    Finally I decided to just stick to my guns.


    "No, of course I''m over it! It was just a few words. I''ll tell her later. She''s busy right now, I don''t want to disturb her."


    I figured that if it came down to it, I could just sneak out later. After all, I didn''t really want to attend this reunion in the first place. The main reason was that I had promised Reilly, so staying in this place made me a little uncomfortable.


    So I snorted, grabbed a glass of wine on the table and drank it in one gulp, pretending to be nonchalant as I started bragging:


    "That was years ago, don''t mention that to me again! Even if she''s getting married now and wants me to attend her wedding, I would be totally fine with it, of course on the condition that she is willing to invite me then."


    Astrid seemed incredulous: "Really?"


    "Really!" I nodded firmly with false bravado.


    "Really really?"


    "Really really really!"


    ...


    She stared at me speechlessly for a good while. Suddenly she raised her hand and called out to Quinn behind:


    "Quinn..."


    I was scared and quickly pulled her hand to stop her.


    "Don''t..." I didn''t expect she would really do this. I had to admit defeat. "You win, you got me!"


    Astrid picked up a berry smugly and put it in her mouth, crossing her legs.


    "I saw through it long ago. Let me tell you a secret. Quinn actually regretted breaking up with you back then too. But she just didn''t have the courage to find you, and you never went to find her either, so that was the end. What a pity..."


    I looked at her sighing and shaking her head with black lines on my forehead. Astrid was deskmate with Quinn in high school, so her words were likely true. But it was useless to tell me this now that I didn''t know before. Was she trying to get me to win Quinn back? Could I do something so crazy? It had already been four years.


    I couldn''t help but look at that spot again, but this time I was noticed by the other party. I saw her look surprised, and then we stared at each other again.


    "Flynn, I think... we''re not suitable, let''s break up..." Suddenly Quinn''s words from four years ago echoed in my ears again.


    Still no, I can''t do it, especially since she already has a boyfriend.


    I lowered my head dejectedly. After all, I was too far away from her now. My heart was filled with complex emotions at this moment. Astrid next to me still kept nudging me lightly with her elbow, smiling like a little devil, and asked, "Any thoughts?"


    "No thoughts!" Her mischievous look completely exposed that she was teasing me deliberately. I suddenly felt a little angry.


    "It''s all in the past. I''m going to the bathroom!"


    Then I got up and strode towards the bathroom in the suite...

 Chapter 5: class reunion 2

    Just as I walked out of the bathroom, I almost bumped into someone.


    This person was dressed very strangely. I looked at his face for a long time before I could barely remember his name: "Soren?"


    "Flynn! Where have you been, I haven''t seen you at all!"


    It took me a long time, but he called out my name immediately. I couldn''t help feeling a little embarrassed.


    "Well...I had to work overtime at the company tonight, so I came a little late and just got here." I had prepared an excuse for being late, so I could easily deal with it.


    "But you..."


    Looking at Soren''s outfit, I suddenly didn''t know what to say. If it wasn''t for his clothes, I probably wouldn''t have taken so long to remember his name.


    "Are you wearing...a priest''s robe?" I flipped through all the impressions in my mind, and the only thing that could match was the people in those divine assemblyes that I often saw on TV and in movies.


    A long black robe that reached his ankles, with a shawl-like garment over his shoulders, and a thick book in his hand. In this outfit, it was difficult to associate him with his high school self. The change was too drastic.


    "Did you join that divine assembly?"


    "That''s exactly what they''ve all been asking me several times!" Soren looked very proud.


    "Of course, I recently passed the trials and became a glorious priest. From now on I will devote my whole life to the great Lord!"


    "Congratulations to you then..." It was really unexpected. I used to be quite close with Soren in high school. I remember he really liked anime in high school, and I would sometimes borrow manga from him. I never imagined that this kinda guy would one day embark on a religious path.


    Although this priest outfit didn''t seem to match him, I still couldn''t help twitching at the corners of my mouth. I just couldn''t associate him with those devout clergymen. The other classmates who saw him probably thought the same.


    "So you wore this to the reunion too?" I still couldn''t adapt to Soren''s change. It was rare to encounter someone from the divine assembly in daily life, let alone see someone dressed like this. But I just happened to run into it at this high school reunion.


    "Not necessarily." He scratched his head. "Mainly because I just attended a requiem mass before coming here. I didn''t have time to change."


    "I''m talking about you not having casual clothes..."


    "How could I! If I don''t often wear the clothes bestowed upon me by God, wouldn''t that be disrespectful to the Lord!" How scary. I actually saw a hint of fanaticism in his eyes. What had this guy experienced in the past few years?


    "Okay, suit yourself." I conceded defeat and didn''t want to dwell on it anymore. Just as I was about to leave, Soren grabbed me. "Wait, classmate Flynn! What do you think of our divine assembly? Are you interested in coming to our cathedral sometime to learn more?"


    Damn, he''s soliciting already? That was fast. Why are you so skilled? I shook my head. Of course I wouldn''t be interested in that church of his, so I firmly refused.


    "But I feel you have quite some affinity with the Lord. A chance encounter is fate. Our meeting here today is a heavenly arrangement. I can feel your wisdom." Soren was obviously not ready to give up, but what was with this tactic? It clearly felt wrong. Were these the words of the divine assembly?


    "No need, go find someone else!" Without hesitation, I shook off his hand and hurried back into the suite''s lounge.


    "Why not reconsider? Come on~"


    Soren''s last plea came from behind. I almost slipped and fell.


    When I entered the suite again, I checked the situation around me again. My classmates were still in high spirits gathering together everywhere. My original seat was still empty there, but because it was too close to Quinn, I felt it was better not to go back there.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    In the end, I chose to avoid it.


    Someone had picked a song playing on the lounge''s speakers. You could hear the sound of cheering and excited screams everywhere. But in a small corner I noticed an empty seat. Next to it sat a girl quietly reading a book, completely unaffected by the high spirits in the room.


    I could recognize that girl with one glance. She was Reed, the top student of our class back then.


    I quietly walked over and sat in the empty seat, glancing at her curiously. She seemed to be reading a physics-related book. Oh right, I remembered hearing before that Reed got into a prestigious university, Eclat University, and later graduated early with a direct PhD enrollment, in a physics-related major too. She was still so awesome. Ever since high school, she steadily took first place in every exam, almost never losing even once. She was entirely deserving of the title of study queen.


    No, not necessarily! In my opinion, it would not be excessive to call her a study goddess now.


    "Um..."


    I couldn''t help asking, "Why don''t you play with them? It''s a rare reunion and everyone''s together."


    Hearing me ask her, Reed silently looked up from her book and glanced at me, uttering two words in a flat tone: "No interest."


    Then she went back to reading her book intently, not even taking 5 seconds in between. It was as if I didn''t exist at all.


    Still so hard to get along with... Familiar taste, familiar formula.


    I patted my little heart comfortingly. Finally, I met a classmate who hadn''t changed much. The mental shock Soren gave me earlier was simply too great. Even now I could still feel the cold sweat running down my back.


    "Oh, isn''t that Flynn...you came but didn''t...didn''t tell me!"


    Suddenly an intermittent voice came. I turned to look. Only to see Henderson hugging a bottle of wine, swaying unsteadily, with a strong smell of alcohol coming towards me. He was clearly drunk, and not just a little drunk.


    "Hehehe...you...you''re not being fair like this! We used to be such good...good friends!"


    Indeed he and I were quite close classmates in high school. In fact, he and I shared a lot of similar hobbies. But after going to university, our contact lessened a lot. Another classmate was now worriedly propping him up, afraid he might accidentally fall down at any moment, but unable to persuade him to stop.


    "Sorry, work kept me and I came late." I stood up and explained apologetically. But Henderson just shoved the bottle in his hand into my arms when he heard me.


    "Then don''t say any more! Come...drink! You say yourself how many...penalty drinks?" As expected, so direct. What had to come still came. I looked at his classmate next to him, who gently shook his head at me.


    "Then...three drinks! How''s that? I''ll do it myself."


    Three drinks was pushing it for me, as I don''t have great alcohol tolerance. But looking at him, I also felt bad saying too few. So I took three cups and poured them full of alcohol.


    "Okay...then I''ll...I''ll drink first!" He grabbed a cup and was about to pour it into his mouth.


    "Hey, stop stop!" I grabbed his wrist, and the other classmates forcibly took the cup from his palm too. "You shouldn''t drink anymore. I''ll do the three drinks."


    I downed the three drinks in one go. Seeing the three empty cups, Henderson finally smiled contentedly. "That''s...enough brotherhood!" Then he hugged the nearly empty bottle and staggered drunkenly towards the others.


    "Phew..." I let out a long breath. Fortunately, it was just beer, without too high alcohol content. I felt a slight bloating in my stomach. Reed beside me was still quietly reading her book, completely unaffected, as if no one had come by at all.


    A true superior! I wiped my sweat.


    "Oh, hurry, hurry!"


    Several female voices suddenly cried out from the center of the room.


    "Reilly, isn''t this the song you picked? Where''s the mic? Hurry up and give it to him!"


    In the commotion, Reilly finally got the mic in time and stood up on stage.


    "Now, let me present a song to you all, ''Fairytale'', I hope you like it!"


    Not only an opening speech, Reilly also bowed pretentiously to the crowd before slowly starting his singing as he looked at the big screen.


    "Forgot how long ago..."


    "Since I last heard you..."


    "Tell me, your favorite story..."


    "I''ve thought for a long time..."


    "I''m starting to panic..."


    "Did I do something wrong again..."


    ...


    I had to admit, Reilly''s singing voice was still very nice to listen to. The familiar old song flowed out in an emotional voice. From a certain perspective, his singing was already very close to the original by Mickle Wong.


    Looking at that tall figure, accompanied by the screams and occasional applause from the female students below, I couldn''t help burping from the alcohol at this inappropriate timing. It seemed the effects of the alcohol were starting to hit me.


    My gaze looking at the stage seemed to become blurred and start seeing double...


    I shook my head vigorously. It was just three glasses of beer, how could the aftereffects be so strong? But come to think of it, my alcohol tolerance was at best a bottle plus some beer. So it didn''t seem weird after all.


    I could only try my best to keep awake, staring wide-eyed at the front.


    ...


    "I want to become the angel..."


    "That you loved in the fairytale..."


    "Spread open my arms..."


    "Turn them into wings to protect you..."


    "You have to believe..."


    "Happiness and joy are the ending..."


    ...


    The song reached its climax. The reactions below grew more and more heated. I felt I couldn''t hold on, a sudden dizzy spell hit me.


    Subconsciously I glanced up at the ceiling. The rotating light on the ceiling of the suite seemed to spin faster and faster as the atmosphere stirred it up, shining brighter and brighter. My entire field of vision spun into a patch of white in the spinning.


    The pleasing singing echoing in my ears also seemed to stop abruptly at the same time. The surroundings suddenly became deathly silent, with only the karaoke background music still playing slowly...


    ...

 Chapter 6: cross over

    This was a grand hall. From the carved walls, tiled floors, and placement of statues, everything exuded luxury and magnificence.


    A white carpet ran down the central aisle, and at the far end, a figure stood with hands clasped behind their back.


    "Lady Elara..."


    Another figure knelt on one knee before her, quickly reporting something.


    "We''ve completely lost contact with the Cycle..."


    "What about the spell formation?" Elara anxiously interrupted.


    "I don''t know why..." The other hesitated before continuing, "The formation is still active, it doesn''t seem to have failed."


    "How is that possible! Without the Cycle''s support, it should have completely failed!" Elara couldn''t understand at all. The Cycle was the core of the entire formation, absolutely indispensable. But reality was constantly challenging her knowledge.


    "And it''s operating without any issues, everything''s normal," the messenger said strangely, seemingly also unsure how to respond.


    "That''s unbelievable!"


    Elara pondered for a moment, seeming to make a decision and issued orders.


    "No matter what, you must hold on! Persist to the end no matter what."


    ...


    Where was this? I looked around, only seeing endless white all around.


    Didn''t I get drunk?


    Although I seemed unable to move, suspended in this white glow felt extremely comfortable. Like my whole body was immersed in a hot spring, the blissful sensation made me want to moan.


    Uh, it seemed I couldn''t even make a sound. Logically I should be very panicked in this situation. But I had no thoughts at all, as if I could stay like this forever, free of desire and worry.


    After an unknown amount of time, the white glow finally seemed to diminish, becoming thinner and thinner. Mist seemed to rise in all directions, slowly dissipating.


    Finally I could sense my surroundings again.


    My hearing returned first, the gradually noisy sounds flooding into my mind. I seemed to hear urgent voices, but I couldn''t understand their language at all.


    What bird language was this?


    But very quickly, a torrent of things suddenly rushed into my brain, overwhelming me for a time.


    I suddenly realized I could understand their words!


    "We can''t hold on any longer! What do we do?"


    "Tell everyone to retreat quickly! ...Retreat quickly!"


    ...


    What did this mean? Even understanding it, I was totally confused about the situation. It sounded like two women talking, was this coming from a TV?


    My eyelids still felt so heavy, by now I sensed only darkness around me. I could only force my eyes open a sliver.


    Well, I didn''t know what words could properly describe this. Peering through blurry eyes, I found myself suspended not far above the ground. But this was definitely not the familiar KTV lobby. The earthen floor was etched with countless shining golden complex patterns. And several naked maidens floated around.


    Even more shocking, with just that glance, I was certain they all had a pair of white wings spreading from their backs. The scene...was so bizarre! The air was full of an indescribably lewd atmosphere, yet also strangely intermingled with a hint of holiness.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    I say only a glance, because the next moment, a huge shadow descended from the sky. A boulder whistled past right before my eyes, heavily smashing into the ground.


    In that instant, everything shook violently. I felt a sharp pain in my head, almost passing out entirely. And the torrent of chaotic information flooding my brain also abruptly ceased, leaving only countless tiny fragmented pieces.


    Along with the intense headache, I tightly shut my eyes, feeling like I was on a rollercoaster plummeting down at high speed. But I was soon caught by someone below, then all I heard was the roaring wind, alternating with unending wretched screams.


    Yet not long after, I lost that support again, once more dropping down.


    This time, I completely lost consciousness.


    When I regained awareness again, I was surrounded by chirping noises. It was like hundreds of birds passing by, calls rising and falling continuously.


    How annoying! The birds downstairs always cried out like this every morning. But today was exceptionally awful, it sounded like several times the usual number. Did they open a zoo down there!


    I was irritated and wanted to curse out loud. Opening my eyes, I saw not the familiar ceiling.


    Wisps of white cloud drifted lazily across the clear sky. I could vaguely see the treetops on both sides, and the air held the smell of decaying leaves.


    Uh, I was instantly wide awake, where was this? Wasn''t I at home?


    Bizarre images instantly flashed through my mind, seeming highly unreal. My head felt a little painful, so was I just dreaming earlier...


    I struggled to sit up, but when my right hand touched the ground, it met something very soft and fluffy.


    What was this?


    Just as I wanted to lower my head to take a look, a sharp tearing pain radiated from my back on the right side, agonizingly painful...


    "Ahhhhh!"


    My shriek was like a lark''s clear sorrowful cry to the heavens. I froze, what was that sound?


    And that wasn''t all, I probably had no mind to worry about the sound now, because when I had glanced down just now, it seemed I had two extra mounds on my chest. And also, it appeared I wasn''t wearing any clothes?


    As I glanced down again, it seemed to pull at the wound on my back.


    "Ahhh!"


    This time I managed to restrain my cry by keeping the movement gentle, but my face still twisted violently from the pain.


    Was I injured? What happened to my back?


    Suddenly so many questions popped up and I felt my scalp go numb, unsure which one to focus on first.


    But one thing I could confirm - when I looked just now, those were definitely breasts that only girls have on my chest! How did they get on my body? Though just modest handfuls, I was certain I didn''t imagine it.


    And indeed I didn''t feel any clothes on me, it really seemed I was completely naked.


    This was insane! Too much information, my brain felt totally overwhelmed.


    I should inspect the back wound first. I slowly raised my right hand towards my back, already imagining a terrible gash there, maybe even bloody.


    But actually I didn''t feel any wound, though I did inadvertently touch something strange midway. Critically, I could feel it when my hand made contact. It felt my touch just as I felt it being touched.


    Too bizarre! It was like...my left hand touching my right hand, and furry, warm, reminding me of petting a cat''s back.


    Was this...


    A flash of insight hit me. Recalling that bizarre scene I''d seen while floating in midair, could these be wings?


    Sure enough I was right. Stroking up and down the edges several times, I finally accepted this reality. And finally understood why my back hurt¨Dbecause a whole wing was spread out on the ground. Naturally it pulled at my back when I put my hand on it to get up.


    So there was no injury at all!


    I felt my entire worldview was about to collapse. I desperately hoped for someone to come tell me what had happened. I was just at my high school reunion at the KTV earlier right? How did I wake up suddenly transported to this desolate wilderness? Did I cross over?


    Where were the others, Quinn, Reilly, Astrid, and my other classmates? Was it just me alone? And crossing over was one thing, but why did I become like this, with wings growing from my back? If not for the annoying protrusions on my chest, I''d have almost thought I crossed over as a bird!


    Since I understood what happened now, it would be much easier to deal with. Avoiding the scattered feathers on the ground, I easily sat up. Only then did I finally see the full appearance of this body.


    Despite some mental preparation, I was still shocked speechless by the sight. Indeed it was no longer the familiar form I''d lived with for over 20 years.


    Instead it was a delicate, graceful body. Creamy smooth skin, slender tender limbs, and a lock of blue hair trailing from the back of my head...


    It was like a precious, flawless work of art. I tremblingly reached out, almost not daring to believe my eyes.


    Indeed, it was all gone! All of it! Not a single hair left!


    Yes, not one hair except on my head!


    I didn''t know whether to mourn that thing that had accompanied me for over twenty years, or scoff that it had never been of use all those years before vanishing.


    In any case, it was clear to me¨DI had become a girl.


    Clutching the hair already grown to my thighs, I smiled wryly. And it was light blue too. Aside from anime and manga, this was my first time seeing such a hair color, and it just happened to be growing from my head.


    No, what about those wings on my back?


    So in other words, I had become an angel?

 Chapter 7: Naked Angel Lands in Another World

    If I wasn''t sure that I wasn''t dreaming, I would never have believed this conclusion. After all, it was just too incredible.


    I was now standing in a clearing in the middle of a forest. Just moments ago, I had been lying on the ground beneath my feet. Other than the surrounding lush trees and thick fallen leaves, there was nothing else around. Even the birds that had been chirping and fluttering around me just moments before had all flown away the instant I stood up.


    I didn''t know if this could be considered a good thing or not. After all, I didn''t have a single piece of clothing on my body - I was completely "stark naked". And I couldn''t find anything nearby that I could use to cover myself up with. So the reality was that I didn''t even dare to glance down, or I would be overwhelmed with embarrassment.


    What should I do now?


    I couldn''t just stand here motionless forever. At the very least, I had to find a place with people, right? Speaking of which, where exactly was this place?


    Just as I thought I knew nothing about the current situation, I was shocked to discover that I seemed to know the name of this world.


    This was... the Eldoria Continent.


    This appeared to be the name of this world.


    The name just floated up in my mind out of nowhere, but I was unable to recall any specific details or related information about it. It was as if fragments of memories that I didn''t have before had suddenly popped up in my mind, disjointed and fragmented. I couldn''t string them together into a complete chain at all.


    I must have had this knowledge forcibly implanted into me. Recalling the sensation of having a huge amount of information suddenly surge into my brain, and then suddenly being able to understand the language of this world...


    It really was mystical yet so convenient. I didn''t know how it was accomplished.


    And so I started trying hard to search my mind for all the knowledge about this world that I could find. But very little of it was useful. Most of the memories were incomplete, just useless scattered fragments. Still, I was able to sift out a few things that seemed like they could be useful.


    For example, it seemed like I could hide my wings.


    Then, following the steps in my memory, I tried it out...


    It looked like I needed to manipulate some kind of light element?


    Immediately, I intuitively understood what this so-called light element was. It seemed to be a kind of minuscule particle, yet also like a kind of strange aura. It gave me a feeling of warmth and tranquillity.


    In any case, it was something I couldn''t see with my eyes no matter how hard I looked. But I could sense it from my other senses - it was everywhere.


    Especially concentrated around my own body, dense and clustered together.


    It was a very mystical feeling...


    Sure enough, in no time at all, my wings dematerialized into dots of light and disappeared without a trace. Fascinating! But there was one problem - it seemed I couldn''t maintain this state for a prolonged period. And if my body became too weak, or I experienced intense emotions, the effect would also be lost.


    There was another useful thing that seemed to be called Purification. Judging by the name, it should be a very handy skill. Unfortunately, no matter how I tried to follow the steps in my memory, I just couldn''t get it to work successfully. No matter how hard I stared at my palm, there was no reaction at all. I suddenly felt like a fool.


    Other than that, there were no other skills.


    I didn''t know if it was because I simply hadn''t had a chance to acquire more, or if I had already forgotten them and relegated them to some corner of my memory. In any case, I couldn''t recall anything more related to skills now. However, I did discover some useful basic information about this world.


    For example, there did seem to be humans inhabiting this continent, and their numbers seemed plentiful, spread over a wide area.


    In contrast, I couldn''t remember anything at all about angels.


    I could only take things one step at a time now. Speaking of which, I still had a pair of wings on my back, right?


    Since I couldn''t find any memories relating to flying, I could only try flapping my back wings with effort to see if I could get airborne.


    In an instant, fallen leaves were swirling in the air, and tree branches swayed violently back and forth with a whooshing sound. It certainly looked impressive, but after the gust of wind died down, I was still standing firmly in place, without having budged an inch.


    Uh, this was rather awkward.


    What good were these wings if I couldn''t fly? If they weren''t attached to my body, I might even think about hacking them off and roasting them for a meal. The snowy white, sleek wings did look very beautiful, but they were also a bit too large - the wingspan was nearly twice my height. And when folded up, the wingtips nearly dragged on the ground.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    This was a total encumbrance. Fortunately, I still had the skill to make the wings disappear, which I could put to use.


    And so, I tried to make my wings vanish again. But a thought flashed through my mind, and I suddenly came up with another way to use them as a substitute for clothing - I stretched out both wings as far as I could to the front of me, enveloping my body completely like a spring roll. My entire body was now wrapped in feathers.


    This didn''t feel too bad. At least I didn''t have to worry about exposing myself now. It was warm, relieved of the awkwardness, and the direct contact of the soft feathers on my skin felt really comfortable.


    I really didn''t dare to imagine what it would be like if I met other people while completely naked in my current female body...


    It would be too overwhelming.


    I wandered alone through the endless forest like a spring roll. It had been a long time now. How much further did I have to walk? Other than trees, all I saw were more trees. After walking for so long, I hadn''t come across any proper animals, other than a few small birds flying overhead occasionally.


    In fact, I had no clue which direction I should be heading in. I could only keep walking straight on this path and see where it led me.


    Were there any living creatures at all in this forest?


    I couldn''t help but complain internally, but on second thought, maybe it was better that there weren''t any. If some ferocious beast popped out, I wasn''t confident I could survive.


    Speaking of which... angels should have some combat ability, right?


    I raised my slender, bamboo shoot-like right arm and examined it over and over. My tender, white fingers were as delicate as young spring onions. After thinking for a bit, I clenched my hand into a fist and swung it at a thick, sturdy nearby tree.


    With a "bang", the tree branches shook violently, making a rustling sound as countless leaves rained down from above.


    "Ow, that hurts!"


    I kept blowing on the back of my fingers while caressing them, hurting so much that tears welled up in my eyes.


    Fortunately, I had subconsciously held back, or the impact would have been much worse. But it still left several deep red marks on the back of my hand. Still, this punch did seem to have some effect - it at least left a small fist imprint on the tree trunk, even if the tree was overall undamaged.


    Objectively speaking, my strength had increased tremendously compared to before, far too much to even compare the two. But this was still far from the effect I had imagined.


    I was very disappointed. I thought I could smash this huge tree to pieces with one punch, leaving a long crack or ravine in the earth from the aftershock...


    Alright, I admit I was daydreaming!


    Having accepted reality, I could only continue forward one step at a time. The sky was gradually becoming darker - nightfall seemed to be approaching.


    I didn''t even know how long I had been walking - one hour? Two?


    But strangely, I didn''t feel tired at all, or even very hungry. My body seemed to keep operating ceaselessly like a perpetual motion machine.


    However, when night completely fell, I was plunged into endless darkness. I couldn''t see anything in any direction, not my five fingers. Other than the sky full of glittering stars, I could barely see anything.


    What...should I do now?


    I began to feel scared, growing more and more anxious. The only sounds I could hear now were the whooshing of the wind through the treetops and the shuffling of my footsteps on the ground.


    Wandering alone in the forest of an unfamiliar world, in the middle of the wilderness at night - I felt that familiar helplessness again.


    "Is anyone there? Is there anyone here!"


    Disregarding everything, I shouted loudly into the surroundings in the language of this world, hoping to get someone, anyone''s attention. But the endless darkness only echoed back the monotonous rustling of leaves in response.


    And I couldn''t keep walking any further either.


    Now I was like a blind person, bumping into things everywhere, even likely to crash into some tree if I wasn''t careful.


    I could only sit down leaning against a tree trunk for now.


    After all, living in cities before, I basically never experienced such complete darkness where I couldn''t see anything. I finally understood a little of what it must feel like when people first lose their sight.


    The only comfort was the soft, furry sensation against my back. I clung to it like a drowning person grasping at straws, burying my whole body into the cocoon of my wings.


    Immersed in the warmth of the wings, I could discern the feel of each individual feather gently caressing my skin, continuously soothing my anxious heart, allowing me to slowly relax from the extreme tension.


    I didn''t know how much time passed like this. Suddenly, I seemed to faintly hear the sound of hoofbeats, so soft it was almost imperceptible. But I was certain it wasn''t just my imagination, since this was the first sound other than my own that I had heard in all this time.


    My spirits were roused. It was like catching a life raft. I immediately stood up and dashed in the direction of the sound.


    What was that?


    Although it was very far away, I could still see a faint gleam of light slowly moving from the distant right to left. Mustering all my strength, I sprinted towards it. Fortunately, from some point on, an enormous round moon rose in the night sky, much bigger and brighter than the moon on Earth. In the moonlight, the ground was no longer pitch black and invisible, at least I could clearly make out the trees and grass around me.


    The other party was still very far away. I wasn''t confident I could reach them before the light disappeared, but I didn''t want to miss this chance either. Like a drowning person desperately clinging to one last straw at the moment of death, I fixated on that point of light and ran wildly.


    But a few minutes later...


    Things didn''t go as hoped.


    At a distance of about 200 meters away from me, the silhouette of what looked like a carriage flashed rapidly across in front. The point of light was probably a carriage lantern hanging from it. I watched its retreating figure and called out loudly and clearly in dissatisfaction: "Wait a moment---"


    But my clear, melodious cry quickly drowned in the fading rumble, without making a ripple.


    Dejected, I stood in place. But I was no longer in the familiar grassy clearing in the woods, instead standing on a dirt path through the woods with obvious signs of human travel.


    At least I wasn''t totally clueless anymore now. A road meant people. After sprinting at full strength just now, although I wasn''t gasping for breath, I could still feel a massive drain on my stamina. But that was already pretty good compared to my past self.


    I decided to follow the carriage''s direction and continue onward. At least the chances of escaping this uninhabited area were much higher now. In order to get out of this predicament as soon as possible, I didn''t even want to think about what would happen if someone else discovered me in my current naked state.


    At the very least, I had to find people first...


    As time passed, I finally began feeling tired and hungry. I gazed at the road stretching endlessly into the distance, still without a soul in sight.


    The bright moon of this otherworldly sky had already moved overhead. I sighed softly. I really couldn''t walk any further and could only sit down to rest at the side of the road beneath a tree. Whether it was because of the wings'' warmth or my body''s own attributes, wrapped in the feathers I didn''t feel a hint of coldness on this night. My consciousness gradually grew blurry, and before I realized it, I had fallen into a deep slumber.

 Chapter 8: I was discovered

    I was suddenly awakened by a strange sound piercing the dark, silent forest. It was some kind of roar or howl, which stood out clearly against the quiet of night.


    The air around also seemed to have changed. There was a faint but unpleasant smell lingering everywhere, making me feel uneasy. It was like being plunged into a chilling, oily mess.


    What was happening? That howl sounded angry, giving me pause. I didn''t want to give up this chance encounter, but the animalistic cry made me wonder if there was danger nearby.


    I decided to go take a look, just to observe from afar first. If anything went wrong, I should still be able to run away fast. My all-out sprint earlier gave me new confidence in my speed.


    Leaving the forest path, I plunged into the trees and bushes again. The closer I got to the howls, the stronger the unpleasant smell became. Before long, I saw a glow up ahead - it looked like a campfire burning. And some people were fighting with an animal beside it.


    When I moved closer, I could see clearly. There were two men and two women, attacking a very strange creature. Although I had never seen one before, I recognized it from books and the internet - a three-headed dog, a Cerberus.


    The Cerberus was growling angrily at a red-haired man, who was fighting it bare-handed. He wore light combat gear and was trading blows with the beast. The two girls flanked them, one holding a long spear and jabbing at the Cerberus from a distance. But her attacks didn''t seem to do anything; the dog dodged them at the last moment as if it had eyes in the back. The other girl stood far away, holding a wizard''s staff but not taking any action yet. The last man was even farther back, armed with a bow and firing arrows while moving around.


    Whew - this scene looked familiar, just like something from a Western fantasy world. At least it matched my expectations so far. From their clothing and behaviour, they seemed like ordinary characters from a roleplaying game.


    I decided not to approach them yet, hiding behind a large tree until the fight ended. I had just gotten there when something strange happened. The Cerberus suddenly broke out of the four warriors'' encirclement, ignoring them completely as it raced away into the darkness.


    The four stood there dumbfounded, watching their enemy flee. An eerie silence fell over the forest.


    "What was that?" said the girl with the wizard staff, whirling to peer in my direction. I shrank back behind the tree, my heart pounding. She had sharp senses! I wondered if it was just a coincidence or if she had noticed me. Either way, I didn''t want to reveal myself to them yet. They weren''t angels - I saw no wings sprouting from their backs. But I was different with my wings, even if I hid them...


    I hadn''t forgotten my current naked state.


    Whispers broke out among the group, too soft for me to make out. They seemed to be discussing something as they crept closer. I grew more nervous, hoping they didn''t think I was a wild beast or monster.


    I even considered making a run for it, but this chance encounter was too good to waste.


    "Excuse me...Lord Angel?" said a girl''s voice suddenly. It was the fantasy language I knew well. She was addressing me directly, so they must have caught sight of me already. I thought I was hidden so well!


    "Lord Angel, can you hear us?" she continued as they edged nearer.


    Uh oh, I really couldn''t stay hidden at this rate. Better take control of the situation.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Wait! Can you hold on a minute?" I called out hastily, marvelling at how melodious my new voice sounded.


    The whispers and footsteps halted immediately. They must have heard me. A more muttered discussion arose from behind the tree, very close now.


    I caught snatches of it:


    "Weird..."


    "You sure it''s an angel?"


    "What if it''s a pervert..."


    "The voice doesn''t sound like one."


    "Then it''s a pervert with a nice voice!"


    ...


    Hey! Don''t call me a pervert when I haven''t even shown my face! At least move farther away or keep it down, I can hear everything!


    I didn''t dare move. I could imagine if I emerged now, in their eyes it would be like a person wrapped in a bath towel suddenly popping up on a crowded street...


    That would be totally awkward.


    "Could you please toss some clothes over?" I called out. A more hushed discussion arose behind the tree.


    Please, stop constantly whispering - I was anxiously waiting, afraid one of them might suddenly peek out from behind the tree, cementing my reputation as a pervert.


    Thankfully they seemed to reach a decision, as I heard rustling sounds. Before long a bundle of cloth sailed over the tree, landing neatly on the grass beside me.


    I squatted down and inspected it in the firelight. It was a dress or robe, with a green skirt and lace trim along the hem.


    In short, women''s clothing...


    "Um, could I get some men''s clothes instead? Please..." I requested, knowing my voice would mark me as female clearly. Although I wasn''t sure if angels had gender, after over twenty years as a man I had never worn women''s garb. I didn''t want to start now.


    As someone once said, cross-dressing is fun once or countless times.


    More excited whispering arose, like they were really worked up over this.


    "I knew it, a pervert for sure!"


    "But I sensed an angel, I''m certain!"


    "Maybe a dude?"


    "Ever heard a dude with a voice like that?"


    Hey! Keep it down with the insults, I can hear everything! ...Or at least move farther away!


    ...


    "Just give her the clothes. We lose nothing."


    It seemed they compromised at last. Another bundle flew over the tree.


    This time it was a matching shirt and pants, very plain Western-style gear. I spread my wings and swiftly pulled on the pants. But the shirt was tricky - my wings wouldn''t fit through!


    No choice but to make them vanish for now. The loose top went on easily after that, like a dress with the hem covering halfway down my thighs. I had a bad feeling - my height seemed much shorter now.


    After double checking I was decent, I nervously stepped out from behind the tree. The four strangers looked shocked like they had witnessed something extraordinary.


    Strange, my wings were definitely hidden, right? Why were they so surprised? I didn''t think I looked that amazing, certainly not warranting such dramatic reactions.


    "I knew it couldn''t be an angel!" the red-haired man exclaimed, staring blankly before recovering himself. His first words were to scold the girl beside him.


    "Well you thought it was a man!" she shot back defensively, unwilling to admit fault. "But I sensed no mistake! How odd..."


    The other girl, the one with the long spear, began edging toward me again, asking gently, "Little sister, who are you?"


    Little sister? I had to resist an urge to retort at being called that.


    "Vivianne, be careful! It''s suspicious she''s out here alone..." cautioned the brown-haired archer. Seeing her approach me, he couldn''t help speaking up, gripping his bow as if ready to shoot any moment.


    Vivianne halted immediately at his warning, scrutinizing me again uncertainly. "But she seems alright?"


    Even so, she didn''t dare come closer, simply standing there to size me up from a distance.


    "It''s okay, I mean no harm, really!" I said, hoping to reassure them. I understood their wariness. A lone girl suddenly popping up here, in this time and place? I would be on guard too if I were them. So I decided to communicate my peaceful intentions first, even raising my hands to show I had no weapons.


    "See, nothing to worry about!" Vivianne breathed in relief, finally stepping forward. Only when she stood before me did I realize my head just reached her chest. No wonder I''d been mistaken for a child. And Vivianne didn''t seem very tall herself.


    "Can you tell me why you''re in this place?" she asked, reaching out to pat my head. I darted aside to avoid it. Come on, just because I''m a bit shorter doesn''t mean you can call me little sister - I might be older than you for all you know. Vivianne looked about thirteen or fourteen at most.


    Speaking of which, I had no idea what I looked like now. But judging from their reactions, it must not be too bad! Though maybe not amazing enough to warrant such dramatic responses.


    "I''m not sure either. I just woke up lying here in this forest, and I was completely nu...uh, lacking clothes," I explained, glancing at the oversized outfit I wore. Some things were still hard to admit openly.


    "I see. What about before you lost consciousness? Where were you then?"

 Chapter 9: gods

    "Uh..."


    I was at a loss for words. Was I supposed to tell them that before I passed out, I was at a KTV room in Aurora Entertainment for a high school reunion? The question was unexpected, and I didn''t have time to think carefully. If I could really make up lies smoothly on the spot, that would be a miracle.


    "I...I don''t remember," I said the first thing that came to mind. At least without any evidence, no matter how suspicious they were, I could get by pretending to have amnesia.


    "Are you sure?" Of course, they weren''t fools. They all looked at me incredulously.


    "I...I really don''t know what happened!"


    I swallowed hard. At least that wasn''t entirely a lie. In some ways, I really didn''t know what had happened.


    "Fine, then at least you should know your name and where you''re from, right?"


    I was stumped again. Should I tell them my real name is Flynn and I''m from Earth? That name would probably sound very strange in this world, and it sounds like a boy''s name too. If I told them that while looking like a girl now, their suspicions would only grow.


    "I...I can''t remember that either..." I decided to bury my head in the sand and blame everything on amnesia. I kept a close eye on their actions, afraid they''d pounce on me like with the hellhound if they sensed anything off.


    "Alright, I believe there''s no problem," Vivianne finally took pity and came over to grab my hand and pull me to the campfire. The other three followed and sat around the fire.


    Sitting next to Vivianne, the others didn''t ask anything more, but no one seemed to find another topic either. We sat in silence, and I could feel their gazes darting towards me occasionally. It made me very uncomfortable.


    "Um, I walked in the forest for a long time today, but strangely didn''t see any animals," I said, trying to break the awkward silence. It could also show I wasn''t dangerous.


    "Oh, that''s because there was a battle here not long ago. Many monsters and beasts appeared from who knows where. Anything alive has long fled. We still occasionally see stragglers like that hellhound," the brown-haired boy explained. He was quite good-looking, with a youthful, clean-cut face and deep gray eyes fixed unwaveringly on me.


    Uh, his stare made me very uneasy. To prove my harmlessness, I quickly followed up, "So it''s possible that I was attacked by those monsters and left unconscious here?"


    "Can''t say for sure. We heard the dark creatures clashed with angels in this forest and were sent to investigate," the mage girl replied. She looked plain with nothing special about her. But I sensed something familiar from her - the light element, which filled my entire being.


    "Yet your scent...only angels should have that aura. But you''re clearly not an angel. Just who are you?"


    Scent? What scent could I have? The light element? I wanted to retort, but she wasn''t wrong. I just had my wings hidden.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I was considering revealing my true identity when a sudden thought made me hesitate. If I unfurled my wings here, my clothes might burst. I''d already claimed amnesia too. That would contradict my story.


    "I don''t know..." I answered guiltily.


    "Alright, stop pressuring her!"


    Vivianne finally couldn''t stand it and spoke up for me. She was much prettier than the mage girl despite being a gunner. Though that class, what was it called...?


    Well, never mind. I realized I couldn''t fully gain their trust yet. So I smiled gratefully at Vivianne.


    Vivianne reached out as if to ruffle my hair but stopped herself, likely recalling how I''d shrunk away earlier. She coughed awkwardly and then pointed to the red-haired boy. "Let me introduce you. This is Brennan."


    The redhead grunted in acknowledgement, seemingly not bothered. His sharp gaze was fixed on the fire.


    "He''s Adrian."


    The brown-haired boy nodded and smiled. "Adrian Lawson."


    "Selene," the mage girl cut in without waiting.


    I yawned involuntarily. I was already exhausted, and the excitement had drained me further.


    "Why don''t you all rest? Brennan and I can keep watch tonight," Adrian suggested upon seeing me.


    No one objected. We quickly tidied up and cleared a spot to sleep. Selene and Vivianne lay down.


    I''d initially refused to sleep with two girls while the guys kept watch outside. It felt inappropriate as a man... Alright, forget I said anything.


    I was too tired to resist anyway. My whole body felt lifeless. With no choice, I lay down at the very edge and soon drifted off.


    I didn''t sleep long this time. When I awoke, the sky was just brightening with the first rays of dawn filtering through the leaves, casting patterns on the ground.


    I felt well-rested, with the sunlight warm and energizing.


    A black shadow suddenly flashed across the ground, vanishing in an instant. It looked like a large bird passing by but was gone when I looked up. I thought I saw some birds wheeling high overhead but nothing else.


    What was that? I wondered, but my attention was drawn by the dark eye circles on both guys.


    "What happened to you two!?" I exclaimed, shocked. Did they not take turns keeping watch? Well, I couldn''t blame them since I''d slept through the night.


    The girls also woke up and were surprised to see the state the guys were in. They quickly urged them to rest. It was probably still early. I figured I could sleep a while more...


    But Selene didn''t idle after getting up. She kept fussing with the burnt wood in the extinguished fire, then suddenly stood straight. A fireball appeared in her palm which she lightly tossed at the wood pile. A streak of red flame cut through the air with a soft "poof," and the campfire roared to life.


    I gaped, speechless. I''d seen plenty of fantasy anime with magic, but watching such vivid magic up close was an entirely different experience.


    "It''s not that impressive..." Selene flushed a little at my dumbfounded look. "Fire magic isn''t my specialty. I''m actually a cleric from the Church..."


    "It''s still amazing," I said sincerely. I really wanted to learn from her. I could just imagine facing enemies and suddenly shooting fire from my palm. They''d probably wet themselves! I could already picture those bullies who once tormented me fleeing in terror. What a great feeling that would be!


    Ahem... Don''t know why I was indulging in Chunibyou''s fantasies. I saw Vivianne coming over with an armful of kindling, curious about my earlier expression.


    Selene seemed to understand my thoughts. "You might not be able to learn it. Affinity with the elements matters. My fire affinity isn''t that high. The magic I can use is probably only basic. I joined the Church mainly due to my light and water affinities. And you..."


    She looked at me intently. "I can sense you have great talent in this area. Joining our Church may allow you to be recognized."


    "Uh, let''s talk about that later..." Another trying to recruit me. It made me think of Soren. But I had no interest in theology or religion, even if gods existed in this world.


    Wait a minute!


    I suddenly realized a major issue I''d overlooked. I was an angel now, that was a fact. So gods likely existed here, and angels were said to be divine messengers...


    It depended on what kind of god existed in this world. If it was an aloof being of light like the Christian God, that was fine. But if it was a highly anthropomorphized god like those in Greek myths... I shuddered at the thought.

 chapter 10: my name

    It seems for safety''s sake, it''s better not to get too close to that so-called church.


    "So which church are you from?" I asked tentatively, trying to get to the key question casually.


    "Which church?" Selene looked a bit confused. "There''s only one True Church across the continent!"


    Huh? There''s a True Church here too? I frowned slightly, this was too much of a coincidence. But I was quite certain everything that had happened to me so far was real, so this was the only explanation.


    Although I still didn''t understand why, based on the information so far, I likely had become an angel of this so-called True Church. From how Selene had addressed me as "Lord Angel" earlier, it seemed angels were her superiors.


    I was suddenly very glad I hadn''t appeared to them as an angel last night. Selene might not dare harm me, but if the Church found out, I''d probably get conscripted.


    I didn''t dare dig further into this issue, in case she became suspicious. She was already wary of me.


    "So what''s your plan for today?"


    I saw Vivianne take out a pot from somewhere and start cooking over the fire with some ingredients. I realized there were no backpacks or luggage on the ground. They must have some kind of storage items, pretty advanced stuff.


    The legendary space manipulation I''d heard about back on Earth was nothing compared to this.


    "Of course, we''ll go check out the battlefield we mentioned yesterday. It shouldn''t be far from here, we can reach it today." Vivianne told me their plans while making breakfast. "Our mission is to investigate. We can''t leave without seeing the site."


    She gave me an apologetic smile, "So you''ll have to come with us for now. We can only take you out of the forest on our way back."


    "That''s alright," I said.


    At least now I knew we were in a forest called Elara Woodlands. My goal in joining them was to get them to lead me out of this forest, and then go to the city of Norvale where they had accepted the commission. I heard it was the capital of a human nation, very prosperous.


    Since I couldn''t leave the forest for now, I may as well get more familiar with them. Who knows what problems I might run into once we reach crowded areas.


    After breakfast, we rested a few more hours before Brennan and Adrian were woken up mid-morning. Despite still having eye bags, they looked much better.


    The atmosphere was far livelier than last night. Perhaps because they were certain I wasn''t a threat, everyone had lowered their guard. Conversation flowed more freely between them.


    The redhead Brennan was especially spirited, completely different from his sullen silence before. He told jokes nonstop, though I didn''t get any of the humour. Still, it got giggles out of the two girls. Adrian was much more steady, telling stories of odd happenings in this world''s places, seeming quite learned.


    Honestly, from my experience, the team dynamics of these two men and women had some issues. There was likely some romantic drama mixed in. I just couldn''t tell who was interested in whom after studying them for a while. If it were Reilly here, it would be a different story. I wondered how he was doing now.


    Speaking of which, maybe I was already dead back on Earth? If so, people might think I drank myself to death. Dying from a few drinks would be pretty lame. I wondered if anyone would be sad, and I suddenly thought of Quinn.


    She already had a boyfriend...I felt oddly downhearted.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Vivianne looked concerned when I didn''t speak for a while.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "It''s nothing. I see you all get along so well, I don''t know how to join in."


    I threw out a random excuse. Honestly I had no idea what to say, knowing almost nothing of this world. Just listening to their conversations taught me a lot already.


    "I understand how you feel without even remembering your name." Vivianne gently comforted me. She seemed to really believe my amnesia story now. Though it couldn''t be helped lying to her, I felt a tinge of guilt deceiving such a simple girl.


    "It''s alright, I don''t mind much anymore." I quickly told her not to worry too much over this.


    "But not having a name must be so inconvenient?" She pondered a moment before asking, "What about Feliciana? I think you''ll like it!"


    "Uh..."


    I didn''t expect her to just give me a name like that. It sounded nice but felt too feminine for me. Yet I didn''t know how to decline either.


    "Don''t you like it? Then how about Mirellia? Or Stephany?" She tilted her head and came up with more.


    I really wanted to ask if she could pick a more masculine name, but I didn''t know how to say it.


    "Patricia? Tifany? Thetis?"


    "Stop!"


    I cut her off before she could continue. I looked defeated.


    "Feliciana is fine."


    It really was inconvenient not having a name. I couldn''t have people calling me "hey" or "you" all the time.


    And what did it matter what name I used now? Based on my experience, the odds of returning to my original body were virtually zero. Even if I could cross back over, whatever name I used here wouldn''t matter.


    "Then we''ll all call you Feliciana!" The others had overheard and voiced their agreement too.


    "Feliciana, how old are you?" Selene seemed very interested in my age.


    "Uh, I don''t remember..." I continued the amnesia story. Telling my real age probably wouldn''t be believed anyway. Comparing our heights, I was the shortest of the five, even though Selene who claimed to be sixteen was much taller than me.


    Sixteen? I should''ve still been in high school at that age, just starting tenth grade. Yet they were already out here fighting monsters. The children in this world grew up fast.


    "I think Feliciana is around your age at most." After comparing me to Selene, Brennan concluded. Did I really look that young? I suddenly wanted to see what I looked like now for the first time.


    I hadn''t thought about it before, being alone without a mirror.


    "Since I helped pick such an important name for you..." Vivianne spoke hesitantly, as if treading carefully.


    "Could I hug you?"


    "Hug me?"


    I was a bit shocked. So this was premeditated? I didn''t know why she suddenly wanted to do this when we just met.


    "Vivianne loves anything cute. She has no resistance to them." Brennan explained, lest I misunderstand.


    He was already used to this, watching with amusement.


    As expected, Selene and Adrian weren''t surprised either. They seemed to have anticipated this.


    Physical contact wasn''t necessary, was it? I was going to refuse, but when I looked at her chest area, I couldn''t tear my gaze away. They really were big. I couldn''t help swallowing.


    The benefits of becoming a girl came quickly, didn''t they? Though a bit shameless, I definitely wasn''t unaffected.


    "So you agree?"


    Seeing I didn''t immediately refuse, Vivianne''s eyes lit up as she approached me.


    "Well..."


    As she drew closer and closer, I suddenly felt uneasy.


    Before I could react, she pulled my head into her bosom. She had succeeded!


    So soft! That was my first impression. I blanked out, quickly intoxicated.


    But soon I couldn''t stand it anymore because I couldn''t breathe at all!


    They were just too big, leaving no space. I was smothered, becoming more and more uncomfortable. Vivianne was surprisingly strong too, not easy to break free from normally.


    "Ah!"


    At my limit, I used all my strength to push her away.


    Too frightening, to experience the legendary face wash. An unforgettable memory.


    But most deeply imprinted was the suffocating feeling, nearly passing out from lack of air.


    "Your face is so red!" Though Vivianne said this, she was clearly smiling.


    Wasn''t she just pretending not to know?


    "I think Feliciana may actually be older than she looks." Adrian suddenly gave his opinion. Had he noticed something after all? I felt I''d finally met a kindred spirit, worldly wise.


    "Huh, really?" Adrian''s words did have some effect. Vivianne looked me over carefully again but still couldn''t figure anything out.


    "Nevermind, as long as you look younger than me!" Vivianne moved to hug me again.


    "Can I have another go?"


    "Please don''t be so childish!"


    I really couldn''t stand it anymore. Face red, I rebuffed her and dodged aside. Thrilling yes, but never again.


    "Shy girl." Selene hid a smile behind her hand.


    I was a bit speechless. Anyone would be shy!


    The journey was quite cheerful overall, everyone chatting happily.


    The forest remained devoid of animals today, other than us five there wasn''t a single sound. Just like when I had wandered alone.


    I blindly followed behind them, having no idea which direction to go otherwise. I couldn''t even tell if we were somewhere I''d been before. At least they seemed far more professional in this regard.


    "Based on our destination..."


    Adrian took out a compass-like device, checked it and gauged the sun''s position.


    "That way."


    He pointed to the front right. "Should be close."


    No one disagreed, unanimously picking up the pace in the direction he indicated.


    Perhaps because we neared the target, everyone''s expressions gradually grew serious. The atmosphere seemed heavier.


    After walking steadily in one direction for a long while, as the sun neared setting, we finally arrived at a vast clearing within the woods.

 Chapter 11: Battle

    It was a gruesome scene that met my eyes.


    The first thing I noticed was a huge cracked boulder split into several pieces. It left a strong impression on me, because I remembered this thing falling from the sky and causing the sudden change in the situation before everything erupted into chaos.


    "That looks like a Doomsday Meteor!" Selene cried out, naming what sounded like a magic spell.


    The boulder had smashed out several extremely wide fissures in the ground, and the golden veins that had previously shone brightly were now completely dull, as if devoid of life. The scene felt extremely chaotic, with rubble and shredded clothes and armor scattered everywhere, surrounded by misshapen corpses piled up like a massive garbage dump. The multicolored blood had long since dried, but countless trails of it running across the ground were still visible.


    "These are all beastmen corpses," Brennan said gravely as he looked around. "I don''t see any human bodies."


    I felt very uncomfortable. Although the beastmen had been dead for a long time, there was still a disgusting aura lingering in the air, and it was much stronger than the last time. On top of that, the overpowering smell of blood mixed with the horrific state of the mangled corpses and guts strewn everywhere made it seem like a nightmare. As someone born on Earth, this was my first time seeing such a scene.


    The others weren''t faring much better. The two guys and Vivianne managed to keep frowning, but Selene already had her hand over her mouth with a nauseated expression. As for me, the aura made me unable to hold it in any longer, and I dry heaved over the ground but couldn''t bring anything up.


    "Maybe we should leave this place first," I heard someone gently patting my back, and looked up to see Vivianne standing behind me suggesting to Brennan.


    "I''m fine, I''ll get used to it after a while," I shook my head, not wanting my problem to disrupt their mission, especially since I hadn''t actually thrown up anything. Maybe it was because I hadn''t had much to drink recently, so there wasn''t even any liquid in me.


    After retching a few times, I did feel much better.


    "Weren''t we told this was the site of a battle between angels and beastmen? Why don''t I see any angel corpses?"


    I remembered the boulder falling and probably crushing quite a few angels, yet there wasn''t a single body to be found at the scene.


    "Angels are elemental creatures. When they die, they dissipate into light element, leaving no remains," Selene glanced at me, seemingly finding it odd that I didn''t know even such basic common knowledge.


    I see, so that''s why I have so much light element in me. In other words, if I die in the future, it''ll be a "no body" situation too? What a bizarre feeling.


    By now, the two guys had left the central area to search the outskirts. This place was so spacious they quickly disappeared from view.


    "Those two really are impressive, seeing a scene like this without any reaction." I suddenly felt immense admiration for Brennan and Adrian. Just how much tolerance did it take to appear completely unfazed?


    "We''re all part of the Adventurers'' Guild. We often form parties and adventure together, so we''re long used to sights like these," Vivianne said indifferently. "And Adrian frequently takes mercenary work from the army, so this is nothing to him."


    "I was only assigned to this mission. I rarely leave the church otherwise," Selene nodded repeatedly in agreement, looking deeply moved.


    Looks like I''m the weakest link here, I thought wryly.


    A roar that shook the earth suddenly came from somewhere, making my heart skip a beat. I had a very bad premonition, as the disgusting aura in the air suddenly grew several times stronger. My whole body felt oppressed.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Vivianne and Selene also turn pale at the sound, immediately pulling out their weapons.


    "It''s from Brennan''s direction!"


    Vivianne identified the location and rushed over. Selene and I hurried after her.


    The monster''s roars grew more frequent. Coming over a tall broken boulder, we quickly caught sight of Brennan''s conspicuous red hair, along with an enormous minotaur.


    "It''s a minotaur!"


    Vivianne screamed in shock. The minotaur was at least three meters tall, making Brennan look extremely tiny before it. And it was wielding a gigantic axe, looking very fierce as it swung violently at him. Although Brennan was agile enough to dodge frantically, it was clearly very difficult, and he barely managed to evade the axe blows. Occasionally the axe smashed into the ground, making me feel the tremors through the earth.


    "How can such a high level beastman be hiding here?" Selene cried out in disbelief. "I should have sensed the intense dark aura! But..."


    Her expression changed suddenly as a thought struck her. "It''s because of the battlefield. The stench from the beastmen corpses concealed its presence."


    "Help, Brennan can''t hold out much longer!" Vivianne''s screams rang out. By now, the minotaur had forced Brennan into a retreat, nearly unable to dodge the giant axe blows anymore.


    "Don''t get hit! You can''t tank it!" Vivianne yelled anxiously at Brennan. Seeing the dire situation, she gripped her long spear horizontally across her chest, then made a gesture with her fingers.


    "Lancer Arts - Galeforce Wings!" Suddenly, translucent wing-like shapes seemed to emerge from Vivianne''s back.


    "Crushing Impact!"


    Her speed increased dramatically, shooting towards the minotaur like a meteor.


    "Arcane - Tailwind!" Brennan shouted as well, bouncing and weaving as he twisted his body bizarrely in midair. I realized his movements were changing - whereas before he had seemed aggressive and offensive, the twisting was turning him evasive and elusive.


    Not only did his reflexes improve tremendously, his speed increased as well, or rather, became virtually untraceable. When pushed to a certain level, he left afterimages around the minotaur, making it impossible for the beast to land a hit no matter how it swung its axe.


    Meanwhile, Vivianne had reached the minotaur''s side, using her spear skills to aggressively attack its limbs. She was clearly trying to relieve the pressure on Brennan.


    "We can''t keep this up for long!" Vivianne still looked very worried. Like Brennan, her attacks were almost completely ineffective against the minotaur''s incredibly high defense. Neither of them could afford to take even one hit from that axe.


    Seeing this, Selene didn''t want to fall behind either. Grabbing her staff, she rushed forward and aimed a glowing orb-like spell at the minotaur''s head. But either due to insufficient power, it had no effect at all when it struck the monster. Vivianne''s spear thrusts were probably more useful for harassment, even if they couldn''t inflict real damage either.


    "This is..." Seeming anxious, Selene muttered an incantation. The tip of her staff gradually gathered a bright cluster of light, which she then flung forcefully at the minotaur.


    "Luminous Blast!"


    "Don''t!" Brennan tried to yell out a warning as he played tag with the minotaur. But it was too late. The light cluster smashed into the minotaur''s face and appeared very effective, making its entire body stagger and nearly topple over. However, it quickly regained its balance, then let out a furious roar. Its bloodshot eyes locked onto Selene as it charged towards us.


    "Crap!" Brennan shouted in alarm, pursuing the minotaur. The Luminous Blast had clearly dealt heavy superficial damage, leaving a large bleeding wound on the beast''s head. But that didn''t impact its actual combat ability much, only further enraging it and focusing all its hostility on Selene alone.


    Although Brennan was fast, the minotaur''s long strides as it ran were even faster. Meanwhile, Selene seemed paralyzed with fear, standing stiffly in place.


    "Run!" I yelled anxiously, rushing forward to grab her clothes and pull her aside.


    "Boom!" An enormous axe embedded itself deeply into the ground where she had just stood, the ground shuddering from the impact.


    I had never seen anything like this before, and couldn''t help but scream as my legs turned soft. The axehead was barely 10 or 20 centimetres from my toes. Selene wasn''t much better off, half-sprawled on the ground with her staff-wielding hand shaking uncontrollably. She babbled incoherently, "D-don''t... come over..."


    "Beast Control Art - Light Dragon!"


    A blinding beam of light shot out, striking the minotaur''s head before it could react. Unlike the Luminous Blast, that spell didn''t seem to explode on impact. More like it corroded the beastman when it hit. This beam caused a violent explosion, instantly wreathed the minotaur''s head in flames and thick black smoke.


    It looked like another of Brennan''s techniques. I saw him standing not far away, his right palm extended towards the minotaur''s head, while his left hand supported his right arm. The pose gave me an intense sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Although the minotaur wasn''t seriously harmed, Brennan had succeeded in redirecting its attention again.


    It wrenched its axe from the ground, then swung it in a wild three-hit combo at Brennan. But he had reached its feet by then, and seeing the attack, he rapidly jumped and wove, actually stepping on the sweeping axe blade to leap over the minotaur''s head.


    "Arcane - Crimson Lotus!"


    Twisting bizarrely in midair again, Brennan''s stance changed once more, becoming extremely aggressive. After several tumbles he was upside down, then flipped around into an inverted kick straight at the top of the minotaur''s head. At the same time, five red claw marks suddenly flashed from his feet.


    "Beast Control Art - Fire Claws!"

 Chapter 12: Battle 2

    "Roar~~"


    The minotaur let out a painful cry. The two horns on its head now had gashes, and there were three clear claw marks on the top of its head.


    "Spear Arts - Blazing Fury"


    At the same time, Vivianne also arrived. She switched to an attacking stance, and her long spear started spinning rapidly. For a moment, there seemed to be a blue dragon coiling around it, drilling towards the minotaur''s thigh like a drill bit.


    "Absolute Spear - Dragon Sword"


    There was a metallic sound of impact and collision. The minotaur''s defence was finally broken through, and the spearhead sunk deeply into its thigh muscles, almost piercing through entirely. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to have hit any bones or blood vessels, so the damage was limited. But the pain stimulated the minotaur''s ferocity. It swung its axe at the nearest Vivianne.


    Vivianne was unprepared in her attacking stance, and didn''t have time to dodge. With a sharp scream, she was struck and sent flying. Fortunately, she managed to raise her weapon to block the fatal blow at the last moment. But the long spear shaft couldn''t withstand the chop and snapped with a "crack". Vivianne still suffered heavy injuries and crashed heavily to the ground, falling unconscious.


    What terrifying power. A single axe blow immediately eliminated one of our fighters. But it had only suffered a few superficial external injuries.


    Selene had just recovered from the huge shock. Seeing Vivianne fall, she hurried over and quickly chanted a healing spell, shooting a white light from her palm that enveloped Vivianne.


    The healing spell''s effect was very obvious. At least the bleeding from Vivianne''s wounds started slowing down and eventually stopped completely.


    "I''ve stabilized her injuries with light magic. But my water healing magic isn''t excellent, so I can only heal slowly, not quickly recover her."


    Selene''s voice quivered a little. I looked at the wound on Vivianne''s chest that was slowly closing up. I understood what she meant - Vivianne wouldn''t be able to keep fighting for now.


    The minotaur had eliminated one problem and immediately charged at Brennan who had just landed from the air. Brennan was also too slow to react fully, still having several close brushes with danger.


    Just at this critical moment, an arrow wreathed in flame shot towards the minotaur with a sharp whistle, nailing its right eye and exploding.


    "Roar!" This arrow truly inflicted the heaviest wound since the start of the fight. Losing half its vision instantly drove the minotaur berserk with pain.


    Adrian stood atop a giant boulder in the distance, bow in hand, eyes fixed intently on this side. He had finally arrived, though it felt a little late.


    The minotaur covered its injured eye with one hand, while wildly swinging its axe at Brennan in front of it with the other. But Brennan had taken the chance to switch back to his agile state again, temporarily stabilizing the situation. Adrian seized the momentum, immediately nocking nine red-glowing arrows and shooting them in succession at the minotaur''s other eye.


    "Nine Heaven Arrows"


    "Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!" Like a string of deafening firecrackers, the explosive magic arrows continuously exploded toward the minotaur''s head.


    Although it had lost an eye, the minotaur wouldn''t make the same mistake again, constantly dodging sideways to avoid the sneak attack arrows. But these magic arrows were completely different from normal ones. Even though the minotaur avoided its vitals, the explosions still impacted its head heavily. Each one nearly matched Brennan''s light dragon in power.


    But it still wasn''t enough. After all, its skin was too thick. More arrows could at most leave some more bloodstains on its face, unable to deal real damage. And the tactic of attacking its eyes clearly wouldn''t work anymore either.


    Furrowing his brows, Adrian took out two more arrows glowing with white light, nocking them together for his next shot.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Attack its hands!" I yelled loudly. Up til now, the biggest threat seemed to be that giant axe. If we could disarm the minotaur, it would at least slightly ease the battle. Previously everyone had focused on its head, but the actual effect was too disappointing. We had to try changing our strategy.


    Hearing me, Adrian immediately shifted his aim. The two white rays shot out like lightning bolts. In the next moment, the hand the minotaur was using to cover its right eye was struck by the two arrows. Unlike the explosive magic arrows, these white glowing arrows silently pierced into the back of the minotaur''s hand like needles, without even a single spark. But the damage appeared huge, because all previous attacks had only reached its outer skin, while this was a rare direct hit to its insides.


    Uh, what I actually meant was to attack the hand holding the giant axe. I was still wondering why Adrian didn''t do that, but after glancing at the battlefield I suddenly understood and silently scolded myself for being an idiot. The minotaur was swinging that axe with power and speed, afterimages nearly appearing. How could Adrian possibly hit it accurately like that?


    We had to make it stop moving its hands for a while! I desperately racked my brain on how to accomplish this. Vivianne was heavily injured now. Selene was healing her and couldn''t leave. Brennan was the main aggro tank and also couldn''t spare any attention.


    Suddenly I recalled the scene of dodging the minotaur''s axe chop at Selene earlier, and had a flash of inspiration. This was the only way to try!


    "Brennan, try to lead it to chop the ground!" I shouted while carefully and stealthily moving closer to them. Right now the only person the minotaur saw was Brennan, completely ignoring my actions. Although unclear about my intentions, Brennan immediately stopped moving on hearing my yell, waiting until the minotaur directly chopped down before suddenly dodging sideways. With a crashing sound, the giant axe sunk into a pile of rubble as planned.


    Now! I seized the opportunity, rushing at the minotaur''s arm as it was about to pull out its weapon...


    As a transmigrator and angel, I currently knew almost nothing and had the lowest combat ability among everyone. Perhaps my only usefulness was the greater strength compared to previously.


    I had tested the tree branch many times before. I felt that although I couldn''t knock out the minotaur with one punch, I should still be able to hurt it. But why didn''t I join the battle? Because I only had strong power. I didn''t know any skills, had no evasion or defense techniques either. If that axe came at me, with my slow reflexes, I''d probably get chopped in two immediately.


    So my plan was simple. I would use brute force to grab the minotaur''s arm as it is pulling out its weapon, immobilizing it briefly.


    "Adrian, quickly attack its hand!" I flung myself at the minotaur''s wrist, exerting all my strength to press down. Adrian in the distance understood this fleeting opportunity, already nocking two white arrows aiming here.


    Huh? The instant I pressed down, I suddenly sensed something was off. It was like my strength had no effect at all, a huge opposing force instantly pushing back from its arm without even the slightest slowness. The minotaur grabbed its axe and abruptly lifted it up. Unable to maintain my grip, my entire body was flung into the sky.


    "Feliciana!" Everyone was shocked, originally thinking I had some hidden power to turn the tide. But it was just like an ordinary person rushing to their death, spiraling straight upwards.


    What was going on? In that instant of shooting upwards, I was still wondering why. But the ensuing rapid spinning quickly made me dizzy and disoriented. After rising to the top, I started plummeting down again, the intensifying weightlessness making me feel the threat of imminent death. I would definitely smash into meat paste.


    "Swish!" My back split open and a pair of pure, unblemished wings suddenly unfolded midair. The increased drag instantly slowed my descent, but I didn''t know how to fly and was still unable to stabilize. My consciousness faded under the ceaseless spinning acceleration. At the very last moment, my body''s instincts finally took over. Without needing conscious control, every part of the wings started coordinating and exerting force.


    Just one second before smashing into the ground, I finally halted my fall, hovering steadily in the air not far above the ground.


    So that was it...


    After regaining awareness, I deeply experienced the sensation from the wings under instinctive operation. It was completely different from the overall rigid, deliberate flapping previously.


    "You really are an angel!" Selene cried out, even dropping her usual polite address. Brennan and Adrian were also dumbfounded, originally thinking I couldn''t be saved after falling from the sky. But the result completely exceeded their expectations.


    "Roar!"


    Seeing an angel suddenly descend, the minotaur''s attention was fully drawn here. It didn''t even care about Brennan frozen in front of it, raising its axe to chop at me.


    I flashed aside in midair, the wings naturally changing action to bring me flying from my original position without needing any conscious control.


    As expected, just relying on instincts works! Having grasped flight, I excitedly zipped to the minotaur''s side and kicked hard at its swinging arm.


    The minotaur let out a pained cry as the giant axe slipped from its grasp and was kicked away by me. The hit worked. The minotaur was disarmed! I had actually accomplished the goal I struggled vainly to achieve earlier so easily, I couldn''t help doubting life itself.


    My foot also started aching slightly from the reaction force, but I didn''t have the attention to spare for such minor things. I stared at my own hands, temporarily confused why my strength had returned?


    Could it be because of the wings? I suddenly recalled testing my strength before while the wings were visible, and hadn''t tried again after hiding them. So the source of my power should be the wings behind me!

 Chapter 13: The Four-Winged Angel

    "Feliciana, hold it back! I''ll use Red Lotus!"


    Seeing that the biggest threat was gone, Brennan and the others were excited and shouted, changing to an offensive stance. Since the enemy''s attack power had greatly decreased, they didn''t need to dodge as much anymore.


    "Beast Taming Art: Light Dragon!"


    "Fire Claws!"


    "Lightning Serpent!"


    He unleashed almost all of his moves on the enemy.


    "Nine Heavens Arrow Rain!"


    "Chaotic Twin Arrows!"


    Adrian followed closely behind, recklessly shooting out white arrows.


    But just because Minos lost his weapon didn''t mean he lost his defence too. His thick skin and flesh were still difficult to deal with. With so many moves hitting him, they could only leave some scratches, drawing a bit of blood at most. My normal attacks also seemed very obvious, almost every punch and kick made Minos'' body shake and scream loudly. But bare fists couldn''t cause much real damage, and he would dodge too. Also, after so many hits, I felt like my fists and legs were going to break from the pain.


    This wasn''t working! With just bare fists, the damage Minos could do to us was much greater. Even without his axe, two or three of his punches in a row would be too much for anyone. We were only able to keep fighting because of our greater numbers. It felt like we were just wasting time, and it would come down to who had more endurance to last until the end.


    "Can someone give me a weapon?"


    The two guys looked at each other, Brennan was unarmed, and I couldn''t use Adrian''s bow. Vivianne''s gun had already broken, and Selene''s magic staff was useless. I even thought of the huge axe that had flown far away - but it was too big, even if I could lift it I couldn''t wield it!


    So I really couldn''t find a usable weapon here?


    "You want a weapon?"


    Suddenly, an extremely sweet and charming female voice sounded from beside me. I turned my head towards the sound, and saw a tall, beautiful angel floating in the air not far behind me, with long grayish-white hair trailing behind her head.


    She wore a full body armor, wrapped in some soft yet metallic looking material on the upper body, but it seemed to be an open back design to avoid hindering the wings, fully revealing her ample bosom. The lower part went just past her knees, with a stiff ruffled outer layer, looking both beautiful and practical.


    Another angel! And a four-winged one at that, because she had two pairs of wings fluttering behind her back, slowly approaching me. I didn''t notice her coming over at all.


    My companions on the ground were puzzled too, but they could only attack Minos and had no time to care about this.


    When she got closer to a certain distance, I finally saw her looks clearly. She was really beautiful, with an oval face, slender eyebrows over a pair of bright golden eyes, plus alluring red lips, giving off a mature, sexy aura.


    "Who are you?"


    I asked in confusion. She said she''d give me a weapon, but her hands were empty, not looking like she had any weapons at all.


    "If you want a weapon, I can lend you one."


    As she spoke, she raised her right hand to her chest, palm half curled and facing up.


    Then the next moment, countless rays of light like lightning shot out from her palm, and her palm seemed to turn into a puddle of liquid, with a slender blade slowly rising from it, bringing up ripples of strange undulations.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "What is this?"


    I had never seen anything like this before, and recoiled in shock, flying backwards to get away. To be honest, I was a bit frightened by this sudden action.


    "Of course it''s to lend you a weapon!"


    The four-winged angel smiled and grabbed the long sword that had fully emerged in her hand, then threw it over to me.


    I caught it and looked at it, feeling the sword was almost completely weightless, light as a feather.


    The entire sword body was a translucent grayish-white, with many delicate patterns carved on the blade, intertwining and spiralling all the way to the tip. The hilt was even more complex, looking overall like an angel, with six pairs of wings fanning out on both sides to form a handguard.


    This was simply an exquisitely beautiful work of art! And she told me to use it to hack at monsters?


    I looked at the angel still floating in front of me in puzzlement, but she just kept smiling and reminding me.


    "Hurry, your companions can''t wait much longer."


    I realized it and quickly rushed at Minos on the ground, slashing down with the translucent sword.


    Although I didn''t know how to use a sword at all, just hacking and slashing I could do. The slender sword flickered with thousands of flashes of lightning as I swung it, but I didn''t feel any resistance at all, as if he had completely dodged it.


    Huh, did I miss?


    "Argh~~!" Minos let out a miserable shriek, and I saw that his entire arm was gone, sliced off, the severed limb flying far away.


    "This is..."


    Too incredible! With just one strike, the monster we had struggled against so long lost an arm, and losing an arm wasn''t necessarily fatal for a minotaur, he lashed out at me with his other arm in madness. Seeing this, I immediately raised my sword to block...


    And then saw another severed arm flying away...


    This... was just unfair, right? My cheats finally got approved? Oh no, I''m using someone else''s cheats.


    I was completely dumbfounded, watching Minos losing both arms and spurting blood, soon losing his balance with agonized wails and falling to the ground.


    "Feliciana, your weapon..."


    Everyone on the scene was stunned. Brennan and Adrian ran over quickly after I landed on the ground and asked.


    "Finish him quickly, give him the final blow."


    As a seasoned adventurer, although rarely seeing such a scene, Adrian still made the right call to remind me.


    I looked at Minos again. The armless minotaur was painfully rolling on the ground, constantly making very miserable moans. Actually, I didn''t feel bad chopping him up earlier, but seeing his current miserable state made me suddenly feel like when I was scolded by my parents, I couldn''t help but tremble all over, unable to do it.


    "No... I can''t do it..."


    "Why don''t I help you then."


    The four-winged angel descended from the sky and walked over to my side, taking the translucent sword from my hand.


    I saw her throw the sword in her hand at Minos like a dart, white light shooting out, piercing through the minotaur''s head in an instant and thoroughly ending its life.


    "This is..."


    Although it was the expected outcome, I was still a bit awed by her cool move. Then we were all surprised to see the grayish-white translucent sword float up into the air by itself, slowly tracing a white trail as it automatically returned to its owner''s hand.


    "Amazing."


    I couldn''t help but murmur in admiration to the angel beside me, but then saw the sword suddenly shatter into countless crystals, dissipating into the air like dust.


    "You flatter me, this was just a weapon I condensed using my abilities, it didn''t actually exist, so I can make it disappear when I don''t need it anymore." She explained to me.


    Such a powerful angel! Were all real angels like her? Compared to her, I felt like just a newbie, though I really was one.


    "You said that was a magic weapon you condensed? But I clearly sensed it had the aura of an artifact, a wind elemental artifact." Selene said in surprise, supporting Vivianne as they slowly walked over.


    Vivianne beside her had regained consciousness, her injuries mostly healed, just looking very listless and low in spirit.


    "I didn''t lie, it was made by me." The four-winged angel shrugged, giving me an inexplicable feeling of familiarity for some reason. "If you don''t believe me I can make another one right now, though I''m not sure if it''s using what you called wind elemental power."


    "Err, thanks but no need."


    I quickly declined the offer in thanks.


    "Thank you so much. Without your help, we wouldn''t have known how long we''d have to keep fighting."


    "Oh please, I just happened to hear the sounds of your battle here so came to take a look. Actually there were many more such monsters around here before, I''ve killed quite a few already." The angel in front of me said very casually about her experiences. "In fact, this minotaur wasn''t that strong compared to them."


    "What? There were many more minotaurs like this?"


    We all had a change of expression at her words.


    "Well, not necessarily anymore, there were also some lions with scorpion tails that could fly, and super huge lizards and such..." The four-winged angel thought for a bit and added. "The minotaur wasn''t that tough, far weaker than those lions."


    "Those are all high-level magical beasts..." Vivianne''s already pale face turned even more white.


    Everyone present was greatly shocked. But considering her fighting prowess just now and that incredibly powerful weapon, it was quite understandable. After all, she was a four-winged angel, her strength was on a completely different level.


    "Um, actually you guys and this little angel sister are quite amazing too, it''s just that unlike me you don''t have the Condensation Sword so it was harder to fight." Perhaps noticing the depressed atmosphere, she hurried to reassure us.


    So she called that weapon the Condensation Sword.

 Chapter 14: New Member

    "Excuse me, Miss Angel, how may I address you?" Selene''s tone suddenly became very respectful. "I''m a priest from the True Church. Please forgive my rudeness earlier."


    "Huh, are you asking me?" The four-winged angel seemed a bit surprised and hesitated for a long time before answering. "You can call me Nicola."


    "Then Miss Nicola, do you know what happened here a few days ago?" Selene directly asked the question that was the purpose of their trip here. Upon hearing this, the others'' expressions became serious as well.


    "There should have been a great battle between angels and monsters here, like the minotaur we just encountered was from the monster side, but I don''t know the specifics either. I had thought all the angels here were killed except for me..." Nicola rubbed her nose and looked over with a wry smile.


    "So you participated in the battle?" Adrian keenly caught the implication in her words.


    "That''s right, I did participate in the battle..." Nicola pondered for a moment before admitting. "But I still don''t understand exactly what happened regarding the whole affair."


    I was a little disappointed then. I had thought we had finally met another angel who could help resolve my doubts and understand what had happened here. But in the end, she knew nothing about it either.


    "Actually, I want to ask you all too - does this little missy angel know anything?" She then suddenly turned the questioning on me.


    "You''re asking me?"


    I was caught off guard, not knowing how I should respond.


    "She''s lost her memories, so she doesn''t know either. That''s why she''s following us." Brennan answered for me when he saw how flustered I was.


    "I see, so the investigation is back to square one then?" She looked thoughtful upon hearing this.


    Just then, everyone vaguely heard the roar of a beast from very far away. Nicola immediately flew up halfway to get an overhead view and carefully surveyed the surroundings.


    "It seems there may still be other dangers around here." Adrian looked around with solemn eyes. But the four-winged angel flying high overhead could see further away, and that sound also seemed quite distant, so no one was particularly worried.


    "Speaking of which, it is suspicious. Feliciana, did you really lose your memories?" Vivianne suddenly leaned in close, staring at me with great suspicion. "That you would hide your identity as an angel without telling us."


    "Uh... of course it''s true!" I was startled and took a few steps back to explain. "It was just that I had to put away my wings to wear clothes..."


    That much was true, I hadn''t lied to them about it.


    "I believe Feliciana." Adrian very cleverly took my side. "From her reaction when she first arrived on the scene, it seems clear she truly knows nothing about what happened here."


    "That''s right, and an angel that doesn''t even know basic angel knowledge like their death, can only be explained by amnesia." Selene readily agreed with him. "That''s the only explanation."


    I suddenly felt a little embarrassed to be trusted by them so much.


    "Speaking of which, Feliciana, you must be very old right? I heard angels can live almost eternally." Vivianne suddenly thought of a question and said wryly, "Who knows, maybe thousands of years already."


    Can angels live that long? I had never considered this question before.


    "I don''t think I''m that old..."


    I could only dodge the question, as I couldn''t directly state my real age.


    "If you''re willing, you can be my big sister too..."


    I had originally meant to humble myself to gain trust. But then I suddenly remembered my circumstances. Since I had transmigrated into this world, the actual age of this angel body was hard to say.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Really?"


    Vivianne seemed a little incredulous upon hearing this. She thought it over briefly before becoming excited.


    "If that''s the case, having an angel little sister wouldn''t be bad either. I might even be able to show off a bit."


    "Uh... sure, if you like."


    I twitched my mouth. No need for showing off please, I''d rather keep a low profile.


    "It should still be safe around here, but I think it''s best we leave this place soon."


    Just then, Nicola descended from the sky.


    "Now that it''s getting late, who knows if we''ll encounter other monsters again after dark. What''s more, we need to hurry and find a place to stay."


    She made a lot of sense. So after some discussion, we prepared to clean up the scene and head back.


    "Feliciana, I think you should change into another outfit." Selene suddenly noticed my back and suggested to me.


    With her reminder, I now realized that although the clothes I had burst through with my wings earlier were not completely torn, there was a huge rip along my back. With my wings hidden away again, it would still be exposed.


    "Alright."


    I nodded. These clothes really couldn''t be worn anymore. So I looked at the two guys pleadingly.


    Yet a few minutes later, I shyly emerged from behind a boulder, awkwardly holding down my skirt.


    Wearing women''s clothing for the first time felt so weird, and it was even a dress. Knowing of my identity as an angel now, they had thoughtfully made two slits in the back like Nicola''s outfit for my wings to extend through. But what made me feel most uncomfortable was the bottom - it was just like a draft was constantly blowing up inside, making me unable to stop holding the skirt down to prevent it from suddenly billowing up.


    "It suits you perfectly!" Vivianne''s eyes lit up as she dove at me, only to be nimbly dodged.


    "You didn''t do this on purpose, did you?" I glared displeased at the two guys whose eyes were glowing again. "How come you just happened to have no other clothes left?"


    "There''s none left..." They looked away in unison, not daring to meet my eyes. "That was the only extra one."


    Anyway, it seemed suspicious to me.


    "You look so beautiful and cute." Nicola had an expression of awe as she praised me. "I knew it, that awkward outfit from before just wasn''t right for you. This is clearly the most suitable."


    "No... I think the previous one was better." I stubbornly objected.


    "Impossible. If you don''t believe me, ask everyone!" Nicola immediately pushed the question onto all the people present. They immediately nodded in agreement like chickens pecking at rice, with Adrian and Brennan''s heads bobbing especially vigorously.


    I was in despair. I suddenly felt something in my heart that had been holding on beginning to crumble. It seemed this might all have been a conspiracy after all. If I''d known I wouldn''t have changed at all.


    "So Miss Nicola, will you be joining us?"


    When we had left that place, reminiscent of a graveyard, Selene suddenly asked. She hoped very much to be able to walk alongside the angel she admired.


    "Of course, it''s better for everyone to help each other right?" Nicola answered matter-of-factly, then looked to me and said, "What''s more, you have Feliciana with you. As fellow angels we should naturally act together."


    "Feliciana is with us because she lost her memories and doesn''t know where to go." Selene noticed from her words that the other seemed to have nowhere to go. "Won''t you stay here to meet up with your angel comrades?"


    "Yeah." Brennan also jumped in at this time and said to me, "I think if Feliciana wants to find others of her kind and wait here with Nicola for reinforcements, that''s not a bad option either."


    "No need!" To their surprise, Nicola decisively rejected this proposal. She also didn''t seem to want to stay in this forest. "I think it''s better if I go with you all. It''s already been nearly two days, and waiting here doesn''t necessarily mean other angels will come. It''s better to go elsewhere and take a look."


    "I also agree with her, and I still want to go with you all to see that city, Norvale."


    I nodded in agreement with Nicola. She made a lot of sense. If reinforcements were coming, they would have arrived already.


    From a personal standpoint, I should avoid contact with those so-called angel comrades as much as possible. After all, my transmigration seemed connected to them somehow. If I was brought away by them, who knows what would await me. To give the simplest example, I might be imprisoned and forced to work for them or used as cannon fodder.


    At least I still had freedom now.


    "But it still seems a bit strange." Adrian seemed to have noticed a loophole. He furrowed his brow and raised a question. "If you can''t get other angels to come here, why don''t you return yourself to the angel''s realm, Edenmere?"


    "Edenmere?" Nicola looked briefly surprised, then smiled wryly and answered, "Can I say that I actually have no idea how to get there?"


    "Even you don''t know?" Now even Vivianne felt shocked.


    "I think it''s very possible." Selene expressed great understanding. As a church member, she knew a lot about these things regarding angels. "It''s said Edenmere lies beyond the Nine Heavens, and the entrance is extremely hidden. And Miss Nicola is only a four-winged angel. It''s normal she wouldn''t know if that''s the case."


    "Then isn''t it great we have another angel with us? Nicola is so powerful. With her, we should be even safer." Vivianne felt hitching a free ride on such a connection wasn''t a bad thing at all. She had suffered heavy injuries in that last fight, and still felt lingering fear.


    "That makes sense." Brennan readily agreed as well. Although Nicola hadn''t actually fought much, just the power of that sword of hers left a deep impression on everyone.


    And so it was settled without further objection.

 Chapter 15: I Heard You Have Amnesia?

    Everyone was discussing where to spend the night today, when Nicola suddenly suggested to us that she knew of an abandoned village nearby.


    "I discovered it while coming here. It seems the original villagers have been killed by monsters." Recalling the tragic scene she saw, a very distressed look appeared on her face.


    Following her directions, we didn''t walk far before seeing a forest path. I suddenly remembered that I had walked this path alone before.


    After walking along the path for about ten more minutes, a village with a dozen or so houses soon appeared before everyone''s eyes.


    Everyone was silent. Being so close to the center of the disaster, it was almost inevitable to be involved.


    Of course, the empty village road no longer showed any figures. Occasionally some incomplete corpses could be seen. Many of the houses were completely destroyed, the rest were either half-collapsed or broken with a big hole. However, after turning a bend, we saw a carriage parked by the roadside, and next to it was a relatively intact single-door small courtyard.


    The carriage looked very much like the one I had missed before.


    "Wow, there are still people here?" Brennan said in surprise.


    Before we could speak, one of the two sages inside opened the door. They wore long red robes like Selene''s priest robes, only different in color and style. But instead of holding a staff, they had an ornate book hung at their waists.


    "Are they from your church?" I whispered to Selene.


    "No, they are sages from the Tower. I don''t know why they are here either. They are most likely investigating the previous battle too," Selene didn''t seem particularly wary.


    Before we could speak, one of the sages spoke first:


    "Are you all coming to spend the night in this village too?"


    "That''s right. We''ll leave after one night, no ill intentions," Adrian stepped forward to explain our position.


    "So you''ve been to that place too?" The other sage immediately chimed in. "And... you have two angels among you."


    I was very surprised because Nicola and I had already hidden our wings, but we were still spotted at a glance. And we all understood what "that place" meant, so Selene was right.


    "They are indeed angels, but they don''t know the details, so we are investigating too," Adrian glanced back at us and tried his best to defend us, then deliberately changed the topic to them.


    "You seem to know more, so can you tell us a little?"


    "It''s not really a big deal..." The two sages hesitated, seemingly aware they had been led on, then turned and walked back into the room, leaving only a dismissal. "There are many empty houses in this village, so please don''t come near this yard."


    Adrian shrugged at us. So we could only continue along the road and soon found a small building that looked relatively intact.


    Naturally there were no figures inside the house, but it looked clean and tidy, after all not much time had passed since the change.


    After deciding to spend the night here, everyone got busy. Brennan and Adrian were responsible for preparing food, while Selene and Vivianne were assigned to go upstairs and clean up the rooms.


    I had wanted to help cook too, because I was quite confident in my cooking skills. But when I got to the kitchen, I realized it was a wood-burning stove. I was completely dumbfounded, but the two guys used the excuse that I had a tiring day and we survived only thanks to Nicola and I, so I shouldn''t work anymore, to kick me out of the kitchen. From their attitude, I suddenly suspected they were afraid of me helping.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Is that storage magic?"


    Meanwhile, Nicola was looking at the various ingredients Vivianne took out with great interest in the dining room. "It should be space magic, right?"


    "Lady Nicola is indeed amazing to see through it at once," Selene looked at Nicola with great reverence. In her mind, this four-winged angel was a supreme existence, she would flatter almost anything Nicola said.


    When the two girls went upstairs to clean up the rooms, leaving just us two angels, Nicola pulled over a stool and sat down beside me. She asked with great concern, "I heard you have amnesia?"


    "Huh?" I was totally confused as to why she would suddenly mention this.


    "Yes... yes," I said awkwardly.


    To be honest, I felt a little guilty at this moment. Nicola was after all a very powerful four-winged angel. I was afraid she would see through something, though amnesia was a very rare condition in humans, let alone angels. It was simply ridiculous.


    "Actually, there is still a very good chance of recovering lost memories," Nicola seemed to be comforting me. She gently put her arm around my shoulders and said gently, "It is said that the best way to recover from amnesia is to find ways to stimulate memories."


    "Really?" So people in this world have the same view on amnesia? It seemed she didn''t doubt me, and I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn''t been found out. To have such great beauty and angel so close to me, I immediately started having improper thoughts and just wanted to maintain this state, so I tried my best to play along with her.


    "Then how can I stimulate memories?"


    "I think if you have more contact with relevant people and things, it may be very helpful in recovering memories. For example..." She raised her head as if trying hard to think of issues related to this, and her hand on my shoulder somehow slipped down to my waist.


    "For example, angel-related things! You''re an angel, and you must have had the most contact with angels before, so..." Nicola finally seemed to have thought of something and turned to face me.


    "That''s right! So since I''m also an angel, does seeing me bring back any memories?"


    Seeing that beautiful face getting closer and closer to me, I suddenly felt my heart start to race. Nicola was so gorgeous, she would definitely become a huge celebrity if she was on Earth. Even if she didn''t want to, just one photo of her posted online would blow up the entire entertainment industry.


    "I feel like I''ve seen you somewhere before. Take a good look, does it trigger any memories?"


    Could my angel body have met her before? Because of the transmigration, I became even more nervous, afraid of revealing anything. But then I thought, as long as I insisted on having amnesia and didn''t mention anything from before, there shouldn''t be any problem.


    "Um... not yet," I suddenly felt I had deceived another kind-hearted person, or rather, angel. But my body couldn''t help leaning closer to her.


    "Is that so?" She looked a little disappointed at my words and sighed deeply. Seemingly somewhat heartbroken, she hugged me even tighter. "No worries, as long as you put in the effort, success is inevitable. I believe that through regular deep communication and interaction between us, you''ll one day trigger some inspiration and remember everything."


    At the end, she carefully added:


    "After all, the essence of stimulation therapy lies in perseverance. As long as you don''t give up, success will come one day."


    "Mm..." I was almost entirely wrapped in her embrace, feeling her exquisite figure and the arousing softness in front of her chest. My whole body felt hot, excitement mixed with a trace of guilt.


    Although I had lived to this age, it was still my first time being so close to a girl. I was too innocent in high school when I dated Quinn, we only held hands. Then we broke up suddenly. So I hadn''t had a girlfriend all through university until graduation. Now after transmigration, I actually encountered such a fortuitous affair, making me start to doubt if I was a shameless crook taking advantage of my angel identity.


    "Dinner is ready." At this moment, Adrian happened to walk in carrying some cooked food. Seeing Nicola''s and my posture, he suddenly smiled and said, "You angels really have a good relationship, seeming so close after just meeting for a short time."


    "Of course! We are sisters who have known each other for many years after all," Nicola said with a smile, lowering her head and rubbing it against my hair. She took a deep breath and said, "Alas! It''s a pity Feliciana has amnesia, but even amnesia cannot hinder our sisterly affection."


    At this time, Vivianne and Selene also came downstairs. Seeing so many people around, I didn''t dare to blatantly take more advantage of Nicola. After all, it was really shameless. Meanwhile, Brennan also came out of the kitchen carrying food. So I hurriedly pushed her away, my face flushed as I sat up straight and lowered my head, not daring to look at her again.


    "Huh, what''s wrong with Feliciana?" Vivianne seemed to notice my abnormality and asked concernedly.


    "Haha, nothing, nothing..." Nicola said with an awkward laugh. "Just now we were discussing her amnesia issue. Right, Feliciana?"


    "Mm..."


    Seeing me nod heavily, I was very grateful to Nicola for helping me out of the situation. So I quickly called everyone to eat.


    Dinner time soon passed...


    After the meal, everyone sat together to rest. Adrian and Brennan were passionately discussing the gains and losses in today''s battle. Vivianne was very intimately holding one of my arms, constantly asking me all kinds of questions about angels. But as a halfway amateur angel, how would I know these things? I could only fob her off with having amnesia and not remembering.


    Selene kept pestering her revered Nicola, ceaselessly asking about light magic issues, as well as matters concerning Heaven. But Nicola seemed a little absent-minded, answering intermittently and evasively.

 Chapter 16: Night Raid

    "Feliciana, can you show us your wings?" Vivianne seemed to have wanted to ask this for a while. She didn''t dare go to Nicola, since Nicola was too powerful to be casual with. I was much weaker, so I became her target.


    "Alright," I reluctantly agreed. After all, there was no real harm in it. So I revealed my hidden wings.


    "They''re so soft and warm!" Vivianne grabbed the feathers and couldn''t stop touching them. She kept stroking the wings, even rubbing her face against them. Although there was no major issue with her feeling me up like this - it didn''t feel much different from touching normal skin - it still felt quite embarrassing.


    "Let me feel them too!" Selene asked, but her hands were already all over me. I wanted to retort - you have a pair right next to you! And she has four wings, twice as many as me. Why not go to her instead?


    Seeing this, the two guys also came over to join in the fun. Each grabbing a wing, I could almost see all the feathers being stroked off in an instant.


    "Alright, stop touching!" I hid my wings again, unable to endure their petting-cat assault any longer.


    "And you, Nicola - you''re an angel yourself!" I stared at the four-winged angel who had come over to participate, reminding her of this fact. But then I remembered our ambiguous atmosphere at dinner, and softened immediately.


    Oh well...I did take quite a few liberties with her too, so consider this as repayment.


    "I just couldn''t help it when I saw everyone else touching them," Nicola said, completely unapologetic. "Plus, Feliciana, you''re just so cute that no one bothers with me instead."


    "Um..." Brennan suddenly spoke up, his face flushed red, looking very shy. "I...I actually think Nicola is very beautiful too. Mature and sexy - a different type from Feliciana. So..."


    "Mature and sexy?" Nicola''s eyebrows knitted slightly. "You guys really see me that way?"


    "Yes, yes!" The two guys nodded in unison.


    "Looks like we need to have a good discussion about this." She dragged Adrian and Brennan into a room and shut the door with a "bang", leaving me and the two girls staring at each other in confusion.


    When they emerged again, both Adrian and Brennan had flushed red faces.


    "I stand by what I said!" Brennan still protested stubbornly to Nicola about something.


    Nicola just had a resigned look, like it was hopeless to teach them. She didn''t respond, instead asking Selene about room assignments.


    Hearing this, I suddenly felt a bit tired too. After such long, intense battles, it was natural to feel exhausted.


    There were four rooms upstairs. Based on Selene''s arrangements, Nicola and I each got a room, while the other two girls and two guys shared the remaining rooms.


    I clearly sensed the special treatment, likely because they were accommodating us two angels. But I couldn''t think of a better plan for now, other than sharing a room with someone - which felt like deliberately taking advantage, regardless of who it was.


    In the end, I could only compromise, and voluntarily joined the night watch rotation.


    "Feliciana, stop being so polite with us. Go rest," Vivianne said dismissively, pushing me up the stairs.


    The second floor had four rooms facing each other across the hallway. I opened the door to my room, immediately seeing a tidy, clean bed next to the window, surrounded by some simple, practical furniture. The entire room was unlit, the moonlight outside the only source of illumination.


    "Who''s there?" A girl''s silhouette suddenly moved in my peripheral vision, startling me. For a second, I thought it might be Selene or Vivianne playing a prank, but immediately realized that was impossible since they were just downstairs.


    Only then did I notice it was a girl I had never seen before.


    With long, aqua blue hair framing a petite, egg-like face, delicate arched eyebrows accentuated a pair of similarly blue eyes. An exquisitely dainty nose sat above a moist, full set of lips - anyone would gasp at how pretty she was.


    "This is..." I stared blankly for a while before realizing it was a mirror on the dresser. The girl''s hair was the same color as mine, finally making me recognize it was my own reflection.


    So this is what I look like now... Come to think of it, this was my first time seeing my appearance after transmigrating. Though I''d heard others praising how cute I was, it still lacked any tangible feel. I suddenly understood their treatment of me a bit better.


    But catching this accidental glimpse of myself was still jarring, since it felt too awkward - like seeing a painting of a beauty on the street, then realizing you''re identical.


    So I''ll have to live looking like this from now on? Feeling somewhat helpless, I collapsed onto the bed, sinking into its softness. I still couldn''t erase that lovely image from the mirror.


    She was just so gorgeous and cute - I desperately wished she was my girlfriend instead. But the reality was that this face belonged to me.


    I felt a strange sadness...


    Just as my consciousness threatened to fade into a stupor, I seemed to hear the door creak - as if someone had entered from outside.


    "Who''s there?"


    I struggled to sit up and opened my bleary eyes. My fuzzy mind vaguely recalled that I had forgotten to close the door earlier after being startled. A figure slowly walked to the bedside and sat down, pulling me into an embrace.


    "Huh, what''s wrong with you, leaving the door open and just collapsing on the bed to sleep?" It was that familiar, pleasing voice. I struggled to widen my eyes, and finally made out that beautiful, moonlit face that could captivate one''s heart.


    "Nicola?"


    "It''s me." She responded gently. Seeing my expression, she noticed something and her brows furrowed slightly as she said, "You seem unhappy about something. Is it because of the amnesia?"


    "No...it''s not because of that." How could I tell her that I was actually sad after seeing my appearance? "I just seem to recall something sorrowful."


    "Huh, but don''t you have amnesia?" Nicola asked, surprised. "If you can remember things from before, could it mean you''re recovering?"


    Crap, I let something slip in my daze. I immediately became more alert, and hastily remedied, "Actually, I didn''t remember anything specific, I just inexplicably felt sad for some reason. It''s probably related to some forgotten things from the past, triggered by the scenery."


    From a certain perspective, my words weren''t completely untrue.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I see...not having memories of the past is in itself a sad thing." Hearing this, Nicola sighed lightly.


    Luckily I managed to gloss over it without exposing myself.


    "Do you want me to stay with you then?"


    Hearing this, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. Things were going this well already?


    Oh no, wait...


    Of course anyone would hope for a beautiful, charming angel to stay and accompany them to sleep. Even without any tools left, sleeping with a beauty was still a delightful thing. But from my usual moral perspective, taking advantage of someone''s sympathy to exploit them like this was highly unethical. I almost reflexively said "no".


    But today was an exception, because of the earlier mirror incident. It gave me a rebellious feeling, wanting to prove I hadn''t completely lost my masculinity despite my reflected image.


    In the end, I forcefully swallowed that "no" back down my throat, and heavily nodded at her.


    I felt Nicola''s body shudder slightly, then she slowly laid down beside me. She was no longer wearing the armor from our first meeting, but a loose nightgown instead.


    The sensations from her body were even more stimulating now. Held tightly by Nicola, I felt my mind go blank, throwing all else aside. I grabbed her back and hugged her tightly too.


    Nicola passionately reciprocated, her four warm, soft wings slowly extending to gently wrap around us. Her hands around my back started roaming as well, and I responded in kind with my wings...


    When the morning sun shone onto the bed from outside, I was startled awake by the glare. Right before me at an intimate distance was a captivating sleeping face, serenely beautiful among the countless white feathers.


    Recalling last night''s events, I suddenly felt a hint of shame. After all, I had taken advantage of Nicola''s sympathy to do that. If she discovered my true intentions, she might angrily chop me into eight hundred pieces with Condensation.


    "I''m sorry," I softly murmured.


    "What are you sorry for?"


    To my surprise, Nicola suddenly opened her eyes then. Her golden irises stared at me puzzledly as she asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Noth...nothing!"


    I felt my blood instantly freeze as she unexpectedly woke up. Stuttering, I had no idea how to respond to her discovering me like this.


    I desperately hoped she wouldn''t find out...


    "Haha, Feliciana is just too cute." Nicola seemed to find something amusing as she chuckled lightly. Then she swiftly pecked my cheek and got up from the bed. "It makes me want to just eat you up."


    I was somewhat stunned by her doting. But considering our relationship had progressed this far, kissing a little didn''t seem like a big deal. Still, I somehow felt I was always at a disadvantage compared to Nicola. Logically, I thought I had taken the initiative last night. Yet I still felt like putty in her hands - was this the fabled aura bonus of a seductive older beauty?


    From another perspective, as an angel she was probably thousands of years old, practically a spirit at this point. While I was just over twenty, so it was normal I couldn''t compare.


    Speaking of which, wouldn''t thousands of years make her an old vixen? Wasn''t I being cougared then? That meant I was losing out right?


    My mood swung back and forth unstably for a time, visibly reflected on my face.


    "What are you thinking about?" She seemed to find my mercurial expression very amusing. Bending down, she peered at me with great interest.


    Her wings behind her back also fanned playfully to match her mood.


    "After seeing and touching everything, what else is there to fret over?"


    I glanced at the majestic peaks exposed from her nightgown, teasingly peeking out. I couldn''t help but swallow, my mind going blank again. "Noth...nothing, can''t say that..."


    "So cute." Nicola really couldn''t stand it anymore, heavily pecking my forehead again before finally standing up straight.


    I was quite speechless at her. Why did she enjoy seeing me embarrassed so much?


    "Could it be the excuse of not knowing how to return to your angelic homeland Edenmere was fake?"


    I suddenly realized she might not be as simple as I imagined.


    "Was your real aim me instead?"


    I now felt that she was like a crafty, scheming huntress who had targeted me from our very first meeting.


    "Huh?" Nicola was taken aback, seemingly not expecting me to ask this question. She hurriedly explained, "I can''t say it was an excuse. I really don''t know the way back, so I can only stay in the human world temporarily."


    She didn''t look like she was lying. But something still felt off.


    "What do you think about the human world then?"


    A thought suddenly occurred to me - I wanted to hear the perspective of this angel senior. Unlike Vivianne and the others as humans, angels should be considered another kind of creature. Her views should be more objective, which would aid my understanding of this world.


    Another intention was to find a topic to dispel the earlier awkward atmosphere.


    "I guess it feels average," Nicola murmured in contemplation, seemingly finding it difficult to answer. In the end she gave a neutral response.


    "Mainly when there''s nothing to do, it gets boring without a cellphone."


    "Cellphone?"


    I looked at her puzzledly, feeling like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over my head. She had unexpectedly used a modern term.


    "Oh, it''s a communication tool from where I''m from. It has many functions and can be used to pass time too."


    Seeing my reaction, she thought I didn''t know what a cellphone was, and helpfully explained.


    Could she be a transmigrator too?


    I became even more suspicious. No, not suspicion - I could almost confirm it.


    To prove one''s identity, there was no need for coded phrases like "Open Sesame".


    "Are you a transmigrator too?" I directly asked her in my native language.


    "Uh...you..." Nicola had been all smiles before, but her expression greatly changed upon hearing the question. She answered in her native language too, equally shocked, "Could it be...you also transmigrated?!"


    She admitted it! It felt like the world was collapsing. My world seemed to flip upside down. Many important questions instantly surfaced in my mind.


    "So when did you transmigrate here? Where were you from, and what time?"


    With implicit admission that I was also a transmigrator, I rapidly fired off three questions.


    "Around three days ago...I was at a KTV singing, attending a classmate reunion that night."


    Nicola swayed unsteadily, seemingly unable to accept this. She backed up a few steps, steadying herself against the furniture, and asked back, "What about you?"


    My heart lurched upon hearing her words. I unconsciously nodded - indeed, we were the same. We had both transmigrated from that class reunion. She was likely my high school classmate too. So who exactly was she?


    Adeline? Astrid? Melody? Or...Quinn?


    I tried recalling what few female classmate names I could remember, but it had been so long since graduating I barely knew them anymore. I had no clues.


    Suddenly I realized - why did I have to look for her among the girls? Why couldn''t she be a guy instead? After all, I was a prime example of that. I instantly felt even worse, considering what we had just done not long ago...


    What did she say she was doing before transmigrating? Singing? I thought back to everything that happened in the KTV room when we crossed over...


    "Are you Reilly?"


    At that moment, I desperately hoped my judgment was wrong.


    "You..." Nicola''s face instantly paled. She had the look of someone whose secret was exposed. "How did you know...?"


    "So it really is you!" The words I least wanted to say still popped out of my mouth with all my strength. Recalling everything after meeting her in this world, I suddenly realized my suspicions of her behavior now made sense.


    Like when Selene first asked her name, or when Adrian asked why she didn''t return to Edenmere, and last night at dinner before going to the rooms...


    "You did that on purpose right?"


    Now I finally realized, gritting my teeth and glaring at him as I asked angrily¡£


    "What did you mean by on purpose?"


    Nicola looked blankly at me, not understanding what I meant specifically. "Which classmate of mine are you exactly?"


    "Yesterday, before dinner at the restaurant," I reminded her impatiently.


    "Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten!"


    "Huh? That time..." She immediately reacted, hastily explaining, "Listen to me! I really thought you had amnesia then and was concerned about you..."


    But she seemed to quickly notice something amiss. Her expression kept changing, looking uncomfortable as if she had accidentally swallowed a fly. "Could you also be..."


    "Looks like you finally realized it too."


    I scoffed disdainfully. If I had originally been female, even if my identity was exposed he wouldn''t have reacted so strongly given his experience with girls. The only explanation was that it was because I had also been male before.


    This explained everything. Those smooth playboy techniques, masterful maneuvers - I had watched him use them on countless girls since high school. I never imagined one day they would be applied to me!


    "No wonder I thought the girls in this world were so forward!" The two of us blurted out this line simultaneously.


    "I saw you as a brother yet you actually tried to seduce me!" I couldn''t help but painfully lament, resisting the urge to angrily chop her into eight hundred pieces.


    "Also..."


    Thinking carefully, we had only encountered each other in this world for a short while. We first met in the evening, and she had already tricked me into bed by the time to sleep...all within a few hours!


    "You even staged a night raid!"


    And she f*cking succeeded too! Recalling when she came over last night, my mindset instantly exploded. This was just too unsightly, practically my darkest history! I felt I had never lost so much face from childhood until now.


    "Bro..." Nicola''s expression fluctuated wildly as she stared blankly for a long time, seemingly confirming something. "You''re Flynn!"


    "Hmph, nice that you still remember," I coldly laughed once. "I thought you had already sunk deep into the pleasures of the flesh and forgotten everything..."


    I suddenly realized this pleasure land still seemed to be me. Our relationship was seriously messy.

 Chapter 17: The Astrologer

    "Huh? What are you two talking about?"


    A soft voice suddenly interrupted our argument. It sounded startled.


    Feliciana and Nicola jumped in surprise and turned around. It was Selene looking at us in confusion.


    "Were you speaking in the angelic language just now? I couldn''t understand any of it."


    Because Feliciana and Nicola had been speaking in our native language, it was normal that Selene couldn''t understand us.


    "Oh...yes." Nicola quickly replied seriously in the language of this world. "That''s the angelic language that we angels use among ourselves."


    "Yes, yes!" I also quickly nodded with an awkward smile. I had to admire her skills at deceiving girls.


    "But it sounded like you were arguing?" Although she couldn''t understand the words, Selene could still sense the earlier atmosphere was off. "Yet you two were fine before, even sleeping together last night..."


    Hearing that, I glared angrily at Nicola. She had forgotten to close the door last night! Seeing her similarly embarrassed expression, like having a sore spot exposed publicly, I knew she felt just as mortified.


    "No, we weren''t arguing," Nicola quickly denied. "Feliciana and I were just practicing conversing in the angelic tongue. Right, Feliciana?"


    As she said that, Nicola nudged me lightly from behind.


    "Ah yes, that''s right!" I quickly agreed. "Nicola said it can help stimulate my memory recovery better."


    I really hated how she kept poking at sore spots...


    Seeing our exchange, Selene didn''t seem suspicious anymore. She told us to hurry downstairs for breakfast so we could set off early.


    "Don''t let the others notice anything off later," I whispered to Nicola as Selene walked away. "And don''t touch me again!"


    "But you seemed to be enjoying it very much when I was touching you earlier," Nicola protested, looking very unfairly treated.


    I was mortified that she had noticed my lack of restraint back then.


    "Fine, from now on, hands off each other completely," I declared angrily. It was her fault for provoking me first anyway. I gathered my things and left the room.


    "Um..." Nicola didn''t seem to know how to respond and simply followed behind me downstairs.


    "Sorry, I know I said we would take turns keeping watch..." I apologized sheepishly to Vivianne and the others for having slept all the way until morning. But Arian and Brennan looked much more spirited than before, so Selene and the girls must have helped keep watch too. That made me feel even more guilty that the two young girls had to guard the door while I was being taken advantage of by a certain shameless angel upstairs.


    "It''s fine, really. We already said not to worry about that," Selene waved it off breezily as before. "We know you angels are photophilic by nature, being creatures of the light element, so don''t force yourselves."


    Hearing her explanation, I realized that was why I always felt drained at night but energized during the day without tiring. So there was an elemental reason behind it.


    After a simple breakfast, we packed up to continue our journey. I took a last look back at the temporary shelter that had hosted us, whose original owners were likely long gone. From now on, it would probably fall into disuse and dilapidation.


    Everyone else also seemed to share the same heavy mood, remaining mostly silent as we retraced our steps to leave. Passing by the building where we had seen the two sages yesterday, we noticed their group was also boarding a carriage to depart.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What a coincidence..." Arian went up as usual to exchange pleasantries. I saw there were more people than just the two middle-aged sage-looking men we had met yesterday. The two didn''t respond, one taking the driver''s seat while the other simply stood by the roadside nodding at us.


    Seeing they wouldn''t be leaving immediately, we decided to go ahead, circling around the carriage to continue on our way.


    "Wait!"


    Suddenly a woman''s voice called out from the carriage, making the two sages react. One hurriedly came over to stop us, while the other went to open the carriage door behind, waiting for the occupant to emerge.


    This sudden change put all of us on guard, exchanging looks of uncertainty. Vivianne and the others, though sensing no hostility, still reacted warily. Selene in particular seemed nervous, huddling close to Nicola and grabbing the hem of her angelic armor.


    I saw Nicola gently put an arm around Selene''s shoulders and pat her twice, as if to say don''t worry. Watching this, I couldn''t help rolling my eyes. As expected of the wealthy playboy. Now he had set his sights on innocent young girls.


    A woman emerged from the carriage dressed in an exotic style. She wore an all-black dress, the knee-length skirt dotted with glittering star ornaments. The top was shoulder and midriff baring, paired with trumpet sleeves for a mysterious, foreign allure. Her face was obscured by a thin headscarf veil.


    As she alighted, a transparent purple orb the size of a soccer ball floated out with her, hovering by her side.


    Ringed around the orb were spinning card-like papers, with several larger and smaller white dots orbiting further out like satellites. Inside, a ring circled around a north-south axis while spinning. Nested within were more rings at different angles all spinning around a small central disk etched with countless patterns.


    "An astrologer," Vivianne said in surprise.


    "Wonder what she wants with us," Arian murmured grimly.


    The term astrologer was familiar, though I associated it more with fortune tellers. But in this world, it likely signified something different.


    The astrologer approached Nicola without a word, briefly nodding in greeting while glancing at me too, before speaking softly.


    "May I ask, honored angel, how you are addressed? I am Meredith, from Stellacity."


    "Nicola," she replied, also confused why the astrologer had singled her out.


    "Did you need something?"


    "We''ve been finding corpses of dark creatures, nearly a hundred, scattered northeast in the forest..." Meredith continued without answering Nicola.


    "Most were level four to five beasts, but some reached level six, including scorpion lions and cyclopes. Our investigation showed they were all slain by the same blade, some even cut into pieces. The wounds bore strong traces of the wind element. We determined it to be a celestial weapon..."


    Hearing this, we all immediately looked to Nicola. I thought of her invincible Condensation sword, which Selene had said carried the aura of a wind elemental celestial weapon.


    I hadn''t paid it much attention before, but it seemed Nicola had eliminated far more beasts than I realized.


    Just what was the deal with that sword...


    According to Nicola herself, it was merely a weapon created through her abilities, likely similar to conjured magical items. But with the truth of her identity as Reilly exposed, this matter became much more questionable. After all, if the sword really was a so-called celestial weapon...


    Most importantly, why didn''t I have any awe-inspiring, badass, game-breaking abilities like that!?


    We were both transmigrators, so why was there such a huge gap!? A pampered young master playboy could just whip up celestial weapons after crossing over? Did being rich also grant pay-to-win attributes, starting off with cheats!? I really didn''t want to complain but...


    "So you''re saying you think it''s on me somehow?" The cheater angel looked at Meredith blankly, as if she had no connection at all to this matter. Only we knew what a superb actor she was.


    "I don''t mean that," Meredith shook her head. With her face covered, her expression was unclear.


    "As you passed by me earlier, I detected an anomaly in the wind element around you. Yet you are an angel, and your light essence doesn''t seem very strong either, maybe four wings at most. So I merely wondered if you might know something about it?"


    "I''m afraid not," Nicola visibly relaxed upon hearing the explanation but still denied knowing anything.


    "Our High Tower Sages'' Alliance has always been on good terms with angels, so we have no intentions on celestial weapons," Meredith continued, seemingly unconvinced. "But this celestial weapon''s appearance is highly suspicious, and moreover, it bears tremendous significance relating to our purpose on this journey. So..."


    "I really don''t know!" Nicola impatiently cut her off, holding out her arms innocently. "See for yourself, do I look like I have a celestial weapon on me? And I don''t have any storage items either."


    "Well, no matter if you don''t know," seeing she wouldn''t get anything more from pressing the issue, Meredith changed tack and extended an invitation instead.


    "If you have the chance, please do visit us in Stellacity."


    She looked over at me again.


    "And the other angel miss too, if you could both come, that would be even better."


    Huh? Was she talking about me? I was confused about suddenly being brought up when I didn''t have any celestial weapons either. But aside from Nicola and I, there didn''t seem to be other angels around...

 Chapter 18: The Church

    "We don''t have time for this now. Let''s talk about it later," said Nicola, still seeming unwilling. She was trying to avoid this invitation that looked like a dangerous trap.


    "It''s alright. You''re welcome to come anytime. I''ll be waiting for you in Stellacity," said Meredith, not giving up. She even added a condition that she thought would be tempting. "I can do a special fortune reading for you."


    Then, without another word, she turned and headed for her carriage.


    Unfortunately, I have no interest in fortune-telling at all, so this didn''t catch my attention. She failed. Though, to be fair, I wasn''t her target anyway...


    "Feliciana, it''s fortune-telling!" Vivianne, next to me, looked excited, as if the offer was made to her. "That''s a fortune reading promised by the fortune tellers of Stellacity!"


    "Uh, what''s so different about it?" To me, it was just drawing cards and telling fortunes, nothing impressive. Even if it may be a bit more accurate in this world, it still didn''t seem like a big deal.


    "Of course it''s different! The fortune tellers of Stellacity are the most famous on the whole continent. Many countries and royal families go to them for readings, and their accuracy is said to be over 90 percent!"


    That high? I was suddenly struck by how sad that would be if it were true. To me, it was like a paradox - if the fortunes were accurate, then the future would be unchangeable. But if the future could be changed, the fortunes could not be accurate.


    In any case, my curiosity was piqued a little.


    As we watched the carriage speed away, everyone finally relaxed. The trouble had passed.


    "Lady Nicola, is that sword really a celestial weapon?" As soon as the carriage was far enough away, Selene couldn''t help but start asking about the Condensation sword. Nicola had purposely concealed it from the group earlier, so everyone''s curiosity was stirred back up now that the threat was gone. They gathered around her eagerly.


    "Can I just say I''m not sure what''s going on with this sword?" Nicola responded with an awkward smile, looking very helpless. "This sword was made by me using my own abilities. If you don''t believe me, I can make another one right now for you to see."


    She started to raise her hand.


    "Wait, don''t be hasty!" Adrian immediately stepped in to stop her actions.


    "Based on the astrologer''s words just now, that sword of yours seems to give off an extremely strong wind aura. Those tower people haven''t gone too far yet. It''s best not to reveal it for now."


    Vivianne nodded emphatically in agreement. "Also, those people had some hidden purpose in coming here, likely related to that sword. So if not absolutely necessary, it''s best not to summon it carelessly."


    "Is that so?" Nicola looked very unwilling. With a careless tone she asked, "Are those tower people so formidable that we need to be so wary of them?"


    "Actually, that astrologer''s strength was quite mediocre. After all, her real specialty is in astrology, divination and such," Brennan pondered for a moment before answering. "But those two sages with her are different. Each has a strength surpassing the fifth order, while Minos, whom we fought earlier, was only fourth order at most."


    So those two sages must be extremely powerful, I realized. It was good nothing happened, otherwise we would have had to face at least two opponents much stronger than Minos, not even including the mysterious astrologer.


    "That''s still not much," Nicola responded casually, as if she could summon her Condensation sword at any moment and slice those few sages and astrologers into eight hundred pieces. Though, to be fair, fifth order magical beasts were nothing to her at this point.


    "But behind them is the entire Sage''s Tower alliance..." Adrian had a grave expression, indicating things were not so simple. "The Tower is a massive organization. Their allied sages rule over at least dozens of cities, including that famed Stellacity."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "And the Tower''s highest echelon - the Sage''s Council, has over ten sage councilors, all beyond the sixth order in strength, some even approaching the seventh!"


    "As for their leader - Cael Adonis, he''s said to have surpassed the seventh order, reaching the middle of..."


    I sucked in a breath as I listened. They were all deity-tier experts! Our whole group, not counting Nicola, at most just barely reached the fourth order together.


    "Plus... you angels have always been rather covert, but legend says you''ve maintained good relations with the Tower. So is it alright to suddenly make enemies of them like this?"


    "Uh... you make a good point. I was rushed thinking that way," Nicola said as she looked at Adrian''s doubtful stare. She wiped the sweat. Her tone instantly lost confidence.


    Of course I grasped the situation, since she was also transmigrated here like me, so she knew almost nothing about the power ranks in this world. Just now she had still been confident on the invincibility of her Condensation Sword, but was instantly slapped in the face and nearly exposed herself.


    Luckily the experienced and professional Adrian and the others were here to advise us. Otherwise, just the two of us on our own, we might have offended countless experts before even making it out of this forest, without realizing it.


    Because of these events, everyone was rather quiet on the road, seemingly lost in thought about the many secrets hidden behind the incidents.


    I followed along at the back, silently contemplating what to do next. Vivianne had told me that after leaving this forest, reaching Norvale would be much faster. That was the capital of the Astralrealm Kingdom, located to the southwest of the Elara Woodlands.


    What concerned me most was the True Church. According to her, Norvale was the location of the largest cathedral in this kingdom - Preston Cathedral, and Selene was from there.


    "Selene, what relationship do we angels have with your Church?"


    I felt I had asked subtly enough. Based on the name of this True Church and her initial attitude, I had assumed the angels might be her superiors or something. But after Nicola appeared, I realized that didn''t seem to be the case. Selene''s attitude toward Nicola was more like that of a fan toward an idol.


    "I''m not too clear on that myself," she responded, seemingly just as uncertain. Tilting her head, her eyes held a trace of confusion.


    "Whether it''s scripture or any of the holy teachings and doctrines, they all state that angels are the Lord''s messengers. And the holy angel Soraya is said to be the Lord''s wife, as well as one of the co-founders of our Church. So logically, the angels should belong to our Church. But before you, Feliciana, I rarely saw angels, and never in the Church. Even the Archbisop only mentioned you lived in Edenmere."


    God has a wife? I wasn''t too clear, but Soraya definitely should not be God''s wife. It seemed things already differed here from the Christian churches I knew on Earth.


    "But the angels have never acknowledged having any relation to your god," Brennan couldn''t help butting in at this point. As a non-Church member, he seemed to dislike their one-sided view of the angels.


    "They serve no god."


    "But the angels have never denied that Lady Soraya is a founder of the Church either. Centuries ago during a battle against magical beasts, the angel leader Eleanora even openly acknowledged this herself." Upon hearing Brennan, Selene immediately retorted.


    It seems this is still a contentious issue after all.


    "Why not just ask your god directly to clear things up?" I felt like it would be simple if they had a god, right?


    "Hmph, their so-called church god has never shown himself. Whether he exists at all is questionable," Brennan snorted disdainfully.


    "That''s because the Lord was grievously injured long ago, and has been recuperating since, which is why he rarely shows himself," Selene responded.


    Upon hearing this, I immediately glanced at the redhead, but saw he seemed unable to refute this viewpoint at all.


    "Is that true?" I whispered to Vivianne beside me.


    "It seems to be. Historical records from all nations confirm divine beings did once descend into this world long ago. But then they suddenly disappeared without a trace, for reasons unclear. There is no definitive answer. Their True Church has always claimed it was because their Lord was ambushed by evil dark forces."


    Her answer to me was also ambiguous.


    "What''s the angels'' attitude toward this church''s god then?" I pondered and asked again.


    "That''s even more bizarre. The angels seem to avoid mention of the church''s god, neither confirming nor denying his existence, and rarely speak of such matters at all."


    So after all that, it still wasn''t clear whether the angels and the Church were related or not. At least on the surface it didn''t seem so, though privately there did appear to be countless subtle connections.


    "May I ask, what is the name of your god?" I cautiously posed the question to Selene, taking care not to offend with my attitude.


    "Yawee!" She looked at me blankly, as if puzzled why I would need to specially ask such a simple question.


    "Pfft¡ª" Nicola, who had been drinking water nearby, suddenly spat it all out upon hearing this.


    All eyes instantly turned to her.


    "Cough, cough..." Nicola wiped her mouth awkwardly. "Sorry, I suddenly thought of something funny."


    "What funny thing could make an angel like you choke?" Selene hurried over to pat her back.


    I looked at them speechlessly. It seemed this True Church did have a big mystery...

 Chapter 19: Another Experience

    It seemed that following the path of the carriage was the fastest way out of this forest. Everyone was walking quickly, so there were far fewer opportunities to talk to each other.


    But even so, it couldn''t stop the chatterbox Brennan with his red hair. He never gave unsolicited opinions when there was something to do, but when there was nothing to do, he talked a lot. He either told jokes to make everyone laugh, or discussed martial arts issues with Adrian. I''m not a talkative person either. I feel that if it wasn''t for him livening up the atmosphere, the whole team might have been much more dull.


    It''s the second day on the road now. Along the way, Nicola and I tried our best to keep our distance. Last night, since we couldn''t find suitable lodging, we could only camp out in the forest. Due to the fatigue from the journey, we fell asleep early. I didn''t talk to her much.


    "Flynn...uh no, Feliciana, can we make up?" I don''t know when, Nicola found an opportunity to run over to my side and pleaded in a low voice in our native language, "Okay." Hearing this, I nodded lightly in agreement.


    In fact, I had already calmed down. Nicola can be said to be an important partner who crossed over to this world together. She often helped me before, so it¡¯s no good for either of us to always be cold to each other. And I''m also partially responsible for the whole thing. If I hadn''t been blinded by lust at the beginning, I wouldn''t have been tricked into bed so quickly.


    Sigh, thinking of this, I feel so ashamed, and my face can''t help but flush slightly.


    "So can you tell me what happened on your side during this crossing?"


    Of course I''m curious. We''re both crossers, but the differences in experiences and strength between Nicola and me are too great. She obtained the blessing of celestial weapons and killed countless monsters. As for me, I almost didn''t even see any animals along the way. I walked halfway before running into Vivianne and the others, and I didn''t have any particularly great power myself. Overall, it felt plain and unremarkable without any highlights, which made me feel bad.


    "Okay." Nicola pondered for a moment and replied, "Actually, even if you didn''t ask, I would have asked too...there are a lot of things I don''t understand either..."


    "At the beginning, when I was still singing in the KTV room..."


    As she recalled that magical night, her eyes gradually became blurred.


    "Suddenly my vision became blurred, and my whole body felt like floating in the air, surrounded by a white scene."


    I nodded. It seems the situation here was similar to what I experienced.


    "Later, I gradually heard many strange sounds, like another language. I didn''t understand at first. I just saw a group of angels in armour fighting with monsters, while I floated in the air together with many naked angels. It wasn''t until a lot of knowledge suddenly poured into my head that I suddenly understood what they were saying, including the method to make the Condensation Sword..."


    "Wait, the beginning is the same as me, but are you sure you got the method to make the condensed air sword at that time?"


    I suddenly interrupted her account with an envious expression, doubting as I asked. Why didn''t I get any weapon creation methods and only she got it? Could it really be the power of money?


    "It must have been at that time, although I only discovered it later." Nicola was very certain about this point.


    "Also, did you see everything that happened at that time?"


    Because at that time I could only force my eyes open a little, I didn''t know much about the surroundings. But it looked like her situation was much better than mine, and she could even see that the voices around her were from angels.


    Nicola nodded and continued, "Later, huge meteors fell, interrupting the knowledge transfer. I saw many naked angels get hit. It was chaotic. Some surviving armored angels flew over to hug their naked companions and began to retreat. I was also grabbed and caught among them..."


    Speaking to this point, she couldn''t help but reveal a pained expression on her face.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "But the enemy''s pursuit did not stop. The vast majority of angels were shot down by a dragon-like monster flying in the air, along with their companions in their hands. Similar to me. The six-winged angel protecting me was soon hit by a beam of light and turned into a pile of glittering dust drifting in the air, leaving only the armor falling to the ground. While I was falling, I was still being chased by those monsters. At this critical moment, I suddenly felt my wings behind me instinctively start to move on their own. Then I finally managed to stop in mid-air by my own power. At that time, at least more than ten monsters were surrounding me, and even a group on the ground that couldn''t fly, like the minotaurs, were glaring covetously at me."


    "What happened next?" Although I already knew that Nicola would be fine, I couldn''t help asking.


    "Then something strange happened," Nicola also seemed unclear about what was going on at the time, with a confused look on her face. "Very far ahead of me, an extremely dazzling blue light suddenly erupted, illuminating almost the entire forest and sky to the point where they almost melted into a sea of blue. Then I saw that many of the monsters surrounding me were attracted to it, suddenly reducing the number of enemies by a lot."


    "Although my strength and stamina suddenly became much stronger than before, I still wasn''t a match for the few monsters in front of me. I could barely hold on with my fists and feet. In my opinion, this was completely useless, because my whole body felt very uncoordinated. Because of this, I almost got hooked by the scorpion-lion monster''s tail several times. If it wasn''t for that I can fly fast in the air..."


    She seemed to be grateful for the situation at the time.


    "Just as I felt I couldn''t hold on any longer and desperately needed a weapon to defend myself, I suddenly thought of the method to make the condensed air sword, as if it naturally popped out of my head. I understood how to do it without needing much understanding. "


    "......Then I quickly got the condensed air sword in my hand. From that point on, the tide of battle turned around. Those monsters that tried to attack me were all chopped into several pieces like cutting watermelons. To vent my anger, I even chased after a group of cyclops for a long time. They scattered in all directions as they lost their leader. And the monsters that went to check out the blue light didn''t come back either. In the end, it seemed like only I was left in the forest."


    "It wasn''t until then that I had time to check my condition and found that I had become an angel, and also turned into a woman..."


    Nicola''s expression became somewhat gloomy.


    "But I had no other choice. I could only wander around aimlessly hunting down stray monsters to vent my frustration. My wings on my back even grew another pair where they originally were, I don''t know if it was from killing too much...Later I thought of going back to where it first started to take a look. That''s when I met you guys..."


    After hearing her finish, I was speechless for a moment, and reached out to gently pat her shoulder.


    I could empathize with her later experiences. Being alone walking in this vast endless forest, I can still recall that feeling of loneliness and fear. So this is how angels rank up? I wondered if I could also rank up in the future, but then felt I wouldn''t have much confidence killing so many monsters.


    "So this armor you''re wearing was picked up somewhere?" I looked at her current attire. I actually didn''t think much of it at first when we met because I didn''t know her identity, just that it looked amazing. But now it seems she should have been naked initially like me.


    She nodded.


    "This belonged to the angel who grabbed me. I found it later in the forest."


    I understood a bit. From a certain perspective, that angel had also saved her life.


    "Actually, the clothes I''m wearing were also given to me by Vivianne and the others later. So if we were both among those naked angels at the time, then we can basically confirm that the battle was related to our crossing over. Even..."


    I suddenly had a guess, but at the time I felt it was a bit hard to accept.


    "Could it be..."


    Nicola thought of it too. Her complexion became very ugly.


    "The number of naked angels was about twenty, close to the number of people attending the reunion..."


    "It''s possible everyone in our KTV room crossed over." I didn''t want to utter this astonishing speculation. Because it meant that most of them may have already died.


    "How could this be!" Nicola angrily clenched her fist, even the wings on her back couldn''t hide their manifestation due to her emotions.


    But at the time she also didn''t know who to blame. She wasn''t the one who started the reunion in the first place, and even if she did, she couldn''t blame herself since no one could have known this would happen. Now it seemed that before getting to the bottom of the whole truth and the real mastermind behind it, the only scapegoat that could be found were those monsters. But she had killed enough of them already...


    "We can only hope that other classmates have managed to escape too."


    I could only comfort her helplessly. However, I couldn''t completely calm down myself either, because among those classmates was a figure I couldn''t forget. I hope she''s okay...


    Why did we cross over?


    If it seemed like we were summoned here based on personal experience, who was the mastermind behind it?


    If it was the armored angels who summoned us, what did they summon us for?


    Were they friends or foes to us?


    There were too many unanswered questions now. I felt there were doubts everywhere. Of course Nicola must have thought of these too, but neither of us could answer these questions.


    "You two have fallen too far behind! Hurry up!"


    Vivianne''s voice came from ahead, as if urging us. Due to the conversation, we had unknowingly fallen very far behind the others.


    "Coming!"


    I responded aloud. After Nicola flapped her wings a few times and then hid them again, we hurried to catch up together.

 Chapter 20: The Dark Elf

    "Then how did you get that name?"


    I suddenly recalled this overlooked matter and became very curious.


    "Don''t tell me the angels helped you come up with it?"


    "This..." Nicola seemed to be caught off guard and became very embarrassed, turning her face away.


    "That''s not the case... Actually, I haven''t spoken to the other angels at all."


    "So?" I asked.


    "So...so Nicola is actually...the name of a female singer I like..." She seemed very ashamed and stammered with a red face after hesitating for a long time.


    I couldn''t help but smile a little.


    "No wonder you''re so used to cross-dressing. That''s why I didn''t think it was you at all at first."


    "That''s different!"


    Nicola immediately bristled and jumped up, as if her pride had been hurt. "At first I had no other clothes to wear, I had no choice! Later...later I got used to it. And you were the same!"


    Uh, I was about to mock her, but didn''t expect the accusations to be thrown back at me.


    For a while, neither of us knew what to say.


    "Alright, let''s rest and eat here first. After all, we need energy to keep going."


    Adrian looked at the sky and found an empty spot by the roadside for everyone.


    Then Selene and the others started setting up the stove, while Brennan and the others also went deeper into the woods. The food we carried was almost gone. It looked like they wanted to try their luck at finding some prey.


    Of course, Nicola and I didn''t want to sit around doing nothing, so we volunteered to help. In order not to be a lazy angel who only eats and dresses, I even took on the task of cooking.


    Uh, what the heck are these ingredients?


    Looking at the pile of completely unrecognizable meat, jerky and vegetable-like things in front of me, I felt my forehead start to sweat, suddenly feeling that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.


    "Why don''t I help you?" Seeing me staring blankly at the pile of food, not knowing what to do, Nicola came over to help.


    But as a young master who was even more useless than me, where would she know what to do with these things? So the two of us just stood there staring blankly.


    "Oh, I''ll do it." Seeing us, Vivianne came over with a helpless expression and snatched the ingredients from our hands, muttering nonstop. "I knew you angels who don''t experience the human world wouldn''t know how to cook. I was so naive to believe you."


    I wanted to argue but didn''t make a sound. To be honest, it wasn''t that I couldn''t cook at all, but in this outdoor environment, with very crude conditions and no seasoning, just one pot to use. Facing completely unfamiliar ingredients, if I just threw everything together in the pot to boil, I was afraid I would make some kind of horrible dish, so I just didn''t dare to start.


    As for Nicola, she really didn''t know at all. She just shrugged and walked away.


    "Watch out!"


    Suddenly, I felt a strange aura appear out of thin air next to Nicola, mixed with the disgusting feeling I sensed when I saw Cerberus before, vaguely there but not very clear. I immediately shouted at her.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Nicola must have noticed it too. I saw her wings flash behind her as she leapt into the air. At the spot where she just stood, two daggers brushed past, one of them stuck in the ground while the other smashed right into the pot boiling water over the campfire.


    With a loud "clang", sparks and boiling water sprayed everywhere and the place was a mess.


    "Ah, my pot!"


    Seeing this, Vivianne cried out in distress, but immediately regained her composure, drew out her spear, and looked around shouting:


    "Who''s there! Come out!"


    "Over there!" Based on where the aura came from, I pointed to a spot not far away where the air seemed distorted, and shouted.


    Selene immediately threw a small Holy Light bomb. Nicola also noticed the spot at the same time, took out the Condensation Sword and rushed over with Vivianne and the others.


    ...


    After a series of fierce blows, everyone looked puzzled at the assassin tied up on the ground.


    "This...is too weak, isn''t it?"


    Vivianne looked at me in confusion, and I also looked at everyone speechlessly.


    But on the ground was a little girl who looked only eight or nine years old, ten at most. Black skin, round face, small stature but wearing neat, crisp dark clothes, looking very cute.


    "Look at her ears!" Selene was the first to notice something unusual. Then she pointed at the pointed ears and called for us to look.


    "She''s a dark elf."


    Vivianne also recognized this.


    "But how did such a young dark elf get here? And come attack us alone?"


    Now that it was certain the enemy was just her alone, everyone had a confused expression.


    "We''re back!" At this time Adrian and the others also came back, with Brennan still holding a rabbit in his hand. It was rare for me to see wildlife in this forest for the first time.


    "Is that a dark elf you caught?"


    Brennan sucked in a breath, almost dropping the rabbit in his hand to the ground in shock.


    "What do you mean we caught her!" Vivianne rolled her eyes in denial. "She tried to sneak attack and kill us, but was too weak. She''s probably not even second rank."


    "She''s unconscious?" Adrian squatted on the ground to observe for a while, then suddenly turned to ask Selene and the others.


    "Then what about dinner?"


    Only then did everyone remember they had been cooking. Vivianne suddenly remembered something and screamed.


    "My pot--!"


    ...


    Without a container to cook the meat and vegetables they had brought, they could only roast the rabbit over the campfire.


    Vivianne gnawed on the roasted meat sullenly, glaring at the still unconscious dark elf girl, as if she was chewing on her flesh, while continuously murmuring about her pot.


    Even divided evenly, one rabbit was too little. Nicola and I as angels didn''t seem to feel hungry during the day, so we gave it all to them, but it still wasn''t enough.


    "Maybe I should go catch another one." Brennan started to leave, but Adrian shook his head to stop him. "Forget it, we need to hurry. And there''s not much game to find here anyway."


    "Actually, this girl looks a little familiar to me..." Nicola, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, referring to things that happened before meeting us.


    "A few nights ago when I was alone, she suddenly attacked me, but I noticed and caught her. She got away later, but now she''s back again."


    "So you mean her target is actually you?" I recalled the sneak attack on us just now, and the two daggers did strike at Nicola first. "But why is she so fixated on you?"


    "I don''t know about that." Nicola shrugged, looking quite helpless. "She seems to be in league with those magical beasts, maybe because I killed so many of her companions? That could be the reason."


    "She''s awake."


    Vivianne, who had been watching her, reminded us. Sure enough, when we looked over, the dark elf girl''s eyes were open, though we didn''t notice when.


    "Let me go!"


    After quickly assessing the situation, the girl sat up and twisted her whole body, seemingly trying to break free of the ropes, while a delicate girly voice came from her, sounding sweet and cute.


    "Hey, quiet down! You''re a prisoner now!"


    Vivianne''s face darkened as she glared fiercely. "If you don''t let me vent and satisfy myself, watch out or I''ll cook you! No, I''ll make you pay for my pot first!"


    "Let me go!" But the little girl paid her no mind and continued to struggle stubbornly. Her eyes stared fiercely at Nicola opposite her.


    "As long as you let me kill her, I''ll pay you however many pots you want!"


    "So why do you have to kill her so badly?"


    Selene asked the question on everyone''s minds. "It doesn''t seem like you have any deep hatred. And Nicola spared you when you attacked her before."


    I felt the same way. If it was just because they were enemies, then we would all be her enemies. Why be so fixated on Nicola alone?


    "Of course I have a grudge! That vulgar angel insulted me!" The little girl glared viciously at the shameless angel, her words shocking.


    "I will kill her to regain my cleanness!"


    "Nicola?"


    Hearing this, I looked at Selene in shock, then at the dark elf girl. I could hardly believe it and asked the wicked angel hiding behind Selene. "What is this about? What did you do to the little girl?"

 Chapter 21: Light Pollution

    "Hey! How can you say that!" Nicola jumped up angrily when she heard this, pointing at the little girl and shouting furiously, "I''ve never done anything to you before!"


    "I believe Lady Nicola! This kid was originally her prisoner, it''s already very merciful that she didn''t kill her, even if Lady Nicola really wanted to do something it would be completely fine." Selene was the first to unconditionally support her. She ran to Nicola''s side like a dog, holding her arm with a look of disdain at the dark elf girl, "Besides, we''re all girls here so nothing could really happen anyway."


    What she said made a lot of sense, Everyone unanimously expressed their agreement.


    But there was still one blind spot - while the others didn''t know, I did know Nicola''s background. The former Reilly was famously a playboy, and he had been with all kinds of girls. So hearing this, I was very suspicious that this fellow had just acted on impulse and taken advantage of the little girl.


    Even if Nicola doesn''t have the tools to commit a crime now, I still couldn''t stop questioning her morals. My previous experience was a living lesson.


    "You all..." Seeing that we didn''t believe her words, the dark elf girl was so anxious she was almost crying. There were tears in her eyes and she looked utterly pitiful. "You really are in cahoots with her! You humans really are despicable, shameless, unscrupulous creatures!"


    "Hey hey! Don''t talk nonsense!" Brennan was a little unhappy that it had escalated to insulting all humans.


    "That''s right, this could be a conspiracy by the dark forces to divide us." Selene was also very dissatisfied and immediately pinned a label on her.


    Seeing how wronged the girl looked, Vivianne, who always had a soft spot for cute things, suddenly softened. "Could there be some hidden meaning or misunderstanding?"


    "I think there are many suspicious points here." Adrian, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke up. "You have to know, whether we heard about them or encountered them personally, the magical beasts we''ve come across are basically the low IQ types. And dark elves are dark creatures specialized in assassination, they wouldn''t normally appear in this kind of large-scale battlefield."


    "That''s right!" Brennan was reminded and immediately realized it was off. With his rich experience fighting dark creatures, he was very clear about the enemy''s methods.


    "Also, with her being underage, the clan wouldn''t normally allow her to wander around outside, let alone come here to assassinate someone." This was also why he was so shocked when he first saw her. After all, young dark elves like her were so rare.


    "Since you''re saying she tarnished your reputation, tell us everything that happened, including why you appeared here and why you wanted to assassinate Nicola." Since it involved a potential conspiracy, Adrian also started being prudent. He gently asked the little girl, trying to get her to relax her guard and explain the true situation.


    The little girl sniffled a few times after crying, struggled for a good while, then finally slowly explained the whole story...


    ...


    "So you ran out on your own to try to assassinate Nicola?" After a good half day, we had roughly figured out what happened.


    According to what the elf girl said, most of her clan members had died in the various big and small battles earlier. So after losing their protection, she had to gain achievements on the enemy side in order to survive as a young child. But there were actually no real assassination targets in the forest battles this time, so she had just been benched the whole time. Later, she heard from many magical beasts who escaped back to base that a lone angel was chasing them everywhere and killing them. So, driven by her eager desire to accomplish something, she sneaked out at night to try to assassinate Nicola. But her plan backfired and she got caught instead.


    Facing Brennan''s question, the dark elf was very reluctant but nodded.


    "Then why did you say she tarnished your reputation? I still haven''t heard the key part." I turned my gaze back to Nicola. "Could she have done something else to you?"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I really didn''t do anything! She ran over to assassinate me while I was sleeping in a tree at night. In my panic I didn''t even have time to take out my condensed air sword, I could only fight her bare-handed. At that time she was much stronger than now, I had to use a lot of effort just to subdue her. It''s just..."


    Nicola looked at me and immediately denied it repeatedly. But she seemed to suddenly think of something wrong, her expression changed and she hesitated to continue.


    "It''s just that after subduing her, I didn''t expect her to be such a cute little elf child. I was very annoyed that my rest was disturbed, so I wanted to get my worth. I couldn''t help sneaking a few... a few pats on her head, and a few pinches on her cheeks..."


    I knew it!


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help holding my forehead. It was just as I expected, indeed her usual style. She wouldn''t miss a cheap thrill.


    "You didn''t do anything else right?" I asked again just to make sure.


    "Really nothing else!" Nicola immediately raised her right hand, standing upright as if pledging, "I swear to heaven, I just touched her head a few times! And she ran away very quickly after that."


    "That still doesn''t prove she tarnished her reputation." Selene still firmly stood by Nicola''s side.


    It did make sense. Surely just touching someone''s head a few times was acceptable right? I didn''t think dark elves looked that conservative anyway. So I turned my gaze back to the little girl''s side. She was still glaring fiercely at Nicola, as if she wished she could swallow her alive.


    "Wait! Lady Nicola, you''re sure she was much stronger than now before?" Selene looked at the little girl carefully, seeming to have noticed something.


    "Of course I''m sure! I was caught off guard and almost lost to her!" Nicola seemed to still recall the dangerous situation with lingering fear. "I only managed to gain a slight advantage at the last moment by using my wings to knock away her weapon."


    "Were you using the power of light elements when you caught her and touched... stroked her head?" After hearing this, Selene sighed and looked at the state of the dark elf, seeming surer now.


    "How did you know?" Nicola was a little surprised Selene could see this. She thought back carefully to the situation at the time, "Because I discovered I could very effectively restrain her abilities using the light elements in my own body, so I expended a considerable amount when suppressing her. And later... because she was struggling so intensely, I added a bit more...


    "If not for this action causing me to be even more tired and unable to concentrate, I wouldn''t have given her the chance to escape."


    Speaking of her prey escaping, Nicola still seemed rather annoyed.


    "Then it can be confirmed what happened." After hearing this, Selene sighed and looked at everyone, drawing a conclusion. "It''s light pollution. There''s still a lot of light element residue in her body. This is also why she''s so weak now."


    "What''s light pollution?" I couldn''t help asking, this was the first time hearing this term.


    After Selene''s long and complex explanation, I finally understood what it was all about after much difficulty.


    In short, dark elves and other dark creatures rely on the dark elements to become so powerful. For example, although this dark elf was young, her normal abilities shouldn''t be below that minotaur. And some dark creatures even rely on the dark elements to survive, so the opposing light elements are like poison to them. Although dark elves don''t need the dark elements to survive like demons and vampires, if light elements invade their bodies it will still cause great and even permanent damage. The most obvious effect is a drop in strength, and if the quantity is too large, it could even affect the whole body...


    This also explains from another perspective why light and dark are irreconcilable to the end.


    "So she just needs to slowly recuperate and replenish herself in a place with strong dark elements like hell, and she should be fine right?" Vivianne raised a solution in puzzlement.


    "It''s true in theory, but judging from the amount of light element residue on her..." Selene frowned and sensed the state of the other party again carefully.


    "Everyone rejected me after I escaped back, they hated me and said I must have had indecent dealings with the angel to have so much of that disgusting aura on me!" The little girl cried and told about how she was abandoned by her comrades.


    "So I have to kill that stinky angel to prove my innocence."


    "Alright, so that''s what happened." Now that the truth was out, Adrian also had a speechless look. It was confirmed to just be a misunderstanding in the end. "But what to do with this dark elf, do you all have the heart to kill her?"


    He raised the most crucial, and also most thorny issue. Almost everyone present didn''t know how to answer.


    "Or should we let her go back? But no guarantee she won''t run out to assassinate again."


    "Actually I don''t think she can go back..." Selene had a helpless expression, stating her opinion.


    "Judging from the amount of light element residue on her body, I guess no dark creature could accept her already. In the end, she will probably transform into a light elf. This situation can''t be resolved just by replenishing dark elements now."


    "Huh? Light elf?" I couldn''t help asking curiously.


    "That''s right, light elf." Selene nodded and explained, "Actually at the start there were only dark elves, but later some dark elves got purified by light elements, becoming more inclined towards the light. They could even bear offspring, so the light elf race formed. They usually live in forests and other natural environments and rarely appear. Light elves look almost the same as humans except for their ears, only they have stronger elemental senses. Conversely, if light elves are eroded by dark elements, they will gradually become dark elves."

 Chapter 22: Leaving the Forest

    "So you''re saying dark elves and light elves can convert into each other?" I felt very amazed. I couldn''t help but glance at the dark elf girl again, imagining what she would look like as a light elf.


    "In theory, yes. But in reality, it''s not so simple because the amount of light or dark essence needed is extremely massive. So generally, few can afford so much resources." Selene didn''t completely reject my conjecture either.


    "But Nicola is different. As an embodiment of light essence, only an angel like you can effortlessly transform a dark elf into a light elf." As she spoke, she looked at Nicola reverently again and suggested in a very caring tone:


    "But in the future, you shouldn''t use this method recklessly. Although an angel''s light essence is almost immeasurable, consuming large amounts of light essence is still very taxing on the body."


    Alright, I noticed Selene''s flattery is getting more and more excessive. That said, aren''t I an angel too? How come she has never shown such reverence to me?


    "So you mean to let her come with us?" Brennan spoke up at this point, having keenly grasped Selene''s implication - neither kill nor release, so the only option is to keep her close.


    "I disagree! Bringing a dark elf on the road will not just slow us down but also attract a lot of trouble."


    "It''s not so serious. Elves are still quite accepted by the public, unlike demons and other dark creatures." Adrian mulled for a bit, seeming to disagree and felt it wasn''t entirely unfeasible. "Even as a dark elf, as long as she doesn''t draw too much attention, there shouldn''t be big issues in cities."


    "But I think the main thing is to see what she wants."


    Saying so, Adrian looked towards the dark elf girl sitting quietly nearby and asked:


    "What''s your name? Your dark elf clan should all have names right?"


    "Irene," she answered softly, seeming significantly less hostile now.


    "Irene, so you understand right? You can''t go back now. Even if we let you kill Nicola and run back, your former comrades will still shun you. So are you willing to come with us? We should be able to entrust you to the light elf clan."


    "I don''t believe you! You''re all in it together!" Irene couldn''t immediately accept this reality. To her, living with her former comrades was almost her entire life, since that''s how she grew up.


    "We''re not deceiving you. You should also realize your own condition now with your weakened powers. And your strength will continue declining to about a normal human''s level eventually. By then, even if you become a light elf, all your former comrades will not let you off when they see you." Selene''s words completely dashed her last hopes.


    "I...I don''t know either."


    Awakened by this, Irene panicked a little, starting to realize she was now homeless. But still too young, she didn''t know what to do for the moment. It was unrealistic to expect her to immediately accept the enemy''s goodwill, so we could only take it slowly.


    "Think it over yourself first," Adrian said, not pressing her further. Then he turned and asked Selene, "Does your Church know where light elves gather?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "We do," Selene immediately answered. "In fact, there''s a hidden light elf settlement in Norvale, under the Church''s management."


    "That works well then. We can entrust her to your Church right?"


    He seemed to have a good impression of the Church''s reputation.


    "Of course, the Church is very willing to help races like elves too, since they are skilled in various magics and occasionally help with tasks."


    Selene was quite happy to be able to increase the Church''s forces.


    With everything settled, everyone rested and continued on the road after...


    ...


    "So she came around so quickly?" I asked Vivianne.


    Although knowing this was almost inevitable, I still felt a little speechless seeing Irene sticking close by my side as we walked.


    "But why is she following me again?"


    With Irene''s current strength, she was no threat to us anymore, her weapons confiscated. So we didn''t tie her up anymore.


    "Even if I agree with you all, I don''t want to be too close to that stinky angel!"


    Before Vivianne could reply, the girl already answered when she heard us talking about her. But her words were still filled with hatred as she glared at Nicola some distance away. Seeing this, Nicola also didn''t dare approach my side, and could only awkwardly keep her distance.


    "But I''m an angel too..." I whispered to Vivianne. "She won''t be shocked later and attack me right?"


    "Hehe, possible..." Vivianne''s expression of anticipating the show made me very gloomy.


    Although held up for some time, everyone still managed to leave the forest before sunset on the second day after meeting Irene.


    Coming to this world outside the forest for the first time, I felt quite fresh. Very soon, a small town on the edge of the forest came into view.


    The bustling crowds gathered many passersby from outside, looking quite prosperous.


    For Nicola and I, it was our first time seeing so many people in this world, so we were extremely excited.


    Completely different from Earth''s cities, this town still had that medieval style. Muddy roads, narrow streets lined on both sides with all kinds of shops. Occasionally bargaining voices could be heard coming out.


    "Finally don''t have to camp out!" Vivianne also looked very happy, clearly reluctant about camping in the wild. Actually no one liked it, I only had some novelty at the start, but got sick of it after a while too.


    "Let''s go to our lodging first," Brennan was also in a good mood, leading everyone through the streets familiarly until a hotel.


    "Boss, four rooms!" Still following the previous allocation, Adrian greeted the hotel owner familiarly.


    "No, just three rooms." But at this time, Nicola suddenly cut in requesting to stay with me.


    "I can share with Feliciana. One room is enough."


    "You!" I couldn''t help but glare at her. But on second thought, they were paying after all, and Nicola and I had no money. Trying to save on expenses was right. And she knew my identity now, so hopefully wouldn''t try anything like that night again.


    "Fine..."


    So I was overthinking it right? I''m still a man in her eyes after all, unless she had some hidden traits I didn''t know about.


    "What about Irene then?" Looking at the dark elf girl still sleeping soundly in my arms, I felt awkward. What happened to that supposedly powerful assassin? She was fine on the first day, but started tiring and napping frequently not long into the second day.


    According to Selene, this was the weakness and lethargy of the transitional period. But she declined Vivianne and Selene''s good intentions, insisting I carry her which was going too far. I did have the strength to easily do so now, but still reluctant to keep holding a girl throughout.


    "We''ll take her," Vivianne and Selene seemed quite willing to take on this hot potato, one unable to resist cuteness and one not wanting to trouble her respected angel. So I very readily handed Irene over to them.


    "Oh right, there are baths here we can soak in. It''s been a while since you two bathed right?" Vivianne seemed very familiar with this place, reminding us.


    "It''s promoted as water is from the Spring of Life in Elara Woodlands, very beneficial for the body, must try!"


    "Huh?" Nicola and I were both surprised, exchanging a glance.


    "Got it."


    Right after Nicola replied, she hurriedly pulled me along to our room.


    The hotel was actually quite nice. Smaller than the room in the forest village that night, with just one bed, but still fully furnished and equipped.


    "Now...we have a problem," Nicola plopped down on the bed with a grave expression, looking at me pacing around the room. She spoke up first:


    "I know, the bath is an issue right?" I nodded, directly voicing my concern.


    "Right, the bath is very problematic." Nicola agreed, also seeming very troubled.

 Chapter 23: Taking a Bath

    The two of us sat in silence in the room for a long time before I finally couldn''t help but bluntly point out the key issue. "From Vivianne''s tone, it must be a communal bath. Now we can only go to the women''s bath and will inevitably be naked with other women..."


    "So what?" To my surprise, Nicola just blinked, seemingly not expecting me to get tangled up in this. She looked very disdainful. "Now everyone is female. No one will say anything if you go in."


    "But I''m scared! I used to be male! What if I lose composure later?" I had a panicked expression on my face. After all, I had never seen other females naked before, let alone more than one.


    How could Nicola be so nonchalant about this? She used to be male too!


    "Aren''t you afraid?" I asked in surprise. "Ah..."


    Suddenly I realized with a start.


    "Haha, I''ve seen plenty." Sure enough, she had a smug expression as she boasted to me. I then remembered who she used to be¡ªReilly, a playboy who had dated so many girls they could circle our high school track field. Of course she wouldn''t care about this.


    "Then what are you worried about?" I was confused again for a moment. "If that''s the case, just go take a bath. Why are you sitting here looking miserable with me?"


    "Because I''m afraid of myself." Now it was her turn to complain bitterly to me. "Although I''ve slept with countless girls, they were still others after all. It''s completely different to have to scrub and wash my own female body now. I''m afraid I can''t stand it and won''t be able to do it. Don''t you think it''s very weird?"


    "Ah? Right!" It was like a bolt from the blue. I had forgotten to consider the issues with my own body. Although I had unintentionally seen my nude body several times before, at least when I walked naked in Elara Woodlands for half a day, I was covered in feathers. So it didn''t really feel different from wearing clothes and I couldn''t say I was used to it.


    That would be troublesome. It seemed we might not be able to bathe after all! I was even considering giving up the bathing option. But I felt it wouldn''t work¡ªfirst, I couldn''t stand not bathing myself, and second, it wouldn''t look good to fool Vivianne and the others if they found out.


    Moreover, even if I avoided it today, what about later? This was inevitable sooner or later. I''d have to bathe eventually.


    "Why don''t you...go first?" I tentatively suggested to Nicola. "Anyway, you have fewer mental obstacles. You can come back and give me some experience for reference."


    "Hey! You''re too unfair." She looked very unhappy at me, as if I was sending her to her death. "Am I cannon fodder?"


    "Well, I can''t go first either" I said with a nonchalant expression, trying to make her let go of any psychological burden. I even used facts to help her see the situation. "You''re already immune to harm from others. You''ll have to get past this eventually. You can''t not bathe for a lifetime, right?"


    After all, this made sense. She couldn''t find a reason to refute me. At least for now, it seemed too inhumane to drag me to be a scapegoat. So after a period of intense inner struggle, Nicola grabbed the towel and toiletries provided by the inn and rushed out of the room.


    "Good luck!" I stood at the door watching her slowly walk towards the women''s bath. I happened to see Adrian and Brennan also come out of their room with towels at the same time. The three of them even greeted each other.


    "What a coincidence!" I could vaguely hear Nicola''s voice trembling a little.


    I couldn''t help laughing to myself. This was the first time I''d seen her so embarrassed. It was really fun.


    While Nicola was bathing, I was bored waiting in the room. I took a walk around and when I came back, she had already finished bathing. She was sitting on the bed drying her hair.


    "That fast?" As soon as I entered, I immediately asked with concern. I didn''t expect it to be my turn so soon. "How was it?"


    "Not bad!" Nicola looked very relaxed, only seeming to be ineffective in dealing with her long gray and white hair, unable to dry it for half a day.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "Really? That''s all?" I frowned. Her answer seemed too casual. "Were there many people? Any precautions? Do you have any experience to tell me?"


    "Not many, just a few people. Don''t worry, you won''t be stimulated. As for washing yourself, it''s not a big deal. After all, it''s your own body. You got used to it. You don''t plan on publicly touching yourself, do you?"


    Nicola answered my questions very quickly. Then she went back to fussing with her hair.


    "Is it really okay?" I looked at her doubtfully. She was so calm about it. For a while, I stood still not knowing what to do. After struggling mentally for a while, I finally took my towel and toiletries and walked out of the room.


    Standing in front of the door of the women''s bath, I deliberately listened for a while but unfortunately didn''t hear anything. It seemed there really weren''t many people.


    After the changing room was the bathing area. There were many small locker-like storage lockers. I found an empty one, took off my clothes after wrapping myself in a towel, and walked towards the inner room.


    It seemed Nicola was right. Although I hadn''t looked much before, I had unintentionally seen my own nude body several times. At least I didn''t have a problem undressing.


    But the moment I entered the inner room, I was at a loss for words...


    I saw at least ten people in the open-air bathhall. Some were soaking in the central pool while others were sitting by the shore washing themselves.


    This was not many people? I immediately realized I had been fooled. I instinctively wanted to leave and come back at another time, but when I turned around, I bumped into two familiar faces.


    "Huh, Feliciana, aren''t you going in?" It was Vivianne and Selene.


    "You''re here, what a coincidence..." I couldn''t help but wrap my towel tightly around myself. I was a little dumbfounded seeing them start to undress in front of me. So I turned my head away and didn''t dare look.


    "Didn''t you ask us to bathe together?" I heard Selene''s confused voice behind me.


    I never made plans with them! It turned out this was Nicola''s scheming. No wonder she was so calm earlier. It was all premeditated. I finally realized I had been tricked.


    But come to think of it, they were undressing behind me. This was a rare opportunity. Why not take advantage of it and take a look? Wouldn''t it be just right?


    After all, to say I wasn''t curious would be a lie. For a moment I was itching to turn my head back around.


    But after appreciating the view for a while, I immediately felt it was inappropriate. Staring at them so obviously might be too noticeable. I might get suspected. So I guiltily turned my head away again.


    After this going back and forth in my mind for a long time, it wasn''t until the end that...


    "Why aren''t you going in yet?"


    The two girls behind me had already undressed. Seeing me still blocking the entrance, they pushed me into the hall. It seemed I had no choice but to face everything that was coming.


    Wow, that''s really eye-catching!


    Although I had roughly glimpsed it before, coming in again now, I still felt I couldn''t stand it. Actually the women''s bath wasn''t as exaggerated as I had imagined. At least most didn''t look extremely thin or fat in rings. Some very old elderly customers were hard to look at. I finally understood what Nicola meant when she said I wouldn''t be stimulated. But this was still eye-blinding in a different way!


    After quickly rinsing off with the shower head, I immediately jumped into the pool and swam to a corner to face the wall. By comparison, Vivianne and Selene''s bodies felt like two lotus flowers in a mudslide. My previously calm heart was stimulated again.


    "Feliciana, why was your face red just now?" It was Vivianne''s voice. She had also entered the water behind me. Seeing me with my back to her and almost my whole body submerged in the water, she said strangely, "What are you shy about? Haven''t you been to a public bath before?"


    "Ah, maybe I really haven''t."


    She suddenly realized it after thinking of me being an angel and my supposed amnesia.


    I didn''t dare say I''d been to one before, just the men''s bath...


    "Lady Nicola actually came alone first without telling me!"


    Just then Selene also complained as she entered the water. She sounded very regretful.


    Seeing they had both gotten in, I finally dared to turn around. At least with the pool water covering the body with only the head exposed, I wouldn''t see their body.


    I suddenly realized it wasn''t so scary here after all. In my opinion, as long as I was careful and closed my eyes in time, I basically wouldn''t see anything improper. Even if I did catch a glimpse, it would only be for a split second before I could react. No wonder Nicola was so calm about it. It wasn''t only because she wanted to trick me.


    With my mood relaxed, since I hadn''t soaked in a bath for a long time, I couldn''t help feeling a little emotional to enjoy it in this different world.


    It felt so nice... I hadn''t noticed before that bathing could be such a comfortable thing. I felt like I was melting away, immersed in the hot water. My whole body was in a state of euphoria and my consciousness hazy.


    "Feliciana, what do you think of Brennan?" The three of us had been quietly not speaking, when Vivianne suddenly spoke up and asked me.


    "Huh? Think what about him?" I was startled awake from my dazed state, not reacting for a moment.


    "I mean his personality. What do you think of Brennan''s personality?" What a strange question. Why ask me about Brennan''s personality?


    "He seems alright. Very reliable." I thought about it and replied. Actually, the deepest impression Brennan left me was his amazing techniques. They played a big role in the fight with Minos, although the lack of overall strength meant he couldn''t do too much damage. But at least it allowed him to not lose when facing a stronger opponent.


    "Is that so? I think so too." For some reason, whether from the steam or something else, Vivianne''s cheeks suddenly turned red. I felt something was off.

 Chapter 24: Public Embarrassing

    This strange atmosphere...could it be that she likes Brennan?


    I had this suspicion from the beginning, since the composition of this team was quite subtle. If I said nothing would happen between two men and two women, no one would believe it. But at first we were not familiar with each other, and I was not sensitive to such things, so I really could not see any signs.


    However, after knowing that Selene was a temporary member of the team, the answer was already half obvious. As for the other half, I had never paid attention to it before.


    Until now Vivianne confessed to me, I finally saw some clues. However, Brennan never seemed interested in Vivianne, could this just be a one-sided feeling? I can''t be sure, since it''s just speculation. I might be wrong.


    "Actually, I think Brennan is not as good as Adrian." At this time, Selene, as a temporary team member, also joined in the discussion, turns out she had her own opinion as well.


    "But I still think Brennan is better." Vivianne still defended the man in her heart. "Adrian feels too steady."


    I see, so Vivianne likes lively and unrestrained guys...


    This bath really unearthed some incredible news. So this is how girls talk about guys?


    "An...nelina... you... in... there!"


    Suddenly I heard a faint voice coming from behind the wall of the bathroom.


    Strange, is there someone outside?


    Don''t tell me it''s a peeping tom? I felt a chill. My first time in the women''s bath and I encountered something like this?


    I looked back at the high bathroom wall behind me. It should be very safe in theory, and there seemed to be no movement after that.


    I looked at Vivianne and Selene again, they didn''t react at all.


    Okay, I must have misheard. I relaxed again.


    After soaking for a while, just when I felt a little dizzy and thought I should get out.


    "Feliciana, have you made up with Lord Nicola?"


    Suddenly Selene asked me this question out of nowhere.


    "Make up? What make up?" It took me a long time to realize she was referring to the incident when I got up that morning.


    "Oh, of course we made up long ago."


    "...Ah no, we didn''t even have a fight at all."


    I hurriedly corrected myself when I suddenly remembered that it was an act Nicola and I agreed on to pretend nothing happened. But it was too late, Selene and Vivianne were looking at me strangely.


    What''s going on? I couldn''t help but feel a little uneasy and submerged half my face in the water, leaving only one eye to look at them.


    "It''s definitely making up after an argument ah..." Vivianne looked at Selene and sighed.


    "Hey! Ah..."


    In shock, I opened my mouth and bath water instantly poured in.


    "Slap!" There seemed to be a faint sound of something heavy falling behind me.


    "Cough cough cough... what did you say?"


    I had no time to mind anything else now, Vivianne''s words shocked me.


    "Don''t pretend anymore, we all saw it." Selene looked at me disapprovingly, and Vivianne kept nodding her head next to her.


    "Saw what?" Before my voice faded, I felt something was wrong, and immediately thought of the situation that night. Could it be...


    "The door wasn''t even closed properly, I was the one who helped close it for you."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Vivianne looked at me meaningfully with a frivolous smile.


    "But that scene was really beautiful. Moonlight, feathers flying everywhere..." Selene also had a intoxicated look.


    "Stop...stop talking!"


    I quickly stopped their act of embarrassing me publicly. I knew Nicola had forgotten to close the door, but I never thought I would miss this point. In a panic, I almost rushed over to cover their mouths.


    "Listen to me, this is a misunderstanding! There''s nothing between us, you got it wrong!"


    "No need to explain!"


    "You angels are all women after all, this kind of situation is normal, we understand."


    Vivianne even came to my ear and gently comforted me.


    Understand your head!


    This is really going from bad to worse.


    I turned around in shame, not daring to look at them again.


    "I really envy your intimate relationship with Lord Nicola." Selene''s envious voice reached my ears.


    "What''s there to envy? Don''t tell me you have that kind of interest in Nicola?" I glanced back at her. I thought she only respected Nicola, didn''t expect it would accelerate so quickly.


    "This...this is not an interest!" It was rare to see Selene blushing in embarrassment, but the mere mention of that shameless angel switched her to bootlicker mode. "Lord Nicola is an angel, not only beautiful, but also powerful, and can make celestial weapons. She is perfect in every way, of course she deserves respect."


    "Unfortunately I''m not an angel. She only treats you well. This time she even specifically asked to share a room with you."


    Okay, I finally understood. To put it simply, she has fallen for Nicola. But isn''t this a bit too fast?


    In fact, if possible, I would rather swap rooms with Selene, but thinking that I would have to sleep in the same bed with Vivianne after switching, I immediately dismissed the idea.


    It is not good for this poor girl, besides, she has Brennan.


    And after the misunderstanding with Nicola, I''m almost traumatized. I''m afraid I''ll wake up in the morning and find out my roommate is also a male classmate in a woman''s body, I would just explode.


    ...


    After coming out of the bathroom, I staggered back to the room in a towel, dizzy. Nicola was not inside.


    Where did she go so late? It was already pitch black outside. I sat alone on a chair, rubbing my wet head with the towel. No wonder Nicola looked so bothered before, long hair is so hard to handle. Even after all this time it was still dripping nonstop.


    The door opened and I heard Nicola come in.


    "You know, they discovered that night because you didn''t close the door. Now it''s so embarrassing." As soon as she came in I immediately complained. So many things happened just from taking a bath.


    "Huh?" Nicola''s voice paused obviously, but soon returned to a very calm tone. "Oh, is that so."


    "Hey, it''s all because you didn''t close the door..." I was about to give her a good scolding when I saw her carrying two bags, and handed one to me.


    "What''s this?"


    I looked inside the bag, and it was actually a set of clothes.


    "I just went out to buy them. After all, we can''t keep wearing this armor right? I also got you a set."


    She said and threw her set on the bed and started taking off her clothes.


    "Be care...careful." Seeing her about to change immediately, my face turned red and I turned my back.


    "Careful of what? We''re all the same anyway." The mocking voice came from behind me. Come to think of it, whether it''s being women now or men before, it seems reasonable to say so. But I still felt I couldn''t adapt.


    "Where did you get the money...uh, women''s clothing?" I took out the clothes and saw it was a skirt again! Although not a dress anymore, but why did it have to be such a cute style.


    "Too much! You clearly know my..." I turned angrily, but saw she had already changed.


    She was also wearing women''s clothing, but unlike mine, hers looked more mature, a white halter dress with stockings of the same color. It looked pure yet sexy.


    "Why are you so skilled?"


    I couldn''t help asking even though I didn''t want to admit being stunned by her.


    "So you think people won''t recognize you if you walk out in men''s clothing like this?" Nicola stared at my face with a mocking look.


    "I..." With my sore spot hit, I was speechless and turned my face away. I had looked in the mirror before, I knew the attractiveness of my current looks, but still stubbornly retorted.


    "Then you didn''t have to buy this color and style either! For example, why not buy pants?"


    "The only women''s clothing available here is dresses. And I don''t know what you like either." Nicola urged me while putting the dirty clothes on the table. "I borrowed money from Adrian and the others. You have no other choice if you don''t wear it. Hurry up and change, we have to wash the dirty clothes and return them later."


    I looked curiously at the lightweight armor she took off. It was so light it almost had no feeling.


    What amazing material. Just as I was about to put it back, I suddenly found a red leaf stuck in the gap. This leaf looked very familiar, because the trees outside the bathroom wall had these red leaves. It was very eye-catching because of the fiery red color, and would occasionally drift into the pool, leaving a strong impression.


    "What''s with this leaf?" I asked Nicola while holding up the leaf. Was this girl peeping just now? The slight sound I heard faintly in the bathroom seemed very suspicious now that I thought back.


    "That is..." Nicola was tidying the bed and glanced at the leaf in my hand, indifferently saying, "There was a big tree full of these red leaves next to the clothing store I went to just now. I stood under the tree choosing clothes for half a day, it probably fell down and got caught in the clothes."


    After saying that, she opened the door and walked out, throwing back a sentence before leaving. "You''re shy right, I''ll wait for you to change then come back in."


    Could I be mistaken? Staring at the tightly closed door again, I was puzzled.


    I looked at the leaf in my hand again, then at the door...


    Okay, maybe I was mistaken. Besides, if Nicola really wanted to peep, why would she need to go outside the wall, she could just openly walk into the bathroom now.


    Standing up and looking at the tidy, neat bed, I couldn''t help but twitch my mouth. To think the beds would be so neatly made, so Nicola has this habit huh?

 Chapter 25: Ive Also Advanced A Rank

    After changing my clothes, I didn''t have the mood to look in the mirror. I threw my dress into a bag and then left the room.


    I was now wearing a dark open jacket with an inner lining on top and a knee-length skirt below. I was still wearing the borrowed boots on my feet. Actually there was also a pair of stockings that came with the outfit, but I ignored them.


    Outside the door was a bunch of people. Other than Nicola, Adrian, Vivianne and the others were all there, apparently waiting for me so we could go eat together.


    "Feliciana, you look really good in that outfit." Adrian sincerely complimented me when he saw me come out.


    "It''s... alright I guess." I responded with an awkward smile, and glanced at Nicola next to me. She was also staring at me. I actually thought Nicola looked pretty good too. Although there were two other girls and a loli present, compared to her they were completely overshadowed.


    The dining area was in the hotel lobby. There were also many other guests dining there. After letting Brennan and the others order some food for me, I discovered there actually wasn''t too big of a difference in the cuisine compared to what I was used to. Although the steak in front of me looked very strange, and was slightly bluish, when I ate it, it was extremely delicious. The meat was fresh and juicy, and the seasoning was just right. I almost couldn''t stop myself from swallowing my tongue.


    "So she''s started transforming into a Light Elf now huh?"


    I saw Irene''s skin that had already whitened considerably next to me, and asked Selene who was sitting on her other side.


    "That''s right, I didn''t expect it to happen this quickly either, after all it''s my first time seeing it."


    Selene replied to me while examining Irene''s condition.


    Irene seemed to also be eating something from this human world for the first time, and was scarfing down the food in her bowl. According to Vivianne, after checking into the inn she had been sleeping the whole time until just now when she finally woke up, probably because she was hungry.


    "I didn''t expect that even a humble village inn like this could serve such delicious food in this world."


    After the meal, while strolling around town, Nicola still seemed to be reminiscing about the food earlier.


    "Yeah." I nodded in agreement.


    Leisurely walking along the streets of the town, it was the first time I felt so relaxed after crossing over. It had already been several days, and I had also gotten to know many companions. I looked back at everyone behind me. Adrian and Brennan were discussing something again and had even taken out his bow to demonstrate something. Vivianne and Selene were taking Irene shopping at one store after another. It seemed they still had endless energy even after walking all day.


    I really hope this kind of scene could continue forever.


    "Feliciana, we''ll probably arrive at Norvale tomorrow." Adrian suddenly called out to me from behind. "After we reach our destination, what are your and Nicola''s plans?"


    "We decided to stay there for a while first before deciding." Nicola thought for a bit before replying. This was a decision we had come to together after discussing it. Since we had both crossed over to this world and were now fellow sufferers.


    "We heard there''s also an Adventurer''s Guild there, so we''re considering joining."


    This was also part of the route we had already planned out. Even if I was completely useless in fighting and magic right now, I at least had my angel background to fall back on. I heard even the lowest level bi-winged angels had strength comparable to a fourth rank magical beast, and from my battle with Minos I deeply understood that. So relying on my current physical abilities to be an adventurer and earn a living was a realistic survival method, moreover, I had Nicola with me.


    Actually, I would be very willing if we could join Adrian''s party, but this was just an idea for now and I didn''t know if they were interested in having us, so there was no rush.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Then we''ll also try our best to keep an ear out for any angel related intelligence." Adrian nodded and also expressed his willingness to help out however he could.


    "Oh, there''s no need to pay too much attention to that." I hurriedly declined upon hearing that.


    Nicola and I had also discussed this. Although she wasn''t as wary of other angels as I was, no one could say whether interacting with them was a good or bad thing until we got to the bottom of things. So to be safe it was best to avoid them for now.


    "Yeah, we want to stay in human cities as long as possible. It''ll probably be hard to come back after returning." Nicola made up a reason to agree with what I said.


    "Alright then, we''re also stationed long term in Norvale, with rented houses there, so if you run into any difficulties you can come find us." Seeing our attitude, Adrian and the others didn''t insist on it any further.


    When we returned to the inn, Irene had at first insisted on staying with me. According to Selene, she had already started feeling an affinity toward the light element, so naturally was reluctant to leave me since I was an angel.


    But in reality, when Irene saw Nicola was also in this room, even though she was an angel too, it couldn''t dilute her hatred at all. In the end she still ran back to Vivianne''s room.


    "Looks like her hatred towards you is still quite deep." I couldn''t help sighing a bit after closing the door.


    "Well it makes sense, since it was you who made her into this after all. The fact that she didn''t insist on killing you already shows she''s thinking rationally."


    "I didn''t have a choice. She was the one who came to assassinate me first, I almost lost my life." Nicola also had a very helpless expression. Then she lifted up the bedsheets and laid down.


    "You..." Seeing this scene I finally reacted that we were sharing a bed again. Still worried, I reminded her, "Sleep far away from me at night, no touching."


    When camping outside, I had always slept very far from her.


    "I know, I know!" She impatiently pressed a button by the bedside, turning off the magical illumination lamp on the ceiling.


    The room instantly became pitch black. I was speechless for a moment, then groped my way to the bed and slowly laid down near the edge.


    "Hey, Nicola." In the darkness, I suddenly remembered something and called out to the person behind me.


    "What is it?" She didn''t seem to be asleep yet, and I heard her body shift slightly.


    "How much did those two outfits cost, and how much did you borrow?"


    Hearing my question, Nicola didn''t say anything for a long time. I thought maybe she had fallen asleep, but then I heard her voice answering.


    "Not much, 200 silvers. The clothes only cost a little over 100, the rest is still with me."


    After a pause, she added, "The prices here seem about the same as on Earth."


    So the currency here was called silvers? I suddenly understood.


    "Since you borrowed it you have to pay it back."


    "Mm..." She just vaguely agreed before going silent again.


    I sighed, and quickly fell asleep as well.


    The next morning.


    "Hey, Feliciana, wake up! What''s going on with you?" I seemed to hear Nicola''s voice calling me. I opened my eyes to see her standing in front of my bed, shaking me to wake up.


    "What is it?" I rubbed my eyes and glanced at her. It was already bright outside.


    "Take a look at your wings." She pointed behind me and said. Puzzled, I turned my head back to look, only to discover the bed was covered in feathers. My wings had actually come out of their concealed state on their own while I slept!


    "What''s going on here?" I sat up in shock, instantly awake. "I clearly put them away before sleeping. And they shouldn''t even come out while I''m asleep, it was fine before."


    "I wanted to ask you too." Nicola also had no idea what was happening. "When I woke up this morning, I discovered there was suddenly an extra quilt on the bed, a down feather one at that."


    "And you didn''t notice?" She looked at me meaningfully and asked.


    "Huh?" I didn''t understand what she was getting at. Just as I wanted to conceal my wings behind me again, I discovered I had an extra pair...


    "What''s happening? Did I advance a rank?"


    I was startled again. So Nicola and I both had four wings now?


    Carefully examining the new pair of wings, I discovered that after the new wings grew out, both the original and new wings seemed thinner compared to before. But added together they were thicker overall.


    So was this because they were growing out of the same spot on my back? I somewhat understood why this was happening. Thinking about the case of having six, eight, ten or even more wings later on... If they didn''t get thinner, my whole back probably wouldn''t be able to support them. Not only for aesthetic reasons, but once I got to eight wings or more, having my entire back be that heavy would definitely impact mobility. That clearly wouldn''t be scientific... No, wouldn''t be fantastical.


    "How come you advanced a rank at this time?" Nicola was very puzzled about this. Could I say I was also completely clueless? Moreover I advanced while sleeping in bed, without any feeling at all.


    "I don''t know either. What was it like when you advanced to four wings?" I asked her instead, wanting to find similarities between our experiences.


    "After killing a scorpion lion beast, not long after I suddenly felt an itch on my back. Then the new wings just grew out on their own." Nicola recalled what had happened to her. It seemed the memory was still fresh.


    "So you advanced while fully conscious?" I suddenly realized there was no point of comparison at all between our experiences, the differences were too great.


    "Of course." She affirmed very definitively.


    "Could it be because you gained strength after killing magical beasts?" She threw out another hypothesis, but immediately rejected it herself. "No, that''s not right. You''ve been with us these past few days without killing anything... Speaking of which, how many have you killed in total?"


    Being asked this question suddenly, I was at a loss for words. After a long pause, I blurted out.


    "Zero."

 Volume 2/Chapter1: The Capital Norvale

    Even Minos wasn''t killed by me in the end, it was her who did it.


    "Um..." Nicola was at a loss for words, this made it even harder to find any clues.


    "But levelling up is a good thing, right?" I could feel the power in my body grow stronger, having more strength to protect myself was not a bad thing.


    "That''s true." Seeing me say this, Nicola didn''t dwell on it further. After all, we really couldn''t figure out the reason.


    After hiding my wings again, we left the room to find the others. Everyone was very surprised when they heard I levelled up, but they also had different guesses about the reason. Even Selene had no idea what happened.


    After breakfast, everyone left the town and continued the journey to Norvale.


    As expected of the main road leading to the capital of the Astralrealm Kingdom, the road surface was not only much smoother but also wider, almost like an asphalt road.


    "Let me tell you, the phoenixes at the peak of Mount Lebosari are in their breeding season right now..." Brennan was skipping and jumping along the road, telling everyone about his planned next adventure. "If I could steal a phoenix egg and tame it, my beast mastery would reach a whole new level!"


    "Forget it. A phoenix egg is something you dare to snatch in your current state?" Adrian poured cold water on him. "Have you forgotten what happened last time you tamed that light dragon? You blew up someone''s house, and still didn''t learn your lesson."


    "That''s why I wanted to ask you guys for help..." Brennan said somewhat awkwardly, losing all confidence.


    "The key is why do you need to tame so many magical beasts? Your body can''t handle that burden." Adrian berated Brennan distressingly, seemed like it wasn''t the first time he said this to him. "They don''t get tamed for free, they will absorb your life force and magic power. With your low magic, using them too frequently is prone to problems."


    "I also agree with what Adrian said, you should focus your efforts on control and utilizing the existing ones for now." Vivianne joined Adrian''s side and said concernedly to Brennan. "Your beast mastery still has a lot of room for improvement."


    At first when I was listening to their conversation I didn''t really understand. Isn''t taming magical beasts just like raising pets? How did it involve life force? Later I asked Adrian and finally understood what was going on.


    Turns out the way Brennan tames beasts is different from my understanding. It''s actually a process of transforming the beast''s body into elemental form. These elemental beasts would reside in the master''s body, using his magic power to sustain themselves. Usually there''s no problem, but once restored from elemental form to physical form, it would continuously consume massive amounts of magic power, even life force.


    Since the magic power used to sustain the elemental form comes from the user himself, the beast''s actual power changes along with the user''s own strength. So it becomes a growth-type beast. In that case, the original power of the beast before taming isn''t that important, what matters more is the potential. To lower difficulty, adults are rarely considered, usually only the young are taken for elemental transformation.


    Because sustaining physical forms consumes huge amounts of magic power, even high level mages can''t sustain it for minutes. So it''s generally used for short bursts at critical moments, then made to disappear immediately. This predetermined that it has little use for mages, but is more welcomed by warriors who lack magic power but fight with their bodies.


    This explains why in combat Brennan would only summon the beasts for a short instant before they disappear. Because he also can''t sustain them for long. Once his magic power runs out, it would start depleting his life force. If it goes on for too long there''d be mortal danger.


    "This way of using beasts is actually quite interesting. If used properly, at the right moments, like the instant it first contacts the enemy''s body, it can deal massive damage while saving unnecessary consumption."


    Nicola listening to our discussion on the side couldn''t help but chime in. Having learned martial arts, her mind was quite flexible regarding combat.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "That''s why I keep telling him not to obsess over collecting more and more powerful beasts. No matter how strong, the actual combat power won''t surpass his own current self. Improving his own strength is the key." Vivianne sighed helplessly, seems she had worried over this a lot.


    There were sparse farmhouses and villages scattered in the distance between the fields on both sides of the road, thin wisps of smoke rising up, it was simply an idyllic scenic view.


    "We''re almost there." Adrian pointed to a building with an extremely tall spire on the horizon and said.


    "Is Norvale a castle?" I asked doubtfully. It clearly looked like a castle, and castles are generally not very big, if Norvale was only a castle it would be too small.


    "That''s just the royal castle!" Brennan jumped in to explain to me. "There are many, many more residential houses surrounding the royal castle, together they make up Norvale."


    I see, that makes sense. It must be because we were still too far away to see the surrounding buildings.


    It took about another one or two hours from when we first saw the spire before we gradually noticed that the buildings on both sides of the road started becoming denser.


    There were more and more forked roads, and the flow of people and vehicles coming and going became more frequent, even reaching congestion at times. The atmosphere also gradually became more lively.


    When we finally got close, I realized how wrong my previous impression was, because this was an extremely huge and magnificent city.


    Let''s not even talk about the tall city walls that stretched endlessly into the horizon, with no end in sight. Just the royal castle situated right in front of us gave an extremely overwhelming sense of pressure. Because the castle was just so big, like a mountain lying across our view. It didn''t seem so from afar, but up close you realize the terrifying size.


    Norvale had three circles of city walls in total. My current position was right in front of the outermost city gate, waiting in line with everyone to enter the city.


    After about half an hour, we finally entered the main city area. The road surface suddenly became flat, and was completely paved with stone slabs, no longer the dirt roads outside.


    The buildings inside the city were quite dense, although mostly just 3 stories tall, but the planning was well-organized, it didn''t feel crowded. You could even see small alleys leading to unknown places between many of the houses.


    Similar to the small towns we passed before, there were shops lining the streets. But the difference was, in the small towns people were dressed quite simply, while here you could often see people dressed in very gorgeous and cumbersome noble-like attire getting off carriages and walking into the shops by the roadside.


    "Let me take you to see the royal castle first."


    Vivianne pointed to the castle that was still several kilometers away and said to me and Nicola. She had noticed all along that we were most interested in this.


    "That can''t have been carved out of a mountain right?" Looking at the royal castle that already occupied a good half of the skyline, I exclaimed.


    "Don''t know, but magic power was probably used in the construction." Nicola also felt it was a bit exaggerated. Looking at the technological development of this world, it would be almost impossible to build a near kilometer-tall castle without using magic. That height was probably comparable to the tallest buildings on Earth.


    And it wasn''t just tall, it was also very wide. The horizontal length was at least a few hundred meters too.


    When we followed everyone to the city center, we finally saw the full picture.


    The royal castle was situated on an island in the middle of a lake, surrounded by water on three sides and connected to land on one side. The lower half was almost entirely made of piled-up rocks and stones, only gradually transitioning into the outer wall pattern as it went up.


    This outer wall section looked like a high platform, taking up about half the total height. There weren''t many windows and openings on it. Further up the top of the high platform was some magnificent Gothic architecture, with dome rooftops paired with tall, steep spires, giving a very dreamy and gorgeous feeling.


    The designer seemed to really like statues, they could be seen everywhere, on rooftops, and all over the steps of the outer walls. I even saw an angel statue on one of the rooftops.


    "It would be great if we could go in and take a look." On Earth something like this would be a hot tourist attraction, but now I could only admire from afar.


    "Show them your wings, maybe they''ll let you in then." Vivianne chuckled.


    What she said made some sense. From our conversations along the way, I gradually understood that angels were not commonly seen in this world. Other than cooperating with humans in battles, they were rarely spotted in normal times. Of course, it''s possible that most angels just hide their wings.


    In many countries, angels were seen as the highest symbol due to their powerful strength and mastery of light element magic. If an angel appeared in a country, they would usually receive official courtesy.


    But keeping a low profile was still the way to go. Nicola and I just wanted to minimize revealing our identities, so we naturally wouldn''t reveal wings and demand to be let into the castle. That would not only be shameless but dumb too. Who knows what the royals think of angels, the relationship was only cooperative at best.


    Moreover, appearing in public would inevitably cause quite a stir, potentially attracting attention from all sides, leading to other angels discovering us.


    "Why don''t Vivianne take you to walk around the city first then?" At this time Adrian spoke up. Their mission was complete, he and Brennan and Selene had to go report back first. But this mission wasn''t from the Adventurer''s Guild, so they had to stop by the church and city defense office that issued the request.

 Vo2/Chapter 2: Registration

    "Miss Nicola, are you really not going with me back to the church to take a look?" Right before we parted ways, Selene was still trying her best to bring me and Nicola to Preston Cathedral together. After all, angels are very special existences in the church, so if she could bring the two of us angels to visit the grand cathedral, it would definitely be a great honor.


    "Uh...we still have a lot of things to do, like going to the Adventurers'' Guild." Nicola very tactfully rejected the other party''s invitation.


    Actually, ever since my last conversation with Selene about the church, Nicola still had some interest in this True Church. We had even discussed it specially between us, and even suspected there were shadows of other crossers behind it.


    But because we had been talking about joining the Adventurers'' Guild all this time, that was the most pressing issue right now, so there was no rush for the time being.


    "Let''s talk about it again when we have the chance."


    "Alright then, I don''t know how long it will be until I can see Miss Nicola again..." Since that was the case, Selene couldn''t say much more. She could only leave very disappointedly with Irene, Adrian and the others.


    As for Irene, it was already agreed that she would meet with other light elves at the church and hopefully get proper arrangements.


    After bidding each other farewell, we agreed to meet up again after finishing everything that night.


    "The Adventurers'' Guild is actually not far, just near this lake." As Vivianne spoke, she led us along the road by the lakeside. The green belt by the shore was very nice, not only surrounded by tree shade, but there were benches placed at intervals for people to rest.


    After not walking far, we saw a huge domed building standing by the roadside. The front had many columns standing side by side, looking very much like those national assembly styles, which looked especially conspicuous among the surrounding low buildings.


    This is it! We could indeed see several plaques hanging on the roof, with the words:


    "Adventurers'' Guild"


    There was also a small plaza in front of the building with people coming and going, very bustling.


    "It''s the headquarters of the Adventurers'' Guild in the Astralrealm Kingdom so that they made it so grand." Vivianne explained to us. "If it''s a branch in other cities, some of the premises can be very shabby."


    When we went inside, we found the interior was not smaller than the exterior. It was somewhat like a train station ticket hall layout, with a spacious main hall towards the back, lined with many small windows. There were long queues in front of each window.


    Each window seemed to serve a different purpose. Vivianne brought us to a window marked


    "Registration"


    and stopped, queueing at the back.


    "Aren''t you two angels just messing around coming to register as adventurers?" Vivianne whispered in my ear, as in her eyes, what we were doing was really wandering around aimlessly. Even if the two angels couldn''t return to Edenmere for the time being, there was no need to come do odd jobs to earn money.


    "I just don''t want to trouble you guys anymore. Since there''s a way to earn money, of course I have to be self-reliant." There were too many complications involved that I couldn''t tell her we actually didn''t dare to go back to that Edenmere, so of course we had to make long-term plans first. We couldn''t keep eating and relying on them forever.


    Nicola didn''t seem to have thought too much about it. She didn''t care much before, since she was from a wealthy family and wasn''t too concerned about basic livelihood. But being penniless after leaving the forest made her start to feel very uncomfortable, so she was very supportive of coming along with me.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Next!" The window in front called out.


    It was our turn very soon. Nicola went first, and I saw her seemingly filling out a form under the guidance of the staff. But it looked like she encountered a problem and gestured for Vivianne and I to go over.


    "There''s a race option here..." Nicola pointed to one column on the form and asked us softly. "What should we fill in?"


    I saw that column had a long list of choices, including Human, Angel, Light Elf, Dwarf and so on.


    The business scope of this Adventurers'' Guild seemed a bit wide, although they were basically all races friendly to humans, but I was a bit shocked to see the Dragonkin option at the end. Were they really that unorthodox?


    "Although the Adventurers'' Guild is said to have a wide range of members and great influence, I''ve never seen any adventurers other than humans despite these options. You angels are the first." Vivianne also had a lot to say about this race issue. But she was right, despite so many people in this hall, I didn''t see a single non-human except for Nicola and I.


    This did seem to be a problem now. We had originally wanted to hide our wings and pass as humans to register, but if we filled in "Human" for race, would there be issues in the future? But if we truthfully filled in "Angel", would that cause other troubles?


    "But if our wings aren''t revealed, we won''t even be able to exert an angel''s powers right? We''d basically be like ordinary humans. What if they test our abilities?" I recalled the confusion that happened during the siege of Minos because our wings weren''t revealed. And just on the left after entering the door, I saw a sign for "Ability Evaluation".


    "So we can only fill in truthfully?" Nicola looked to us for confirmation.


    "I think there shouldn''t be any issues." Vivianne thought for a bit then said to us. "Since they dared to list this option, it means they were prepared for it, so no need to worry too much. And even if you conceal it, it''d be hard to prevent discovery."


    She had a point. I didn''t believe such a large organization had no one who could see through our disguises, since those sages saw through us at a glance before.


    "Let''s just fill in truthfully."


    I decided and nodded to Nicola.


    It went very smoothly after that. Nicola seemed to not have caused any abnormalities by truthfully registering at the window. Then it was my turn.


    The process was very simple, just filling in the form.


    "You''re also an angel?" When the staff saw my race, she looked up in great surprise to glance at me. She didn''t react so strongly just now, but having two angels register seemed to be very rare to her. However, she was indeed very professional, and she didn''t make a big fuss, quickly resuming the processing as per normal shortly after.


    Seeing this made me unconsciously raise my opinion of the Guild a bit more.


    Before long, I received a card registered under the name Feliciana.


    The card from the Adventurers'' Guild was said to have great uses, not only within the Guild, but could also be used as ID in many countries.


    Number: XXXXXXXXXX


    Name: Feliciana


    Gender: Female


    Race: Angel


    Magic Attribute: Light


    Rank: 0


    Points: 0


    Was it because of my race that they automatically added my magic attribute? The content was very minimal, just these few items. The texture also felt strange, I couldn''t make out what it was made of. It was said to contain magic to verify authenticity and prevent damage.


    Ah...looking at my name and gender on the card, I knew that unless I crossed back, I''d have to completely bid farewell to the name "Flynn".


    Nicola''s card had similar contents to mine, both rank 0, only the ability test could change it, initial data was like this.


    Vivianne told us we''d at least need to be rank 1 before we could activate the card and take on missions. So it was useless now, basically scrap paper. No wonder the staff didn''t check my identity, not worried I might be a fake angel.


    "Let''s go test our abilities first?" Nicola suggested, and I fully agreed. So we headed towards the "Ability Evaluation" together.


    The evaluation was divided into two types of tests, one was a comprehensive ability test, the other was a magic attribute test.


    The comprehensive test was free, but after taking it once, you couldn''t retest again soon.


    The magic attribute test required a fee, 200 silvers each time, and there was no limit on attempts.


    Since the comprehensive test was free, we had to try that first of course.


    "It feels kind of weird somehow." Queueing at the back, I couldn''t help but blurt out. All around were people who came to test their abilities, dressed in all kinds of outfits. This queuing method made me feel like I was back on Earth. But it wasn''t to get documents or tickets, it was to go fight someone.


    That''s right, the comprehensive ability test was fighting someone, I found out from listening to people who just came out talking. To obtain a comprehensive assessment through combat, this did seem like a sensible thing.


    "Don''t take out the Condensation Sword when fighting later okay?" I reminded Nicola worriedly. That so-called celestial weapon, the great killer, would be far too dangerous if brought out with so many people around, no matter how you looked at it. And this was just a test, not hacking at people.


    "I understand." Nicola looked assuring, so I couldn''t say any more.


    After queueing for around thirty minutes, it was finally my turn.

 Combat Test

    After the previous person finished their test and left, the staff finally opened the big door in front of me and let me in.


    Inside was a spacious circular training arena. A muscular middle-aged man was sitting shirtless behind a table near the entrance, writing something.


    I heard the door close behind me. Hearing someone enter, the middle-aged man put down his pen and looked at me, then held out a hand.


    "Ah..." I immediately understood and handed him the card I had been clutching.


    "What a cute little girl... Angel? Are you sure?" The middle-aged man was smiling at first without paying much attention, but the moment he saw my card, he immediately frowned.


    "Impersonation will get you blacklisted from the Association, you know."


    "Yes, that''s right." Hearing this, I quickly nodded to confirm, and at the same time, unfurled the two pairs of wings on my back that I had been concealing.


    "A four-winged angel... I didn''t know angels could hide their wings?" The middle-aged man seemed shocked, as if it was his first time seeing an angel like me.


    "Well, let''s begin then."


    With my identity confirmed, he didn''t waste more words either. He stood up and led me to the edge of the training arena.


    "I''m Wozwal Hus your chief examiner, a level 6 swordsman."


    He pointed to the rows of weapon racks around us filled with various weapons.


    "You can choose any weapon here as you wish, and attack me in any way, including magic. As long as you can beat me, it will prove you have reached level 6. If you think my skills are lacking, you can request a higher level examiner..."


    As he went through the standard procedural introduction, he walked towards the center of the arena and stood there, waiting for my next move.


    "You have 5 minutes for the test."


    After listening to all the instructions, I went straight to the weapon rack and drew out a longsword. Although the only weapon I had used before was Nicola''s Condensation Sword, this was still the most familiar to me here.


    "Let''s begin then..." Seeing me choose a weapon and stand before him, Wozwal had initially been empty-handed, but after some thought, he also ran back and took a longsword from the weapon rack.


    This...


    The corner of my mouth twitched. I wanted to tell him there was no need to be so cautious. I was quite clear about my abilities after all this time. There was absolutely no way I could harm a level 6 swordsman. I guessed even Nicola probably couldn''t do it without her Condensation Sword.


    Actually, when I first entered, I was very nervous. After all, before transmigrating, I had never even fought before, let alone an actual combat test against such a powerful master.


    Fortunately, I had some battle experience previously and had just advanced to four wings recently, so my strength had increased a lot. Now the weight of the longsword in my hand was almost negligible, which gave me a bit more confidence.


    I quietly wiped the sweat from my palms. Anyway, since I didn''t know any sword skills, I took a deep breath, lifted the longsword with one hand, and without further ado, slashed at my opponent.


    "Not bad! That strength has indeed surpassed mid level 4." Wozwal easily parried my slash, evaluating while smoothly counterattacking with a backhand sword strike.


    Seeing this, I immediately retreated one step, barely avoiding his counter.


    "Hmm...reactions and speed are decent too."


    At first, he spoke quite affirmatively of me, but after a few exchanges, he gradually began to feel something was off.


    "You seem to not know any sword skills at all?"


    "Uh..." Hearing this, my hand paused. As expected, he saw right through me huh? I had just been hacking and slashing wildly with no technique at all, so it would be strange not to notice.


    "Indeed I don''t know any..." My face reddening, I could only admit candidly as I temporarily retreated to the side.


    "Then why did you choose a sword?" He looked at me very strangely, then seemed to recall something and asked me, "What about your light magic? How come I don''t see you using any?"Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "I don''t know that either..." Now this was even more embarrassing. I could barely look him in the eye. Knowing nothing was a perfect description of me right now. I could only rely on brute force.


    "This is..." The other party also didn''t expect that the rare angel he met, one with four wings, would actually turn out like this. With a speechless expression, after thinking hard for a long time, he could only command me, "Then keep attacking me with your full power, don''t stop!"


    "Oh, okay!" I knew this was my last chance to perform, so I didn''t dare hold back anymore either, exerting my utmost strength to charge at my opponent.


    "Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang..."


    The entire training arena was filled with the sound of my wild slashing. No matter what angle or direction I slashed and stabbed at Wozwal from, his sword always seemed to magically appear to block mine. Occasionally he would even counterattack.


    Having gone all out, I no longer used dodging and retreating. To avoid wasting opportunities, I thought of flying up high to evade before diving down to utilize gravity for more powerful chops.


    "Not bad!" Wozwal praised me for the first time in a while. "Using your physical advantages for suppressive attacks."


    But even so, it had no effect. He still easily neutralized my moves without the slightest panic.


    "5 minutes up..." The moment he finished speaking, my unstable sword was flicked out of my hand by him.


    Then with flawless precision, he threw his own sword back onto the weapon rack, inserting it right back into its original spot.


    "Test complete."


    "How...how was it?" I stuttered nervously. My mood right now was absolutely awful. I didn''t expect the test to be so strict. The examiner was too powerful. Even with the advantage of an angel''s body, I didn''t gain any upper hand at all.


    "Hmm..." Wozwal slowly walked back to his previous seat and pondered for a while before giving his evaluation.


    "Although your physical abilities like strength, reflexes and speed completely exceed level 4, due to lack of combat skills, I can only give you a level 3 rating."


    "Level 3 huh." This result was actually quite surprising. It had exceeded my expectations already. I thought I would at most get level 2.


    "But your awareness is decent. You''re quite flexible in your thinking during battle. If you train more in martial skills in the future, you should still have good potential." He paused, then praised me some more, making me feel embarrassed.


    "Thank you!"


    I bowed deeply and was about to leave with my card from him when Wozwal suddenly added,


    "It''s very strange you don''t know any light magic at all. And you''re an angel too. If possible, you should go learn some. It''s a huge advantage for your race."


    "Ah?" Hearing his suggestion, I was taken aback. I didn''t expect he would bring up magic. But he was right. In the previous fight I had solely relied on close combat. Just because he didn''t use magic didn''t mean I couldn''t use it either. If I could use magic, my evaluation probably would have been much higher.


    "I get it." I nodded. It looked like I had to consider learning magic.


    After leaving the room, I breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the words on my card:


    "Level: 3"


    I would have to wait three more months for the next comprehensive test.


    "How was it?" Seeing me come out, Vivianne who had been waiting rushed over. And Nicola behind her followed right after into the room.


    "Not bad I guess." I showed her my card.


    "Only level 3!" After seeing the number on the card, Vivianne was shocked, looking indignant on my behalf. "Could they have made a mistake? You are..."


    She seemed to realize her voice was too loud and quickly covered her mouth.


    "You should know even the most common dual-winged angels have at least level 4 strength." After pulling me to a corner, she lowered her voice and softly said, "You already have four wings, how could you only be level 3?"


    I couldn''t help it. Being called out like this by her made me feel quite embarrassed. Initially, I hadn''t thought much about it and had even thought being level 3 was pretty lucky. But Vivianne''s reaction now made me realize I had completely disgraced the angel''s name.


    Only after I roughly recounted what happened in the test room did Vivianne finally come to a realization.


    "It''s all because I forgot about your amnesia. So you don''t know light magic."


    It wasn''t just because of amnesia, but if I could learn magic, it might make up for things a bit.


    "How about we go to the magic bookstore and take a look?" I suggested to Vivianne. There was a magic bookstore in a corner of this Adventurer''s Guild hall. I just hadn''t had the chance to check it out until the examiner mentioned it to me.


    "That place huh..." Hearing me, Vivianne seemed hesitant, but still went with me into the bookstore.


    The store looked just like any ordinary bookstore on the outside, except that the books sold were all about various magics. You couldn''t tell the difference from its exterior.


    The store wasn''t big. We browsed around quickly and soon found introductory books on foundational magic including fire, water and other elemental types.


    There were very few books on light magic. After searching for a long time I finally found a few titles related to it. So I randomly grabbed a copy of "Light Magic Combat" which didn''t look very thick, trying to flip through it a little, but realized I couldn''t open it no matter what.


    "It''s enchanted with magic. You can''t read it without paying." Vivianne said to me after seeing this.


    That made sense. If you could just casually browse and memorize the basics, it would be equal to stealing it for free.


    "How much does it cost?" I checked the entire book but couldn''t find the price listed anywhere.


    "The price is down here." Vivianne pointed to the area below the counter and told me.


    Glancing in that direction, I was immediately stunned, unable to speak from the shock.


    "75,000 silvers!?" I couldn''t help crying out, my tongue practically twisting. "Why is it so expensive?"


    "Shh, quiet down!" Vivianne jumped in fright at my voice and quickly dragged me out of the bookstore.


    "Light magic books have always been expensive." She slowly explained to me after we were some distance away. "Moreover, this is at the Adventurer''s Guild headquarters, so of course it costs even more."


    I understood this point. It was like how things sold at train stations and airports are much pricier than elsewhere. But this price difference was still too outrageous.


    "But the fire magic books next to it were less than 3,000 silvers..." Although I had only glanced at the prices, I still saw that introductory books for the fire, wind and earth elements were around 3,000 silvers. Even water magic which would be more expensive was only about 6,000 silvers tops.

 Difference in Strength

    "That''s because there are few who know light magic." Vivianne pulled me back to the "Ability Evaluation" sign while explaining to me.


    "Compared to the other four types of magic, there are very few who know light magic, so there is not much demand for it."


    But it shouldn''t be that expensive, if the price is determined by demand it should be cheaper, right?


    "But there is one specialty of those who know light magic. Basically, they only come from a few families, and they are all nobles..." After a long and complicated explanation by Vivianne, I finally understood.


    In short, it is extremely rare for ordinary commoners to know light magic, to the point of once in a millennium. Those who know light magic generally appear in various noble families, whose earliest ancestors most likely rose to prominence precisely because of their talent in light magic. So now those who buy these books are basically all children of nobles, and they are not short on money, which is why the books are so expensive.


    Right next to the bookstore, there were signs up recruiting students in magic learning, with fire, wind, earth, and water magics, but no signs for light or dark magic.


    It seems like no one has ever mentioned dark magic, and I don''t recall seeing any dark magic books in the bookstore either. Is the human world itself very repelled by dark magic?


    But right now I don''t have the mind to think about the issue of dark magic. Just the light magic alone is a headache for me.


    "Then I have no way of learning light magic?" I asked Vivianne blankly. This price is practically unaffordable, even with Vivianne and the others'' money.


    "Actually there is another way..." Vivianne seemed to already have an answer to this question, "Go find Selene, maybe she can teach you."


    "Selene?" I could understand her suggestion. Selene already knows light magic, it''s normal for her True Church to have books on light magic.


    "But the church probably wouldn''t allow outsiders to learn their magic, right?" I voiced my thoughts.


    "But you are an angel!" Vivianne directly pointed out the crux. "As long as you are willing to join their church, everything will be fine."


    "Let''s put that off for now."


    While she had a point, when it comes to religious matters, I generally have no interest. If I had to join the church and chant prayers and hymns every day, I would dislike it.


    Seeing my reluctance, Vivianne didn''t say anything more. She and Brennan were also not fans of the True Church.


    Just then the door of the testing room opened and Nicola walked out.


    "How was it?" We immediately gathered around her.


    "Not bad!" As usual Nicola handed the card in her hand to us.


    "Looks like you did pretty well."


    Seeing her relaxed, I muttered and glanced down at the card.


    "Fifth Order?"


    I was truly shocked by this score. It''s too much! We are both four-winged angels, why is there such a huge difference!


    "It really is Fifth Order!"


    Vivianne who came over to take a look was also extremely excited. She had been judging our strength according to the number of wings, so she thought we should both be Fourth Order. Who knew one was higher and one lower, she didn''t guess right for either.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    These days while chatting with people on the streets, I have already learned a lot of common knowledge about this world.


    The higher the Order, the bigger the strength gap. Past the Sixth Order, each step surpasses the total difference from the First Order. So, a Fifth Order evaluation clearly shows Nicola''s strength is at a really high level.


    "Come clean, did you use Condensation Sword?"


    I stared at Nicola suspiciously, simply unable to fathom why she was so much stronger than me when we came over together.


    "No! Of course not!" Nicola looked completely innocent.


    "I only used the weapons provided at the site. And you reminded me earlier, how could I dare take it out in a place like this."


    She had a point. If she took it out, not to mention whether the wind elemental aura would be sensed by the crowd on site. Just the power of that sword, I figured even the chief examiner probably couldn''t block it. She''d likely injure them in just a few strikes. Then there''s no way she''d only get a Fifth Order evaluation.


    "Sorry for wronging you."


    After thinking it through, I had no choice but to acknowledge the fact that Nicola was much stronger than me.


    I was actually starting to realize why she was so powerful. I had overlooked the most crucial point earlier, which was that she had slaughtered countless high-order magical beasts in the first few days after crossing over. Although it was thanks to Condensation Sword, the countless battles were real experiences. Adding to her innate talent, there''s no way her strength could be weak.


    "No problem! With our relationship, no need to stand in ceremony. If you''re weaker than me it''s normal." She was in a great mood after getting a high score, and generously indicated she didn''t mind. Then as if recalling something, she asked "By the way, what Order are you? Let me see."


    She didn''t know my results earlier since she rushed in as soon as I came out.


    "This is..." The last thing I wanted to be asked about right now was this. She just had to poke the sore spot.


    She was trying to spite me! I held the card in my hand, hesitated for a long time without showing her. Finally Vivianne couldn''t stand it and just told her directly.


    "Hahaha, so you''re only Third Order!" Hearing this, Nicola patted my back arrogantly and laughed. "Don''t worry, since you''re weaker than me it''s normal. With me looking out for you in the future, you''ll be fine."


    "Thanks so much for that!" Seeing her smug expression, I was itching to punch her. Such a waste of a pretty face.


    "What about you Vivianne, what Order are you?" I suddenly recalled that after knowing Vivianne for so long I still didn''t know her exact strength, so I took this chance to ask.


    In response she took out her card and handed it to me. I saw it said Fourth Order, Magic Attribute: Fire.


    "Not bad at all, really impressive!" I sincerely exclaimed.


    "They say the top adventurers at the Adventurers Guild are Seventh Order, so you''re already above average."


    Although not as strong as Nicola, I had seen her fight with my own eyes. She was much more powerful than me as an angel, I admitted that fair and square.


    "Far from it, okay." She snatched back the card, somewhat embarrassed. "Adrian and Brennan are both stronger than me."


    "What Order are they? Fifth Order already?"


    "No, still only Fourth Order."


    Looks like the difference between the Fourth and Fifth Order is still considerable. I remember during the test, Chief Examiner Woodes even made distinctions within the Fourth Order levels.


    "Then let''s go take a look to see if there are any tasks we can take on." Now that our strength was tested, I suggested going over to the bulletin boards first.


    The bulletin boards were on the huge wall at the edge of the lobby. Countless mission information was displayed on it with magic, looking very much like electronic bulletin boards on Earth.


    "Doesn''t seem to be anything suitable." After looking for a while, we discovered the vast majority were low-level 1-2 Order missions, things like helping find a cat, running errands to buy stuff, and finding lost items.


    Next, there were a few tasks with exceptionally high requirements that only a few dared to undertake, such as ventures restricted to adventurers of at least Fifth Order, or even exclusive to those of the Sixth Order, aiming to secure valuable magical materials. Or investigating extremely dangerous areas within dark force spheres, assassinating specified demons.


    On the contrary, the mid-level 3-4 Order missions that we currently most needed and were suitable for were nowhere to be seen.


    "Can''t be helped. The vast majority of adventurers at the Guild are mid level, so mid level missions are the hottest commodity, snatched up as soon as they''re posted."


    Vivianne helplessly explained some common knowledge about the Adventurers Guild.


    "At this time, there definitely won''t be any left. If you want to take mid level missions, you have to come early and line up."


    Looks like no matter which world, mid-level people are always the majority.


    I considered just coming early tomorrow morning to take a look. Anyway I''ve been waking up early every day now. If that doesn''t work out, there are still all those low level missions to take. Although the rewards don''t seem like much, most are just a few dozen silvers, but beggars can''t be choosers. The income would be way better than part time jobs on Earth.

 Vol 2/Chapter 5: good guy

    When we left the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, the sky had already darkened.


    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I sincerely thanked Vivianne. She didn''t need to come with us here. Not only did she bring us to Norvale, she even accompanied us to register and take the combat test. Back in Elara Woodlands, she had only promised to bring us to Norvale, yet she went beyond to help us so much more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Now that you¡¯re my little angel sister, it¡¯s only natural that I, as the big sister, take good care of you,¡± Vivianne didn''t seem bothered at all, speaking matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Besides, you two angels don¡¯t have a place to stay tonight, so you might as well come back and lodge at my place,¡± she added.


    Nicola and I exchanged glances, feeling that she was being far too hospitable. But she was right that we had just arrived in this city and would be homeless if we didn''t go with her.


    ¡°Alright, to be honest, we do have an ulterior motive,¡± Vivianne sighed, seeing our hesitance.


    ¡°After all, it''s rare to encounter angels. Becoming good friends with you two, especially Nicola given how powerful she is, would benefit us greatly in the future. As for Brennan and the others, having two beautiful angels by their side has made them so happy they''ve lost their minds.¡± she consoled.


    Although we knew those were just comforting words, it would have been impolite to dwell on it further after she had said all that.


    "So where are we meeting up with Adrian and the others?" I estimated they should have completed their quest by now.


    "Let''s head to the rental house first," Vivianne suggested after thinking for a bit.


    "They''ll probably go back there after finishing up too," she explained.


    She then led Nicola and me down a small alley to the right of the Adventurers'' Guild. After winding through various alleys and making many turns, we eventually emerged back onto the main street, stopping in front of a weapon shop.


    "Here we are," she said, leading us up a staircase behind the shop. "We rented the two rooms upstairs from the shop owner downstairs."


    I saw two doors on either side of the narrow hallway upstairs. She opened the one on the right and let us in.


    "This is my room," she declared.


    "It''s so spacious!" I exclaimed, surprised by the size inside.


    The room was at least 20 square meters, with a bathroom. The furnishings were simple but tidy. There was a large bed by the window with a few plush toys on it. The whole place exuded a young girl''s charm.


    "Of course. It''s a pity I''m often out with Adrian and the others on missions. I rarely get to come back and stay, even though I do like it here," Vivianne seemed pleased with her room too, lamenting that she couldn''t fully enjoy it.


    "That''s why I asked you to come. It''ll be nice to have company for a few days before you find your own place, since you currently lack money. Consider it a favor to me as angels are honored guests. I''ve always wanted to try sleeping on the floor too," she rambled.


    "We couldn''t possibly let you sleep on the floor," I quickly rejected the idea. Dealing with someone so kind could be exasperating.


    Seeing Vivianne and I endlessly debating who should take the floor, Nicola shouted in exasperation, "Enough!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "You two take the bed. I''ll sleep on the floor. End of discussion!" she declared in a tone that brooked no disagreement.


    Vivianne and I were both stunned speechless by this rare assertiveness of hers. I suppose she has matured after coming to this new world.


    I shrugged. I didn''t mind Nicola taking the floor, but it didn''t seem right for both Vivianne and I to share the bed.


    Just then, we heard footsteps outside. Vivianne perked up instantly and exclaimed, "They''re back!" before rushing out to greet them.


    ...


    "You really convinced them to come back?" Brennan''s familiar voice sounded from the hallway.


    "Amazing! I thought we wouldn''t get to see the angels again after this. Nice work!" he praised.


    "Shh, keep your voice down. They''re still inside. I barely managed to persuade them to stay," Vivianne shushed.


    "But they probably heard everything just now with how loud you were," Adrian''s voice replied.


    "This is all your fault. Don''t come crying to me if they run off and you go hungry!" Vivianne scolded.


    She then ran back into the room, followed by the two guys.


    Nicola and I exchanged glances, having overheard them. We were no longer certain if everything had been staged by the three of them.


    Seeing our expressions, the trio realized they had given themselves away and looked panicked.


    "Let me explain..." Vivianne began.


    "No need," I interjected. "Since you''re so adamant about having us stay, we''ll spend one night here. We did already promise you after all," I conceded.


    Nicola voiced no objections either. "It doesn''t really matter if it was intentional or not. Just know that we''re truly grateful to you all. Without you, we''d probably still be wandering the forest."


    "So you''ll stay?" Vivianne''s face lit up excitedly. It seemed all she cared about was us agreeing to stay, regardless of everything said prior.


    "Of course," I nodded. Brennan and Adrian behind her immediately broke into delighted smiles too.


    Yet Vivianne still had a hesitant look, as if there was more she wanted to say.


    "Actually..." she began.


    "Actually what?" I asked, perplexed.


    "It''d be even better if you could stay for a few more days!" Brennan interjected impatiently. Vivianne''s head bobbed in eager agreement.


    I rubbed my temples in exasperation. I truly didn''t understand these people. Were all the people in this world so friendly? The first three we met just had to be jesters.


    Having just completed a quest and earned rewards, we decided to celebrate tonight by eating at the finest restaurant nearby. Selene did not join us, having returned to the church after the quest.


    At a high-end eatery called Maple Story, Adrian ordered the most expensive set meal for each of us. Our table was soon piled high with all kinds of dishes and plates. I was stuffed to the point of bursting, having to give up on dessert before it even arrived.


    To be honest, the food here didn''t taste as amazing as the meal we had in that small town. But the portions were huge, and I saw almost everyone at the table was full even before all the courses arrived.


    "It''s a pity Selene isn''t here. Something feels missing without her," I remarked.


    Despite Selene and I not always getting along, we had gone through a lot together these days. There was a certain bond between us.


    "It can''t be helped. She''s back at the strict church now. With the quest completed, there was no reason for her to come out again," Adrian explained, having accompanied Selene to the church earlier.


    "How''s Irene doing?" I asked about the dark elf girl who had been clinging to me. Although she was now a light elf.


    "Not sure," Adrian shook his head. "After reaching the church, she left with some of their personnel. Selene said she had to go meet the other light elves first."


    I see. That seemed like a decent outcome for her, so I felt reassured.


    "Can you share how much your quest rewards were?" I probed, having been very curious about their earnings from this job.


    "15,000 silvers total," Adrian freely divulged after a quick mental calculation.


    "That''s not a huge sum, since it was just an investigative quest. We only had to go to the site and retrieve some information. Also, because it was privately commissioned by the city defenses and church rather than going through the Adventurers'' Guild, there were no processing fees deducted," he elaborated.


    "I see," Vivianne chimed in. "These kinds of private requests are usually highly sought after. We only managed to snag this one due to Adrian''s connections from his military days."


    That reminded me she had mentioned Adrian often taking on mercenary work for the army.


    "Speaking of which, how much are the Guild''s processing fees usually?" Nicola suddenly asked. She had caught on to something important.


    "Around 10-30%, depending on quest rank and difficulty," came the reply.


    So it really wasn''t insignificant. If this job had gone through the Guild, they would have earned several thousand silvers less.


    "It can''t be helped. The Guild has the most abundant resources, while opportunities like this are scarce and rarely come by. We got lucky this time purely by chance," Adrian conceded with a sigh.


    The Guild''s steep fees were unavoidable it seemed.

 Three People Sharing a Room

    That dinner took a long time. By the time we got back to our lodging carrying the leftover food, it was already quite late into the night.


    "Better sleep early, since we travelled a whole day already," Vivianne reminded the two guys staying opposite us. Nicola and I had already yawned many times.


    At this moment, with the room door closed, only us three girls were left in the room. My mind was a bit groggy just now but instantly became more awake. This was the most important moment.


    "Are you sure you want to sleep on the floor?" I secretly pulled Nicola aside to confirm this with her. Since when did this greedy person start rejecting meat served up to her mouth?


    I was suspicious. Maybe she planned to harass us at night and get two for one.


    Seeming to guess what I was thinking from my expression, Nicola frowned unhappily.


    "What do you take me for? Am I that shameless?" I was kindly offering to let you take the bed!"


    "Oh sorry about that!"


    I rolled my eyes. To be honest, I always felt she was quite shameless, especially regarding male-female relationships.


    "From your reaction, does that mean I should take the bed? After all, can''t let our host sleep on the floor. Doesn''t sound too bad," she suddenly grinned sinisterly, seemingly not bothered to switch plans.


    "Wait, I didn''t mean that!"


    I understood. This was the best arrangement. It would be even more dangerous if she took the bed.


    However, I turned and said to Vivianne who had just finished washing up and was lying in bed:


    "Why don''t I take the floor too? I think there''s enough space here, nice and spacious..."


    "First time seeing you so troubled," Nicola murmured as she walked away and lay down on the prepared bedding on the floor.


    "Huh, didn''t we agree already?" Vivianne looked blank and slightly aggrieved.


    "Do you dislike sleeping with me?"


    "No no, I was worried I would disturb you." I could only think of this excuse for now.


    "It''s okay, I don''t mind at all." Vivianne was very forthright, even patting the empty side of the bed to indicate I should get on quickly.


    But I did mind! This was my first time sharing a bed with a real girl. Nicola the fake didn''t count.


    "Haha, alright then!"


    I forced out a laugh. No other way for now. I could only thicken my skin and slowly get onto the bed.


    Right after I lay down, the room lights were switched off. Vivianne''s hands promptly hugged me fully and she snuggled against me a few times too.


    "Wah, Feliciana feels so soft!"


    Brother Brennan, I''m sorry!


    I used all my strength to barely struggle free from her grip.


    "Vivianne, gentler...too tight...hurts..."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    So girls are this passionate in bed too. I felt I really couldn''t take it.


    Hearing me, she did relax her hold a little. I was expecting some storm to follow, but nothing else happened even after waiting for a long time.


    That was it? I was confused again.


    Maybe I overthought things, or Vivianne was just too tired. I felt the steady breaths on my chest. She seemed to have fallen asleep already.


    If I had known it would be so simple, I wouldn''t have agonized over it so much. Nicola was right to mock me after all.


    I revealed a wry smile. Not daring to move in case I woke her, I stayed in that awkward posture and gradually fell asleep too...


    When morning sunlight shone into the room, I opened my eyes to find Nicola missing from her spot on the floor.


    Sometime in the night, Vivianne had also shifted her body and let go of her arms holding me, now curled up on the other side still fast asleep.


    After a big stretch getting off the bed, I didn''t see any trace of the others in the room.


    So they were outside.


    Opening the door, I peeked out. Sure enough, I saw Nicola doing stretches at the bottom of the stairs in the corridor.


    She actually did morning exercises?


    It completely shattered my long-held impression of her indulging in wine and sex all day, draining her body empty.


    "Morning! You''re awake too?" Hearing the room door, she turned and greeted me.


    Come to think of it, she''s always up earlier than me. Maybe it''s related to her angelic constitution.


    Leaving the door ajar, I came out and nodded, not one to lose. I followed her moves.


    "How was your sleep?" Nicola stretched her neck and asked.


    "Alright." I stretched my neck too.


    "Just being hugged the whole night, my body feels a bit stiff." I waved my arms.


    "Then we better hurry rent a place." Nicola waved her arms too.


    "It''s still early. The early bird gets the worm they say." I kicked my legs.


    "The Adventurers'' Guild should still have some mid-tier quests left..." Nicola kicked her legs too.


    "Let''s go!" We looked at each other and smiled.


    "Vivianne, Nicola and I are going to the Guild to get quests! (??????)??"


    Deciding on the spot, I left a note on the bedside table and closed the door. Nicola and I rushed out together.


    At 7 am In the Guild hall, a long queue stretched to the other side of the plaza outside the entrance.


    "Don''t tell me we''re late even coming so early..." My spirits dropped seeing the line.


    We had rushed all the way, taking a longer route earlier because we got lost. But it still turned out like this. Nicola also seemed disappointed.


    "Many were probably queueing overnight." She looked at the queue and voiced a possibility.


    That made sense. The sun had just risen not long ago and the Guild doors weren''t open yet. To have such a long line, some people must have started waiting late into the night.


    "Let''s hope not everyone is going for the mid-tier quests."


    I nodded.


    Soon, the Guild doors opened for business.


    The queue started moving slowly forward, splitting into several lanes as a few counters began operating. But even so, we still had to wait over half an hour.


    "Are you two taking a quest together?" The staff behind the counter asked, looking at the two guild cards I handed over.


    "That''s right!"


    There were still a few mid-tier quests left. I silently cheered at our luck and chose a 4-star delivery quest with the skill requirement of Level 3 and above. The reward was quite substantial too, at several thousand silvers.


    "I''m sorry, but your cards seem to be newly registered right? Without points, you currently can''t take quests needing point collateral."


    The staff''s words made Nicola and I gawk.


    "What do you mean? Point collateral?" Nicola leaned over looking confused too.


    "It''s like this, miss." The staff flashed us a professional smile and started explaining. "For all our quests, some require point collateral before they can be taken. The quest you''ve requested needs 1000 points, but both your cards have 0 points, so you can''t take it."


    Oh no, her words made me notice the points column on the identity card I had overlooked until now. No wonder some quests on the noticeboard had a string of numbers after them that I didn''t understand. So that was the point collateral needed.


    That meant there were no mid-tier quests left without points collateral. The remaining few started from a few hundred at least. We currently didn''t qualify at all.


    I sighed. Being an adventurer wasn''t so easy after all.


    "Then let''s take this lower tier quest instead."


    Since we came all the way, Nicola didn''t want to make a wasted trip either. She chose a letter delivery that had been on the board since yesterday and was still not taken. It didn''t need any points either.


    I sensed it might be a trap, but Nicola was firm. She would try even if it was a trap.


    I chose another low-tier quest - a Level 2 beast-clearing quest.


    The rewards for both our quests were still substantial, at several hundred each, considered high for low-tier quests.


    After we confirmed, the staff passed us quest cards detailing the information, contacts, addresses, point penalties and point rewards for successful completion.

 Vol 2/Chapter 7: Flying

    After leaving the counter, we went to a inconspicuous corner and started discussing what to do next.


    "No wonder no one is taking this delivery task, it''s too far away. The destination village is over 200 km away, across two cities. It will take at least 200 km on foot. But the reward is only 400 silver. That''s too little for the distance," Nicola complained as he looked at the task card. There was even a simple map on it, marking the approximate distance.


    With horses and carriages being the main mode of transportation, a trip like this would take at least a few days. So the meager reward really wasn''t worth it.


    "Of course ordinary people wouldn''t take such an unprofitable task," I said, taking a look at the card and immediately understanding why Nicola chose it. "But maybe not for us."


    "Of course!" Hearing that I understood, Nicola revealed a sly smile.


    That''s right, we can fly!


    Now that we''ve decided how to do the delivery task, there''s no rush. Let''s take a look at mine first.


    "What''s your task?"


    Nicola took the card from me and read it.


    "A magical beast that often ambushes travelers?"


    She frowned as she read the brief description.


    "This might be tricky. We''d have to get lucky and catch it. Otherwise we''d just be waiting around."


    "But it''s not far, just on a mountain road near Norvale," I pointed out. The close distance was the appeal for me.


    "Then let''s do your task first," Nicola nodded. A level 2 quest, the beast couldn''t be too difficult. It should be easy for us.


    "Or maybe we should deliver the letter first," I suggested another plan.


    "Why?" Nicola didn''t understand. Her instinct was to clear the nearby task first before traveling far away.


    "Look here," I pointed to the task requirements and explained, "We have to bring back an identifiable body part of the beast."


    "In other words, we''ll probably have to cut off its head and bring it back. With all that going in and out of the city gates, it''ll waste a lot of time. Better to just deliver the letter first since we have to come back here anyway."


    "You make a good point," Nicola had to agree after hearing my explanation. It was indeed more efficient than killing the beast first.


    Without further delay, we immediately headed out of the city at a brisk pace.


    ...


    On a hillside outside Norvale, Nicola and I stopped.


    "This should be good, no one else around," Nicola spread her wings first, revealing two pairs of pristine white feathers on her back.


    I nodded and dispelled my concealment as well.


    "Looks like you''ve never flown very high before huh," Nicola said as she flapped her wings and ascended into the sky.


    "I guess not," I thought back and realized this was true. I hadn''t needed to fly much since becoming an angel. This was the first time I would be travelling by flying.


    As we gained altitude slowly, the scenery below started to shrink and the visible horizon grew wider...


    I suddenly remembered going to the top of an 80-story high-rise with Reilly back in high school. The view now was so similar to back then.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Reilly, do you remember that tall building near my house?" I called out her old name, trying to jog her memory.


    "Huh... what...?" Nicola pretended not to hear me. The wind was too loud up here, only fragments could make it to our ears. All we could hear was:


    "Whoosh whoosh"


    Oh well, I shook my head regretfully to indicate it was nothing. She stopped gaining height and turned back, flapping her wings to accelerate forward quickly.


    "Wait up..." Seeing her skilled maneuver, I was caught off guard and could only hurry to follow behind her backside.


    "I can really fly now!"


    Seeing the trees and buildings rushing by below, I couldn''t help spreading my arms and yelling out excitedly. Flying this high and looking down on the land was an amazing feeling.


    Although I had flown during the battle with Minos, that was near-ground combat. It didn''t count as true flight in my mind.


    Flight is a human dream, hence the later invention of airplanes.


    Yet my first real flight happened in this alternate world after I became an angel. I had never flown in an airplane back on Earth.


    "What do you think?"


    Nicola slowed down to come parallel with me and shouted loudly. We were close enough that I could just make out her voice.


    "Awesome!" I didn''t hold back using the best compliment to answer. If not for worrying about disrupting my wing beats, I might have started dancing around.


    "Haven''t you been on a plane before?" Seeing her also excited with a big smile, I couldn''t help but feel puzzled.


    "That''s different!" Nicola said it was a completely different experience. "On a plane you''re just stuck in a metal box. Not the same at all!"


    "So this is your first time flying too."


    Seeing her so happy, I laughed as well. Then I added a belated greeting, "How does it feel?"


    "If you insist on asking how I feel right now..." Nicola smiled ahead and replied.


    "It''s - fucking amazing!"


    The destination village was over 200 km away by road, but because of mountains and lakes in between, the direct distance was less than 100 km. So in just under two hours we arrived.


    It was still not top speed since the wind made it hard to keep our eyes open. If we went all out, it probably would have been even faster.


    Landing in the wilderness nearby, we walked into the village and knocked on the door of the address for the recipient. An old man came out trembling and took the delivered letter. Following my cue, he pressed a fingerprint onto the task card to acknowledge completion. Now we just had to go back and turn it in to collect the reward.


    "Thank you, that will do," Nicola thanked the recipient briefly before we turned and took off again.


    The return trip seemed even faster, and within another hour plus, we were back in the sky above Norvale.


    "Let''s just go straight to the second task," Nicola reminded me not to land in the city yet. Then we flew together towards the magical beast clearing quest location.


    This was a small path leading to the royal capital. Although not an officially maintained highway, it still saw a fair amount of daily travellers due to transportation needs.


    According to the quest notes, right below us was the frequent ambush spot.


    "Let''s land and take a look first," I said and touched down into the bushes by the roadside.


    "If you want to keep your wings out, better not go too close to the road," Nicola warned even though the path was empty right now. Don''t risk being seen by accident.


    I nodded, then thought of something.


    "Take out your Condensation Sword first."


    Despite just a low level beast, better safe than sorry. I don''t want to get caught off guard or have any accidents. Going all out was crucial.


    And we were out in the wilderness now, so no need to hide celestial weapons either.


    "Watch me then!"


    Hearing my suggestion, Nicola immediately felt her weapon was finally seeing real action. Very smugly, she held out her palm and summoned the Condensation Sword.


    Although I had seen the reveal already, it was still impressive every time.


    "Too edgy," I pursed my lips, unwilling to admit she looked so damn cool.


    "You''re just jealous!" Smelling dissent, Nicola became unhappy. But she also realized she had been a bit childish just now. She could only scratch her head and hand me the sword.


    "Seeing you covet it so much, I''ll let you try it first."


    "Pfft, it''s not like I haven''t used it before."


    I took the sword and swung it around. Whether due to my strength or the sword''s lack of weight, it felt like swinging through the air.


    "Can you make another one?" An idea came to me seeing her empty-handed.


    "Oh right!" She seemed to have never considered this issue before. Hearing me say it, she immediately tried.


    Unfortunately it failed this time, the blade only halfway formed before suddenly disintegrating into crystalline dust.


    "What happened, did it fail?" I asked concernedly seeing the result.


    "Felt like I lost control..." Nicola''s expression was a bit strained as she breathed heavily while sitting on a rock.


    "Are you okay?" Seeing her so drained, I immediately regretted it. The beast wasn''t even defeated yet. Big trouble if something went wrong.


    "My power''s probably not enough yet," Nicola thought for a while and concluded. "I felt I really couldn''t maintain the shape halfway through the second sword."


    "Then don''t push yourself," I quickly said, relieved that she looked much better after a brief rest.


    "We can try again after you get stronger."


    Nicola nodded in agreement, but her face still showed regret.


    "Too bad, if we each had a sword, we could probably annihilate a lot of top enemies."


    "Made using light elements right? Why don''t you teach me, and I''ll try?" I suddenly wondered and asked.

 Renting a house

    "It''s not the light element." Upon hearing this, Nicola immediately shook their head in denial.


    "Although it''s some kind of similar elemental particle, it''s clearly different from light element. That feeling..."


    "It''s like air." After thinking hard for a moment, she finally found a relatively accurate metaphor to describe it.


    Upon hearing this, I was a little disappointed, but immediately thought of another key point.


    "Then could it be the wind element that the astrologer mentioned?"


    "That''s possible!" Nicola was taken aback for a moment, then slapped her palm and blurted out, "It would make sense if it was wind element."


    "Speaking of which, you don''t even know about wind element, yet you were able to make a wind elemental celestial weapon."


    Seeing her like this, I couldn''t help but feel a little speechless. Could it really be the power of paying?


    "Then why don''t you try making one with light element?"


    Since they were both elements, light and wind elements were just different types, so they should be interchangeable, right? My mind wandered as I was about to have her try it out, but then I suddenly remembered I shouldn''t let her take risks again, so I immediately changed what I was saying.


    "Nevermind, let me try instead. Just tell me the method."


    Upon hearing this, Nicola immediately told me the method of making the sword. It sounded very simple, just a few steps.


    But...


    "It''s not working!" I looked at the aggregation of light elements in the shape of a sword in my palm, helplessly dispersing my control over them.


    "Although it formed into the shape of a sword, I simply can''t make it materialize like you said."


    "Moreover, the process was completely different! "


    Her method made it majestically emerge from her palm, whereas mine had the light elemental particles buzzing out from my palm and clustering together into the shape of a sword, like mosquitoes.


    "I feel cheated! You must have deliberately hid the real method, you are afraid I would learn it."


    Seeing my accusatory look, Nicola hurriedly tried it herself with light element as well, and discovered the result was the same as mine.


    "Uh...sorry, I wrongly blamed you."


    Seeing she had the same result, I realized it was indeed not an issue with the method, it seemed the problem was with the material.


    "Let''s try finding a wind element mage another day?" I secretly planned, but also felt it probably wouldn''t work, because if it was possible, celestial weapons would be everywhere already.


    Don''t assume others haven''t thought of the same things, because Nicola''s method was so simple, simple to the point that I felt like I was moulding weapons from mud.


    So what exactly was the reason?


    I still couldn''t figure it out.


    Because the magical beast had not shown up yet, we waited in the same spot for another few dozen minutes.


    "Isn''t the wait too long?" Nicola looked like her patience was just about worn out.


    "But it''s said that they only appear two or three times a day at most." I looked at the info on the mission card. The frequency of this magical beast attack was not high, but each appearance meant lives could be lost.


    "Could it be because we''re angels, so the magical beasts don''t dare approach?"


    I told her about the situation when I first met Vivianne and the others, how those three hellhounds suddenly ran away as I approached, and Selene soon detected the angelic aura.


    "There''s this kind of thing?"


    Nicola looked very shocked after hearing this. She seemed to be thinking deeply about many things. "No wonder I was so puzzled about how Irene was able to find where I was hiding and sleeping after she tried to assassinate me."


    "So after angels reveal their wings, they probably look like big light bulbs to magical beasts, and are hard to hide."


    I smiled bitterly and retracted my wings. If that was the case, then we probably waited in vain for so long before, wasting quite some time.


    Nicola followed suit. I noticed that after her wings disappeared, the Condensation Sword she had been holding was still there, instead of vanishing along with them.


    Things became much smoother after that. We only waited another dozen or so minutes, and when a passerby walked by, a roar was soon heard as a huge lizard leapt out from the bushes across the way, charging straight at the passerby.


    "Go!" Nicola swiftly revealed her wings and rushed out, kicking the magical beast back into the bushes on the other side, heavily slamming into a tree trunk.


    "Don''t let it get away." I flew out after her, picked up my weapon, and wildly hacked away at the giant lizard still dazed under the tree.


    "Yah yah yah yah yah..."


    "This is..." When Nicola arrived again, she couldn''t help but gasp. All she saw was a pile of meat chunks and a large pool of blood.


    "Too violent!"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    " I got too excited, didn''t expect it to go down just like that..."


    Unable to bear looking, I also felt the scene was too bloody, and could only explain very helplessly.


    The kill was so fast that I didn''t even react before the magical beast was already hacked into pieces.


    "This was the first magical beast I''ve killed after all."


    I suddenly felt like crying but no tears would come out. I had thought I could experience an intense battle, but it collapsed without me even using much force.


    "Luckily the head is still intact." Nicola squatted down and picked up the lizard head that had rolled to the side, with half its face sliced off.


    "If you had slashed a few more times, our mission would have been wasted."


    "Don''t say any more, I''ll reflect on this next time." After handing my sword to Nicola, I flew up into the sky without looking back.


    "I need to find a way to get a storage ring."


    Nicola also flew up after me, only leaving the passerby still standing in the road looking completely confused.


    After waiting for the mission for hours but completing it in seconds, this summed up our magical beast extermination mission experience.


    "You killed this magical beast using wind blades, right? This was a 3rd order giant lizard." In the mission settlement office, the staff member in charge of checking tasks, upon seeing the wounds, thought it was caused by magic. It seemed not every person could recognize the damage from celestial weapons like the Sages'' Coalition members.


    "In a few days we''ll send staff to verify the mission details with the relevant client. If any cheating is discovered, not only will the reward be reclaimed, you''ll also be added to the Adventurers'' Association blacklist!"


    After taking back the mission card, seeing we were newbies, the staff made the effort to explain some procedural matters.


    With the money obtained after mission fees were deducted from the two missions, we left the settlement office.


    We finally earned our first income in this world, something worthy of celebrating.


    Seeing it was still early, just past noon, I suggested doing two more rounds of missions, and now that we were familiar with the process, we could also split up to work, which should improve efficiency.


    Nicola had no objections, so a few hours later, we gathered again in the Adventurers'' Association lobby. By then the money in both our hands had accumulated to over 1000 silvers.


    "Too bad the rewards for later missions weren''t so high, only a few dozen silvers."


    I counted the coins in my hand regretfully. It still didn''t seem like enough.


    "Can''t be helped, there were a couple, like that cat finding mission, with a 300 silver reward. But it was impossible to complete, just a waste of time."


    Nicola had been eyeing that mission the whole time, but after reading the mission brief she hesitated for a long time before resisting the urge.


    "This money now should be enough to rent a house, right?"


    Seeing it was still early in the day, I figured we could take this chance to find a house, so we wouldn''t have to keep troubling Vivianne and the others tonight.


    The combined rent for Vivianne''s two rooms was just over 2000 silvers, so we just needed a place around 1000 silvers. To save money, we could ask for lower, and might even have some left over.


    "Then let''s go look on the main streets."


    Nicola pulled me towards a random city avenue. There were many peddlers on the roads going in and out of the city, but almost no rental information.


    I didn''t know how Vivianne and the others had rented their place. Come to think of it, I hadn''t seen any real estate agencies in this city either.


    "Why don''t we go check the alleyways instead?"


    After searching half the day in vain, I decided to change approaches.


    Sure enough, on some side paths, many shop doors had all kinds of rental housing info posted.


    "Why not just get this one?"


    I looked at the current room we were in and asked Nicola. After going around many places, we finally found an affordable place that also looked livable.


    It was also a second floor room, not very big, just over 10 square meters, above a bookstore. The landlord was a middle-aged uncle, looking around 40 years old. The rent was cheap at just 750 silvers, and it came furnished including a large bed.


    "Not bad. We just need to buy bedding and we can move in first." Nicola nodded. Of course she wouldn''t normally even glance at such a rundown little house, but with little money, she could only make do.


    After paying the rent, I cleaned the room while Nicola went out to buy necessities. Soon the empty room was filled with a homey feel.


    "It really was swift, huh." Lying on the bed, Nicola sighed,


    "This morning we were still penniless, yet before evening we''ve already rented and moved into a house."


    "The sky is already dark, so it should be past dusk now, let''s just say it''s evening."


    I looked up at the sky and corrected her wording.


    "As long as we keep working hard, we''ll eventually be able to upgrade to a bigger house. This is just the starting phase."


    I knew Nicola actually couldn''t be used to living in this kind of rundown small hut, but out of limited money and consideration for my feelings, she was willing to endure these hardships.


    "It''s nothing much..."


    She seemed unconcerned with her words and expression.


    "I don''t think it''s a problem, as long as I''m with you I feel like anywhere is fine."


    "Is that so?" I didn''t expect her, previously a rich young playboy, without experience of poverty and destitution, to say something like this. Her ability to adapt like this made me admire her.


    "Not bad, a young master like you is willing to endure hardship along with me. It seems I''ll have to reconsider my opinion of you."


    I patted her shoulder, looking at her with an extremely gratified expression as I spoke words of praise.


    "Do you really think that?"


    Hearing my words, Nicola looked at me with a very strange expression. How odd, just a moment ago I still saw her reacting shyly, seeming embarrassed, why did she suddenly change her attitude?


    "Is something wrong?"


    I thought about it. Could I have guessed wrong? Was she unwilling to endure hardship with me? Or perhaps she had experienced poverty in the past like me?


    Come to think of it, I heard many rich kids have to go through deliberate training before they can inherit the fortune.


    "Nevermind, nothing''s wrong."


    Nicola sat up and walked towards the door.


    "We still have to go to Vivianne and the others'' place to let them know we rented a house. Let''s go."


    "Ah right, I almost forgot!"


    I hurried after her out of the room.


    "You guys are really moving out?"


    In Vivianne''s room, she looked at us somewhat sadly. Clearly she still didn''t want us to move out. Adrian and Brennan weren''t home yet, so they didn''t know about this yet.


    "Of course, the house is already rented. And with three people here it really is too much trouble for you."


    I knew she would ask this, so I answered with the response I had thought up on the way.


    "So fast? You didn''t rob someone, did you?"


    She still couldn''t believe we were able to earn enough to rent a house in one day.


    "How could that be possible! It was all earned from doing missions."


    I was speechless. It was just that ordinary people probably couldn''t finish so many missions this quickly.


    "Oh right, you guys are angels..."


    Vivianne also seemed to recall that, and immediately understood.


    "Anyway it''s not far, just a few streets over. Feel free to come play."


    Seeing she was still very sad, I couldn''t help but console her.


    "Alright, but I''m coming over tomorrow!"


    Seeing the matter could not be reversed, she could only express her compromise in a very childish manner.


    "Fine!" I readily agreed.


    "If you can''t get used to the rented house, you can still come over here and sleep with me."


    Right up until we left, Vivianne was still saying these reluctant words.


    After bidding her farewell, Nicola and I felt our stomachs rumbling from hunger. Another advantage of the angelic body was no hunger during the day, and no easy tiredness, but at night it was no different from ordinary people.


    Counting that we still had over 100 silvers, on the way we happened to eat our fill at a nearby restaurant.


    "Eating out this time only. Starting tomorrow we have to cook ourselves."


    After getting home, I counted the remaining money, feeling it was too costly to eat out. Another benefit of this house was we could cook. It was much better than the place I rented on Earth.


    "I can''t cook anyway, leaving it all to you."


    Lying on the bed behind me, Nicola still had that couldn''t-care-less attitude, and soon fell silent.


    "You should still learn to cook and prepare meals..."


    Seeing her completely unresponsive, I was helpless. I could only yawn, wash up, and go to bed to sleep.


    The regular otherworldly life could finally begin!

 Magic Cards

    Under the bright moonlight, I sat bored at the highest point of Norvale Kingdom - on top of an angel statue. Looking down, I could see the glittering lake waters encircling the brightly lit capital.


    "It''s about time to go back," I murmured to myself, glancing at the new pocket watch I bought recently.


    I stretched my wings and glided down, riding the cool night breeze back to my rented house.


    "Oh no, I forgot to buy groceries!" I suddenly remembered I had finished all the ingredients for dinner last night. I quickly changed direction and flew to the nearby market.


    I landed quietly in a deserted alley, peeked out to check my surroundings, then casually walked out like a passerby headed to my usual food stall.


    "I want 5 wind dance bird eggs, half a kilo of sunrise kale, half a kilo of mansani parsley, and 1 kilo of long-whiskered leopard meat." I rattled off my order before even reaching the stall.


    Before even reaching her stall, I rattled off the ingredients I had already decided on.


    The names were quite odd, but I was used to them by now. The taste was what mattered.


    "You again?" The stall owner, a plump woman in her 50s selling both vegetables and meat, recognized me as a regular customer. "Why buy so much again today? Can you finish it all?"


    "Of course! There''s someone else at home too, so it definitely won''t go to waste." I meant Nicola, who had left early for other tasks today and should be home by now.


    "You mean that young girl who came with you last time? I''ve only seen her that one time."


    "Haha, because she''s often busy with work. I''m better at taking care of things at home anyway." I explained while taking the packaged ingredients from her.


    "That''ll be 20 silvers."


    "Okay." I quickly fished out some coins from my wallet to pay her. Her prices were very affordable, one reason I frequented her stall.


    "Please come again!" I waved and hurried back, really late now. Nicola would probably grumble nonstop if I let her go hungry.


    Luckily home wasn''t far. Just a few minutes'' jog without flying. I soon arrived at the bookstore below our rented apartment.


    "You''re back?" The landlord glanced up from his book and greeted me briefly before becoming absorbed again.


    I later realized this landlord was a novel fanatic. His bookstore mostly sold all kinds of weird fiction titles - adventure, romance, knight, very comprehensive like an Earth bookstore. I even spotted indecent books in a corner.


    On my first visit, I''d hoped to find magic books downstairs to improve my skills. But after wandering in full of hope and leaving in despair, I realized his wares were all novels. He thought I was interested in fiction and enthusiastically told me about authors who were scammed by publishers and which books to avoid.


    When did I have time to read novels? I was already exhausted from daily tasks, eating then crashing. No energy for leisure.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Glancing up, I saw the second-floor windows already lit. I hurried upstairs and unlocked the door.


    "Nicola, sorry I''m late!" I immediately apologized, not daring to mention I was slacking off at the castle top forgetting time.


    But she ignored me, not complaining as usual about the late dinner. She just sat staring at a card in her hand, engrossed.


    "What''s that?" I put down the groceries, curious, and walked over to peer over her shoulder.


    It was an intricately designed card, with hollow patterns on the border glittering mysteriously. In the center was a six-winged angel.


    This looked familiar... Right, the gaming hall near the Adventurers'' Guild had these card ads outside, not just angels but many types.


    I didn''t understand their purpose, but the prices were shocking - hundreds of silvers each, based on rarity.


    They resembled collectible cards kids liked on Earth, but more fancy, probably with magic effects. Still childish to me.


    "It''s called a magic card," Nicola finally spoke, answering me.


    "Oh right, that''s the name on the ads." I recalled now.


    "Why did you buy this?" Her attachment seemed odd for someone past that collecting phase.


    "Want to know?" She smiled mysteriously, piquing my curiosity.


    "Uh-huh!" I nodded eagerly.


    "Then watch closely!"


    Nicola placed the card on the floor and channeled a bit of light element into it...


    Abruptly, the entire room was blanketed by a strange glow, too bright for me to stare at the card.


    "What''s happening?" I yelped, fearing an explosion.


    "It''s fine!" Nicola was prepared, facing away already.


    "Look..." As the light faded, an identical six-winged angel from the card appeared before me. I gaped, stunned and speechless.


    "It''s... a life-size balloon doll?" The angel looked utterly realistic and startled me at first. But scrutiny revealed its stillness - no expression, no motion, not even warmth when touched.


    "Not that simple." Nicola stepped back slyly. I then saw the angel move - fluidly but expressionlessly like a robot.


    "You''re controlling it?" I guessed immediately.


    Nicola nodded. "The summoner controls all actions - expressions, speech."


    "Feliciana is stupid," the angel suddenly spoke in Nicola''s voice, then smiled mechanically. The effect was somewhat unnatural to me.


    "Isn''t that super buggy?" I imagined the exploits - impersonations, bodyguard duties. Chaotic potential.


    Yet real-world usage seemed nonexistent.


    "It''s not so easy," Nicola explained. "Only one action at a time - expressions, motions. So you see the limits."


    Ah, single-threaded. Not even a proper robot.


    "Try attacking her." At Nicola''s command, the angel threw a punch. Caught off guard, I didn''t block in time but felt no pain from the blow. Weaker than a balloon doll! I touched my face, baffled, as it continued attacking. The moves looked cool but I lightly slapped it back.


    It exploded into mist and reverted to a card.


    "It''s just a magic balloon doll!" I exclaimed, hopping and pointing. "No, worse than a balloon doll! Those don''t pop so easily!"


    "What more do you want?" Nicola picked up the card, smiling wryly. "Substitute fighting? Bodyguard? Impossible on that tiny bit of power. This is already advanced."


    "True," I conceded. "What about more light element? Wouldn''t that make it stronger?"


    "No way. The card can only hold so much. Exceeding would rupture it."


    Nicola handed me the card. My eagerness to try was evident.


    The back listed controls - limbs, expressions, speech. Following her process, I placed the card down and channeled light element. The six-winged angel reappeared.


    I sensed overflow, the card absorbing only part of my power. The rest dissipated wastefully.


    "Nicola you are dumb," I immediately retaliated via the angel.


    "You learn quickly." Nicola sat on the bed, resigned to my fast mastery.


    "Obviously! Look who I am!" I strutted arrogantly around the illusion.


    "It looks very realistic but useless beyond that. Mediocre," I concluded.


    "No practical value. Controlling requires concentration, can''t multitask."


    "Who said no practical value?" Nicola objected to my verdict, rising up.


    "Like this, for instance." She groped the angel''s chest.


    "Or this." Lifting its skirt.


    "Even this." Lying down and sticking her head under the skirt!


    I spat out my tea, shocked by the escalating audacity.


    "You got it just to do this? Why not yourself? You''re an angel minus one pair of wings anyway." I deadpanned.


    "Different," she leered knowingly. "Solo and assisted pleasure varies greatly."


    "True." Though somewhat perverted.


    What a waste of her pretty face.


    "Wait, can you even compare? Do you have the equipment?"


    I fumed realizing the flaw.


    "Besides, solo is way better than assisted!"

 Volume 2/Chapter 10: Squandering Money

    "How much money exactly did you spend?"


    Finally, after she put away the cards, I thought of an important question that had been overlooked just as I was about to start cooking. I stared at her seriously and asked.


    "Not a lot..." She immediately averted her eyes when I brought up the spending.


    "Be honest!" Feeling something was wrong, I hurriedly turned her head back. "How much did you spend!"


    "Not much, just a few hundred silvers..." Nicola reluctantly turned her face to the other side again, but this time finally blurted out a number.


    "Exactly how many hundred silvers?"


    I felt like my heart was bleeding. A few hundred silvers could be equivalent to doing quite a few low-level tasks. It had been almost half a month since we rented the house, and we had only earned a little over 4,000 silvers total. After paying rent, paying back Adrian and others, daily living expenses, we now had less than 3,000 silvers left.


    This took up at least 10%!


    But my intuition told me it wasn''t that simple, because when she said this, Nicola was still concealing something.


    Holding two bird eggs in my hand, I really couldn''t rest easy going to cook like this.


    "So how many hundred exactly?"


    Seeing she didn''t answer for half a day, I became anxious and continued pressing her.


    "9..." Unable to withstand my interrogation, Nicola reluctantly told the truth.


    "998..."


    There was a "snap" as an egg fell to the ground, surprisingly not cracking as it rolled to a corner under the bed.


    Wind Dancer bird eggs were indeed durable.


    "Where did you get so much money?" I finally calmed down from the shock, and suddenly thought that with her daily quests, she only earned less than 300 silvers in an average day. And the remaining portion after daily expenses was usually kept in a layer under her pillow.


    Could it be...


    Seeing I was about to cry as I went to flip the pillow, Nicola knew she could no longer conceal it, so she quickly confessed her mistake.


    "Sorry, it was my fault, I took the money that was under the pillow."


    I took out all the money from under the pillow and found there were only a few hundred silvers in total.


    "The amount doesn''t add up!"


    I looked at her puzzled, didn''t she say she spent 998? There was almost 3,000 yesterday, how was there only this little left?


    "Because..." Seeing this, Nicola smiled awkwardly and slowly took another card out of her pocket, different from the previous one, this time it was an Eight-Winged Angel.


    "I also bought one of these..."


    "Snap!"


    Another egg fell to the ground.


    "That''s for you liking angels so much!"


    "That''s for buying cards!"


    "That''s for buying two of them!"


    As if the meat in front of me was Nicola''s, I chopped heavily into the leopard meat on the cutting board. I felt like I was about to explode from anger. We had painstakingly saved up money for half a month and most of it was gone in an instant.


    I was wrong, I underestimated Nicola, the wealthy young master. I thought she had changed after transmigrating here as her gender changed. But it didn''t take long for this guy to reveal her habit of spending money like pouring water.


    "Feliciana, I was wrong, I definitely won''t recklessly spend money next time." But the culprit was still apologizing nonstop behind me.


    I had originally wanted to punish her by not allowing her to eat, but then I thought that some of that money was what she earned, so that would be unfair to her. In the end, I could only let it go.


    "Why are you apologizing? Part of that money was your own. You can spend your own money however you want. That has nothing to do with me."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I humphed, I didn''t want to bother with her anymore.


    "Anyway, your ring has turned into two inflatable angels now. Just take them along when you go out to do quests, it wouldn''t hurt to have them help carry things for you."


    I mocked sarcastically. It was a shame, Nicola had said she wanted to buy a storage ring, but now basically all the money we saved was used up. We''d have to start over from scratch.


    "They aren''t just inflatable dolls, they have other uses too."


    But when I mentioned those two cards, Nicola immediately became excited again and defended herself.


    "Oh? What other uses?"


    My curiosity was piqued again. To be honest, when I first saw the cards I was quite shocked too. To say I wasn''t interested would be a lie, but what was most important right now was that we needed to save money to buy a storage ring. So this kind of entertainment toy could completely be delayed until later when we had enough money.


    "Well, it''s a bit complicated to talk about out of nowhere now. You''ll know when I take you to see tomorrow."


    Nicola had that mysterious look on her face again. I saw that she hadn''t learned her lesson at all, it was simply a stance of I''ll definitely commit it again next time.


    After a while, the food was finally cooked and brought to the table.


    Today''s dishes were stir fried sunrise kale, stir fried leopard meat with basil, and pan fried wind dancer egg drop soup. With one meat dish and one vegetable dish served with soup, the nutrition was quite balanced.


    After spending so many days, I had finally figured out how to cook home food with the ingredients in this world, so we didn''t have to just eat local food. My only regret was that I hadn''t seen anyone selling rice, so I could only use bread as a substitute.


    I personally felt the taste was just average, I didn''t know if it was because of my cooking skills or because of the ingredients.


    But Nicola didn''t care. Having gotten used to eating home food, being able to eat this kind of dish in another world made her feel it was very good already. She kept praising that I cooked well.


    Since someone was complimenting me, I was quite happy about it. So from then on, I became in charge of cooking dinner every night. Of course we still occasionally went out to eat for a change of taste.


    The next day, when we had some free time, Nicola brought me to the shop where she had squandered money.


    Although we had walked past the entrance countless times, this was my first time entering the store.


    The shop''s name was very ordinary, it was simply called:


    "Samfield''s Entertainment Room"


    Upon entering, it gave an impression like that of an average supermarket. The shelves displayed many items whose purposes I did not know.


    "What is this used for?" I picked up a ball the size of a glass marble in front of me and took a look at the labeled merchandise name "Write Pearl".


    "Don''t know."


    Nicola glanced at it and shook her head.


    "How about this one?" I picked up another die-like triangular object. Strangely its name was actually "Rem Pricus''s Dice".


    She also answered I don''t know.


    "You say you don''t know anything yet how did you end up running over here to buy Magic cards?" Unable to restrain myself, I raised doubts to her.


    "Because yesterday at the Adventurer''s Guild, I saw several people gathered together discussing..."


    Nicola also seemed quite interested in the merchandise on the shelves, constantly fiddling with them.


    "So I went over to take a few looks. Later they recommended this shop to me..."


    And then I could imagine what happened next. Given her temperament, she must have come straight up and asked the boss if she could see Magic cards.


    At this moment the gorgeous red double doors inside the shop opened, and a gentlemanly looking thin tall man with a mustache and top hat walked out.


    "Ah, Miss you''ve come again."


    Seeing Nicola, his face immediately filled with smiles as he enthusiastically walked toward us.


    "You seem to have brought another companion today?"


    "Yes, we came to take a look at your..." Nicola had a hard time remembering the appropriate term when stating her purpose.


    "Oh!" The man who appeared to be the shop owner was very professional. He immediately understood what she meant with just that.


    "You want to play a few rounds?"


    "Play a few rounds?"


    Hearing this, images of unsavory things immediately came to my mind, and I glanced at Nicola.


    "It''s not what you''re thinking. Go inside the room and you''ll know."


    Seeing my doubtful expression, Nicola immediately explained, then pulled me along into the double doors.


    Behind the doors it was like two completely different worlds. A bright expansive view, gorgeous decorations, and even the lighting used a round transparent dome.


    This place couldn''t even be called a room anymore. It could completely count as a hall with at least a few hundred square meters in area.


    "It''s so spacious inside!"


    I couldn''t restrain the surprise showing on my face. You really couldn''t tell at all from the outside. And it seemed there were quite a lot of people, all sitting or standing in front of tables scattered around the hall.


    "How is it?"


    Nicola excitedly glanced at me, then brought me to a table nearby.


    "Are you sure people don''t come here to gamble?"


    As she pulled me along, I looked all around. No matter how you looked at it, the atmosphere here did not differ much from casinos on Earth.


    It was just that they didn''t seem to be using roulette or playing cards at these tables. Many even had a layer of transparent cover on them.


    "Um, there''s a little difference."


    Nicola didn''t say much more and we arrived at a table that looked like a giant strategy sandbox. There were already two other people standing on the other side.


    I saw Nicola insert her Eight-Winged Angel card into the card slot on the edge of the table. Soon an extremely tiny Eight-Winged Angel appeared amidst the mini mountain range in the center of the table. To make it easier to see, there was an arrow marker above its head.


    "Look, Magic cards can also be used in a place like this."


    As she manipulated the angel to move, she explained to me.


    "Use the virtual characters summoned by the cards to defeat other enemies in here. You can obtain points stored on the card."


    When we arrived, the venue already had all kinds of virtual characters. They were engaged in battles in various corners of the map. Some were 1v1 duels, others were group battles.


    Nicola''s controlled Eight-Winged Angel quickly joined a skirmish near a spawn point. Seizing the opportunity, it took out a human swordsman with low HP.


    There was a light "ding". The magic digital display device in front of her immediately jumped from 18 points to 22.


    This was exactly like an otherworld version of an online computer battle game. I even saw the Eight-Winged Angel unleash some skills and moves that it didn''t have when it physically materialized last night.

 Vol 2/Chapter 11: Warfare

    "So all those other characters were also controlled by people in this room?"


    After killing that human swordsman, the two people standing opposite showed no reaction. It was obvious they were just one of the many virtual characters, which means the whole hall was probably networked.


    "Yes," Nicola gave an affirmative answer.


    "But not everyone here is playing this game. Each character card can be strengthened in one game, then applied to other games."


    As she spoke, she took out a card and brought me to another table that looked different.


    The things under a transparent cover were different again. This time the map range was small, with only two virtual characters fighting.


    "This is just a versus game," I realized without her explanation.


    It was simply a magical version of various eSports placed in this location.


    "There''s still a little difference," Nicola corrected. "It''s said many of the skills used by the characters here actually exist."


    Is that so? I saw one of the human gunner characters whose attacking methods did look quite similar to some of Vivianne''s skills.


    "What about the angel''s skills?" I immediately thought of a way to enhance my strength. All along I had been pondering what skills I could use as an angel, this was simply a godsend.


    "No wonder you chose to buy an angel card, you really had foresight!"


    I wanted to approvingly pat Nicola on the shoulder, but she was much taller than me, so it felt a bit weird. I patted her back instead.


    "Actually I''ve tried it before," she looked somewhat helpless as she inserted the card into the table to demonstrate for me.


    "Most of the angel''s skills are light magic, with almost no physical attack capabilities, only able to attack with the swords that come with the cards."


    It was obvious that Nicola''s control skills were not very good. Her opponent was a golden, electric-flashing bird. After a few rounds, the eight-winged angel was zapped black and knocked to the ground, deducting 3 magic points, leaving 19 points.


    It seemed there were only two possibilities:


    Either the creators of this card simply did not know what skills angels actually had, and could only make assumptions.


    Or angels only knew light magic.


    Since I still hadn''t figured anything out about myself so far, I was more inclined to believe the latter.


    "What about those without transparent covers then?" I asked, pointing to some people who seemed to be playing cards.


    "They are just gambling. Their cards will display magic point information on those tables, then winners and losers can be determined according to their sizes and corresponding rules," Nicola glanced in the direction of my pointing.


    "But gambling there requires a lot of cards, so small fries like us with only 1 or 2 probably can''t join."


    "So many options!" I couldn''t help but exclaim. I was amazed that such a small card could have so many ways to play, and there were probably more than just these three types on site.


    After a full circle, this was completely just a large interdimensional magical game room, only the gameplay was a little different.


    "So those magic points can be exchanged for things right?" I already knew without guessing.


    It was obvious the main point was the benefits of playing these games. Without benefits, who would come here to waste time?Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Of course they''re very useful,"


    Nicola got a little excited as she immediately took me to a front desk-like place in the hall.


    Various prizes were displayed here. A staff member handed me an exchange list. I saw many good things on it, including the storage ring Nicola had been talking about before. But the number of points required was a bit scary, a full 10,000,000 points.


    "Don''t tell me you bought the cards just because you saw you could exchange them for rings?"


    I rolled my eyes at her. Although my disprovement of her wasteful spending had lowered a bit, but that number of points needed to exchange for the ring directly killed my hopes.


    You probably couldn''t accumulate that many even if you hung out here every day. You might even lose everything.


    The first item at the top of the list was exchanging into silvers, at a rate of 500 to 1. In other words, the rings here sold for 20,000 silvers.


    "Not worth it. Buying rings outside only costs 15,000" I said.


    How could she not even do such simple math?


    "The exchange rates here fluctuate. I saw it was 600 to 1 yesterday. And silvers can also be exchanged into points through some trading methods," Nicola explained while flipping the list to the last few pages.


    "Plus there''s this."


    I looked at where she was pointing, and it turned out to be a Beginner''s Light Magic book.


    "You can get this too!"


    Now I really couldn''t say I wasn''t tempted. I had always wanted books on magic knowledge, and I actually saw them here.


    Although the number of points needed to exchange this book was still expensive, even more costly than the storage ring, needing a full 27,500,000 points. Converted into silvers that was 55,000. But compared to prices outside, especially at the Adventurers Guild bookstore, it was much cheaper.


    "This is indeed an alternative way of obtaining magic books, but it still feels very unviable," I sighed and returned the list.


    I had to admit Nicola had great foresight in this area, just too much. Now she had almost squandered all her family fortune, in exchange for these unattainable possibilities - too wasteful.


    "Everything has to start somewhere," Nicola seemed to sense my thoughts and smiled awkwardly.


    "To begin with buying cards first..."


    "Forget it, do as you wish," Since I already fully understood, I walked out of the shop. Now the two of us together only had a few hundred silvers left. We must return to the Adventurers Guild for missions to earn money, at least I felt that was the most effective method now, and I could also train my skills at the same time.


    Seeing that Nicola still seemed to want to stay here, we were both adults already. I shouldn''t restrict her choices, I could only advise,


    "You can lose these games. Although magic points won''t become negative, there must be rules limiting how fast you can accumulate points. Otherwise there wouldn''t be this exchange ratio. So don''t put any efforts, or there''ll be trouble."


    Nicola nodded solemnly.


    She also realized there seamed to be many obvious loopholes in the rules for obtaining points, but exploiting them was another matter.


    When I returned to the Adventurers Guild again, it was already afternoon. Today, there were exceptionally few people in the hall, only a handful lining up sporadically.


    I looked at the notice board and suddenly found a mid-level mission that no one had taken. Although the required deposit points was 1,300, I currently only had just over 200 points, far from enough.


    But its requirements showed me some hope,


    Because this was a mission that required multiple people to complete. The details were to assist in the defense of another city. The reward was 3,000 silvers per person, issued under the requirement to recruit at least 4 members at a time.


    That meant it had to be a team of at least 4 people to take on this mission. So this was perhaps why it was still available.


    "Go find Vivianne and the others to do it together!" I immediately thought of this method.


    My points and Nicola''s weren''t enough, but that didn''t mean theirs weren''t enough! And there would be enough people added together, fully meeting the requirements.


    So I immediately left the Adventurers Guild hall and jogged all the way to Vivianne''s house.


    ...


    "Vivianne!"


    I had knocked on Vivianne''s door for a long time without anyone answering. It seemed they were not at home.


    I had rushed over worried that the mission would be taken by others. Now it looked hopeless.


    As I walked out of the weapon shop''s backyard and passed the store entrance, the owner called out to me.


    "You''re friends with the group renting upstairs right?"


    "Yes." I looked at him puzzled, wondering what he wanted with me.


    "It''s like this," the boss looked quite kind as he walked out to speak. "The young lady renting upstairs left me a message to pass to you if you dropped by."


    "Her two male friends who live in the opposite room have gone off to war. And she had to leave for some time due to an urgent mission. She was afraid you''d come without knowing."


    So that was why I couldn''t find anyone. No wonder I hadn''t seen Vivianne come to my house for two days already, it seemed this place had been empty for quite some time.


    "Thank you," I casually expressed my gratitude, and suddenly thought of a question. "Did you say they went to war? Has a war broken out now?"


    "Seems like it, I''m not clear on the details either."


    He only ran a weapon shop. But many going to war would likely come to buy weapons, so regarding this, he could only provide some hearsay.


    "It''s said a large number of magical beasts attacked around the northern borders, so the capital here started sending troops to reinforce."


    I see, if a war broke out, it would also explain why there were so few people at the Adventurers Guild. Most were probably pulled away by the war, moreover a war against magical beasts.


    So that mid-level mission was probably related too.


    Still, I couldn''t just idle around. I had to go back to the Adventurers Guild for other missions

 Missing

    "Here is your reward for completing this quest. Please count it carefully."


    The staff at the Adventurer''s Guild counted out the exact amount of silvers and placed them in my hands.


    "Oh thank you!"


    I quickly grabbed the coins and shoved them into my pocket. It''s common sense to not flash your money around.


    But that''s not the only reason I''m being so careful. In the past half month since the war broke out, security in the city has become much more lax. The number of adventurers has also greatly decreased.


    This has led to several chain reactions.


    First, many quests are going unfulfilled, forcing the guild to lower the difficulty and deposit requirements. This allows me to take on some high-paying quests I normally couldn''t get. Well, that part is good at least.


    Second is the public security issue. All kinds of violent crime in the city have suddenly spiked, with frequent reports of robberies and thefts.


    And most troublesome, it''s not just the commoners being targeted, but many adventurers as well! This is a huge problem, meaning the criminals are very powerful, likely fellow adventurers themselves. That''s why I''m being so careful.


    Even as an angel, I''m still just a small fry at level 3. I can''t afford to tangle with the big shots!


    Speaking of which, I wish Nicola was here with me. With her strength, I wouldn''t need to worry so much.


    But lately, she''s been immersed in the Magic Card arcade almost every day. She still goes out on the occasional quest to change things up, but I rarely see her. The only thing I can count on is her coming home on time for dinner.


    "Did you hear? There seems to be some female pervert causing trouble lately!"


    As I exited the payment office, I happened to brush past two female adventurers who looked to be turning in quests as well. Both were good looking, and one was whispering something to the other.


    "I heard she''s quite pretty, just going around hitting on girls everywhere..."


    Hmm?


    Why does that sound so familiar? I immediately thought of Nicola.


    Could it be her? Did her old habits flare up again? Wasn''t she just buying two angel assistants the other day? How could she lose control of her urges so quickly?


    But that doesn''t make sense either. She''s transformed now, would she still have those kinds of thoughts? I certainly haven''t noticed anything myself.


    Oh well, whatever. As long as she doesn''t cause any real trouble. She''s a girl now too, it''s not like she has the equipment to do anything anyway!


    I checked the time after exiting. It was already quite late, so I hurried back home.


    When I got back, Nicola still wasn''t home.


    How strange...what''s going on today? I''m starting to feel something is off. Could she have lost track of time at the arcade?


    If things were normal, the scene I''d see upon opening the door at dinner time would be like this:


    Two angel assistants - one six-winged, one eight-winged - sitting on either side. One would be nestled intimately on Nicola''s shoulder, a suggestive smile on her face.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    And our young master Nicola would be half-lying in bed, an assistant under each arm, taking turns nibbling on them. The sheer clingy-ness was enough to make one nauseous.


    And she''d often ask me to join in the "fun" too, claiming it was pleasurable. But no way was I that shameless! I righteously refused each time.


    Yeah right!


    Fine, I admit I gave into temptation a couple times.


    But it didn''t feel that great - more awkward than anything.


    The cards themselves have no consciousness or mobility. Aside from the sensation, hugging them was like hugging a stuffed animal.


    To make them "interact" I''d have to consciously issue commands myself. That''s no different from playing alone - left hand shakes right hand. I might as well hug my own wings for warmth!


    After trying Nicola''s silly fantasy game a couple times, I completely lost interest. Yet she could indulge endlessly! I really don''t get what she sees in it.


    ...


    I brought the prepared food to the table, but Nicola still hadn''t returned. I couldn''t wait anymore and started eating alone. Yet the more I ate, the more I felt something was off.


    She would never miss dinner time. And since we only need one meal per day, she really cherishes it.


    Could something have happened?


    Thinking this, I couldn''t even finish my food. I had to go out and search for clues.


    The arcade was naturally the first place I checked. I closed the door and go straightly for the "Somerfield''s Entertainment Lounge".


    "Ah, Miss, back for another round? Care to play a game?"


    The owner greeted me gentlemanly as always, not even changing his tone. I suspect he might be a transformed Magic Card himself!


    "No, I''m looking for someone. The person who was here with me last time?"


    I explained my purpose while trying to peer past him into the establishment.


    "Ah yes, that young miss left quite early this afternoon."


    "Is that so?"


    I asked again suspiciously. Nicola left that early? Not like her at all!


    I couldn''t just take his word. I had to go inside and search for myself. Indeed, there was no sign of her.


    At first I wondered if Nicola had lost all her points and offended one of the house rules, getting detained secretly. But considering her strength, that seemed unlikely.


    If she wasn''t at the arcade, that meant there really was big trouble. Nicola must be in some kind of incident.


    I had to check other places.


    The next possibility was if she took on a quest but got unexpectedly delayed, unable to make it home yet.


    That was quite likely, but hard to confirm without knowing her quest details.


    So I headed to the Adventurer''s Guild first to see if I could learn anything.


    When I arrived at the guild hall 10 minutes later, they were already closing up with barely anyone left. The spacious hall only had a few staff tidying things, and quest assignments had stopped since early evening.


    "Excuse me, can you check if one of my companions is still out on a quest?"


    I tried asking tentatively at a counter that was still occupied.


    "Is this person your friend?"


    The staff didn''t answer directly but sounded hopeful.


    "Yes, her name is Nicola. We even share an apartment."


    I quickly took out my card, hoping to prove our relationship from our history of taking quests together.


    "Miss, we get situations like yours very often. Please don''t worry."


    The staff assumed a highly professional demeanor, taking my card and looking something up.


    "If you wish to query another member''s quest status, there will be a 100 point deduction from your balance. Do you consent?"


    What, a deduction?? And 100 points too!


    This wasn''t like the deposit from taking quests that gets refunded on completion. This deduction was permanent!


    Points were hard-earned. Even low-level quests only gave a few points or a few dozen at most. After all this time, I had barely saved up over 200 points. This would wipe out almost half in one go!


    I spun around anxiously. It would be such a waste if Nicola was perfectly fine.


    But what if she really was in trouble on a quest?


    She was the only close friend I had left in this world. If something happened because I was too stingy over some points to check on her, I would regret it forever!


    "I consent to the deduction!"


    To hell with it! I could always earn more points, but I couldn''t bring someone back from the dead!


    I immediately nodded in agreement. The staff worked for a bit then updated me.


    "According to our records, your friend completed a low rank Streetlamp Repair quest at noon today, and has not taken any other quests since."


    So she wasn''t on a quest either?


    I was completely lost now. Just what was going on? She had no pending quests, so why wasn''t she home yet?


    I took back my card, now short 100 points, still in shock. I ran back home again but there was still not a soul inside. My half-eaten dinner remained untouched on the table.


    What should I do now? I couldn''t just give up, but I was truly out of ideas. We hadn''t been in this city long. There couldn''t be that many places Nicola would go.


    If it were still daytime, I might risk exposing my angel identity to search from the sky. But it was almost midnight now - I wouldn''t be able to see clearly anyway. All I could do was wander the streets aimlessly looking for clues.


    By the time I looped back around to the Adventurer Guild square, their front doors were already shut for the night.

 Nicola Has Things on Her Mind

    Maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe it wasn''t.


    Precisely because the whole square was so quiet now, lacking the usual noisy hustle and bustle, I could vaguely hear a girl''s shrill voice coming from the lakeside across from the Adventurers'' Guild.


    What was going on here? Could some girl have had an accident? And that voice sounded a little familiar too.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    I hurried towards where the voice was coming from, and sure enough, in front of a bench by the lake, I saw a tall, shapely girl screaming at the lake surface all by herself.


    "Nicola?"


    I wasn''t quite sure, so I slowly approached her while calling out her name, trying to get a clear look at her face in the dim light around us.


    "Hmm...who are you?"


    The other party had been drinking from an enormous wine bottle. Hearing my voice, she gave a start, hastily putting down the bottle in her hand and turning to look in my direction.


    "Looking for me...what''s up?"


    It was her. I''d been looking for her all evening but hadn''t been able to find her, yet here by chance, I''d run into her.


    A huge weight instantly lifted from my chest. I hurried over to her side.


    "How come you ran over here to drink alcohol? Do you know how long I was looking for you?"


    The moment she saw it was me, she immediately went back to normal, not saying a word and just continuing to pour wine down her throat.


    Only when I got close did I see that what she held in her hand was a very expensive red wine.


    I''d gone to the town''s tavern once before. That enormous bottle on the wine cabinet had been particularly eye-catching, and it even had an arrogant-sounding name:


    "Ray of Light from Saint."


    Of course the price was nothing to sneeze at either, a full 300 silvers.


    "It hasn''t even been that long, and you''re randomly spending money again! And buying such expensive alcohol too,"


    Seeing that she was still stuck in her old habits of being a prodigal young master, it looked like she just couldn''t change the lifestyle she was used to. I really had no choice but to let it go.


    "Just what is going on here? I went to the arcade to look for you, and they told me you left in the afternoon already. And you didn''t even eat dinner?"


    "......"


    She ignored me, but I couldn''t just leave like this. I could only sit down beside her first, and the two of us stared out at the royal castle erected in the center of the lake without saying a word to each other for the longest time.


    "I...I got rejected."


    Putting down the wine bottle, Nicola''s first sentence gave me a huge shock.


    "Huh? Rejected? Did you try confessing your love to some girl again?"


    A series of confused questions in succession. Although she was a girl now, I certainly didn''t believe she would have gone to confess to a guy. That lecherous attitude of hers from the beginning made it obvious.


    "Not a confession of love! Just...just an ordinary chat-up attempt. But I got...got rejected..."


    "A chat-up?"


    I seemed to understand something now. I immediately recalled what I''d overheard that girl say this evening. Rumour has it there''s recently been a female pervert going around...


    "Don''t you know...I''d never gotten rejected before..."


    Nicola suddenly turned towards me to pour out her troubles. I seemed to see many flickering specks of light in her eyes.


    "Are you crying?"


    This really startled me now.


    From when we first met in high school until now, I''d never once seen her cry before. The impression Reilly the prodigal young master had left deeply engraved in my brain was that kind of carefree, profligate, moneyed playboy image, constantly wearing a smile on his face.


    And even after crossing over to this world and turning into a girl called Nicola, she still hadn''t changed one bit from before.


    Although filthy rich had turned into less silvery, at the very least her combat prowess was still powerful, and adding that bug sword that had never tasted defeat, no matter what the circumstances, she had always stood before me in a position of strength.  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Yet now, she had finally cried...


    "It''s fine, you''ll get used to it slowly."


    Seeing her in this state, all I could do was move next to her and gently pat her shoulder. To be honest, I didn''t have much experience with chatting up girls myself either, so I wasn''t sure what to say.


    "But I''ve tried! I''ve been trying all this time, trying to get used to it..."


    Unexpectedly, as soon as Nicola heard me she shouted in my direction. Her pretty face was nearly shoved right in my eyes because she was so worked up.


    "But I just can''t get used to it!"


    I gently waved away the wine fumes she breathed at me.


    "What have you been trying to get used to?"


    Get used to being rejected? For a moment I didn''t understand what she was trying to say.


    All of a sudden Nicola grabbed my hand and pressed it against her chest.


    "Can you feel it?"


    "What are you doing?"


    Caught completely off guard by her move, I was badly shocked. I wanted to withdraw my hand but she grasped it tightly so I couldn''t pull it back no matter what.


    To be honest, it felt pretty good - soft and warm, extremely comfortable.


    But Nicola''s condition was clearly very abnormal. It caused me to have no mind to focus on that.


    "Can you feel it?"


    She repeated her previous words.


    "Feel...feel what?"


    I still didn''t understand. Was she asking me to feel her heartbeat?


    "A guy in his twenties suddenly finds himself stuffed into a woman''s body. Can you feel how disgusting that feels?"


    There was a booming explosion in my head. I hadn''t expected her to have borne such tremendous stress because of this.


    Actually when I first crossed over I''d fretted over this issue too. To tell the truth, it was precisely because of that distress that I got tricked by Nicola into sleeping with her, leaving behind an indelible stain that I still regret to this day.


    But afterwards, discovering that she had transformed just like me, that distress instantly lightened considerably. Perhaps by sharing it with someone else, and moreover seeing that Nicola was still as overbearing as she''d been before, I gradually came to feel that it wasn''t that big a deal anymore.


    What''s more, many benefits came with becoming an angel. For example, being able to skip a meal and save more money, having a strong and hardy body, boundless energy during the day, etc...


    Yet now on the contrary she was the one with issues.


    "You seem to be enjoying it pretty well..."


    Nicola suddenly spoke mockingly as she stared at me. Those golden eyes of hers seemed able to see through everything. The corners of her mouth lifted in a cold smile.


    "Have you started liking men already?"


    "Wha...what are you saying!"


    This was absolutely slander! Even if I felt that turning into a girl wasn''t a big deal, it didn''t mean I necessarily had to start liking men!


    "I can guarantee that I don''t have one iota of interest in men whatsoever. Even if I starved to death, died outside, jumped from here into the lake, I still wouldn''t like any man!"


    In reality, I hadn''t told her that deep in my heart, there remained an unforgettable shadow that caused me to be perpetually unable to forget that graceful girl.


    But she didn''t react at all to my solemn vow. Her scornful expression remained as she suddenly gripped my chin. She asked in an enchanting voice,


    "Then what about now? Faced with me, this gorgeous beauty before your eyes, has your heart stirred? Do you like me?"


    "This is..."


    I gently pushed her hand away from my chin, afraid I might accidentally provoke her. As expected, she was not in her right mind after getting drunk.


    "You were the one who just said you''re a man..."


    All I could do was chuckle weakly in response.


    "Then why am I always getting rejected when I try chatting someone up? Why can''t I get a single girl to go out with me?"


    Nicola had already started going crazy, screaming shrilly at the top of her lungs. Her sharp voice echoed across the entire lakeside.


    I was afraid someone passing by might overhear and misunderstand, making trouble for us.


    "Alright alright, you''re a girl, a beautiful girl..."


    It looked like normal communication was no longer possible. I could only steady her emotions first by going along with her words.


    "No! I''m a man, I''m a man god dammit. Even if I got rejected a full eight times, even if I don''t even have the mood to play whack-a-mole anymore, I''m fucking still a man!"


    "Waaah...waaah..."


    Nicola''s sobs grew smaller and smaller until she didn''t make another peep. It looked like she had fallen asleep.


    "Sigh."


    I looked at her helplessly. It seemed all I could do was sigh lightly.


    But the real headache was just beginning next. I had to bring her back, certainly couldn''t leave her crashed by the lakeside.


    Luckily it was already near dawn and there were barely any pedestrians out.


    I spread my wings and hugged Nicola from behind, circling her belly. I tried testing whether I could carry her.


    Sure enough, Nicola felt very light after becoming an angel. It probably had to do with my powerful strength. She felt like a paper cut-out, and I effortlessly lifted her in my arms. I took a look at the emptied wine bottle lying on the ground. It had been utterly drained.


    At this time of night, the bookstore was already closed. Carrying Nicola, I flew directly to the front of the 2nd-floor doorway and opened the door to put her on the bed inside.


    "Bluaagghh..."


    I had just gone to shut the door when I turned around to see her retching. The blankets were all covered in the smell of alcohol. Luckily there was no food in her stomach, otherwise it would have been even more troublesome to clean up.


    I shook my head. I lamented a bit that even angels could get dead drunk like this after drinking.


    But there was no other way. I could only force my sleepy eyes open, yawning as I pushed her to the other side of the bed and wiped down the blankets with a wet towel.


    It looked like I wouldn''t be sleeping on the bed tonight. How nice for her.


    After finishing up I couldn''t find anywhere else I could sleep. There weren''t even any extra blankets I could use as makeshift bedding. All I could do was pad a pillow that was still relatively clean and squeeze myself to sleep at the bedside.


    The next morning when I awoke, Nicola had vanished again.


    "How shameless!" I couldn''t help but complain out loud when I saw the empty bed.


    "Gets wasted all night, I bring her back, but first thing next morning she runs off again."


    Did she know how tough it was for me to find her last night!


    However, when I got up I discovered a jacket had been draped over my back. Looked like she had helped put it on me before leaving.


    I walked over to the dining table and found, to my surprise, that the leftovers from yesterday''s dinner had already been eaten. The bowls had even been nicely washed. A note was left on top:


    "My game token points were drained dry so I went off to do guild missions."


    Fine. I''d already guessed there would still be no money left as usual.


    But at least she still retained some conscience. She helped wash my bowls when she knew I hated washing dishes the most.


    I stretched leisurely, loosening up my body. I surveyed my house and mused I should probably change the bedsheets.


    After finishing the housework I headed out per routine. Passing by the arcade''s doorway, the landlord beamed and waved hello at me.


    "Blackhearted store!"


    Assessment complete. Without even turning my head back I made a beeline for the Adventurers'' Guild.

 Preston Cathedral

    I was really lucky today. I came across a mid-level escort mission that only required a minimum rank of 3, with a decent reward of 800 silvers. The deposit needed was just 100 points, which I had just enough of.


    The mission details said...


    "Escort a priest from the True Church to and from the northern town of Tedress. Only responsible for protection along the way. Hand over to local church upon arrival, no further escort needed."


    "Pick-up and drop-off point for escortee: Preston Cathedral"


    The key points - only need to provide escort along the journey, no responsibilities after arrival, plus high pay.


    This is simply perfect for me. With my ability to fly, I can get it done quick and safe.


    After bringing Nicola home last night, I was confident I could take on escorting the priest.


    I also wasn''t worried about revealing my identity as an angel. Since it was someone from the Church, they were probably already spoiled by Selene anyway.


    After using up my last pathetic points to take on the mission, I suddenly realized that for escort missions, I would be alone. Although I didn''t foresee much danger, it would still be wise to err on the side of caution when traveling far.


    So I went straight home to grab a long sword hanging on the back of my door.


    I bought this sword downstairs from Vivianne for just 100 silver. Its main purpose was to help with my missions since Nicola already had her Condensation Sword.


    The main issue was that it wasn''t very convenient to carry around all the time, so I usually just left it at home and would come back for it when needed.


    That''s why I wanted a storage ring so badly...


    I couldn''t help but sigh. Looking at my pitiful savings, I reluctantly hung the long sword by my waist. It felt so awkward and uncomfortable.


    Then I headed straight for the location of Preston Cathedral on St Mary Magdalene Avenue.


    When I first set foot on this avenue with a rather worrying name, I realized the dense crowds were filled with many flyer distributors everywhere.


    "Hello! Welcome to the True Church. Interested to find out more? There is currently a holy water discount promo when you sign up now!"


    A young boy suddenly popped up from nowhere and shoved a flyer into my hand before disappearing just as quickly into the crowds.


    This scene looks familiar!


    I looked at the flyer in my hand. The first thing that caught my eye was a huge cross, followed by the activity details in big bold words below.


    "Good news! Sign up as a church member now to get Supreme Level 1 membership and enjoy the many supreme privileges!"


    "1. Supreme fast-track confession lane, no need to wait in line."


    "2. Private supreme confession room for confidential confessions without eavesdropping."


    "3. Sign up now for the pilgrimage to the Holy City and get upgraded to Level 2 membership. Also chance for intimate encounter with His Holiness."


    "4. Discounts on holy water..."


    ...


    Only at the end were the details about the True Church itself, including membership instructions, contact info, person-in-charge, etc.


    And the stated contact address was none other than


    "Preston Cathedral".


    "Just what exactly are these church people up to?"


    I don''t think the same church on Earth was ever this exaggerated right? I rubbed my numb temples and threw the flyers into a nearby trash can. Then I continued searching for the cathedral based on the address given.


    St Mary Magdalene Avenue could be considered one of the widest streets in the Kingdom''s capital, large enough for several carriages to go side by side.


    The sidewalks were filled with stores selling all kinds of items related to church rituals - priests'' vestments, holy water, crosses, scriptures, and so on, fully embodying the traits of this distinct street.


    And Preston Cathedral stood majestically at the end of the avenue. Even from very far, one could see the spire rising above the round dome of the main building.


    I finally had to enter this cathedral that I''ve been trying to avoid. Standing in the center of Preston Square just outside the front gates, I stared expressionlessly at the seven flyers in my hand before dumping them fiercely into the trash can again.


    Thinking about the relationship between this True Church and the angels, I couldn''t help but feel slightly uneasy.  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Although Selene tried very hard to invite us at first, we declined due to our adventurer guild registration. After that we were kept busy with missions, so there was simply no time to visit this church.


    Plus, given the church''s special background, I felt quite reluctant to even step foot into this place. But today I had no choice for the sake of the mission and money. Gotta bite the bullet and barge in for once!


    At this moment, there were very few people outside the huge cathedral. Only a couple of horse carriages parked along the sides, and no guards whatsoever at the entrance.


    Upon entering, I was greeted by a not-so-spacious front hall. By the wall was a fountain with an angel statue standing in the water, one hand holding a jug pouring out clean, pure water.


    I sensed the water contained quite a substantial amount of light elemental power - could this be the legendary holy water?


    Trying sticking my finger in for a dip and sniffing it curiously. No smell whatsoever, then a tiny lick - seems about the same as normal water? How about scooping some to soak my hand in...


    "What are you doing?"


    "Waaah--!"


    I nearly jumped out of my skin when the sudden voice rang out. I quickly hid my hands behind my back out of reflex before realizing what I was doing.


    Hey wait, why am I hiding? It''s just water!


    The voice belonged to a middle-aged priest dressed rather similarly to Cyrus previously, though his vestments were white in color instead.


    The voice came from his mouth, rich and authoritative, very dignified indeed.


    "That''s our church''s holy water. Please don''t mess around with it unnecessarily."


    So it really was holy water! I gave a small pout. Just mixing some light elemental power makes it holy? I could probably whip some up to sell at home too with my abilities!


    Would that make a lot of money? Hey, not a bad idea there. My eyes lit up as I suddenly saw potential in this new money-making opportunity. I better discuss this with Nicola when I get home later!


    But for now, I had better focus on my job. I quickly explained my purpose here.


    "I''m from the adventurer''s guild, here to escort one of your priests."


    "Oh you''re the guild''s escort!"


    As expected, the moment I said that he understood. He told me to wait in the main hall while he went to inform the bishop.


    Upon entering the spacious main hall, I realized the layout looked very similar to True Church cathedrals back on Earth.


    Wooden pews filling the hall, leading to the front where there was a desk. And behind that desk, colorful stained glass windows before which stood a crucifix.


    How could they replicate it so accurately here? If they claim no relation to any transmigrators I would never believe it.


    This church was just too creepy. That feeling of being back on Earth made me very uncomfortable, like hidden conspiracies were lurking within.


    "You are the escort for this mission?"


    Soon, a rather elderly clergyman emerged from a small side door along the wall. His attire looked just like the previous priest''s, except the color was a bit... yellow?


    "Yes."


    Still my first time taking on escort missions alone. I quickly straightened my back to appear reliable and professional.


    "Here''s my adventurer''s card."


    I handed over my identification documents. This was indeed the bishop. He nodded upon seeing my card then asked:


    "Feliciana?"


    "That''s me."


    "I''m Bishop Stewart Rister, the bishop of this Preston Cathedral. You must be that amnesiac angel Selene mentioned!"


    "Er..."


    Didn''t expect him to directly point that out despite having my name. What if there were others with the same name?


    "Yes, correct! That''s me!"


    Might as well just admit it outright since my identity''s exposed anyway. No point hiding.


    "Are you interested in joining my church then?"


    "......"


    That smile again! Just like when Cyrus was promoting to me back then. True Church and their cult-like smiles! Still so vivid in my memory even now.


    "Sorry, not interested."


    I gave a very direct reply. I really can''t stand this. They just refused to stop pestering and trying to convert me.


    "No need to reject so quickly. You can consider it first. Ordinary people won''t get this special treatment you know. I extended the invitation precisely because you angels have an innate mastery over light magic. Many talented noble youths skilled in light elements also joined upon hearing the news..."


    Of course he wasn''t going to give up so easily, and kept trying to persuade me.


    "Ordinary people don''t get this treatment?"


    I scoffed in disbelief, recalling what I just experienced outside.


    "What about those people distributing flyers outside just now along St Mary Magdalene Avenue?"


    "Oh you mean those promoters?"


    Upon hearing that, Bishop Rister seemed to understand suddenly.


    "The followers they recruit are just basic, low-ranked members. Of course they can never rise to the higher echelons. After all, widely accepting believers is one of the tenets of my Church - but you''re different! As an angel joining our church, there are many benefits, such as your status being very highly regarded from the start."


    "If ordinary members can only rise to Level 3 membership at most, then you would come in at the highest, supremely elite Level 12 membership, possibly even higher than me as Bishop!"


    What''s with that sly look on your face Bishop? Looks just like some shady peddler trying to cheat a little girl.


    "Also, since you''ve lost your memories, I suppose you can''t use light magic yet? Join us now for free access to all of our Church''s light spell books and tomes. We''ll provide professional private tutors on demand, lessons anytime you want!"


    "Hold on wait!"


    I quickly stopped him. That series of persuasive incentives was just way too familiar. Practically a different version of those annoying ads back on Earth!


    I looked around the empty hall save for the two of us, then moved closer to whisper:


    "Could you be a transmigrator too?"


    "Transmigrator? What''s that? Some other term you angels use?"


    Unexpectedly, his reaction completely shocked me. He had no idea what I meant?


    "Oh I''m so sorry. While I truly wish I could become an angel too, I''m just a regular bishop."


    Saying that, he straightened his back and tidied his attire a little.


    Okay looks like he wasn''t pretending. I had to concede defeat for now.


    "Then...were all those membership perks you mentioned real?"


    Even though it was embarrassing, I had to admit his offer was really tempting.


    The benefits were just too generous. I couldn''t resist such wealth! Short on cash now after Nicola nearly bankrupted our family. Getting to learn magic for free would remove a lot of financial pressure.


    "Of course, I guarantee it."


    Bishop Rister had a rather cunning look of victory seeing he nearly convinced me.


    I almost blurted my agreement instinctively. But at the last moment, a crucial question came to mind.


    "Just one last thing, if I join...would my status be high enough to skip Bible readings, prayers and attending your church events?"


    "Well..."


    At that, his eyebrows immediately furrowed.


    "I''m afraid that might be difficult."


    "While honoured as an Angel, you still serve God ultimately. If exempted from even such basic activities, where would faith come from?"


    Guys trying to talk to me about faith? At least I don''t believe in this.


    "Then I think I''ll pass."


    I was about to try persuading him with quotes like ''Wine and meat can pass through intestines but Buddhahood stays in heart''. But figured he might not even understand them.


    "I see..."


    He made little effort to hide his disappointment.


    "No worries. You can consider first and get back to me later."


    No need to consider it anymore. I won''t fall for this twice! I nearly got tricked again.

 Vol 2/Chapter 15: Dark Pollution

    Just then, a familiar face came over - it was Selene, who I hadn''t seen in a long time.


    "Bishop, has the escort from the Association arrived yet?" Selene asked Rister as soon as she entered the hall. She was surprised to see me standing there with him.


    "Feliciana! What are you doing here? Don''t tell me..."


    "That''s right, I''m your escort," I said with a wry smile. We meet again.


    "Are you up for it?" Of course Selene''s first reaction was to ask this.


    "Hey! I''m an angel, you know. No need to be so rude," I couldn''t help but say. Does Selene really see me as that weak?


    "I have four wings, you know," I added, unfurling my pure white wings which radiated a dazzling light in an X-shape in the middle of the church hall.


    Bishop Rister''s eyes widened and he looked at me reverently, his legs buckling as he almost knelt. Meanwhile, Selene just scoffed with a look that said I was a fake angel.


    I felt so defeated. To think a member of the True Church would see me like this! No wonder Selene only respected Nicola and ignored me from the start. To her I was just a shoddy, fake angel.


    "Alright, that''s enough Selene," Rister finally said. "Not only were you rude to Lady Angel just now, she''s also your escort. You can''t keep being so disrespectful."


    "Why didn''t Miss Nicola come instead?" Selene asked unwillingly.


    "Miss Nicola is busy with other duties," I said resentfully.


    "It''s really okay, I can handle it myself. Because I can fly you there - it''ll be fast and safe," I said, almost pleading with her to believe me.


    I had sunk to such a pathetic state as an angel, and in front of members of the True Church no less! I almost took out my identity card to prove my rank was enough for the job.


    But I was afraid Selene would look down on me even more if she saw I was only 3rd level while even two-winged angels in the Church were 4th level.


    "Alright, we can try it," Selene finally conceded. She had no choice but to reluctantly agree.


    I felt like banging my head against a slab of tofu, but they don''t seem to sell tofu here.


    Hey, maybe I could invent it? Though I wonder if people here can stomach it...


    Before leaving the church, Bishop Rister also seemed influenced by Selene''s attitude. He kept lecturing me not to mess up, since Selene was the beloved granddaughter of Count Gellert Grindelwald, head of the prestigious Absyrtus family.


    All such familiar names - so Selene is also nobility, with the full name Selene Absyrtus probably. Still fits Vivianne''s theory about light mages being descended from nobility, and the Absyrtus are distant relatives of the royal Astral family too.


    ...


    "You know, it would be good for an angel like you to join our Church," Selene suddenly started recruiting me as we prepared to take off from the outskirts of town.


    She had tried inviting me back in Elara Woodlands, but that was before she realized how weak I was.


    "Really?" I actually felt excited and didn''t mind her attempts at proselytizing one bit. So she was acknowledging me again? Because I could fly probably.


    "Of course! Even if you just stand there looking pretty in the church, it would still be great publicity to attract more followers. Your looks make up for your lack of strength."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "..."


    That''s it, I''m definitely dropping this brat midair later! She went too far!


    To be safe, I tied Selene to myself with a rope before hugging her from behind and flapping my wings to take off.


    Having such intimate contact with a girl still made me a little shy, but I was much calmer now and wouldn''t lose composure. After all, sleeping in the same bed with the hot bombshell Nicola night after night had strengthened my willpower.


    Selene looked petite and about my height, but she weighed way heavier than Nicola. Still, it was within my flight capacity.


    I realized Nicola was so light probably because she''s an angel.


    "Wow!" As soon as we were airborne, an excited Selene stretched out her limbs and waved at the tiny people far below.


    Her childish reaction was kinda cute and helped soften my image of her a little.


    "Feliciana," Selene suddenly called out to me from my arms. I made a sound of acknowledgment, wondering what she wanted.


    "If you could fly all along, why didn''t you just fly away from Elara Woodlands yourself?"


    "Why ask that now? It''s simple - I mainly wanted to travel together with all of you. And I wouldn''t know the way to the royal capital Norvale either, so I needed you guys to lead me there."


    I have fond memories of our time in Elara Woodlands. Now everyone has split up and gone their separate ways, I suddenly feel a bit wistful.


    "I see. Until just now, I thought you couldn''t fly at all. I was suspicious," Selene admitted.


    "What! You were doubting me even though you clearly saw me fly during the battle with Minos?"


    "So you couldn''t before that fight?"


    "I, uh..." I was at a loss for words.


    "I knew you were a weak angel!"


    "You wanna get dropped midair?!"


    "Eek! Don''t move around!"


    In the end, I managed to restrain my murderous impulse and quickly brought this bratty kid Selene to our destination.


    "It really is fast! Way faster than a carriage!" Selene immediately started praising the convenience of flight after landing.


    "Of course, look who you''re with," I said proudly, puffing out my chest and flapping my wings to show off.


    "Like some preening white hen..." Selene looked at me disdainfully and headed into town.


    "Why you...!" I fumed while stomping my feet.


    Stupid nobles, acting all high and mighty!


    ...


    The town of Tethys was nestled in the mountains, surrounded by peaks on all sides. But transportation was still rather convenient thanks to the main road leading out.


    Regular travel would take 4-5 days to reach, but I got Selene here in just over an hour.


    Something seemed to have happened here though. As soon as we set foot in town, I sensed a strange, unpleasant aura that set me on edge.


    The place wasn''t exactly small, yet not a soul could be seen on the streets in broad daylight. Selene also noticed something amiss and slowed down while drawing up to me. She even took out her staff that I remembered from before.


    I glanced enviously at the ring on her right hand, while my lame longsword just clanked at my waist in comparison. It looked so much cooler to be able to summon weapons out of thin air.


    "The air here seems to be permeated with the scent you mentioned was from the dark element," I whispered tentatively to Selene beside me.


    "That''s right," she affirmed decisively. So she had noticed too.


    "Could it be some kind of monster?" I recalled that smell arising whenever we encountered beasts before, so I gripped the sword at my waist, ready to draw it.


    But Selene shook her head this time. "No, it doesn''t seem that way. The presence of monsters is usually concentrated in a specific area, but this scent is spread all across town even if it is faint."


    She was completely right. The smell lingering around us was already very diluted, seeming like it could disperse at any moment. Still, we didn''t dare let our guard down as we cautiously made our way through the streets.


    "My mission is to hand you over to the local Church here, so where is it located?" I asked nervously, already having half a mind to abandon this scary place.


    With virtually no human presence detectable, yet orders saying I had to deliver Selene to the Church here, I figured I should hurry up and hand her over before hightailing it out of this ghost town!


    Selene shook her head again. "I''m not sure either since this is my first time visiting."


    She looked at a nearby street sign and added, "It should be straight ahead along the main street, then take a right."


    Hearing that, I immediately led her in said direction. The first junction wasn''t far and if we were lucky, we''d spot the Church quickly.


    "What are you even here for? Just to inspect a rural branch?" I asked Selene along the way.


    "Of course not, I''m not that free!" she retorted. "A few days ago, the local parish here reported a very bizarre illness spreading through town. It resembles the symptoms of a curse or dark elemental pollution. Since there are no light mages here, I was dispatched to investigate."


    "Dark elemental pollution?"


    I had heard of light pollution previously, but this was my first encounter with the opposite - pollution from the dark element.


    "Yes, it''s extremely troublesome. Without timely treatment, it can be fatal. And even if the person dies, their body may reanimate into some kind of undead creature."


    "That scary?" I couldn''t help but shudder at her explanation. I still hadn''t seen any zombies since coming here, but knowing they existed and were likely nearby was freaky enough!


    "There it is, right?" Selene nodded as I asked upon spotting a distinct spire-roofed building that resembled a mini church on the left side of the road after turning the corner.


    Selene walked up and knocked. Fortunately the door soon opened a crack and a middle-aged nun poked her head out warily to glance at us.


    "Who are you?"

 Dispelling Magic

    It was a relief to see another living person. I finally breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that a horde of zombies would rush out the moment we opened the door.


    "I''m a priest sent by the capital."


    Selene took off the cross necklace from her neck and handed it to the person. I saw a faint glow emanating from the cross, and the person immediately confirmed our identity, letting us in.


    "It''s really you. You''ve finally come! The Lord must be watching over us."


    The nun closed the door with an excited expression, shaking hands with Selene. I could see tears welling up in her eyes.


    "What''s going on?"


    Selene furrowed her brow, subtly pulling her hand back.


    "I didn''t see anyone on the streets outside, and the situation here seems abnormal."


    Upon entering, we found a simple church hall with a few worn-out benches scattered around. The decorations were no different from the capital''s church, just on a smaller scale.


    "I''m Sister Hila, and the strange illness here is getting worse. Most of the town''s people have fallen ill..."


    As Sister Hila explained the situation while leading us to an inner room, I began to realize the severity of the situation.


    "Even our parish priest, Lord Simon, fell ill yesterday. Now, no one knows how to cure this disease. We''re helpless, so we have to rely on outside help."


    Is the situation really that bad? I saw Selene''s expression becoming more serious.


    We soon arrived at what seemed to be a resting room. Hila opened the door, revealing a dark room illuminated only by a candle on the table. In the dim light, I could vaguely see a figure lying on the bed.


    "Lord Priest, people from the capital have come. We''re finally saved."


    Hila rushed in excitedly, helping the District Priest sit up.


    "Is this disease contagious?"


    I couldn''t help but ask, seeing her entering the room without any protective measures.


    "I''m not sure." Hila shook her head.


    "We initially implemented isolation measures, but it was useless. People outside continued to fall ill one after another, with no difference from before isolation."


    So, it''s not a contagious disease? But I can''t say that for sure; what if the isolation wasn''t effective.


    While contemplating this, Selene confidently reached a conclusion.


    "It won''t spread."


    Having examined the district priest''s body after entering, she turned to me and said, "It''s clearly a symptom of dark contamination."


    "Really?"


    I walked into the room and looked at the patient on the bed. Even without getting close, I could sense the presence of dark elements in his body.


    Although the odor was still faint, it was distinguishable.


    "Who are you?"


    District Priest Simon, just waking up from a daze, looked at us with suspicion. He seemed quite old, at least over 60 in my eyes. Despite appearing weak, his complexion seemed healthier than before.


    "They are people sent by the Preston Cathedral in the capital," Hila reiterated the introduction, and when asked for specific names, Selene spoke first.


    "I am Priest Selene, sent specifically to investigate this matter. And she..."


    She glanced back at me.


    "Consider her my bodyguard."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    What do you mean, ''consider''? I was annoyed. Miss, can''t you change your sarcastic attitude?


    "Why so fast?" Simon couldn''t believe it, looking at us with eyes filled with doubt.


    "We sent a message less than a week ago. How did you arrive so quickly?"


    "What about Kane, the messenger? Why didn''t he come back with you?"


    His suspicion was not unfounded. Using conventional transportation, Kane would still be on the way.


    "We used a special method to come here. Kane didn''t come with us."


    Selene thought for a moment and decided not to reveal my identity.


    "That''s right, they showed me the token from the capital''s church. The identity is indeed genuine!"


    Sister Hila chimed in, referring to Selene''s cross necklace, which was now back around her neck.


    "Then... thank you. Cough, cough..."


    Simon, excited but suddenly coughing severely, even coughed up a dark clot of blood.


    I found it somewhat horrifying and took a step back. It was my first time seeing such a serious patient, and he seemed on the verge of collapse.


    "Don''t worry, he won''t die immediately!"


    Seeing my hesitant look, Selene gave me a glance, reassuring me. She soothed the district priest, telling him not to speak, and began to explain.


    "The symptoms of this dark contamination usually have a relatively long course. He can at least survive for another week. It''s just that he''s old and weak, unable to withstand it well."


    After saying this, she stood up and went to the bedside, taking out her staff.


    "I''ll treat him now. Stand back."


    I pursed my lips, not wanting to disturb her, and took two steps back to the edge of the room.


    She closed her eyes and silently recited something. Soon, a white light emanated from her hand, forming a small white circle at the tip of her staff.


    The circle''s color brightened as the light intensified. When it reached a certain level, Selene gently tapped the staff on Simon''s body. The white circle immediately attached to him, suddenly spreading and exploding. The entire room was momentarily filled with a flash of light.


    After the dazzling light, I felt that the contamination on the district priest''s body had indeed lessened significantly. Although there was still a faint trace, another treatment would likely make it indistinguishable from an ordinary person.


    "Phew..."


    Selene breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed to have consumed quite a bit of energy, and she slowly sat down.


    Beside her, Sister Hila quickly reached out to support her. Having witnessed the spectacle, admiration shone in her eyes.


    "Priestess, you''re truly amazing. This is the first time I''ve seen such a beautiful spell."


    "It''s said that the high-ranking members of the capital''s church are skilled in light magic, and it''s indeed well-deserved..."


    Simon, still weak but showing improvement, also praised. My impression was the same; this spell looked much better than any of Selene''s previous uses. But her casting process...


    Because I could clearly sense the signs of light elements moving within the person''s body, I felt that the method of using them was somewhat familiar.


    After resting for about ten minutes, Selene''s breath gradually stabilized. Then, she stood up and prepared to perform the treatment again.


    "After this time, he should be completely fine."


    After saying that, she straightened her staff, repeated the previous steps, and recited the spell again...


    After the white light, this time she collapsed heavily into the chair.


    She looked like someone who had just finished running an 800-meter race.


    "How do you know about purification magic?"


    I finally figured it out. After observing carefully, I remembered why it felt so familiar. It was almost the same as the purification magic in my memory.


    "You actually know about purification magic?"


    Selene glanced at me, seeming surprised that I knew this magic.


    "But this isn''t purification magic. It''s just a simplified version of the dispelling technique."


    Dispel technique? A simplified version of purification magic?


    No wonder it felt a bit different. I could clearly feel the similarities in her use of light elements, but purification magic seemed much more complex and refined.


    I''ve been trying to use purification magic myself, but every time I gathered light elements in my palms, they dispersed before I could release them.


    It was like being on the verge of success but lacking something.


    "How many people in the town are currently affected by the illness?"


    Selene asked as Simon gradually improved.


    "I need to count the number now to report back to the capital."


    While saying this, she also confirmed the person''s condition.


    "The situation here seems very serious. I can''t heal all your people alone, so more people need to be sent over."


    "Thank you. I''m fine now."


    Simon could feel his own body''s condition. Although he couldn''t get out of bed temporarily, he could speak with more vigour.


    But Hila couldn''t help interjecting.


    "Priestess, most of the people in the town have already fallen ill. Many of them have more severe symptoms than the district priest. I''m afraid that with this coming and going, they might not hold on, especially the ones who fell ill at the beginning..."


    What she said was indeed a problem. If people die from this, they turn into zombies, making the situation even more troublesome.


    "But my magical power can only help one more person now."


    Selene showed a troubled expression, and she was worried about an even bigger issue.


    "Moreover, we don''t know where the source of the contamination is. We haven''t figured out where these polluted dark elements come from. If we don''t cut off the source, even if we cure them, they might be infected again."


    "Is the appearance of these dark elements abnormal?"


    I couldn''t help but ask. Seeing them so familiar with it, I thought it was a common illness.


    "Not really," Selene shook her head. "While dark elements are usually everywhere, their concentration is very low. It would take several hundred times the usual amount to make people sick in such a short time."


    "This is definitely not a normal phenomenon. Even if Tethys is to the north of the capital, it''s still far from the border, at least several hundred kilometers away. Only after crossing the border do we reach the adjacent ''Barren Lands.'' Even in the ''Barren Lands,'' the concentration of dark elements hasn''t reached the level of causing illness in a matter of days."

 Purification Spell

    "But didn''t we feel the aura of the dark elements dissipating when we first came in?" I offered my observation, which showed that the situation was improving. Even if we couldn''t find the source yet, it didn''t seem to be a big issue.


    "That would be best," Selene agreed, but she still looked worried.


    I also felt it was too much of a coincidence that things started improving right after we arrived.


    "Hila, do you know when the dark elements...when people first started falling ill?" Selene had wanted to ask when the dark elements first became so prevalent in the air, but realizing the other person was just an ordinary villager without the ability to sense elements, she rephrased her question. After all, among human mages, only light mages could accurately sense dark elements, and those skilled in light magic were rare and precious to begin with.


    "About four days ago, I think," Hila looked up as she recalled.


    "Gavin was the first one. He collapsed after coming back from gathering herbs up the mountain. Then that night, a few more people also fell ill one after another and wouldn''t wake up."


    "Did anything special happen that day?" I wondered.


    "Special?" She sounded puzzled, but still tried to remember before answering, "Nothing special really...Oh right, except for Kane! He ran into a monster in the woods near town and killed it. He even brought it back to show off to everyone."


    "Kane?" The name sounded familiar. I immediately remembered he was the person Pastor Simon had mentioned who was sent to the capital with a letter.


    "That Kane could kill a monster?" Selene also seemed surprised. To have someone so capable in a remote mountain town?


    "Yes," Hila sounded like it was very normal. "Kane is the strongest person here. He was a hunter all along and often bragged about being a 3rd rank adventurer. Almost everyone in town knew."


    "Is 3rd rank really that impressive?" Hearing that, Hila couldn''t help asking us for confirmation.


    "Haha...it''s pretty good, truly impressive," I awkwardly glanced away, just in time to see Selene giving me a weird look. I quickly changed the subject, "What about the monster''s corpse?"


    "Since more people fell ill the next day, some suspected there was something wrong with the monster. So they disposed of the corpse far away early on." She sighed as she explained, seeing we were so curious about the monster. "So you also think it was caused by that monster? Kane thought so too at first and felt very guilty, so he volunteered to be sent to the capital."


    "That''s not possible," Selene shook her head, now certain it was not some infectious disease. She immediately rejected the idea, "One monster could not have caused such extensive dark pollution, even if it was ten...no, a hundred, it wouldn''t be possible."


    After asking Hila a few more questions, we still couldn''t find any clues about the source.


    "In the end, we still haven''t found the cause," I looked at Selene helplessly.


    "Then let me get another patient for you to save," Sister Hila offered carefully when she saw we were getting nowhere. Now her last hope rested solely on Selene since backup would likely not arrive soon.


    "Alright, go quickly," Selene nodded and told Simon to rest while I accompanied her out of the room.


    Hila also hurriedly left the church to find someone.


    "How are you holding up?" Seeing a hint of fatigue on Selene''s face, I asked with some concern, "Can you keep going?"


    "Should be okay," she leaned against a long bench in the hall with her eyes closed to rest herself. The back-to-back spells had drained not just her mana but stamina too.


    Yet she stubbornly claimed to be fine.


    But when the townspeople carried in the patient Hila had found, we were both shocked.


    "Please save him, Priestess!" A woman who seemed to be the patient''s mother desperately clutched at Selene''s clothes as she cried and pleaded.


    I looked at the man on the stretcher who seemed to be in his twenties. But his condition was far worse than the elderly Pastor Simon. His whole body was blackened and much of his skin was rotting with black pus oozing out. He was gasping for air unconsciously with his mouth. The sight was truly disgusting. I quickly turned my head away after a glance, trying to shake off the nausea from the visual.


    "He is...truly at death''s door," even the stubborn Selene showed a difficult expression.


    But with the woman begging and refusing to let go, she had no choice but to promise to at least try.


    "Are you sure you can handle it?" I could sense the level of dark corruption in this patient was countless times higher than Pastor Simon''s. He must be one of the first few to fall ill like Hila mentioned.  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "No choice even if I can''t. I have to try, or it''d be even harder if he turned undead," said Selene as she looked at me. She picked up her staff, signaling she was going to start casting.


    But this time after the ring of light enveloped the patient, instead of dissipating, it merely flickered weakly several times before disappearing completely.


    Selene staggered back with a gasp and collapsed to the ground, breathless with white lips. I panicked at the sight and rushed over without Hila''s prompting to help her up.


    "This is...at least 3, 4 days worth of accumulation. My remaining mana was nowhere near...enough," she heaved between gasps.


    "Alright, don''t talk," I helped her onto a chair to sit down before turning to look at the patient again.


    Although her dispel magic earlier did have some effect, it was merely a token effort at best - delaying his death for a few hours.


    The patient''s family stared at each other, at a loss over what to do next. Their last glimmer of hope was now down too. What options remained?


    To my surprise, they turned to me as the lifeline instead.


    "Me?" I pointed to myself in shock.


    "You''re also from the capital right? You must know magic too. I beg you, please save my boy!" The patient''s mother grabbed my shirt instead. I felt like my clothes were almost getting deformed from her pulling. Despite that, I showed a wry bitter smile. How the tables have turned, the desperate family was now clutching at straws huh.


    "I might not succeed..." I scratched my head. I had wanted to say I didn''t know magic at all, but then I remembered I hadn''t used Purification in a long time. Maybe I could do it after advancing?


    Besides, I couldn''t bear to just watch him die like this without at least trying. Failure didn''t cost much anyway.


    "It''s fine as long as you try, a drowning person will clutch at a straw," it seemed the family was determined. Hearing such words, I could only go along with it and try Purification again.


    Following the memories in my mind, I stretched my palm out towards the still ghastly patient on the stretcher. I felt the light elements within me slowly gather under the direction of my will into the center of my palm...


    "Huh?"


    "Wha-?!?!?!"


    I stared with wide eyes as the ball of light elements in my palm, as if attracted by the dark elements in the patient, slowly seeped out to form a glowing sphere of white light...


    It worked! It actually worked! This was my first time seeing my own light magic. Does Purification need to be guided by dark elements to be cast?


    I was so excited I couldn''t help yelling.


    "What happened? Did something go wrong?" The patient''s family were already anxious. Seeing my reaction made them even more frantic as they thought some major problem had occurred.


    "No no, nothing''s wrong!"


    I quickly comforted them verbally while trying to calm myself, then focused and directed the white glowing sphere in my palm towards the patient like Selene did.


    Unfortunately, the light sphere disappeared instantly upon contact with his body. At the same time, I felt my whole body emptied of strength as I plopped heavily onto the ground too, in nearly the same situation Selene was in earlier.


    "Hah...hah...hah..." I gasped for breath heavily. The sudden exhaustion made it momentarily impossible for me to even move a finger. My whole body felt depleted. Even lifting an arm was difficult.


    "That''s clearly mana exhaustion," said Selene mockingly after seeing my state. "Also how could your mana reserves be so low? How weak!"


    "Eh..."


    Suddenly, as if a realization hit her, her expression changed to show she understood.


    "Oh right!"


    The patient''s family were deathly pale by now, barely clinging to their last shred of hope. "Lady...it can''t be you''ve failed too?" they asked shakily.


    "That''s right, I almost forgot!" I slapped myself on the head as the key issue came to me too.


    I forcibly pushed myself up with all the remaining strength in my body and released my wings. Instantly, the small church was filled halfway by the white feathers.


    Indeed, once I spread my wings, I immediately felt my magic supply being continuously replenished. My stamina also recovered very quickly.


    "You exposed yourself, you know," said Selene meaningfully, as if to wash her hands of it.


    "I tried my best to hide your identity."


    "It''s fine, saving lives is most important," I smiled at her. If I could save someone dying, exposing myself seemed worth it, especially in a remote rural town. Not many would know.


    The others present were already stunned speechless. Sister Hila even knelt down with hands clasped before her chest.


    The patient''s family who didn''t seem to be believers gaped in disbelief. They seemed to be witnessing angels for the first time as they hugged each other dumbly, no longer daring to do anything like tugging my clothes.


    "Let''s try again."


    This time I was very confident. I stretched my palm out towards the patient lying on the stretcher.


    Light blossomed from my palm again. Without me needing to direct it intentionally, the glowing sphere floated by itself towards the patient where it exploded into flickering sparks that fell over him.


    With just this one spell, I felt the unpleasant aura around the patient completely disappear. His condition was now completely normal as he quickly regained consciousness.


    "Gavin!" His family wanted to rush up.


    "Don''t touch him yet, his wounds aren''t healed," Selene immediately stopped them. After some rest, she had recovered a fair bit too.


    The black blood on the patient''s body was also purified. Although still bleeding now, it was red blood instead.


    Even Sister Hila who was kneeling finally calmed down to bring gauze and other medical supplies from the back room to bandage the patient.


    "See, no need to chant at all," I grinned proudly at Selene. The effect of Purification was unexpectedly good. I seemed to see a lucrative business opportunity in magical healing services.


    "Mediocre at best," Selene didn''t seem very willing, but still spat out what sounded vaguely like words of praise.


    Yet her next sentence still did not forget to mock me.


    "An angel should know Purification. Yet you act so smug about it."


    "Hmph..."


    I should have expected her proud nature would not give in so easily. I was already used to it and could only sulkily turn my face away, unwilling to bother with her.


    "Angel, can you please save the others too?"


    Seeing how relaxed I was after casting magic, Sister Hila cautiously asked if I could continue fighting.


    "Of course! I can save ten people," I boldly claimed.


    I was in an extremely good mood now. Having finally learned a spell with difficulty, I naturally wanted to use it a few more times. It was perfect that more patients were coming to let me get in some practice.


    Soon, Hila and the others brought almost all the severely ill from town over and the church was filled with people.


    "Looks like we can leave after you heal all these," said Selene as she looked around at the people, giving me a skeptical look that questioned if I was really up to it.


    "Should be fine I guess..." My confidence instantly deflated as I smiled awkwardly. There were at least 15 or 16 stretchers here, a good half more than what I boasted I could handle.

 Vol 2/Chapter 18: Lost

    "Let''s try our best first," Selene shook her head at me, as if sighing at having such an unreliable angel. She retreated to the side and used water element magic to slowly heal Gavin''s injuries.


    After healing all these ten-plus people one by one over the course of a few hours, I finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down heavily on a chair.


    I took a few breaks in between. The situation was actually much better than I had imagined. I didn''t even feel particularly tired anywhere up to now.


    Mainly because I had repeated the same magic over a dozen times, it felt as tiring as copying the same essay dozens of times.


    "Don''t bring any more people. Leave the rest to the church support," I quickly stopped Sister Hila when I saw her about to come over to speak to me. The other patients'' families thanked me and took their loved ones home one by one. I was afraid she would send another dozen people over to me.


    "No, it''s late now. I wanted to ask if Miss Angel needs dinner prepared?"


    Dinner? Is it that late already?


    Although the treatment here was not bad, and I was actually quite hungry, I wanted to return as soon as possible now, afraid that Nicola would worry...


    Ha, as if she would worry! I suddenly felt I was too naive. If she was worried, she wouldn''t have disappeared yesterday.


    "What about you?"


    I looked back at Selene, asking her opinion.


    "Eat! Why wouldn''t I eat! I''m starving," She stood up the moment she heard food mentioned and walked towards the inner chamber.


    "Do you have a place where I can rest? I want to take a nap, wake me up when dinner is ready."


    Hey! Weren''t we supposed to go back after healing everyone? I stretched my hand out towards her disappearing back...


    Oh well, it wouldn''t delay us too much time anyway. I had Sister Hila hurriedly prepare dinner. We could return immediately after eating.


    While dinner was being prepared, I went outside alone for some fresh air.


    There were still not many people on the streets at this time, but I clearly felt that the concentration of dark elements in the air had actually started to increase.


    What was going on? Could it be because night had fallen? But that shouldn''t happen.


    I immediately returned to the church and pulled Selene straight out of bed from an inner room.


    "What are you doing! Can''t even let me rest a while!"


    Having just fallen asleep not long ago, she was still a little unhappy, thinking that I was rushing her to move on.


    "It''s not that. Something''s happened." I grabbed her hand and brought her outside the house. By now, the concentration of dark elements in the air had risen a few more levels, and it seemed to still be continuously increasing.


    "What is going on!" Selene''s expression changed. She had also felt it.


    "Can you feel it? The aura is coming from all directions."


    I spread my wings and flew into the air above the town. Looking down from above, although I couldn''t see clearly into the dark forest surroundings, I didn''t sense any movement, unlike beasts being around.


    Still feeling uneasy, I specifically flew around the vicinity in a circle, but still no abnormalities.


    "It''s really so strange," I relayed what I saw in the sky to Selene after landing. She was increasingly puzzled about the source of those inexplicable dark elements.


    "The situation is beyond what I alone can handle now. We should hurry back to report to the Archbishop and get reinforcements,"


    She had lost her appetite now, urging me to prepare to head back immediately.


    "More people here will soon collapse. We have to race against time."


    After bidding Sister Hila and Pastor Simon farewell, Selene had me tie her up again just like when we arrived, flying southwards towards the royal capital.


    ...


    It was a clouded, moonless night. Fly high up, other than some faint mountain contours, everything on the ground was pitch-black, unable to see clearly.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "What exactly happened?" Soon after taking off, Selene and I kept discussing the origin of those inexplicable dark elements in the sky, but to no avail.


    "Even if someone did this deliberately, where would they find such an enormous amount of dark elements, and their goal is just to pollute an obscure little town?"


    "Anyway after I complete this mission it won''t concern me anymore. And I should have helped a lot this time right, can''t you church show some gesture of thanks, like rewarding some gold coins or something..." Although I was also very puzzled, I didn''t want to think too much about this bizarre affair. I just hoped to return as soon as possible now, so I kept looking ahead exerting my full strength flying.


    "Alright, alright, I''ll try to apply to see if I can get you some," Selene''s voice came from below. Because she was tied to me, I couldn''t see her expression, but she sounded quite impatient, probably because I had brought it up several times already.


    After all, gold coins were very valuable goods, with one gold coin equivalent to a full 10,000 silver coins.


    "Looks like it''s going to rain," She looked at the surroundings starting to turn grey, and suddenly warned. I''m not sure if she deliberately changed the topic. But only then did I notice we had flown into a very low layer of dark clouds.


    "If it rains, your wings will get wet. Better fly higher,"


    "Okay." I agreed and immediately flapped my wings to ascend. Within a few breaths I rushed above the clouds. In that instant, everything before my eyes turned bright. The soft moonlight spilled onto me. I felt the whole world suddenly become tranquil.


    "So beautiful..."


    Selene gazed at the bright moon overhead and sighed emotionally.


    Below, you could even faintly see our rapidly passing shadows on the surface of the clouds.


    We both fell silent, as if intoxicated by the beautiful night scene.


    "How much longer? We must be close right?"


    I yawned as we flew. My spirits were evidently much lower at night after all. I reckoned we had flown for an hour. We should arrive soon. So I started lowering altitude.


    The clouds remained just as thick with no sign of dispersing. You could still vaguely see lightning flashes within. It did make me somewhat uneasy, afraid of getting struck by accident.


    Fortunately our speed was fast. We passed through soon.


    Below the clouds, luckily it was not raining, only pitch black below since the moonlight was blocked, and I couldn''t see anything on the ground at all, without any lights either.


    "Don''t you feel something is off?"


    Selene suddenly sensed something amiss and spoke to me.


    "After flying so far, the level of dark pollution around hasn''t decreased. It might have even increased slightly."


    "Could the dark pollution have spread so quickly?"


    Her words made me take notice immediately too. I looked carefully all around us.


    "Strange, how did we fly past it?"


    I realized I couldn''t see anything in front, but a large fiery area had appeared behind us instead.


    "That''s not Norvale right."


    Selene looked back and saw it too, but she immediately knew it was completely different from the city she lived in.


    "Those light sources are clearly flames. The royal capital had already switched to magic lamps who knows how many years ago."


    "But it looks like a town..."


    I naturally could tell too. Borrowing those light sources you could still see the silhouette of quite a few buildings, though all very short, without any extremely tall structures like in the royal city.


    This puzzled me greatly, because I remembered not passing any towns or villages on the way here earlier.


    "Did you fly in the wrong direction?"


    Selene doubtfully asked me, probably thinking that I gave off an unreliable first impression.


    "Shouldn''t have ah."


    I remembered deliberately taking out a compass to confirm direction before departure. After the first mission when I realized it was not easy to discern direction in the sky, Nicola and I each carried one, so it was basically impossible for me to get lost.


    Yet the facts seemed to tell me I had deviated from course.


    "So what now?"


    We could only stop midair. I looked helplessly back and forth, should we keep flying south or go to that city and ask around?


    "It''s all your fault! You must have flown the wrong way. Delaying the time to report back to the royal capital, it''s entirely your fault!"


    Unable to figure it out, she directly pinned the blame on me. Although I felt very wronged, in this situation I really couldn''t justify myself clearly. And if I had truly messed up, no matter how far south we flew we would never reach the royal capital.


    "Why not let''s go over and ask first, see where this place is then we can determine our location." I finally steeled my resolve and brought her towards the city to land. "We can also notify the people in the city to be vigilant of the dark element pollution."


    "If I had known I would never have agreed to let you escort me. You can''t even travel properly!"


    On the way there Selene kept nagging nonstop. The tiny bit of image I had painstakingly regained previously with my purification skill had thoroughly and completely collapsed again in her mind.


    Yet upon gradually nearing our destination, when the city''s outline became clear under the firelight, we both felt even more uneasy.


    "Eh, does Astralrealm Kingdom have cities that look like this?"


    "The more I look the more it seems like a primitive village surrounded by wooden fences..."


    Although it could be considered sufficiently big, at least half the size of the royal capital. But those buildings in the city no matter how you looked at them resembled thatched cottages, with many roofs even decorated by two huge ox-horn shaped objects.


    What''s more horrifying was that many poles erected on the city walls had a row of round white objects hanging on them, that upon closer look appeared to be...skulls?


    "Stop!"


    Selene suddenly shouted loudly. I felt her body actually start to tremble slightly.


    "This is a beast...beastman habitat."


    "Beastmen?"


    I heard Selene''s intermittent words and immediately ceased advancing, turning to frantically fly upwards instead.


    But unfortunately we had already approached too close by the time we realized. Coupled with Selene''s earlier scream, we quickly alerted the people below in the city, oh no, it should be said, the beastmen.


    I only heard the loud blare of a horn behind me. I looked back and saw the city wall crowded with activity. Then several mammoth insect-like magical beasts with wings like bees and dragonflies buzzed out from midair to chase after us.


    "What exactly is happening?"


    I was utterly confused about the situation, only able to desperately fly forward. But those monsters behind persisted tenaciously in hot pursuit, with no way to shake them off.


    "Aren''t we in Astralrealm Kingdom? How did we fly into a beastman city? Your kingdom even domesticates beastmen?"


    "What domesticated beastmen!"


    Selene spat angrily. Even in such critical life-threatening circumstances she still did not forget to retort.

 Injured

    "Beastmen are creatures of darkness, and are mortal enemies of our Astralrealm Kingdom."


    "Then how could there be a city of theirs here? We couldn''t have flown that far."


    I yelled out. The dragonfly-like monster behind me actually sprayed out an electric beam of light to attack me. Luckily its aim wasn''t great and they all just barely grazed past me.


    "I don''t know either. Even if you flew north from the beginning you shouldn''t have crossed the border."


    Selene was about as freaked out as I was now, neither of us had any clue what was going on.


    "Could it be that they smuggled this city in illegally?"


    I couldn''t think of any other way to explain this situation. Anyway, weird stuff had already happened today.


    "Are you kidding me right now? Ah!--What are you doing!"


    I suddenly made a sharp turn and Selene screamed in fright. My arm that was holding her was gripped tightly in her hands, squeezed painfully.


    "Hold on tight, there are still enemies behind us!"


    I yelled loudly. Actually, because of the thick clouds, I couldn''t see anything clearly in the sky. I was barely sensing the general location of the few monsters behind us by detecting traces of dark elemental energy.


    But not being able to see them was still uncomfortable. In order to dodge attacks I was flying in S-shaped zig zags, but that slowed down our speed. I felt the pursuers getting closer and closer, about to catch us!


    "Hurry and think of something! Can you attack them? I''m about to get hit!"


    I mustered my energy and dashed through the cloud layer back above the clouds. The monsters chasing us flew up too. With the moonlight I could finally clearly see their locations.


    "These magical beasts are called Face Flies. You can''t outfly them."


    Selene looked back and immediately recognized what was chasing us. She casually threw a few Holy Light bombs too but of course couldn''t hit them.


    "Try attacking them with Purification!"


    Seeing that the attacks had no effect, Selene quickly instructed me.


    "Huh? What did you say? Isn''t Purification used for healing people?"


    I thought I had misheard her so I asked again to confirm.


    "Face Flies and Beastmen are creatures of darkness, they greatly fear the light element, so the effects of Purification to them would be like a curse poison."


    "Then I''ll try it!"


    Then I shot out Purification at the Face Fly behind us.


    A ball of light shot out from my hand, looking a lot like Selene''s light bullets. But differently, it would actually turn corners, attracted like magnets of opposite polarities. Even if the opponent tried to dodge to the side early it would still accurately hit its target without fail.


    It didn''t have the gorgeous effects when purifying a human. Like that previous time when my magic power was insufficient causing it to fail, the light sphere directly entered the opponent''s body.


    "Screech----"


    The struck Face Fly made an extremely painful cry. Its flying speed drastically dropped as it tumbled back down into the cloud layer.


    I felt like I didn''t actually deal physical damage to it, but I didn''t expect the effect to be so strong.


    "Hit it again!"


    One strike worked. Selene was even more excited than me. It looked like we really could take on ten now. I continuously fired a few more Purifications.


    "Screech screech screech screech..."


    This move really worked well, it was just right against these dark creatures. Every shot hit its mark, none of them could escape the chasing light spheres.


    Soon all the pursuers were cleared out and we were temporarily safe.


    "There won''t be any other monsters chasing us right?"


    I was still worried, looking back while not daring to stop flying forward. Actually after that previous chase, I had no idea which direction we were even flying in anymore.  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "What do we do now?"


    "Careful! Dodge!"


    Selene below me suddenly shouted urgently. I had just let out a sigh of relief when I heard that. I didn''t see any enemies?


    The next moment I felt a burst of pain in my wings and my whole body started tingling and numb. I instantly lost balance while in midair...


    "It''s below...Ah!"


    Before Selene finished speaking, she was also pulled along with me as we spun downwards from the sky.


    This was still my first time encountering this kind of situation while flying. I had always flown safely without incident previously. The culprit was a Face Fly hiding in the clouds below. It was hard for me to notice since Selene was in front of me when I flew.


    I didn''t know if it had hidden there from the beginning, or if it just decided to hide on the spur of the moment when I took out many of its companions with Purification. Anyway, its sneak attack succeeded. It chased along our falling trajectory looking to attack us.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    Selene''s screams made my ears hurt. What was more urgent was that my left wing already hurt so much it completely lost function. I didn''t know how to regain balance while in the air...


    While my whole body feels a bit numb from being shocked together, it seems the thunderbolt attacks from this Face Fly haven''t caused much damage to my body.


    "Flying up...we''re going to die from the fall!"


    Seeing the dark ground constantly spinning closer, Selene''s voice already had tones of crying in fear.


    "One of my wings got hit, I can''t move!" I was also feeling hopeless. My whole head was filled with the piercing wing pain, already severely affecting my ability to think.


    "You have four wings, don''t you still have another pair?"


    Selene''s words instantly reminded me.


    The flapping action of my wings was a lot like normal breathing, able to move automatically but also able to make other actions according to my will.


    So I immediately controlled the injured pair of wings to stop flapping. Soon my remaining wings found their balance on their own, carrying us flying back up into the sky.


    That was close! I vaguely saw the rocky ground pass swiftly by right in front of my eyes. Cold sweat covered my back. But that Face Fly chasing us didn''t give up and prepared to attack again from behind.


    Again?


    I definitely wouldn''t let it spray that electricity again. Furious, I shot another Purification light sphere out behind me without even needing to aim. As expected, it got hit and fell to the ground with no chance to dodge at all.


    "You deserve it for ambushing me!"


    I felt extremely satisfied inside, about to fly away when Selene suddenly warned me,


    "Go finish it off! This is a good chance. Purification will only make it temporarily immobilized. It might still give chase if it recovers."


    I have to go finish it off too? My brows frowned tightly. That was a giant dragonfly-like monster, I couldn''t be sure I dared to go for the kill.


    "Should we leave first? Fly farther away...Ow!" I stopped midair and suggested to Selene.


    Changing orientation while flying seemed to bump my injured wing. A piercing pain instantly travelled through and I couldn''t even speak clearly anymore.


    "Fly away...we should lose any pursuers."


    "No use, it''s because you''re injured." Selene pointed to my wing.


    "These dark creatures are very sensitive to the light element. They would be able to trace the light elemental energy in your blood trail and chase you down."


    Blood trail? Hearing her say that, I noticed the wound on my damaged wing was shining. A section was burned and scorched with red blood continuously oozing out.


    So even an angel''s blood was red in color. This was my first time getting injured after coming to this other world. But this red blood was very different from human blood, because they emitted flickers of white light outward. But not long later, as if rapidly evaporating into thin air, it disappears without leaving a trace.


    Of course that was just visually. Through my senses I could still detect all the blood having transformed into dense trails of light elemental energy lingering in the air.


    If that was the case I really couldn''t leave that monster alive! Hardening my heart, I grasped my sword from my waist with one hand and flew back to where the Face Fly had fallen.


    Under the illumination of Selene''s light magic, I saw the magical beast lying on its back facing the sky. Its six limbs flailed in the air looking extremely miserable, exactly like how an insect thrashes when near death.


    To be honest, looking at this waist-high monster lying on the ground, it would absolutely be a lie if I said I wasn''t freaked out at all. It seemed to be in considerable pain, continuously screeching. And its pair of thin membrane-like wings was still spasming, stirring up sand storms all around it. It looked very difficult to even approach.


    I directly landed next to its head which was currently the only area I could get near other than its tail which was also out of wing reach.


    Since we still had to leave immediately, I didn''t untie the rope binding me to Selene yet.


    "Beheading can kill it right?" I asked Selene for confirmation. That was usually the case, but nothing could be assumed in this world.


    "Should be, try it first. Hurry!" Selene also didn''t dare confirm so I really wished she could be the one to do it. But looking at the monster''s size, I worried her strength as a priest wouldn''t be enough. And she might even laugh at me.


    "You can''t be too scared now right?" Selene seemed a bit suspicious seeing I held up my sword for a long time without striking it down. She was still tied in front of me so she didn''t see my eyes were still closed.


    "No...Of course not!"


    Egged on by her, I raised my sword and sliced down, piercing through the Face Fly''s head in one strike.


    Huh, still not dead? No blood spurting scene that I imagined. Even its wings were still flapping, just slower and slower seeming to be on its last legs.


    "One more strike!"


    I changed to the tail position and stabbed towards its caterpillar-like abdomen.


    "Hiss---"


    This time a spray of green liquid spewed out from the monster''s body. I immediately dodged to the side. As a result it all spurted onto Selene tied to my front while only a few specks flecked onto me.


    "Wow Feliciana! You did that on purpose!"


    Selene got a face full of it and raised her hands trying to wipe off her face in a disheveled state. I imagine her facial expression must look very interesting right now.


    "No I didn''t! I really didn''t do it intentionally!"


    I explained innocently. I truly forgot she was tied in front which shielded me. But that tiny bit of pleasure inside I would absolutely never admit!


    "Bleh bleh! There''s so much dark elemental smell!"


    It seemed like some fluid had spilled into her mouth too as Selene kept spitting and spitting. As she spat she also fiercely threatened me,


    "Remember this! You despicable angel! When we get back I''m definitely telling the Archbishop to punish you! Exposing your evil deeds. No more money for you! Bleh!"


    "Don''t do that! I''ll help you wipe clean later."


    I couldn''t help shouting injustice. So the gold coins were still possible to obtain. Then I must save my image!


    That Face Fly now seemed thoroughly dead with its wings finally motionless. I had no intention to keep staying here so I immediately flew away carrying Selene again.

 Volume 2/Chapter 20: Spending the Night Outdoors

    "Let''s rest here for now."


    After flying unsteadily for a while, I could no longer bear the pain from the wounds on my wings. Adding to that, my energy was depleting more and more in the night. I ultimately had no choice but to land on the ground again.


    "The other Face Flies probably won''t come chasing for now."


    The moment my feet touched the ground, Selene untied the ropes binding us together, finally separating from me. Upon gaining her freedom, she immediately ran behind me to check on the wounds on my wings.


    "You angel reacted so slowly, I already warned you yet you still got hit."


    I''m almost used to her scoldings since she rarely had anything nice to say to me whenever we were together.


    "Tsk tsk, the wound looks terrible, can even see the bones."


    "I...I can''t hide my wings anymore."


    I exclaimed in shock. Due to the agony, I tried to conceal my wings the moment I landed, but quickly realized it did not work at all. The wing concealment spell I had successfully used countless times before was now completely useless.


    Now there''s no choice but to endure all the pain with my wings out. I felt beads of sweat seeping out of my forehead. Unable to stand anymore, I plopped butt-first onto the ground.


    "It''s probably due to the injuries. Let me heal you first then we''ll talk. But it''ll likely be slow, you''ll have to endure for now."


    Seeing how much pain I was in, Selene softened and could only chant a spell to start healing me.


    A light blue glow slowly emerged from her hand. The moment it touched the wounded area, the pain was immediately alleviated significantly.


    "Is this water elemental magic?" I''ve seen magic with this color before when Vivianne got injured and used it too. Also, I could clearly sense particles like light elements being released from her hand each time, so that should be water elements right?


    "Yes, unfortunately I only know low-level recovery spells."


    Selene chatted with me while treating me to help distract me from the discomfort.


    "If it was high-level water magic, wounds like these would heal quickly."


    "It''s alright, just takes more time."


    Having magic to treat me was already very comforting. Most importantly, it wasn''t as unbearable as initially. Hence I finally had the energy to observe the surroundings.


    The place we were in seemed to be an empty barren area covered in rubble all around. It was pitch dark with almost no lighting except for the glow from Selene''s spell. Visibility was less than 10 meters and there wasn''t a single blade of grass growing from the bare ground I was standing on.


    "Looks like there''s no returning to the capital tonight. We might have to consider sleeping outdoors." I was suddenly reminded of my days back in Elara Woodlands upon mentioning camping outdoors, especially in our current situation. While feelings of confusion and unease lingered as I initially entered this new world, traveling with everyone then was still so much more carefree and happy compared to now.


    "Could what happened be related to the battles up North?"


    Instead of addressing the issue of camping outdoors, Selene suddenly switched topics and put forth a speculation that took me by surprise.


    "You mean Adrian and Brennan heading off to war?"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Her question immediately reminded me of the situation I encountered when looking for Vivianne and the rest recently.


    "Huh, they went off to battle too?"


    She seemed unaware still so I briefly recounted what happened.


    "So you reckon that city we passed might have actually been crafted by demons who infiltrated in?"


    I was slightly speechless. Wasn''t it her who was just joking with me earlier...


    Even still, it didn''t make sense to me regarding the scale and numbers involved. For so many demons to sneak deep into our territory undetected while our men at the frontlines noticed nothing unless they had been completely wiped out? That seemed too far-fetched.


    "It''s possible if magic was involved."


    Selene appeared to firmly believe her theory. Not knowing much about applying magic in buildings, I dared not comment further upon recalling Norvale''s underwater castle.


    "This contamination in the air by dark elements can easily cause illness while boosting the combat strength of creatures of darkness instead. Such attrition of the enemy combined with strengthening of allies would be an incredible advantage."


    "So the contamination was deliberately spread by our enemies?"


    Listening to her, this seemed similar to biochemical warfare intended not just to weaken foes but empower allies too.


    "Possibly." Selene agreed strongly with this view.


    "But I find it hard to believe polluting such a wide area could be achieved manually."


    "Usually very difficult. But with sufficient preparation and disregarding any costs, it''s somewhat feasible." Selene looked as though I was too ignorant and lacked experience, irritating me though I truly didn''t comprehend much.


    "No worries, the capital''s forces will surely notice in no time."


    Coming to a realization, Selene suddenly became much more positive.


    "But won''t we succumb before that happens?"


    We had been enduring this environment for hours already so I remained concerned despite expecting angels to be immune. Still, best I confirm than blindly assume.


    "No way, not within a day!"


    Expectedly, Selene rolled her eyes at me like I was an overanxious toddler being pacified.


    "Even ordinary humans would likely take days before falling ill. Furthermore, you''re an angel full of light elements. It''ll be weird if the dark elements could even contaminate you at all!"


    "Then what about you? You''re no angel!" My real worry laid with her instead. Despite disliking her recurring mockery, seeing her sick wouldn''t be my preferred outcome either.


    "Don''t worry. I tell you! Those slightly capable won''t be affected. To be precise, those above the second rank should have enough immunity. Also, I''m a light magic caster so the light elemental power within me can surely withstand any harm from these meager dark elements."


    Selene''s relaxed attitude was as though mollifying a distressed child.


    The wounds were fully healed after around fifteen to twenty minutes. I flapped my wings testingly and felt completely normal without any discomfort or pain.


    "So powerful. If only I knew recovery magic to self-heal, no need to be scared of being injured!"


    I praised approvingly. The agony from my damaged wings left immense psychological trauma that I hoped to never experience again.


    I then tried concealing my wings once more and was relieved they could successfully vanish like normal.


    Having reached a general consensus about the peculiar situation based on our earlier discussion, our only recourse was continuing southwards hoping to arrive at the capital as envisioned.


    However, things didn''t go as wished and after flying aimlessly in darkness for over an hour, Norvale was still nowhere in sight.


    "We probably got lost. Let''s land and rest first. No use flying blindly in the dark like that to search for the capital."


    I was totally spent physically having endured endless upheavals through the night on top of exertion from carrying another. I could only land again reluctantly.


    "Could my deduction be wrong?" Selene muttered in disbelief at the capital''s disappearance but was unable to come up with any explanation no matter how hard she contemplated.


    "Don''t you feel something seems off? Does Astralrealm Kingdom have places like this?"


    I pointed to the ground, realizing the stretch of rubbled wasteland and lack of any vegetation felt increasingly suspicious as we covered more distance.


    "Hard to say. The kingdom''s territories are so vast. But this place indeed resembles the Barrens up North."


    "Barrens? How did we fly there! Weren''t we supposed to be really far from the borders you said?" I took out the mission card and specifically borrowed Selene''s spell lighting to verify the simple map again. As indicated, the distance from the Tethys town to the border was even greater than that from Tethys to Norvale.


    "That is strange. The border nearest to Tethys lies in the North. No matter how you flew, should be still within the kingdom!"


    After glimpsing the map, even Selene was baffled. Alas it provided no aid apart from leaving us more confused.


    "Forget it, talk again tomorrow daytime."


    I truly couldn''t endure any longer. My mind turned groggy once I relaxed and I started yawning repeatedly.


    "Remember, no light magic. Don''t get spotted!"


    After reminding briefly, I couldn''t care less about cleanliness anymore. Finding a flat patch of ground, I plopped down using my wings as a mat, falling fast asleep almost instantly.


    "Hey! Can''t simply sleep just like that..." Just before completely blacking out, I seemed to vaguely hear Selene calling out to me.

 Transmigrated Again?

    I had a dream where I turned into Monkey King, flying around in the sky, dodging the palm of the Buddha. No matter how I tried, I couldn''t escape him. Eventually, he slapped my wings off with his palm...


    "Buddha, you cheated! Monkeys don''t have wings!" I yelled as I spiraled down from the sky.


    But he completely ignored me. I kept falling and falling, as if I would never reach the ground.


    I woke up with a start, sitting up from the ground.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    An intense tearing pain shot through my right back, piercing my heart. Because of the pain, I collapsed back onto the ground. For a moment, I thought my nightmare had come true and the Buddha really slapped my wings off. But when I turned my head right, I saw...


    It was Selene. She was lying curled up on my wing, clutching a large feather in her mouth, drooling all over it.


    "So soft...smells so nice..." she mumbled.


    Too outrageous! She had drooled all over half my wing! I pushed her off forcefully to rescue my wing from the devil''s clutches.


    Oww... My whole right-wing felt numb from her sleeping on it! And now all wet, it was so much heavier, putting more pressure on my back.


    "Ugh..." At the sight of strings of shiny saliva slowly dripping from the feather tips, I couldn''t help but retch a few times. I didn''t dare move my wings now for fear that her spit would spray everywhere.


    "Mm..." Pushed aside, Selene quickly sat up groggily, blinking as she looked around before realizing what happened.


    "Why was I sleeping on the ground?"


    "And you still dare ask! You used my wing as a mattress!" She had made me so mad. I rubbed my wing vigorously against the rocky ground, trying to wipe off some of the drool.


    "And you just had to coat it with a layer of your spit too!"


    "Oh, your feathers... Pfft--" She finally saw the sorry state of my wings and understood what happened. But she actually laughed instead of apologizing!


    "Serves you right! It''s your fault for falling asleep so fast last night!" Apparently she was blaming this on me instead of showing any remorse.


    "What about your promise to help clean me up?" Her words suddenly reminded me of our earlier agreement.


    Oh no, I lost my chance at gold coins...


    "I''m so sorry, I was just too tired and couldn''t stay awake any longer..." As I started apologizing, I noticed her face and body looked quite clean already, with barely any traces left of the green ghoulfly goo from yesterday night.


    "Huh? How did you get cleaned up?"


    "With water, of course!" Selene nonchalantly made a basin appear from thin air. She tossed a water ball spell into it and had a basin of clear water ready in seconds.


    "Hard to clean up properly by myself in the dark with no one to help. Took me forever to wash up."


    "So the spare clothes too?" I saw she was wearing something new instead of yesterday''s outfit. Now I understood.


    "Yup! The storage ring is so convenient!" Selene beamed at me. Then she squatted by the basin and started splashing water on her face. Afterwards, she even took out a comb and mirror to check her appearance before putting them away, satisfied that she looked fine.


    "..."


    The rich really can get away with anything, huh? Money lets you do whatever you want?


    After she finished freshening up, I couldn''t stand it anymore and rinsed my wings with the water too. While waiting for them to dry, I took the chance to examine our surroundings again.  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Although it was daytime now, the hateful darkness aura had diminished quite a bit. But the cloud cover overhead was still extremely thick. It made the daylight very dim, like a rainstorm could pour down any minute even though the clouds just remained still and oppressive.


    The gloomy sight didn''t stop me from scanning the horizon though.


    I had already noticed upon first waking that we were in a desolate, rocky wasteland, confirming my judgement last night. But because my pinned wing was distracting me earlier, I didn''t scrutinize the view properly then.


    Only now did I notice that besides the wasteland, there were also some barren, rocky mountain ranges in the far distance without a hint of greenery.


    Strangely enough, thick black smoke was billowing up behind one of the ranges, though I couldn''t tell what was causing it.


    I decided to fly up for a closer look after telling Selene, "I''m going up there to check things out. You stay put here and don''t wander off."


    I kept ascending until I almost reached the cloud layer. Only then did I realize to my shock that the smoke was coming from actively erupting volcanoes! I could even vaguely make out red lava flowing down their slopes.


    I was completely dumbfounded as I took out my compass. The volcanoes were situated right to the south, which was the direction we had flown towards last night. And faintly visible to my north was the beastman city we had passed earlier.


    What in the world? Since when did the royal capital turn into volcanoes?


    Did we get our original direction wrong after all?


    It made no sense that after just two hours of flight from the lush green kingdom of Astralrealm, we would end up in such a barren land. Just what exactly happened here?


    After I landed and recounted what I saw to Selene, she also reacted with utter confusion.


    "Volcanoes? Are you sure you saw them?"


    She seemed skeptical about what I described, so I had no choice but to tie her to me again for another flight up to the clouds.


    "Believe me now?"


    I felt her trembling non-stop in my grasp, though I wasn''t sure if it was from fright or the cold winds. Sensing her great unease, I quickly descended back to the ground.


    "What should we do now..." The moment I untied the ropes, Selene grabbed my hand in agitation. "How could this happen? Where''s the royal capital?"


    I could see the glint of tears in her eyes from fear.


    "Well..."


    I understood her immense pressure after somehow ending up in a completely foreign environment, surrounded by dangerous magical beasts. But with the capital apparently turned into volcanoes now, I was also at a loss.


    We clearly flew south the entire time, so how could this be happening? I didn''t even dare to confirm if the Norvale was truly gone or if we had somehow gone the wrong way.


    "Why don''t we...fly back?" I suggested after calming my thoughts for a bit.


    "Back? You mean the beastman city? Why would you go there?" Selene gave me a confused look, not following my idea.


    "No, I don''t mean going there. I''m suggesting we retrace our original route back and see if we can return to Tethys Town eventually."


    I elaborated on my thinking. At this point, I had regained clarity from the initial shock and increasingly felt that getting lost like this was highly unnatural. Perhaps normal logic couldn''t explain what happened.


    "That makes sense too. We have nowhere else left to go now. Heading south no longer works, so we can only return to our original starting point to hopefully figure things out."


    Understanding my reasoning, Selene agreed that it was likely our only feasible option now. At least it seemed to alleviate some of her earlier panic.


    "But we were above the clouds at night. Can we really find our way back accurately?"


    Her doubt here still held some validity. With no land references while airborne, what if going back led us astray too?


    "I''ll be careful to stay low enough to keep ground in sight..."


    Clutching the compass in my palm again, last night''s mishap taught me not to boast confidently about navigating anymore.


    Since the plan was decided, we set off right away without further delay.


    The return trip so far went rather smoothly. In order to avoid the beastman city later on, I hid above the clouds when passing over it and only descended much farther away.


    "The clouds are so thick and keep covering us, yet it doesn''t rain and they won''t scatter either." Selene frowned slightly while peering overhead.


    "It feels like...there are traces of magic within them..."


    "Magic?" Hearing her remark made me glance up too. It truly felt unnatural, this bleak looming layer above the land, seeming more formed than naturally accumulated.


    Flying north for a while longer, there was still no trace of vegetation on the barren ground that I could see. Probably just more of the same desolate landscape.


    I had an inkling we likely weren''t in the Astralrealm Kingdom anymore. Verifying that hunch was simple - if we couldn''t make it back to Tethys Town eventually, then we had very likely crossed over to another world at some point during our journey here.


    But when exactly, and how? I tried to recall the previous night''s flight path for anything exceptional but came up empty. It felt like an invisible hand had abruptly transported me and Selene without any warning signs, so strange.


    Then again, looking at it as a transmigration, many details still didn''t make sense if that''s what happened...


    "Selene, how did you recognize the beastman city and those ghoulflies from before?"


    I suddenly realized this was a pivotal question, the crux of whether we were even still in the same world.


    "The Archbishop once took part in the campaign against the Dark Territories so he described what the beastman cities looked like to me before. What we saw earlier matched his account with the skeletal heads and all that. And Face Flies are common soldiers there too."


    If that was her basis for identification, then perhaps this didn''t involve crossing worlds after all.


    In that case, could it be our spatial location drastically shifted without leaving this world? I considered other possibilities now.

 Gained Some Courage

    But there was still a loophole in this theory, as it could not explain the large amount of dark elements present in the air.


    We had already been in such an environment when we were in town. If we had teleported elsewhere, these dark elements should have instantly disappeared, unless we happened to teleport to another place with similarly high concentrations of them, though the chances seemed rather small.


    "Do you think we might be in that ''Barren Land'' you mentioned?"


    I tried asking Selene again, hoping to confirm my guess. Besides, she had brought up something similar last night too.


    "Unlikely!" Surprisingly, Selene denied my guess outright this time, very decisively.


    "Apart from whether you could even fly there or not, I''ve seen the ''Barren Lands'' with my own eyes from the border. Although that place also had this gravelly landscape, there were even more endless white sandy deserts as far as the eye could see. Now that it''s daytime and bright out, you can clearly see this place looks completely different from there."


    "Is there anywhere else with high concentrations of dark elements in the air, even exceeding the Barren Lands?"


    "That''s hard to say..."


    Selene''s voice sounded like she was racking her brains thinking about this question.


    "Dark elements are scattered unevenly across Eldoria continent, not limited to underground hells. Any place without much sunlight tends to have more dark elements. Due to the cloud blocking sunlight, if this continues year-round, it''s possible..."


    "So you''ve also realized we might have teleported through space?"


    Seeing her say all this, she must have realized it to some extent.


    She fell silent for a while, but eventually admitted:


    "Yes, I''m increasingly doubtful about it..."


    I understood her. After all, this also meant it would be difficult for us to return to the capital.


    "We''ve flown for so long yet still haven''t seen Tethys Town, not even a shadow..."


    Selene''s voice sounded a little gloomy. I saw what she mentioned too.


    Tethys Town was nestled among the mountains. It should have been below us, but the mountains here seemed to all be extensions of the volcanoes, completely barren without any greenery, clearly not where we were headed.


    "There seems to be a small river down there though."


    Reminded by her, I also looked down carefully for a long time before discerning a long, thin eastbound river meandering through the gravel wasteland.


    But even so, there wasn''t a hint of green on either riverbank.


    "Looks like we really can''t go back." I sighed, having flown for nearly an hour yet still seeing nothing but desolate emptiness.


    "But even if we did teleport through space, why haven''t I sensed any elemental traces?" This was what Selene still couldn''t figure out.


    "Exactly when and where did we teleport?"


    "How would I know..." I smiled wryly. Suddenly I noticed many black dots appearing in the distance on the horizon, gradually increasing until densely packed together, seemingly many moving figures.


    "Do you see that?" Seeing Selene also looking over, I strangely asked, "What are those things?"


    "Can''t see clearly." She shook her head in reply.


    "They seem to be moving in our direction. We''ll know once they get closer."


    We didn''t actually need to get that close. After flying ahead for just a while longer, we could mainly make out what those were - all dark creatures, densely packed with at least a few thousand. And many different varieties, both flying in the air and walking on the ground.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Due to our high position and adequate distance, Selene and I had not been discovered by the large group.


    "Where are so many magical beasts heading?" Hiding amidst the clouds, I watched the ant-like movement of the troops below, curiously asking.


    "Looks like their destination is that mountain they''re walking towards."


    None of the nearby mountains had much vegetation, all looking similar to me.


    But the one the magical beast troop was headed to was quite special after closer inspection, as it wasn''t connected to the surrounding mountain ranges, standing alone solitary amid the gravel plains. Also shaped like a very typical volcano, yet without any lava traces, clearly not currently erupting.


    "Let''s leave them be." Selene didn''t want to bother with whatever the magical beasts were up to, but she finally figured something out.


    "We can basically determine now that we''re in some domain ruled by dark creatures."


    "But do you know which domain?" I asked.


    "Don''t know..."


    She shook her head. If we could figure out this question too, there would still be hope of getting home.


    "How about capturing a creature to ask?" I suggested a dangerous idea.


    "Where would you find one? Dare to go down amidst that troop?"


    Selene''s voice sounded a little speechless, instantly rebutting me.


    "Uh..."


    I awkwardly glanced around, then brightened up.


    "What about over there?"


    I pointed towards where the magical beast troops had come from.


    "There?"


    Glancing in the direction of my hand, Selene also seemed a little tempted.


    "Let''s go take a look first then."


    Where I pointed was a city, still quite far from our current position.


    Unlike the previous orcish cities, this one didn''t appear too shabby. Many tall, slender spire-like buildings could be seen, densely clustered together.


    Only when flying nearer did we realize those towering slender spires were only on the outskirts, with a gigantic circular pit at its center, seemingly bottomless. Many tunnels seemed to be dug into the pit walls, faintly making out moving creatures within them.


    "You really want to go into this city?"


    Having observed it for a long time from a hill near the gates without recognizing what kind of dark creature city this was, Selene asked.


    Just its external appearance seemed creepy enough. Illuminated by the dim lighting, jade green lights gleamed from the dark spire surfaces, like inverted bone thorns stabbed into the ground, giving a creepy feeling.


    "Or let''s just look for lone stragglers outside the city..."


    I instantly chickened out. I was merely a level 3 shrimp, at the same level as backwater country bumpkins. Couldn''t afford to mess with them, no way.


    "Hmph..."


    Selene gave me a disdainful glare, showing contempt.


    "I''m just being careful!" Seeing her reaction, I justified myself indignantly.


    ...


    But after waiting a long time, not a single dark creature entered or left the city, the exterior seeming perpetually desolate. Not even any guards could be seen.


    "What now? Just continue waiting?"


    Having spent a few hours with Selene even taking out an apple-like fruit to munch on beside me, I instantly lost my calm.


    Eating snacks while I had nothing. Damn rich people.


    "Not many left! Stop looking at me, keep watch for magical beasts below!"


    Noticing me staring at her apple, Selene frowned and turned her back towards me, continuing to nibble.


    "You angels don''t need to eat during the day anyway."


    But I didn''t eat anything last night either! Should have had dinner back at Tethys Town church before leaving.


    Fortunately no longer felt hungry after daybreak. Felt like a plant, no need to eat with sunlight, still full of energy. But I wasn''t green either right, where would photosynthesis come from?


    "Seems something''s moving on the ground."


    Selene suddenly nudged me with her elbow, pointing below with the hand holding her apple.


    Glancing over, I indeed saw a white figure slowly shuffling towards the city gates from afar.


    "That''s..."


    Seeing its appearance clearly as it approached, I instantly gasped.


    "Looks like a skeleton?"


    "And not a human one."


    Selene also turned pale, supplementing.


    "Do you think it can provide any useful information? Probably can''t even talk right."


    I doubtfully asked her, and as expected she shook her head in reply.


    "Undead creatures have no consciousness, only able to act on instinct. This is also my first time seeing a living undead."


    But before the skeleton could get near, the city gates opened a small side door. An upright lizard-like dark creature emerged, holding a huge blade and wildly hacking the skeleton to pieces before stabbing through its skull. After gathering the scattered bones from the ground, it strode off and quickly returned through the door, shut once again.


    "Now what?"


    I turned to Selene in surprise.


    "Aren''t undead fellow dark creatures too? Why slaughter each other?"


    The lizard''s actions reminded me of village guard troops stationed near Norvale, similarly killing any wild beasts nearing the gates, even hauling their carcasses back probably to cook soup.


    "I don''t understand either..."


    Selene was similarly confused by its actions, her dark creature knowledge basically from scriptures lacking actual experience.


    "Keep waiting?"


    I felt I would go crazy soon. No creatures passed by, the one living undead that finally appeared was hacked apart by the gatekeeper for unknown reasons. What kind of logic was this!


    And I could tell the gates would remain shut. Who knew how long we''d stupidly have to keep waiting here!


    "Your intention seems to be sneaking into the city?"


    Seeing my words, Selene wasn''t too certain.


    "Feasible? If not, perhaps you have other ideas that could be tried."


    I expressionlessly asked. If not for that I can''t sit still any longer, I would never consider such methods.

 Vol 2/Chapter 23:sneaking in

    "If we really want to take action, your light element aura would definitely be a big problem. But if your wings are hidden, your aura wouldn''t be too noticeable - about the same level as mine."


    I was just talking, not expecting there to be such a possibility. But seeing her seriously considering sneaking in, I suddenly felt a bit nervous.


    "Why don''t we wait a while more?"


    Hearing that, Selene looked puzzled and gave me an odd look.


    "Weren''t you the one who suggested sneaking in?"


    "We could do more preparation..." I tried to change the topic.


    "Are you chickening out again?"


    Seeing my reaction, Selene suddenly realized and showed a look of disdain again.


    "No way! We''re not strong enough, we just don''t want to take unnecessary risks."


    Provoked by her, I immediately came up with all sorts of reasons to argue back.


    "And I need to ensure your safety. It would be hard to protect you thoroughly once we''re in the city."


    "But this seems to be a rare opportunity. Don''t you want to consider it?"


    Selene had a regretful look, as if it would be a waste to pass up this opportunity if I didn''t sneak into the city.


    "What opportunity?" Hearing her say that, I became a bit curious.


    "Look, there are no guards on top of the city walls now. If we sneak across quietly, we probably wouldn''t be noticed."


    She pointed at the sentry positions on top of the city walls. Indeed, there were no beasts visible and the skies seemed clear too, with no sign of vigilance.


    "But even if we get in, wouldn''t we stand out immediately with our looks?"


    I still didn''t feel convinced yet with just this.


    "That''s why we''ll need these."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Selene took out two cloaks from her storage ring.


    "Well... I guess this could work."


    Although I didn''t want to admit it, seeing the two cloaks instantly increased the feasibility of the plan in my eyes.


    "But wouldn''t we stand out even more?"


    I spotted another loophole - us being the only ones wearing cloaks when most other beasts don''t would make us conspicuous.


    "That''s why we must avoid areas with many dark creatures and target lone ones where possible."


    Selene was clearly impatient, explaining so much just to persuade me. She simply laid out all the key points clearly.


    "Of course, there are still risks with sneaking in like this. But the chances of success are high too. It just depends if you''re willing to take the gamble."


    "If not, you can just wait outside. It''d depend on our luck then - if we''re lucky, we might find other beasts soon. If not, it could take days. Let me make this clear first - our food supplies are limited. Continuing to rough it out in the wilderness would make it hard to fly back even if we find the way."


    "But are you sure that even if we find a lone beast, the two of us would be able to subdue it? And understand what it''s saying?"


    I still felt uneasy about it.


    "I roughly know the strength of beasts. Of course I''d choose softer persimmons to pinch! With me as a level 4 priest, plus you as a level 4 angel, we''d definitely be enough, as long as we avoid the powerful beasts. It''d basically be no issue."


    "As for language, I heard that every intelligent species has their own language. But there''s a common continental language for ease of communication. So we''d definitely be able to understand them."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I felt it''d be better not to mention I''m only at level 3...


    Since preparations were already at this stage, we had basically exhausted all other options. Like Selene, I didn''t want to continue waiting it out in the wilderness either. We''d definitely run out of food in a day or two. I could still barely survive without food, but not Selene. So we had to find a way back quickly.


    At the very least, this plan seemed feasible for now.


    ...


    "Are you sure those dark creatures won''t sense the aura of light elements on us?"


    I put on the cloak Selene took out. It felt slightly big on me.


    "With your wings hidden, your aura should be about the same as mine. As long as they''re not powerful dark creatures, most wouldn''t notice if they don''t pay attention. But if your wings come out, we''d be completely doomed. Even the lowest-level beast within 5m could detect an angel like you."


    Selene sensed my aura again, very satisfied as she nodded.


    "Luckily you''re so weak. That''s why we could possibly sneak by like this."


    I felt unhappy that she had to add that last sentence. I''m so sorry to be this weak!


    With preparations ready, we finally began moving. Since we still needed to fly into the city first, we didn''t wear the cloaks yet to avoid the wings tearing through them.


    The first barrier was the city walls - extremely tall at over 20m, about twice the height of normal city walls I knew. Its surface was also very smooth, reflecting an eerie green glow. I couldn''t tell what materials it was made of.


    I carried Selene and flew upwards, purposely avoiding the direction of the city gates. We entered the city walls through a remote corner instead.


    What appeared before us was a spacious, empty square with no buildings around it. We chose this spot specifically to land without our wings being noticed.


    The slender, tall spires looked densely clustered from afar. But upon entering the city, I realized they were actually quite sparse, scattered in various spots, quite far from where we were. The spaces in between were filled up by shorter buildings of all kinds.


    After ensuring it was safe, I pressed against the corner of a wall, retracted my wings and immediately put on the cloak to conceal myself fully.


    Selene mirrored my actions, draping a cloak over herself too.


    "Now, where do we go to find lone beasts?"


    I looked around. The nearest building was still tens of meters away. It had no lights or even windows, but a gigantic door stood right in front that was tightly shut - looking almost like a coffin.


    "Why don''t we go check the streets?"


    Selene pointed at the gloomy alley in front leading to some unknown place. I nodded in agreement.


    "If we really can''t find any, we could return and try the buildings. I don''t think such creepy houses could be lived in, but for beasts - hard to say."


    After speaking, Selene took the lead walking right in front. I followed close behind. Soon, we realized the alley wasn''t actually very long. After a few tens of meters, there was an intersection leading to what seemed like a wider street.


    "Are cities of dark creatures this complicated too?"


    Turning out of the alley, this street felt somewhat like those in human cities, with a few windows visible on the buildings lining both sides - still all shut tight though.


    "Where have all the beasts gone?"


    I asked in frustration, expecting there to be many beasts gathered in such a large city. Yet we had seen none after walking for so long.


    "Shh, I think I heard something."


    Selene gestured for me to keep quiet. She pointed ahead at a building with an open door. Indistinct voices seemed to be coming from within.


    We sneaked closer to take a peek. Shockingly, there was a tavern-like establishment inside - not just tables and chairs, but a bar counter too. The shelves behind it were lined with all kinds of bottles and jars, looking almost identical to taverns in human cities!


    Only difference was the varying sizes of tables and chairs, some huge while others exquisitely dainty - clearly not for humans to sit on.


    "Seems like more than one beast inside?"


    I could see a lizardman, wolfman and long-horned demon crowded around a corner table, toasting and drinking heartily. I wondered what they were drinking - alcohol too?


    From bits of their conversation, it sounded like they were celebrating some kind of victory parade or triumphant return.


    Witnessing this scene, my worldview started crumbling.


    In this world, I had seen and killed countless beasts while doing quests before. My impression was always that they were ferocious and brutal - basically no different from wild beasts, just more powerful.


    "Do all beasts have intelligence?"


    I whispered to Selene. All this while, I thought common beasts basically had zero IQ and only humanoid dark creatures could speak. But things didn''t seem so simple now.


    "Most low-level non-humanoid beasts don''t normally have intelligence. But the higher the level, the more likely they''ll develop an IQ. Also, how are you gonna interrogate beasts without intelligence?"


    Selene rolled her eyes at me again while taking the chance to give me a lesson in common sense.


    Truthfully, my thinking was stuck on capturing dark elves and such humanoid dark creatures.


    "Actually, mindless beasts are usually the lowest existences in the dark forces. Being disobedient and running around, they mostly get used as cannon fodder. That''s why they turn up everywhere in the human world."


    "But still, this is my first time seeing such a lively side to dark creatures'' lives."


    I deeply agreed with Selene''s surprise. I felt like I had entered an anime world, especially seeing that wolfman reminding me of Pleasant Goat.


    "So what''s our plan now?"


    Clearly this wasn''t a suitable spot with three beasts present, not counting any others that might be behind the bar. Given that they had intelligence, that surely meant they were powerful - definitely not something we could handle.


    "Let''s try elsewhere by." Selene agreed this wasn''t suitable either.


    "If nothing else works, we break into some isolated house... and do this." She made a gesture of striking ruthlessly.


    Aren''t you supposed to be a priest? Why so gangster-like?


    "Why''re there two cavemen sneaking around suspiciously here?"


    Just as we were discussing our next step, a sudden booming and extremely husky voice rang out from behind. A split second later, both Selene and I were simultaneously lifted into the air by our clothes on our backs.

 Being Watched

    "Wa¡ª" I quickly covered my mouth, almost screaming in shock. In front of us was an enormous lizardman, over 3 meters tall. It was one of the three monsters drinking earlier.


    How did he get out so quickly? We just saw him at the table.


    "Huh? Not a caveman."


    When we saw each other, the lizardman also saw our faces hidden under the hoods. He looked confused.


    "So you''re underage dark elves?"


    Being called underage is rather sad...


    A strong, awful smell of dark elements and alcohol wafted from the lizardman, making me dizzy.


    So they really were drinking alcohol. And from his unsteady steps, he was clearly drunk.


    "Mm..."


    Even when drunk, his eyes were still sharp. He was about to let us go when he suddenly noticed something off and picked us up again.


    "Strange, you look too pale..."


    He leaned in to sniff us.


    "And you smell of light elements?"


    Oh no, we''ve been found out! I looked at Selene held in the other hand. She also looked anxious.


    "What do we do?" I mouthed to her.


    Just then, the lizardman suddenly roared towards the tavern, "Hey! Come see these young dark elves tainted by light, two of them!"


    "What light tainting!"


    Only laughter came from the tavern. They didn''t seem to believe him.


    "How can there be light tainting here? You think this is still Elara Woodlands? Hahaha..."


    Luckily they mistook us for being tainted by light. Selene and I exchanged surprised looks hearing Elara Woodlands mentioned in a place like this.


    "You don''t believe me!"


    To our shock, the angry lizardman carried us into the tavern and heavily put us side by side on the chairs in front of the table.


    "See for yourselves! Isn''t it so?"


    "Huh, it really is..."


    The wolfman and demon were stunned, staring at us with their drunk eyes. Finally the wolfman admitted losing the guess.


    "It really stinks! Bro, you win this round. Take them away quickly. This drink''s on me, cheers!"


    He raised a huge cup and poured alcohol into his big mouth.


    "Elder bro... she doesn''t look like... like a dark elf."


    The demon reacted differently, stuttering while pointing at me. He seemed to sense something off, completely ignoring Selene.


    Being so close to the demon, I also felt strangely irritated, as if he was my mortal enemy. I was much more disgusted than with the lizardman and wolfman.


    Oh no, I thought we had fooled them, but things had suddenly turned bad.


    Maybe because he was too drunk, the demon couldn''t focus and kept rubbing his eyes, unable to ascertain my true identity.


    "Strange... what exact... exactly is she..."


    "What do you mean she doesn''t look like one!"Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Unexpectedly, the lizardman got furious at the demon''s words. He slammed the table, spilling all the cups and bottles.


    "I say she looks like one, so she does! Are you denying her just because she''s tainted by light? I, Kurnel, hate discrimination the most!"


    "Calm down, calm down!"


    The wolfman immediately tried to placate Kurnel, fawning over him while pouring him more alcohol.


    "Of course she looks like one! Why wouldn''t she? Big bro is right. I''ve been saying that all along too."


    He then turned to the other side and offered the cup to the demon.


    "But Buck, you were the one who said she didn''t look like one, disrespecting big bro. Drink up!"


    "But I really feel that she''s..."


    Demon Buck took the cup and glanced at me again, still finding things suspicious. But Kurnel cut him off.


    "Stop! If... if you still recognize me as big bro, then lis... listen to me."


    Kurnel spoke righteously, even revealing a hint of sadness.


    "The dark elves have always been our allies. Meeting a calamity like light tainting is already unfortunate enough, some tribes have even gone extinct because of it! We absolutely can''t kick them when they''re down. As long as I, Kurnel''s here, I''ll cover for them. None of you try anything funny with them!"


    He then shouted at the bar, "Another bottle of wine!"


    "Coming!"


    A seductive, tender voice responded. Soon, a succubus emerged from behind the bar carrying an enormous wine bottle.


    She had prominent demon wings on her back and a long, pointed tail trailing behind as she placed the bottle heavily on the table.


    "Please enjoy yourselves."


    She specifically glanced at Selene and me but didn''t do anything else before returning behind the bar.


    "Let me treat you girls to some wine."


    Kurnel took two cups and filled them for us, very enthusiastically.


    "Uh, no need..."


    I was dumbfounded. No way Selene and I could finish those huge cups. We''d pass out for sure. I quickly rejected his offer.


    "Hey! My big bro offers you wine and you disrespect him like that..."


    The wolfman stood up, seemingly ready to scold us.


    "Forget it, they''re not of age yet. It''s fine if they don''t wanna drink. Let''s drink, brothers!"


    Kurnel was very magnanimous, not forcing us and continuing to drink with the wolfman.


    Only Demon Buck kept staring at us doubtfully, but he couldn''t ascertain my true identity.


    "Well... we''ll get going then."


    Seeing Kurnel and the wolfman guzzling more wine and getting even more wasted, I was worried things might go south if we stayed too long. Better leave preemptively.


    "Hmm..."


    Kurnel looked at us blearily and nodded.


    "In the future... if anyone bullies you, report my name... Kurnel..."


    "Yeah... my big bro''s the strongest!"


    The equally drunk wolfman chimed in.


    After they finished, Selene and I hurried out back to the alley intersection, hiding the tavern from view before finally relaxing a bit.


    "That was so dangerous. Those three dark creatures were at least 5th order. We''d definitely lose against them."


    Selene still felt lingering fear. Just now was way too perilous. If they hadn''t been drunk, we''d absolutely be done for.


    "Can''t believe we''d meet such virtuous monsters in a place like this. It''s unbelievable."


    I was also very moved by Kurnel''s words and actions.


    "If Irene met him back then, she probably wouldn''t have insisted on proving her innocence to Nicola."


    Speaking of Irene, I suddenly realized I hadn''t checked on her in a long time.


    "Selene, how has Irene been recently?"


    Seeing me suddenly ask about Irene, Selene was caught unprepared. She paused for a bit before answering.


    "She should be fine. The light elves accepted her right after she met them that day and took her away. Very normal reaction. After all, light elves are dark elves transformed through purification. They generally won''t be discriminated against."


    Hearing there were no issues, I felt relieved and followed Selene towards the square we had descended upon earlier.


    "Are you really gonna break into these houses?"


    I still felt uneasy about these coffin-like houses, worried there might be something horrifying inside. Since we couldn''t find other monsters on the streets, we could only try knocking on doors.


    "Why don''t we try some other houses instead?"


    "But this area''s terrain is most advantageous for us. The houses are spaced far apart so if anything happens, we likely won''t alert others. It''s also easy to escape."


    Selene explained her rationale for choosing this place. It was very sensible, leaving me conflicted.


    "Haha, no more dithering, because I''m going to catch you here!"


    Suddenly, a voice came from above, shocking Selene and me. We looked up to see a creature flapping demon wings in midair.


    That seductive tone and allure in the voice seemed familiar. And the trademark wings and tail confirmed my guess.


    "You''re that succubus server from earlier?"


    "That''s right, little sister even remembers me so quickly."


    The succubus slowly descended onto the square near us, blocking the alley entrance while correcting me.


    "But I''m the owner. Not a server."


    At first I thought she was afraid we''d escape from there. But then I noticed another figure emerge from the small alley behind her.


    "It''s that demon from before."


    Selene sounded very nervous. The other creature was indeed one of the drunken trio who kept doubting my identity, Buck.


    "Why capture us?" Clinging onto some hope, I tried pretending we were innocent. Maybe she''d let us go.


    "Nice try, but you''ve already exposed yourselves. Those three got drunk but I didn''t."


    The succubus scoffed, immediately seeing through our identities.


    "An angel and light elf thinking some flimsy disguises could escape my discerning eyes?"


    I glanced at Selene. I strangely wanted to laugh but forcefully held it in.

 Vol 2/Chapter 25: Run for Life

    "Didn''t Kurnel just declare that we are dark elves polluted by light? So what''s wrong with turning into light elves? And are you sure you didn''t see wrongly that I''m an angel?"


    I was still thinking if I could talk my way out of this incoming disaster and trick them.


    "Hmph, I...I was drunk and couldn''t see clearly, but...Camille definitely didn''t see wrongly, your smell is definitely...definitely an angel no doubt." Finally the demon Buck spoke, but he still didn''t seem sober.


    Hearing this, I knew sweet talking was useless. It looked like we were in big trouble.


    "Why didn''t you make your move back then? Why did you have to follow us after we left?"


    After thinking through everything, I had overlooked this server succubus. We should have flown away immediately after leaving the tavern.


    Angels and demons are destined enemies, the threat they pose to each other can never be erased.


    "Fighting in the tavern would have damaged the furniture. And that idiot Kurnel is too dumb to understand, he might have messed things up."


    As expected, Camille had planned everything. She openly told us her thoughts, then looked to Selene and said:


    "Dark elves polluted by light won''t necessarily turn into light elves, it depends on the extent of pollution. No matter what happened before, since you''ve become a light elf means you have an inseparable link with this angel."


    "You''re now the enemy. Light and dark cannot coexist. Catching you and handing you to Lady Michelle will be a great achievement. Don''t blame me for being ruthless."


    The opponent even had a whole set of excuses prepared. So this is what they mean by villains talking a lot?


    But no matter how much they say, there''s nothing we can use. They came to catch us, how could they possibly let Selene go just because of a few words from me.


    It looked like a fight was inevitable. To be honest, I don''t think we can beat the two dark creatures even with Selene and my Purification skill.


    That demon Buck is at least 5th order, while Camille is at least 4th order. We are completely outmatched in strength. My plan is to throw out a Purification shot and run.


    I exchanged looks with Selene to confirm she understood my plan. She immediately knew what I meant.


    Fight!


    I first deactivated the concealment on my wings and immediately threw out two Purification light spheres at them. As expected, they weren''t eating this set, Camille flew upwards while Buck dodged to the side.


    Now! Seizing the moment they were evading, Selene had already run to my side. I grabbed her with one arm and turned to fly out of the city wall behind us.


    But a figure had already blocked our way.


    "Want to run? I already noticed your intentions. So just a four-winged angel huh."


    Camille flapped her demonic wings, stopping in midair in front of us with a smug smile.


    She was alone. I thought we could still fly through the gaps, but suddenly a fiery red figure shot up from below. It was Buck! He jumped up to our level and threw a fist at me.


    I couldn''t let him hit me. I knew his blow was more than I could take. In desperation, I threw another Purification forward and kicked at him.


    "This idiot..." I heard Camille curse.


    The moment Buck pounced, seeing the situation he couldn''t stop anymore.


    He had no wings. With nothing to leverage on in midair, he had nowhere to dodge. Getting hit by Purification completely stripped his defences. My kick then sent him flying down.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Damn Purification again. Ahh--!"


    A pained expression spread on the demon''s face. In midair, he was hit by the two light spheres I threw initially. Taking three Purifications at once greatly weakened his dark aura, and he smashed straight into a house below.


    "That easy?" I was dumbfounded. I won so quickly I didn''t expect it. What happened to him being ranked 5?


    "There''s still me!"


    Unfortunately now wasn''t the time to be stunned. I just heard a ripping sound from behind as a whip lashed at me. Caught unprepared, I turned but still couldn''t dodge fully in time. My shoulder was struck in an instant.


    Massive force surged through me. I felt my whole right side go numb and stumbled unsteadily in midair.


    "Buck was drunk and got hit after idiotically jumping into the sky. I won''t give you that chance."


    Camille''s sneak attack succeeded and she didn''t stop, immediately chasing after me.


    Right before I hit the ground, I finally regained my senses. Flapping all four wings forcefully, I narrowly hovered less than half a meter above the ground.


    I''ve already experienced falling from high altitudes many times. Now I was extremely adept at it.


    But her whip just now really was vicious. My whole struck right side still had no sensation whatsoever.


    I clenched my teeth at the intense pain hitting my right shoulder. Felt like tears could burst from just that pain. I lowered my head to check Selene in my left arm. Luckily she was on my left so wasn''t injured, and she gripped me tightly enough not to get flung off while falling.


    Selene wasn''t idle either. Seeing my mangled shoulder, she immediately chanted recovery magic to heal me.


    Run!


    I only had this one thought now. That demon Buck still hadn''t emerged from the building. Maybe heavily injured or held up by something. Right now was a good chance to escape.


    I threw a Purification at the diving Camille to make her dodge, then immediately fled the moment she did.


    Couldn''t escape by air with our way blocked. So we could only run on the ground. The small alley now had no obstructions whatsoever. I turned and dove right in.


    "Don''t run if you dare!"


    I heard Camille''s resentful yell behind me. She looked about to catch up. Without another word, I threw several more Purification spheres behind me.


    I discovered this Purification skill was really useful. Even high-order creatures like her didn''t dare tank it directly, and it had auto-tracking, making it hard to dodge.


    As if!


    Reality immediately slapped my face. Camille seeing my barrage of Purifications didn''t keep dodging. Her palm suddenly held a black orb that she stretched out front. Those Purifications were instantly attracted to it and absorbed without a ripple.


    "You thought I don''t have ranged attacks?" She coldly snorted, then flung that black orb at us. Fortunately the speed wasn''t fast, and it didn''t get attracted like my Purifications. I easily avoided it.


    "What is this crap!" I was completely dumbfounded. She actually had a way to counter and return my attack! Those few Purifications just now drained huge amounts of my light aura.


    Now in this environment, even if it was day the thick clouds blocked most sunlight. I immediately felt inadequate aura recovery and more fatigue.


    Crap, I was completely panicking now. Although the right half of my body slowly recovered under Selene''s healing, Camille still chased us. It was only a matter of time before she caught us.


    "Faster!" Selene anxiously spurred me on.


    So an angel and succubus chased each other through city alleys, occasionally lobbing spheres as greetings. Damn thing is, she really flew faster than me. This made me glad I didn''t fly out of the city initially. Without terrain blocking and slowing, she''d definitely catch us in no time.


    But even so, unfamiliar roads still often tripped me up. Each dead end forced me upwards. Nearly caught but desperately pulling sharp 150-degree turns nearly dropping vertically into another alley.


    The angelic aura agitated many housing beasts into roaring, adding to our panic.


    "We''re done for!" I yelled at Selene while flying, throwing another backhanded Purification.


    "I tried my best already okay, don''t blame me if you die! You promised to bring me back safely. And you still owe me money!" But she kept up our mid-chase argument, that girl really kept pestering me.


    Although she helped obstruct Camille by throwing several Holy Smites, the actual effect was terribly useless. They lack homing, and even direct hits barely damaged Camille.


    At first Camille still dodged a little, but later got too lazy to even dodge. She just tanked them without any noticeable drop in speed.


    "She dares disrespect me!"


    Seeing her attacks completely ignored seemed to greatly injure Selene''s pride. Stowing her staff without healing me further, she started chanting an extremely long spell.


    Can''t she stay still in my grip... If not for my strong hold she''d have dropped ages ago.


    I''d seen this move of hers before against Minos, but the effect was awful.


    "Radiant Blast!"


    As expected. When that massive radiant orb fired out the staff, Camille didn''t dare tank this. She immediately dodged, but the buildings behind were not so lucky. A series of huge craters blasted through over ten homes.


    "What a waste!" I laughed bitterly. Although it delayed her briefly, it was but a fleeting reprieve. Soon she''d catch up again. And I felt Selene''s light aura nearly completely depleted from that one move. Really not worth it at all.


    "So you were originally a human mage!"


    Due to casting, Selene''s cloak hood got blown off, revealing her ears. Camille realized she wasn''t the light elf she assumed, now absolutely furious.


    "I can''t believe you tricked me too!"


    Wonderful, she seemed even faster now all riled up. And ahead was a long straight alley. The next turn was still very far.


    Crap, I felt she''d catch us soon. Now completely out of tricks and stamina. I could only close my eyes awaiting the impending trial.

 Saved

    "Ahhhhh!"


    A scream suddenly came from behind me. I looked back and saw that Camille, who was chasing right behind me, had crashed head-first into the wall of a nearby house. She was stuck in there for quite a while.


    "Who ambushed me?!"


    Her angry roar came out from the pile of rubble. This time I saw it - two flashes of white light shot into the rubble, followed by a long wail from the succubus.


    "Who was that....."


    Selene had seen it too. She looked in the direction the lights had come from and noticed two figures standing behind the roof of the house to the left.


    One of the figures looked familiar to me. They waved at us and pointed at the base of the nearest tall, slender tower, then jumped off the roof and disappeared instantly.


    "I guess they want us to go there to find them?" Selene said to me.


    "Yeah."


    I nodded. I looked back at Camille - she didn''t seem to be seriously injured but was probably stuck in the rubble for now.


    I quickly brought Selene over the rooftops to another small alley, taking a few more turns before finally losing our pursuer.


    "Hide your wings quickly! Otherwise we''ll easily be found again."


    As soon as we landed, Selene reminded me. So we had to walk the rest of the way to the tower the figure had pointed to.


    "Who was that figure on the roof?" I asked Selene softly as we walked.


    When we first entered the city, we were hoping to find a lone monster. But now, I desperately hoped we wouldn''t run into any more monsters.


    "Looked a bit like Adrian."


    Selene wasn''t sure either, but she seemed to notice something familiar from the figure''s actions and skills.


    "Adrian? How could he possibly be here?" I thought I had misheard. After all, Selene and I had crossed over to this place. And wasn''t Adrian with Brennan on the front lines? There''s no way he could be here!


    "Are you sure you didn''t get it wrong?"


    "I think I might have gotten it wrong too." Even Selene herself couldn''t believe what she sensed.


    "But the way he shot the arrow, and the power behind it, it really looked like him..."


    "You could tell it was an arrow?"


    I was shocked and turned around. I didn''t even know those flashes of light were arrows!


    "Yeah, maybe you were too focused on the succubus to notice."


    Selene seemed very certain in her reply to me.


    "I realized after the first attack. That kind of light was clearly an arrow infused with light magic - it''s Adrian''s go-to move."


    If that''s the case, then it really might be Adrian after all. I immediately recalled the sense of familiarity I felt after seeing the figure.


    "Oh well, no point guessing. We''ll find out when we get there."


    I really couldn''t figure out how Adrian could possibly have come to this place. Could he have also crossed over somehow? That would be too absurd!


    With the huge tower as our guide, there was no way we would get lost even with the maze of alleyways. After madly sprinting down the streets for about half an hour, we finally arrived at the base of the tower without catching sight of a single monster along the way.


    There was a huge circular plaza here with the tower base at the center. No other buildings or facilities could be seen. Not a soul was around the plaza. Selene and I stood dumbly at the edge, not knowing what to do next.


    "There!"


    I suddenly caught sight of a figure at the entrance of another alley to our left, waving at us. Without hesitation, I brought Selene straight towards them.  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Adrian!"


    As soon as we turned the corner, I saw the figure''s face clearly - it really was him!


    "It''s really you two? Feliciana and Selene!"


    Seeing us after we removed our hoods, Adrian was also greatly shocked.


    In this place filled with monsters, meeting a familiar face felt incredible. Selene and I were so emotional we nearly cried.


    "Shhh! Keep it down."


    He gestured for us to stay quiet, then led us down the alley.


    "How are you in this place?" Selene asked the question we desperately wanted to know.


    "I''m actually wondering the same thing, meeting you two here is so bizarre."


    Adrian walked ahead of us and replied softly.


    "What is this place anyway?" I couldn''t hold back anymore and threw out another question. I felt like there were so many things we needed him to explain, and I didn''t even know which one to ask first.


    "Let''s talk more when we get to where my companions are hiding." Adrian seemed to also have many questions for us, but he had more patience to wait.


    "Companions?" I picked up on his keyword.


    "You''re not alone?"


    "That''s right, there''s a small team of us in this city." His reply delighted Selene and I. To have so many reinforcements on our side greatly lifted our sense of security.


    "So Brennan''s here too?" I immediately thought of the redhead who had joined the army with him.


    "No, Brennan''s not here. He didn''t come to this place with us."


    To my disappointment, Adrian shook his head in denial.


    "I see." I was a little letdown, thinking I would get to meet another familiar face.


    "We''re here."


    Adrian brought us in and out of intersections until he finally stopped in front of a row of houses near the city wall.


    "Where?"


    Selene and I looked at each other in confusion. We didn''t see anyone on this street.


    "Just a moment."


    Adrian said. He walked up to the second door from the intersection and stood still.


    He then lightly knocked on the door three times, paused for a second, then knocked once more.


    The door was gently opened from the inside. Adrian gestured for us to go over, then walked in first himself.


    Just as I stepped through the door frame and peeked inside...


    "Hurry in!"


    I felt someone grab Selene and me and yank us in. The door behind us closed up again swiftly.


    "Which one of them is the angel you mentioned?"


    As soon as we entered the house, I realized we were surrounded by several people - one, two, three, four...five including Adrian.


    There were two girls and two boys, all looking quite young. Only one of the boys, who was dressed like a swordsman, appeared slightly more mature.


    The question came from one of the girls about Selene''s age. She was also dressed like a mage and looked rather cute, holding a magic wand in her hand. She didn''t seem to be from the Church though.


    "Should be her." The other girl dressed in tight-fitting clothes replied, pointing at me. She was the one who had pulled Selene and me inside just now. Since she could recognize me as an angel at first glance, she was likely the other figure on the rooftop earlier.


    "Huh? But she doesn''t have any wings?" The mage girl curiously circled around me, as if trying to find my wings.


    "I put them away." My scalp tingled a little as I realized almost every pair of eyes in the room was staring at me intently.


    "You can put away your wings?" Hearing this, everyone immediately started murmuring to each other, seemingly unaware that was possible.


    "She''s injured!" The other boy carrying a shield, who also had a sword at his waist like me, noticed the wound on my right shoulder.


    I looked down and saw that the whip had slashed through both my cloak and the clothes underneath, exposing the skin beneath.


    Although Selene had healed me earlier, the injury wasn''t fully recovered yet. It still hurt, but at least the bleeding had stopped and the sensation had returned. My shoulder could even move a bit.


    "I didn''t notice you were hurt!"


    Seeing this, Adrian hurriedly pulled me to a table in the room and had me sit down. I took off my cloak while Selene remembered to heal me again.


    "Let Eleanora do it, she''s a water mage."


    The girl in the tight clothes suggested. Hearing this, the mage girl immediately came over with wand in hand, softly chanting a spell. Soon, blue light glowed from the wand. I felt a surge of water elemental power gather within it - the magic looked much more advanced than Selene''s healing spell.


    As expected, under the blue glow, I saw the wound on my shoulder visibly healing at a rapid pace. Within just over ten seconds, it was completely healed without a trace.


    "That''s high level water healing magic!"


    Standing beside me and witnessing everything, Selene couldn''t help but sigh enviously.


    "You should change into a new top too."


    After completing the treatment, Eleanora smiled slightly at Selene in agreement. She then somehow managed to produce a piece of clothing out of thin air and handed it to me.


    So they were all rich people with storage rings...


    "Thank you..."


    As I received the clothing, I suddenly felt extremely moved. Being called ''Chicken Angel'' everyday by that damn Selene, it was nice to finally have someone address me as Lady Angel.


    "Tch, no character."


    Seeing my reaction, Selene scoffed disdainfully next to me.


    What terrible timing! Can''t you let me have some face?


    ¡°Is there anywhere I can change into this?¡± With everyone¡¯s eyes focused intently on me, I certainly didn¡¯t dare change openly. But since no one spoke up, I had to take the initiative to ask.


    ¡°There¡¯s a small room over there, you can go inside...¡± The swordsman finally spoke up, pointing to a door in the corner of the room we were in.


    ¡°You¡¯re Alfreed? The Kingdom¡¯s 5th Legion¡¯s chief swordsman!¡±


    It was only now that Selene noticed the swordsman. She suddenly became extremely excited.


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re my idol!¡±


    What is going on here? Still fangirling at a time like this?


    What happened to your noble grace? Isn''t Nicola still your number one?


    I shot her a nasty glare. Seeing Selene''s starry gaze and shrieks of delight at that Alfreed or whatever his name was, it looked like she was about to throw herself at him. Poor guy was so embarrassed he kept dodging away.


    Husband-hopper!


    "Quiet down!"


    Seeing this, the others quickly stopped her before she did anything more outrageous. The two girls pulled Selene back so she wouldn''t cause any more trouble.


    I sneaked a grin and got up to head into the little room to change.

 Teammates

    When the door opened again, I had already put on Eleanora''s dress and walked out.


    Wearing women''s clothing has truly become second nature to me. I feel quite skilled at casually putting on a dress and walking out unfazed, though I suddenly feel somewhat embarrassed at this as a former boy.


    Why do mage girls like wearing dresses so much? Both Selene and Eleanora often wear them, and even Vivianne has many, frequently asking me if they look good.


    The clothes I bought for myself in the capital are more practical adventure garb, though not menswear, leaning more gender-neutral.


    "You really do look prettier after changing outfits." Selene rarely compliments upon seeing my attire.


    "What on earth were you wearing before!"


    The others also nod in agreement.


    "Well excuse me then!" I huff at Selene. We really are destined not to get along if you''re critiquing my fashion too.


    "Are you feeling better?" Adrian looks concerned as I emerge, asking kindly,


    "If you''re tired, you can go rest upstairs first."


    Upstairs refers to the second floor accessible by a stairwell near the entrance.


    "No need." I shake my head. It''s still daytime, so even with less light element from the blocked sunlight, my strength can recover quickly.


    "Then let''s introduce ourselves first..." Seeing I''m fine, Adrian doesn''t push it and turns to his teammates,


    "You all know me already, no need for that."


    "I''m Blanche, 5th tier Brawler." The girl who opened the door goes first.


    "I''m Hayden, 4th tier Guardian Knight." Says the boy with the shield.


    "I''m Eleanora, 4th tier Water Mage." Though I know her name, Eleanora introduces herself again.


    "Alfred, 6th tier Swordsman."


    Hearing 6th tier, I glance at him again. That''s quite a high rank, on par with the Adventure Society''s Strength Tester.


    "I actually just got 6th tier certification recently, don''t be too surprised. Treat me as 5th tier."


    Seeing my expression, he smiles lightly and explains calmly.


    "Still very impressive." I open my mouth, wanting to compliment more, but don''t know what else to say.


    Having finished their introductions, it''s now Selene and my turn.


    "I''m Selene, 4th tier Priest."


    Selene eagerly stands to my right, with Alfred on her other side. I suspect she positioned herself there to get close to her idol.


    "I''m Feliciana..." Oh no, this embarrassing 3rd tier! I hem and haw, finally deciding to sidestep the awkward issue with an alternative phrasing.


    "4-winged Angel."


    "Great, now we''re all 4th tier and above!" Blanche excitedly comments. Higher strength means better survival odds in this beastly environment.


    "Hahaha, yes indeed..." I force an awkward laugh while turning my face away in shame.


    Back in school I was at least middle-of-the-pack, but to experience being dead last here is truly humiliating.   Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "Blanche suddenly came back early today and told us she rescued an angel and human being chased by monsters in the city. I thought I misheard her, truly unbelievable."


    Eleanora still seems immersed in the joy of discovering allies, though to me her words feel more like stabs.


    "How did you notice us?" Selene somewhat foolishly asks the obvious.


    "You two caused such a huge commotion in the city. Blanche and I were out scouting and of course saw it."


    Adrian unsurprisingly answers matter-of-factly.


    "But why didn''t Selene and I see many dark creatures in the city?" I ask curiously. Considering the vast city, we flew over nearly half of it yet only encountered four monsters total.


    "The monsters here only come out at night. You''ll see then." Alfred resolves my question, pointing at the outside door.


    "Don''t go out at night, or you''ll easily be discovered."


    "No wonder we couldn''t find a lone one!" Hearing that, Selene seems greatly annoyed. "How did I not think of that! Without sunlight at night, the dark element concentrates more, naturally better suited for monster activity."


    "How did you find this house? Aren''t you afraid the owner will discover you?" I look around. This clearly originally belonged to a small-sized dark race.


    I already surveyed the layout and furnishings when first entering and changing clothes in the back room. It''s quite similar to a normal human residence but has a few windows, though the ceiling seems a bit low, under 2 meters at most.


    Aside from basic tables, chairs, and stools, the room lacks any other furniture, not even beds, just many earthenware jars and pots on the floor. The cabinets are simply hollows carved into the walls. The whole atmosphere feels quite primitive.


    "Well, originally there was an owner here..." Eleanora seems a bit embarrassed explaining this.


    "Shortly after arriving, a cave goblin returned. Seeing us making a ruckus, it wanted to attack..."


    "Then the captain slaughtered him and threw the body outside." Before Eleanora can meander on, Blanche interjects bluntly with the outcome. The captain she refers to is likely Alfred.


    While I do feel ambushing someone''s home and wiping them out is a bit inhumane, desperate times call for desperate measures. Moreover, the good versus evil outlook seems normal in this world, so I guess no one feels guilty about it. Eleanora showing some concern is already quite admirable.


    "Weren''t you afraid of the body being discovered outside?" Selene asks, puzzled.


    "That was the intent, so more dark creatures came to investigate the room afterwards. Seeing no one, they left."


    I see, creating an illusion of abandonment to deter disturbances. At least for now, that will keep other beasts from harassing them.


    "Could you tell us then how you arrived at this place?"


    With basic introductions done, Alfred broaches the key issue. Everyone''s expressions turn serious as they turn their gazes onto Selene and me.


    Seeing Selene perfectly content beside her idol and disinclined to talk, I realize I''ll have to do it myself.


    "It started when I accepted the mission from the Adventure Guild..."


    I then give a relatively detailed account of everything Selene and I experienced from yesterday until now.


    "I have a question!" Hayden the shield-bearer raises his hand first after hearing it, looking quite young but can''t be too weak if he''s 4th tier.


    "Why would an angel take missions at the Adventure Society?"


    Uh... why are you leading with these gossipy questions?


    I''m very troubled about how to respond. Should I honestly admit it''s because I''m poor and can only earn money by constantly working missions? That would likely invite further nosy questioning though.


    "Feliciana has amnesia so can''t return to the angel homeland of Edenmere. She lives in the capital, for now, taking the occasional mission to pass time."


    Fortunately, Adrian provides a tactful response neatly sidestepping complications.


    "So you still don''t know how you arrived at this place?"


    Finally, a more sensible question from Eleanora.


    "That''s right!" I nod. "Although we realized a spatial transfer occurred after daybreak, we''re totally clueless about the actual transportation method, location, and timing."


    "Seems quite different from how we got here." Blanche and Alfred share a look, apparently reaching some consensus.


    "And pretty far removed too!" Eleanora supplements.


    "On both sides."


    "Could it be you know what''s going on and where we are?"


    Not just me, Selene also picks up on it, instantly perking up since this pertains to our foremost concern right now.


    "We still have some uncertainties ourselves..." Alfred forces a wry laugh, looking somewhat helpless.


    "But there are things we understand better than you. First, based on our investigation, this place is likely called the Dark Continent, seemingly an isolated region apart from the Eldoria Continent, though its exact orientation remains unknown."


    "The Dark Continent..." Hearing the name, it rings faintly familiar to Selene. Soon she recalls, "Our Church scriptures have mentioned it! The dark creatures'' homeland is said to be on the Dark Continent, rumored to hold a gateway to Hell. To think we''ve ended up at such a place."


    "Is that so? As expected, your True Church knows quite a lot regarding these matters."


    Alfred strokes his nose with a knowing look.


    "Then how did you get sent here? We didn''t notice anything abnormal while flying last night, so how could we have crossed over?" This still greatly puzzles me. The Dark Continent seems tremendously far from the Astral Kingdom, so figuring that out may enable us to return.


    "There''s something you seem to have misunderstood from the start."


    At this, Alfred''s lips curl into a faint smile.


    "Because you didn''t actually cross over at all."


    "We didn''t cross over?" Selene and I yell out simultaneously in utter puzzlement.

 Traversing Space? Being Traversed?

    I was so shocked to hear this answer from him that I could hardly believe my own ears.


    Ever since confirming that Selene and I were definitely not in the Astralrealm Kingdom, I had been convinced that this bizarre experience was caused by us traversing across space. Even if we did not cross into another world, at least traversing within this world would have been my conclusion.


    However, Alfreed was now telling me that this was not spatial displacement at all. I was utterly confused.


    Wait, if this wasn''t spatial traversal...


    "Is it time then? Do you mean we have traversed across time?" I tried asking. Having been influenced by all kinds of online TV dramas, my mind raced to another possibility quite quickly.


    If it was merely a problem of the time being off, that would also make complete sense. For example, we could be in some distant past or future thousands or millions of years from when we took on the mission back in the capital city. But that would make returning even more troublesome.


    "No...you''re overthinking things," Alfreed said with some amusement, seemingly not expecting me to think of the time aspect.


    "Sorry, I must not have expressed myself clearly earlier."


    He then reiterated what he said:


    "It''s not that you traversed space while up in the sky. Rather, it''s that space itself moved you here."


    "Space itself moved us here?" Selene and I exchanged confused glances.


    Although I didn''t get it at first, when prompted like that, I started to catch his meaning.


    To be honest, traversing space and space itself moving us sounds the same at first glance. But if you think about it a little, there are still subtle differences between them.


    Traversing space generally refers specifically to me passing through some spatial rift or portal to arrive in another space. It implies an active crossing.


    Whereas space itself moving us means a chunk of space carried me through to another space. That indicates a passive teleportation.


    While both can achieve the effect of switching spaces, the principles behind them are somewhat different. I had thought all along that Selene and I were the first type - inadvertently actively passing through a spatial rift to arrive here.


    But the truth was that it was the second type - being passively moved to this place.


    "So you mean...a chunk of space moved us here?" But from Selene''s expression, she didn''t seem to have wrapped her head around it yet.


    "Then why didn''t we feel anything while up in the sky?"


    "No, it didn''t happen in the sky."


    I shook my head. According to this line of thinking, there was already an answer as to where the traversing happened.


    "If I''m not wrong...we were already moved to this Dark Continent when we were still in Tethys Town?"


    "That should be the case!" Alfreed said approvingly, seemingly pleasantly surprised that I could figure it out so quickly.


    "That would also explain the dark pollution in Tethys Town."


    I let out a breath and looked at Selene. Although she didn''t understand it at first, with Adrian and the rest explaining it to her, she soon grasped it too.


    "The dark elements had long existed on this Dark Continent. It was because the entirety of Tethys Town was suddenly moved here that it got eroded by the surrounding dark elements. That''s what caused so many people to fall ill."


    This inference perfectly explained why the concentration of dark elements suddenly spiked from all directions last night.


    "Actually, the mountain range where Tethys Town was located should have thick vegetation, with terrain very different from this continent. If you didn''t fly above the clouds, when passing through the boundary of the spatial transfer, you should have noticed something amiss."


    Alfreed pointed out a blind spot in our handling of this incident. It was precisely because we sensed the dark clouds and thought it would rain that Selene prompted me to ascend, causing us to miss the chance to observe the changes on the ground.   The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "That''s not necessarily the case! Visibility under the clouds was so poor, plus it was nighttime and pitch black. It''s very possible we wouldn''t have seen anything." Selene obviously wouldn''t take it lying down and retorted.


    But she did have a point too. Even after we descended under the clouds later on, we only noticed the completely different terrain after flying close to the ground.


    "Then there''s another question. Since Tethys Town was moved to this barren land, it must have taken up a huge area of space. So where did that original space go? Could it be..."


    I suddenly thought of another overlooked blind spot.


    "Did the spaces swap positions?"


    "Bingo! You finally realized it." At this point, Adrian joined in the conversation, smiling at me as he said, "Didn''t you keep asking how we got here? Well, there''s your answer. We came the same way."


    "Then tell us about what happened on your end," Alfreed said, seeing that Selene and I more or less understood things. He got Blanche, who had kept silent all this while, to be the spokesperson to describe what they had experienced.


    "Yes, Captain." Upon hearing that, Blanche promptly cleared her throat and slowly began narrating:


    "Ever since this wave of magical beast attacks began, the top priority mission for us in the 5th Legion was to provide support to the other legions battling at the borders."


    "However, when passing through the Atrlu Gorge in the Karga Mountain Range on our way to link up with the 2nd Legion troops stationed at the borders, we were ambushed by a huge number of magical beasts, suffering massive casualties."


    "Karga Mountain Range? Atrlu Gorge?" Hearing these few place names, I frowned, having absolutely no impression of those locations or where they were.


    "The Karga Mountain Range is a mountain range spanning the entire Astralrealm Kingdom from southeast to northwest, almost a thousand kilometers long. Its northern tip - the Atrlu Gorge - happens to be just within the national borders, near where the 5th Legion troops are stationed."


    "As for Tethys Town, it also lies in the midst of this mountain range, to the southeast of the Atrlu Gorge. There''s a huge stretch of highlands separating them, around 150 kilometers apart."


    Seeing my confusion, Adrian specifically explained the geographical information of those two locations. Only after I indicated I understood did Blanche continue her account:


    "Even though many lives were lost before we finally retreated successfully, we had to get to the bottom of how those magical beasts bypassed the border armies to ambush our rear position. After investigation, we concluded they probably utilized spatial magic to launch sneak attacks. Hence, we promptly collaborated with other legions to organize a swift raid of the enemy stronghold within the Atrlu Gorge. Although we eventually slaughtered almost all of them, we also paid a grievous price."


    "We assumed that would be the end of it. But strangely, on the next day itself, news came from a nearby township south of the mountains by the Atrlu Gorge about discovery of many magical beasts fleeing in panic there. Although they were successfully intercepted and exterminated by the local garrison troops, magical beasts appeared again on the third day, this time further south...Anyway, it seemed like the teleportation exit points were moving further and further south."


    "With this development, our initial conjecture of the enemies utilizing magic to open up spatial channels to send magical beasts over became a lot more dubious. Usually such magic consumes an enormous amount of mana, has a very limited duration, and cannot transport a large military force. Plus the exits have huge margins of error in the destination - in summary, there were many constraints."


    "Thus, the enemies'' continual relocation and massive guerilla-style infiltration tactics were clearly highly contradictory with our existing understanding of spatial magic. Simply put, even if the enemies could freely teleport their armies here, why would they need to adhere to a sequential trajectory of transport locations? Why not teleport to even more distant regions instead of remaining within the Karga Mountain Range?"


    "Therefore, we suspect that the enemy might be carrying some kind of magical device that can accurately fix spatial coordinates and transport larger numbers. The spots where it appears become the temporary openings of the teleportation exits."


    "Hence, to ascertain this conjecture and seize that magical device, the legions notified militias throughout the region to be vigilant. Concurrently, they also dispatched several squads for hot pursuit, including our squad. After rushing day and night, we finally caught up to them near the Hinnib Valley within the Karga Mountain Range."


    "This Hinnib Valley is less than 100 kilometers northwest of Tethys Town..."


    Upon hearing the term Hinnib Valley, I took out the task card in bewilderment to check its location on the simple map.


    "Around here." Adrian immediately pointed out a approximate position to me.


    "By the time we arrived at Hinnib Valley, we quickly discovered a massive underground cavern amidst the woods. We had never known such a gigantic subterranean structure lay hidden within this small valley, and my companions and I were shocked speechless. The cavern walls were carved full of tunnels winding around the hollow space. At that time, there didn''t seem to be many magical beasts inside, only some Kobolds. Hence, we decided to storm the cavern to investigate..."


    "Hold it...this cavern you described sounds awfully familiar," I interrupted Blanche''s account, as the impression was deeply etched in my mind. It didn''t take me long to recall where I had seen it.


    "Could it be the one at the city center?"


    "That''s right, it''s the very same one," my conversation partner smiled and affirmed my guess before continuing his narrative:


    "But we had barely stepped into it when Eleanora, who was at the back, first noticed something amiss. She saw many slender towers appear in the sky and we immediately conducted an all-round retreat. Upon emerging from underground, we realized the surrounding mountain forests had vanished. In their place was a dense cluster of buildings."


    "In light of such a drastic transformation, we didn''t dare enter the cavern anymore, only able to conceal ourselves temporarily amidst those structures. After investigation, we discovered we were actually in a city occupied by magical beasts."


    "So all of you arrived here through such circumstances..." Having heard their experience, everything finally became clear to me. No wonder they could easily uncover the truth - after all, they had witnessed the entire shifting process after being moved here together with the cavern.

 Summary

    "So you actually infiltrated this city without being discovered?" Selene couldn''t help asking.


    "We probably weren''t directly seen," Adrian recalled what had happened earlier.


    "But we killed a cave dweller by the pit, if its corpse was found it would definitely raise alerts. They probably aren''t clear if we were transported over or not."


    "How long have you been here?" I asked curiously, seeing how familiar he was with the area, it seemed like more than just a day or two.


    "About a week probably," Adrian said helplessly. "After we arrived, through various investigations, we found out the locals call this place Val City."


    "At first we wanted to find a chance to get close to that spatial hole, to find a way back. But there were never any more spatial exchanges there afterwards, and the number of beasts in the pit lessened a lot too. We thought the other side had given up on transporting things over. Until we discovered all of you..."


    "Yes, it looks like they were suspecting someone was infiltrating, but they didn''t give up. They probably just changed locations, otherwise we wouldn''t have ended up here either," I nodded and said feelingly.


    "Have you made contact with the dark creatures here too?"


    "Yes, these magic beasts are generally only sensitive to light and dark elements. Our bodies basically have no light elemental traces, so with some minor disguises we won''t be found out," Blanche generously shared with me the experience she''d gained mixing in this city. I secretly frowned to myself, this experience was basically useless to me as an angel.


    "If it wasn''t for your appearance, I''d have thought I''d be stuck here forever," Eleanora suddenly chimed in. Her words said ''we'' but her eyes were full of hope staring at me, seeming to have great expectations that I would save everyone and escape this place.


    But how was that possible, even though we came, we were just two more victims. Thinking that we might even drag them down, I felt extremely awkward.


    "Alright, let''s summarize," Alfreed suddenly spoke up. Everyone immediately stopped their chaotic discussion and quietly listened to him start analyzing.


    "Based on our experiences and Miss Feliciana''s descriptions, we guess the other side has some kind of two-way spatial positioning device. Its effect exchanges space between the Dark Continent and the Astralrealm Kingdom, transporting beasts over. This kind of device should be a pair, one on each side to locate space. The controlling one should be on the Dark Continent side."


    "The Kingdom side device should be small, carried by beasts mainly for positioning. The size of this side''s device isn''t clear since there are control parts, it''s estimated to be bigger. But it should still be movable."


    "The Kingdom side device seems to move to Tethys town now. There''s something strange about the Kingdom side device''s current position..." Saying this, Alfreed suddenly lowered his head with a confused expression, seeming to have encountered something difficult to explain.


    "Previously in the Kingdom, we encountered beasts appearing then immediately transferring to the next spot within a day, hard to track and encircle. But from when the church got reports to when Miss Feliciana left town, several days passed. And during this time there were at least two spatial exchanges in that original location. Could the beast carrying the device stay there?"


    "No, it might be dead," I suddenly recalled a key piece of information I hadn''t shared earlier. At the time I didn''t know what happened so thought it was unrelated to us being moved here. But it seems very relevant now.


    "You mean the incident of Cain killing the beast?" Selene also noticed and uncertainly asked me.


    "Very likely! The beast he killed very possibly carried the spatial positioning device!"


    I grit my teeth, blaming that village ruffian of the same rank for causing trouble!


    That beast narrowly escaped countless pursuers and with great difficulty arrived near the town, but happened to bump into Cain and died.


    Then the device stayed in that area. So when the Dark Continent side activated spatial exchange, the whole town got moved over.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    If he hadn''t killed that beast, it would have left town in a day tops. By the time we arrived, we wouldn''t have gotten caught up in this.


    "How could a beast carrying the positioning device be killed by a mere 3rd rank villager? Shouldn''t beasts with such an important role be quite strong?" Hayden asked puzzledly.


    "It''s hard to say in this situation," Adrian thought for a bit and answered. He was very experienced and quickly understood the various key points.


    "After all, it was probably already injured after countless encirclements. And traversing hundreds of kilometers of mountainous terrain in just a few days, its strength must have been greatly depleted. How much it had left is impossible to determine. Unluckily running into something beyond its capability is also very normal."


    "Then why not have someone else carry it?" I raised another doubt. If they could exchange space, they should have been able to switch carriers right? If the beast carrying the device on the Kingdom side was too injured to go on, swap it out upon arrival!


    "That was probably related to us being transported here," Adrian didn''t think of this point either at first. After I brought it up, he contemplated briefly before having an epiphany.


    "After we were unintentionally teleported here, their alert level rose. There were no more spatial exchanges at the deep pit, and it probably took them a few days to move the device out of the city. Calculating the time between when darkness first appeared at Tedress Town and when the beast could have moved there from the Hinnib Valley, it fits pretty well."


    "That''s just too unlucky!" Hearing this, Eleanora couldn''t help but complain.


    "..."


    Everyone was speechless for a time, not knowing what to say. That was the number one target in the Kingdom army''s sights. If it really just died such a muddled death without a sound, utterly unknown to the victim, it did feel somewhat ridiculous thinking about it.


    "But why were they so ostentatiously travelling south? What was their goal?" Selene felt a bit confused.


    "Carrying such an important device, shouldn''t they have tried to keep their movements secret? Yet they kept openly transporting beasts over to their deaths."


    "Could it be some plot and we''ve totally fallen into their trap?" For a time, Adrian and the others were all stumped, unable to figure out what was going on. This really was a very bizarre and difficult to explain matter.


    "Forget it if we can''t figure it out, it''s the Kingdom side''s headache anyway. The most urgent thing now is to consider our own situation," Alfreed was the first to break the silence. He was more practical, redirecting everyone''s attention back to the present.


    "Then the remaining question is just one - where has the transfer point on this side moved to?"


    He directly asked the question everyone desperately wanted the answer to.


    "If we can find that spot and get within the transfer range, next time they activate an exchange we can return to the Astralrealm Kingdom."


    "From Feliciana''s description it seems to have been moved outside the city, but the area outside is so vast it''ll be difficult to locate..." Blanche said.


    "But we can roughly infer it''s to the south of Val City and probably not too far away." Adrian was also considering it with his head lowered. He quickly picked out clues from the messy information.


    "From the time it took Feliciana and the others to travel south and back north, we can calculate an approximate range."


    "when we were transported over it was night and we flew up into the clouds. If we''d been able to see the ground then that would have been good," Selene said this with an extremely regretful expression.


    "I do have some suspicions about a location," Regarding the transfer point''s position, I''d actually inadvertently noticed something earlier and kept it in mind.


    "That was on the way here, I saw a squad moving toward what looked like a volcano..."


    I described in detail what I''d seen to everyone. Sure enough they all felt that lonely mountain was highly suspicious.


    "But just based on the direction a beast squad was travelling, isn''t it a bit arbitrary to assume that was the transfer location?" Eleanora cautiously gave her opinion.


    "What if they were just passing by? And don''t you think the range of a mountain is a bit too large?"


    "But that mountain now looks undoubtedly the most suspicious," Alfreed shook his head, indicating it was worth the gamble, and also affirmed Adrian''s inference method.


    "And the range might be adjustable. Even if we get the location wrong, we can still find clues from Feliciana''s flight path. That''s much better than doing nothing and waiting around in the city."


    "Alright, the target is set now."


    Since they''d discussed it to this point, as the team captain he decisively made a plan then and there.


    "It''s definitely impossible to reach that mountain today, we can only make plans again tomorrow. But the city gates close during the day, since daytime here is like nighttime in a human city. So tonight we need to find a way out."


    "I might be able to fly you all out..." I suddenly thought of an expedient method. After all, that was how Selene and I entered. But suddenly looking at the room''s headcount, six fully grown people besides myself, I also felt somewhat awkward.


    "Can you take two people at once?" Alfreed''s eyes lit up, but looking at my build he frowned again.


    "That''s...a bit difficult..."


    Although I really wanted to add that it wasn''t related to physique, with my strength after expanding my wings I should have no issues lifting two people. But flying wasn''t just about brute force, it depended on the lift generated by the wings.


    When flying even just Selene''s slight weight as a young girl, I could feel immense air resistance. Here there were three grown men who surely weighed far more than Selene. I felt carrying even just Alford alone would be strenuous.


    "But making six trips one by one would take too long and be too risky, very easy to expose us."


    After considering, Alfreed decided to stick to the original plan and attempt to slip out the city gates.


    "Alright, quickly go rest now. We take action tonight so you need to conserve energy." After settling on a plan, Alfreed issued orders.


    But instead of dispersing, everyone crowded around me again chattering and questioning.

 Volume 2/Chapter 30: Reminiscing

    "Feliciana, can you show me your wings?" This Blanche is just like Vivianne, both so interested in my wings.


    "Uh, I can''t just reveal them casually now, it would expose my identity." I politely declined.


    "Feliciana, did you really lose your memory? Do angels even lose their memories?" Hayden asked.


    "It''s true, I don''t remember anything from before."


    I''m sorry, I''m not actually sure if angels can lose memories. But I didn''t lose mine, I just can''t tell them that, so another poor child has been deceived by me.


    "Feliciana, what''s your Adventurer''s Guild point total? If you can make it back, maybe we can party up sometime..." Eleanora shyly took out her own guild card, and I saw she already had several thousand points.


    Wow, this is great! Just what I needed.


    But when I went to take out my own card, my hand suddenly froze. Because it clearly showed "Rank: 3" in big letters. Showing that would be so embarrassing.


    "Ahaha... I think just over 100." I could only vaguely report a number from memory.


    "Oh no, with this latest quest it''s probably reset. I''ll only get more if I can safely return Selene."


    "Huh, where''s your card?" As expected, not showing the card made her suspicious.


    "Lost... lost it last night when the Face Fly were chasing us." I had to reluctantly lie again.


    "It''s okay, just remember to report it lost and get a replacement." Eleanora didn''t doubt me and even helpfully suggested I report it.


    I''m so sorry, my conscience hurts. I''ll work hard to quickly reach Rank 4 and then show you.


    After Alfreed led the others upstairs to rest, it was just me and Adrian guarding downstairs.


    "Adrian, don''t you need to rest too?"


    I''m energetic all day so couldn''t sleep now. But Adrian is just an ordinary human. He should be tired after going out earlier.


    "It''s fine! If I rest, someone else will have to come down to accompany you. They''re all the same anyway. And we can catch up like this."


    Adrian shook his head. As the leader, Alfreed had to consider everyone. He wouldn''t leave a new member alone on guard duty while the others slept.


    "How''s Vivianne doing?"


    As expected, he immediately asked about Vivianne. I had been a little worried too.


    "I''m not really sure..."


    I briefly explained about her joining an urgent mission after he and Brennan shipped out, and still not returning.


    "No word at all up to now?"


    Adrian frowned with concern after hearing it.


    "Uh, she did say she would be gone a while. Just no idea how long..."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Seeing his expression, I also started feeling uneasy. It had almost been a month with no contact. Could something really happened?


    "Hard to say." Adrian scratched his head and explained.


    "Sometimes there are long out-of-town jobs. Brennan and I will be gone for at least a month or two this time. Even as mercenaries."


    "So she''s probably fine for now?" Hearing that, I finally relaxed.


    I wish I knew what her mission was. It would help to know.


    "Let''s see in another month." Adrian said heavily.


    "After two months missing would be rare. Most likely something happened then."


    His conclusion made me tense up again.


    "How''s Brennan doing?" I recalled Blanche mentioning his legion was ambushed with heavy losses. Was the redhead caught up in that?


    How tragic if something really happened. From the capital''s view, it would be one dead, two missing from their trio.


    "Should be fine, I think. Before we transferred here, he was in another squad searching the Kaga Mountains."


    Seeing my worried expression, Adrian looked at me strangely, unsure what I was thinking.


    "He''s the strongest of us three. He''ll be alright."


    "Oh good!" I wiped my brow. Just overthinking things.


    An awkward silence followed as we both sat there, unsure what else to say.


    I truly couldn''t think of anything. My relationship with Adrian wasn''t as close as with Vivianne. Being a girl here, I mainly stuck with other women, growing more distant from men.


    It wasn''t that I didn''t want to get closer. There was just some barrier between us. The communication lacked the casual intimacy of hanging out with guy friends.


    Even shameless angel Nicola rarely visited them after getting his apartment.


    "You really lost your guild card?" Adrian finally broke the silence.


    I was stunned by the unexpected question.


    "Um, well..."


    He must know I''m only Rank 3. So the question was loaded.


    "No!"


    I decided to come clean, miserably taking out my card to show him.


    "You''re still worried about what others think, huh?"


    Seeing the Rank 3, Adrian couldn''t help laughing.


    "What''s so funny about that!"


    Seeing him laugh put me on edge. My rank was a sore point, being openly mocked felt like a public execution.


    "I''ll have you know, I''m completely different from before! Much stronger now!"


    "Oh really?" He looked skeptical.


    "Of course it''s true! I''m super powerful now..."


    So I enthusiastically recounted my ''heroics'' saving the Tethys villagers with Purify, fighting the Face Flies, and kicking the Rank 5 demon Buck. In great detail, leaving out embarrassing bits.


    Adrian just listened quietly the whole time, smiling but never interrupting me. Only after finishing the story of kicking Buck did he speak up.


    "Why didn''t that Buck demon reappear after? You just kicked him and he shouldn''t be that much weaker than the succubus. Even drunk, he shouldn''t have fallen into the room and not come out."


    "You''re right, that is weird!" I had been confused too, but shared my theories.


    "Maybe he drank too much and just passed out. Or didn''t chase us because we left right away."


    "I suspect something in that building trapped him."


    Adrian suddenly spoke seriously.


    "That house?" His mention immediately reminded me of the ominous coffin house Buck fell into.


    Could there really be something scary inside? A chill went through me as I recalled Selene wanting to ransack those buildings. Good thing she didn''t or there would have been even more trouble.


    "We''ve seen a few buildings like coffin houses while trapped here." Adrian suddenly shared his experience.


    "Blanche was very curious about one. She even wanted to go inside and explore. But my instincts said it might be a vampire lair, so I stopped her."


    "Vampires?"


    Of course! Coffins and dark creatures. I just didn''t make the mental leap because the coffin was house-sized. So it didn''t seem like an actual coffin.


    The building just lacked windows and was oblong. Not very coffin-like. So it was understandable I didn''t realize.


    "Are vampires that powerful? Able to restrain a Rank 5 demon?"


    Lacking combat sense, I had to consult the knowledgeable Adrian.


    "Vampires are actually somewhat similar to angels. Polar opposites in attributes though. Angels embody pure light essence in humanoid form, while vampires dark essence. Their original bat forms aren''t elemental beings."


    Adrian organized his knowledge to lecture me.


    "So they aren''t that weak usually. Like angels starting around Rank 4 at least. Most are Rank 5 or 6. Exceptionally old ones spanning millenia likely over Rank 7."


    "Starting at Rank 4 again?"


    I grumbled to myself. Rank 4 minimums always ticked me off. But vampires being so strong makes Buck getting trapped reasonable. Really dodged trouble there.


    Seeing my reaction, Adrian instantly grasped my thoughts. He smiled reassuringly.


    "That Rank 3 was a month ago already. Your current strength has surely reached Rank 4. Retesting would definitely update your rank. No more embarrassment about that."


    "Really? I''m already Rank 4?"

 Lock Down

    I was a bit incredulous, looking at him doubtfully. I felt like he was joking with me. I''m very clear about my own abilities - I''ve just learned one more Purification Spell, and haven''t ranked up or learned any other skills or magic. How could I suddenly reach level 4?


    "Really, believe me."


    Adrian suddenly looked at me seriously and said.


    "You killed a level 4 Face Fly and kicked a drunken level 5 demon. Even though the demon was drunk when you got the better of him, you wouldn''t have been able to do that without level 4 abilities."


    "That''s because they were affected by the Purification Spell."


    Adrian wouldn''t understand. I''m very clear that I was only able to kick Buck thanks to my empty level 4 strength. My overall abilities are still very poor.


    If we really fought head-on, whether it was the Face Fly or the demon, I would have no chance at all. Because in reality, I don''t know any martial arts techniques at all. The Purification Spell could only catch the magical creatures off guard. If they defended against it, I could only get beaten up.


    "And also, even if I could upgrade my rank, I''d have to get back to do it!"


    I sighed helplessly as I said this. After getting injured and chased today, the situation is still fresh in my memory. Since I came to this dark continent, I''ve basically been injured all the time. Although I got healed quickly, the painful memories can''t be erased.


    "In a city like this, which is the enemy''s base camp, there is danger everywhere. Perhaps I won''t even live to see that day."


    I feel like from now on, I could expire in some corner of this dark continent at any time. When that happens, I would really have eternal shame that I can''t wash away.


    I can imagine that someday after my death, when some dark creature picks up my identity card from the ground and sees the description of my level 3 angel race on it, it would surely make all the dark creatures laugh their heads off.


    If it even spread back to the human world, then almost everyone would know of the embarrassing fact that the level 3 angel Feliciana existed.


    "Don''t overthink things again."


    Seeing the look on my face, Adrian seemed to guess that I was hung up on these superficial matters again. But why did he say "again"?


    "Don''t worry, I will definitely get you back!"


    He suddenly stood up and raised his voice to tell me.


    "Huh?"


    I was confused by his words, caught off guard.


    After all, in my impression, Adrian and I hadn''t had many chances to even talk to each other before today. His saying this could easily be misunderstood.


    "Aren''t you worried about not being able to rank up? I will get you back to rank up. That way you won''t feel embarrassed anymore, right?"


    Seeing my confused look, he further explained.


    "These are clearly trivial matters, it''s fine."


    I quickly waved my hands, clarifying my words. Adrian mentioned my fear of losing face again. Hearing this, it felt like he seemed a bit unhappy that I''m always concerned about my image.


    Besides, it wasn''t something he could just decide to let me go back. Although Adrian was much more powerful than me, from what Vivianne said, he should be under level 5 too.


    "Actually there''s still 2 months until the next chance to test again. It''s too early now, rushing back wouldn''t be useful."


    As I spoke, I put away my identity card, to prove I didn''t have ideas in that aspect. I decided not to bring up anything about rankings ever again.


    "You really don''t need to care so much what others think."


    Seeing this, Adrian shook his head and spoke such words again.


    "No, that''s not it! Listen to me, mentioning ranking up was really just an aside."


    Seeing he had misunderstood, I quickly explained.


    If I admitted I did care a bit what others thought because of my level 3 situation earlier, afraid of being laughed at. But saying I was afraid of not being able to go back just to rank up, that was pure nonsense.  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "That''s not what I meant..." Adrian sat back in his chair, completely helpless.


    I was a little confused, didn''t know exactly what he was referring to. But seeing his manner, I also felt he might be very disappointed in me, I kind of felt somewhat apprehensive.


    "What are you guys doing here?"


    Just then, Eleanora came downstairs and saw the strange, silent atmosphere in the room. "Doing nothing..." I saw Eleanora walk over and sit across from me, which I found a bit odd.


    "Why aren''t you resting?"


    "Well, humans aren''t nocturnal creatures, I couldn''t sleep."


    Eleanora cheekily stuck out her tongue, seemingly less shy than when we first met.


    "Restless days, I see you couldn''t sleep either."


    I secretly glanced at Adrian, seeing that he didn''t mind the conversation between me and Eleanora. Instead, he was staring at the floor, lost in thought. I couldn''t help but heave a sigh of relief.


    It was almost dusk now, and the light outside was gradually dimming. I realized that some of the surrounding houses had actually lit up lamps.


    "Do dark creatures need to use lamps too?" I asked curiously.


    "That''s right, most dark creatures also see things with their eyes. Since they use eyes, of course they need light."


    Adrian suddenly answered instead. I had asked the question to Eleanora, didn''t expect him to jump in to reply first.


    "Unfortunately we can''t use lamps to light up." Eleanora said regretfully.


    "Because this house is already ownerless. If we suddenly turn on the lights, it would make the surrounding magical creatures sense something wrong."


    "How do we get out of the city gates at night then?"


    With the time to leave approaching, I started wondering what to do next.


    "We should probably use a similar method as you did during the day. All disguise ourselves with cloaks, blend in with the magical creatures leaving the city and slip away."


    Adrian thought for a moment and suggested a plan.


    "If we get too close to those creatures, will Selene and I easily get exposed?"


    I recalled what happened at the tavern during the day. Even with my wings hidden, I was still discovered by the succubus.


    "Oh yeah..." Hearing this, Adrian immediately realized it was a big problem.


    "It looks like the captain''s plan overlooked your and Selene''s uniqueness. After all, he''s just a swordsman who isn''t familiar with magic."


    "Then let''s take separate actions. You take Selene out of the city walls, while we follow the original plan to regroup outside the city."


    Eleanora quickly figured out a solution.


    "No!" Adrian objected as soon as she finished speaking. After living in the city for almost a week, he was very familiar with the deployment of various troops inside.


    "They could fly in during the day because most of the monsters were resting then, lax on defense. But at night when the monsters are active, there would be many guards on the city walls. Trying to fly out then wouldn''t work."


    Looking at me, he continued, "As Selene said, your spread wings would be a huge light source to creatures of the night. So don''t reveal your wings in the city at night, no matter what."


    "Then we have a problem." I frowned, scratching my head.


    "Can we only take staggered actions separately?"


    Staggered actions meant Adrian''s team would leave via the city gates tonight, while me and Selene stayed here until flying out over the walls tomorrow at daytime.


    "At least for now, this seems to be the only way." Adrian nodded. He couldn''t think of a better solution either.


    A few hours later when everyone else in the room had woken up, Alfreed accepted the staggered action proposal and modified the original plan.


    So me and Selene could only stay in this room for another night, agreeing to regroup on top of a hill east of the city tomorrow.


    "You slept in vain." I said wryly to Selene in the darkness after seeing off Adrian''s five-person team out of the house in their cloaks.


    "It''s alright, I actually didn''t sleep much during the day either." Selene''s voice sounded rather lazy. She then walked up the stairs.


    "Go to bed early too. We have to get up early tomorrow."


    "I''m an angel. I''m always up on time."


    I figured being an early riser was probably the only thing I could boast about now.


    The second floor was just an attic-like space, also without beds. Just some bedrolls spread out on the floor, probably used by the others during the day. After the stairway entrance was covered by a thick curtain again, Selene could use light magic to illuminate since there were no windows.


    Seeing her take out bowls and other items from her ring again, I twisted my lips. This young noble lady sure lived a pampered life.


    Just as everything had been tidied up and we were about to lie down to sleep, I suddenly heard a soft knock on the downstairs door.


    "Crap!"


    Me and Selene sat up with a jolt. Although I couldn''t see her expression in the dark, I could tell from her trembling voice that she was very scared.


    "Was it because you used light magic to illuminate that got us exposed?"


    I lowered my voice to ask.


    "Wait! Don''t talk first."


    Silenced by Selene''s gesture, I also realized there was something off about the knocking. It seemed rhythmic.


    "It''s the secret three-one-knock code to open the door!"


    After listening carefully for a while, we reacted at the same time.


    We rushed downstairs swiftly and opened the door.


    Sure enough, the whole group filed swiftly in from outside as soon as the door cracked open.


    "Why are you guys back?"


    Seeing their gloomy expressions after taking off their cloaks inside, I immediately knew something had gone wrong with the plan.


    "Let''s talk more upstairs."


    Alfreed went up the stairs first. Then the rest of the silent people followed after him.


    After all seven of us gathered on the second floor, the stairway entrance was blocked again. A candle lit up in the attic, probably carried by one of the five who just returned.


    In the candlelight, I saw the very gloomy faces of Adrian''s team sitting around.


    "What happened?" Selene couldn''t help asking again.


    "The city gates are under martial law." Alfric glanced at us and replied.


    "When we went just now, we saw the gate guards had doubled. Also, every magical creature leaving has to reveal their face for inspection before being let through."


    "Was it because of what happened this morning?"


    Selene and I immediately guessed the reason for this situation. After all, the ruckus from me and that succubus chasing all over the city this morning was so huge, it was impossible there wouldn''t be heightened vigilance.


    "I can''t believe I overlooked this!" Adrian seemed somewhat regretful.


    "I''m sorry..."


    Feeling somewhat guilty that our actions brought trouble ultimately falling onto their squad, I apologized.


    "Actually you don''t need to apologize." Eleanora comforted me,


    "If not for the huge commotion you two caused in the city that let us know you were here, there naturally wouldn''t have been any plans to leave the city like this."


    Of course I understood the causality she described, but still felt somewhat bad about it.

 Eating Magical Beasts

    "Now the only way out of the city is for Feliciana to fly us out one by one," Alfreed said, looking at me hopefully. I suddenly felt pressured.


    "I disagree," Adrian said. "Since they already know there''s an angel in the city, they''ll surely be on high alert and won''t let anyone fly out. They may even start increasing guards on the walls day and night."


    "Then what should we do?" Blanche asked anxiously.


    "Doesn''t this mean all our escape routes are blocked?"


    "Maybe we should wait for things to die down before trying again..." Adrian suggested conservatively.


    "But do we have enough supplies to last?" Hayden raised a question I had overlooked - how long could we last without food and water?


    "How much food does everyone still have in their storage rings?" Alfreed asked Blanche, who seemed to be in charge of our provisions.


    "Not much left..." Blanche calculated. "We packed extra at the start anticipating emergencies, but we''ve been here quite a while."


    "We can find food in the city. Most magical beasts here eat too," Adrian quickly proposed a solution.


    "Wasn''t that our plan from the start?"


    "But with the city on high alert, won''t it be risky to go out frequently?" Eleanora voiced her thoughts.


    "...I see." Adrian fell silent, unable to counter that point. I also kept my opinions to myself, not wanting to cause more trouble.


    It dawned on me that I had indeed brought them much hardship.


    "If there are guards on the walls, why not just fly over them from a high vantage point and escape that way?" Blanche suggested.


    "Surely an angel can fly higher than the city walls?"


    "Too dangerous!" Adrian objected. "The skies here are likely under constant surveillance... We don''t fully understand the purpose of those towers, but they may be used to detect threats and sound alarms. With guards on high alert, taking to the air virtually guarantees getting spotted and surrounded with no way out, especially by other flying enemies. And we still don''t know what those towers can do..."


    Those towers - the first thing Selene and I noticed when viewing the city from afar were its tall, slender spires. I wondered if they were some kind of weapon.


    "What do you know about those towers?" Alfreed looked concerned. It seemed they had taken notice of them too.


    "Nothing concrete," Adrian admitted. "We suspect they serve some monitoring or early warning function, but aren''t sure of their capabilities."


    "Even the magical beasts living here don''t know their exact purpose," Hayden added.


    Their unknown, potentially dangerous nature made me uneasy about attempting an aerial escape.  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I cannot consent to taking such a risk with so many uncertainties," Adrian concluded firmly. "We should play it safe for now and wait for an opening to slip out more covertly later."


    Alfreed sighed, clearly valuing Adrian''s input. "Let''s rest for today and reassess tomorrow."


    I was exhausted too, having looked forward to sleeping earlier. But with tensions high, rest would have to wait.


    "I''ll take first watch," Alfreed said, drawing the curtain aside leading downstairs where he would keep lookout, leaving us to uneasy dreams.


    "You should rest too, no more staying up all night," Alfreed suddenly turned and ordered Adrian, who had moved to follow him downstairs.


    "Alright..."


    Seeing no choice, Adrian glumly retreated back up the stairs and threw himself down in a dark corner, not making another sound.


    The next day...


    With daylight the streets emptied as before. Still, we remained indoors, anxiously awaiting Adrian and Blanche''s reconnaissance report.


    Three sharp knocks signaled their return.


    "Well? Did you find a way?" Selene opened the door urgently.


    All eyes turned to them.


    "No use," Adrian panted, gulping down water Eleanora offered. "The walls are heavily guarded, sentries posted everywhere."


    "What about food?" Alfreed asked the other pressing question.


    "We found some, but not much," Blanche said, producing unrecognizable meat from her ring''s storage space.


    "This is probably all we can scavenge. No guarantee we''ll find any tomorrow."


    "Are those magical beast meats?" Selene examined them distastefully before discarding them in disgust.


    "We''ve no choice," Blanche said resignedly. "The beasts here seem to eat their own kind - wasn''t expecting such savagery!"


    "To the sapient ones, mindless magical beasts are no different than wild animals to humans," Adrian mused. "The guards slaughtered those undead outside the gates much the same way."


    That actually made sense, explaining their earlier actions.


    "What if a sentient lizardman encountered a mindless one?" I hypothesized wildly. "Would he unhesitatingly eat his own kind?"


    "Not sure..." Adrian scratched his head. "Kinship should stay his hand. But hunger and savagery may prevail."


    "Is it really safe eating those meats?" Hayden asked pragmatically.


    "Ordinary people risk corruption, especially below second-tier," Selene opined frankly. "But we should be fine."


    "You''ll likely be more sensitive, Feliciana. Don''t eat them if you can''t tolerate the dark taint. You need little sustenance anyway."


    "I still get hungry if I don''t manifest my wings..." I clarified. In truth, I was curious how the tainted meats tasted, though the malevolent aura gave me pause.


    "Best try a little first," I decided reluctantly.


    The oppressive miasma here already choked me with its fetid stench. Eating such corrupted fare would be a true test of fortitude.


    "That settles the food issue for now," Alfreed said, stowing away the meats. "Any other ideas for escaping this city?"


    Blanche began suggesting flying over the walls again but Adrian firmly vetoed it, ending the discussion.


    Alfreed looked between Adrian and Blanche, then to me and the others. With no further input, he declared:


    "We will go with Adrian''s more prudent proposal and bide our time, waiting for a chance to sneak out later undetected."


    "But what if they close off the spatial swap point while we delay?" Blanche asked anxiously.


    "That just returns us to our original situation before Feliciana arrived, no real loss," Alfreed answered resignedly. Having said his piece, he turned and headed upstairs.


    ...


    I managed one bite of the cooked magical beast meat before violently expelling it outside, unable to withstand the sheer foulness pervading it. The rancid flavor matched the swirling malevolence in the air - like some hellish Kroket of the Damned.


    "Told you that you couldn''t handle it. But you just had to try," Selene mocked as she defiantly took her own bite, then immediately turned green.


    "Blech! What IS this??" She spit it out in revulsion. "It''s revolting!"


    "( ?~ ?) Probably the dark essence we sensed..." Adrian grimaced, somehow still swallowing it down with effort. The men fared decently enough, though eating very reluctantly.


    Eleanora and Blanche struggled through a few morsels before abandoning the attempt in distress.


    "You all should really eat more," urged Alfreed. "This is all we''ll have. Best get used to it fast."


    "But the taste... I can''t!" wailed Eleanora pitifully, on the verge of tears. My heart went out to her plight.

 Night Talk

    "Can we try purifying this too?" Seeing everyone stumped by the dark elements in the meat, I suddenly had an idea.


    "Purify?" Selene''s eyes lit up at my words.


    "Yeah, why didn''t I think of that!"


    Selene immediately threw a dispel magic at the food on the table. But the ring of light fizzled out upon contacting the cooked meat, without making a ripple.


    "So tricky?" Selene frowned, enduring the discomfort as she cast another dispel, but with the same result. After two spells, she was spent and collapsed into a chair, too exhausted to cast a third.


    "It''s no use, we still need your purification, Feliciana."


    "But to use purification, I have to spread my wings..." Seeing her slumped over, I hesitated. Revealing my wings would likely cause a stir, not a good idea indoors where we could easily be exposed.


    "Then we''ll have to try it outside," Adrian decided after some thought. He packed up all the food into his ring, and took me out of the house.


    "Be quick, we''re still waiting to eat!" Eleanora reminded me as we shut the door.


    Following Adrian, we came to a more open town square, scanning for monsters.


    "Hurry while it''s clear!"


    Adrian promptly took out the food from his ring and placed it in the middle of the square. I stretched my wings in turn, firing off a purification at the pile of meat. A sphere of light burst from my palm and sunk into the meat without reaction.


    "One purification wasn''t enough?"


    I picked up the meat and smelled it. The stench had faded quite a bit but was still noticeable.


    "Faster please!"


    At his urging, I quickly cast another two to three spells until I saw the meat start to glow.


    "Done, let''s go!" I hid my wings at the same time.


    Adrian took that as the cue to gather up the food into his ring, grabbing me to run back.


    This felt oddly thrilling, like we were stealing something.


    Returning to base, when Adrian placed the purified food on the table, we all circled around staring but not eating.


    "It didn''t gain some weird new flavor after purifying did it?" Hayden inspected the meat hesitantly before concluding.


    "Looks about the same."


    "Should be...fine now...I think..." I wanted to reassure them but couldn''t be too sure either, spearing a small piece to try.


    "Mm...it''s good now!" With twelve eyes watching me intently, I swallowed and pointed eagerly at the pile.  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "You can eat it! Still a bit strange tasting but no stench anymore."


    "Wasn''t that a stench before though..." Eleanora tried a bite dubiously after hearing my verdict as an angel.


    "Wow so much better!"


    She nodded with excitement, eyes wide.


    "Still a tiny bit, but easy to ignore now."


    "Really?"


    With two votes of confidence, everyone dug in without further hesitation.


    "Purification is indeed most effective." Selene happily stuffed a large chunk of meat in her mouth like a hamster.


    I didn''t catch what she said next through the chewing. But the table was soon swept clean by six ravenous people.


    "Thanks for helping solve our food problem." Adrian looked sincerely grateful.


    "It wasn''t that big of a deal..."


    I thought he was making too much out of a few purification spells.


    "But it''d be annoying to purify every time we bring food back," Alfreed the captain considered the longer term, ever the tactician.


    "Could you sense Feliciana spreading her wings inside earlier?"He turned to ask Selene.


    "Barely, but might notice traces if scrutinizing carefully," she shook her head.


    "Normally not so perceptive. It''s the concentrated dark elements magnifying any anomaly."


    "That''s troublesome, we''d risk exposure by chance." Blanche sounded very concerned.


    "Once in a while is fine," Alfreed looked solemn.


    "Frequent reckless revealing though seems a matter of time before disaster."


    I shared his sentiment. Recklessly revealing my wings daily was just daring fate.


    The previously vibrant mood dampened at the captain''s words. But no one seemed keen on giving up purification either.


    "It''s fine, we aren''t that weak. If discovered, we''ll just find another house," Eleanora insisted, unwilling to compromise taste even at cost.


    "And we have an angel, a four wing at that! Natural nemesis of monsters!" Hayden chimed in, suddenly elevating me with hope. This unexpected expectation made me tense up.


    I was only 3rd grade! Also susceptible to the dark beings. Their reliance unnerved me.


    Unable to endure more, Alfrect rebuked harshly.


    "Quiet!"


    "Think where we are! The enemies'' stronghold, average grade 4 and up! Still arrogantly optimistic?"


    "Peace made you drop guard?"


    He glared around at everyone.


    "Starting today, Eleanora and Hayden, upstairs to reflect! No going out. Adrian and Blanche on patrol and provisions. Come back when you have perspective."


    "Yes sir..." Dejected, the two trudged upstairs without further protest.


    The rest of us exchanged uneasy looks in silence.


    Night fell again. For us seven hidden here, it meant day''s end. For the city monsters, their day was beginning. Lights flickered through the darkness outside while our house remained pitch black.


    Alfreed took night watch as usual after resting through the earlier half. His schedule completely reversed by now. Naturally he continued fulfilling this duty.


    "Not sleeping, Feliciana?"


    Upstairs, the team had retired to their sleeping spots when Blanche blew out the candle and saw me still sitting against the wall. Normally I slept early.


    "Can''t fall asleep," I gave her a faint smile.


    "You go ahead. Might doze off on my own later."


    "You seem...off today, distracted..." Selene murmured softly as she settled into her cot, quickly drifting off.


    I waited a few minutes for everyone''s measured breathing before carefully creeping down the stairs to the first floor.


    "Why''d you come down?" Though already heard the footsteps, Alfreed sounded surprised to see me.


    "Aren''t angels supposed to rest nights?"


    "I had a suggestion in mind..." I sat across from him, hesitating a bit before speaking.


    "Suggestion?"


    A tactical lean back with interest despite the darkness obscuring his expression. His curiosity was palpable.


    I steeled my resolve and pushed out the difficult words.


    "Since Adrian opposes ascending from the city...let me test fly out solo tomorrow."


    I waffled at this decision for some time. It was dangerous as Adrian warned, but we were out of options besides passive waiting.


    "Are you certain of what you''re saying?" He sounded incredulous, voice dipping lower.


    "You''d be gambling your life! We can''t rescue you if things go wrong."


    "I know..." His arguments couldn''t sway my determination after considering the outcomes.


    "And if I fail, it''s no loss for any of you right? I can still self-preserve in the sky, maybe even escape attacking."


    After so many close shaves, my lone competence was fleeing.


    "What do you mean no loss..." He greatly disagreed with my perspectives. I could hear his irritation.


    "Don''t care if just a midway recruit, you''re still team. I can''t abide losing anyone, angel or not. What''s more, your strength''s considerable, and the sole flier..."

 Vol 2/ Chapter 34:Taking the Plunge

    "Actually, I''m only Level 3!"


    I interrupted him and took out my Adventurer''s Guild membership card to show him.


    "Sorry I lied, I''m not Level 4 at all. What I said earlier about losing my card was also a lie to fool Eleanora, afraid of being found out."


    I came clean with everything, even though he probably couldn''t see my expression in the dark. Still, I turned my head in embarrassment.


    "It really is Level 3!"


    Alfreed managed to barely make out the level number on the card with the faint light coming through the window. He seemed shocked and couldn''t believe it.


    "Angels should at least be Level 4. And Blanche also said you definitely have four wings."


    "Is it because of your amnesia?"


    Since Adrian had told him about my amnesia before, he quickly made the connection.


    "Yes. Other than Purification, I don''t know any light magic or combat skills."


    I wouldn''t deny the amnesia. What I said was mostly true anyway.


    "I see, so that''s what happened..."


    Alfreed seemed lost in thought as he returned my card. Then he asked, puzzled,


    "Then why were you so adamant to come clean with me?"


    "I wouldn''t have been able to keep it from everyone forever!"


    Images of Eleanora and Hayden looking at me with hopeful eyes flashed through my mind. I suddenly felt awful inside. They were destined to be disappointed. I''m only Level 3 after all, truly weak.


    Rather than have everyone find out the truth later and scorn me for it, I might as well take a gamble now while there''s still a chance for forgiveness.


    "Besides, we currently have no other way to escape the city. If we don''t figure something out soon, we might end up stuck here until we die of starvation."


    I laid out all the arguments I had already prepared.


    "Are you really going to do this?"


    Seeing me so determined, and with so many good reasons too, it seemed I had finally managed to persuade him from his tone.


    "Yes." I nodded firmly. After considering this for so long, there''s no way I would back out at the last moment.


    "Alright then. I will announce this to everyone tomorrow."


    Sighing, Alfreed probably also realized we had no other options left. Then he told me to rest first.


    "Make sure you are well prepared before taking action. I will agree if you decide to postpone or cancel the plan at any time."


    He suddenly remembered to remind me as I went upstairs.


    "Thank you."


    I looked back gratefully.


    When I quietly snuck back into the attic, it seemed everyone was sleeping very soundly and didn''t notice any movement. So I found an empty spot and lay down, soon falling asleep.


    The next morning, Alfreed found an opportunity to call Eleanora, Hayden and the rest downstairs. He told everyone about my decision to test flying out of the city.


    "So when are you starting?" Blanche asked.


    "That depends on when Feliciana is ready. She can start anytime once she''s prepared."


    Alfreed looked at me, handing over all initiative to me.


    "I think I''m ready to go anytime now."


    There''s really nothing for me to prepare. The only weapon I have is a sword which I basically can''t even use when facing monsters.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    If not for it being worth 100 silvers, I would have thrown it away long ago for being cumbersome to carry around.


    "You''re not going to be foolhardy about this, are you?" Selene suddenly stared at me and said, as if wanting to see through me.


    "This is taking off from inside the city. If surrounded, there would be no way to escape."


    "Hey, don''t you remember how good I am at running away? Have I ever failed to escape before?"


    I knew she never trusted me fully. But I was already used to it and didn''t need any more encouragement.


    "But Adrian also said it was very risky. Are you sure it''s okay?"


    Hayden started raising doubts too. And I noticed even Eleanora nodding in agreement. Were they really lacking in confidence in me?


    Could it be they discovered something amiss and started suspecting my level? Or did Alfreed already tell them I''m only Level 3?


    "It''s alright. We are already in danger. Without taking risks, how can we find a way to escape?"


    I waved my hand at them, forcing a smile as I spoke. Just kidding. If I feared danger I wouldn''t have made this suggestion to Alfreed myself in the first place.


    "You guys, Feliciana is an angel after all. How can you have no confidence in her at all?"


    It seemed Blanche overheard our conversation. She couldn''t help coming over to speak up for me.


    "Angels are the best at flying. It will definitely be fine! Besides, she must be quite nervous before setting off. Saying things like that would surely affect her morale."


    She hooked her arm affectionately around mine and encouraged me with a smile.


    "I believe you! We''re all counting on you to escape! You must do your best!"


    "Thank you!"


    I was suddenly rather touched. It seemed this was the first time someone placed so much trust in me, even entrusting such an important task.


    "I will give it my all!"


    Suddenly this bit of risk didn''t seem like much. Even if real danger cropped up, it would be worth it.


    I looked towards Adrian''s spot. I thought he would certainly jump out to strongly oppose the idea since he was against it from the start.


    But surprisingly he didn''t make a sound. Instead, he pulled Alfreed towards the room I had changed my clothes in earlier. It seemed they wanted to privately discuss something.


    "We will go over the details of the plan. The rest of you should also prepare important belongings on hand. In case Feliciana succeeds, everyone can follow her lead to escape immediately."


    Right before closing the door, Alfreed instructed the rest of us.


    What was there to discuss in such detail? This was basically something I had to accomplish alone. It was simple - fly up, confirm if the guards on the ground could still see me before flying further out to land, then return the same way.


    "Come on, those two just love being paranoid all the time!"


    It seemed Blanche also took issue with Adrian and Alfreed being overly cautious.


    The others only had to hide in the dark to secretly keep watch. If anything happened, it would be up to me to escape. Even if things went south they would still be safe just staying home without even setting foot outdoors. As Blanche said, what more details could there be?


    Yet when the two of them came out from the room a while later, Alfreed suddenly announced an enormous change of plans.


    "Later, Adrian may need to carry out the test with you. Feliciana, is that alright with just the two of you?"


    "What!! Kyaa!" I was dumbfounded as I looked at Adrian standing by the side.


    "Wasn''t it supposed to be only me alone?"


    I didn''t get it. It was so dangerous up there, why did he insist on getting involved? What if something happened to him? How was I going to explain it to Brennan and Vivianne!


    Oh right, in that event I would probably be done for as well, so no explaining needed anyway.


    But to drag my good friend along to risk his neck like this for no reason when it was supposed to take just one person? I really couldn''t do it, and absolutely did not wish to see that happen.


    "I can carry you, but..."


    "I have to go up! There are reasons!"


    It was as if Adrian knew I wanted to refuse. He quickly interrupted to explain.


    "What reasons?"


    I didn''t understand. With him tied to me up there he wouldn''t be able to do anything much. And because we would be strapped together, he wouldn''t be able to use his bow either. If discovered by enemies we would only be sitting ducks.


    "I need to confirm many things and take measurements, like timing for a round trip, your carrying capacity etc. These will affect the overall chances and time needed to evacuate everyone if successful. They are all very important, some even require your cooperation as much as possible."


    The moment Adrian opened his mouth, he whipped out considerations of the greater good that I was temporarily at a loss for how to refute.


    "But it''s so dangerous for you too!" Selene suddenly voiced out her concern, thinking the same as me.


    "You''re basically a passive target in the sky, unable to do anything much at all."


    "It''s fine. After all, opportunities always come with risks - whether or not something happens is a matter of probability. Consider it from another perspective: if successful, I would become the first one to escape right? At that point I would be exposed to the least risk instead, you might even be envious of me. Doing it this way also saves time from only ferrying one person, improving overall chances."


    With Adrian''s analysis, this seemingly very risky move suddenly didn''t sound that bad. Was I getting the wrong idea somehow? For a moment I felt like something was amiss.


    "Besides, even if discovered by enemies, I won''t be totally helpless either. I can still help strategize on the spot if needed. Feliciana probably lacks experience right? I might be able to assist you with some unfamiliar creatures."


    Uh... Can''t deny he made more and more sense.


    Whether or not I believed it, the others evidently did.


    No need to mention Alfreed since it was his idea in the first place. They probably discussed it inside already.


    As for Selene, she was already rendered speechless from having her arguments overturned. And upon hearing considerations for the greater good, the remaining three could only nod in approval.


    "I''ll be counting on you then, Feliciana."


    Seeing we had no more objections, Alfreed made the final decision.


    What else could I do? All I asked of Adrian was:


    "Remember to bring a sturdy rope."


    "Don''t worry, you can borrow mine. It has passed the test of battle."


    With that, Selene took out the rope she had used previously.


    Whose side are you on?!

 Vol 2/Chapter 35: A Wake-Up Slap

    "This city is already very big. You don''t have to go to the city center where the deep pits may be more dangerous. Just find a place relatively far from the city walls and towers," Alfreed advised us before we went out.


    "We will keep an eye on you here at all times," were his last words before the gates closed.


    Adrian and I glanced at each other then rushed towards the city center without a word.


    "Let''s stop here," Adrian said, stopping at a location moderately far from both the city walls and the central pits.


    This crossroads was quite spacious and also far from the nearby spires. I thought it was very suitable.


    "Shall we begin?" I asked Adrian after tying him up tightly in front just like with Selene.


    "Wait..." Though I couldn''t see his expression, his voice sounded a bit strange.


    "Loosen the ropes a bit."


    I thought it was fine, this was how Selene was tied up earlier! But since he specifically asked, I reluctantly loosened the ropes slightly.


    "That''s the most I can do. Any more and it won''t be secure," I said.


    "Okay...fine," Adrian still sounded odd.


    "Any issues?" I frowned, puzzled that he still sounded strange when I thought the ropes were too tight.


    "No issues!" he affirmed.


    Seeing his confirmation, I immediately revealed my wings, releasing them from concealment.


    "Fly up quickly!" I didn''t dare hesitate at his urging and immediately flapped my wings, swiftly rising above the surrounding rooftops.


    To avoid the city walls as much as possible, I didn''t dare fly out diagonally at first. I could only circle and ascend in a small area.


    "I''ll keep watch around us. You just focus on flying," he voluntarily took on the observation duty to prevent me from getting distracted. That reduced my stress quite a bit.


    As expected, Adrian was slightly heavier than Selene but still just one person and not fat. I could easily ignore the bit of extra weight.


    "Is this height okay?" I asked when we were about halfway up the tower height.


    From here, almost half the city was visible. As for the guards on the city walls, given how tall the walls were, I felt we probably couldn''t escape their eyes if we stayed at this height.


    "Go a bit higher," he thought the same as me.


    But just as I was about to ascend further, I suddenly heard a "zzzzzzz" vibration sound around us.


    "What''s that?" I was so startled I became nervous instantly. But looking around, there seemed to be no monsters. So what was that sound?


    "The spires!" Adrian responded at once. Realizing on his prompt, I immediately noticed the nearest few spires were vibrating rhythmically. I didn''t detect it at first because the amplitude wasn''t big.


    "What are they trying to do?" This was clearly aimed at us but I didn''t understand their intention. Unsure if I should keep ascending or fly sideways to get farther from the spires, I could only hover uncertainly.


    "Fly away quickly!" Adrian yelled as a huge white skeletal structure rapidly emerged from the central pits. It was extremely large and clearly shaped like a dragon.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "It''s a bone dragon! Go!" Adrian urged me anxiously again. Did I need his reminder? I instantly turned and flew towards the city exterior.


    "Faster! Another one coming out! Bone dragons are 6th order monsters, over mid 6th!" Though escaping, he still updated me on the situation behind us, even accurately reporting the enemies'' order.


    6th mid-order? What joke was this?! I was already flying my fastest!


    "Right!" Before I could react to the shock, Adrian''s shout rang out again, urging me.


    "Huh? Right?" Trusting him fully, I immediately turned right. A foul gale blasted me, almost making me lose balance midair. In the next moment, the jaw of an enormous dragon skull suddenly clamped shut with a loud "thud" to my left.


    Dammit! Almost scared to tears by the close shave, my limbs went soft. If not for my wings reacting instinctively, I would''ve definitely fallen with my deadened hands and legs.


    How was it so fast? Mere seconds had passed since the first bone dragon emerged yet it almost caught me! Were it not for Adrian''s warning, I would''ve definitely been bitten.


    "Left! The other one..." His voice rang out again before I recovered my senses but he didn''t finish his sentence as the other side repeated the earlier scene.


    But this time, I didn''t actively dodge. Still reacting slowly from the earlier close call, the turbulence from the first dragon head affected me midair before I could restabilize. Hence the jaws of the second dragon that followed narrowly missed me.


    "Focus! To save time, I''ll only say up, down, left or right from now," Adrian sensed my mental state and reminded me.


    "But there''s two! And flying way faster than me, how do I dodge?!" I felt almost fully despairing, only surviving between the jaws of the two bone dragons, feeling I could be bitten anytime.


    "Precisely because there''s two that we have a chance! Right!" His voice didn''t sound like he was giving up. Hearing his prompt, I unhesitatingly complied again, narrowly dodging another bite.


    But this time, the other bone dragon was directly blocking my path, jaw stretched wide open before me.


    Its mouth wasn''t empty, flickering with a hazy grey glow. I felt that grey light condensing a nameless, ominous sensation - more than just dark elements.


    "Down!" Following his order, I performed a somersault downwards. But Adrian immediately issued another peculiar command.


    "Charge straight into its body."


    "Huh?" I was puzzled initially but understood instantly upon seeing the situation ahead.


    "I see!" Precisely because of their massive size and skeleton structure, there were plenty of gaps in their bodies just nicely sized for Adrian and me to pass through.


    And in this situation of one chasing us while we shot through the other dragon''s body...


    I heard the two gigantic bone dragons crash heavily behind me and then fall from the sky, smashing into the city walls below. What a pity!


    Being just bone, their weight had zero effect even slamming onto the walls. Not a crack appeared.


    But this Val wall was not only tall but also very thin. Wedged perfectly between the two dragons'' frames which also interlocked with each other, they couldn''t separate to fly anymore, reduced to flapping their membrane-like wings helplessly, stirring up the earth below.


    Adrian still didn''t let me stop and urged me to keep flying despite temporarily shaking off the twin pursuers.


    "But Selene and the others..." Anxiously eyeing the receding city, what about everyone left behind?


    Some bat-like creatures took off from the city towards us but likely seeing the distance, soon turned back after a while more.


    "It''s not time to relax vigilance yet, fly further!" Still very cautious, Adrian kept asking me to fly ahead until we hid behind a mountain far from the city, confirming no other chasers before finally descending.


    Pa!


    I stood utterly stupefied as he rounded back and slapped me right after removing the ropes.


    Not anticipating that straight after landing safely intact from the twin bone dragon chase, he would actually hit me.


    Weren''t we supposed to celebrate escaping? Then why hit me instead?


    "W-why?" I lightly touched my stinging cheek, suddenly overwhelmed by grievances.


    Seeing my question, he sighed with some helplessness. "Still unclear why I hit you?"


    I opened my mouth, originally still wanting to ask why but honestly replied in the end. "Don''t know..."


    "You don''t cherish yourself enough!" Adrian looked ready to hammer me into shape.


    "I told you to stop caring what others think but you ignore that. Why must you take things to such suicidal extremes?!"


    I was totally lost. "When was I being suicidal?"


    Seeing I still didn''t grasp the problem''s severity, Adrian brought up how I approached Alfreed last night while everyone was asleep.


    "Why did you take the initiative to find Alfreed and request this test of escaping the city center by flight?"


    I was greatly shocked that he knew. Did Alfreed tell him while discussing the details?


    "Of course it was to find an escape route for everyone! We have no other paths out now right? So I proactively wanted to find one. And Blanche happened to mention before..." I explained matter-of-factly using the reason I gave Alfreed previously. That should be fine right? Reasonable?


    "And the result? Didn''t I already warn that such methods were too dangerous and absolutely unacceptable? Everyone tried persuading you too. Did you listen?" Adrian directly highlighted the various flaws and holes in my so-called "escape route".


    "If the enemies didn''t mess up by sending such high order bone dragons, even two, but other 6th order monsters instead, do you think you would still be alive now?"

 Feeling Inferiority

    When the bony dragon first bit towards me, the impression is still fresh in my memory. I couldn''t help but shiver again, not to mention its astonishing speed. If not for Adrian reminding me in time, or if it was a slightly smaller monster, I probably would have barely escaped today.


    "But what does this have to do with me caring about what others think of me? Even if I was being reckless, you still shouldn''t hit me for it..."


    I said very indignantly,


    "Anyway, I was trying to create an opportunity for everyone to escape!"


    "You..."


    Adrian seemed quite angry with me and went straight to the crux of the matter.


    "Then why were you willing to risk your life to actively create an escape opportunity for everyone?"


    "I..."


    The various lofty reasons that I was about to blurt out suddenly became stuck in my throat. Should I really say that I was being self-sacrificing for the greater good?


    I''m very clear that I''m not that kind of person. I had just joined the team less than two days ago. How could I possibly be so selfless already? If I used that kind of reason as an excuse, it would be too shameless.


    "You were just afraid of everyone finding out you were 3rd rank! Afraid that after they knew, they would look down on you because of your low rank. So you wanted to take the initiative to perform, to gain their trust!"


    I shuddered. It was as if Adrian had torn away the fig leaf covering my heart completely and saw right through me, stating everything accurately! Many things that even I was unaware of unconsciously doing, only after he pointed them out did I suddenly realize the reasons behind them.


    Come to think of it, wasn''t I looking for Alfreed precisely because of these factors? And I didn''t hesitate to tell him I was 3rd rank, hoping to get this opportunity to perform. Wasn''t it because I was afraid I couldn''t keep it hidden any longer?


    "I reminded you before not to care what others think of you. Hiding your identity card was one thing, I didn''t mind if you didn''t listen to my advice. These were all nothing. But I didn''t expect the pressure Eleanora and Hayden gave you to be so great that you would take such risks, willing to charge to your death just to maintain that little bit of standing in others'' eyes."


    Everything that happened around me had been noticed by him. He accurately pointed out those things that had previously stimulated and embarrassed me, making me flustered.


    "What you did was really...really...inferior."


    Seeing Adrian''s pained expression, he seemed reluctant to say those words.


    "I''m sorry..."


    I lowered my head in great shame.


    In fact, he was right. I didn''t even know why I cared so much about what others thought of me. I always felt that if others discovered I was not what they imagined, there would be an inexplicable sense of fear, wanting to make up for this relationship desperately, even unconsciously ignoring the serious consequences.


    After all, if Adrian hadn''t insisted on accompanying me, I would probably have been chewed to pieces by the bony dragon now. Only at this moment did I realize how much he had done for me in between.


    "Feliciana, you are really not weak! Judging from your escape from the bony dragon''s pursuit just now and your past achievements, you have really reached the 4th rank level, and even surpassed it. You don''t have to believe me, but you should believe in yourself!"


    Seeing me like this, Adrian seemed to soften a bit. He walked over and gently encouraged me.


    "I don''t understand. You are clearly an angel, so why are you feeling so inferior? Could it really be the amnesia that has had such a big impact on you?"


    "Inferior..."


    Hearing this word, I was suddenly enlightened.


    Isn''t that how it is? I have always been living in inferiority! Although I would sometimes show off and boast to others, wasn''t it just to desperately gain their approval?This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    If it wasn''t so, how could I have given up on Quinn?


    The excuses that she already had a boyfriend were nothing but excuses. The real reason was that I felt inferior, felt that I was not good enough for her. Even when Astrid hinted that I had a chance, I retreated without hesitation.


    Thinking of this, my tears flowed uncontrollably in an instant.


    I only realized now what''s the use of all this? She may have already died!


    And I''ve become like this...


    I''m really not a man inside and out!!


    "I''m sorry!"


    However, when Adrian saw how I looked now, he panicked. He didn''t understand at all why I would suddenly cry like this. Thinking he might have said something wrong, he was at a loss as to what to do.


    When I had cried enough and came back to my senses, I found that Adrian was standing in front of me with great concern.


    "I''m sorry."


    I wiped away my tears, only to let him see such an embarrassing side of me again.


    "I... I..."


    Adrian didn''t know what to say for a while, stuttering for half a day before asking.


    "Did I say something wrong just now? And I slapped you too..."


    "No!" I quickly clarified, not wanting him to think I couldn''t distinguish right from wrong.


    "What you said was all right! I''ll be more careful in the future. And I also know clearly that you really care about me. I can tell the difference."


    "Then why were you crying?"


    He scratched his head, clearly puzzled by my unusual behavior just now and very concerned about it.


    "It''s nothing! Just some small personal issues of mine, don''t worry about it!"


    I shook my head. After all, it was impossible for him to know these things, I could only brush it off perfunctorily.


    "But..."


    Adrian opened his mouth as if he felt things were not as simple as I said, but since I had made it so clear that I didn''t want him to get involved, it would be inappropriate for him to ask further.


    However, seeing that I did realize my problem, he also relaxed a little. Suddenly his expression became serious, and he solemnly apologized to me.


    "Even if you think I''m right, I still want to say sorry to you. No matter how justified the reason, I did hit you in the end, which was wrong of me. Please forgive me."


    "It''s really fine!"


    I was very helpless. I didn''t expect him to be so stubborn about it.


    "If anything, it should be me thanking you."


    "That''s too polite, it doesn''t seem right..."


    Hearing me say this, Adrian chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.


    "Alright alright! You don''t need to keep apologizing either."


    Seeing his reaction, I nodded in agreement. Actually, my thanks just now also made me feel a little awkward.


    "Why don''t we think of a way to save the others instead?"


    I quickly changed the topic back to the main issue.


    "But do you know how to save them?"


    Unexpectedly, Adrian looked at me very seriously and said,


    "Although we''ve escaped, because of the previous battle with the bony dragons in the sky above the city, it has put the enemy on unprecedented high alert."


    "Do you have any ideas?"


    I had to admit Adrian made a lot of sense, but we couldn''t just abandon them, right?


    "The situation now is not optimistic. So it''s best if you go to the volcano we set as our target first and wait there. If that is really the location for the teleporter exchange, hurry back to the Astralrealm Kingdom for reinforcements."


    After thinking for a while, he assigned me a task.


    "What about you then?"


    I suddenly had a feeling that he wanted to get rid of me.


    "Even if it''s not easy, I still have to find a way to sneak back into the city and meet up with Alfreed and the others."


    "How is that possible! You said it yourself that they are highly vigilant now."


    As I expected, Adrian proposed a plan that seemed rather far-fetched to me.


    "And why do you have to go back alone? It''s daytime now, the city gates are not open. Without flying, how do you plan to get in?"


    "No, I can still find a way in alone."


    Unexpectedly, Adrian gave me a very definite answer.


    "The crash site of the two bony dragons happens to be stuck on top of the city wall, causing great chaos. To free them requires external intervention and manual work. So some monsters must come out from the nearby city gates to go outside the city wall. This gives me a chance to sneak in..."


    "Shouldn''t that depend on the bony dragons themselves? Why ask other monsters for help instead?" I asked puzzlingly. If it was really as he said, I believed that with his wit, he should be able to accomplish this. But were the bony dragons really that stupid? They were 6th rank monsters!


    Thinking of the huge bodies of those bony dragons, if a person stood next to one, it would be like standing next to a building dozens of stories high. I really couldn''t figure out what ordinary monsters could do to separate those two.


    "The undead have no intelligence. So for them to serve monsters, various means are needed to control them. Complicated operations like separating and getting off the city wall cannot usually be accomplished by remote control. In the end, manual dismantling into segments may be necessary... And those spires now seem to have finally realized their purpose - a device to control undead like the bony dragons."


    Adrian''s words almost overturned my understanding of the undead, giving me a very uncomfortable feeling.


    Although I had heard Selene mention before that the undead have no intelligence, I didn''t pay much attention. Only now did I deeply experience that this was very unexpected.


    "What about vampires? Don''t they have intelligence either?"


    I suddenly thought of another place that didn''t match common sense. As far as I knew, vampires had always been considered a kind of undead.


    "I already told you, a vampire''s true form is a bat."


    Adrian looked puzzled, not understanding why I associated vampires with the undead.


    "It should be regarded as a kind of creature extremely corrupted by magic."


    This...


    Turns out to be inconsistent with what I knew! Indeed, I couldn''t just apply Earth''s common sense to this world casually.

 Internal and External Troubles

    "So you can''t come back with me," Adrian said matter-of-factly.


    "Firstly, if we both go back, what would be the point of escaping in the first place?"


    "Secondly..." He pointed at my wings behind my back.


    "An angel like you already stands out in a demon-infested city. We can''t sneak back in if you''re flying, and it''ll be too easy to expose us if you come along. There''s no way we can blend into the city."


    "But I can hide my wings, you know that..." I desperately tried to argue.


    "Still too risky! Even if you hide them, like you said before, you were still recognized by that succubus! Plus, without any fighting ability you''ll just become a... Anyway, your ability to fly is useless in the city now. It''ll be safer if you go get help, that way we can make the most of your speed."


    His words left no room for doubt. His reasoning was solid, leaving me no ground to stand on.


    And I knew what that unsaid word meant. I was frustrated but couldn''t come up with a good counterargument to bring me along.


    "How about we check out that volcano first? It''s not far. If it''s really the teleportation spot we''re looking for, we can split up afterwards. If not, we can find the right place first before deciding what to do next."


    Left with no choice, that was the only suggestion I could give Adrian. If he was set on going back alone, we might as well thoroughly explore the area together first, since it''d be hard for him to leave the city again after entering.


    To be honest, I hated being alone in this toilet bowl of powerful enemies.


    "There may not be time for that..."


    Adrian gave a helpless smile and rejected my plan.


    "I understand what you mean, and I don''t want to waste this chance either. But there are more important matters to attend to inside."


    "More important matters?"


    I didn''t understand. What could be more pressing than investigating our escape route?


    "I''m worried about the Captain and the rest..."


    He didn''t seem to want to tell me more, just casually mentioning it. But his words left me confused.


    "Worried? What could happen?"


    To be safe, the Captain and the others were staying hidden in our base the whole time during this operation. It was virtually foolproof.


    "You''re not tricking me again, are you?" I looked at Adrian suspiciously. It felt like he had tricked me a few times already. I wouldn''t let it go until I got a clear answer this time.


    "Fine, looks like you won''t understand if I don''t explain clearly."


    Adrian sighed helplessly, turned to look in Val City''s direction, and said gravely.


    "You''ve only been here a short while, so you might not have noticed. But our squad has been trapped here for a week already. Our supplies and morale are both stretched to the breaking point."


    "That bad? No way, right?"


    I stared blankly at him. From my impressions, that seemed like a sensationalized statement.


    "I understand the issue with supplies, that''s why I went out to get demon beast meat to pad our stocks. But about low morale, Eleanora and the rest seemed quite positive!"


    "That''s because they''ve pinned all their hopes on you, the angel that appeared! It wasn''t like that before you came."


    Adrian glanced back at me and continued.  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "So I dismissed it at first, didn''t think the pressure on you was that great. But after this failed flying escape experiment, being chased by bone dragons in the sky but managing to escape in the end... What do you think the people below would be thinking?"


    "Shouldn''t their morale get a huge boost? They must''ve thought we were amazing!"


    I asked uncertainly. After all, those were two Rank 6 bone dragons! We took them down and they crashed to the ground immobilized for now.


    "How''d you get that idea... I told you, stop thinking about how others see and judge you all the time."


    Adrian put a hand to his forehead, seemingly exasperated by my answer.


    "My point is to look at the whole situation from the perspective of everyone escaping together..."


    "Oh... Sorry."


    Reminded by him, I realized I had thought incorrectly again. I quickly apologized.


    "If looking at it from the escape perspective... And the only one among us who can fly has now left the city..."


    It hit me the moment I thought it through, and my expression changed instantly as I grasped the gravity of the situation. Things were extremely bad on the city squad side now. All routes had been cut off, no paths left by land or air.


    "As squad captain, the only plan Alfreed could push forward now is probably the conservative strategy I mentioned before - to hold our position and wait for the city exit to open."


    Seeing I had finally got back on track, Adrian stepped in to provide his analysis.


    "Actually with you the angel gone, who are the main target of the enemy, things might get much better for those left inside. But the rest might not realize that, they may lose faith to keep holding on, especially with no purification to process that demon beast meat..."


    His tone revealed deep worries, seemingly hinting things could head in a very bad direction.


    "Are you saying there may be disagreements... Or infighting?"


    I frowned, lowering my head to think hard for a bit. It didn''t seem too likely.


    "That shouldn''t happen right? There''s not much left to disagree over. The only plan they can even push is the conservative one you mentioned. And Eleanora, Hayden and the rest don''t seem like they would defy the Captain..."


    "They''re all old squad members who follow the Captain, usually won''t be an issue. But Blanche is hard to say - she joined alongside me like you, and things could be even worse than infighting, possibly even betrayal..."


    Seeing he had said this much already, Adrian just directly revealed the answer.


    "Blanche? No way!"


    That was my first reaction upon hearing it. I still remembered among the squad, aside from Alvled''s Rank 5, Blanche was the only other one at Rank 5 in terms of strength.


    Unlike Eleanora and Hayden, I didn''t interact with Blanche very much. Aside from her short speech back when Alfreed asked me to recount the squad''s experiences, we rarely exchanged a sentence.


    My impression was that she was greatly valued by the Captain. She always went along when scouting outside, and was tasked with safeguarding everyone''s storage rings. So I didn''t believe she would betray the rest.


    "You seem to have quite a good impression of her?"


    Adrian looked at me very skeptically.


    "You didn''t think those words of hers were meant to help you, did you?"


    I froze for a moment before reacting - he must''ve meant Blanche''s questioning when Alfreed announced I would be attempting a flying escape from the city, alongside Selene and the others.


    "Oh... Are you saying I was used?"


    I could feel my face losing color. I hadn''t felt that way before, but after Adrian''s reprimand I could see Blanche''s words were meant to push me into the fire pit.


    "Not all concern... will be kind words..."


    Seeing his grave look, I felt a little speechless. Truthfully I understood these principles, just that I had never tasted such trust from others all my life. For a moment it was hard to shift my mindset.


    "But that''s not enough to say she would betray everyone right?" I asked, puzzled.


    "Maybe Blanche''s intentions weren''t pure when she encouraged me, but that''s a separate issue! She was probably anxious to leave, which was why..."


    I suddenly realized something mid-sentence.


    "She..."


    "The fear is she loses heart from waiting, and does something rash as a result.


    Adrian looked at me heavily and passed me a piece of paper.


    "This is about me?"


    Seeing the wanted poster for an angel and a human, I tasted the feeling of being wanted for the first time in this place.


    "I saw this with Blanche in the city yesterday when we were out," Adrian explained.


    He pointed at the small print at the bottom.


    "They also promise good treatment and transport home if willing to surrender."


    "This can''t be a trap right?"


    I read every word carefully, feeling heavy-hearted. Looks like the enemies already guessed I came with Selene by accident, even knowing what our objective was.


    "Whether it''s a trap or not, it''s undoubtedly very tempting. I didn''t want to say it earlier to avoid anyone getting ideas. But after Blanche saw this notice, she disappeared for a period for no reason. She came back with lots of demon beast meat, claiming she went to find food, but I don''t think it''s that simple."


    I felt my hands shaking while holding the poster.


    "Are you saying she already snitched yesterday? Then why haven''t any demons come for us?"


    "Maybe not to that extent yet. My guess is she''s started making preparations. But they definitely won''t take it lying down after your failed experiment today..."


    Adrian voiced out his speculations.


    "What about Selene?"


    I anxiously asked. Aside from the rest, she was my mission target. If this group effort fell apart with her captured too, how could I face the Church even if I escaped later!


    "Don''t panic!"


    Adrian grabbed my shoulders.


    "You can''t enter the city now. I''ll do my best to protect Selene!"


    He was right. I was too eye-catching a target. Now I could only place my hopes on Adrian to prevent things from happening.

 Vol 2/Chapter 38: A Failed Attempt

    "You should still go to the volcano as planned to investigate. If you manage to transfer back successfully, hurry and go get help. If it turns out to be the wrong place, then come back here and regroup." After giving instructions, Adrian prepared to depart down the mountain.


    "Come back here?" I asked doubtfully. "How do we regroup? It will be very difficult for you all to come out again!"


    "That''s not necessarily true. The situation now is different from when you first escaped. If Alfreed and the others are alright, they still have ways. Moreover, there could be more than one method to exit the city." He looked back and smiled at me, then leapt nimbly down the mountainside.


    "There are other ways to exit the city?" I didn''t understand for a moment, but he didn''t give me a chance to keep asking questions.


    I had wanted to offer to fly him down, but seeing how Adrian had already jumped to the foot of the not-too-tall mountain after a few leaps, I could only swallow my words.


    So I''ve become a messenger? How vexing.


    After seeing Adrian off, I could only follow the agreed plan and fly to the volcano Selene and I had spotted earlier.


    Although my current position west of Val City was not to the south, the unique shape of the volcano made it easy to locate its position in the vast southern plains when flying overhead.


    It didn''t take long to fly there. Soon, I arrived directly above the mountain top, where there was a circular pond.


    From afar, the mountain didn''t look very big. But when I landed on the peak, I realized the area was much larger than I had imagined, easily spanning several kilometers in diameter - about the same size as the deep pit in central Val City.


    The water in the crater lake was quite clear. Looking out at the distant view of Val City to the north, I could make out the details fairly clearly.


    If this was the transfer point, exactly where would the exchange happen?


    While sitting by the lake waiting, I couldn''t help pondering these questions idly.


    But after waiting for a long time without any changes to the distant scenery, and recalling that the last transfer from Tethys Town had happened at dusk, I estimated there was still a lot of time. I sighed again.


    Just as boredom was getting the better of me, I suddenly noticed several small black dots slowly emerging from the mountainside below.


    What were those things? They looked like monsters.


    To avoid detection, I hovered in midair and cautiously approached the targets below little by little, finally making them out clearly - they were several minotaurs holding axes, the same as the ones we had encountered in Elara Woodlands before.


    Behind them were a few other monsters I couldn''t name. Unlike the minotaurs, they were all very short, hunchbacked, and covered in green scales - not human.


    "Could this be the legendary transfer point after all?" I muttered to myself. Looking in the direction they had come from, there seemed to be a cave entrance. But I didn''t dare rashly go closer in case there were many more monsters inside - that would be jumping into the tiger''s den.


    With no way to escape skyward inside the mountain, my aerial advantage would be useless. I could easily get trapped inside.


    However, speaking of aerial advantage... Noticing how the monsters were lined up single file and spaced rather far apart as they slowly advanced below, I suddenly had a bright idea.


    Hehehe... Out here in broad daylight, don''t blame me for snatching your women... Ahem, snatching your monsters!


    I gained some altitude first, estimating the distance to be adequate. Then I took a deep breath and dove down towards them.


    It was just like an eagle swooping down on little chicks. At the highest point of descent, I happened to land right above the last monster''s head. Grabbing it by the scruff of its neck, I swiftly ascended skyward again in one smooth motion.


    The whole process was executed swiftly and precisely without any wasted moves - I had become quite adept from practicing escaping falls from the sky.


    Of course, being able to apply this to combat was still a small improvement.


    This monster sure was slow on the uptake. It struggled violently only after several seconds of being hauled into the air, shrieking loudly all the while.Stolen story; please report.


    So noisy! We were already very high up. Its companions down below definitely couldn''t hear it over this distance. They might not even notice one was missing from their ranks.


    "Cough cough... Shut it! Or I''ll drop you!" I growled, trying my best to sound fierce and intimidating. But I had an inkling it wasn''t very convincing. Oh well, nothing could be done about that.


    "Scream your throat raw, no one''s gonna save you!"


    "Who... who''re you?"


    At least the monster had some intelligence, as it stopped screeching. It was desperately trying to turn its head to look behind, but with me clutching its neck, that was impossible.


    "You''re an angel!"


    "...!"


    Curse these wings for giving me away! Though it couldn''t see my face, the constantly flapping wings behind had been spotted.


    What a pity. I had wanted to pretend to be a succubus too...


    Oh well, since we could communicate, things would be much easier.


    "Tell me the truth! Is that mountain below a secret transfer point you use?"


    I cut straight to the chase without further nonsense. After all, I had no intention of actually being a villain here.


    "It''s not!" The monster in my grasp immediately retorted.


    I didn''t expect it to be so stubborn. What a blatant lie too - not even a hint of hesitation or doubt at all. Did it really think I was a three year old kid?


    "Really not?"


    I decided to give it another chance. I wasn''t truly a demon after all.


    "It''s not!"


    Fine then. Hearing that, my hand loosened its grip...


    "Eeek--!"


    Seeing it flail wildly in midair, limbs and tail thrashing about, it looked unexpectedly cute for such an ugly creature.


    When it neared the ground, I grabbed it by the scruff again and flew back up high.


    After this round trip through the free fall ride, the monster in my hand quietened down significantly. Perhaps terror had finally instilled some obedience. In any case, it didn''t make another peep even when I stopped ascending.


    "The skies are my domain. You gonna tell the truth now?"


    I dangled it lightly with one hand. The implied threat was obvious.


    "I''ll... I''ll tell..."


    It quickly acquiesced in a submissive tone. Tail curled tightly to its body like a ball.


    "What''s that mountain below used for?"


    "It''s... it''s an experimental site for the celestial weapon Galadra''s Eye."


    "Celestial weapon? Galadra''s Eye?"


    I was puzzled. How did another celestial weapon get dragged into this? Although the name sounded very different from Nicola''s Condensation Sword, I hadn''t been in this world for long. To think I would chance upon two celestial weapons in a row!


    "It''s a device that can transfer spaces."


    Seeing my lack of comprehension, the monster in my hand quickly explained.


    "Then who''re you all? What''re you doing inside?"


    "I''m a cave dweller assisting with the work..."


    "Cave dweller?"


    I twisted its neck to peer at its face again, puzzled.


    Its frog-like face and mung bean-sized eyes were nearly invisible unless stared at closely. The lithe, lizard-like body shape was probably adapted for burrowing through holes and tunnels.


    So this was what a cave dweller looked like. How underwhelming given their fabled reputation!


    "Y-yes, that''s right. I''m Borg."


    At least he didn''t dare be impudent, even volunteering his own name.


    "Then who''re you all? What''re you doing inside? When''s the next transfer happening? How large an area does it cover? How many times has it been used here before? What''s the purpose?"


    Since this ''Borg'' was being so cooperative, I went ahead and bombarded it with all the questions I was curious about.


    "Well..."


    But at the critical moment, it suddenly started hesitating, hemmed and hawed for a long time without answering at all.


    "Hmm?"


    I looked at it confusedly. What tricks was this guy trying to pull?


    "If you can''t answer everything at once, go slowly one by one. But if you dare try deceiving me..."


    I abruptly loosened my grip downwards.


    "No, no!"


    Borg hurriedly yelled out to clarify.


    "It''s not that I don''t wish to say, and not that I want to trick you, but there''s nothing below anymore! We received an urgent notice from Val City yesterday that due to suspected angel invasion here, Galadra''s Eye has already been transferred elsewhere as a precaution!"


    "What!"


    I was greatly shocked. In my absentmindedness, my hand slipped again.


    "Eeek--!?"


    ...


    That time was truly unintentional...


    When I fished Borg back up again, he was already frightened out of his wits, babbling and pleading for mercy.


    "Please, I beg you! I really didn''t lie to you. There truly is nothing left below. We''re only the last batch remaining behind to tidy things up before retreating back to Val City."


    "Retreating in broad daylight? Why don''t you just stay here until nightfall then?"


    I hadn''t forgotten their monstrous habit of sleeping during the day and appearing at night. Making to drop him again, I pressed,


    "That''s because they''re short on manpower at the new site, so they ordered us to head over immediately! That''s why we have no choice but to move now..."


    As my hand only shook lightly, Borg immediately shrieked and hastily explained the reason.


    "Then where''s this new site located?"


    His manner didn''t seem like he was fabricating lies.


    "I... I don''t know."


    Borg stared apprehensively at me, all four limbs and tail tightly curled up into a ball.


    "We''ll only be informed after returning to Val City..."


    "What!"


    On hearing that, I nearly erupted. Wasn''t this even more useless than before?


    At least just now I still knew the approximate location. But now, not a single clue remained - not even a rough directional hint!


    To verify his claims, I specifically flew down to check the cave entrance in the mountainside.


    The cavernous interior was extremely spacious and wide. Indeed, as Borg had said, it was completely deserted without a trace left behind.


    It was fortunate I had come to investigate first. If not for running into this cave dweller, I might have mistakenly assumed I got the wrong location!


    "Tell me everything and anything you know - past transfer experiments elsewhere, their purpose, and exactly why it got moved this time."


    I commanded Borg categorically. Since I couldn''t obtain the information I wanted, perhaps I could still glean some other clues from what he knew.


    "Yes, yes! The initial experiments were conducted within Val City..."


    The obedient cave dweller immediately launched into recounting the events of the past trials, clearly aware of what consequences awaited if he failed to cooperate, having experienced the free fall ride multiple times.


    After all, I was a good guy. I would never let him plummet easily to his death, always giving him ample opportunities.

 The Goddess of Fire Flames and Her Dark Council

    The caveman Borg  was quite informative, answering almost all my questions as he had been an assistant in the project. I finally understood the general details about this so-called Galadra''s Eye experiment.


    As Blanche described, the original purpose was indeed to launch a sneak attack from the back to change the battle situation at the front lines. But unfortunately, it was discovered too early and all initial efforts were wasted.


    Fortunately, although Borg was just a back-end staff providing support and logistics, his duties were quite diverse - covering food, lodging, hygiene etc. So through my interrogation, I still managed to uncover many inside details.


    "So after your sneak attack army was surrounded and wiped out at the Atrlu Gorge, you guys decided to go all out and march south straight into the kingdom capital for revenge?"


    I asked while levitating Borg in mid-air. If I sensed even a tiny bit of hesitation from him, I wouldn''t mind letting him try out my new rapid free-fall tower invention.


    I''m sure the experience would be exhilarating for him.


    "Yes yes!"


    Borg fawned obsequiously.


    "I was against this. No no, I''ve always been against such invasive actions. They are too inhumane!"


    "Oh please..."


    I rolled my eyes. His acting was too exaggerated.


    "Then why were you all so ostentatious along the way, summoning so many monsters before even reaching your destination? You even clashed with garrison troops in towns along the route."


    This was one of Selene''s earlier questions too. Back then, no one like Adrian could figure out the reasons behind revealing themselves so openly. Some even suspected ulterior motives.


    "Well...there weren''t many left on the other side. I heard only a few lizardmen and werewolves escaped the encirclement. So higher-ups were worried about the lack of manpower. They specifically sent a small force to protect and to retrieve the Celestial Weapon. But that ended up attracting even more kingdom troops for the purge..."


    So it turned out to be a blunder? Looks like Adrian and co. were overthinking things.


    "So no more reinforcements were sent later on?"


    I deduced based on the subsequent situation at Tethys Town.


    "Yes. Higher-ups felt concealment was more critical afterwards. So they sent a level 6 snake demon and level 5 werewolf to take over the transportation of the Celestial Weapon. The guards stationed on the other side were also pulled back. No more troops were summoned until the destination."


    A level 6 snake demon and level 5 werewolf?


    I was shocked. That was pretty high level!


    "Why didn''t you all just use flying monsters? Getting the Celestial Weapon flown straight into the royal capital would have been much faster right? Why still traverse treacherous mountain routes?"


    The fact they could change transporters gave me this idea.


    "I heard spatial turbulence around the Celestial Weapon was too chaotic. It affected flight."


    Having followed the project from the start, Borg had probably seen the Celestial Weapon before. So he answered quickly.


    "And higher-ups explicitly ruled out air transportation too. Can''t conceal in the skies. The kingdom also has aerial troops. Interception would be disastrous. Land was the only option."


    "I see. Then what happened after?" I asked with concern.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    If that was the case, something must have occurred on land for such high level monsters to end up bested by a level 3 mountain village brute like Kane. And I think he only encountered one monster right? Unsure if it was the snake demon or werewolf.


    "During one handover, the cavemen and lizardmen stationed outside the transfer zone to coordinate reported loss of contact with the transportation crew from the kingdom side..."


    According to Borg , they were not too worried initially. Search zones in the mountains could be large. Losing contact briefly wasn''t uncommon.


    But when there was still no movement after a few days, they realized something was wrong. Personnel were sent into the zone to investigate, only discovering a small town other than the missing Celestial Weapon and transporters.


    That small town was probably Tethys Town - where Selene and I got transferred to that day.


    With the Celestial Weapon still unfound, and the royal capital not too far from Tethys Town, the invasion plans were changed. Forces would march directly from Tethys to attack the Astralrealm Kingdom instead.


    "What did you all do to the people in that town?"


    My voice sank as I asked gravely. After all, those monsters couldn''t have turned the town upside down without alerting residents.


    "I didn''t kill anyone! I''m just a support staff. I got transferred to the kingdom side too. Impossible for me to meet the townspeople!"


    Borg waved his hands frantically to clarify.


    "The town also got transferred to our Dark Continent side. So the search teams stationed outside should have done it!"


    If that was the case, Sister Hila and church leader Simon could have perished...escaped unlikely with so many monsters around.


    To rescue and heal Gavin and so many other injured townsfolk had expended tremendous effort from me. Yet they got massacred that very night. Unforgivable.


    "How are the invasion troops sent the past two days?"


    I asked heavily.


    "I heard not too good. Still yet to reach the royal capital target. Got discovered enroute already. Unsure of exact details."


    Borg understood it was good news for me and quickly revealed what he knew.


    "Reinforcements were planned but orders came from Val City two days ago about suspected angel invasion there. Suspected from our side''s experiments. So immediate relocation ordered. No chance to send help yet."


    "Suspected? Don''t tell me you all have concurrent experiments elsewhere too?"


    I picked up on a key term from him. Logically, Selene and I did get transferred here from their side, so why were there still suspicions? Could it be...


    "We aren''t sure if you came from the earlier experiments still ongoing in Val City...or after the relocation here!"


    Upon hearing me, Borg hurriedly explained.


    "There''s only one experiment site! Mainly conducted in Val City initially. But some cavemen corpses were found near the outer perimeter trenches. Unknown perpetrator. So it got moved into these mountains afterwards!"


    "Unknown perpetrator?"


    The term intrigued me even though internal strife amongst monsters wasn''t surprising.


    "Don''t tell me Astralrealm Kingdom forces aren''t the only enemies of you Val City dark creatures?"


    "Uh...we used to be quite united."


    At first, Borg didn''t seem to want to talk about this. But under my gentle persuasion, he finally came clean.


    "But after our Val City got special top-level backing, some external forces got jealous. So they often send spies to sabotage and disrupt the missions assigned to us."


    "What exactly is your ''top level''?"


    While their internal conflict was unexpected, even more interesting was how often he used that term.


    "Of course, it''s the Goddess of Fire Flames Michelle whom all dark creatures revere, as well as the Dark Council she leads!"


    Borg looked towards Val City with a devout gaze. Clearly he was absolutely faithful to this so-called goddess.


    "The Dark Council?"


    Not sure whether to feel familiar or silly about the term.


    It sounded rather silly for this fantasy world. Yet also somewhat fitting based on the world structure I now understood.


    More intriguing though were the actual words. The term "council" connoted some national alliance entity rarely seen outside science fiction works or games...and even then, mostly like the UN in my Earth.


    Yet here it was popping up unexpectedly when the Astralrealm Kingdom was still feudal, with nearby nations seemingly similar. Strange indeed.


    "What is the background of your Goddess of Fire Flames Michelle anyway? Don''t tell me she''s yet another aloof deity barely showing herself?"


    I asked disdainfully. From Vivianne''s earlier explanations, I roughly knew this world''s beliefs around gods. Yet suddenly another Goddess of Fire pops up on this Dark Continent leading dark creatures...probably just acting behind the scenes like the True Church.


    "Who says so! Lady Michelle is nothing like the aloof gods you humans believe in - disappearing for millennia, no clue if dead or alive. She currently presides right in Val City! This Celestial Weapon is bestowed by her. Your actions here are crystal clear to her..."


    Once mentioning the Goddess Michelle, Borg''s eyes gradually turned fanatical and he grew unsettled in my grasp. He even began yelling instead of answering politely.


    How frightening to be blinded by faith...oblivious to your own plight!


    I rolled my eyes before letting him enjoy yet another round with my spinning aerial free-fall tower contraption. By the time I fished him out again, he was foaming and out cold.


    My interrogation was largely complete and he seemed unlikely to provide anything more useful for now. Despite earlier cooperation, I couldn''t bear to kill him.


    However, letting him return as an informant wasn''t feasible either despite nothing to expose now.


    After some thought, I left unconscious Borg by the mountaintop lake at this volcano''s apex. The sheer ninety-degree drop here prevented his lowly caveman self from descending anytime soon.

 Volume 2/Chapter 40: The Fight Breaks Out

    The only thing I could do now was to return to the hill where Adrian and I first landed, and wait to regroup with them.


    I was still a bit worried about the Fire Flame God Michelle that Borg said was in Val City. Because according to him, she was a goddess that had descended in bodily form, and existed in Val City, so close to me - that made me unable to ignore her.


    But she probably wasn''t as powerful as he made her out to be. If she was that formidable, we wouldn''t have been able to hide out in the city for so long. And when we escaped, she didn''t show up in person either, just sending two silly skeletal dragons to chase me that I managed to escape from in the end.


    If Borg hadn''t told me, I would have had no idea such a powerful goddess was hidden in this city.


    Hold on! What if he was lying to me? What if that Fire Flame God Michelle wasn''t even in the city at all? Maybe he just wanted to scare me into letting him go when he said all that.


    I felt like that was very likely.


    Although I still didn''t get to ask where the teleportation point had moved to now, my mood was a bit more relaxed than before.


    Because from what Borg said, he had let slip a lot of useful information. That included the fact that the Val City side didn''t know Alfreed''s squad existed - if Blanche hadn''t sold us out, then the rest should be able to get out soon.


    Those cavemen until now still thought that I either killed the others, or some enemy dark creature faction did it.


    To have five big live humans sneak in without detecting anything, they still dared say their goddess was personally guarding the place? I couldn''t help but snort in contempt when I thought of this.


    As I was flying through the sky towards the gathering point Adrian and I had agreed on, I seemed to see a black dot moving swiftly in my direction from the ground below.


    That black dot was moving extremely quickly in a series of jumps and bounds, very suited to the mountainous terrain in this area.


    Could it be...


    I stared intently, flying a bit lower, and discovered what looked like a human figure. I immediately lost my cool - how could there be a human in a place like this?


    The only humans that would be around here were probably Alfreed''s group, could it be that someone else got caught up in the earlier teleportation exchange as well? But judging by how skilled that person''s movements were, it probably wasn''t an ordinary human. Or could it really be one of Alfreed''s group who also escaped alone?


    Guessing blindly wouldn''t do any good. When I dropped down directly in front of that person, I got a huge shock when I saw who it was.


    "Blanche?" I exclaimed in surprise.


    How could it be her? Based on my and Adrian''s guesses, either she was now trapped with Alfreed''s group in that little house in the city, or she might have sold us out already and was waiting for the monsters to send her back, although that was on the condition that the monsters kept their promise.


    But now she appeared alone on this barren mountain outside the city - what was going on? Although from her direction, she seemed to be heading precisely towards that volcano I had come from.


    "It''s you, Feliciana!"


    Blanche was also shocked to see me, immediately saying:


    "Hurry and go help the captain and the others! The city gates just opened and when we tried to slip out from there we were discovered. They''re fighting intensely right now."


    City gates? Why would the city gates be open?


    My first thought was that the gates should be closed tight during the day. But I immediately recalled what Adrian said about the two skeletal dragons crashing onto the city walls - if they wanted to dispose of them separately the gates would have to be opened manually.


    Of course! Adrian could take this chance to slip in, while the people inside could slip out. Although with so many people they would stand out too obviously and easily get exposed, it was still a viable method.


    But doing this was far too risky. I didn''t know why the usually cautious Alfreed would choose this approach.


    "What about you then? Why are you at this place instead of with the rest?"


    I asked doubtfully. Blanche appearing alone here was too suspicious. And coupled with Adrian''s earlier doubts about her, I definitely had to get to the bottom of this.


    "The captain told me to escape first on my own to check out that mountain you mentioned. Because if the whole group moved together we would be too slow. In case that wasn''t the right teleportation point and everyone made a wasted trip, it wouldn''t be worth it."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Looking at how anxious she seemed, if Adrian hadn''t warned me beforehand, her acting probably could have fooled me.


    But there were far too many holes in what she said, it was practically insulting my intelligence.


    No matter how powerful the Level 6 Alfreed was, he wouldn''t be so arrogant to think he could take on the entire Val City''s monsters while protecting everyone. Even if they did manage to temporarily escape and even make it to the volcano range like she said, what if they had gotten it wrong? Where would everyone go while escaping their pursuers'' attacks? Would they just wander around aimlessly looking for the right place?


    But even though I saw through her lies, I didn''t dare expose her immediately. I was very curious how she had managed to escape alone, but I didn''t dare ask either!


    I certainly hadn''t forgotten Blanche was Level 5. If she noticed anything off about me, a fight would break out and I would definitely lose miserably, maybe even die.


    "I see, you go check it out then! They are now at the gate, right?"


    I pretended to believe her as I replied. The best thing to do now was probably to just go along with her. If she wanted to go to that mountain, then let her. It was empty over there now anyway, and she probably wouldn''t discover anything even if she searched there for a whole day.


    "Yes, so hurry up and go help them! What about Adrian?"


    "Adrian went to check out that mountain too. You might run into each other, when you see him ask him to hurry back to help."


    Since she hadn''t met Adrian yet, I made up something on the spot before quickly flying away.


    I had thought Blanche was lying completely, and originally just wanted to make a show of flying in the direction of the city gates before doubling back to secretly keep watch on her.


    But as I approached Val City, I discovered there seemed to be a lot of gathered monsters near the city gates. Flying even closer, I saw to my shock that Alfreed''s group was right there in the middle of the monster horde, fighting bitterly!


    What on earth was going on here? Weren''t we supposed to sneak quietly into the city? How did they end up fighting their way out of the gates?


    I saw that Adrian was there amongst them too. I was completely stunned. This didn''t make any sense at all!


    In actuality, although there were a lot of monsters surrounding them from outside, with Alfreed the Level 6 expert there, plus several other Level 4 comrades, they were somehow still able to defend themselves.


    And they had even fought from the inside of the gates to the outside.


    But this was probably just a temporary situation. The monsters around now were all low-level grunts. Higher-leveled monsters would soon be alerted by the commotion and arrive. Things would get difficult then.


    The weaker ones like Selene and Eleanora were already struggling to cope. As magic-users not suited for close combat, being surrounded and attacked by so many monsters was already extremely difficult for them to endure until escaping the city.


    Seeing this situation, I should have rushed down immediately to help. But seeing how many gathered monsters were down there, still encircling and attacking them, my heart was filled with extreme unease and nervousness. I hovered in midair, not daring to make a move.


    After all, I had never experienced such a scene before. Going down now would practically be throwing myself into deadly peril. I clenched my fist tightly as my heart wrestled intensely with itself.


    All of them were comrades who I had been living together with these past few days. If I watched idly from above because of my fear for my own life, how was that any different from the detestable betraying behavior I so hated?


    But I was only Level 3! Even weaker than the weakest Selene down there. Rushing down, what help could I even provide? I would probably just cause more trouble for them and become a laughingstock.


    No, wait! Adrian told me that I was no longer so weak. I had reached Level 4 already. He had said so himself, told me to have more confidence and believe in myself...


    I looked at my own two hands, then looked again at the fiercely battling people below.


    "Screw it!"


    I shouted loudly, drawing the longsword at my waist and charging towards the monster horde, slashing into the head of the werewolf that was attacking Selene.


    This werewolf was probably only Level 2 or 3. Descending from the sky, my sword empowered by the momentum cleaved straight into its head. It immediately exploded into a bloody mess, splattering me in the face with blood.


    "Bleargh! So disgusting!"


    I wiped the blood stains from my face, spitting out repeatedly until I nearly vomited.


    Forcibly suppressing the nausea, I yanked out my sword from where it was deeply embedded in its head. Speaking of which, without my wings spread out for balance, I wouldn''t have been able to pull it free at all.


    "Feliciana, why are you here?"


    Seeing what was happening, Selene rushed to stand guard in front of me, using her magic staff to block the scimitar of the lizardman who wanted to take advantage of the chance to attack me.


    "Didn''t Adrian say you went to scout out that volcano? What''s the situation over there?"


    "I finished scouting it already! Long emptied out, they''ve relocated!"


    I shouted loudly in reply, then went over to aid Eleanora on the other side. Although she looked delicate and frail, she was utterly ruthless when it came to killing enemies. She was currently fiercely bashing away at a hellhound with her magic staff.


    Strangely, despite her staff being a blunt weapon, every strike seemed to draw blood. I saw a faint blue glow flickering at its tip - this was probably a combat method of imbuing magic into the weapon.


    So this was what a close-combat magic user was like!


    But Eleanora was bashing with too much absorption, to the point that a goblin on her other side was thrusting a spear at her and she didn''t even make any move to defend herself.


    "Watch out!"


    I shrieked in alarm, rushing over to slice apart the spear. But suddenly a blade glinted at the edge of my vision - but by this time I was in no position to defend myself!


    With a loud clang, the blade was blocked by a weapon stretched over from the side.


    It was Adrian! Since ranged combat with his usual bow was unsuitable in these close quarters, he was using a longsword like me.


    At this moment he was powerfully slashing the enemy who had just tried to ambush me. He seemed to be handling it with ease, even having the leisure to ask me:


    "What do you think you''re doing here?"


    Leaping to my side, standing back to back with me, Adrian said harshly:


    "This isn''t a place you should have come to!"


    He sounded very angry, and I shrank back my head guiltily. Had I gotten rescued by him again and was now dragging him down?


    "I''m sorry!"


    I put all my might into slashing out at the monsters in front of me, hurriedly apologizing and explaining:


    "It''s because you said before that I was Level 4 already, so I thought..."


    "Oh, uh..."


    Adrian seemed to hesitate for a bit after hearing my words.


    "You''ve misunderstood. I''m not saying your strength isn''t enough, just that I''ve told you already - even if that volcano location turned out wrong, you should still have returned to wait for me on that previous mountain. So why did you run here instead?"

 The Vampire

    "It''s a long story..."


    I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized he wasn''t blaming me, but it was too much to ask me to explain what had happened with Blanche in this situation.


    Fortunately, there were only some lower level grunts around us now, many without much intelligence, just charging recklessly forward. So I could barely manage to deal with these cannon fodder.


    "Focus!"


    Suddenly, Alfreed''s voice rang out, followed immediately by an order to everyone.


    "Follow me out now..."


    With a sweep of his long sword, a large group of monsters in front collapsed all at once, suddenly clearing a path.


    "Charge!"


    Under his lead, all of us broke through the siege and raced wildly towards the west outside the city, with the monsters behind us giving chase.


    "Let''s get further away first before talking! It''s too dangerous near the city."


    Adrian called out while fending off some faster pursuers at the back. Seeing him overwhelmed, I immediately went over to help.


    "Wasn''t the plan to sneak back into the city? You call this sneaking in?"


    Taking the chance, I snarked at him.


    I didn''t need to run with them. I could just fly behind them. So I was the most relaxed now, swinging my sword in midair to hack at the grunts.


    "I was just about to sneak in as planned!"


    He shot back, looking wrongfully accused.


    "How would I know Alfreed and the rest would choose to break out of the city gate collectively? I had no choice but to reveal myself and help them when they were discovered."


    He was just about to enter the city? I was puzzled, but quickly realized what had happened.


    Unlike me, Adrian couldn''t fly. He had walked all the way here.


    And it wasn''t like he could enter the city immediately after arriving. He would still need to observe the surroundings for a while to find a chance.


    So while I was interrogating the prisoner at the volcano, he was still loitering outside the city gates.


    "Then who came up with this harebrained idea of escaping through the city gates?"


    I already had a guess, most likely Blanche. But I figured Alfreed wouldn''t have readily listened to her suggestion.


    "It was me!"


    I nearly flipped! Never would I have imagined it was Alfreed himself confessing. Today was just full of "pleasant surprises". Both Adrian and I had guessed wrongly?


    Now everyone was running desperately ahead. Just Adrian and I were left holding the rear. But we weren''t too far. We could still hear each other loud and clear.


    "What were you doing?!"


    Adrian was also completely bewildered. He didn''t expect the usually cautious captain to mess up like this.


    "The captain had no choice!"


    Eleanora, who had been silently following behind Alfreed, spoke up to clarify.


    "For some reason, our hideout was exposed. Blanche came back early to warn us while scouting outside. The captain could only lead us to hastily retreat. The city was also undergoing house searches everywhere for some reason. With nowhere else to hide temporarily, we saw the city gates opening by chance. So the captain brought us there to see if we could get a chance to escape."


    Adrian and I exchanged glances, instantly realizing what had happened.


    "Where''s Blanche?" Still running, Adrian gritted his teeth and asked.


    "Don''t know. Maybe she got separated in the chaos at the city gate."


    Eleanora and the rest still had no clue.


    "How were you all discovered?"


    With a stab, I pierced through the body of a monster chasing us from behind. I had fallen too behind, so I grabbed the nearby Adrian to fly us both back to the fleeing group ahead.  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "It was really strange! We were about to retreat back into the city after seeing the strict checks at the gates that only allowed lowly creatures like laborers to pass. Suddenly...suddenly..."


    Selene replied breathlessly. Out of everyone, her stamina was likely the worst. She was already out of breath after the long run.


    Finally, Eleanora helped her finish the second half of the sentence.


    "Suddenly, some creature shouted ''Humans trying to escape the city!''. The guards at the gate immediately demanded every single person there to show their identity. We were left with no choice but to fight our way through."


    "That Blanche sold all of you out!"


    Adrian yelled furiously the moment he caught up.


    "She intentionally caused the ruckus then slipped away alone amidst the chaos!"


    "No way. Why would Blanche do that?"


    Eleanora refused to believe it.


    "But I really didn''t see her leave the city gate! I was staring at it the whole time, worried that monsters from outside would come and block our path of escape. If Blanche had left via the gate, I would definitely have noticed."


    Alfreed wasn''t entirely convinced either. But his eyes should not have been mistaken.


    "She did go out. Because I met her outside just now. She''s currently headed towards that volcano."


    I didn''t hide anything and directly told them about my earlier encounter with Blanche. Seeing the monsters left further and further behind, I grabbed the severely lagging Selene and flew above everyone''s heads.


    "She even lied to me that you sent her to scout that mountain. But I didn''t tell her it was already empty."


    "You two suspected her all along?"


    Alfreed finally realized this point.


    "Why didn''t you say so earlier! And how did she even get out?"


    "She escaped by climbing over the dragon skeleton!"


    Glancing back at the city gate and the motionless dragon skeleton still stuck high up on the city walls not far away, Adrian immediately figured it out.


    "That''s right!"


    Seeing the empty skeletal frame, I understood too.


    "The creatures around the dragon skeleton were probably also drawn to the commotion at the city gate. Blanche took the chance to climb up the skeleton and slip over the city walls."


    Both Adrian and I had underestimated Blanche. She was very clever. While she did intend to sell us out, she didn''t make a deal with the monsters as we had imagined.


    She first chose to anonymously tip off the monsters, but didn''t reveal herself to the monsters either, forcing Alfreed to abandon their base with no choice but to check out the situation at the city gates. Of course, this probably also involved her egging things along.


    Then, she immediately sold everyone out by telling the guards at the gate that humans were trying to escape. While everyone was surrounded and the attention of nearby creatures was drawn away, she took a roundabout way over the dragon skeleton to make her escape. Finally, she headed straight for her destination.


    Not only did Blanche make use of everyone in the squad, she also utilized the monsters while avoiding the risk of directly dealing with them. She managed to smoothly get close to the volcano and would likely have truly escaped unharmed back to the Astralrealm Kingdom if not for the last-minute change of exchange venue.


    She really didn''t need to go so far. The rest could still have escaped together even without selling us out. From my gathered intel, Val City didn''t even know there were other humans besides Selene and me until now. The high alert before was mainly to defend against me as the angel. With me taking Adrian the only human away in the enemies'' eyes, the security would likely be lifted soon.


    This really harmed others without benefiting oneself!


    I gave Adrian a wry smile after he briefly explained to the others.


    The grunts were simply too low ranked after all. Soon, they either lacked the speed or stamina to keep up and were thrown very far behind, finally ceasing their chase.


    But Val City didn''t give up just like that. Some Face Flies had already risen from within the city and were flying rapidly towards us. This was my first time seeing their appearance clearly in broad daylight.


    As the name suggested, their heads did resemble masks with human faces, but their bodies were no different from ordinary dragonflies, only far larger.


    Ugly freaks! That was my one and only impression of these Face Flies as former enemies I had fought before. As losers, they posed no threat to me now.


    Seeing them about to unleash those lightning attacks, I quickly threw out several Purifications. As expected, seconds later, all the Face Flies lay sprawled helplessly upside down on the ground struggling.


    "Well done!" Adrian turned back from the front to praise me.


    "It was nothing..."


    Actually repeatedly casting so many Purifications in a short time consumed a lot of energy. I was just about to modestly express humility when I suddenly sensed an enormous shadow passing over my head. Then in the sky ahead, a skeletal dragon appeared.


    Everyone immediately halted their steps upon seeing it. Alfreed at the front held his long sword raised to his chest in a defensive stance, while Adrian kept his long sword and switched to his preferred bow instead.


    "We got chased down after all..."


    I sighed. Just when I thought we could smoothly escape this. But reality was always cruel.


    Didn''t expect the enemy to still have reserves of dragons even after crippling two of them. And there wasn''t only one dragon blocking our path ahead.  Another creature also stood on its head. Even from this distance, I could still feel the tremendous pressure emanating from it. Clearly another high-ranked existence.


    "That''s the vampire!"


    Adrian spoke gravely to me while feeling the bow in his hand. From the ring, he took out an arrow glowing with white light.


    "This is bad. He''s at least 5th order. Possibly even 6th..."


    "So how do we fight?"


    My heart tightened. With two enemies at the 6th order, if Blanche hadn''t run off we might still barely stand a chance...


    No! Still no hope. The gap between the 5th and 6th order was massive. Even with all the others combined at the 4th order, we couldn''t make up for this ravine.


    Moreover, she wasn''t here with us.


    Realizing the huge disparity in power, everyone currently present other than Alfreed was subconsciously stepping back.


    "You almost got away from me!"


    The vampire leapt gracefully from the head of the dragon to elegantly stand before everyone. His attire was a long coat. To be honest, paired with that pose, I felt it looked kinda pretentious.


    "Didn''t expect there to be so many hidden humans in the city other than the angel. You''re courting trouble by creating chaos while I''m resting. If the Lady Michelle gets disturbed, the blame falls squarely on me."


    Michelle? I heard this name yet again. The fire goddess that the demi-human miner Borg spoke about. Could she really be in Val City?


    But the others had never heard of her and were gazing confusingly at one another.


    "Michelle?"


    Alfreed was the first to ask the vampire.


    "Hmph! She is the goddess of all creatures of darkness. You inferior humans have no right to know!"


    The vampire seemed very disdainful about explaining anything more regarding Michelle. Suddenly extending a hand, he waved, and the dragon skeleton above him immediately dove down towards Alfreed standing right at the front, mouth open for a bite.

 Vampires Cant Fly

    With a familiar loud "crack!", Alfreed the 6th-level swordsman nimbly dodged the Bone Dragon''s attack with a backflip. He then stepped onto the monster''s jawbone and fiercely hacked at it with his sword.


    "Clang clang clang clang..."


    Each strike left a deep gash in the bone. But the Bone Dragon felt no pain as an undead creature, and without vocal cords, it made no roar.


    Still, having a puny human standing on its mouth must have pissed it off well. Since violently shaking its head failed to dislodge Alfreed, the Bone Dragon decided to utilize its aerial advantage and shot straight up into the sky.


    "No brains sure makes things tough. Letting a human climb all over it just like that..."


    The vampire clicked his tongue as he watched the aerial battle overhead.


    Earlier, Adrian had said that the towers of Val City were somehow controlling these Bone Dragons. But clearly, it wasn''t fine manipulation - the mindless undead were simply set loose to serve their masters through instinct alone.


    So while the dragons boasted power and speed exceeding 6th level, their actual combat ability was severely limited. From my observation, they performed best in large-scale clashes where their massive bodies and lack of intellect mattered less. Smaller confrontations like this played more to their weaknesses.


    If it were up to me, I would never have sent these war machines to chase us down. What was Val City thinking? Just like last time when they dispatched two dragons only to have me and Adrian jam them into the city walls.


    Didn''t they have any other flying 6th-tier forces?


    "No matter. The rest of you look plenty weak anyway. I alone should suffice."


    The vampire licked his lips hungrily as he eyed our group, poised to swoop down and finish us off.


    Wasting no time, he charged at blistering speed, crossing the dozen meters separating us in the blink of an eye.


    Hayden bravely stepped forward to meet the attack, raising his shield to guard the others. With a clear ringing sound, the shield shattered under the tremendous impact and Hayden was flung backward. Adrian and I rushed to catch him before he tumbled further.


    Such terrifying power - the sturdy shield nearly caved in from that casual swipe! We sucked in our breath, alarmed. The squishy mages like Selene and Eleanora were now exposed before this monster.


    But something about the vampire''s devastating attack bothered me. It felt... off.


    I took to the air, sword lifted overhead, and dove at the vampire while firing spheres of Purification from above. Sure enough, he instantly recoiled from the holy light rather than tanking the hits. Just as I predicted! I poured my strength into an overhead slash directed at his dodge.


    My sword clanged loudly against his body as if striking solid stone. Pain and numbness shot through my hands. My blade snapped clean off, leaving me gripping a bare hilt.


    At least he wasn''t completely unharmed - a thin cut now marked his upraised arm.


    I quickly flapped higher, hovering in midair.


    The vampire stared at his injury for a moment before deciding not to pursue me skyward.


    He really can''t fly! A vampire that can''t fly!


    According to Adrian, vampires in bat form have powers akin to angels with tucked wings - basically useless. And he likely can''t fly very quickly even transformed. Without hitching a ride on that Bone Dragon, he''d have never caught up to our ground-bound party from the city.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Even without wings, Alfreed and the rest easily outpaced ordinary humans with their 4th+ tier speed and stamina.


    "Come and get me if you dare! Or turn into a bat and try to catch me! Can you jump this high?"


    I taunted loudly, worried that he might ignore me and attack the others instead, which I''d be powerless to stop.


    To punctuate my point, I rained down spheres of Purification, expecting him to dodge or nullify the bombardment somehow. But strangely enough, he simply stood there tanking every hit as they sank into his body without any noticeable effect.


    What?! Why did Purification stop working?


    I peered closer and noticed his skin now shimmered with a black aura that seemed to absorb the holy energy, similar to the dark orb used by the succubus to counter my attack.


    The blackness appeared to be pure dark elemental energy, naturally opposed to my light-based Purification. Maybe that explained the nullification?


    "Did you think height alone would protect you?"


    Before I could analyze further, the vampire sneered up at me.


    He can''t possibly be thinking of jumping up here, can he? Last time the drunken demon Buck tried that, I just punted him out of the air halfway.


    But I vastly underestimated this foe. Though truly earthbound, the vampire''s leap easily cleared the distance between us, his speed dwarfing Buck''s by orders of magnitude. I barely had time to react before his hand swiped at my stomach...


    A piercing pain erupted through my body as an incredible force pummeled me straight into the ground.


    "Feliciana!"


    I heard the faint cries of Adrian and the others through the ringing in my ears.


    I coughed blood violently. My vision filled with bursts of white sparks floating in the air - my blood vaporizing as it sprayed forth. It felt like my back was shattered.


    This is finally it, I''m done for... Pain wracked my convulsing body. My sight dimmed and flashed, darkness and bright visions swirling indistinguishably as consciousness rapidly faded...


    "You think me some pathetic drunkard like that Buck your nephew trashed? I''m nothing like that fool."


    The vampire stood over my crumbled form, hand raised for the finishing blow. Then suddenly, his body jerked as a translucent blade burst out his chest...


    "Feliciana!"


    The next shout I heard wasn''t from Adrian or Selene, but a much more familiar voice. And as I sank into oblivion, the last sight was the vampire bisected cleanly down the middle by a flickering sword I knew too well...


    When I regained awareness, I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by a ring of anxious faces both familiar and unexpected.


    "Nicola..."


    I exclaimed excitedly as she helped prop me upright.


    "How are you here?"


    No mistake, that sword was Condensation Sword.


    "Don''t move yet! How do you feel?"


    Eleanora quickly stopped me.


    "Normally healing angels takes many times more effort and magic. Yet you recovered so quickly..."


    "Is that how it works?" I asked in surprise. But checking over myself, nothing felt out of the ordinary at all. The memory of agonizing pain now completely absent.


    "I''m fine!" I insisted, rolling my shoulders to demonstrate.


    "Strange... you''re healing even faster than a human." Eleanora looked me over suspiciously, still unconvinced of my angelhood like Selene.


    "As long as she¡¯s really better, that¡¯s all that matters!" Nicola swept me into a fierce hug before I could protest, crying "I finally found you, Feliciana!"


    "Hey, not so tight!" Don''t you know what you''re smothering me with ...?


    "Ah! Sorry!"


    Nicola quickly released me from her smothering embrace. Seeing her actually blushing, I couldn''t help but poke fun -


    "Are you an imposter? You''re acting strange..."


    Nicola today seemed unusually gentle and feminine compared to her normal brash tomboyishness.


    "You''re the fake one!" she bristled in response.


    "That much right in your face and not even a blink? Fess up, are you possessed by some lustful female ghost?"


    She emphasized her point by lifting her chest.


    Alright, I admit my imagination totally ran wild just now! But did she have to be so dramatic about it with everyone watching? How embarrassing!


    I awkwardly looked away as the guys coughed and turned red, swiftly removing themselves from the situation.


    "You two seem as close as ever!" Selene snarked from the side.


    "Could she be the one you mentioned..." Eleanora whispered to her curiously.


    Oh no, they''ve got the wrong idea! What nonsense has Selene been teaching the youth?!


    "Nicola, keep your distance!" I quickly asserted, wanting to set our relationship record straight.


    "How heartless!" she sulked in response.


    "Do you know how long you''ve been missing? I finally found you in a place like this after endless searching, yet this is the reaction I get?"


    "You''re right..." Her reminder jolted my memory. From her view, I would have inexplicably vanished for at least 3-4 days by now. No wonder she had been so worked up earlier.


    "I''m really sorry, but I was suddenly teleported here that day during a quest..." I apologized.


    "I know already, Selene explained while you were passed out," Nicola interrupted my repetitive account.


    "As for those monsters earlier..."


    "Oh yeah! How did that battle end after I got knocked out?" I finally remembered to ask about what happened next.

 A Pig Head Sparks a Bloody Incident

    "What about that bony dragon? Did Alfreed finish it off?"


    I saw the vampire die with my own eyes, so no wonder he has reverted back to his original form - a bat split in half, lying not far from me.


    "Of course I helped chop it to death."


    Nicola proudly pointed behind me. I looked back and indeed, there were lots of white bone fragments scattered around, dead beyond dead.


    "Cheating!"


    I said enviously and jealously, turning my head back in envy.


    "Then how did you find this place?"


    I asked curiously. This was the Dark Continent after all. I was wondering how to find a place to teleport back. If she could come here, doesn''t that mean we can go back too?


    "You all should change locations first before talking!"


    Alfreed suddenly came over to interrupt.


    "This place is not safe. Since Feliciana is fine, let''s get out of here quickly."


    He then asked Nicola,


    "Which direction did you come from?"


    "That way!"


    Nicola pointed northwest. We were currently west of Val City, so the direction she came from should be northwest of Val City.


    "We can talk while moving."


    Adrian spoke up too. His opinion was the same as Alfreed''s - this place was too unsafe.


    And the direction Nicola came from likely had the new teleport location. So everyone began to withdraw quickly.


    When I took off, I realized Nicola had grown another pair of wings on her back.


    "You ranked up again?"


    It had only been a few days. For her to become six-winged, her speed was too fast. What a difference a short separation makes.


    "Many things happened while you were gone these past few days."


    Nicola flew beside me. Because we still had to look out for the others walking on the ground, our speed was very slow.


    "Just on the second day after you went missing, news came from the capital up north that a large army of magical beasts had suddenly approached. This time it wasn''t a distant border war anymore, the whole city began mobilizing, and the Adventurers Association also temporarily stopped accepting quests..."


    "I know about this!"


    I nodded to indicate I understood this matter very clearly.


    "It was because the teleport locator stayed in Tethys Town. The magical beast army couldn''t find it, so they had no choice but to launch the attack early."


    "You know?"


    Everyone below looked up at me.


    "Uh... I haven''t told you all yet. Earlier I caught a caveman near the volcano..."


    I quickly shared with everyone the intelligence I had interrogated out of Borg.


    "So that''s what happened. Actually the official information the capital gave us adventurers was that the dark creatures had found a way to transport large numbers of troops across the border defenses via teleportation..."


    The flying Nicola next to me turned her head and said.


    "That night when you didn''t come home, I was very worried. Like you, I went to the Adventurers Association to ask for news. They told me you were on a mission escorting church members to Tethys Town up north..."


    "Like me? You knew I went to the Adventurers Association the night before too?"


    I interrupted and asked.


    "Yes. The staff member told me. She said you had just spent points the previous night to find me, then in just one day it became me looking for you instead."  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Nicola looked at me apologetically.


    "I''m really sorry to have worried you that night."


    "I know, it was tough on me!"


    I humphed and turned my face away, recalling what had happened that night. I couldn''t help but glance at her again.


    "So you spent points too?"


    "Of course I spent them. How else would I know where you went."


    Nicola acted as if it was natural. She continued with the previous topic:


    "Originally I thought maybe you were held up by something and couldn''t return that day. But the next day, news came of magical beasts appearing near Tethys Town. I was so anxious. Afraid of not being able to handle the magical beast army alone, I joined the defense legion the capital had organized temporarily."


    "Your identity wasn''t exposed right?"


    Hearing she had actually joined the kingdom''s army, she would surely be unable to continue concealing herself.


    "It couldn''t be helped given the circumstances. With you missing, how could I still care so much about that."


    She didn''t seem to mind such things too much. I felt a little touched by this.


    The rest was simple according to Nicola''s account. The kingdom still valued her angelic identity very much. They quickly helped arrange for her to be sent to the front line as she wished.


    After a day of fighting, the kingdom army successfully blocked the enemy outside the capital halfway. She happened to rank up during that time too.


    Today, taking advantage of the major troops holding back the magical beast army, Nicola finally found a chance to fly to Tethys Town alone. But when she arrived, there wasn''t a single soul around. After casually killing some low-level magical creatures wandering nearby, she suddenly noticed the mountain range in the distance had disappeared.


    Having been teleported to the Dark Continent in daytime, Nicola quickly located Val City. On the way here, she happened to spot the huge bony dragon entangled in the sky with Alfreed, and managed to save me at the critical moment.


    "What a winding chain of events..." Selene couldn''t help sighing after hearing everything.


    "I know right!" Eleanora agreed loudly. Seeing the two girls sticking close together whispering below, I felt very uncomfortable all over.


    "Looks like our route is right."


    Hayden was more concerned about escaping. Excitedly, he said,


    "As long as we go to the place Nicola teleported to not long ago and get quietly sent back, we can successfully return to the kingdom."


    "That should be right. They wouldn''t possibly change locations again in such a short time."


    Adrian indicated the situation seemed certain this time. Everyone''s morale greatly increased, and their pace quickened by a lot.


    Basically at this point, most of the mysteries had been solved.


    With nothing to do on the way, everyone pondered if there were any loopholes in the information obtained.


    Suddenly Selene raised a doubt.


    "What do you think happened to the two high-ranking magical creatures sent from this side earlier to escort the celestial weapon? How could a level 6 snake demon and level 5 wolfman end up getting killed by level 3 humans?"


    "That would be hard to guess..."


    Everyone showed awkward expressions. With so little relevant information, even Adrian shook his head repeatedly, indicating he had no clue at all.


    Just when I thought this would remain an unsolvable mystery, Nicola raised her hand indicating she had something to say.


    "I''m also not sure if it''s related, but around a week ago I did kill a snake demon..."


    According to her description, at that time the villages near the Dahsinibu Valley by the Astralrealm kingdom were being harassed by low-level creatures called demonized wild boars. Hence they commissioned the Adventurers Association in the capital to issue a quest to clear out the low threats.


    Because the Dahsinibu Valley was very far from the capital located deep in the mountainous areas, it was difficult to search on foot. So this quest remained untaken at the association.


    When it was about to expire and be removed, Nicola who had lost an entire day gambling at the "Summerfield Entertainment" happened to arrive at the association.


    Since angels could fly quickly back and forth, and there were no better quests available then, she had no choice but to take up this quest normally too lazy to do.


    Upon reaching the destination, Nicola searched around the Dahsinibu Valley for nearly half a day but couldn''t find the targets at all. It was almost evening, if she dawdled any longer she wouldn''t make it home for dinner. Anxious, she noticed faint black smoke rising from the nearby woods. Flying over for a look, she discovered a human-bodied, snake-tailed creature and a wolfman setting up a fire to roast meat and eat.


    Although they were magical creatures, generally abiding by the principle of keeping out of trouble, Nicola didn''t intend to bother them. Even if discovered by the other party during her approach, she could easily retreat in midair.


    But after seeing what food the two creatures were biting in their mouths, Nicola immediately changed her mind. Because those were exactly the demonized wild boars she had desperately been looking for, and only a head remained of one.


    "How can this be? You roasted and finished them. What if I can''t turn in the goods?"


    I''m not making things up! Nicola admitted those were her original words. Anyway since it was in the wild, shamelessly she whipped out her celestial weapon.


    After a brutal massacre, the snake demon was killed on the spot, while the heavily injured wolfman fled into the woods. Nicola had no intention to give chase. She only rejoiced at barely managing to snatch back the remaining wild boar head from the snake demon''s mouth.


    To conceal the fact that the demonized wild boar head wasn''t killed by her, she didn''t mention anything about what happened after returning. The association staff had suspected the thoroughly cooked state of the head for a very long time, and didn''t even pay her on the spot. Only a few days later when the follow-up team heard from the local mountain quest issuer that there indeed weren''t any more traces of demonized wild boars left, then they confirmed the completion of the quest.


    "......"


    Speaking of which, this Dahsinibu Valley was exactly where Adrian''s team had teleported over from. The timing could match up too.


    "Hey, Feliciana, why is everyone not saying anything?"


    Noticing the silence after she finished recounting events, Nicola secretly asked me if something was off about the atmosphere.


    "Don''t you feel ashamed at all?"


    I glanced at her speechlessly and unconsciously flew further away.


    "Why should I feel ashamed?"


    Nicola didn''t show any hint of reflection at all. She flew closer to me instead.


    "It was just killing two magical creatures! Oh right, only one creature. That should count as me making a huge contribution, don''t you think so?"


    "You really have thick skin! Stay away from me!"


    "Don''t be like that!"


    ......

 Charging Straight into Enemy Territory

    "Adrian, should we continue waiting?" Alfreed asked. All of us were hiding behind a short hill.


    In front was a huge lake nestled among barren, rocky land without a single blade of grass. A very narrow river flowed into it, seemingly the same one Selene and I saw from the air earlier.


    Based on the location Nicola described, the lake was likely where she had teleported from. But there was no sign of the Kaga Mountains that should have appeared during the exchange.


    And that was indeed the case.


    When we first arrived, we saw thousands of magical beasts gathered motionless on the shores of the lake. They remained still until the entire lake was suddenly replaced by a forested mountainous area. Only then did the beasts step over the boundary into the foliage and rocks.


    Shortly after, the lake reappeared and space quickly returned to normal. The magical beasts had vanished without a trace.


    "Something seems off. This is very different from before," Adrian said hesitantly after witnessing the entire exchange.


    "The beasts had just entered the exchange area and were immediately teleported away. I remember the exchange used to last longer initially, otherwise we wouldn''t have had the chance to sneak in and teleport here. Also, the area is strange£¬ though about the same size as the pit within Val City - the lake''s edges precisely align with the shoreline..."


    "So someone''s precisely controlling the whole process, and the entire lake is under surveillance?" I couldn''t help interrupting.


    "That''s right! So we''re in big trouble now," Adrian said, seemingly anxious.


    "To get teleported back, we have to go near or even into the water''s edge. But that would almost certainly mean discovery by the enemy."


    "But the lake is so big! There''s no way the enemy can monitor the entire shoreline, right?" Hayden chimed in next to us.


    He had a point. The lake was huge, after all. If not for the tall tower on the island in the middle, we might have dared to try entering the water elsewhere to get teleported back to the Astral Realm Kingdom.


    But since the enemy built that structure clearly for surveillance, it definitely had a purpose. If we randomly approached the lake, we''d likely be discovered.


    "Unfortunately, the terrain around the lake is too flat. Other than these hills in our direction, there''s almost nowhere to hide," Alfreed said regretfully with a sigh. He turned to Nicola and asked, "Did you see all those beasts flooding in from outside when you teleported here earlier?"


    "I didn''t notice..." Nicola scratched her head, trying to recall. "Mainly because the exchange area was so large, and tall trees were blocking my view, so I didn''t dare confirm..."


    Can''t this guy be more reliable?


    These beasts were probably summoned from nearby Val City, but were heading to war against the Astral Realm Kingdom.


    I felt they were stronger than the motley crew that had chased us earlier. Perhaps the Val City had to devote their elite forces to the war effort, which was why they couldn''t intercept our escape.


    When the mountainous area from the kingdom side exchanged over earlier, the shoreline happened to be the boundary line. It wasn''t very far from where we were hiding. If not for those magical beasts blocking us, we definitely would have directly charged in.


    I fear that under artificial control, if there were no magical beasts waiting outside for the transfer, the exchange would not open at all. That way, we basically wouldn''t get any chance unless we dared confront all those creatures head-on.


    "I think we should just go straight for it and attack that place down," Nicola said, pointing to the building on the island. Even with the Condensation Sword at her side, she still feared the huge army of magical beasts. But that tower likely wouldn''t house nearly as many troops, so she set her sights on it.


    "There''s definitely a teleport device inside controlling the exchange on this side - the other half of that so-called celestial weapon. If we snatch it, we''ll be set for good! We can teleport back to the kingdom from anywhere once we leave this place."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "That doesn''t seem like a good idea?" I objected first.


    "You''re really getting inflated. That''s clearly critical enemy territory, yet you dare suggest this? Aren''t you afraid of running into someone who can put you in your place?"


    "Even if you successfully seize the device, how can you be sure you can operate it?" Adrian also expressed doubt.


    "If not, we''ll just capture someone alive to show us. Besides, we have no other options. We can''t just keep waiting around here forever, can we?" Nicola responded nonchalantly, completely ignoring my opinion. She even started polling everyone else.


    "If you don''t believe me, go ahead and ask!"


    "Yes, yes!" Selene quickly raised her hand in agreement. As Nicola''s die-hard fan, there was no way she would oppose.


    "Nicola is very powerful... I think success is likely," Eleanora said after some thought, also raising her hand.


    Seeing Eleanora agree, Hayden immediately followed suit. Those two almost always took the same stance on everything.


    "Given Nicola''s strength, I don''t think this is out of the question..." Even the usually prudent Alfreed took their side.


    Ah, what can I say... they''re still not being cautious enough.


    "Don''t forget the enemy has someone called the Goddess of Fire Flames," I reminded them reluctantly, seeing the huge 5 against 2 disparity.


    "We made such a ruckus at City Val earlier, yet never saw her appear. Maybe it''s because she left there to oversee this critical location."


    "Since you say the enemy is the goddes of all dark creatures, shouldn''t her dark elemental aura be very strong? Do you two angels sense anything?" Selene asked Nicola and me.


    "Nothing!" Nicola shook her head decisively.


    "I don''t feel anything at all from that tower, even though we''re not too far away. How could a god''s aura be this weak?"


    "Who says a god must have a strong aura? What if there is no aura at all?" I retorted skeptically. Can''t believe Nicola is also a transmigrator like me yet lacks even such common sense.


    "And we''re talking about the God of Fire here. There''s no need for a strong dark elemental aura."


    "That''s hard to say. After all, dark creatures are generally adept with fire magic - that''s just a fact..." Selene didn''t agree with me. She had told me before that aside from great strength, mastery of fire magic was also common among dark creatures.


    It''s just that many beasts aren''t very smart and can''t use complex magic. And compared to staying back casting spells, direct melee combat tends to suit them better.


    "So you all are set on going no matter what?"


    I rolled my eyes. Their arguments made so much sense I was temporarily at a loss to refute them.


    I looked again at Adrian beside me. He now neither agreed nor opposed, just detachably watching by the sidelines.


    "Aren''t you going to back me up here?" I complained. He was originally on my side, yet retreated so quickly!


    "I don''t know what to do..." Adrian said helplessly.


    "There''s too little information on that God of Fire Michelle. Can''t make a judgment."


    "Then just go along, Feliciana!" Nicola said triumphantly, seeing I was the last holdout.


    "It''s 6 against 1 now. Stop resisting."


    "Oh, alright alright!" With no choice left, I could only surrender to the majority.


    "After all, you''re the most capable among us. If even the mighty Condensation Sword can''t win, I''m afraid none of us are escaping."


    In fact, the island in the lake center was more precisely a peninsula, with a small path leading to the shore. The original plan was for Nicola to go alone, but Alfreed insisted on going together. After all, he was a prestigious level 6 swordsman - his sense of honor wouldn''t allow him to hide behind and just cheer.


    "Good luck! Retreat if you can''t win!" I urged Nicola. We shrimpy level 4''s could only watch the experts show off from afar.


    Alfreed couldn''t fly and could only take the path to the island. Luckily the island entrance wasn''t too far from us. Although he ran full speed very quickly, Nicola could fly and arrived at the island first. Without hesitation, she summoned the Condensation Sword and directly charged into the tower.


    Soon after, Alfreed reached the destination. He drew his longsword, about to rush in as well, but saw Nicola suddenly emerge again and fly up into the higher levels of the tower.


    "What''s going on? Could it be another fruitless strike?" I wondered from my distant vantage point. Although the view wasn''t very clear from this far, it was obvious they hadn''t encountered any enemies. Their seemingly foolproof plan had somehow resulted in this.


    "Looks like it really is an uninhabited island." Adrian also realized, as Alfreed and Nicola went in and out several times under everyone''s watchful eyes, yet not even a single beast emerged.


    Finally, after exchanging some words, the two waved at us, seemingly signaling for all of us to come over.


    "That''s too risky..." Adrian frowned, saying, "The island has just one path leading out. It would be bad if it''s a trap."


    But no matter how much he waved at them, the two didn''t want to come back. Instead, they kept signaling for everyone to go over together.


    "They seem to have found something," Hayden suddenly said. He and Alfreed could communicate in a special way, so he understood the strange gestures.


    "Why don''t we just go over and see?" Selene persuaded from the side. "Maybe they found the teleport device. And they''ve been on the island for so long - if it were really a trap, it probably would have already been triggered."


    "Oh, alright..." With no other choice, Adrian reluctantly agreed. He looked at me and said, "Escape immediately if anything seems off. Don''t try to show off like Nicola."


    I deeply appreciated his constant consideration for me. But abandoning everyone to flee alone clearly wouldn¡¯t be right. And I had agonized in the past over cowardice like that.


    "Let''s see what will happen..." I said, flying out toward the island. I couldn¡¯t brush off his words too directly, so could only vaguely respond.


    "..." Seeing me act like this, Adrian also couldn''t say anything more. He could only lead the rest out from behind the hill.

 Vol 2/Chapter 45: Executive Director

    It seemed like nothing bad had happened. When we arrived at the tower about ten minutes later, Nicola excitedly ran over to me and pulled my hand, saying,


    "See what I found?"


    "What is it?" I asked, puzzled. Even if she had discovered the Celestial Weapon, she wouldn''t be so thrilled since she already had one herself.


    "Come inside and you''ll see!" Nicola immediately started pushing me into the tower. The others also curiously followed us in, wondering what she had found.


    At first glance, there was nothing special about the basement hall we entered. It wasn''t very big and the interior decoration was simple. The structure was like a lighthouse with a spiral staircase along the inner wall leading up.


    Except for a desk placed in the center of the hall.


    When I saw the desk, Nicola and I exchanged glances. Even by Earth''s technological standards, it looked very futuristic, not to mention in this magical world.


    I didn''t think it should be called a desk. With its streamlined metallic shine and modern look, I felt "control console" was more fitting.


    It had several triangular buttons arranged in a circle that glowed white. A red indicator light flashed continuously in the center. But there was no text or instructions on what the buttons did.


    What was most astonishing wasn''t the buttons though. It was the floating virtual projection screen hovering over the console, densely filled with land images including an aerial view of where we currently were.


    "Don''t tell me those are satellite images?!" I asked Nicola excitedly, barely able to contain myself. When I saw the images I specifically ran outside to look up but didn''t see anything flying overhead.


    Although I had lived in this world for months and knew surveillance could be achieved with magic. But I didn''t think the current magical capabilities I had witnessed could accomplish satellite monitoring to this extent. The aerial perspectives were so familiar from when I used to look at satellite maps on my computer.


    "Probably not. As you saw, thick dark clouds always shroud the skies over this continent," Nicola shook her head and pulled me aside while everyone else was captivated by the screen. She whispered,


    "Satellites probably can''t penetrate the cloud cover to capture ground images right? And there are barely any visible cables or energy sources powering this room. It''s likely still magic..."


    "But why does something made with magic look so high-tech?"


    I didn''t feel like the magic I had experienced so far could achieve this satellite-like surveillance.


    "Hard to say. Our magic skills are quite low after all..." Nicola admitted. Glancing at Eleanora and Selene scrutinizing the console, she suggested,


    "Why don''t we ask the experts?"


    "Selene, what do you think this console...device is? Are the images generated by magic?" Nicola directly started questioning without hesitation.


    I figured Eleanora''s magic mastery exceeded ours but Selene was easier to talk to.


    "I don''t know," Selene shook her head. "I''ve never seen anything like this either. It doesn''t seem like magic but there are faint traces of fire elemental essence..."


    "Fire elemental?" I immediately thought of the Fire Goddess. Did this console have something to do with her?


    "Are the images in real-time?" Alfreed asked while staring intently at the surveillance feeds. He was examining ones that looked lush and green, somewhat similar to areas within the Astral Realm kingdom, unlike the barren exterior landscape. When he noticed a bird flying by in one of the feeds, he curiously questioned,This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Is it real?"


    Adrian had been silently analyzing the overhead view of where we were. Hearing this, he suddenly whipped around in shock.


    "What''s wrong?" Nicola and I didn''t notice anything odd. This was achievable with satellites on Earth but we didn''t know about magic capabilities.


    Adrian swiftly ran outside and chucked a huge rock into the lake, then dashed back in to check the screens. Sure enough, small concentric ripples from the splash gradually expanded outward from the central island.


    "This is bad...we''re in danger!" Adrian seemed extremely anxious. He pointed to the southeastern hillside we had hidden behind previously and stated grimly,


    "Our earlier hiding spot was very close to the monsters waiting for transport. We''re completely visible here! But they didn''t come after us and even vacated the entire island to lure us all over. It''s clearly a trap!"


    "Where are the people? The creatures?" Nicola''s expression changed instantly. She and Alfreed had already scoured the tower to no avail. With no other buildings on this barren island, even if enemies wanted to ambush us, where could they be hiding?


    "I can confirm with absolute certainty no creatures are on this island, otherwise I wouldn''t have agreed to let you all come," Alfreed firmly declared.


    "Then not on the island!" Adrian ran back out and scanned the surroundings. "But in the water..." he trailed off.


    The instant his voice faded, splashing sounds erupted as three dark figures suddenly burst from the lake. One landed on the path connecting the island, blocking our exit. He was a grown, male dark elf!


    The other two didn''t fall but remained airborne. One was the succubus Camille who had previously chased Selene and me. The other stunned everyone.


    An angel?!


    Like Nicola, she had three pairs of wings unfurled behind her but they were jet black instead of white. Even her skin was dark like the dark elves.


    Somehow her wings stayed dry despite emerging from water. But I could ascertain her body, like the vampires, was composed purely of dark elemental essence, the opposite of us angels. Could she be the legendary Fallen Angel?


    I exchanged puzzled glances with Selene. As part of the Church she should know something about Fallen Angels yet I''d never heard her mention them.


    "How can this be! Is this the legendary Fallen Angel?!" Selene seemed just as bewildered.


    I glanced back at Nicola but her attention was already on the enemies, gripping her Condensation Sword in battle readiness.


    "Has everyone finished their tour?" The Fallen Angel addressed us first as the apparent leader of the trio.


    "Why do you resemble angels so much?" Alfreed drew his longsword warily. He seemed oblivious about Fallen Angels but could tell she was no angel.


    "I am Claudia, Executive Director of the Dark Council," the Fallen Angel readily introduced herself, emphasizing the words executive director.


    I was taken aback, recalling the chuunibyou organization Borg had told us about. Didn''t expect to meet a member so soon.


    "As for the similarity with angels..." Claudia glanced at Nicola and me. "It''s because Lord Michelle summoned me using the Angel Descend Formation, to prepare for eventually ruling the entire Dark Continent."


    Angel Descend Formation? Summoned? Hearing those terms, I thought of several connected incidents.


    "Your Fire God isn''t a Fallen Angel too, is her?" Nicola shook her Condensation Sword casually. "How come we don''t see him here?"


    "What''s a Fallen Angel?" Claudia looked utterly confused by the term. After scanning everyone present, she scoffed coldly,


    "Lord Michelle is personally commanding the battlefront. When would she have time to bother with you illegal trespassing rats?"


    She spoke unhurriedly, as if we were already captive prey.


    "Director Claudia, you should hurry up and make your move. These angels and humans are very crafty. It''d be problematic to drag this out..." Camille anxiously urged her from behind.


    "We''ve been trying to capture them at Val City for a long time without success. Duke Kent who went to intercept them still hasn''t reported back so I fear the worst!"


    "So what? Do you really think they can leave this island today?" Claudia waved her hand dismissively, apparently full of confidence in securing all of us here.


    Too arrogant! With Nicola on our side, I was relieved they only had three people. We could take them by surprise using her Condensation Sword.


    Just then Adrian warned from behind, "Watch the shore over there!"


    He indicated the southeast direction we had come from. Somehow, large numbers of dark creatures had gathered there without notice and were marching here along the connecting path.


    Claudia was right! We were trapped on the island. Although still distant, those monsters would eventually reach us. And with three powerful foes in front of us, we had to defeat them quickly or face annihilation.


    Looks like they were deliberately stalling for time! We were the chatty ones.


    "Nicola!" I yelled anxiously.


    Hearing Adrian''s report, Nicola also noticed the approaching horde. At my shout, she immediately took flight and swung her sword straight at Claudia''s head without hesitation.


    "You six-winged angel..." Claudia tsk-tsked at Nicola, leisurely extending her right hand. With an easy pinch of her fingers, she effortlessly caught the blade of the Condensation Sword.


    "You!" Nicola''s eyes flashed sharply. This seemed to be the first time she had encountered someone emerging unscathed from her sword. She exerted full strength to charge forward, trying to break through the obstacle of Claudia''s fingers.

 Masked Group Beating

    Although they were both six-winged angels of the same rank, Claudia was clearly much stronger. Nicola''s face turned red from exertion, but she couldn''t move the Condensation Sword at all.


    "Such inferior sword skills, and you dare attack me with a sword?" Claudia sneered coldly, about to move her fingers to counterattack. But suddenly she realized that her right hand holding the sword hilt was starting to become transparent and illusory, and the effect seemed to be spreading up her arm towards her body.


    "What is this..." Her expression changed drastically. She let go of the Condensation Sword and retreated back dozens of meters in panic. "What did you do! No...what kind of sword is that?"


    Claudia looked at her entire right hand and forearm dissipating into black smoke and disappearing into thin air in terror. Luckily she had retreated quickly, otherwise her whole arm might have been gone.


    Fresh blood gushed from the severed elbow, but before it hit the ground it too turned into wisps of black smoke and vanished. I feel this is similar to when I bleed, except her blood turned into black smoke while mine turned into white light.


    "Wind element...this is time!" After sensing her wound carefully, Claudia cried out in alarm.


    Having lost a hand and bled heavily all of a sudden, her originally dark complexion seemed to turn much paler. Her whole being was clearly weakened.


    Huh? Time? I didn''t expect her to utter the word "time".


    Of course I know the Condensation Sword is sharp, and I also roughly know it''s made of wind element, but what does this have to do with time? I turned back to look at Eleanora, Selene and the rest, but everyone was just as lost and had no idea what had happened.


    As for Nicola herself, she also had a dumbfounded expression, seemingly unable to believe that the sword in her hand had made the opponent''s hand disappear without even touching her.


    "You weakling, blaming time just because your skills are inferior." Since this wasn''t the time to be hung up over such things, Nicola didn''t want to rack her brains over what couldn''t be figured out. She pointed her sword at Claudia to blame everything on her.


    Seeing that Claudia''s wound was healing quickly and the bleeding was slowing down, Nicola didn''t dare give her a chance to catch her breath. She raised the Condensation Sword again to attack while the iron was hot.


    "My ability to control energy comes from Lady Michelle, I definitely did not get it wrong!" Claudia''s pride couldn''t let her ignore such slander. She just had to retort back defiantly to defend herself.


    Claudia still didn''t dare use her hand to block. She could only dodge awkwardly in midair with her left hand clutching her right arm. Her movements were clearly hampered by the pain.


    "If you''re so powerful, then stop running away!" Unable to slash the evasive Claudia, Nicola could only shout angrily. Although Claudia was weak now, she wasn''t struggling too much to dodge. So the two ended up in a tense standoff, neither able to gain an advantage.


    But those of us watching the fight below were getting anxious. Putting aside the surrounding monsters gradually closing in, Claudia''s injuries seemed likely to slowly recover over time. So now every second was precious. We had to take out the three top fighters on this island first, before dealing with the other small fries.


    "I''ll handle this dark elf." Since Alfreed couldn''t fly, naturally his target wouldn''t be Camille still in the sky. He drew his sword and walked towards the male dark elf standing at the intersection.


    Seeing this, the dark elf wasted no time whipping out two daggers to fight. The instant Alfreed swung his sword over, there was suddenly a "bang!" as the dark elf disappeared from his original spot.


    "What kind of trick is this!" I exclaimed in surprise, but Alfreed stayed calm. He swung his sword back behind him.


    "Over here!" With a metallic "clang!", the dark elf reappeared right behind him, his daggers blocking the longsword''s blade just in time.


    "You''re a 6th rank swordsman..." These were the first words I''d heard the male dark elf say. He didn''t make another sound after that before disappearing again.


    "Aren''t you 6th rank too?" Alfreed shouted, then suddenly stabbed out with his sword towards the left.


    This time, his weapon''s greater reach proved advantageous. Although the dark elf''s dagger barely grazed past his neck, Alfreed''s sword directly stabbed into his shoulder.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Evenly matched!" Alfreed gave a faint smile, pulling his sword back out without stopping as he continued hacking at his opponent...


    The injured dark elf''s movements were no longer so illusory and bizarre. He also didn''t use that incredible invisibility trick again, but could still match blows for a short while without falling behind. Wielding the twin daggers exquisitely, he occasionally managed to fend off Alfreed''s fierce attacks with his superior speed.


    But that was the best he could do. Gradually, Alfreed began seizing the advantage by exploiting his opponent''s injuries to take control of the fight. The scales of victory tipped increasingly towards our side.


    That left only the succubus. I looked at Camille still circling high above. She had been watching Nicola and Claudia''s fight from afar, but didn''t dare intervene.


    "Lady Nicola, take the chance to get rid of that succubus if you can!" Selene shouted at the two angels above as if wanting to scare Camille away. As expected, Camille immediately flew even further away upon hearing this.


    "Camille, you dare not watch the fight? Dare you come down and fight us?" I shouted up to challenge her. From the earlier fight with the vampire, I could tell that Camille''s strength was below 6th rank, probably only 5th rank. If all of us here attacked together, we could definitely mob her to death.


    The only tricky part was that she could fly while only I could fly on our side. I definitely didn''t dare to challenge her alone. I still remembered her chasing me all over Val City last time.


    "You think I''m stupid? So many of you beating one of me, if you have the guts then fight me one-on-one!" As expected, Camille''s mind was still clear. She wasn''t provoked by my words at all, only keeping her distance in the sky.


    "Nevermind, Feliciana you go fight her. With us here, I''m sure you won''t lose." Adrian suddenly pushed me from behind and whispered to me.


    "You can''t be serious!" I hurriedly turned back to look at him. I was only 3rd rank...or 4th rank at best. There''s no way I could beat this succubus alone. The outcome was set even before the fight began!


    "Don''t worry, just trust Adrian. If he says you can do it, then you definitely can." Eleanora also came over to persuade me.


    What could I say, I actually somewhat suspected Adrian still held a grudge about me rejecting his advice to run away last time, so now he''s finding a chance to get back at me...


    Seeing Eleanora''s mysterious smile suddenly directed at me, maybe they really had some way for me to win, like helping me secretly during the fight. So I decided not to refuse anymore.


    "But I don''t have any weapons now." I was about to unsheathe my sword when I found my waist empty. Only then did I remember it had broken during the earlier fight with the vampire.


    "That''s easy! Hayden, give your sword to Feliciana." Eleanora turned to Hayden behind her and said. Without a word, he immediately detached his sword from his waist and handed it to me.


    "This is a pretty good sword..." I swished it around a few times. It should be a standard military-issue longsword, much better quality than the cheap 100 silver I bought.


    "Well, I''ll go give it a try then?" I said, then turned to look at where Camille was. Spreading my wings, I prepared to take off.


    "Go for it, have confidence!" Adrian nodded at me one last time.


    Alright, an utterly absurd fight was about to start. I never thought I''d make such a silly decision. I could only bitter smile as I flew to Camille and stopped not far in front of her. She also had a dumbfounded look that I as a 4-winged angel actually dared to come challenge her.


    "Don''t you still want more of the lesson from last time? I won''t let you escape this time." She took out her long whip and swaggered it threateningly.


    "Aren''t you the pub''s boss lady? Why aren''t you running your business but staying here instead? How did a 5th rank succubus like you get involved with such a military place?" I was quite curious about this. The other two were understandable, but it was strange for her to appear in this kind of restricted area, and seemingly quite highly ranked too.


    "Hmph, with all the regular customers enlisted to battle, where''s there still any business..." Rarely, Camille revealed a helpless expression when talking about this.


    "I was also drafted, but I''m better at serving people than fighting. Luckily I managed to please Lady Mika and so was kept by her side."


    Oh, so many private factors were actually involved. Feeling somewhat awkward hearing that, I instantly turned silent.


    "Speaking of, since you don''t like fighting, why must you invade the Astral Realm Kingdom?" I asked puzzledly. After coming to this Dark Continent, I felt that demons also had their own lives not too different from the human world in many ways.


    "Then go ask Lady Michelle yourself!" She finished and immediately lashed her whip at me.


    "Who wants a sympathetic angel chitchatting with me! Who wants you prying into my affairs!"


    "Hey! No need to attack just because of some words!" I hurriedly raised my sword to block. Actually it was mainly because she was far stronger than me that I didn''t dare attack first, so I could only use words to disguise that.


    Unlike normal weapons, as soon as my sword touched her whip, it got tangled up and wrapped around several loops. Camille seized the chance to yank back forcefully once my weapon was snared. My grip almost slipped under the immense strength, but thankfully I was wielding with both hands and barely managed to cling on.


    With her 5th rank power, I was no match for her strength. Even though I hadn''t lost my weapon yet, this tug-of-war could only end with my defeat.


    "Show your real skills if you have any guts!" I pulled with all my might to wrest back some advantage, but her whip''s ability to restrain swords was just too oppressive, it''s totally unfair for me. With both hands occupied I also couldn''t cast any Purification spells.


    Suddenly an arrow of light shot up from below towards the succubus. Caught unaware, Camille dodged sideways in shock, and my pressure instantly eased up. I immediately unwound my sword from the whip and retreated back several meters.


    "Too sly! Dare to fight without help!" Camille screamed furiously.


    "Sorry, I can''t hear you!" I knew we were the shameless ones, but this was never meant to be a fair fight, to begin with. Moreover, they had already promised to help me, I wouldn''t have dared come alone otherwise!

 Dream

    "Feliciana, you don''t have to fight Camille''s whip head on. Remember how Brennan used his whole body as weapons? Be creative!" Adrian shouted encouragement from below.


    "Huh?" I was confused by his sudden advice and didn''t fully understand. But Camille''s long whip came lashing towards me again, leaving no time to think.


    This time I intentionally kept more distance, avoiding a direct clash. Relying on the Purify spell''s unreliability, I barely managed to avoid getting hit.


    Of course, my companions on the ground also helped. Whenever Camille tried something nasty, there would always be arrows shot over to disrupt her moves. She easily dodged them, but it did annoy her.


    However, the difference in our power levels was difficult to overcome. After a few exchanges, history repeated itself with my longsword tangled up in her whip again.


    "What will you do now?" Confident she could disarm me again, Camille flew above while pulling her whip backwards. From that vantage point she could watch for attacks from below while my companions'' support would be less effective.


    But I didn''t want to rely on my friends twice in the same situation. Adrian''s earlier reminder made me realize what he meant.


    If I can''t overpower her pull, I''ll just go a different direction!


    Taking advantage when she pulled the hardest, I suddenly flapped my wings upwards, stabbing my whip-entangled sword towards her.


    Camille stumbled back several meters in surprise, barely managing to flap her wings sideways to dodge my attack. But in that split second, two small spheres of light from below struck her.


    "Ahhhhh!" She screamed as she plunged from the sky. Although far more powerful than the Face Flies, she barely managed to steady herself before hitting the water.


    "Who shot those Purify spells!" She looked down at us in panic, thinking someone else had sneak attacked since she saw me stabbing with both hands.


    "It was me!" I called back, casually kicking another light sphere towards her.


    "You can cast Purify with your feet?" Camille cried out in surprise, as if seeing that for the first time.


    She was similar to me, lacking battle experience despite her fifth-tier power. She had the strength but didn''t know how to utilize it well.


    Adrian''s reminder about Brennan made me suddenly understand.


    "You tricky angel! I shouldn''t have let you escape before!" Camille angrily summoned the black spheres from earlier to absorb my incoming shots. But I had already lifted my sword, slicing towards her again.


    From now on I would be on the offensive, deeply realizing attack was the best defense. Her speed was remarkable, always finding gaps between my spells and strikes to dodge.


    But while avoiding me, she couldn''t also evade the others. Another arrow shot up from below, followed by a jet of water.


    Unable to fully dodge both incoming attacks in her flustered state, Camille barely twisted away from the arrow only to get splashed in the shoulder by the water jet.


    That jet felt incredibly powerful, like a super-soaker. It moved as fast as the arrow despite being shot later, blasting a bloody hole in the succubus'' shoulder. It didn''t fully penetrate but still hurt a lot.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Got her!" Eleanora excitedly punched the air down below. That water blast must have come from her. My first time seeing water magic used offensively.


    "Ganging up isn''t fair!" Camille clutched her wounded left shoulder. The bleeding was slowing so she seemed to be recovering, but more slowly than Claudia.


    "We''re all weaker than you! Who else can fight you alone!" I retorted, immediately swinging my sword at her again while kicking more Purify shots. A rain of arrows and water jets flew in concert. Even Selene pitched in by randomly throwing holy bolts.


    "You jerks!" Overwhelmed dodging and blocking everything in her injured state, Camille soon grew desperate. She raised her whip to block my next strike despite her wound.


    The whip was hard to avoid - fast, tricky angles. I accidentally got hit several times, leaving red marks but no serious damage since she lacked power now.


    Finally, another foot-cast Purify sphere struck home as she again tangled my sword. With two prior hits and now injured, Camille couldn''t endure a third blow. My kick smashed her into the lake waters.


    "Yes!" I shouted excitedly, overjoyed at this revenge.


    "Feliciana, watch out!" My friends suddenly screamed warnings, confusing me. Hadn''t we won?


    Before I could react, a gust of wind slammed into my back, sending me crashing towards the lake uncontrolled.


    "Humph! Camille is Lady Michelle''s chosen confidante. You dare strike her down!"


    Twisting as I fell, I finally saw my attacker - Claudia! Her severed arm hadn''t regenerated but the bleeding had stopped. Freed of having to clutch the wound, she moved much quicker now.


    Where was Nicola? Don''t tell me something happened to her!


    Hitting the water, it rapidly flooded my nose and mouth. I used to be able to swim but now my body refused to respond, like that time I''d passed out drunk in the karaoke room on Earth.


    Except this time, instead of a bright white void, everything sank into darkness. The surface lights grew further away as I felt my consciousness fading.


    Crap, I''m going to drown at this rate!


    That was my last thought before the world went black...


    ...


    "Gisphrael, Gisphrael, wake up!"


    "Alright, I heard you!" Annoyed, I took off the virtual reality visor and rubbed my eyes blearily at the person standing before me.


    "Liana, you''re so annoying!"


    "I''m annoying? Look who''s talking!" Liana retorted angrily, all six gray wings bristling behind her like an peacock''s display.


    "You need rest, not browsing data this late! Without me you''d play all night!"


    "It''s not playing! I just got a little carried away!" I jumped up in protest.


    "Those human worlds are so interesting!" I gushed enthusiastically. "Their astrology and fortune telling rarely works, so everyone''s fate is unpredictable. It means endless hope and possibilities for them!"


    "I know, it''s that outdated quantum uncertainty theory Zero told me about." Liana sounded dismissive.


    "Too complicated for me! But that''s been disproven incomplete!" I countered. "There''s new theories like..."


    "Go to bed or I''ll tell Zero to cut the connection!" Leena snapped angrily.


    "Why are you so grumpy!" I muttered sullenly, shuffling towards the doorway. Passing by, I deliberately smacked her with my aquatic blue wings.


    "Stop right there!" She grabbed my wing, making me panic. I hadn''t expected her to take it so seriously.


    "Let go, let go!" I cried as she twisted painfully. I quickly reverted the wing''s matter into energy to escape her clutches.


    "Looks like someone needs their bossy big sister''s discipline!" Liana glowered at her empty palm.


    "Big sister? You just incarnated seconds before me!" I scoffed under my breath. Forcing an innocent grin, I placated, "It''s just that I''m working hard to find your cure! Zero calculated that in a few weeks you''ll..."


    "Enough." At the reminder, Liana''s face softened. "Destiny cannot be changed. I''ve tried leaping ahead countless times already..."


    "Don''t be like that. I''m still searching those databases - I''ve barely looked through half so far..."


    My heart clenched seeing her hopeless expression. As expected, she suddenly hugged me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder.


    "Thank you for trying, but I''ve accepted my fate. Just having a little sister like you has brought me joy."


    "Don''t talk like that!" I cried, even more anxious now. "There must be another way! See, humans don''t have this issue. Maybe ask the Captain..."


    Liana silently declined. "Don''t bother the Captain. He''s very busy."


    "Then what do we do?" I asked, on the verge of tears myself. "I swear I''ll save you! Never giving up!"


    I pulled the unresisting Liana back to the terminal, grabbing a nearby visor and pressing it into her hands.


    "Let''s search together. Two people will be faster."


    "Useless." Liana held the visor without putting it on. "You''ve been searching for days..."


    "How can we know without trying?" I argued, determined. Snatching the visor, I plopped it onto her head myself before donning the other one.


    "Have faith, Liena. Don''t lose hope yet..." I murmured.


    ...


    "Feliciana, Feliciana, wake up!"


    I awoke to anxious faces hovering as I was shaken awake.


    "Wha...what happened?" I mumbled groggily, taking long moments to recall nearly drowning.

 Dehydration

    "Oh right, didn''t Claudia knock me into the water? Where''s Nicola?"


    Everyone was in front of me, yet Nicola was nowhere to be seen. I couldn''t help but feel nervous.


    "I''m here. I''m fine," a voice suddenly called out from above. I looked up to find myself lying in Nicola''s arms again. This situation seemed oddly familiar, as if something like this had happened not long ago.


    "Uh..." I quickly sat up and looked around at everyone surrounding me. Nicola didn''t seem injured; she was just completely drenched as if she had just been fished out of the water. Everyone else looked unharmed as well.


    As for Claudia and the others, there wasn''t a single creature or monster to be seen in the sky. Alfreed was standing right in front of me, meaning his battle with the dark elf must have ended too. It was as if all the enemies had vanished all of a sudden.


    "Can someone tell me what happened?" This whole situation felt really bizarre. It seemed many things had occurred while I was passed out, and now everyone was silent, looking at me strangely.


    My back felt heavy. I glanced behind and saw that my feathers were all drenched from the water.


    I froze in surprise. Somehow I had mysteriously grown another pair of wings. I now had six wings!


    "What''s going on? Did I rank up again?" I shouted at Nicola, not knowing whether to feel delighted or panicked.


    "Why does this keep happening while I''m asleep?"


    "Looks like she doesn''t know anything..." Selene murmured to Alfreed.


    "Doesn''t know what?" I keenly caught their conversation and anxiously asked.


    "Oh, don''t keep me in suspense!"


    "Well...Feliciana." Adrian was the first to speak up. He thought for a bit before carefully explaining, "You fell unconscious just now... or I guess you can''t call it unconsciousness. You suddenly went on a rampage and wiped out all the enemies..."


    "Huh?" I was dumbfounded upon hearing this. They didn''t look like they were joking. Just what had happened?


    "It went like this..."


    "I think it''s better if I explain from the beginning," Nicola cut in before Adrian could elaborate.


    "That Claudia was much more powerful than we imagined. If her hand hadn''t been crippled first, things could have been far worse..."


    In her brief account, I finally began to understand the full picture.


    It turned out that before I had fallen into the lake, Nicola had already been knocked into the water by the gradually recovering Claudia. At first, the two seemed evenly matched, largely due to the heavy injuries Claudia had sustained right from the start. In terms of actual strength, Nicola was probably weaker than her opponent.


    "That black-winged angel had at least 7th rank strength. I wouldn''t have lasted a move against her," was Alfreed''s evaluation of Claudia. Though he added the caveat,


    "Truthfully, her own power probably wasn''t above the 5th level. She mainly relied on various weird tricks."


    "Weird tricks?" I asked, puzzled.


    "The holy light bullets I fired out, she was able to freely manipulate them to attack me instead," Selene complained indignantly.


    "Yes, the same with my water arrows," Eleanora chimed in, having suffered as well.


    I could sort of understand the water arrows, but the holy light bullets seemed like a stretch. I definitely hadn''t seen wrongly -  Claudia was a pure dark elemental being. How could such a creature control light elemental magic like holy light bullets? It was unbelievable.


    But Eleanora and Selene''s encounters were child''s play. Not long after I had fallen into the water, upon seeing everyone attacking her from the ground, Claudia first waved her left hand, reflecting the interspersed magical attacks. Then she waved in the opposite direction, sending Alfreed, who was battling the dark elf, flying backwards. Finally, she made a grabbing motion in the air, directly lifting Adrian by the neck as if wanting to strangle him to death.  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "And you all still survived?" Hearing all these godly feats, I was speechless. Sure enough, I could still see the deep red marks around Adrian''s neck now.


    "Because that was when you appeared," said Hayden, who had the lowest presence. With his sword borrowed by me, all he had left was a shield so he couldn''t attack at all and had just been watching from the sidelines.


    "Yes, when I resurfaced, I saw you fly out from the water into the air..." Nicola continued recounting.


    "You already had three pairs of wings, and the color had changed to blue - the same color as your hair."


    "My hair?" Glancing at the locks dangling over my chest, I seemed to vaguely recall something.


    In the dream I''d had before waking up, I''d caught a glimpse of that color. But I couldn''t remember any specifics now, just a rough impression.


    "Then a weapon that looked exactly like my Condensation Sword appeared in your hand..."


    "Condensation Sword? Are you sure I made that too?" I asked excitedly, unable to believe it. That was a totally OP celestial weapon that I''d always coveted. If I had my own Condensation Sword, I wouldn''t have to fear that succubus anymore.


    "No, there was a slight difference," Nicola said. She thought for a bit before passing me her Condensation Sword and continuing, "While the style looks similar, the color wasn''t this grayish-white like mine. The sword you created was blue, matching the color of your wings then."


    "You then waved the sword once, splitting it into countless copies that stabbed through all the monsters around. Almost none survived, except for Claudia..."


    "...Are you sure you aren''t making up a story?" I finally managed after a long pause.


    That period of unconsciousness was simply chaotic - first Claudia showcasing telekinetic powers, then my sword banquet spectacle, what next? C4 explosion? Firestorm?


    Moreover, wasn''t that a little overpowered? While Nicola''s Condensation Sword was sharp, it could only attack individuals. This sounded clearly like an AOE bombarding attack.


    "Wait, almost none survived..." I immediately looked towards the lake''s opposite shore, remembering the hordes of monsters that had gathered there earlier.


    Yet all I now saw were countless densely-packed corpses starting from the path to the island, stretching to the other side.


    "This is..." Seeing such a sight, I couldn''t help feeling a chill down my spine.


    "You said Claudia was still alive, right? Where is she?"


    "She died in the end, just before you woke up," Adrian responded. He added, "Although she didn''t die immediately, that blow still greatly injured her. She fell straight from the sky. By the time she swam to shore, she barely resisted when the Captain rushed over to finish her off."


    "What about her corpse?" I quickly asked.


    Alfreed just shook his head. "There''s no corpse. Once she died, her body dissipated into black smoke and completely disappeared. That''s somewhat similar to you angels."


    Having personally killed Claudia himself, he had witnessed everything clearly.


    "But if you want to see a corpse, that dark elf''s body is still around. Quite bizarre too, so brace yourself mentally first."


    He pointed behind him at the ground, where a body lay.


    "This is the dark elf?" As I walked over and saw the face, I was shocked and didn''t know what to say.


    This was clearly a mummy! His skin was completely shriveled and dehydrated. His entire body seemed to be just skin and bones. His eye sockets were sunken, his mouth agape as if he had died screaming - he looked almost exactly like those freshly unearthed mummies.


    "It''s definitely him! I''ve checked the cause - dehydration," said Eleanora, coming to stand beside me.


    "I sensed strong water elemental energy from the swords you summoned then. Although they pierced his chest, they didn''t seem to leave obvious wounds yet resulted in dehydration somehow. That''s why he became like this..."


    "Water elemental?" The water-based healing magic I''d seen gave off a similar light blue color. Could there be some relation? But why dehydration instead of the expected rehydration?


    "Have any other angels'' wings ever turned blue before?" Seeing such a horrifying sight, I couldn''t help feeling uneasy.


    This dark elf probably wasn''t an isolated case. With so many monster bodies on the opposite shore, the situation was unlikely to differ.


    "No, never heard of blue-winged angels before. But black-winged angels on the other hand..." Selene trailed off suddenly. I roughly grasped why.


    Judging from their earlier reaction upon first seeing Claudia, their Church''s scriptures likely contained records about fallen angels too, though they''d never actually seen any in person.


    "So what happened after that? What else?" Since Nicola hadn''t spoken for some time, I couldn''t wait to ask.


    "Afterwards, your wings reverted to white and you fell back into the water. So I quickly swam over to pull you ashore," Nicola seemed lost in recollection for a long while before finishing the full account.


    "Um..." After listening, I couldn''t resist asking rather anxiously,


    "Are you sure that was me?"


    From my perspective, it was like I had simply slept and dreamed in between. But based on their descriptions, that didn''t seem to be the case at all. The whole experience was somewhat creepy, almost like mythological sleepwalking.


    "Can''t be sure!" Hayden leaned over jokingly, "You didn''t say a single word the entire time. Just stopped as soon as the fight finished, quick and clean. Leaving the rest of us utterly confused."


    "Hey! Don''t kid around like that!" I protested, a little exasperated. But his teasing lightened up the atmosphere, with everyone relaxing into their usual selves. The tension seemed to have dissipated significantly too.


    Still, this was my first time since crossing over into this world experiencing such OP cheats. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no tangible impressions of it at all. What a waste.

 Volume 2/Chapter 49: Slipped Away

    "Cross over..."


    I suddenly had a brainwave. I quickly pulled Nicola aside and whispered:


    "Do you think this might have something to do with us transmigrating here? Remember, our souls crossed over..."


    "You mean the original souls that inhabited these bodies?"


    Nicola immediately caught on.


    "Yeah! Maybe the original angel who owned this body was some powerful being. She''s usually dormant, but became active when I lost consciousness!"


    I combined various plot lines from online novels, coming up with what seemed a reasonable explanation.


    "Unlikely..."


    Nicola looked at me doubtfully.


    "We both crossed over, how come nothing happened to me? And I don''t see any other personality taking over when you sleep, do I?"


    I was rendered speechless.


    "Plus, you said she was powerful, why would she be suppressed by a small fry like you? Needing you to be unconscious before making trouble?"


    She poked another hole in my theory.


    "And don''t forget, you also lost consciousness when the vampire hurt you, but nothing happened."


    "Okay, you make good points!"


    Battered by Nicola''s barrage, I conceded defeat.


    "But it might be related to a strange dream I had before waking up. I feel like I was dreaming the whole time..."


    Since we were on the topic, I revealed all my doubts.


    "Oh? A dream? What was it about?"


    Nicola''s interest was piqued.


    "I...can''t remember..."


    I hesitated, unsure what to say.


    "I know I dreamt something, but the details are gone..."


    For dreams, this was common - waking up barely recalling them. But this was likely an important dream!


    "It had something to do with blue wings!"


    That was the only fragment I could dredge up.


    "Hmm..."


    Nicola looked at me skeptically.


    "Isn''t that just d¨¦j¨¤ vu? Hearing me mention blue wings made you feel like you''d seen them before?"


    "What!"


    I bristled, annoyed she called it d¨¦j¨¤ vu. But wasn''t that a prime example of it?


    "Fine, you may be right!"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What do you think then? Don''t forget we''re in the same boat. Be careful or you might get taken over if you lose consciousness!"


    Afraid she''d dismiss it as not her problem, I tried to scare her.


    "Maybe yellow wings! Imagine waking up with shit-colored wings...Oh, could be green, wings in the forgiveness color"


    "Goddamn forgiveness color!"


    Nicola nearly jumped up. As though someone had cuckolded her.


    "I just feel we don''t even understand how we crossed over and became angels. It''s too early to consider this."


    Unable to refute her, I conceded again. Indeed, we had many mysteries unsolved. My weird symptoms were just more troubles.


    "What if I get replaced someday?"


    I anxiously asked Nicola.


    "Let''s not overthink this for now."


    Unsure how to respond, she tried to reassure me.


    "Whoever it was, it annihilated the enemies yet spared us. So they''re well-intentioned, it shouldn''t be an issue...I think."


    "Hmm..."


    We whispered half the day yet reached no conclusions.


    "What were you two discussing so secretly?"


    Noticing us return much later, Selene asked curiously.


    "What else, my sudden killing spree..."


    I replied helplessly.


    "Where are Adrian and the others?"


    I realized several people were missing.


    "They went into the tower," Selene pointed behind her.


    Sure enough, the three of them emerged from the first floor entrance.


    "Find anything?"


    They must have investigated the device again, hoping to activate the teleporter.


    "No go," Alfreed shook his head, seeming vexed.


    "That device remains an utter mystery, no idea how to operate it."


    "We daren''t experiment blindly in case something goes wrong," Elanora added regretfully.


    "Shame the ones who knew how perished, it would''ve helped to keep one alive."


    "Well..."


    Unsure how to respond since I killed them all - or rather, my body did. Still my fault if blamed though.


    "Is there really no way?"


    Hayden asked unwillingly.


    "If the device doesn''t work, we''ll be stuck here right?"


    "We should leave soon if there''s no breakthrough," Adrian suggested.


    "Lingering long might lure more monsters. Escaping later would be harder."


    Something seemed off about his words - were they too loud?


    "You..." Alfreed looked at Adrian meaningfully.


    "Shh!" Adrian winked at us.


    Heading off via the island path, he said, "Better go now while we can, might be too late later."


    "Right!" I readily echoed, following him.


    "We''re sitting ducks against monster hordes, no matter how strong we are."


    "Let''s slip away...nothing worth staying for anyway."


    Seeing this, the rest readily followed, spouting similar words.


    "What''s going on? Still dangers on the island?"


    Once we''d gone some distance, Nicola couldn''t resist asking.


    "Not danger per se, but a survivor," Adrian replied, signaling us not to keep looking back.


    "Survivor? What do you mean?"


    I was confused by what he meant.


    "I faintly heard movement upstairs in the tower earlier, but didn''t mention it."


    Adrian smiled at me.


    "One monster likely survived and is hiding."


    "Survived?"


    I racked my brains before quickly guessing.


    "You mean the succubus Camille?" Alfreed had admitted killing Claudia, and I saw the dark elf''s corpse, so the only one left was obvious - the succubus Camille.


    "She''s alive? Impossible!" Selene objected immediately.


    "Even that black-winged angel failed to survive. Camille is what, 5th rank at most?"


    She spoke what we all thought.


    "You''re right, but I didn''t see the succubus get hit," Alfreed recalled.


    "Really?"


    I obviously had no clue, so I looked to Nicola since she briefed me earlier. Any questions should go to her.


    "It''s true now that I think about it," Nicola nodded.


    "Your disintegrated sword killed almost everything in the lake vicinity. But the closest monsters on land were only those three. Come to think of it, I didn''t see a third sword near the island."


    "Because she was underwater then," Adrian continued.


    "She and Feliciana fell in almost together. Feliciana was barely hurt, but the succubus was injured - hit by Purification thrice and Water Arrow."


    "So when Feliciana killed the rest, she might still be underwater, hence escaping notice."


    Alfreed suddenly understood.


    "With 5th rank durability, such wounds wouldn''t be fatal. After surfacing and seeing her comrades dead, she wisely hid rather than show herself."


    "Bingo!" Adrian smiled.


    "Ignoring the device, silent escape was impossible on that exposed island. She could only conceal herself and wait for us to leave."


    "Why not search and catch her then? It''s tiny, we might learn to operate the device from her," Hayden asked, puzzled.


    "Forced interrogation has too many uncertainties," Adrian firmly rejected that idea.


    "We''re clueless about the device. False intel or refusal to talk would lead to wasted effort. Since we only want to return home, getting her to activate the teleporter herself makes more sense. So better make her think we''ve left before she attempts anything."

 Vol 2/Chapter 50: Another Misunderstanding Sparked by That Night

    "Are you sure she knows how to activate the device? And will really start the teleportation after we leave?" Selene asked doubtfully.


    "Definitely. How big could the room in that tower be? With just the three demons, could they really hide anything from each other? Moreover, Claudia herself said that Camille is an important figure, so she would know about it even more surely."


    This time, without Adrian answering, I could come up with the response myself.


    "Now that the most powerful one among them, Claudia, is dead, only Camille is left. She would do nothing and would definitely go to notify their goddess Michelle. Since Claudia previously said their god was personally overseeing the battle, she''s likely on the Astral Realm kingdom''s side now."


    Saying this, I suddenly realized a serious problem.


    "But this way, we might directly face that Goddess of Flame. Are you sure we can escape from her?"


    No matter how highly Adrian boasted about me before when I lost consciousness, it''s basically impossible to rely on that.


    "If we want to avoid the Goddess of Flame in a short time without delaying the teleportation back to the kingdom, there are still some ways."


    Adrian had solutions even for such problems? I couldn''t help but doubt it a little.


    "Really?" We asked in unison.


    "Uh... we just need to lure the Goddess of Flame to this side of the Dark Continent, while we teleport over there at the same time."


    Seeing our reactions, Adrian answered helplessly.


    "Just doing this much isn''t difficult, but after that, things might not go so smoothly... She might catch up to us again..."


    "As long as we can do it, we''ll deal with her after getting back!" Selene interrupted and said impatiently. Hearing we were so close to going home, she couldn''t hold back her excitement anymore.


    "That''s right! The kingdom''s side still has armies against the demons. Even if that Goddess of Flame is powerful, she may not necessarily be a match for our troops combined."


    Eleanora and Hayden also voiced their agreement. Having been here longer than us, their hometown longing was even stronger.


    "Is it really okay?" I looked worriedly at Adrian beside me. The method he mentioned was quite simple after some thought, I could come up with it too. But having provoked this goddess now, it didn''t seem we would be safe after returning either.


    "Hopefully..." Adrian forced a bitter laugh.


    "Mainly depends on how far we can escape after going back, and how long it takes for the Goddess of Flame to discover we''re no longer on this side."


    "It was so hard to finally find a way home, yet we still can''t escape from danger." I thought carefully for a while but couldn''t come up with a foolproof countermeasure, so I could only dejectedly say.


    "It''s alright, I''ll try my best to stall them." Seeing my mood, Adrian spoke to comfort me.


    "What can you do..." He was only 4th class too, even if this Goddess of Flame wasn''t as horrifying as I imagined, it shouldn''t be something he could withstand either, right?


    "Hey! Did you guys forget about me?" Nicola, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly cut in dissatisfiedly.


    "With me here, and the celestial weapon of Condensation Sword ! I''ll just directly hack that damn Goddess of Flame to death."


    "That''s the god of all dark creatures!" I looked at Nicola speechlessly, not expecting her to be so rash and hurriedly reminded:


    "You couldn''t even beat Claudia. How could you possibly defeat Michelle?"


    "Who said I can''t beat her!" mentioned this, Nicola immediately raged and jumped.


    "Didn''t you see I heavily injured her at the start? I only got hit later by accident... Anyway, trust me! I will definitely protect you!"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Huh?" For some reason, these words sounded strange to me.


    "Um..." Sensing the odd atmosphere, Adrian glanced at Nicola and whispered to me:


    "Am I interrupting something between you two?"


    "Interrupting what?" I was completely bewildered, not knowing what he meant. Then I suddenly recalled what Selene and Vivianne had shown regarding their views on my relationship with Nicola when we bathed together. Could he be referring to that?


    "Nothing happened! You got it wrong!" I hurriedly clarified:


    "Nicola and I are just good friends, we don''t have any special relationship."


    "Really? But that night at the Elara Woodlands, I clearly saw you two..." Adrian still looked puzzled recalling what he witnessed.


    Sure enough, it was another misunderstanding caused by that night. I swear I just want to bash my head in now!


    With one careless wrong step, the damage spreads far and wide. Now looking back, not only Vivianne and Selene saw it, but Adrian most likely did too, so Brennan probably didn''t get away from it either.


    "It was just a misunderstanding! I swear!" Now I only wanted to desperately clear up this terrible mix-up of our relationship.


    "That kind of thing can be misunderstood?" Having seen it with his own eyes, Adrian still didn''t quite believe me. He indeed wasn''t that easy to fool.


    "I was tricked at that time! And I later realized I''m not interested in Nic... I mean, in girls!" I couldn''t help glancing back at Nicola. After all she was still my good friend, directly saying so to her face lacked fellowship. But after changing my words halfway, I couldn''t come up with another excuse in my flustered state, so I could only use this explanation.


    "You have to believe me..." Seeing Adrian finally start wavering, I was about to eagerly add more fuel. But suddenly I felt my arm pulled as Nicola dragged me to the side and whispered:


    "Didn''t you say you wouldn''t be into guys?" She looked rather gloomy, seemingly very unhappy.


    "Isn''t this to clear up the misunderstanding about that night? You know very well my true identity." I turned to glance at Adrian again, then at Nicola. I didn''t understand why she would suddenly bring this up now.


    "But you just clearly said you weren''t interested in girls..." Nicola anxiously emphasized what I said earlier.


    "It was just an expedient means! Not to mention, not being interested in girls doesn''t mean I like guys!" I rolled my eyes. To accommodate her feelings I even willingly took the damage, really not understanding what she was thinking to be so caught up on that statement.


    "Then what''s your relationship with Adrian! You two are so close, being all lovely-dovey."


    "What nonsense! When were we lovely-dovey?" Hearing Nicola say that, I couldn''t help exploding a little. Weren''t we just interacting normally? It''s not easy for me to even talk to a guy like Adrian properly!


    "If anything, you''re the strange one. What''s with you being so sensitive today?" I furrowed my brows looking at her. Recalling her series of bizarre words and actions earlier, I couldn''t resist leaning in by her ear to remind:


    "Just what are you doing! Don''t tell me you forgot? I''m Flynn!"


    "I''m... I''m sorry." Hearing me, Nicola''s body stiffened as she gently released her grip on my arm and lowered her hand.


    "That''s better..." Seeing she finally realized it, I let out a relieved sigh and hurried back to Adrian''s side to explain:


    "So Nicola and I aren''t in that kind of relationship. If you run into Brennan later, you must help me clear this up with him too."


    "This is..." Adrian looked at me, then turned to glance at the dazed Nicola again. He heavily nodded and answered: "Alright, I will help convey the message!"


    "Wonderful!" I smiled very happily. Finally I''d get the chance to wipe this stain from history clean.


    "What were you two talking about just now?" Hayden had been chatting with Selene and Eleanora about returning home. Noticing Adrian''s odd expression, he couldn''t resist asking out loud.


    "Huh?" Snapping out of it, Adrian quickly said: "Weren''t we just discussing the issue with the Goddess of Flame?"


    "Where''s Selene? I have some matters that need her help." Hayden looked around, acting like he was searching.


    "Eh?" Selene was whispering and giggling with Eleanora behind them. Hearing this, she immediately stood straight and answered seriously:


    "What do you need my help with?"


    How could they have so much to talk about when they just met a few days ago? I looked puzzled at the two girls already as close as sisters. Could this be the real so-called love at first sight that ballad stories describe?


    Oh right, I could ask Nicola about it. Wasn''t she well-versed in the ways of romance, with much experience navigating flower gardens?


    But when I turned to look, I got another shock instead. At this time, Nicola seemed to have lost a lot of her color. She had an exhausted and disheartened appearance.


    "What''s wrong with you now?" Even after my reminder that I was Flynn, her reaction shouldn''t be this huge right?


    "It''s nothing..." Nicola lowered her head and forced a smile at me. No matter how I looked, that smile seemed very unnatural.


    "I certainly won''t forget. We''re brothers, so I''ll cover for you."


    "What the hell! Did you take the wrong pills?" I stared at her dumbfounded. Why was she suddenly saying such things? Although I couldn''t find anything wrong with the words, it still felt very weird.


    "Don''t relax your guard yet. Don''t forget we''re still within surveillance range." Alfreed spoke up to remind us. Among everyone, he was likely the calmest and most collected.


    "That''s right. That strange imagery on the device can see all of this swamp area." Hayden immediately recalled everything they saw in the tower on the island before.


    "The succubus is probably closely watching our actions right now through that device."


    "It''s fine. We should deliberately maintain this relaxed state to successfully catch them off guard." Adrian shook his head and advised everyone:


    "But still..." Selene looked down worriedly and said:


    "It''s just too nauseating."


    Now we had walked over half the journey. It was fine not bringing it up earlier, but looking around now, there were corpses everywhere of those demons who tried getting on the island previously, all dried up like that dark elf.


    Nicola and I were alright. Not wanting to linger in this atmosphere, we could simply fly up. But the others didn''t have that option. Moreover, the path ahead was getting narrower. Eventually they could only tiptoe through the bodies.

 Volume 2/Chapter 51: Light Puppet

    "Lady Nicola, can I come with you?" Selene looked up at the one beside me pitifully and asked. Seeing this, Nicola hesitated for a moment, not wanting to refuse her. She flew down and lifted Selene up into the sky.


    "Feliciana..." Eleanora saw that Selene went up and quickly waved at me.


    I sighed, similarly landing and scooping her up. This was my first time flying with Eleanora in my arms. She felt slightly lighter than Selene, but there wasn''t much difference.


    "Wow, so this is what it feels like to fly up into the sky!" Naturally, this was Eleanora''s first time in the air. She couldn''t stop being excited and kept asking me to fly higher. But no ropes were tying us together now. I was just holding her with my hands. I didn''t dare go too high. If I dropped her, she would die instantly.


    "It''s so nice. I want to go up and see too..." Hayden looked up at us enviously from below.


    "What are you thinking? Are you still a man? Can''t even handle this much?" Alfreed lightly knocked on his head and scolded.


    "Hurry up and go!"


    "No, I was just purely envious..." Hayden held his head looking very wronged as he quickly rushed to Adrian at the front.


    "I don''t understand..." The Eleanora in Nicola''s hands suddenly asked.


    "Why did Adrian say we have to first leave the surveillance range of this lake before Camille teleports away, and only then can we come back?"


    "That''s because if we teleport away with Camille, when we arrive at the kingdom we''ll definitely be deep in enemy territory. It would be hard to escape a face-to-face encounter with the God of Fire then," I was very clear about this point and explained to her.


    "Moreover, Camille has been monitoring us through that device. If she doesn''t see us leave, she might not dare activate the device to teleport us away together."


    "Right, after she teleports away, the Kaga Mountains, the Tethys Town in the kingdom will be swapped over here accordingly. At that time when we come back here, it''ll be the same as stepping onto the kingdom''s land!" Selene finally understood.


    "Did he look for you just now for this matter?" Eleanora heard and asked, turning her head towards Selene.


    "Of course not just that. He also said that after we leave the surveillance area, I have to hurry up and make some light puppets."


    "What, light puppets?" Hearing a fresh term, I asked in puzzlement.


    "It''s a more advanced light magic, or rather, a kind of illusion," Selene thought for a while and replied.


    "The principle is to condense light elements into an illusory image, then shape it into a human form. You can control its movements to do various actions... Oh, have you guys heard of illusion cards before?"


    "Illusion cards?" Nicola and I glanced at each other.


    "Of course we know about them." Nicola might still have those two cards on her.


    "Isn''t that a kind of ma...magic toy that many nobles and playboys in the capital are fond of?" It seemed Eleanora had also heard of illusion cards, but didn''t have a good impression of them.


    "That''s right! Don''t look down on that one illusion card. Its production process and principles are said to be incredible, involving many advanced magics. Light puppets are one of them!" Selene had a mysterious look, as if divulging some outrageous secret.


    "Moreover, light puppets are an extremely simplified version of an even more advanced light magic¡ªteleportation. Ordinary humans basically can''t learn teleportation. Only you angels can use it."


    "Can you really do it?" I clicked my tongue in doubt and glanced at Selene. "You were panting just from casting dispel magic."


    "Hey, dispel magic isn''t that basic!" Selene unhappily pursed her lips and turned her head, not wanting to look at me.


    "How can one compare with an angel like you, instantly whipping out purification magic? What do you want me to do?"The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Ha? What''s there to compare? Is purification magic very advanced?" I had always thought that skills given at the start were generally more basic.


    "Of course! Otherwise, why wouldn''t even 6th-rank vampires dare tank the spell? In our Church, anyone who can use purification magic can become a high priest. Moreover, yours is free-flowing without needing incantations!" Selene strongly disagreed, angered just thinking about it.


    "Angels are amazing huh, angels can do whatever they want?"


    "Uh..." She really left me not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Was it just intolerable seeing me use purification magic?


    "Doesn''t your True Church revere angels?" Eleanora was very puzzled seeing Selene''s attitude towards me and asked.


    "That''s only for angels like Miss Nicola!" Selene said while rubbing her head against Nicola''s chest.


    Hey! I saw clearly. That''s definitely harassment! Selene, your idol Alfreed is still watching below!


    "Can you please not drag me into your bickering?" Feeling uncomfortable, Nicola frowned and lowered her head to glance at Selene. She didn''t want to flare up and could only bitterly smile to remind her.


    "Sorry, I''ll be sure to pay attention next time." Selene quickly apologized, cutely sticking her tongue out.


    "Didn''t I save everyone just now? Can''t you change your impression of me a little?" Very annoyed by her double standards, and knowing she always looked down on me for being a weak angel, I shamelessly took credit for what happened after I lost consciousness.


    "You can''t be considered an angel like that. Never heard of an angel with blue wings before. Otherwise, Claudia could be counted as an angel too."


    "You..." She was too reasonable. I completely couldn''t find any counterarguments.


    This wasn''t even double standards anymore right? This is discrimination! Blatant discrimination!


    The rest of the path was quickly traveled. Mainly to accommodate Alfreed and the others walking below us, the countless corpses blocking the way slowed their advance considerably compared to before.


    Upon reaching the lakeshore, we didn''t stop and continued southeast, only stopping when Adrian confirmed by memory that we had left the surveillance range. He then nodded at Selene.


    "You can start now!"


    After being put back onto the ground upon leaving the area with concentrated corpses, Selene immediately started chanting. A transparent, illusory image appeared before her palm and gradually solidified, taking the form of a little girl.


    "This is the best I can do." Selene wiped the sweat from her brow and panted as she spoke.


    "My light puppets aren''t skilled enough to reach realistic levels."


    I looked at the illusory puppet. It only reached my waist in height. Although it had a nose, eyes, hands and feet, there was still a huge gap from real human appearance. Its entire body also glowed, like a lampshade over a light bulb. You could tell at a glance it was fake.


    "No need to worry about the appearance. Just having enough light essence filled inside, and being able to maintain for a period without dissipating after we leave. Then it is good enough."


    Unsurprisingly, Adrian didn''t seem very satisfied. He shook his head and requested again:


    "How can it attract the enemy without resembling a person one bit?"


    I asked in puzzlement. Judging from this magic''s purpose, it should purely be for buying time. It had no other combat value.


    I had tried reaching out to touch it earlier. It was completely illusory, with no tangible feeling at all.


    "The sensitivity of dark creatures to light essence is the same as you angels'' perception of dark elements. So we just need to attract them from afar. By the time the monsters approach closely enough to see its appearance clearly, our goal is already achieved. So there''s no need for realistic resemblance at all."


    Adrian''s thinking was very clear. While directing Selene to modify the puppet, he explained to Nicola and me at the same time.


    "Pay attention to any movements from the lake at all times. Notify us immediately once the spatial transfer starts."


    "I''ll do it." Nicola volunteered for the task. She then flew up into the sky.


    As for me, I could only watch with the others as the puppet took its final form.


    "How can this still be called a puppet?" Looking at the lump of light before me, I felt it was rather bleak. The light essence did feel very dense, but there was zero semblance of a human.


    "I''ve already done my best, can''t squeeze out any more magical power..." Selene feebly sat down, looking completely drained.


    "This might still not be enough..." Adrian frowned and said.


    "The enemy knows we have angels on our side. It would be even better if there was one more puppet."


    "Then I''ll try." Seeing that Selene was truly spent with her light essence completely exhausted, I spoke up.


    "Huh? You can do it too?" Adrian looked somewhat surprised that I was voluntarily stepping up.


    "I''m not certain, but I can give it a shot first." I nodded. Watching Selene make the puppet earlier, I could sense the light essence flow in her body very clearly. I already had this kind of experience when watching her cast dispel magic back in Tethys Town.


    Combining my understanding of purification magic, perhaps the element flows were the key to magic formation? I had to test it out before knowing clearly.


    Imitating Selene''s method to mobilize the light essence in my body, a lump of light soon appeared before me in my size.


    "I did it!" Since it worked through this method, I excitedly yelled out. So from now on, just watching others use a spell would enable me to learn it? The thought was a little thrilling.


    "How''s that possible? You didn''t know this magic before. How could you suddenly learn it?" Selene wore an expression of utter disbelief as she stared at me and asked.


    "Uh, because I just watched you do it once earlier?" I answered honestly. To be frank, I also couldn''t understand it. If learning magic was so easy, what would be the point of magic books and such?


    "Could it be an angel''s advantage in light magic?" Hearing this, Selene froze for a bit, as if only recalling my identity now.


    "It''s said to indeed be so." Eleanora also interestedly walked over and said.


    "I heard that angels, as pure light element creatures, understand magic fundamentals a bit differently compared to us ordinary humans. So they generally excel in light magic, achieving many things humans can''t."

 Volume 2/Chapter 52: Finally Going Back

    "I see..."


    I immediately connected the dots on the previous details. No wonder neither friend nor foe found it strange when I used purification magic without an incantation.


    "Speaking of which... have you all never tried directly maneuvering the elements within your bodies according to the laws of magic to cast spells?"


    I asked them. Being able to do this would enable one to cast magic without incantations. To me, this seemed very obvious.


    Although I was also once human, there was no such thing as magic on Earth. So I was unclear on what the differences in the so-called understanding of magic were.


    "What are internal elements? What do you mean by directly maneuvering elements?"


    Their replies were beyond my expectations. Seeing their blank looks, I opened and closed my mouth, temporarily at a loss for words.


    "Can you all not sense the elements within one another''s bodies?"


    I looked at Selene, then at Eleanora. I could feel the light and water elements within them. Currently inactive since no magic was being casted, there were no signs of any flow.


    Meanwhile, there were practically no elements within the three guys. Hence they had no grasp of magic.


    "No..."


    Selene and Eleanora exchanged glances and shook their heads.


    "What about me? You were able to sense my presence from very far away right?"


    I said to Selene and pointed at myself.


    "That was only because I sensed the aura of light element on you."


    Selene looked me up and down and said helplessly.


    "After all, I''m a light magic mage. That''s why I can do that. Actually that so-called aura should be a very vague perception, somewhat similar to... smell! Although you can smell a scent and know what thing emits that scent, doing as you said - smelling what motions that scented thing is making, that''s impossible."


    Selene explained her feelings to me in great detail. So to her, it was just like smelling a smell. Not like how I could feel the concrete forms of elements, even their every move.


    "So it seems this is the difference in perception..."


    I seemed to understand a little better. Looks like angels can perceive elements much more deeply and concretely than humans. Hence their comprehension regarding the principles of magic is also more thorough.


    "Alright, now that you''re done discussing, quickly get these two light clusters to leave. Have them go farther away. It''d be best if you could find a mountain cave or corner to hide them in."


    Adrian spoke up then. Although he would occasionally use enchanted arrows, he didn''t understand magic well and thus hadn''t voiced an opinion all this while.


    "But why does my conjured doll look the same as Selene''s, just a lump?"


    Actually, I was quite satisfied with the magic I had cast. The only downside was the appearance - I honestly didn''t know what to say.


    I also didn''t know if it was because I had copied Selene''s lightball homework, or if that shape itself needed the caster to sculpt it. If it was the latter, I had zero talent in sculpting or drawing so I probably shouldn''t consider it.


    "It''s fine, this is already very good."


    Adrian nodded and affirmed me, then told me and Selene to direct the two light clusters floating away into the distance.


    That''s right, because they had no feet they could only float. And I realized this was very similar to controlling magic cards - no wonder Selene said magic card creation had incorporated aspects of the light figurine spell.


    "This spell can last ten-odd minutes at most. Also, once exceeding a certain distance, it can no longer be controlled and will stop moving."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    After introducing the basics, Selene shot me a very unhappy look.


    "Unfair! Feliciana''s looks about the same as mine, yet hers is ''very good'' while mine gets nitpicked over and over!"


    "Because mine is bigger than yours!"


    I was overjoyed to let her taste double standards so quickly.


    "You--!"


    Selene was about to jump up to retort when Nicola suddenly flew down from the sky.


    "The exchange has started! The lake is gone, replaced by the mountain forest we saw earlier!"


    She brought the good news we had been eagerly anticipating.


    "Camille has been transported over!"


    My spirits lifted. This moment had finally arrived! It was difficult.


    Now there were no large hordes of magical beasts blocking our path, because... they were dead!


    "What are we still waiting for, hurry and run back!"


    Alfreed suddenly yelled loudly, giving me a fright. I didn''t expect the usually composed him to be so excited at this critical juncture.


    Upon hearing this, everyone immediately snapped back to their senses and rushed toward the lake district with all their might.


    "Hurry! We must get within range of the exchange before they transmit back again."


    Adrian urged incessantly.


    It all hinged on this moment - to go or to stay. If we missed this, not only would we miss this rare transport opportunity, we might even directly encounter the Goddess of Fire. Our lives would then hang by a thread.


    Luckily the distance between us and the lake district wasn''t too far. Adding to that our full-strength sprinting, we soon arrived at the lakeside we had passed by earlier.


    We were right at the edge of the exchange boundary. Before us was the gravelly beach''s border with the mountain forest. The magical beast corpses originally scattered around the vicinity had been cleanly sliced into two halves, compressed right on the boundary line.


    Safe home base!


    I dashed into the boundary ahead of everyone, finally relaxing as I watched each person behind me step onto the vegetation-covered mud.


    This place should be near Tethys Town right? I wonder what''s become of that town now.


    Just as I thought to fly up to scout for its position, Adrian suddenly grabbed me and said,


    "Don''t leave the ground. We can''t confirm if the sky is within exchange range yet."


    I swallowed and nodded, giving up my notion of searching for Tethys Town.


    "Also, don''t go too deep into the exchange zone. Don''t stray too far from this exchange boundary line. Because right after we get transported to the kingdom, we''ll be heading out immediately and fleeing south."


    He continued advising. Having made plans long ago, he was now steadily executing them step-by-step.


    "If my conjectures are correct, the succubus should currently be meeting the Goddess of Fire Michelle and reporting what happened previously. Then they''ll transport back to the Dark Continent to search for us. And that''ll also be when we arrive at the kingdom."


    Alfred explained while leading everyone to travel due south along the boundary, as planned.


    Since we had entered the exchange zone from a southeast direction earlier, to more quickly reach the kingdom troops'' position south of Tethys Town after transporting over, it''d be best if we were already at the southern edge.


    Yet his voice had barely faded when the scenery beyond the exchange boundary suddenly transformed. The barren, rocky wastelands were gone, substituted with the same view as that within the boundary.


    "So fast?"


    Everyone was shocked. We had only just entered the boundary and walked a few steps!


    "Impossible! Camille is alone. She has to exit the exchange zone first to search for the Goddess of Fire right? Even flying to and fro shouldn''t take such little time!"


    Selene refused to believe it.


    "No, it''s possible!"


    Adrian gritted his teeth, thinking of a possibility.


    "That goddess likely noticed something long ago and has been proactively waiting at the edges. Once the lake district transported over, if she hurried to the central island, that would cut travel time by half..."


    "Then we''re in greater danger!"


    Not saying another word, Alfred charged out of the exchange zone.


    "Forget all that for now. Just run! Nicola, you know the kingdom troops'' position right? Lead the way!"


    "This spot seems a bit east..."


    After circling around in midair, Nicola flew back down looking rather awkward.


    "The previous battleground with the magical beasts should lie southwest. Very far from here. The main kingdom encampment is even further south, out of the mountainous terrain. It''d be hard to reach there relying solely on foot."


    Of our group, only Nicola and I could fly. Even carrying one person each, three would still be left behind.


    "Let''s keep heading southwest then. Flee as far as we can."


    Alfred decided after some thought.


    "Yeah!"


    Hayden chimed in agreement.


    "Anyway, the forest environment here has much better cover than the barren wastelands of the Dark Continent. With the trees'' concealment, enemies may not necessarily find us."


    "But..."


    A thought suddenly occurred to me.


    "Where exactly are all those magical beasts that got transported over previously? If they''re not in the central exchange zone behind us, doesn''t that mean they''re also south? Very likely still facing off with the kingdom army. If we head that way, won''t we run right into them?"


    Upon my words, everyone halted in their steps.


    "What do we do then? There''s nowhere to go, right?"


    Eleanora asked with a crying expression. She, Hayden and the rest originally hadn''t thought too much into it. Assuming we could locate allies once back, who knew we would run into so many issues instead.


    "Anyway, north where the exchange zone is, is definitely a no-go. We''d just get transported back to the Dark Continent after a while."


    Nicola hesitated briefly before suggesting to everyone:


    "Why don''t we avoid south or north for now and head east first to circumvent the southern region where magical beasts may lurk? This can also serve to confuse the Goddess of Fire on our whereabouts."


    "Good idea!"


    Everyone nodded upon hearing this. After all, we couldn''t reach the main kingdom encampment anytime soon. Ditching the Fire Goddess took priority.


    No matter what, we were back in kingdom territory. Safety was assured; no fear of not returning.


    With unanimous consensus, we changed direction again, this time eastbound.


    ...

 Volume 2/Chapter 53: The Strange Angel

    Although the roads in the Karga Mountains can conceal our tracks, they are much more difficult to traverse than the gravel wastelands of the Dark Continent. And to minimize the chance of exposure, Nicola and I don''t even dare to fly, we can only walk with everyone for now.


    All the way, everyone is rather quiet. We should be celebrating our return to the Astralrealm Kingdom, but the situation is still dangerous with pursuers behind us, so it''s hard to be happy.


    The only noticeable difference is probably the dark elemental aura in the air that is gradually becoming fainter. After staying in the Dark Continent for so many days, suddenly being free from the foul environment around us, my whole body feels much more refreshed.


    "Is the Fire Goddess really as powerful as you guys claimed, that so many of us have to take a detour to avoid her?"


    Seeing Alfreed and the rest with gloomy expressions, always silent, Hayden finally couldn''t help but speak out.


    After all, although we kept mentioning that she should be very strong, there was no actual experience regarding a goddess he had never heard of before.


    "You should have seen how powerful Claudia is. A goddess that even she respectfully addresses, how could she be lacking?"


    Alfreed glanced at him and sighed as he answered.


    Probably because his weapon was borrowed by me, Hayden didn''t directly participate in the battle. So he couldn''t feel the pressure that everyone else felt when facing Claudia.


    I''m the same, because I lost consciousness at the time, everything that happened was told by Nicola afterwards, so I don''t have much intuitive feeling either.


    But this does not prevent me from inferring Michelle the Fire Goddess'' might based on this information.


    "But the vegetation in these mountains is so lush. Can they really catch up to us?"


    Eleanora seemed a little skeptical about this. In order to conceal ourselves, even Nicola and I had folded our wings. In the Dark Continent, the monsters might not even be able to find us, let alone in the mountains of this kingdom.


    "It would indeed be unlikely under normal circumstances..."


    If it was before seeing those maps that looked like satellite surveillance, I would probably be so optimistic too. But my intuition tells me that things are not that simple, and I feel a little uneasy for some reason.


    "Feliciana, take Selene and head back to Norvale first."


    Adrian probably has similar concerns as me. He walked over to me and said,


    "It''s too risky for you to keep following us, and don''t you still have an unfinished mission? This is a good opportunity for Selene to leave with you too."


    "No..."


    I was about to decline as soon as I heard it, but on second thought, this didn''t seem to be just my own business anymore, it also involved Selene. My mission was to escort her back safely to the capital in the first place, and now was the perfect time to complete it, right?


    "What about you guys then?"


    I looked at Alfreed and the others walking ahead. If I left with Selene, there would be even fewer people left. What if the Fire Goddess catches up?


    And what about Nicola? I don''t know if she would stay behind if she knew I was leaving.


    "If you''re going back to the capital, I must go with you. It could still be dangerous in the skies with just the two of you, you may not be able to handle it, especially with another person."


    As expected, as soon as Nicola overheard my conversation with Adrian, she came over to state her stand.


    "You should leave now while you still can. The later it gets, the more dangerous it becomes. If we get caught up, there won''t even be a chance."


    "Nicola is right, hurry up and take Selene away."


    Seeing Nicola urging persistently, Adrian also agreed and called Selene over at the same time.


    "We''re going back to the capital now?"


    When Selene learned that I was going to take her away, she seemed a little reluctant, looking back at the others longingly.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "What are you thinking? This is a great opportunity, hurry up!"


    Seeing her reaction, Eleanora also persuaded her decisively and gave Selene a push towards me. Has their relationship become so good after just a few days?


    "Exactly, no matter how powerful that Fire Goddess is, our squad isn''t weak either. Not to mention with terrain like these mountains and forests where we excel the most, even if we can''t beat her, it shouldn''t be a problem evading her, right?"


    Hayden said confidently. Before being teleported to the Dark Continent, they had been tracking monsters in similar environments for days after all. Looking at it this way, it was still quite convincing.


    "If everything goes smoothly, we could be out of these mountains by tomorrow the fastest, reach the kingdom''s military maincamp, and arrive in Norvale the day after. We can meet up again in the capital by then and even go out for a meal together..."


    As Hayden optimistically estimated their schedule, he even already made plans for after they got back. He was even lacking just one final flag about going home and getting married before his words could qualify for inclusion in textbooks.


    "You..."


    I was a little speechless. At first, I still felt that what he said made some sense, but it became more and more like he was courting death towards the end. The flags he set up were simply too textbook-like.


    "Are you guys really that relaxed?"


    Suddenly, a tender voice came from behind and gave everyone a shock.


    "Who are you?!"


    When we turned around and saw that the speaker was unexpectedly a young red-haired girl who didn''t seem very old, we all felt a strange, indescribable feeling for a moment.


    In fact, this girl could be said to be extremely beautiful with exquisite features that were no less than Nicola''s or what I saw of myself in the mirror. Although the smile on her face was so charming, she couldn''t conceal an air of otherworldliness that emanated from her. It was truly hard to imagine encountering such a beauty in this remote mountainous area.


    However, the more extraordinary she appeared, the more it proved there was something wrong with her. Moreover, given that we were being pursued, we couldn''t afford to be careless.


    "How did you get behind us? Why are you following us?"


    Alfreed drew out his longsword nervously and questioned her. How could this girl have approached them so silently without anyone noticing?


    "I just saw you all huddled together as if discussing something, so I came over to take a look."


    She didn''t seem to care much about Alfreed pointing his sword at her and leisurely answered. Speaking as if she was merely curious.


    "Feliciana, do you sense anything off about her?"


    Adrian whispered to me, without any hesitation taking out his usual bow and arrows.


    "I feel everything is off about her!"


    I said helplessly. For her to appear so silently, she must be a big shot. There was no running from this conclusion!


    "But oddly, she has no aura of dark elements at all."


    If she was a monster, I should have been able to identify it quickly. At first I thought she might be that Fire Goddess Michelle representing all dark creatures. But the actual detection results were a bit unexpected, making me doubt my senses for a moment.


    "No way..."


    "What''s wrong?"


    Seeing my change in expression, Adrian immediately took out an arrow and nocked it on the string. Beside him, Eleanora and Hayden also quickly took out their weapons.


    "She has the aura of light elements, the same as Feliciana and the others. It seems she''s also an angel who has folded her wings?"


    Selene cut in to say. She could sense light elements and with me and Nicola right next to her for comparison, she quickly drew this conclusion.


    "Huh?"


    Almost everyone present was stunned. This development was too bizarre. Just when we thought the other party was a monster chasing us, it turns out she was actually an angel instead.


    "It seems to be an angel... But why would an angel be here?"


    Nicola also sensed it. The other party''s body was indeed composed purely of light elements without a doubt ©¤ almost an angel''s hallmark. The hand she originally wanted to summon her Condensation Sword with also withdrawn back. Speaking of which, her impression of angels had always been rather good.


    "It''s considered normal for angels to appear around this area. The kingdom is currently at war with monsters. After fighting for so long, it''s very possible for angels to have joined in the battle."


    Selene thought about it and said with a strange look on her face.


    "But the weird thing is why she''s alone here, and no other angels can be seen."


    Uh...


    I suddenly feel Selene''s description seems a little familiar. Isn''t this almost the same situation as when I first met them in the Elara Woodlands? It''s basically identical! I think now I understand how they felt back then.


    "Are you an angel?"


    Hearing our whispered discussion, Alfreed relaxed a little and asked the girl.


    "Angel?"


    The girl seemed slightly startled, apparently not expecting us to ask her this question.


    "Hehe, I guess so..."


    "guess?"


    My brows knitted slightly. I felt a contemptuous tone in the other party''s reply. Something was wrong with this answer!


    To be honest, although the red-haired girl''s encounter was similar to mine when I first arrived in this world, it did not make me let my guard down. Everything about the way she behaved seemed strange, as if she was not as simple as just an angel.


    And oddly, I kept having this nagging sense of familiarity about her looks, as if I had seen her somewhere before.


    Perhaps it was in that dream when I lost consciousness, or perhaps in a much more distant past.


    "Why are you alone in a place like this? Where are your other companions?"


    I roughly repeated Selene''s doubts.


    "Of course it''s to find you all."


    The other party answered matter-of-factly with a smile at the corner of her lips.


    "As for my other companions, they will be here soon."


    "Really?"


    Hearing the reply, Selene and the others were instantly overjoyed, thinking it meant there would be reinforcements.


    "Wait a minute! What do you mean by finding us?"


    I felt something was wrong. I originally thought when I heard she was looking for us, it was directed at me and Nicola. After all Nicola had just recently exposed her identity to the kingdom''s army.


    But I quickly realized this was impossible, because we had just returned from the Dark Continent. It had only been such a short time, even if the angels had very smooth information channels, it would still be impossible to locate our position so accurately deep in these mountains.


    So apart from us, who else could she be finding? The answer to this sent chills down my spine just thinking about it.


    "Who exactly are you? What''s your name?"


    Adrian also noticed something amiss and directly asked this critical question even before the other party could reply.

 Vol 2/Chapter 54: Fire Goddess Michelle

    "Thought you could play longer..."


    The red-haired girl seemed somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, looking rather listless.


    At this moment, even the others could see she was not an ally at all. The atmosphere instantly became tense again.


    "My name is Michelle."


    Her short statement was like a bombshell for everyone, and they instinctively took a few steps back.


    "You are the Fire Goddess?"


    Alfred could hardly believe it as he tried to confirm.


    Although her gender could be guessed from the name, seeing her appearance was still very different from what he had imagined.


    "What? Don''t I look the part?"


    She answered blandly, not seeming to care much about appearances. Though she looked younger than Claudia, her behavior was much more mature.


    "It''s not that I don''t believe you..."


    I couldn''t help but confirm again. Indeed, I didn''t sense a trace of dark elemental energy from her.


    "But how can a dark creature''s god have only light elements in her body..."


    I really wanted to complain: Could it be that she had previously been an angel leader, and then defected to the dark creatures?


    If that were truly so, then this Michelle would be the real fallen angel, while that black-winged Claudia lacks authenticity.


    "You angels are consistently accustomed to judging if someone is a friend or foe according to their elemental attributes. But you should be aware that enemies are not necessarily dark creatures," Michelle said, giving me a side glance and sighing.


    "Besides, as you have already said, I am the Fire Goddess, not the God of Darkness..."


    I wanted to retort. It was rather absurd that I seemed to suddenly represent all angels when I hadn''t even seen what other angels looked like.


    But the torrential heat wave that erupted from her in that instant left me stunned.


    The air around Michelle appeared to ignite, instantly setting the vegetation and trees in the area ablaze. The bizarre sight before me gave off an intensely dangerous vibe.


    "Feliciana!"


    "Feliciana, run!"


    Adrian and Nicola''s voices called from behind. I suddenly felt myself pulled into an embrace as someone swiftly retreated with me away from Michelle...


    A deafening boom.


    I only felt dizzy and disoriented. Still in the person''s embrace, we were blasted into the sky, not knowing how far we flew before heavily crashing back to the ground.


    "What happened?"


    Having been thrown about violently, I shook my head to try clearing it as I shakily propped myself up to look around. My ears were still ringing from the explosive sound and I couldn''t make out any noises clearly.


    "This is..."


    Seeing the sight before me, I gaped, momentarily at a loss for words.


    Not far ahead was a massive crater, probably blasted several hundred meters from where we were. A large swirling inferno still burned above it and fiery dragons continuously weaved in and out. The surrounding trees were also furiously burning, enveloped in white flames with embers flying about in the scorching heat waves blowing towards us.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The whole scene was like doomsday, such was the power of the Fire Goddess?


    I didn''t see Michelle in the crater so she must still be within those flames.


    It was too frightening. Her power erupted without warning and I was completely unprepared. If not for someone saving me, I couldn''t imagine what would have happened.


    I lowered my head to see it was Adrian who saved me! I panicked.


    While my clothes were quite burnt off, I only suffered some abrasions and was relatively unharmed. Adrian''s condition was very bad. Most of his back had been burnt bare, revealing bloody and charred flesh emitting a burnt smell.


    Such injuries would likely be fatal without hope of saving if on Earth. But it was different in this world with magic!


    "Eleanora, quickly save Adrian!"


    I hurriedly turned to look for her.


    "Have to wait...can''t get away now."


    A faint reply came. To my surprise, someone else was also sprawled on the ground not far behind - it was Alfred!


    He seemed to also be heavily injured, his back a bloody mess, but looked to be much better off. Hayden and Eleanora were crouched beside him, seemingly healing him.


    "When the explosion happened, the captain shielded me and Hayden as he pulled us back, protecting us in front of him, but he himself..."


    Eleanora spoke in muffled sobs, frantically increasing her magic output to try healing him quicker.


    "But it''s more urgent here, if not saved soon..."


    I anxiously said, checking Adrian''s breathing again, afraid he would stop any moment.


    In my panic, I didn''t care anymore and would have rushed over to drag Eleanora here if she still didn''t come.


    "Let me do it!"


    Selene''s voice then sounded from above. I looked up to see Nicola descending while carrying her.


    Their clothes were also tattered from the burns. Strangely though, while Selene didn''t seem too injured, she had wounds all over, but Nicola looked virtually unscathed like me.


    How bizarre was this explosion, seemingly selective in its victims? Surely I wasn''t to believe Selene shielded Nicola completely!


    Upon landing, Selene immediately went over to Adrian and used light magic to first stabilize his injuries, while Nicola took one look at him before coming to my side.


    "Sorry, I hesitated just now so didn''t manage to save you in time..."


    "Why are you apologizing?"


    I looked up at her, not understanding why she was apologizing.


    The situation happened so quickly then and I couldn''t even react. Nicola reacting swiftly enough to escape with Selene was already very good.


    If Selene had also been heavily injured here, I really wouldn''t have known what to do.


    "This is punishment for deceiving me with that light puppet."


    Michelle''s voice came from the crater, the flames there now completely dispersed to reveal her.


    "Fiery red wings..."


    I stared blankly at the twelve wings unfurled behind Michelle''s back, feeling completely unreal. Even Selene and Eleanora who were healing others were drawn to her.


    "What''s going on today, wings of all colors making a joint spectacular appearance?"


    Hayden staggering to his feet, looked up at Michelle in the sky and couldn''t help but retort.


    "You fire god..."


    Nicola gritted her teeth, and was about to fly into the air.


    "As if we fear you, acting so arrogant!"


    Seeing Nicola rushing straight up, I panicked and quickly pulled her back.


    "Whether she is a real goddess or not, Clearly you''re no match for her."


    "But..."


    Nicola knew the difference in their power too. She just couldn''t swallow this anger for now.


    It was my first time seeing Nicola so irritable. For some reason, facing this Fire God, she somehow couldn''t restrain her anger.


    "Calm down first!"


    I pulled Nicola behind me, then looked up at Michelle.


    "What do you want with us?"


    I somewhat saw what was happening. Her long absence leaving us time to observe and heal likely indicated she was going easy on purpose, perhaps giving us a punishment as she said.


    Since Michelle didn''t intend to kill us, she surely had a purpose. Escape was impossible now so might as well buy time to see if there was a chance, and for Nicola to calm herself.


    "Don''t worry, my goal is simple. I''m uninterested in most of you, capturing you would be useless too. And since you''ve escaped the Dark Continent, I naturally won''t force you to stay."


    Michelle leisurely flew towards us, seeming reasonable and even implying we could leave. But her tone suddenly shifted midway.


    "However - one among you must remain. I''m very interested in the one who could kill Claudia."


    "The one who killed Claudia?"


    I was shocked upon hearing this. I couldn''t help glancing back at Alfred. What did Michelle want with Claudia''s killer? Was it for revenge?


    It seemed Camille didn''t witness what happened then, so Michelle still didn''t know the crippler and killer weren''t the same person.


    "It''s him?"


    Following my gaze, Michelle spotted the collapsed Alfred and flew above him, peering down.


    "Impossible! He''s just an ordinary human. Claudia inherited my ability to manipulate energy. There''s no way he could have done it!"


    Er, but he did indeed kill Claudia...


    "She''s referring to you, Feliciana..."


    Nicola whispered in my ear.


    "No duh, of course I know that!"


    I whispered exasperatedly back.


    "You can''t expect me to give myself up!"


    "What are you two whispering about over there?"


    Michelle looked at us somewhat speechlessly, probably surprised we still dared to privately converse so openly.


    "Well...I think I know who you''re looking for..."


    Seeing this scapegoat Alfred couldn''t carry on anymore, I had no choice but to make another excuse to buy time.


    "But in exchange, can you tell me how you found us?"

 Vol 2/Chapter 55: Liana

    "How did you find us?"


    The other party was a bit surprised that I wanted to ask this.


    I was really curious. With so many trees in the woods covering our tracks, how could she have found us in such a short time? Her methods were amazing.


    And Michelle really seemed to want to know who killed Claudia. This gave me a chance. She would most likely agree to my insignificant condition.


    "It''s not that impressive. Telling you doesn''t matter."


    As expected, Michelle thought about it and answered.


    "The Galadra Eye can see through any object. You were able to sneak in and escape earlier just because my useless subordinates don''t know how to use it. Did you think that hiding in the woods would make it so I couldn''t find you all? To my eyes, these trees and vegetation are as insubstantial as the Dark Continent. There''s no difference."


    Isn''t the Galadra Eye a teleportation device? How does it have these extra functions? So the device in the tower was truly a part of the legendary celestial weapon?


    "What do you think? Are you ready to tell the truth now?"


    After she finished speaking, Michelle glanced at me and said.


    "This is..."


    My forehead started sweating. The storyline felt off. After all this time, there really hadn''t been any turn of events. No rescue came, and nothing happened to the other side either.


    I looked ahead, the only good thing was that Alfreed''s injuries had basically been healed by Eleanora. He was just still unconscious.


    But even if he woke up now, I didn''t think it would make much difference.


    Now Eleanora had gone to help Selene. With two people working together, Adrian''s injuries would naturally recover faster. This finally let me breathe a sigh of relief.


    "What''s wrong? Still don''t want to tell the truth?"


    Michelle gave a cold laugh and raised her right hand. A flame ignited in her palm. It seemed she was growing impatient.


    "It was me!"


    Nicola suddenly spoke up to answer for me.


    "You..."


    I looked at Nicola, not knowing what to say. Why was she taking the fall for me?


    "What are you doing? Do you want to go with her?"


    "Don''t listen to her, actually..."


    I was about to turn my head and explain to Michelle. But Nicola grabbed me and blocked me, saying,


    "You''ve got it wrong. I would never go with her!"


    As she spoke, she also raised her right hand and summoned her Condensation Sword.


    "I''ve decided to fight her! Anyway, we''ll have to fight eventually. You shouldn''t have stopped me earlier!"


    "An angel with only six wings is this hot-tempered? Even Elara was just a brat before me..."


    At first, Michelle looked at us wanting to resist with a disdainful expression. But seeing Nicola''s Condensation Sword appear, her expression instantly changed greatly.


    "That sword of yours..."


    "That''s right! This is the sword I used to heavily injure Claudia earlier. Now I''ll chop up you too, you annoying little brat!"


    Nicola didn''t want to waste words with her. She directly flew into the air with her sword, swung at the other side.


    "You...you''re Liana?! Why do you look like this?"


    Although Michelle looked doubtful and extremely shocked, she didn''t seem that panicked when the Condensation Sword chopped at her. She lightly lifted a hand, blocking Nicola''s attack from midair.


    "This feeling...there''s no doubt. You really are Liana!"  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "What Liana! My name is Nicola!"


    Nicola was a bit confused. She didn''t understand why Michelle kept calling her Liana. For a moment, she even wondered if the other side was afraid of her sword. Without hesitation, she continued swinging at the opponent.


    "You suddenly disappeared before! How did you suddenly show up here?"


    Seeing this, Michelle swiftly retreated several meters back. Nicola''s series of attacks didn''t harm her one bit. On the contrary, it made her discover even more inconsistencies.


    "Why do you only use these meaningless attacks? Where are your signature time manipulation skills? Don''t tell me you''re injured...no, you reincarnated too! You went to Galadra?"


    "What the hell?"


    Now it wasn''t just Nicola. Even I, spectating to the side, was totally confused about the situation. What exactly was Michelle saying?


    "You''re saying I can control time? What does that mean?"


    Hearing the other''s words, Nicola suddenly stopped, extremely puzzled as she asked.


    When Claudia touched the Condensation Sword earlier, she had also mentioned something about time. Although Nicola didn''t understand what exactly it had to do with time, hearing it from two different people made her feel this was unlikely to be a coincidence or mistake.


    Moreover, even if she was stupid, she could see that after all that, she had absolutely no effect at all. The other side was just temporarily evading and not actually afraid of her.


    "You don''t even remember this?"


    Michelle looked at Nicola with great surprise. She said in a complex tone,


    "Time manipulation is your talent! That Chronos Sword is proof of it. It''s a product you created from condensed wind elements. It can also be called the hands of time."


    "Chronos Sword?"


    So the Condensation Sword had another name from the other side. Hearing this, Nicola seemed to recall something. She looked at the weapon in her hand somewhat blankly.


    "No way..."


    I felt a bit anxious for Nicola. She couldn''t have believed what the other side said right? We clearly know our own origins. Even if reincarnation really existed in this world, it likely had nothing to do with us.


    In my view, her situation was more likely similar to mine - that there was actually another powerful being hidden in her body, and the Condensation Sword was just the ability of that being at work.


    Just as I was wildly speculating what exactly was going on, seeing Nicola''s reaction, Michelle calmed down and solemnly said to her:


    "I didn''t expect reincarnation to have such a huge impact. It looks like you''ve forgotten everything..."


    "No! That can only mean I know nothing at all!"


    But Nicola suddenly cut her off, glancing at me.


    "I can''t deny you know a lot about my Condensation Sword. But that doesn''t prove I must be this Liana you speak of. And from the current perspective, we''re still enemies. Who can say clearly this isn''t your scheme?"


    I nodded approvingly. As expected, Nicola didn''t disappoint me. We were finally on the same wavelength.


    But she was ultimately still too rash. We still weren''t a match for Michelle right now. There was no need to outright state our position.


    If there was a chance, we could have taken advantage of this to catch the opponent off guard, and then deliver a fatal blow.


    "It looks like I overestimated you. I thought you might remember something."


    Hearing Nicola''s words, Michelle gave a cold laugh.


    "What a twist of fate. To think you reincarnated as an angel but are still just as stupid as before!"


    Seeing her disappointed expression, I suddenly felt somewhat relieved.


    She probably couldn''t guess even if she racked her brains that Nicola and I had crossed over from Earth right? They were completely different worlds after all. If not for that point, I probably would have considered believing her words.


    "What, backing out already? Not continuing the act?


    Seeing the flame rising from the opponent''s palm, Nicola hurriedly put the Condensation Sword in front of her chest, but she still mocked,


    "Weren''t you saying I was your old acquaintance? Yet you still bear to attack me ruthlessly..."


    "It looks like you misunderstood one thing. We were never on good terms from the start..."


    As Michelle spoke, she suddenly flashed forward. In the next moment, without any warning, she abruptly appeared right in front of Nicola''s eyes. She slapped the fireball in her hand onto Nicola...


    "Nicola!"


    With a loud "bang", seeing the violent explosion happening midair, I couldn''t help but scream out.


    But that wasn''t the end. Seeing Nicola falling rapidly due to the blast, Michelle sent out several more gigantic fireballs, continuously bombarding Nicola''s landing spot.


    The loud rumbles of explosions were endless. The shaking forced all of us present, including me, to vigorously cover our ears. We couldn''t even take half a step forward.


    "...moreover, you''re too weak now. You''re not my match at all."


    Only after a good half a minute did Michelle finally stop her hand and finish her sentence. Seeing me fly toward where Nicola fell, she didn''t continue attacking either. She just stayed hovering in place without moving.


    "I...I''m fine!"


    With my support, Nicola arduously got up from the ground. It seemed she truly wasn''t severely injured.


    Although she fell from high altitude to the ground, with her clothes practically blown to bits, her body didn''t seem to have suffered much explosive impact. Most of her injuries were from the crash.


    "Lady Nicola..."


    At this time, Selene also came over. She hurriedly took out clothes for Nicola to change into.


    As for Adrian, only Eleanora was left by his side healing him now. But the progress should be mostly done. Seeing Adrian''s condition greatly improve finally let me breathe easy.


    "That''s the annoying thing about angels. Elemental attacks are too ineffective..."


    Hovering in midair, seeing Nicola''s state, Michelle frowned, seemingly not very surprised.


    "Since your attacks have no effect, why not just give up? Let''s call it off like this then?"


    Supporting Nicola, I took the initiative to admit defeat, wanting to make peace.


    Although I didn''t understand the reason from the other side''s few words, this was undoubtedly terrific news, giving me a thread of hope.


    "Call it off?"


    But the other side didn''t agree to stop there.


    "Have you forgotten what I said earlier? I have to take away the person who killed Claudia. But Liana doesn''t want to go. It looks like she still wants to resist. In that case, don''t blame me for getting ruthless. And none of you here can escape either!"


    "...Are you certain the one who killed Claudia is her?"


    Because many things happened in between, if she didn''t mention it again, I almost forgot her original goal.

 Vol 2/Chapter 56: Where Did You Learn This Kind of Tactic

    "Of course, it now looks like only Liana has this possibility," Michelle said very definitively. It seemed that because of the Condensation Sword, she had already taken Nicola as the inevitable culprit.


    "But in fact, the person you want to find maybe me..." I saw no other way, so I had to reveal myself. I''m not as stubborn as Nicola. If I voluntarily go with them, I can at least ensure that everyone''s lives are not threatened.


    "Feliciana!" Nicola was anxious when she heard this. She immediately reached out and grabbed me.


    "Hmph, do you think I can''t see through your abilities and be fooled by you?" Michelle didn''t look convinced at all. She glanced at me and snorted coldly.


    "But an angel with only six wings, not even as good as Camille. How could someone so weak have killed Claudia?" What she said made a lot of sense. I was speechless instantly and didn''t even know how to defend myself.


    Although from a certain point of view, I did defeat the succubus Camille, it was with the help of others. In terms of personal ability, I really am not as good as her.


    As for why I was able to kill Claudia, the reasons behind it are too complicated to explain clearly to them in a short time.


    Nicola was also stunned for a moment. She didn''t expect the other party to not believe this big truth at all. Her hand grabbing me slowly retracted.


    Seeing that neither of us spoke, Michelle thought we had admitted to lying. She sneered and raised her right hand.


    "Don''t think that just because angels are immune to most elemental attacks, I have no way to deal with you..."


    "Huh?" Immune to elemental attacks? Do angels have such an against-the-sky hidden attribute? How did I not know about this before?


    "It is said... it should be like this, but it probably cannot be completely immune." Seeing me staring dumbfounded at her asking for confirmation, Selene hesitated for a few seconds and nodded at me.


    "I have not witnessed it myself..."


    "But didn''t my wings get burned by that Face Fly''s lightning before? That kind of lightning should also be an elemental attack, right?"


    I have to say, my first experience of getting injured is still fresh in my memory. The pain from the wing injury was much stronger than that of the body injury.


    "This is... maybe because angel wings and bodies are different..." Selene also didn''t understand the reasons behind it, and could only helplessly guess.


    But now a strong enemy was right in front of us. There was simply no time to discuss this kind of problem. Just as I wanted to turn my head and look up at the sky, I saw a familiar scene unfold.


    "What is that?"


    A long, translucent red sword slowly rose from Michelle''s palm, carrying fiery flames. Its shape and style were exactly the same as Nicola''s Condensation Sword.


    "Could it be..." I looked at Nicola in shock and doubt. She didn''t expect the other party to know this technique too. She showed me a wry smile:


    "That''s right! It''s the same as when you lost consciousness before, only hers is red."


    "It looks like the relationship here is more complicated..." I watched as Michelle grasped the summoned weapon in her hand. All I could do was smile wryly too.


    "Although my Hephaestus Sword is made of fire elements, it still cannot escape the physical realm. Let''s see if you can withstand it this time..." As Michelle was about to slash at us, I hurriedly shouted to stop her, while desperately thinking of ways to get out of this almost inevitable deadly situation.


    But could solutions be thought up in just a few seconds? Facing this fire goddess, I have no combat power at all now.


    Moreover, she is not a creature of darkness without a trace of dark elemental aura. Even my best purification technique has no effect. At this moment I realized I have no way out.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Still trying to buy time?" Michelle waited a few seconds and saw I made no moves. She probably guessed my intention. Just as she was about to continue attacking, Nicola suddenly spoke:


    "Is it true that I can control time?"


    "What? Do you think I''m lying to you?" Hearing this, Michelle paused her offensive posture and stared gloomily at Nicola.


    "Although we have always disagreed, I also disdain to pretend and deceive on this kind of issue."


    "Then can I travel through time?" Hearing her say that, Nicola hurriedly asked her next question.


    I don''t know what her intention was. At this critical juncture, the question seemed strange. Could it somehow help us escape? I certainly didn''t see how.


    "Why are you asking this?" As expected, Michelle was also confused, not understanding what she meant.


    "Are you thinking of traveling through time to escape? Unfortunately, with your current strength you simply can''t achieve this at all. Not to mention everyone present, you alone won''t be able to do it!"


    "Then I will be able to do it once my strength grow?"


    It seemed Nicola''s concern was not on escaping or resolving the predicament, but only on anxiously confirming her guess with the other party.


    "I''m not sure about that... but so what?" Michelle didn''t have a clue what she was getting at.


    "Anyway, you can''t escape from my palm now. Today you have to come with me! Otherwise don''t blame me for being impolite!" After saying that, she raised her sword and rushed towards us without another word.


    "In that case, I''ll take a gamble!" Hearing the other party''s answer, Nicola''s next move completely exceeded everyone''s expectations. She unexpectedly smiled and put down the Condensation Sword in her hand, looking completely at ease.


    "What are you doing! Have you taken the wrong medicine?" This is purely giving up, alright? Seeing Michelle rush right in front of me instantaneously, well, it was completely hopeless now. I could only despairingly close my eyes, not wanting to watch her get taken away before my eyes.


    "Fe...Feliciana..." Selene''s stuttering voice suddenly rang in my ears.


    "Look quickly..."


    Look at what? At Nicola being forcibly dragged away by Michelle?


    Although I already knew this would happen, urged by Selene, I still couldn''t help but open my eyes and glance over.


    "This... am I seeing things?" When I saw the scene before me, I simply couldn''t believe my eyes. I kept wiping and rubbing but the result was still the same.


    "There are two Nicolas!? I''m not seeing wrongly right?" Now it was my turn to grab Selene''s shoulders and shake her violently.


    This is just too crazy! That''s right! This was not some eye-deceiving illusion or legendary clone technique. Standing in front of me and Selene were two real Nicolas.


    And why am I so certain? Because in addition to the previous Nicola who put down her weapon and took on a resigned posture, the other Nicola was dressed completely differently, including the twelve grayish-white wings unfurled behind her back.


    "I''ve come back as promised to save you... past me!" The twelve-winged Nicola smiled, holding the Condensation Sword in her hand, standing in front of the six-winged Nicola to block Michelle''s attack without even turning her head, and said:


    "This is cheating!" From just these words, I instantly understood what was going on.


    Too awesome! Why didn''t I think of it before? Isn''t this just the "Promise Machine" from Doraemon!


    Although there was no such machine here in actuality, through her firm belief and ability to travel through time in the future, Nicola perfectly reproduced its function by promising her future self to come back and rescue her present self.


    "Success!" The six-winged Nicola excitedly took a step forward and stood beside her future self, pointing at the twelve-winged Nicola and saying to Michelle in front:


    "Let me introduce, this is my future self. Just now I made a promise to myself - as long as I can get through this crisis, when I grow much stronger in the future, completely crushing you, I will travel back in time to save myself, and... teach you a good lesson!"


    Michelle originally had a confused look at the sudden appearance of the twelve-winged Nicola, not understanding what was happening.


    Hearing the six-winged Nicola''s explanation now, plus the murderous stare from the opponent, she finally understood.


    "You can even do this? You''re cheating!" Hearing this, she yelled loudly and instantly retreated dozens of meters back. She could no longer pretend to be calm, looking warily at us.


    It was clear this twelve-winged Nicola''s strength was extraordinary, putting great pressure on her.


    "Where did you learn this kind of tactic? Even Liana in the past has never been so shameless..." This meant the opponent had reached an invincible position. It was no longer as simple as dealing with two Nicolas. Michelle felt a little headache coming on and couldn''t help rubbing her head.


    "Sorry, this is my tactic. Don''t you feel unhappy? But I just like it. Come bite me if you dare!" The six-winged Nicola said arrogantly. She had wanted to let out this grievance for a long time. Finally seeing the other party eating humble pie, how could she not take the chance to kick them while they''re down to the fullest.


    But her smug and rampant attitude was a bit too much. Not only could I not stand watching, even the future Nicola turned her head, unable to face her past self.


    "Shut up! Do you think I have no way to deal with you like this?" Michelle waved the sword in her hand irritably.


    "The root cause still lies in your current self. I only need to kill you while you still have six wings. The one coming later will disappear along with you..." Saying so, she flashed and suddenly disappeared from the sky, instantly appearing behind the six-winged Nicola on the ground, mercilessly chopping down at her.


    "Nicola!" In the emergency, my shout was aimed at the twelve-wing version. Didn''t she come back to protect her past self? Why was she just standing there watching Michelle pounce on the six-winged Nicola without moving a muscle, seemingly not wanting to stop her at all, and even having a hint of a smile on her face?


    "Why don''t you save her..." However, the scene that happened next almost made my jaw drop again¡ª

 Vol 2/Chapter 57: The "Grand Scene" of Prepaid Future Help

    Another 12-winged Nicola suddenly appeared in front of Michelle, casually blocking her deadly strike with bare hands.


    "Hi there... Isn''t this the ''Goddess of Fire''? Long time no see..."


    The new 12-winged Nicola smiled and waved at Michelle, then flicked her forehead, sending her flying back dozens of meters.


    "You''re still so edgy. I think you need some discipline."


    Shaking her head with a sigh, she glanced at Michelle struggling to get up in the distance, then turned and waved at my companions.


    "Hello Selene! Haven''t seen you for years. You look so young now..."


    "Huh... are you talking to me?"


    Selene raised her hand dumbly and pointed at herself, mouth still wide open in shock. She was totally baffled by the bizarre events unfolding before her eyes.


    "Eleanora! Hayden! I miss you all!"


    The 12-winged Nicola ignored Selene''s confusion and greeted our two other conscious companions further away. Finally she turned to me with an apologetic smile.


    "Sorry, I''m just here to watch the show... I''ll be going soon."


    She nodded at the first 12-winged Nicola that appeared.


    "I''ll leave the rest to you."


    "I know you just wanted to show off..."


    The first 12-winged Nicola smiled wryly and nodded in agreement.


    "No problem!"


    The next instant, the so-called "watching show" Nicola disappeared from our sight.


    "What... what was that?"


    Everyone present, including the 6-winged Nicola, stared in shock, not knowing what to say.


    "Ahem..."


    The remaining 12-winged Nicola coughed deliberately to get our attention. She helplessly explained:


    "I don''t know when that other Nicola time traveled back either. Maybe long after me...


    "But I didn''t arrange for her to come back!" The six-winged Nicola couldn''t believe it and interrupted. "Michelle moved so fast, I didn''t even have time to react!"


    She was slightly panicked upon realizing she had lost control over this new world of time so quickly after unlocking it.


    "Calm down, calm down..."


    The twelve-winged Nicola smiled reassuringly at her past self, having fully anticipated her reaction and thoughts.


    "Everything happening now is predestined good fortune, since the Observer is not yet awake to observe or interfere..."


    "As for that other Nicola earlier, someday we''ll completely understand what transpired."


    "Who''s this ''Observer'' you mentioned?"


    I couldn''t help asking, noticing she seemed to be hiding something deliberately.


    "It''s... a secret!"


    The 12-winged Nicola smiled mysteriously.


    "For now, let me get rid of that troublemaker over there for you all..."


    She turned to face Michelle, who had struggled back to her feet.


    "Liana... You bastard!"


    Clutching her head, Michelle staggered out from the pile of rubble, glaring at us.


    Although the "watching show" Nicola had only flicked her forehead, the impact was massive, smashing another crater in the ground.


    "What did you do to me?! I''ll make you pay!"


    Clearly she had no idea what just happened in that split second.


    One moment she was swinging her sword at the 6-winged Nicola, the next she was sent flying.


    "Are you talking to me? Sorry, my name''s Nicola and I didn''t do anything. You''ve got the wrong person."


    The 12-winged Nicola shrugged and mocked her.


    "Who else could it be?! That 6-winged behind you?"


    Michelle raised her sword and pointed at 12-winged Nicola through gritted teeth.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "I know you! Meddling as always, even after all these years. I admit you''re stronger now, but so am I!"


    As she spoke, flames erupted around her body, instantly heating up the air.


    "Ahhh!"


    Selene suddenly screamed in pain, the skin on her body bubbling from the intense heat.


    "Nicola, do something!" I shouted urgently towards the 12-winged one.


    Although Michelle was dozens of meters away, the temperature had already become unbearable in seconds. Nicola and I were fine, but not ordinary humans like Selene. She would be burnt to death at this rate, and our other friends even further away too.


    "Don''t worry, help has arrived."


    The 12-winged Nicola smiled reassuringly at me. As she spoke, the searing air was replaced by a blast of cool wind. The temperature plunged in an instant.


    Then a fine, misty rain began to fall. But this was no ordinary rain. Wherever the drops touched Selene''s burns, her blisters immediately faded away, healing all her injuries.


    "Water element..."


    I instantly grasped the mystery as even Eleanora stopped healing and stood up curiously, catching raindrops in her outstretched palms.


    "Who''s that...?"


    I looked up at the sky. Sure enough, a figure was floating high above us. I could vaguely make out wisps of watery blue wings on their back, but they were too far to see clearly.


    Of course the others noticed too.


    "I brought her along."


    The 12-winged Nicola waved at the figure and explained to me.


    But Michelle stared up in disbelief:


    "Gisphrael... It''s Gisphrael! How... How is that possible?!"


    "What have you done to Gisphrael?!"


    She lashed out furiously at us, sending a barrage of flames and shockwaves from her sword. But the 12-winged Nicola''s Condensation Sword suddenly flew from her hand and hovered vertically before her like the hand of a clock. It spun counter-clockwise several steps...


    And Michelle''s fiery blast simply winked out of existence.


    "Time control..." Michelle muttered darkly.


    "Same useless tricks again!"


    Still, she kept swinging her Sword of Hephaestus madly at us, each blow instantly nullified the moment it was unleashed. But she refused to stop.


    "I know you can''t move while manipulating time! You must have shifted my attacks to some point in the near future, 10 minutes at most!"


    Clearly she was very familiar with the 12-winged Nicola''s abilities, bluntly pointing out exactly what was done and even how to counter it.


    "So you know, as long as I keep attacking nonstop, not giving you a chance to move, your tricks will fail soon enough! Nothing can withstand my Improved Hellfire Slash, not even angels!"


    "Of course I know, have you forgotten I''ve been through this already?"


    The 12-winged Nicola inspected her nails leisurely, fully expecting such a reaction.


    "Unfortunately you''ve overlooked two key points!"


    She held up two fingers and shook her head.


    "Firstly, I can shift attacks not just to the future, but also the past. Secondly, since I''m already here from the future, logically that means your defeat is inevitable. Can''t you figure that out?"


    "Do I look stupid to you? You claim to have sent attacks into the past, yet I''ve never seen any Hellfire Slashes appear here before. Even someone as powerful as you can''t shift attacks more than 10 minutes back. I don''t believe your nonsense one bit!"


    Michelle was completely unfazed, continuing her relentless assault.


    "Plus I''m not some time-meddling maniac like you. I know before absolute power, all schemes and tricks are useless!"


    A very familiar saying about power indeed. Hearing this in another world, something stirred within me. So this principle was prevalent here too?


    "But you''re not strong enough..."


    The 12-winged Nicola glanced pityingly at her and spread her hands.


    "True, your Hellfire Slash is formidable, and I really can''t rewind time too far. But who said I sent your attack into the past?"


    "Then you sent..." My eyes widened in realization, but before I could speak, Michelle screamed as a bloody sword tip suddenly pierced out from her chest, then was quickly withdrawn. Yet no one was visible behind her.


    "You''re not stupid per se, just reluctant to use your brain. After reading all those books back then, didn''t you learn that villains die from talking too much...? No improvement whatsoever in all these years..."


    Seeing Michelle collapse in agony, the 12-winged Nicola sighed and conjured up several more Condensation Swords that hung suspended, revolving slowly.


    "Allow me to show you the way out."


    Once the swords reached a certain angle, she gestured with her own sword at Michelle. Our foe vanished instantly without a trace.


    What an "exciting" battle...


    As the fight concluded abruptly, I honestly didn''t know what to make of it. I''d expected a thrilling clash, but instead everything happened so mundanely, somewhat disappointing.


    "You didn''t erase her from the timeline, did you?"


    6-winged Nicola still wasn''t sure what happened.


    "Of course not, just sent her to another time."


    The 12-winged Nicola looked falsely accused.


    "Michelle has a special status. Even banishing her took several swords. She can''t die. You''ll meet her again, and have to rely on yourselves then."


    "Rely on ourselves? Why can''t we just use the same method against her in future?"


    It seemed six-winged Nicola rather enjoyed this cheat of prearranging help from her future self. Faced with trouble again, she was already thinking of solving problems this way.


    "Very dangerous thinking..."


    The 12-winged Nicola patted her past self''s shoulder and cautioned:


    "Always getting your future self to solve problems for you? Aren''t you worried she might strangle you one day?"


    "This was a special case due to the absent Observer. Our destiny was fixed. Technically you weren''t gambling at all, since I would definitely appear now to save you, no matter the history. It was impossible for you to just be killed by Michelle with no help coming. Nobody could change this, even intentionally trying to change it might instead facilitate the whole event inadvertently."


    "Ah, that''s right..."


    The 12-winged Nicola pondered a while before finding the right term.


    "The Earth concept is ''world lines convergence''."


    "What does the Observer mean though? Who are they?" six-winged Nicola still looked thoroughly confused, though she grasped world lines convergence somewhat. She didn''t expect so many bizarre theories about this magical realm, almost like Stone Gate.


    "That''s still secret. You''ll know in time."


    The 12-winged Nicola glanced meaningfully at me. I''d asked the same thing earlier.


    "So we shouldn''t tap the future like this anymore because of some future Observer?"


    Since she evaded my key question about the Observer''s identity, I could only compromise and ask something else instead.


    "That''s right. Once the Observer appears, our destinies become uncertain. Different choices lead to alternate timelines. Any time travel then risks messing up or proliferating lines, causing complications."


    As she explained this, the 12-winged Nicola rubbed her temples, seeming vexed by the complexities of timelines. She could only offer a simple illustrative example:


    "Like, if you gamble like this again in future, there would be two possibilities: either you die instantly with no help coming, then the future you no longer exists on that timeline; or someone saves you like now. Of course, my current self came from the second possibility where you survived."


    "So just two possibilities with even odds, 50% each right?" To me, this immediately evoked quantum uncertainty, double-slit experiments, Schrodinger''s cat and all that...


    "In theory, yes... But in reality your survival chance is less than 1%!"


    She just wryly dismissed my viewpoint however.


    "The key takeaway is it''s extremely unlikely to work out. So never try this again, regardless of reasons!"

 Vol 2/Chapter 58: Exploring Space and Time

    Note, this chapter explains why there is only a 1% chance, along with some theories about expanding space and time. It is not very relevant to the plot, so feel free to skip it.


    The content of this chapter does not guarantee there are no plot holes, and has overlap with many other theories, so let me first make a disclaimer.


    If you don''t like brain-burning content, can''t understand it, think it''s written incorrectly, or even find it too simplistic, you can skip reading it and ignore it completely. It will not affect the plot going forward at all. Skipping this chapter will allow you to seamlessly connect with the next chapters.


    This kind of brain-racking content will not appear too much throughout the novel. The overall plot will not be brain-burning either, it will be easy to understand.


    Based on the outline, there should only be one such chapter. Whether there will be more in the future depends on the situation.


    ----------------------------------------


    "There are only two possibilities, right? Isn''t that a 50-50 chance?"


    Hearing her say this, I instantly thought of quantum uncertainty theory, the double-slit experiment, and Schrodinger''s cat...


    "That''s just a hypothesis. Theoretically there are two possibilities, each with 50% probability, but in reality your chance of survival may not even reach 1%."


    To my surprise, 12-winged Nicola gave a wry smile as she negated my viewpoint.


    "Consider this - if one cannot predict fate and the future is uncertain, suppose person A on June 1st makes an agreement to be saved by their future self B the next day. But when June 2nd arrives, and A becomes B, B no longer wants to go back and save A from yesterday - what would happen?"


    "Huh?"


    I was stumped by this question instantly, feeling a bit stunned as I tried to answer:


    "Would B suddenly disappear? Or as you said, would the worldlines start to converge, forced by coincidences of fate to be sent back to the previous day, trying different ways to save themselves as A?"


    "Neither!"


    To my surprise again, Nicola denied my answers.


    "Your response is basically no different from worldline convergence, which means fate would be predetermined and predictable, contradicting my earlier premise. So the correct answer is: nothing would happen to B."


    "But at that past point in time on June 1st, there was an A in the past who died due to B not coming to the rescue. This would then split out a new timeline of death. So there would be two timelines of death plus one timeline of survival - a total of three timelines."


    "The one who chose not to go back, B on June 2nd, would naturally stay in that one surviving timeline. But for the A on June 1st the day before, the chance of death increased to 2/3."


    "Then as time continues to flow, another A on June 1st faces the prospect of being rescued. If he gets lucky and ends up in that one timeline with only a 1/3 chance of survival, the same problem arises on June 2nd - should he go back to rescue A on June 1st or not? If he rescues, then he would be following history, no more needs to be said. If not, the previously described situation repeats, resulting in another added timeline of death, now a total of 4 timelines - 3 of death, 1 of survival. The chance of survival drops to 1/4... And so on in this vicious cycle, with A''s chance of survival gradually diminishing - from 1/2 to 1/3 to 1/4 to 1/5...getting smaller and smaller until almost infinitesimally small..."  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Then...then what would happen?"


    I was thoroughly confused now, and could only directly ask for the answer.


    "The chance of survival could likely be compressed to one in a billion or even infinitesimally small, depending on the specific number of timelines - but looking at it macroscopically, it means that if observed, A''s act of waiting for their future self B to come to the rescue would almost certainly lead to death. B would almost never come back! This is a typical example of the future determining the past!"


    12-winged Nicola mercilessly pointed out this cruel fact, and solemnly said to 6-winged Nicola:


    "The key point you need to remember is never try to do something like this again in the future."


    "But isn''t that unrealistic based on what you said? As long as future B firmly follows A''s agreement to choose to come back and rescue, wouldn''t that prevent the splitting of worldlines and maintain a 1/2 chance? So that kind of future determining the past situation wouldn''t exist."


    6-winged Nicola said unwillingly. She really didn''t want to give up this cheat ability.


    "Since fate is not predetermined, the future cannot be predicted. You cannot be 100% sure that your future self will definitely come back to rescue, no matter how determined you think your will is. Unexpected things could still happen."


    12-winged Nicola directly pointed out the crux of the issue.


    "Let me give another example. Suppose A successfully waits until a B from tomorrow comes to rescue him. B tells A he came from noon of June 2nd because he had nothing to do then, so took the time to travel back to rescue A."


    "But because fate is not predetermined, there''s no guarantee that A himself will have nothing to do at noon of the second day. Maybe he gets held up by something else, or even dies that morning before noon for some other reason, failing to become B. From the perspective of A the day before, how is that any different from B subjectively choosing not to come back and rescue?"


    "So it''s not something that can be solved just by A having determination. No matter how determined, it is absolutely impossible to be 100% certain one''s future self can fulfill the commitment to go back to the past for rescue at the appointed time. Statistically speaking, as long as there is a one in a billion chance of failure in the future, A''s chance of survival trends to 0."


    "But how could fate change? Since B from the second day could come back, doesn''t that mean A must have survived until noon of the second day to become B?"


    6-winged Nicola still didn''t quite get it.


    "Because even the slightest difference in memories can lead to the B that comes back making different choices, influencing the space-time of the past..."


    12-winged Nicolasaid helplessly.


    "To put it simply: A sees B come back. Could A completely mimic B''s every action and word just one hour later? If A can''t even do that after a single hour, how can you be sure of doing that in the distant future when you''re truly supposed to come back to the past and rescue yourself according to the agreement?"


    "Are you referring to the butterfly effect?"


    I suddenly understood.


    "That''s right! Even the slightest difference, be it the angle of lifting one''s arm being less by a degree or two, can lead to infinitely amplified impacts through the butterfly effect."


    12-winged Nicolanodded and said.


    "Thus, since A sees B''s actions are different every time, A''s future will never be certain. Naturally one cannot be 100% sure of one''s future self being able to fulfill the commitment to come back."


    "But...you said that without an observer, fate would be predetermined."


    I suddenly noticed another logical loophole.


    "But you just said this was a special case without observers. I don''t feel the current Nicola would be able to completely mimic your every deed in the future... So how would fate be predetermined?"


    "If fate was predetermined, then it would basically be equivalent to worldline convergence. It would lead to the past Nicola subconsciously carrying out the exact same speech and actions as me in the future, without the slightest difference - she wouldn''t be able to control it."


    12-winged Nicolasmiled gently as she looked at me, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat serious.


    "You should know very clearly the terrifying implications there."


    I instantly felt somewhat lost and vaguely recalled in the depths of my memories a feeling of pain and helplessness.

 Vol 2/Chapter 59: Nicola Got Married?

    "So the key factor is the observer? But you didn''t tell us..."


    I concluded with frustration.


    "There''s no way. It involves too much..."


    Twelve-winged Nicola gave me an apologetic smile, then suddenly slapped her forehead.


    "I almost forgot! You guys hurry and move thirty meters to the side!"


    She then gestured for all of us, including Eleanora and Haiden who had just finished treatment and ran over out of curiosity, to retreat.


    "What''s going on?"


    Eleanora and Haiden had only arrived shortly after the battle ended, so they were confused not only about the earlier conversation regarding time, but also about what had happened during the fight itself.


    "You''ll see," I said mysteriously, then pulled Eleanora back as far as possible.


    When we had retreated to a safe spot and waited about another minute, twelve-winged Nicola took out her portable magic pocket watch, counted down the numbers and shouted:


    "3, 2, 1¡ª"


    "Boom! Boom! Boom!"


    Next, we saw terrifying arcs of flame sweeping across the spot where we had just stood, lasting about a minute. When it finally stopped, the ground was left with countless wide, long craters and even fissures.


    "What...what''s this?"


    Eleanora and Haiden''s faces turned pale. We could vaguely see numerous large holes punched through the cliffs kilometers away on the opposite mountainside, with bright light shining through from behind.


    In fact, not just them, the rest of us were also breaking out in cold sweat. If hit by that...


    "That was the attack Michelle unleashed on us just now!"


    Twelve-winged Nicola explained lightly, then walked over to where Michelle had been and waved at us.


    "I can''t quite remember what happens next... Who wants to complete this last step?"


    "Of course it''s me! I said I would personally fix her!"


    Six-winged Nicola eagerly strode forward with her Condensation Sword raised. Following the other Nicola''s guidance, she stabbed her sword towards another Condensation Sword erected before her. Strangely, her blade seemed to penetrate into thin air, as if blocked by something invisible, before suddenly disappearing from view. When it reappeared, it was already bloody and the entire blade had turned crimson, even giving off flames continuously.


    "Done! My rescue mission is now complete!"


    After nodding at her past self, twelve-winged Nicola tilted her head and asked:


    "Satisfied?"


    "Five stars! As expected of me!"


    Six-winged Nicola gave her a big thumbs up unreservedly.


    "But with what you said earlier, we probably won''t see each other again after this."


    "Not necessarily. Don''t you remember who blasted Michelle away just now?"


    Twelve-winged Nicola winked at her and reminded.


    "Ah...that me watching the show?"


    Six-winged Nicola immediately recalled the farcical scene that had occurred.


    "You''re leaving?"


    Seeing twelve-winged Nicola seeming to settle her affairs, I suddenly felt anxious.


    I still had so many questions for her, especially regarding my and Nicola''s transmigration, as well as that Liana and the blue-winged me. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Although I didn''t expect her to be able to answer me, I still wanted to try asking personally before I could feel at ease.


    "No, there''s still one last important thing..."


    She shook her head, then after answering, immediately flew up and went straight to the unconscious Adrian behind me. Kneeling down, she put a necklace around his neck.


    "This is a very important item. Tell him to always keep wearing it. It''s crucial for both you and him."


    Twelve-winged Nicola gazed at Adrian lying before her, gently tidying his hair, then stood up and said to her past self.


    "What necklace is it?"


    It looked like a miniaturized Condensation Sword strung on a chain.


    But this wasn''t what I cared most about. I felt something was off about the way future Nicola had looked at Adrian just now, as if it contained many unclear implications.


    She seemed to have changed a lot. Was I overthinking it?


    "It''s just a small Condensation Sword I made that can play a protective role at critical moments."


    Twelve-winged Nicola had just finished explaining when she was dragged to the side by her past self to whisper:


    "What are you doing! You should know, this Adrian..."


    Six-winged Nicola looked unhappy as she questioned her future self, then suddenly noticing me paying attention to them, immediately lowered her volume a lot more.


    "In the future...Feliciana..."


    The following sounds were too soft. I could only vaguely make out little fragments, and it seemed to mention what I looked like too.


    What dissatisfaction does Nicola have towards Adrian? This left me a little confused. Weren''t the two on quite good terms before? Could she have something she can''t tell me?


    We''re basically like brothers who share the same pants, so why the reservations!


    Just as I was feeling unhappy, I suddenly heard twelve-winged Nicola''s face flush red as she shouted at the other:


    "Who said I only gave one to Adrian? I prepared one for Alfreed too!"


    Then she immediately took out another identical necklace and dangled it before six-winged Nicola''s eyes, before turning around and putting it on the similarly unconscious Alfreed''s neck.


    "What do you say now?"


    "Are they really the same? Not something she just made on the spot?"


    I quietly asked six-winged Nicola out of concern. I felt this future version of her was acting somewhat inexplicable. But since I wasn''t proficient at sensing wind elements, I could only consult the expert.


    "They should indeed have been prepared beforehand, taken out from the storage ring."


    Unable to find any flaws, six-winged Nicola could only nod at me. Then her eyes lit up as she whispered:


    "My future self actually has a storage ring already, must be very wealthy! We can''t miss this chance and must make her bleed resources for the revolution!"


    "Damn, you''re ruthless even against yourself!"


    I was a little awed that she had come up with this idea.


    "But your opponent is your future self. She must be well aware of your current petty thoughts already..."


    "Who cares! Today she must bleed heavily! No doubt she understands my determination very well."


    After saying that, six-winged Nicola walked right up to twelve-winged Nicola and extended her hand without hiding anything, bluntly saying:


    "Hand it over! No need to waste words right?"


    "Now I finally understand what a bandit my past self was."


    Seeing this, twelve-winged Nicola was stunned for a moment, then laughed bitterly. Just as she wanted to take off her storage ring from her ring finger, she suddenly halted as if recalling something. Then she directly took out another ring and said:


    "Take this one then. The space is the same size, very useful!"


    "You''re so rich to afford two!"


    Six-winged Nicola took the ring and examined it lovingly, looking like she couldn''t bear to part with it.


    "Um...I actually didn''t buy either, they were gifts from others..."


    Twelve-winged Nicola smiled awkwardly, then quickly waved at everyone.


    "Alright, everything''s settled. Bye!"


    "Oh wait! What''s the relationship between Liana and Nicola? And me..."


    I was just recalling what happened when she took off her ring earlier, feeling something had been missed. But I didn''t expect her to want to flee so quickly. There were still many important questions I hadn''t gotten around to asking!


    But twelve-winged Nicola only placed a finger over her lips and smiled meaningfully at me, before turning around to flee into the sky.


    "Huh, shouldn''t she just disappear?"


    We watched as she gained altitude until merging with another figure high overhead, only then vanishing completely from our sight.


    "It''s your fault for scaring her away. I didn''t even get to ask how to become so powerful soon."


    I complained to six-winged Nicola beside me, who was still happily examining her new ring.


    "What does it matter, that''ll come eventually. At least I got a free ring that I''ll have to return in the future."


    She replied nonchalantly while stuffing the ring into my hand.


    "How do you open the space inside? I can''t get it to work."


    "I don''t know either..."


    I looked at the coveted luxury good I had finally obtained after much anticipation, only to find I didn''t know how to use it. I was dumbfounded.


    "You rub it like this three times, or directly channel magic power into it..."


    Seeing this, Selene quickly took the ring from me and demonstrated. Indeed, after doing as she instructed, I saw a spatial area of several cubic meters appear before me.


    "Fascinating!"


    I watched the entrance to the spatial area excitedly as it floated over the ring, not only automatically resizing based on objects placed inside, but also allowing the exit on the other end to open at any desired spot within the space.


    Since it was future Nicola''s storage ring, perhaps I could find some nice stuff inside?


    Full of anticipation, I did a quick scan of the items within. There wasn''t much, mostly books - could they be about magic?


    I quickly took one out to take a look.


    Parenting Encyclopedia...what the heck?


    I hurriedly grabbed another one at random...


    Complete Guide to Infant and Childcare


    I''ll be damned! Only now did I notice this ring was filled with items related to babies and young children. Aside from these books, the rest were some children''s toys.


    Why was future Nicola collecting these things? I suddenly recalled when she took off the ring just now - it was on her ring finger!


    Could she be married? This guess delivered a shock to my psyche on par with a bolt from the blue.


    Didn''t Nicola dislike her female identity? Why would she get married?

 Vol 2/Chapter 60: Jealousy

    On the last night in the capital, I still vividly remember how she lost composure and got drunk. I really can''t imagine someone like that would eventually get married.


    Wait! Calm down...Am I misunderstanding something?


    Getting married doesn''t necessarily mean it''s with a man. What if she married another woman? Although it''s still unclear whether this world would tolerate same-sex marriages, going against norms a little may not be completely impossible.


    And wearing a ring on the ring finger doesn''t mean she''s married either. What if Nicola just doesn''t know how to wear rings properly, or doesn''t care about their meaning at all?


    But how do I explain those books then...


    Just as my mind was swirling in the wind with endless wild guesses, Nicola saw my expression and couldn''t help asking me.


    "So, what''s inside?"


    "Noth...nothing! Cannot see!"


    I quickly stuffed the parenting guidebook into the ring and pretended I didn''t discover anything.


    "Your reaction..."


    Nicola frowned, seemingly puzzled by my strange look at her.


    "Oh I see!"


    She then appeared to have a realization, gave an awkward smile and scratched her head.


    "Looks like my future self is really capable, even bringing me this kind of bonus. Don''t know where she got it from, indeed not very suitable to take out here..."


    Glancing around at Selene and Eleanora with us, she moved closer to my ear and whispered.


    "Remember to pass me those erotic books after we get back."


    "Haha...okay..."


    I forced out a smile watching her misunderstand. My mouth corner was almost numb from twitching.


    Don''t know what her reaction would be if she knew the truth. She might run off somewhere again to get dead drunk.


    Moreover, the future Nicola said our future became uncertain with the observer. That doesn''t mean the current Nicola would definitely get married and have children. So letting her know now may not be a good thing.


    But there is no observer this time. So the current Nicola is destined to return to this point in the future. Then everything that just happened, including the ring''s position and contents, should also be set...


    Thinking of this is somehow headache-inducing...


    To avoid complications, I decided not to tell Nicola that I discovered her future married and possibly bearing children.


    As for the ring''s contents, I''d better find a chance to toss them...


    So who exactly is that observer, when will he appear? Is it the "him" mentioned earlier?


    "They woke up!"


    Just as I was still wracking my brains over Nicola''s future, Eleanora suddenly alerted everyone.


    "Huh?"


    I turned to look. Adrian and Alfreed were crawling up from the ground, checking their bodies in confusion.


    "Adrian!"


    Seeing that, I rushed over to his side and asked anxiously,


    "Are you okay? Feel uncomfortable anywhere?"


    Because of dealing with Michelle earlier, I didn''t have any time or energy to care about him. Also not sure if Eleanora treated him properly.  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "No issues! I remember getting severely burnt...Looks like this is thanks to Eleanora."


    Adrian looked up at me with a slight smile, reassuring me.


    "Actually it''s not all because of me..."


    Eleanora then shyly stepped out to clarify.


    "If Selene didn''t help stabilize your injuries initially, you probably wouldn''t have made it until I arrived. And that strange rain just now also played a huge role..."


    "Rain?"


    I immediately recalled when all of Selene''s burns got cured, and that figure who seemed to have blue wings.


    "The angel staying in the sky look quite similar to the unconscious Feliciana, as if having wings of the same color."


    Eleanora stated her thoughts very directly.


    "You''re that certain it was an angel..."


    I opened my mouth, temporarily at a loss for words. Although I guessed that was possible too, I didn''t want to admit it was myself based just on some wings.


    Because I still can''t confirm what that blue-winged version of me was about, or whether it was even me. If that was my future self flying overhead earlier, why didn''t she come down? And if not, does it mean I''ll be replaced in the future? Who was that in the sky then?


    I don''t know why, but I strongly resist thinking about such possibilities. It feels deeply powerless and terrifying.


    "If judging solely by the wing colors, it''s indeed not typical for angels..."


    Eleanora tilted her head in thought and said.


    "But she was really amazing. I''ve never heard of such rain magic with healing effects before. I believe even if not an angel, she definitely wouldn''t be a demon like that black-winged Claudette."


    Looks like she has automatically classified Claudette as a demon now.


    "What are you talking about? I don''t get it at all?"


    Adrian was totally confused looking between me and Eleanora. Alfreed then came over to ask as well.


    "Did something happen while we were unconscious?"


    "Yeah, where did that Goddess of Flames go? Don''t tell me you defeated her? No way..."


    Adrian also noticed too many odd things around. He experienced Michelle''s strength himself before passing out. Adding to the drastic environmental changes with several huge craters now. He seriously doubted if we could accomplish this.


    "It''s a long story..."


    Amidst everyone''s questions, the two finally grasped what happened.


    "It''s just too crazy. If you didn''t say so yourselves, I would have thought someone was making up a novel."


    Alfreed remarked after listening.


    "I really envy you all for having such a wondrous experience. This is probably a once in a millennium, no...once in ten thousand years rare chance. And even got me a necklace..."


    Adrian stroked the necklace on his chest, solemnly thanking Nicola again.


    "Unfortunately I can''t thank your future self in person..."


    "No need! I also can''t figure out why she would give you a necklace. Probably something wrong in her brai..."


    Nicola didn''t seem to appreciate it at all, coldly responding. She almost scolded herself by mistake.


    "Umm...I''m grateful to you Adrian. You didn''t have to risk your life to save me..."


    Getting to this point, I became a little embarrassed and quickly expressed my gratitude and apology to him.


    "I''m sorry, I just found out angels seem to be immune to most elemental attacks. So that explosion probably wouldn''t have hurt me. But you got seriously injured for nothing and even missed this chance..."


    Adrian didn''t look surprised hearing that. He smiled and said,


    "I actually knew about angels being immune. Don''t blame yourself too much. At that time I was too rushed, forgot about that and didn''t consider much before...dragging you to run. Speaking of which, I should take some responsibility too."


    "No! You risked your life to save me. How can you say you''re responsible?"


    Hearing that frightened me. Why is he so stubborn? I quickly clarified,


    "It should all be my problem. I reacted too slowly. If I had been quicker, nothing would have happened..."


    "But I acted rashly without careful consideration. That was my negligence. When it comes down to it, I should take the consequences myself."


    Adrian also seemed unwilling to leave it at that. He insisted on taking responsibility for his own mistakes.


    "No! It should be me..."


    "Enough!"


    Nicola cut in impatiently, interrupting us. She looked at me gloomily and asked,


    "Do you know what you''re doing?"


    "Apologizing!"


    I was a bit puzzled by her response. Totally not getting what she was unhappy about. She seemed to have issues with Adrian earlier. And now displeased with me too for some reason.


    "Adrian was so badly injured saving me. He would have died if not for magic...He did so much for me that I should properly apologize right?"


    "But your attitude..."


    Nicola had an expression like she wanted to say more but held back.


    "What''s wrong with my attitude? Not sincere enough?"


    I also inexplicably flared up. What was she nitpicking about? It''s like she hates seeing me apologize to Adrian.


    "Stop arguing!"


    The others then noticed something off about us too. They quickly stepped in to resolve things.


    "You both have faults here, fifty strikes each, so no need to apologize anymore. And Adrian''s healed now, so no one bears responsibility either. A happy ending for all!"


    As the mediator, Eleanora declared her resolution perfectly. But somehow I still feel it sounds a bit weird.


    It''s a bit like the usual tone used in those old TV shows for resolving family disputes. Clearly Adrian and I aren''t in that kind of relationship. Fortunately everyone here knows one another, otherwise misunderstandings could happen.


    "So you should apologize too..."


    Eleanora nudged Nicola''s back, discreetly urging her.


    "Sorry."


    Nicola looked somewhat reluctant but had no reason to refuse now. She could only reluctantly say that to me.


    "Fine..."


    I sighed. Seeing she did back down after all, I ultimately felt it was better not to make things too stiff.


    Ah, with her young master''s temper, she may have to marry and have children in the future. I can''t help but admire the man who dares to marry her in the future.

 Vol 2/Chapter 61: Survivors

    "Now we can finally return to the capital in peace..."


    Just as everyone was casually changing the topic to going home, I suddenly felt something was wrong. It seemed like a large number of dark elemental auras had gathered around us unknowingly.


    "This is..."


    "Monsters!"


    Not only me, Selene and Nicola also felt it. Everyone took out their weapons and held them in front of them when they heard me.


    "There are them everywhere behind those extinguished forests in the distance..."


    Hayden could see them with his naked eyes. Holding up his shield, he reminded us with a grave expression.


    "We are surrounded!"


    "I wonder how those mountain fires triggered by Michelle were extinguished so quickly..."


    Nicola also saw them. She was fearless against one or two enemies alone. But when facing a crowd, especially nearly a hundred of them charging over like now, she didn''t dare to be complacent.


    "Don''t...don''t worry. Since your future self has come back, you must be alright!"


    What I said was right, but seeing such a battle array, I was still very afraid. After all, only Nicola''s safety returning was confirmed. Whether the others would survive or not was hard to say.


    "Aren''t these the late companions that Fire Goddess talked about?"


    Because he was unconscious, Alfreed''s memory remained at the moment when Michelle had just revealed her identity. So he still remembered very clearly what the other party had said before that.


    "I thought it referred to the reinforcements at that time..."


    Eleanora said with a crying face.


    "With so many monsters now, even if most of them are not very powerful, how could we defeat them..."


    Seeing those monsters had already rushed out of the forest and surrounded us.


    Just when everyone was preparing to fight to the death, Selene suddenly put down her weapon and looked up at the sky, shouting excitedly.


    "We are saved! Reinforcements are here!"


    "Reinforcements again? In the sky?"


    I looked up curiously following her, only to find a white figure passing by one after another from the low altitude in the distance...


    They were angels...real angels, with pure white wings, flying in groups and regiments.


    "They are angels..."


    Nicola looked up at the sky with complicated feelings, not knowing whether to feel happy or worried like me.


    "Attack! Kill all these monsters without leaving one!"


    An eight-winged angel stopped above us and waved her long sword forward, commanding other angels to start fighting.


    Hearing her order, those other angels immediately swarmed and charged toward the monsters around us.


    Most of them only had four or six wings, holding all kinds of weapons. Some of them rushed down to engage in melee combat, while others remained in the air throwing magic down. Although there were only dozens of them, the monsters had no flying combat power at all on their side, completely at a disadvantage.


    So the actual situation was a completely one-sided slaughter of monsters by angels. With one light spell thrown out by the angels above, large swaths of monsters below would fall. And most of the monsters simply couldn''t hit those in the sky while lacking intelligence and could only let themselves get beaten passively.


    As for those dozens of flying monsters barely taking off, they were intercepted by weapon-wielding angels and hacked apart.  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "How did you angel legions find this place? I am Alfreed, the deputy commander of the 5th legion of the royal army."


    Seeing there was no need for us to make a move at all, Alfreed walked up to the eight-winged angel who had descended in front of us and quickly introduced himself after seeing her.


    Only then did I realize he was not just a squad leader, but also a deputy commander.


    Asked this question, the eight-winged angel frowned with a look of seeing an idiot and said:


    "Can''t you see what it looks like around here? Burning such a large tract of forest and blasting so many craters, did you think our angel legions are blind?"


    "Uh... So may I ask who you are?"


    Only then did Alfreed react and realize it was an extremely stupid question.


    "I am Serena, commander of the 1st Angel Legion."


    The eight-winged angel reported her name and glanced at me and Nicola, saying:


    "I thought there would only be monsters here, didn''t expect so many humans, plus two angels."


    "Nicola..."


    I moved closer to her side worriedly and asked in a low voice:


    "It won''t be a problem, right?"


    "Don''t worry. This eight-winged angel probably can''t beat me. If she dares to use force, we''ll just run away quickly!"


    Nicola whispered back to me.


    "So, can you tell me what exactly happened here? I believe with the power of these low-level monsters, such large-scale destruction could not have been caused."


    After casually asking some routine questions of Alfreed, Serena suddenly turned her head toward us.


    "And...which one of you is Nicola?"


    Probably seeing we were chatting with heads together, she spoke up and asked:


    ¡°I heard that an unknown angel appeared in the royal army, and then suddenly disappeared earlier today. It should be one of you, right?¡±


    ¡°Unknown angel?¡±


    Hearing this, Selene and Adrian looked at Nicola puzzledly.


    In their minds, Nicola had always been the lost angel who was just temporarily staying in the human world because she couldn''t find her way back to Edenmere.


    But now it seemed that even the angel legions themselves didn''t know there was such a figure.


    "Uh...they don''t know me well..."


    Nicola smiled awkwardly and nodded at Serena, answering:


    "I am Nicola. What do you want from me?"


    Probably seeing how nervous we were with all our bodies tensed, everyone present was puzzled. Why were we acting as if facing enemies when angels were of the same race?


    "No need to be nervous. I roughly know about your situation."


    Serena also saw our attitude, but she unexpectedly showed great understanding and even spoke to reassure us.


    "It seems you guys are all survivors who escaped from Elara Woodlands, right?"


    "How did you know? So do you know what is going on with us?"


    Didn''t expect the other party to blurt out our experience so accurately. Nicola glanced back at me and it was as we had speculated earlier that the secret of us transforming into angels was very clear to them.


    "Of course. Neither you nor the angel behind looks like a member of our angel legions. We don''t have many angels. Whoever comes and goes from Edenmere is very clear. So you can only be those summoned by the angel descension formation."


    As expected, the other party answered our questions without hesitation. Her face was even full of joy, completely different from what we had imagined.


    "Unfortunately, the summoning was ambushed by monsters midway with the formation malfunctioning. I originally thought there were only two survivors left. Didn''t expect to find another two here unexpectedly..."


    "Wait a minute!"


    Nicola hurriedly stopped the other party from continuing.


    "You said angel descension formation?"


    She seemed a little familiar with the term.


    "Claudia!"


    I suddenly remembered that this was exactly what Claudia had mentioned before, the so-called formation that she said she was summoned by after improving it herself.


    "Yes, the angel descension formation is..."


    Serena was about to explain to us when she glanced hesitantly at the others and had to change her words:


    "As for the specifics, it''s inconvenient to talk about them here. Why don''t you just come back to Edenmere with me and ask Lady Elara yourselves?"


    This Elara could also be considered a "familiar face" after hearing her name no less than a few times.


    "But I just heard you say you originally thought there were only two survivors left. And then you discovered another two here unexpectedly..."


    The angel descension formation was not what concerned me the most. The key point was in her later words, which seemed to imply something incredible.


    "Feliciana, could it be that your meaning is..."


    Nicola didn''t care at first. After I emphasized the key points repeatedly, she also noticed the crucial implications.


    "Ah..."


    Seeing our reaction, Serena seemed to understand something. She immediately said with a smile:


    "That''s right! Although the summoning was attacked by monsters this time, not only did you two survive, but another two comrades were successfully rescued, and they are still in Edenmere now. So if you come back with me, you should be able to meet them."


    "Nicola!"


    I couldn''t believe it and pulled her clothes.


    "She said there are others still alive. Maybe..."


    If according to my and Nicola''s speculation, maybe there were other classmates still alive.


    "Do you know what their names are?"


    Nicola suddenly asked persistently.


    "Names?"


    Serena was stunned for a moment and said uncertainly after thinking about it briefly:


    "Their names are a bit strange. One of them claims to be Cyra..."


    "Cyra? What the hell is this?"


    The name was not unfamiliar. But it sounded bizarre when personally said by Serena in this situation.


    I didn''t remember any classmate with that name...


    And who was Cyra in this world? That was the holy angel recorded in the scriptures of the True Church, one of the founding angels and Yawee''s wife!


    "Madam angel, could it be that our holy angel has descended upon this world again?"


    As expected, Selene immediately asked Serena excitedly when she heard it.


    "You misunderstood."


    Serena shook her head and denied it to her.


    "We were surprised at first too. But after confirming it with her, it should just be a namesake and has nothing to do with your True Church''s holy angel."


    "What about the other? What''s the other called?"


    I asked persistently, unwilling to give up until the end.


    "It seems to be... Reed?"

 Vol 3/Chapter 1: Deciding to go to Edenmere

    "Could it be Reed?"


    A thought crossed my mind. Reed was the last person who spoke to me before I transmigrated. So I still have some impression of her.


    "You mean that emotionless girl?"


    Upon hearing this name, Nicola also seemed to recall who it was and asked me to confirm.


    "emotionless girl?"


    I didn''t expect her to give Reed such a nickname behind her back. In some ways, it was quite apt.


    "That''s right! It should be her! Our classmate!"


    I was almost certain now. The name Reed was unique and hard to mistake. As for that Cyra, I suspected she was a male classmate who had changed his name due to the gender change.


    Moreover, many people on Earth knew of the name Cyra. It was practically household. So suspicion was high.


    Unfortunately Quinn was not among them, which made me feel a little disappointed.


    "Classmate?"


    Hearing this term, Serena looked somewhat puzzled.


    "It''s nothing!"


    Nicola nodded at me, also seemingly overjoyed.


    But after all, going with them raises lots of concerns. She could only tell Serena for the time being.


    "Please allow us to consider it further, okay?"


    "No problem! We can set off once the fighting here ends."


    Serena readily agreed, apparently having great confidence in us. She then turned towards Alfreed and began asking about what had happened here.


    ...


    "Are you really leaving?"


    Upon hearing that I and Nicola might follow the Angel Legion back to Edenmere, Adrian and Selene walked over to inquire clearly, unwilling to part with us.


    "I don''t want to either, but there are many things that need to be figured out."


    I explained regretfully. Previously, due to lack of understanding about the angels, I had been avoiding them all the time. But now their attitude seemed much better than I had imagined. So going to Edenmere was especially important.


    And some classmates might be waiting for us there. That was an even bigger reason we had to go.


    "What about the house you rented in the royal city then?"


    Selene naturally also knew about our life in the royal city. At this moment, she was grasping for straws, trying to get us to stay.


    "Those are all minor matters..."


    Before I could finish speaking, Adrian suddenly said.


    "I know recovering your memories is crucial. If possible, let me help look after your house for you?"


    "We can''t possibly impose like that!"


    Upon hearing that, I quickly dissuaded him, "We don''t know when we''ll be back this time. It would be a complete waste of your money. It''s better to terminate the lease first..."


    Just as I was haggling over these trivial matters, I suddenly heard what seemed like an argument arising from Serena and Alfreed''s side.


    "Impossible! I''ve heard the title Flame God on the battlefield from those monsters before, but have never seen the person. And now you''re saying it''s a twelve-winged angel with red wings..."


    From Serena''s words, it was apparent that even the Angel Legion was unclear about Michelle''s background.


    "But she did claim herself as such! It''s said that she even went to the frontlines to oversee the battle. How could you all not have seen her!"


    Alfreed rebutted, also looking incredulous.


    "Sorry for interrupting, Captain, come over for a second!"


    I suddenly recalled an important matter. I quickly cut in and pulled Alfreed aside.


    "What''s the matter?"This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Alfreed was puzzled why Serena didn''t even know Michelle. Seeing me pull him for a private conversation again, his face betrayed even more bewilderment.


    I secretly glanced at Serena and saw that she was busily commanding the other angels battling the monsters, with no time for this side. Thus, I pleaded softly,


    "Please don''t tell them about the future Nicola time travelling back to defeat Michelle!"


    "Why not?"


    He didn''t quite understand at first, but soon realized it himself.


    "I see... I''ve never heard of angels being able to control time either. Such matters are indeed a bit too inconceivable."


    "But what''s going on with you two? It''s one thing to have strange abilities, but Serena and the others are still your kin. Is it really necessary to hide it?" He furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled about why Nicola and I were so wary of other angels.


    "This is quite a complicated matter, hard to explain..." I scratched my head, struggling to answer. "It boils down to a trust issue."


    Not knowing much about the angels'' stance, it''s wise to keep our abilities under wraps until we''re sure of their intentions. Plus, manipulating time is a sensitive ability that attracts attention, and if today''s events spread widely, it won''t be good for Nicola.


    "Is it because of that Angel Descend Formation?"


    To my surprise, Alfreed suddenly voiced out his own guesses.


    "That formation sounds like it summoned you angels directly from Edenmere right? Earlier, Serena said that you were ambushed inside the Angel Descend Formation, and you even lost your memory because of it. So could it be you''re worried the Angel Legion has traitors leaking intel? Or they aren''t as harmonious on the inside as on the surface, with internal power struggles instead?"


    I was stunned. That work too? I didn''t expect him to speculate so much. But I instantly realized this was a perfect excuse. No need to refuse!


    "You''re right. To think even an outsider like you can see it..."


    I sighed and hurriedly went along with his words.


    "Unfortunately, I''ve lost my memories. Now Nicola is the only one I can rely on. If too many people, even moles, know of Nicola''s and my abilities, it''ll be terrible if they want to harm us."


    "I understand. I will urge Eleanora and Hayden to keep it confidential."


    As expected, Alfreed believed my half-truths and gave me his word.


    "Thank you so much!"


    I revealed an expression of gratitude. After explaining things to him, I turned my head towards Serena and asked.


    "If we go to Edenmere with you, can you guarantee safety? Also, will we be able to come back here? When can we come back?"


    "Don''t worry. Safety definitely won''t be an issue."


    Regarding my questions, Serena answered with some reluctance.


    "But whether you can return very quickly will have to depend on after meeting Lady Elara. Generally, we angels cannot freely leave Edenmere. But there are exceptions. Moreover, your situation is quite special to begin with. Perhaps there may be special leniency..."


    "Then there''s no choice..."


    Nicola shook her head at me and said, it looked like to uncover the mysteries around us, that Elara was truly a key figure. We could only make a final decision.


    "We agree to return to Edenmere!"


    "Wait for a moment..."


    Hearing our reply, Serena was very happy. She looked around at the battle and saw that in the distance, a few low-ranking angels were jointly facing off against a minotaur but unable to bring it down for half a day. She directly charged at the monster with a swift leap and sliced off its head with one stroke of her sword.


    "So fast..."


    I couldn''t help but gasp. I just felt a gust of wind passing by and she disappeared from sight in that instant.


    Of course, what I was referring to here was her flying speed with her wings. I felt that flying in the sky was already fast enough. But contrasting after this, it was like the difference between an ordinary bird and an aeroplane.


    "Hmph! I can also slice the head of this minotaur in one strike."


    Nicola said somewhat unwilling to admit defeat.


    "That''s because you have the Condensation Sword hack!"


    I commented jealously and resentfully.


    "Think of your future self! That''s when you''ll be the true expert in combat."


    "Sooner or later I''ll reach that point anyway. Right now, I''m already exploring ways to control time."


    Nicola wasn''t worried at all. Since the future was destined to have her coming back to show off, then she would definitely be able to attain that level of strength, though the specific time it takes was still unknown.


    "Too overbearing!"


    I deeply disapproved of her sky-piercing arrogancy.


    I was originally still worried whether the existence of that so-called Liana would lead to troubles like my situation. But now, it looked like I was overly anxious. Her future self was perfectly fine! She was living extravagantly without any worries.


    "Let''s go help..."


    Although there was no need, Alfreed still couldn''t quite hold himself back. Gripping his weapon, he charged forward to join the battlefield. With him taking the lead, the others also began fighting respectively.


    ...


    Not many magical beasts remained in the area. They were soon completely slaughtered, basically without leaving a single survivor behind.


    As expected, the combat power of the Angel Legion was shockingly formidable. With a few dozen of them against over a hundred monsters, surprisingly not one of them fell. Only over ten angels were injured and battered about, but they quickly recovered after treatment from their companions.


    "Alright, now we can set off."


    After getting people to clear up the battlefield, Serena gestured to me and Nicola.


    "Is it very far?"


    Seeing that she was leaving most of the angels to follow Alfreed and the others, it seemed she intended to personally send us off.


    "Don''t worry, it''s very near."


    Serena said with a smile.


    "After sending you there, I still have to rush back to confer countermeasures with the kingdom''s armies. If that Flame God is true as you''ve described, then she''s undoubtedly a huge threat."


    Although she had previously denied seeing Michelle before, she had to acknowledge that despite the kingdom''s armies continuously winning on the main battlefronts, they somehow couldn''t advance half a step closer towards the incident epicenter at Tethys Town. According to information received from the frontlines, many soldiers had suffered inexplicable burn injuries. This suited Michelle''s Flame God style very much.


    "But hasn''t she already been sent to another timeline?"


    I didn''t know why Michelle wasn''t showing herself directly, but at the very least, she shouldn''t be able to influence the battle from the shadows anymore.


    "But hearing your descriptions, it''s unlikely that the mysterious figure sent her to the past. So she will definitely still appear in the future. Making preparations for that point in time is only a matter of sooner or later."


    As expected of the Legion leader of the first angel legion. Serena''s analysis was well reasoned.


    Luckily, thanks to my warning, Alfreed, Selene and the others had already aligned their stories. They only brought up that a mysterious figure who could control time suddenly appeared to save everyone, omitting the details about future Nicola''s return. Hence, she was still unaware of the full truth.

 Vol 3/Chapter 2: The Truth Behind the Breakup

    "I''ll come back to see you all as soon as I can."


    I reluctantly bid Adrian and Selene goodbye as I watched Serena and some of the other angels fly straight up into the sky. Then I turned to face Alfread''s group.


    "Thank you all. If you hadn''t taken Selene and me weaklings in, we might never have made it back," I said emotionally, realizing this could be the last time I''d see them.


    "Hey! I''m not a weakling!" Selene protested annoyedly.


    "The only true weakling here is you, still only 3rd rank! I can''t believe an angel''s rank is lower than mine."


    "How did you know about that?" I exclaimed in shock, horrified that my shameful 3rd rank status had been exposed to everyone.


    Had Adrian or Alfreed told her? But when I looked at them questioningly, they both shook their heads to indicate they had nothing to do with it.


    "We''ve known for a while already!" Eleanora couldn''t help but speak up.


    "We heard everything clearly from upstairs that night you were talking to the Captain."


    "Huh?" I was stunned again. I''d thought I hid it so well, but apparently my secret was blown from the start!


    "Then why didn''t you say something earlier..." I asked in confusion.


    "Because we never actually thought you were only 3rd rank!" Hayden replied matter-of-factly.


    "Eleanora and I were always wondering if the examiners from that Association made a mistake. No 3rd rank could have escaped from two level 5 monsters surrounding them."


    "Plus you later fought and defeated that level 5 succubus with us, and even saved everyone. Although that situation was a bit special..." Eleanora chimed in supportively.


    Hearing her perspective, I suddenly realized they had a point. Looking back, my battle record did seem quite impressive after all.


    "Feliciana, have more confidence in yourself! You''re not weak, and you''ll become stronger in the future!" Alfreed encouraged me. I felt touched as Adrian also smiled and nodded in agreement.


    "Humph, since Captain Alfreed says so, I guess I''ll reluctantly admit you''re slightly more capable than I imagined," Selene grudgingly conceded, turning her head to the side.


    She seemed almost tsundere about it. I couldn''t help smiling a little as I sincerely told everyone again, "Thank you..."


    "The others are waiting for us in the sky," Nicola whispered, reminding me.


    "Oh right!" I quickly followed behind her as we flew up into the sky. I waved down at the others as all the angels accompanied me upwards.


    "Goodbye!"


    ...


    "You look quite emotional, are you crying?" Nicola teased with a smile, flying alongside me.


    "No way!" I hurriedly dabbed at the corners of my eyes but didn''t find any tears.


    "You tricked me!"


    "Ha... Actually I''ve known about your self-esteem issues since high school," Nicola quickly changed the subject, turning to face the front.


    "Huh? How does even you know about it..." I was speechless again. I didn''t even understand these issues myself, so how did it seem like everyone was just watching my embarrassment daily?


    "Because you often came to school covered in bruises and wounds, especially in summer. It was obvious to the whole class you''d been beaten by your parents again. Lots of classmates even made fun of you for it, don''t you remember?"


    "Uh..." I couldn''t deny it when she put it that way. These embarrassing past incidents had left quite a deep impression on me after all.


    "So you mean it was caused by the domestic violence..." I sort of understood what she was getting at now. I''d heard that theory before, just never thought it applied to me.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "You should know better than me on that," Nicola said helplessly.


    "Anyway, I felt like you came to school ''injured'' a lot, at least once a month on average..."


    "It probably doesn''t matter much..." I knew she had a point, but hearing someone else bring up my experience with domestic abuse made me feel ashamed subconsciously. I didn''t want to admit it.


    "Actually, many people close to you could sense how sensitive you are," Nicola went on.


    "Sensitive? No way!" I immediately denied it when she put it that way. Now I genuinely felt she was spewing nonsense.


    "You don''t even notice it yourself?" Nicola gave me a meaningful look as she spoke.


    "Then let me ask you, do you still remember how you and Quinn broke up?"


    "Quinn? What does that have to do with anything?"


    I was blindsided by her sudden swerve to this topic, giving a helpless laugh.


    "I''m not too clear on the reason either. It was probably because after that street incident where I saved her, she felt I was unreliable..."


    It had been so long ago, I had nothing left to hide about it so I just came clean with my conjecture.


    "But why did I see you actively avoiding Quinn for weeks after, not even daring to speak to her?" Nicola gave a cold laugh, directly refuting my explanation.


    "That was because I was afraid she''d reprimand me..." I hurried to defend myself, but had to admit I did seem rather pathetic back then.


    "Reprimand you for what? For being unreliable? Did Quinn ever explicitly indicate that? Or was it your assumption?" Nicola stared at me strangely as she questioned doubtfully.


    "My assumption... wasn''t it quite obvious?"


    I was starting to break into a nervous sweat. Quinn hadn''t said anything like that.


    "If she wanted to dump you for that reason, why would she have waited for you so long!" Nicola sighed, seeming a bit helpless as she said it.


    "Do you know what was secretly circulating in the class? Everyone was whispering you''d abandoned Quinn with some petty thugs threatening you both, so you just ran off yourself. How do you think that made Quinn feel as the person involved and a girl?"


    "Huh? Why did it get distorted into something like that?"


    I found it a bit hard to believe. I remembered telling only some close friends at the time, but surely they wouldn''t have spread it around everywhere?


    "Ultimately, it was because you didn''t dare to step up and explain everything clearly, forcing Quinn to be the one to suggest breaking up," Nicola cut straight to the crux of the matter.


    "I see..."


    Looking at it from her perspective, I finally realized I had completely misunderstood back then. As Nicola said, Quinn hadn''t blamed me at all. It turned out everything happened purely because I was overly sensitive and overthought things.


    "But how did the rumours start spreading in class?"


    I recalled not that many people even knew about the incident back then.


    "How would I know? I never breathed a word of this to anyone! You''ll have to ask yourself and Quinn for that!" Nicola impatiently retorted.


    "I think I did tell some close friends at the time, but surely not to the extent of..."


    I''d assumed they wouldn''t take it and spread it everywhere.


    "That''s hard to say. Rumors are scary things. And Quinn was the class beauty¡ªtons of guys in class wanted to pursue her!"


    Nicola gave a cold laugh, reminding me of this angle.


    "Yet she just happened to like you. So many were eager to sabotage things."


    "So you mean my friends back then were unreliable?"


    To be honest, I didn''t feel much about it. After all, I barely kept in touch with most friends from that time anymore.


    "Of course. You can never truly know someone''s heart!" Nicola meaningfully lectured me.


    "So you''ve got to be careful who you befriend in the future. Like that Adrian..."


    "Speaking of which, you were the most popular with the girls in our class, right?"


    I suddenly realized a huge blind spot.


    "Can you guarantee you never had any ideas about Quinn yourself?"


    I was growing more and more suspicious of Reilly''s role back then. Asking which beauty in class he hadn''t gotten involved with, Quinn was definitely among the minority he hadn''t touched.


    And his conveniently showing up to help us defeat those petty thugs was also rather questionable. The street where it happened was so far from school¡ªwhat a coincidence he just happened to run into us there?


    "Wait a minute! I think you''ve misunderstood something..."


    Seeing me abruptly pull out the longsword I''d borrowed from Hayden, the smile vanished from Nicola''s face. She hurriedly raised both hands in front of her chest.


    "Calm down for a second. We''re going off topic! And we''re supposed to be brothers! How could I possibly do something like that?"


    "You still dare mention brothers to me! Just confess honestly! Were you trying to NTR me or not?"


    I angrily pointed my sword right at her. This wretch had even wanted to seduce me in the past! He was truly a devil¡ªwhat evil was he not capable of?


    "No way! That was ages ago, why are you still hung up over ancient history?" Nicola yelled out injustice. She quickly flew further away, afraid I''d impulsively stab her through in my agitation.


    "I can guarantee I never had any ideas about Quinn!"


    "With how much of a playboy you are!"


    I''d originally just wanted to scare her a little. But seeing how earnest she looked, I somehow couldn''t work up any anger anymore. I put my sword away.


    "Sigh..."


    And she was right too. It had been so long already, what use was there in dwelling on it further?


    "So you''re actually..."


    Nicola seemed to find it unbelievable I''d let her off so easily.


    "Don''t worry, I already figured it out long ago. We broke up so many years ago, what else can happen now?"


    I gave her an exasperated look.


    Part of the credit had to go to Adrian too. He''d helped me wake up earlier, making me realize how laughable it was to cling to those residual feelings I had for Quinn¡ªit helped open my mind.


    "Hey, that was your words!"


    Nicola didn''t seem entirely convinced at first, but upon seeing I genuinely didn''t intend any other actions against her, she finally shuffled closer bit by bit. Still, she didn''t forget to remind me along the way.


    "My life is extremely precious. I still have to go back to the past and save everyone in the future, so no accidental deaths allowed!"


    "Relax, you won''t die that easily!"


    Seeing her frightened look felt a little funny.

 Vol 3/Chapter 3: Edenmere

    Just then, I saw the angels flying ahead of us stop and turn around, as if waiting for us.


    "Sorry..." I started to apologize, thinking they were annoyed that Nicola and I were flying too slowly while messing around.


    But Serena shook her head and said, "We''re here."


    "What? That fast?" I was surprised. It felt like we hadn''t flown very far out of the Astralrealm Kingdom yet. How could we be there already?


    "Are you sure this is the place?" Nicola and I looked around. Besides us angels there was nothing but open sky. I was expecting Edenmere to be built among the clouds, but that didn''t seem to be the case.


    "Yes, you''ll see it in about 50 more meters," Serena smiled and explained. "Or you can try sensing the aura of light elements ahead."


    "Light element aura?" Following her suggestion, I did feel a faint dispersion of light elements leaking randomly out of the void ahead, infusing into the air.


    "Come on, follow us inside!" Serena flew forward and her whole body disappeared after advancing a short distance. The other angels followed suit.


    Nicola and I exchanged glances before reluctantly flying after them.


    "So this is Edenmere?" As we flew, the scenery abruptly changed and a vast land appeared spread out before us.


    "What''s going on?" Nicola and I looked back and saw a huge golden portal hovering in midair, slowly rotating. It seemed we had just flown out of that.


    "It''s a concealed teleportation portal that connects the human world to our angel world, allowing only us angels to pass through," Serena explained from up ahead as she led us towards a city nestled in the distant land. "And the exit isn''t fixed to the Astralrealm Kingdom, it can change locations freely."


    So convenient and customizable? No wonder Edenmere was always described as so mysterious in legends. Now I realized ordinary humans could never find this place.


    "So it''s like a completely separate world?" From Serena''s words, I gathered this was different than the Darklands, it was its own distinct world.


    "Yes. No matter how far you fly, you can''t reach the human continent of Eldoria. This world is small, about the size of the Astralrealm Kingdom."


    Serena''s voice came from up ahead as she led us towards a city nestled on the distant land below.


    "What if the teleportation portal gets damaged?" Nicola suddenly asked. "Wouldn''t we all get trapped in here with no way out?"


    "Don''t worry, contingencies were put in place long ago. If the portal is damaged, the entire Edenmere landmass would reappear in the oceans of the main world. It originally split off from there, they say."


    "What? An entire continent was split off?" Hearing this incredible feat from Serena, I was once again awestruck by the might of angels.


    As my attention was drawn to the expansive forests blanketing the land below, Nicola suddenly said to me, "Feliciana, don''t you think the sunlight here feels strange?"


    "Sunlight?" Reminded by her, I realized there was no distinct light source in the sky. The whole firmament seemed to glow, bathing the world in a soft, hazy brightness.  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Unlike the main world, there is no day-night cycle here so the light element is more abundant and constant," Serena explained, noticing our reaction. "That''s why we angels can always stay energized. You don''t even need to sleep if you don''t want to."


    "Amazing..." No wonder I felt more comfortable the moment we entered this world. I had to admire it - the environment was perfectly suited for angels.


    "We''ve arrived, that palace below is Lady Elara''s..." Serena led us down onto a high terrace overlooking an ornate palace nestled in the city center.


    This city was small, much smaller than Norvale, about the size of a second-tier kingdom city. But the buildings looked exceptionally grand, including many outlying residences.


    "There don''t seem to be many people around?" From the terrace I noticed the streets below were mostly empty, giving a hollow feel. Some structures even showed signs of disrepair.


    "Many angels perished in the endless wars over the millennia, so the population has dropped drastically..." Serena sadly lowered her head before instructing a six-winged angel beside her, "Casey, please take them below to rest first."


    "You''re leaving?" I asked in surprise as Serena spread her wings as if to take flight.


    "Lady Elara isn''t in the city currently. She should be visiting the light elf settlement on the border forest, so I must invite her to return." Serena and the other angels then took off flying out towards the city outskirts.


    "There are light elves here too?" Nicola asked the remaining angel.


    "Yes. A few decades ago, seeing how few of us angels were left, Lady Elara brought some light elves from the outside world to live in Edenmere since they like abundant light and forests. It helped increase the population of this land."


    The angel named Casey looked young, giving me the impression she wasn''t fully grown yet.


    "So those wingless angels I saw walking the streets could be light elves?" If so, there were far fewer true angels here than I imagined.


    "Maybe some...but most city-dwelling light elves still don''t number many. They prefer living in the outlying forests," Casey said uncertainly before leading us to a small chamber at the terrace edge. "Please step inside, don''t worry..."


    "Is this a lift?" I asked dubiously about the box-like little room.


    "Lift? This is an ascender for descending directly into the palace below."


    I supposed it was just called by a different name but functioned the same as a lift, which I knew existed in Norvale''s central citadel but never had a chance to ride before.


    As we waited to descend, Casey suddenly asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Have your hair colors always been like that? They look so strange..."


    "I guess so...does it look weird?" I glanced at my blue hair and Nicola''s white, which did stand out from most angels'' uniform gold.


    At first I also felt it odd but had gotten used to it.


    "Usually only humans display such variety. Could it be an effect of the angel descent formation...?" Casey couldn''t help sneaking more peeks at our hair while murmuring, "Also, how did you two manage to advance in rank so quickly?"


    "Advance in rank?" Nicola and I looked at each other in surprise. Why was she asking about this?


    "According to Lady Serena, you newly born angels were only birthed a month ago in the Elara Woodlands. Yet now you already have six wings..."


    "Newborn angels?" My mind stirred. I quickly followed up, "What''s the connection between the angel descent formation and newborn angels?"


    "The angel descent formation is what summons newborn angels!" Casey replied matter-of-factly, no longer bothering to conceal secrets here.


    "All Edenmere''s angels know the formation is our primary way to increase population. But we''re forbidden to mention it outside Edenmere."


    "Huh?" Nicola and I exchanged shocked glances. This was completely different than what we imagined. From the name we assumed it summoned existing angels from Edenmere out to the human world, not that it actually created new angels!


    "So you were also summoned by an angel descent formation?" Nicola looked Casey up and down incredulously.


    "Yes, same as you! Just earlier, around 200 years ago." Casey casually divulged her origins.


    "You''re 200 years old?" I felt a chill down my spine. The girl before me clearly looked underage yet was so ancient? I vaguely recalled being told angels had long lifespans but hadn''t grasped the full import of it until now. This felt so bizarre.


    "Around that! I''ve lost exact count...doesn''t matter," she dismissed as if her age was trivial after living so long.


    "But you only have six wings..." I still couldn''t quite believe it. If she truly was hundreds of years old, why did she have the same number of wings as us? What had she been doing all this time?


    "That''s why I''m so puzzled you two advanced so fast!" Casey said helplessly, gazing at Nicola and me with near covetous eyes.

 Vol 3/Chapter 4: Mistaken Identity

    "Um..."


    I felt a bit nervous under her stare and could only honestly explain.


    "I also don''t know how I levelled up. Every time I just wake up after sleep and somehow my wings have strangely increased."


    As for Nicola, there was no need to mention her. She was purely overpowered, her experiences were completely irrelevant.


    "Is it related to sleep? But Lady Serena told me that the more I fight, the greater the chances of levelling up..."


    Upon hearing this, Casey lowered her head to contemplate, seeming to have not figured out what she wanted.


    At this time the elevator door opened. After exiting, it was an extravagantly decorated lobby. Angels with different attires and number of wings could be seen passing by from time to time.


    Most of them only had four wings, some even only two. Occasionally there were also a few passersby without wings. Unable to see their ears clearly, it was unsure whether they were light elves or angels.


    "This is the Royal Hall. Give me your names and I¡¯ll help apply for rooms."


    After getting our names, Casey ran to the front desk in the middle of the lobby and talked with a few angels standing behind it.


    "There are quite a lot of people!"


    Looking at the bustling scene here which contrasted sharply with the bleak outdoors, I couldn''t help but exclaim.


    "Maybe because it''s in the city center..."


    Nicola looked around very leisurely. Since the angels were all female, what was seen here were almost all beauties. If there were males, it would mean it was a light elf.


    "That''s..."


    Suddenly her gaze tightened as she grabbed my arm. But then she shook her head again, seeming to realize she was wrong, and put her hand back.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Seeing her startled look, I asked strangely.


    "No...I think my eyes are blurred."


    Nicola rubbed her eyes and said.


    "I seemed to have seen Michelle just now."


    "Michelle? Your eyes can also blur?"


    Upon hearing this I couldn''t help but sneer.


    What kind of place is this? Edenmere, the angels'' lair. If Michelle could sneak into such a place silently, the angels would have been wiped out long ago.


    Moreover, future Nicola said she had sent her to another timeline.


    At this time Casey was seen walking smilingly towards us.


    "It''s been arranged. I¡¯ll bring you to the lounge now. You can meet Lady Elara directly when she returns."


    Saying so, she led us to walk behind the lobby.


    "Do you know where the other two angels who were with us are?"


    While walking I suddenly asked.


    Actually I had intended to look for them upon first entering the lobby, but seeing the coming and going angels here, I realized they might have completely changed appearance like me. So I could only ask Casey directly to see.


    "You mean the two newborn angels rescued back then?"


    Casey asked while leading the way ahead.


    "I heard they seemed to lack common knowledge and were exceptionally allowed by Lady Elara to temporarily stay in this palace to learn. But I don¡¯t know exactly where they live."


    "Then how can we find them?"


    Nicola asked disappointedly.


    "I¡¯ll help ask the person in charge of the palace later."  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Casey readily promised. By then we had arrived at a very spacious room. The interior layout was similar to ordinary hotels, but the various facilities were quite complete.


    "Feliciana right? Use this room."


    Casey said looking at me, then brought Nicola out the door.


    "Nicola yours is next door."


    "It looks pretty good here!"


    After they both left, I sized up the room''s layout. It felt quite exquisite. Although the furniture configuration was no different from hotels, the grade was much higher.


    "Simple, luxurious!"


    I lay on the bed, looking up at the softly bright sky outside the window. Unfortunately I didn''t feel a bit sleepy, otherwise I would have liked to have a good sleep on this soft bed.


    However, when I sat up again, I discovered a two-winged angel standing at the door.


    "Wow! A blue-haired angel, my first time seeing one!"


    That two-winged angel stared at me brightly, with an astonished expression.


    "Michelle?! How can you possibly be here?"


    But seeing her appearance made me jump up from the bed in fright.


    "Michelle? Who''s that?"


    The other party looked at me puzzled, seeming to have never heard this name before.


    "Wrong!"


    Hearing what she said, I also immediately realized I had the wrong person.


    "Your hair..."


    In fact, the difference between them was quite obvious. Most importantly was the different hair color. Michelle''s hair was pure red without any impurities. While this two-winged angel had uniform golden long hair like other angels, even having a slightly faded white color.


    Moreover, her pair of pure white wings behind her back were also very different from Michelle''s.


    But apart from that, they were almost completely identical, whether in looks or figure. It was as if they were carved out from the same mould.


    "Don''t you have a sister lost outside somewhere?"


    I blurted out subconsciously, but then thought angels seemed to be different from humans. They were all female, so what sister could there be. But how could they look so alike, was it just a coincidence?


    "Looks like you¡¯ve met someone who resembles me a lot?"


    Hearing what I said, this two-winged angel also immediately reacted.


    "Although I don''t know who this Michelle is, we¡¯re meeting for the first time."


    "Sorry..."


    I hurriedly apologized embarrassedly.


    "Mainly Michelle left too deep an impression on me. Seeing you just now made me somewhat excited."


    "It''s alright!"


    The other party waved her hand at me nonchalantly, not minding at all as she said.


    "This just proves we¡¯re fated!"


    Saying so, she sat down unabashedly next to me on the bed.


    "You are..."


    Seeing her so intimate, I was also stunned for a moment, not knowing what she intended to do.


    "Nothing much. Just discovered someone suddenly living in this room that¡¯s always empty. So I came in to take a look."


    The two-winged angel smiled and explained casually. Then she moved a little closer to me.


    "How come I''ve never seen you before? You should have just returned to Edenmere right?"


    "Yes, I just came back with Serena..."


    I looked at this person strangely. I always felt she was a little different from the other angels I had seen before. That feeling was extremely similar to Nicola''s before she knew my identity.


    "No wonder then!"


    The two-winged angel seemed to have realized it when she heard me, with an enlightened look. She reached out and stroked my hair.


    "Someone with hair as beautiful as yours, I definitely won''t forget it if I¡¯ve seen it before."


    "Uh..."


    With all kinds of prior experience, I had almost confirmed that this angel who resembled Michelle was most likely a lesbian.


    Seeing her finish stroking my hair and start to slowly move her hand downwards, there were two choices before me now: one was tit for tat, fighting back if she made a move on me; the other was to keep away from her and firmly reject.


    If it was the past, I would have chosen the former. But the familiar feeling she gave me just now made a thought flash through my mind. I hurriedly moved further away from her.


    "Who are you, what''s your name? We don''t seem familiar right?"


    This girl can''t be another high school classmate of mine, right? Having learnt my lesson, I slapped away the salty hand reaching out for me this time. I happened to see Nicola coming in from outside after changing into new clothes.


    "Just call me Cyra!"


    Her reply was indeed as I expected. And that catchphrase of having fate at the slightest things was unmistakable except for that person.


    "Don''t worry, don''t be afraid! We¡¯ve just met. More intimate interaction will make us familiar..."


    "Intimate interaction what?"


    Nicola stood behind Cyra with an ashen face and asked heavily.


    "Ahhh!"


    Hearing the sudden voice behind her, Cyra was badly startled. She jumped up from the bed and turned around nervously. But when she saw Nicola''s looks she became excited again.


    "Oh my god! White hair golden eyes, miss you¡¯re so pretty! Didn''t expect to meet such a beauty even in this kind of place. We do have fate!"


    "No doubt it''s him for sure!"


    I covered my forehead, barely able to watch this.


    Just hearing her called Cyra, it might not be certain yet. But with that catchphrase of having fate at the slightest things, who else could it be other than that person?


    "Who are you?"


    Seeing her look identical to Michelle¡¯s, Nicola was also dumbfounded. But having seen it once before, she was not too shocked at least.


    However, the large amount of "trendy" vocabulary blurted casually from the other party''s mouth was quite interesting.


    "It''s Cyrus!"


    I rolled my eyes and answered first in my native language.


    Felt like I hadn''t used it for a long time, was a little rusty already.


    "Ha! How do you know?"


    Nicola and Cyra exclaimed in surprise simultaneously looking at me.


    "She really is Cyrus?"


    Nicola stared at Cyra asking me.


    "Who are you then?"


    While Cyra stared at me warily.


    "One at a time..."


    Seeing both asking me at once, I felt a bit overwhelmed.


    "We crossed over together from the same high school class..."


    I tried to explain it clearly, so I pointed at Nicola saying.


    "For example, she is Reilly..."


    "What!"


    We only heard Cyra yell loudly, seemingly unable to believe it. She sized Nicola up and down several times again.


    "You''re saying she is that playboy in our class?"


    "Aren''t you a very good example? Why are you reacting so much?"


    I rubbed my head, feeling a little headache answering. Although I had expected she might be surprised, this was a bit too exaggerated.


    "But look at her chest, waist, legs..."


    She kept gesturing to me with her hands on Nicola''s body as she spoke.


    "Now you''re telling me she is Reilly. Isn''t that a waste!"


    "Hey! Don''t go around touching alright?"


    Nicola reminded her very annoyedly.

 Vol 3/Chapter 5: Cyras Faith

    "Um..."


    I was at a loss for words. Is this girl''s brain filled with lust? No, wait - she doesn''t even have that now!


    I used to think Nicola trying to hit on me was going too far. But after comparing, I realized she was very graceful! Given Cyra''s background as a rich playboy, her shamelessness exposed her true tastes.


    "Looks like what Reed said was right! She told me everyone in our class might have got transported here, but I didn''t believe it..."


    Cyra murmured as she sat down next to me.


    "So you guys got stranded in the outside world and didn''t get rescued in time?"


    "That''s right! We only found out today there were others still alive."


    Nicola nodded, and quickly followed up,


    "By the way, where is Reed now?"


    "She''s always soaking in the angel archives!"


    Cyra glanced at her.


    "You know...she was top smart in our class!"


    "I see, that does fit her studious personality. No wonder she was top."


    Thinking about Reed''s extreme love for learning, I understood completely.


    "So it is just the two of you who survived? No one else at all?"


    I asked unwillingly, hoping there might be more. Although our reunion was a bit silly, it did confirm my guess that our whole class got transported together.


    "No one else!"


    She shook her head.


    "Elara told us before it was only us two. Finding out about you guys today already surprised me."


    "Couldn''t other survivors be wandering the human world like us?"


    I asked Nicola.


    "Unlikely!"


    Nicola shook her head.


    "It''s been so long already. If there were, they would have exposed themselves by now."


    "I guess so. Being mysteriously transported to this world and turned into angels...who has time to care if anyone else survived! And we can only stay in Edenmere, not going to the outside world. In Edenmere nothing but forests everywhere..."


    Cyra grumbled nonstop, seeming very bottled up.


    "You guys have been here in Edenmere for about a month right? What have you been doing every day?"


    Seeing her state, I asked worriedly. She''s still so unsettled even after transforming. With Edenmere being almost all angels and light elves, it was like a wolf entering a flock of sheep. Who knows how many cute angel girls she victimized.


    "What else can I do? I''m bored to death every day!"


    Hearing me, Cyra immediately showed a helpless expression.


    "Other than the basic knowledge and combat magic classes we have to take every day, there''s nothing to do! And the angels here have no sense of romance at all. I touched them and they just stared blankly asking what I was doing. I can''t even push them down if I want, they''re all stronger than me. It kills my mood."


    "And the only girl who showed a reaction today, she turned out to be someone I know!"


    She looked at me curiously.


    "Oh right, who were you again? Please don''t tell me you were some guy classmate before too."


    "Well..."


    I smiled at her awkwardly.


    "Sorry to disappoint, I''m Flynn."


    "I knew it!"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The moment Cyra heard, she wailed loudly, knelt to the ground, drew a cross on her chest, put her hands together and started praying nonstop out the window.


    "This must be punishment! May God forgive me..."


    "Now you see why I said she is Cyrus..."


    I smiled bitterly at Nicola and whispered.


    "She really is him..."


    Seeing the situation, Nicola also sighed, no longer doubting at all.


    "And she looks exactly like Michelle too."


    "Who knows? Maybe the world is just magical like that."


    I was also completely confused by this whole issue. Too lazy to think more about it.


    "You became an angel but still begging God for forgiveness?"


    Seeing Cyra continuously praying there, I felt it was odd. As a devout follower shouldn''t she be happy to become an actual angel?


    "But the angels here don''t believe in the Lord!"


    Cyra cried and turned back to me.


    "When I mention the Lord''s name, they say they never believed ''that fraud''! And the Lord is a liar! It''s like I got forced into a cult!"


    "Who do they believe in then?"


    I suddenly remembered angels indeed don''t believe in God and have a precarious relationship with the True Church. My head started hurting again. This stuff was so complicated.


    "Not sure..."


    Even Cyra didn''t understand this question.


    "These angels are strange. It''s like they have their own gods, more than one, and they seem to be angels too. There are statues of two twelve-winged angels in the center of the Sanctum. They''re said to be the angels'' progenitors."


    "Progenitors?"


    I was dumbfounded too. Angels are all female so how can they have progenitors? And those twelve wings reminded me of Michelle and Nicola''s future self. Looks like twelve wings is the highest rank for angels.


    "That''s right!"


    Cyra said mysteriously to us in a low voice.


    "I asked around on purpose. In the angels'' legends, all angels were created in the image of the original progenitor angels."


    "Why does that legend sound so familiar..."


    Nicola couldn''t help but cut in.


    "It''s basically the same as Nuwa creating humans! Like from the same mould."


    "I thought the same thing when I heard it!"


    Cyra resonated strongly.


    "But angels only have one gender and can''t reproduce like humans. So the key point is still that angel descent formation!"


    "I heard that formation is used to give rise to newborn angels. And that might be why we got transported too. But there are still many confusing parts..."


    Speaking of the angel descent formation, I felt there were lots of doubts about it. Just as I wanted to inquire more, I saw Casey and another four-winged angel I hadn''t met walk into the room from outside.


    "Feliciana and Nicola, Elara just got back. You can go see her now."


    Casey said to us.


    "Isn''t this Cyra?"


    The unfamiliar four-winged angel suddenly spoke up when she saw Cyra.


    "What a coincidence. I heard you guys just happened to be born in the same batch. Why not go see Lady Elara together?"


    "No problem!"


    Cyra readily agreed then secretly said to me,


    "Weren''t you wondering about the angel descent formation? This is a good chance to directly ask and get it cleared up."


    "Good point!"


    I nodded. Wasn''t the whole reason for coming to Edenmere to figure these things out?


    "Then lead the way please."


    Nicola gestured to them. And so we left the room, following behind Casey and the others along the long corridor.


    "So you''re called Feliciana now, and Reilly is Nicola?"


    On the way, Cyra suddenly whispered to me.


    "How did you know?"


    I was startled. I didn''t remember ever telling her our current names so I was surprised and asked back.


    "Just a feeling! We were fated to meet!"


    Cyra blinked playfully at me.


    "Feliciana sounds similar to Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. Did you come up with that name yourself?"


    "No, someone else named me."


    I didn''t know why she cared about this.


    "But Nicola was named by herself."


    "Nicola..."


    She murmured for a bit then suddenly laughed.


    "Isn''t that the name of a female celebrity? Can''t believe Reilly stole someone else''s name!"


    "And how are you one to talk?"


    Seeing her shamelessness, I sarcastically retorted.


    "Do you know what Cyra represents?"


    "Of course I know! But I have valid reasons!"


    Upon hearing me, Cyra hurried to explain herself to me.


    "My original name was Cyrus. I believed in God. And now I got turned into an actual angel. So using this name fits perfectly!"


    "Not bad. Riding on the coattails of your former name!"


    I had to admit, after her explanation, it did seem rather suitable for her.


    "You''ve probably heard about it already. There''s also a religion called the True Church in the outside world. And their god is named Yawee."


    "That''s right! When I first heard I thought it was so magical. This must be the Lord manifesting miracles, spreading his gospel to this world too!"


    Hearing me, Cyra immediately started praising her god.


    "But do you know what position Cyra holds in the True Church?"


    Seeing her state, I couldn''t help but grin and ask.


    "Shouldn''t it be an angel?"


    Sure enough, she seemed to sense the impending crisis from my words.


    "But back then, when those angels heard my name, they even asked me if I was the holy angel from the Divine Council..."


    "No. An angel yes. And indeed a holy angel..."


    I tried my best to hold in my laugh and said seriously,


    "But Cyra has another special position in the True Church - she''s Yawee''s wife! One of the founding members of the True Church!"


    "Oh my god!"


    The moment Cyra heard me, her entire face collapsed. She flopped to the ground, kneeling again and started praying nonstop toward the window, begging for forgiveness.


    "Hahahaha!"


    I could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing while pounding Nicola''s back.


    "Feliciana, you''re quite strong now. Don''t hit so hard..."


    Nicola said in pain but still had a smile on her face.


    "What''s going on with Cyra?"


    Hearing the noise, Casey and the rest walking ahead turned back, confused about the situation.


    "Nothing much, just asking her God for forgiveness!"


    I removed my hand from Nicola''s back and explained.


    "Does Cyra still believe in other gods too?"


    Seeing Cyra praying towards the window, Casey curiously asked.


    "Her pose there...it''s almost like those True Church followers right?"


    "You didn''t even know about this?"


    The four-winged angel beside her couldn''t help butting in.


    "For this batch of newborn angels, the other one was fine but Cyra came preloaded with faith. She has fixed times every day for prayer and worship.


    Then looked towards me and Nicola suspiciously,


    "Seeing how you two were stranded outside for so long, hopefully you haven''t been poisoned by those True Church zealots right?"

 Vol 3/Chapter 6: Meeting with Elara

    "Haha...don''t worry! None of us have joined the True Church."


    I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and quickly clarified. I knew that the archbishop from the Preston Cathedral had nearly succeeded in tempting me to join.


    "That was lucky for you!"


    Casey wholeheartedly agreed at this time, with an extremely unhappy expression.


    "You probably haven''t encountered it yet. I saw the scenes of the followers pulling people into the church with Lady Serena. It''s simply fraud! All kinds of tricks like discounts and promotions in every city, and the last time a sister who was new to the outside world almost ran to fill out a church membership form because she liked a free gift. Fortunately I stopped her!"


    "Really? Is it that exaggerated?"


    Nicola had never been to St. Maria Avenue, so he had not yet witnessed the recruiting tactics of the church in this world. His impression of the True Church was still stuck in the Earth.


    "Your thinking is very dangerous!"


    Casey educated us with a heavy heart.


    "It''s people like you who are ignorant of the ways of the world that they deceive. You should know that we angels are like honeybread to the True Church. Those believers would be happy to grab us back as mascots."


    "We understand, we understand!"


    Listening to this, I was sweating profusely and quickly agreed.


    "But I think these recruiting methods are quite creative?"


    At this moment, Cyra had finished praying. Hearing Casey''s warning, she couldn''t help but give her opinion.


    "As long as there is no coercion or deception, then no matter what method is used, as long as the goal of voluntarily joining and increasing the number of believers is achieved, it should be fine. Moreover, widely spreading the gospel of God is something the Lord would like to see, I believe."


    "You...you''re hopeless!"


    Casey was so angry her face turned blue. She turned and walked down the hallway.


    "Cyra..."


    The remaining four-winged angels looked at Cyra somewhat puzzled and asked,


    "Are you sure you have no connection with the holy angels of the Church?"


    "I really don''t!"


    As expected, this scared Cyra again.


    "I beg you not to associate me with that holy angel again. I''m not her and not the Lord''s wife, let alone the founder of the Church. I...I want to change my name!"


    "You are hopeless. You don''t even have the determination to devote yourself to your God..."


    Nicola hit rock bottom by patting her on the shoulder and shaking his head as he walked away.


    "She probably feels that using this name profanes that holy angel Cyra."


    Seeing Cyra looking rather pitiful, I couldn''t help but speak up for her.


    "Actually, it would be much easier if you just separated the religions here. Think of them as two different True Churches."


    "But it''s not that easy..."


    Nicola said somewhat helplessly.


    "These two churches seem too similar to clearly distinguish between them. Besides, even if you forcibly distinguish between them, the True Church on Earth does not exist in this world. What about her as the only believer?"


    "That depends on her. But believers this devout to the God faith are rare in this day and age."


    I looked back at Cyra, who was drooping her head dejectedly at the back, and couldn''t help feeling emotional.


    "We''re here. You can meet Lady Elara inside."


    In front of a huge and luxurious double door, Casey and the others stopped and gestured to us.


    "I''ve been here before. The chapel is inside."


    Cyra whispered to us.


    "Where''s Reed? Why didn''t she come along?"Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Seeing only a few of us here, I asked somewhat disappointedly.


    "The library where Reed is located is very far from here, so there was no time to inform her. Also, this is just a routine meeting for you and Nicola as new angels. She doesn''t need to attend."


    "Do all new angels have to meet this Elara?"


    Hearing the word "routine", Nicola suddenly asked.


    "Yes, when we first arrived in Edenmere, we also came to meet her immediately just like you."


    Before Casey and the others could answer, Cyra already answered first.


    "Lady Elara is the queen of our angels. Every time after the descent of the angel formation, she will personally meet the newcomers."


    Casey also supplemented with a smile, and then helped us push open the door of the chapel.


    Inside the door was a spacious and magnificent hall. The first thing that caught my eye was a long white carpet extending to the end of the hall. Just as Cyra had said before, two statues of twelve-winged angels stood there, and on both sides of the carpet, many ornately decorated columns were evenly distributed, with more than ten in the front even carved into the shape of angels with varying numbers of wings, although all under twelve wings.


    At this moment, a ten-winged angel was standing in front of the two twelve-winged statues. She was the angel with the most wings I had ever seen among all the authentic angels.


    "Lady Elara, two stray new angels have been brought..."


    As soon as they saw her, Casey and the other four-winged angel knelt on one knee even before they entered the door, hands crossed over their chests, and reported loudly.


    "I..."


    Cyra looked at the angels kneeling on the ground, then back at Elara in the distance. Hesitating, she also followed suit and knelt halfway down.


    "Greetings, Lady Elara."


    "Let them come in. You can come along too, Cyra."


    Elara''s voice floated calmly over. Although she was several dozen meters away from us now, and we couldn''t even see clearly whether her mouth was moving, all of us outside the door could hear it loud and clearly.


    "Yes..."


    Casey and the others kneeling on the ground stood up and let us into the hall.


    "Aren''t you only a believer in God? How come you assimilated too?"


    Seeing Cyra following behind, I muttered to her softly.


    "When in Rome, do as Romans do. And kneeling halfway doesn''t count as full kneeling, at most it''s a form of etiquette!"


    Cyra''s pretty face flushed slightly as she justified herself unwillingly.


    I had to say she was quite good at finding excuses. I was at a momentary loss to find a suitable reason to refute her.


    "The aura of light elements here is so strong!"


    Walking on the white carpet, Nicola said to me while looking around,


    "You''re right. I can feel it too."


    I nodded to Nicola. Ever since we entered the chapel door, I discovered that the concentration of light elements here was much higher than outside.


    If the Dark Continent was overloaded with dark elements, Edenmere was undoubtedly overloaded with light elements, and this chapel was overloaded even more seriously. It could simply be described as excessive.


    "I wonder if such a strong aura of light elements has any impact on ordinary people?"


    I secretly wondered. Although I was currently an angel and had no problems, remembering that the overload of dark elements in Tethys Town had caused many people to fall ill, I vaguely felt that the light elements would surely bring more than just sanctity.


    "And this Elara is not simple... "


    Nicola turned back and whispered to me. Even someone as arrogant as she thought so. It showed even more how much pressure she exerted on us.


    The light elements in this chapel were already abundant enough, but compared to Elara, it was like a room with lights on mixing with an extremely high-powered floodlight. Coupled with her gorgeous and noble appearance and temperament, I could only describe the feeling she gave me as dazzling.


    However, that wasn''t all. When we finally came up to her, the aura of light elements around her suddenly increased drastically to a very exaggerated level.


    "I forgot about this part...I can''t stand it anymore..."


    Cyra behind me suddenly said laboriously. I looked back and couldn''t help but feel emotional. No wonder she had behaved so obediently earlier...


    Due to only having a pair of wings, Cyra simply didn''t have the strength to withstand such a powerful impact of light elements. The longer it went on, the more she had to bow her head. Towards the end, I could vaguely see her body start to tremble.


    It seemed this Elara wanted to establish her prestige at our first meeting! I suddenly saw her intention.


    As expected of a high-ranking ten-winged angel to be able to emit large amounts of light elements to create pressure. If it were me, the light elements on my body would have been instantly depleted and I definitely wouldn''t have survived.


    However, Nicola and I had six wings after all. This scene didn''t affect us that much, so we could barely endure.


    It was miserable for Cyra though. Poor girl, she was innocently implicated. She was now purely relying on her willpower to endure.


    "You must be Feliciana and Nicola..."


    Seeing that both of us didn''t react at all, Elara sighed lightly and withdrew her dense wings behind her back.


    "I didn''t expect that you two, having been stranded outside, would advance to six wings so quickly, and it hasn''t even been a month..."


    Cyra, who I had been supporting, was instantly relieved from the pressure and finally stood upright again.


    "Is this how you make everyone submit to you?"


    Nicola said somewhat dissatisfiedly to Elara.


    "Sorry!"


    Unexpectedly, the other party very readily lowered herself and explained to us,


    "I have no choice, there are over ten thousand angels in Edenmere that need managing after all. Admittedly this is a very direct and effective approach."


    "But Cyra can''t withstand it at all. Didn''t you consider her situation?"


    I understood why the top brass would think this way, but having crossed over, our sense of identity was not as strong as that of ordinary angels, so we didn''t buy it.


    "Every new angel goes through this process. Actually she made it through fine without you a month ago when she first came here, didn''t she?"


    But Elara didn''t seem to be moved by my words. She smiled at Cyra. Clearly she understood her endurance situation very well.


    "If Cyra could be more hardworking and do more training, advancing to four wings should make it much less arduous for her. Unfortunately she always likes to slack off..."


    "Is advancing to four wings easy?"


    I remembered Casey had previously said it took her two hundred years to reach six wings, so I couldn''t help asking.


    "It should be relatively easy..."


    Elara shifted her gaze back to me and Nicola, lingering especially long on Nicola before continuing to speak.


    "Generally in an environment with abundant light elemental energy like Edenmere, coupled with diligent practice, it takes less than fifty years to smoothly advance to four wings. Of course joining the angel legions and battling monsters in the outside world speeds it up considerably, but also carries great risks."


    "..."


    I gave Nicola a speechless look. Seeing her also looking at me, I instantly didn''t know what to say.


    Compared to this way, we really were freaks...

 Vol 3/Chapter 7: The Truth About Crossing Over

    "What exactly did you all experience in the human world that allowed you to advance so quickly? I''ve never seen anyone advance this fast before..." Elara asked with great interest.


    "Uh, nothing too special..." I was too embarrassed to admit that I just fell asleep, was knocked out for a bit, and advanced when I woke up. And Casey was one thing, but Elara was a sly old fox who had probably lived for thousands of years. If she heard that she''d think I was messing with her, and that would be a huge misunderstanding.


    So I decided to go with Nicola''s experience of advancing, combined with some of our own to summarize: "Just fighting monsters, doing quests, stuff like that..."


    "Fighting monsters? Doing quests?" Elara repeated, seemingly puzzled. "I can kind of understand fighting monsters, but what exactly do you mean by ''doing quests''?"


    "You know, the Adventurers'' Guild right?" I explained to her. "We spent most of this past month there taking on jobs to earn money. Lots of the quests involved combat like slaying magical beasts. It was pretty intense training."


    "Just doing those kinds of quests allowed you to advance so quickly?" Elara looked shocked. Of course, logically, no amount of training should allow someone''s advancement time of decades to suddenly shrink to this degree.


    "Um..." At this point I didn''t know what else I could say, because that basically summed up my and Nicola''s lives this past month.


    "The only other possibility is that it has something to do with where we came from..." I said, looking towards Elara. "So what exactly was that Angelic Descent Formation? How did it bring us here?"


    Unable to hold back anymore, Nicola jumped in ahead of me to ask the critical questions about our crossing over.


    "You''ve already asked Cyra and the others that before, including Reed if I recall," Elara responded, seemingly frustrated. "And I''ve clearly explained it to them already."


    "But you two weren''t there at the time, so since you''re asking now I might as well explain again..."


    "The Angelic Descent Formation is a ritual we angels use to summon newborn angels. Almost all angels since ancient times have been born through this ritual, including myself. It is also our primary method of increasing our population," Elara explained.


    "Then what''s the deal with us four... No, I should say what''s with all the newborn angels this time? I''ve heard from Serena that we''re somewhat special," I quickly followed up with another question.


    The information she had provided so far was stuff we had already roughly guessed from snippets said by the other angels. But it was still far from fully answering the doubts in my mind.


    "You''re right, you are indeed different compared to previous newborn angels..." Elara readily nodded in agreement.


    "Halfway through this latest summoning, some unexpected situations occurred. Monster attacks disrupted the workings of the ritual, causing the connection to the cycle of reincarnation to be cut. The ritual then accidentally connected to another space - specifically, the place you were before being summoned..."


    "What is this ''cycle of reincarnation''?" Nicola excitedly cut in. After waiting so long we were finally getting some solid info about our transmigration here, it wasn''t easy!


    "The cycle of reincarnation, as the name implies, is naturally where the souls of the deceased are reborn..." Elara explained, her tone and expression turning solemn.


    "This should be considered an extremely confidential topic. Aside from the High Tower sages who love to research the truths of the world, I''d guess very few humans know of the existence of the reincarnation cycle, including many rulers of nations..."


    "Could it be that our souls were drawn in as part of the reincarnating souls into the Angelic Descent Formation?" I incredulously voiced out my speculation. To think that the concept of reincarnation existed in this world!


    "You guessed correctly..." Elara sighed and gave an affirmative reply. She then took the initiative to confess:


    "Ultimately, this accident was my responsibility. Your souls were inadvertently pulled into the ritual and reborn as angels, which I did not anticipate originally. Therefore, as an act of good faith and compensation, I decided to tell you the full truth."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I was surprised Elara would so sincerely take the blame onto herself like this. It raised my opinion of her quite a bit.


    "Now that you all are members of the angel tribe, I still hope you abide by our rules and keep confidential everything relating to the Angelic Descent Formation!"


    However, she immediately sternly warned us:


    "Because this concerns the continuation of our tribe - remember, do not casually divulge any of this to others! Otherwise, I can only punish you according to our laws."


    "...We understand."


    Nicola and I thought it over and could only nod in agreement. After all, she was treating us like one of her own. If we couldn''t even agree to such a basic request it would be going overboard.


    Besides that, we couldn''t overpower her either.


    "From your manner of speaking, it seems you already knew we were originally humans?" Since Elara was being so blunt, Nicola directly asked without beating around the bush.


    "That''s not too surprising."


    As if having anticipated we would ask this, she explained in great detail:


    "Souls that have gone through reincarnation have no memories. Normal newborn angels without memory infusion would be like human babies, knowing nothing. But since this ritual was hit by forbidden spells at the end, even the memory infusion was interrupted. Yet you still displayed a massive amount of unexpected knowledge. So it was very easy to draw that conclusion."


    "Then why are you still so readily accepting us? Do our origins not matter at all to you?" I also gave voice to my doubts. Since she already knew all this yet didn''t treat us as outsiders at all, it just didn''t feel that realistic.


    "You''re overthinking things. No matter whether or not you were originally humans, as long as you are angels now I have no reason not to accept you all."


    Clearly, Elara did not care about who we used to be, and said matter-of-factly:


    "Besides, with how few angels we have now I''m in no place to pick and choose. In fact, even with angels who reincarnated through normal descents, it''s not impossible some used to be human before undergoing a rebirth. So you can effectively be considered new lives now, with the only difference from other angels being whether or not you retain memories of your previous self. Though that can be troublesome, as retaining memories means differences in previous stances could lead to conflicts. But since you all came from another world entirely, you don''t need to worry about that at all."


    Got it, here is the full translation:


    "You even know we''re not from this world?"


    I was greatly shocked, having not expected her to understand us to such an extent.


    "Um...actually, I was the one who spilled the beans. Because when I heard this world also had something similar to the True Church, I got too excited at that moment..."


    Cyra scratched her head apologetically. Right now she was standing behind me, looking very well-behaved and docile - it was clear she held some reverence for Elara.


    "You''re incapable of keeping secrets, huh..." I said, somewhat speechless as I looked at her. To think she would let our origins slip out just like that.


    "Even if Cyra hadn''t said anything, I could have roughly guessed a little..." Elara laughed as she helped explain things for Cyra.


    "Generally no one is named like that around here. Especially followers of the True Church faith."


    "What exactly makes that angel who shares my name so special? She''s even called a holy angel - so what''s her connection with angels?" Cyra asked, extremely curious.


    "And I heard she''s God''s wife, is that true?" I was also quite mystified by this figure, so I went ahead and asked as well.


    "As for whether the holy angel Cyra truly exists... I''m not quite certain, since I''ve never seen her before..." with unease, Elara told us everything she knew about Cyra.


    "But our records document her existence, though she was merely a six-winged angel..."


    "A six-winged angel?"


    I wondered if I had misheard. Wasn''t the title of holy angel supposed to be so prestigious? Yet she only had six wings like I currently did.


    "That''s right, this was also something I found puzzling," she went on.


    "The holy angel Cyra did indeed only have six wings. But many first-generation angels have personally admitted she single-handedly founded the True Church. And some ancient legends go even further, claiming she is the genuine ancestor of we angels. That''s why the True Church keeps harping on those rumors, publicly declaring Cyra as Yawee''s wife, while we angels are her servants..."


    After hearing all this, I finally understood why the angels and the True Church had such a delicate relationship. That kind of hijacking other''s history - things were already pretty cordial if they hadn''t come to blows.


    "Don''t angels have very long lifespans? Wouldn''t finding those angels who personally saw Cyra and questioning them clear up the misunderstanding?"


    I didn''t get why such a simple matter had to keep getting dragged out like this.


    "It''s true angels have long lives, but most never make it to the end..." She could only bitterly smile as she answered:


    "To begin with, not many of the first generation of angels were born. Over these thousands of years, more and more perished in battle. Even I as one of the eldest, wasn''t born until much later. And then there''s how the holy angel herself disappeared so long ago that there''s no way left to verify anything now."


    If that was the case, then this had become an unsolvable mystery. Recalling the bleak scenes within the city from before, I deeply understood just how heavy the angel tribe''s battle losses were.


    "Why not change your name then?" I suggested to Cyra after looking at her. The holy angel Cyra of this world was quite creepy. If Cyra went out into the wider world, she might easily be mistaken for her.


    "Can''t you reverse the Angelic Descent ritual to send us back instead?" Cyra gloomily asked.


    "Send you back?"


    I was surprised to hear her suddenly make this kind of request. I could understand wanting to say such things after just crossing over. But we were already over a month in. Wasn''t she bringing this up a little late?

 Vol 3/Chapter 8: Elemental Affinity

    "What''s so bad about being reborn as an angel?"


    Hearing Cyra say this, Elara asked in puzzlement.


    "Although you described Earth life as peaceful without magical beasts causing turmoil, angel lifespans are also not short. Barring early battlefield death, angels can generally live for thousands of years. I''m already over 5,000 years old. Isn''t that much better than being a human?"


    Elara was already that old? I was surprised and looked her over again carefully. Although she did look slightly older than Nicola, if she were human she would only be in her 20s. This refreshed my understanding of angel longevity again.


    I had to agree with her words. Although the initial transformation was inconvenient, after gradually adapting I realized an angel body was quite good. At least there were no worries about food or clothing, great strength, ability to fly, and no fear of small-time gangsters.


    Undeniably, I had become somewhat decadent...


    "It''s not that there''s anything bad, only that the True Church here is different from Earth''s. Although very similar, it''s not what I want."


    Cyra could only state the reason for her desire to return.


    "Plus, I''m homesick..."


    On hearing this, not just Cyra but even Nicola was slightly moved.


    "Yes, unlike other angels we have a family."


    I sighed slightly and said, somewhat envious of their inseparable feelings towards family. As for myself, it would be false to say I didn''t miss my parents at all, but my feelings were still more of fear. Scenes of getting slapped over minor disagreements at home were common, so ever since I moved out, I seldom went back.


    "Sorry, we angels don''t have parents so we don''t understand that kind of familial love."


    Seeing our despondent looks, Elara apologized.


    "But I really can''t agree to reverse the angel descent formation for you. It''s not just that I don''t want to, but mainly because it''s fundamentally impossible."


    "The angel descent formation was created by two ancestral angels thousands of years ago through immense power and eldritch principles we descendants can''t comprehend. Actually, not only is reversal impossible, even slight modifications are out of the question."


    As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Cyra.


    "So when someone first asked me to change her body to male, it wasn''t that I was unwilling, but that the ritual fundamentally only allows female angels. There has never been any such thing as a male angel."


    "I just wasn''t used to it at first..."


    Cyra explained with a red face, looking unexpectedly cute.


    "Then what about just opening a gateway to our world?"


    Nicola thought of a compromise. She just wanted to take a look and no longer harboured hopes of becoming human again.


    "Unfortunately that won''t work either."


    Elara shook her head again.


    "Putting aside that we don''t even know the location of your world, even if we did, spatial magic isn''t an angel specialty. Opening a gateway to another world purely through light magic is fundamentally impossible."


    "Then what about Edenmere?"


    I recalled Serena mentioning this landmass had split off from the main world, surely that counted as high-level spatial magic? Unless...


    "Edenmere is also a creation of the ancestral angels."  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Her answer was just as I expected. The angels'' ancestors were indeed formidable to have such mastery.


    "So we really can''t ever go back..."


    On hearing this, Nicola heaved a sigh. Although she had guessed this might be the outcome earlier, facing the fact still left her unwilling.


    "I''m truly very sorry. I hope you''ll stay willingly."


    Seeing the situation, Elara understood consolations were useless and could only state her position.


    "The summoning happens at most once every few decades and we barely gathered enough resources this time, only to suffer such devastating losses. We originally could have birthed nearly a hundred angels, but now only 4 remain..."


    "So your losses this time were huge."


    Cyra couldn''t help but say. Not just Nicola and I, she could also see that the blow to the already scarce angels was indeed heavy, not to mention angels who had died protecting the ritual and us.


    "But many people from our side died too!"


    I reminded her not to forget this. Letting the other students slide, I still couldn''t get over Quinn''s death.


    "Why must such an important ritual be conducted in the outside world? If kept within Edenmere, surely those magical beasts couldn''t have invaded."


    "It''s not as if I don''t understand your point. If there was any other way we wouldn''t have taken such risks..."


    Elara could only reply wryly to my accusations.


    "Because Edenmere is essentially another plane, it cannot form links with the cycle of reincarnation. The ritual must be enacted in the main world to succeed."


    "As for your dead friends, I can only offer deep sympathies and apologies. In truth everyone was a victim and no one wanted this outcome..."


    As she spoke, her tone suddenly shifted.


    "However, since they died only after coming to this world, their souls should have already entered the cycle of reincarnation. So don''t be overly sad. You might meet them again one day, just in reborn forms."


    Was that supposed to console us? Hearing her words, I could only say that the angels'' understanding of death was indeed different due to the existence of reincarnation here.


    "Since the cycle of reincarnation plays such a vital role in the summoning ritual, could errors occur in it? Or perhaps the ritual obtained souls before linking to our world, causing two reincarnating souls to inhabit a single angel body?"


    Seeing the topic shift to reincarnation, Nicola suddenly voiced her thoughts.


    Hearing her, I immediately realized she was likely asking about when I transformed into the blue-winged angel.


    "Two souls sharing one body? The summoning has occurred countless times over thousands of years yet I''ve never heard of such a situation. However given the unique circumstances I also can''t outright deny it..."


    On hearing Nicola''s words, Elara pondered briefly before asking back.


    "Have you noticed any issues with your body then?"


    "Not issues per se..."


    Nicola suddenly hesitated, unsure of how to explain properly.


    In truth neither of us had overtly displayed a second soul persona, at least I had moved by myself while blacked out and Liana had never manifested through Nicola as far as we knew, if not for Michelle''s mention we wouldn''t even have realized.


    "Let me put it this way. Are you familiar with blue-winged angels?"


    I switched approach and asked directly.


    "Blue wings?"


    Seeing her momentary confusion, Nicola simply described my blue-winged form again in brief.


    "How can that be! A fire god I could still accept, but you''re unambiguously an angel. How could your wings possibly not be white?"


    On hearing the full account Elara was flabbergasted, looking at us in disbelief.


    "Are you two teasing me? Or did you see it wrongly? Angel wings absorb light essence from the outside world and can be considered an extension of our bodies. More wings represents greater light element capacity and absorption speed, hence greater power."


    "It''s precisely because of this that wings, unlike angel bodies themselves, don''t possess energy immunity. And now you''re telling me they turned blue, representing the water element? I''ve never heard of such a thing these thousands of years."


    "Blue represents the water element?"


    I pricked up my ears at this. Although I had guessed something like that previously it was never confirmed. Moreover Eleanora had indeed mentioned sensing water elemental energy from my blue-winged form back then.


    "Yes, every kind of elemental energy manifests a different color in reality, something you should have noticed during everyday spellcasting."


    Elara nodded and explained patiently.


    "Red fire, blue water, grey wind, brown earth, white light, and black darkness. These are basics everyone knows. So from your wings changing blue, we can deduce they were absorbing water elements from outside at that time. In all these years none of our angels have shown such an ability."


    "Can the absorption not be controlled voluntarily? I heard human mages can release spells of different elements right?"


    Cyra suddenly cut in to ask. Having barely gone to the outside world she knew nothing about human magic.


    "That depends on elemental affinity. Only by attaining a certain degree of affinity with an element can its energy be sensed and absorbed for personal use."


    Elara elucidated further.


    "Average humans possess minor affinity for multiple elements concurrently, hence the phenomenon of individuals storing different elemental energies is possible. We angels as pure light elemental beings conversely cannot harbor any other element within our bodies, but our wings can directly absorb light essence and the magic thus unleashed far surpasses any human mage in power or level."


    "So it''s a specialist vs jack-of-all trades difference, huh."


    Hearing the explanation Cyra easily understood.


    "These are basics you should know from regular angel lessons. Looks like someone hasn''t been paying attention in class..."


    Elara gave Cyra a meaningful glance. Like a mouse spotted by a cat, Cyra jolted in shock.


    "I just temporarily forgot..."


    Cyra defended weakly, resembling nothing more than a high school student being questioned by the discipline mistress.

 Vol 3/Chapter 9: Soul

    "So what exactly is going on with me? Is it really because two souls are sharing one body?" I asked helplessly.


    I knew Elara was explaining things in such detail to Cyra in part to inform Nicola and me as well. But no matter how airtight the theory sounds, the facts are laid out before us already, which means there must be some unknown loopholes.


    "I dare not make a definitive judgment on this issue because the scene you described earlier does seem a lot like two souls sharing one body..." Elara thought carefully for a while before speaking.


    "But I can affirm your body has no issues. So the only possibility lies with the soul - whether it''s multiple souls sharing one body, or due to other unknown reasons, it should not deviate from the soul''s scope."


    "Soul?"


    At first thought, there really could be such a possibility. Our souls transmigrated over so they don''t belong to this world. Unforeseeable things could happen.


    "It''s said that aside from the body, the soul can also influence elemental affinity to a certain extent."


    Elara spoke uncertainly.


    "In our long angel history, there were occasionally one or two angels who could use non-light elemental magic. But unlike you, their wing colors never changed, and their magic power was very weak."


    "But I can''t even use water magic..."


    Speaking of magic, I felt somewhat amused.


    "Up till now, the only magic I can use is Purify, oh and I picked up Light Puppet earlier. Only these two, all light-based!"


    "Are you sure you can''t use it? Or have you never sensed the water element?"


    Hearing my words, Elara looked at me strangely and said.


    "Generally, being able to sense an element means having the corresponding affinity. Naturally, you can then cast magic smoothly."


    "How is that possible! I''ve never sensed it before..."


    I was about to deny it outright when I suddenly realized something was off. I promptly shut my mouth.


    That''s right, I did feel the water element more than once. But I always thought it was as it should be like the light element. I never paid it any mind or thought to learn water magic.


    "I''m not so sure now..."


    Thinking of this, I was no longer so certain.


    "Then you can try going to learn water elemental magic and see."


    Seeing my reaction, Elara heaved a sigh of relief, revealing an expression of


    "Thankfully not freakishly inexplicable."


    "Generally, only light elemental magic books are kept in Edenmere, and there are no angels who can teach you. So you''ll have to find an opportunity out in the external world."


    "Which is to say, to get to the bottom of what''s going on with my soul, I still have to go learn water magic?"


    Hearing that, I was dumbfounded. Why is the process so convoluted? I had enough trouble trying to learn light magic earlier. Although water magic books are much cheaper, can''t freeload magic in Edenmere. It really feels like I''m losing out.


    "Actually us angels don''t have much research on the soul. But the mage scholars in the High Tower Sage Council who like pursuing truths probably understand more. So if you want to figure out your soul issue, best to directly ask those sages. And there are plenty of water mages in the Council too."  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Elara revealed a troubled expression, punting the ball to the High Tower Sages.


    "Just happens that we angels have quite a decent relationship with the High Tower Sages. Seeing you''re an angel, they probably won''t be stingy teaching you water magic."


    "So we still have to make a trip to that High Tower Sages?"


    Nicola frowned, suddenly recalling the astrologer from the High Tower Sages Council she met before. That person even invited them to some city.


    "Which means you agree we can return to the outside world earlier?"


    I sensed an opportunity. Although my body''s mysteries aren''t fully unravelled, being able to leave Edenmere earlier to meet external friends didn''t seem bad.


    "If they were ordinary newborn angels, I definitely wouldn''t casually let them leave Edenmere because they lack self-protection capabilities. But you two are six-winged already. Not to mention this concerns significant affairs, of course I won''t obstruct."


    Actually Elara''s quite reasonable in this aspect. She patted Cyra''s head and smilingly told us.


    "Hold on. If Feliciana''s condition is due to her soul, then what about Michelle?"


    Nicola seemed to have spotted some loophole and suddenly asked.


    "She has red wings, that should represent the fire element right? Does she also have soul issues?"


    I understood Nicola''s implied meaning. Since we transmigrated over, it''s still understandable if our souls are special. But there''s no way Michelle''s the same right?


    "Michelle?"


    Hearing this name, it took Elara a good while before responding, referring to that Goddess of Flames.


    "Speaking of which, she does resemble you somewhat..."


    After pondering briefly, she replied.


    "And before revealing six pairs of red wings, I did feel light elemental aura from her."


    I supplemented, still remembering Michelle had personally admitted she


    "was kind of an angel".


    "Sadly unfortunately I also don''t know exactly who she is. I''ve never heard of such an angel before, there wasn''t anyone like her in my memories."


    Elara shook her head, denying Michelle was from Edenmere.


    "Besides the two founding angels who created our race, angels have historically capped out at ten wings. Never seen anyone reach twelve wings. So it''s impossible to determine if she''s truly an angel, if her body''s comprised of pure light elements. Naturally she also cannot be compared to your situation."


    Since she has twelve wings, could this Michelle be more ancient than Elara? Or could she be related to the angels'' progenitors?


    I really wanted to ask this but swallowing my words because angels and magical creatures harbor hostility. Michelle''s also still the opposing boss.


    Anyway, Elara''s reaction to the name Michelle didn''t seem like an act. If there really were relations, how could she be completely ignorant?


    "Any other questions?"


    Seeing we were all silent for a time, Elara proactively asked.


    I considered a bit, feeling that this meeting already reaped quite substantial gains. Although still not clear why my wings turned blue, nagging questions about the transmigration, transformations etc were thoroughly clarified.


    "I''m good."  Nicola indicated no more questions, then looked at me.


    "Shall we end it for now then..."


    Just as I was about to end the conversation and go look for Reed with everyone, I saw Cyra suddenly meekly speak up.


    "I have one last question..."


    "Oh? You still have some doubts?"


    Elara seemed quite interested in this and asked.


    "The lord of this world, no...I mean the god the churches preach, does he really exist?"


    It seemed Cyra contemplated for a long time before finally mustering her courage to utter those words.


    "Didn''t you say you don''t like the True Church here?"


    I was surprised because her stance didn''t appear to be casually asking but rather that she failed to clearly distinguish the two different churches as I had imagined.


    "Because I can''t return anymore ma..."


    Cyra explained helplessly.


    "So naturally I have to investigate properly..."


    "Huh? Don''t tell me you wanna convert faiths? "


    I said incredulously.


    Isn''t that too rash? I previously thought her faith was staunch but now she just slapped me in the face.


    "Who said I wanna convert faiths! I only feel perhaps everything''s the Lord''s will, deliberately making it so I can''t go back."


    Cyra flushed anxiously upon hearing that and denied it vehemently.


    "Don''t you find it strange? Two completely different worlds but their faiths are nearly identical. If the Lord truly exists in this world, it definitely can''t be a coincidence. This must be a trial for me to search for traces of Him."


    "Uh, well good if you like it..."


    For a zealously religious believer, her words did carry a certain logic. Moreover, the True Church here is itself an incomprehensible existence. Since she insists on thinking so, I have nothing else to say.


    "As for whether angels have faith, I don''t really care. So as long as no damage is done to the clan, I generally won''t interfere with anybody being a follower of the True Church."


    Hearing our exchange, Elara suddenly spoke seriously.


    "But I''ve never even seen this Yawee my whole life so he certainly doesn''t exist. No need to think about following him."


    "Huh? Why?"


    Cyra was immediately dumbfounded upon hearing that.


    "If not following the Lord, then what''s the point of calling yourself a believer of God?"


    "What does it matter!"


    Elara nonchalantly said.


    "I see the human world has so many church members who have never met their gods all their lives yet still live perfectly fine! It''s not like people renounce their faith or anything..."

 Vol 3/Chapter 10: Staying Back for Tutoring

    "This is still quite different..."


    I said helplessly, it seems she still does not understand human faith.


    "Most of the time, it is not necessary for such a god to truly exist, the believers only need to believe it exists, that is enough."


    "Could this be the so-called ethereal beauty?"


    Upon hearing this, Elara had a thoughtful look.


    "Is it because he never shows himself, that''s why believers endlessly beautify him in their hearts? If he existed, what if he had a tyrannical personality instead, wouldn''t that shatter the fantasies believers have of him, causing them to lose faith?"


    "Who said so! The Lord is not that kind of god, the Lord is loving and tolerant!"


    As soon as Cyra heard this, she immediately expressed her dissatisfaction and anxiously retorted.


    "I was just giving an example! Don''t get agitated."


    I suddenly felt somewhat exasperated, and quickly consoled her.


    However, Elara''s attitude also made me a little suspicious. I still remember Vivianne once said that the angels had always been vague about Yawee''s existence. How could she be so sure that he did not exist?


    "Oh well, believe what you want."


    Seeing the situation, Elara could only sigh lightly, then called out towards the door.


    As soon as the words left her mouth, the doors of the sanctuary opened from the outside. Turns out Casey and the other four-winged angel had been waiting there and had not left.


    "Norma, go prepare two rooms for Feliciana and Nicola, just inside this palace will do."


    "Huh? Didn''t you say we could leave early?"


    Upon hearing her words, I was startled and quickly asked.


    "Although both of your strengths are enough already, I believe you still don''t understand much about this world and us angels, right?"


    She explained, afraid I would misunderstand.


    "Anyway, there''s no rush for the soul matters, so why not take this opportunity to stay in Edenmere for a while, learn together with Cyra and the others. This way, I''d feel more assured when you return to the outside world."


    "Thank you..."


    I had to say, her suggestion was just what I wanted. I had plans to learn magic in Edenmere all along. Surely they wouldn''t charge me for the magic books here right? After all, I had coveted them for a long time already.


    "No need to be so polite, we are all siblings now. I hope you can treat this place like your home. Besides, all these learning processes could have been skipped originally. It''s a pity the memory transfer was forcibly interrupted, so consider this a form of compensation."


    Elara said with a smile.


    "I want to go out with Feliciana and the others too!"


    Seeing the situation, Cyra suddenly chimed in to state her stand.


    "It''s too boring staying in this Edenmere all the time."


    "No way, your current strength level is too low. I don''t dare let you out, even slightly stronger mongrel magic beasts out there can take your life."


    Elara glanced at Cyra and shook her head.


    Indeed, while the lowest order two-winged angels had 4th order strength, I realized during this Dark Continent trip that many common magic beasts were above 4th order, not to mention the even stronger 5th and 6th order elites we met later.


    "It''s just growing wings, well I''ve grown them too."


    Upon hearing this, Cyra was not happy and said.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Since we crossed over together, if they can do it, I have no reason not to be able either. Moreover, Feliciana has a problem with her soul, mine may have problems too. I also want to go find that sage council!"


    "There''s some truth to what you say. The souls of everyone descended through the angel descent formation this time all came from the same place. They might all have conditions then. Perhaps you and Reed are just fine for now because you remain in Edenmere."


    Hearing this, Elara pondered.


    "Yes yes!"


    Cyra hurriedly echoed.


    "Maybe our wings will all change color too. If Feliciana''s are blue, I''d be purple, Nicola would be green, and Reed..."


    "The hell is green!"


    Upon hearing this, Nicola got agitated and immediately jumped up to retort.


    "You''re the green one, your whole family''s green!"


    "Hey, I was just kidding...why so agitated?"


    Seeing her reaction, Cyra was somewhat puzzled and quickly had a soothing expression to placate Nicola.


    "Anyway I don''t care what colors, red orange yellow green blue purple, you can choose whichever later alright? That should be enough right?"


    "Do you think I''m Calabash Baby?"


    Nicola almost jumped up again when she heard that.


    Cyra still has the same glib character as ever...


    I looked at them bickering beside me, feeling a headache coming. I turned to Elara to confirm:


    "So you agree to let Cyra leave with us?"


    It is exciting to have more classmates adventure together in this different world. As for safety issues, I felt it was not that serious with the angels'' capabilities. As long as sudden freak incidents like what I just encountered don''t happen, there is little danger generally if we stay alert.


    "Still no, she''s too weak."


    But to my surprise, she still did not feel assured and gave Cyra a condition this time.


    "I''ll give you a chance. If you manage to rise to four wings while Feliciana and the others are still here, I''ll permit you to leave."


    "No problem!"


    Cyra looked full of anticipation, readily agreeing. It seemed to her these were all small matters.


    "Just four wings, easy peasy!"


    "You better be quick then, Nicola and I probably won''t stay long in Edenmere."


    I reminded worriedly. Even without following Elara''s claimed timescale of decades, shortening it tenfold would still be too long to wait for.


    "How come you''re still stuck while we''re already six-winged, what have you been doing this past month?"


    Nicola frowned in doubt, questioning.


    "How about that faceless girl? Has she not ascended either?"


    "Of course she has, same as me!"


    Cyra affirmed very surely, seeming to have found the reason why we advanced faster than her.


    "So I reckon it''s because you killed more magic beasts out there. After all, combat experience matters!"


    "You think this is a video game?"


    I tutted speechlessly. Though I recalled Casey mentioning killing enemies does quicken ascension.


    "Be it a game or not, the key is to get out there quickly!"


    Cyra didn''t care so much. She was suffocating and just wanted to leave this place soon.


    "Let me tell you, staying in this Edenmere is super boring..."


    "Alright, it''s decided!"


    Elara suddenly spoke up, terminating the conversation. Cyra immediately shut her mouth upon hearing this, not daring to say another word.


    "Go with Norma quickly to choose your rooms, she''s still waiting for you outside..."


    It seemed she was also rendered speechless by Cyra, waving us off impatiently.


    "Just take the ones beside mine, there are lots of vacant rooms there."


    Seeing the situation, Cyra recommended us all the way.


    "The room we rested in earlier didn''t look too bad either."


    I felt the previous room we rested in was not bad.


    "Or should we head to the angels'' library first to find Reed?"


    As we exited the sanctuary, I suddenly recalled we still had to meet up with Reed. I quickly turned to Norma and said.


    "Just help us choose any two rooms will do."


    "Don''t complain if you don''t like what I pick!"


    Norma looked puzzledly at us, then headed off towards the corridor we first came from.


    "Norma is the housekeeping manager here in Tivi Palace. Let her know if you have any accommodation issues, or wish to seek an audience with Lady Elara."


    Casey introduced with a smile.


    "Previously, newborn angels were assigned lodgings outside the palace. Only this time, because of the exceptionally low numbers, they are staying together with Lady Elara for ease of guidance."


    "Will Elara be teaching us personally then?"


    I asked in surprise.


    "That normally doesn''t happen, but she will still personally oversee much of the time. After all, new angels cannot be summoned again for decades, so naturally you few will get special attentive care."


    Casey shook her head in explanation, then asked us.


    "Do you need me to show you to the library? It''s also outside the palace."


    "No need, I''ve been there before, I can bring them over."


    Cyra readily volunteered, seeming to feel more relaxed when it was just us three.


    "I shall follow Lady Serena to the mortal world then. Check with Norma on your room location when you get back."


    Seeing that, Casey did not linger and bid us farewell before leaving as well.


    Now only us three crossing companions were left. Cyra led the way ahead, bringing us through various alleys and corridors seemingly very familiar with this place after a month.


    "So this basic knowledge and combat lessons you mentioned, this is what it meant? How''s it feel getting the attentive care of a ten-winged archangel?"


    Along the way, Nicola deliberately teased. Clearly from earlier, Cyra was rendered very docile by Elara, almost like how she''d be towards the form teacher back in high school.


    "Does this count as only child treatment, plus private tutoring from form teacher?"


    I joked along, reminding me of when I was forced to study hard under the form teacher in high school.


    "How about letting your form teacher stay beside your home?"


    Cyra retorted, annoyed.


    "It''s fine, you get to enjoy such treatment too now."


    "That''s different, we are honor students."


    Nicola looked smugly triumphant, taunting.


    "Not the same as your failing student treatment."


    "Hmph, boast while you still can! After I go out into the outside world, I''ll surely surpass you guys!"


    Cyra disdainfully talked back, though she also understood it was impossible to achieve that by staying in Edenmere without any enemies to fight.

 vol 3/Chapter 11: City Sightseeing Plan

    "What about Reed? She didn''t uplevel either. Who''s stronger between you two?"


    I suddenly recalled that Reed had always been top of our class throughout high school, firmly ranked first in our grade without wavering. Were Nicola and I considered an alternative record breaker now?


    "Of course she''s still stronger. She was first in her class all the time..."


    When Reed was mentioned, Cyra helplessly said.


    "Whether it''s magic or swordsmanship, I still can''t beat her lor. Really don''t understand how she, a true-blue girl, can fight better than me leh..."


    "You might as well go bang your head on a block of tofu and die lah! Even losing to a girl."


    Nicola was speechless. Studies were one thing but not being able to win in combat was quite embarrassing.


    "But I''m a girl now! And I should be more delicate than Reed right?"


    Cyra didn''t feel ashamed at all. She even righteously said,


    "So when we go out, you all must remember to protect me properly!"


    "Feliciana, I feel like hitting her now. Don''t stop me!"


    Nicola really couldn''t stand it anymore. She rolled up her sleeves, about to teach Cyra a lesson.


    "Huh? What are you talking about? I''m busy sightseeing now..."


    I pretended not to see anything and flew out of the window. Nicola also wasn''t wishy-washy. She pounced straight at Cyra.


    "Hey! This is bullying. How can like that?"


    Seeing Nicola looking fierce and sinister, Cyra was so frightened her face turned pale. She quickly flew out as well, hiding behind me.


    "Feliciana, you can''t do this! Weren''t we good friends in the past? How can you just stand by and watch me die?!"


    "Who was it that said she wanted to change back just now? And it''s barely been a while before you start acting delicate again."


    I rolled my eyes, truly out of words to retort her.


    "I mainly just wanted to try it out! Of course it''s better if I could change back lah."


    Cyra explained with a crying expression.


    "And Reed is really strong. Reading so many books was not for nothing, she can really apply what she learns. Not long ago she created a magic from her own understanding, even Lady Elara praised her for being a genius she had never seen before. How am I supposed to beat such a monster?!"


    "She created her own magic?"


    My eyes narrowed slightly. Reed still didn''t have full wings but could already create her own magic? I honestly felt quite surprised. Nicola and I didn''t even know more than a few magics. Even with a simple Purification, we had endlessly cast it so many times yet nothing amazing came out.


    "Tell me more about this magic. How powerful is it?"


    Upon hearing this, Nicola also became interested and stopped chasing.


    "Actually, it''s not an attacking magic. More like creating illusions. It makes everything the opponent sees in their surroundings turn hazy..."


    Cyra thought for a while and roughly described it.


    "So it''s basically impossible to fight with your eyes like this. It''s completely like being blind. But some experienced angels can still sense the aura of light elements to discern her position and movements."


    "Isn''t this just illusion magic..."


    I immediately understood. Light elements were probably related to the light we commonly saw. If the light entering the eyes was disturbed, it wasn''t hard to imagine the principles behind this magic.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    But while I understood, to be able to create a new magic from these principles was still quite incredible. At least I didn''t have any clues about where to start.


    "Did she teach it to you? That faceless girl surely wouldn''t be stingy to share her self-created magic right?"


    After listening, Nicola really wanted to see it immediately.


    "No, she said she still needs to improve it more. This magic has many flaws now so she didn''t tell me how to use it."


    Cyra shook her head.


    "It just so happens we''re going to find her now. We can get her to show it later, won''t that make it clear?"


    Since our goal was the library anyway, I hurriedly urged Cyra to keep leading the way.


    "Didn''t I say I was bringing you all there just now..."


    Perhaps feeling I was rushing her too much, Cyra had an innocent look as she said,


    "Don''t be in such a hurry. I wanted to bring you all around the Tivi Palace first, let you get familiar with the place. Then we can go out from the main entrance and sightsee this city along the way..."


    "Can''t we just fly there directly?"


    I interrupted her long itinerary, not understanding why we had to arrange so many sightseeing items.


    "At your pace, by the time we reach the library, Reed might have left already. The sun could have already set..."


    As I was saying this, I suddenly realized something wasn''t right. There probably wasn''t any sunsets here right?


    "There''s no such thing as the sun setting here! We might not even have a sun in Edenmere!"


    Seeing my reaction, Cyra laughed.


    "There''s no nighttime in Edenmere. Angels can stay in bright environments with no need for food or sleep perfectly fine. So don''t worry about Reed leaving the library. She''s already been there for almost a week. I remember the last time she left was because Lady Elara wanted us to go to the arena to watch her demonstrate her new magic."


    "You mean you all never sleep before?"


    I sucked in a breath, not daring to imagine such immortal-like angels.


    "Does that mean you haven''t slept for a month too?"


    "Not to that extent. Many angels who fight long campaigns in the outside world like to keep a routine with day and night cycles when they return. After all, sleeping and waking up feels quite relaxing. So now many places have special magic devices that isolate external light elements, creating a nighttime atmosphere locally. Without the external light supplementing, angels also feel hungry and tired, wanting to sleep."


    Seeing my struggle to accept this, Cyra quickly clarified.


    "The rooms we live in also have this feature okay, don''t worry you won''t be able to sleep at night."


    "That''s good then..."


    I finally breathed a sigh of relief, not needing to forcibly become an immortal cultivator.


    "With no difference between night and day, how do you all keep time?"


    Nicola asked worriedly. After all, the day/night cycle played a huge role in time calculations.


    "I heard it''s synced to match the calendar time of the outside world."


    Saying this, Cyra pointed to a building in front of us.


    "See that place? Next to this Tivi Palace is a clock tower that uses the 24 hour system."


    "I see..."


    Nicola and I also saw it. That clock tower displayed the current time to be about 9:25.


    Not sure if it was 9:25 am or pm. But considering we just arrived not long ago when it was still daytime outside Edenmere, it was likely nighttime in the outside world now.


    "Amazing. Probably can''t find such a bright 9.30 pm anywhere else on Earth."


    Nicola muttered in slight admiration.


    "That''s not necessarily true."


    I thought for a bit and reminded myself,


    "Forgot the North and South poles?"


    "That''s true!"


    Nicola immediately recalled and embarrassedly laughed.


    "What''s so special about that..."


    But Cyra didn''t think it was anything impressive.


    "No need to go North or South pole, I also can achieve this effect on Earth - set the clock to 9.30 pm in the daytime! Isn''t the feeling the same as now?"


    "...You really are a monster! Just be human!"


    I wanted to slap some sense into her. And technically she wasn''t human anymore strictly speaking.


    Cyra looked us up and down and nodded in appreciation.


    "When both of you are not human, you still dare judge me. Tsk tsk, what a pity the hero''s glory days have passed. If I were as before, I would chop you all into pieces in 300 rounds! Eliminate you two monsters!"


    "Are you insane?"


    This guy had the guts of a bear and leopard, actually daring to joke with us this way! I immediately reached out to grab him but grabbed nothing but air. Cyra knew she would lose, so the instant she finished talking, she escaped.


    "You can run but you can''t hide! I can see with one glance you''re not human!"


    Seeing this, Nicola gave chase. With six wings versus two, the outcome was obvious. She quickly caught Cyra by her two wing roots like catching a chicken, then carried her back.


    "Still putting on this act, clearly looking down on me!"


    Nicola deliberately made a fierce expression.


    "Spells? What spells did she use?" I asked, puzzled.


    "What else could there be? Holy bolt! Terrible aim."


    Nicola snorted disdainfully.


    "This fella is too arrogant. Should just pluck all her feathers and see how she runs then!"


    I put on an act of wanting to pluck Cyra''s feathers.


    "How could you all do this! This is murdering your husband! Help, domestic violence!"


    In fright, Cyra flapped her wings vigorously but her mouth still wouldn''t stop running off, continuously cracking sly jokes.


    "Enough, stop fooling around!"


    Those random wing flaps were making feathers fly everywhere. I wiped my face. Her awful acting was tiring.


    "Since this is the Tivi Palace, no need to tour anymore. But no need to fly too. Just bring us walking along the way to sightsee this city. It''s probably near only right?"


    "Of course near, at most a few tens of minutes then reach."


    Cyra hurriedly replied after struggling free from Nicola.


    "This angel city very small one. Not mentioning big cities on Earth, even many regional cities also are bigger than it."


    "I know already. Saw from the sky just now mah."


    I didn''t care. Although we saw it from above, seeing it on the ground would surely feel different. Moreover, the buildings here looked exceptionally luxurious and unique in style. Naturally, I anticipated it greatly.

 Vol 3/Chapter 12: The Restaurant in Edenmere

    "These should all be residences for some angels. It''s said that in the past when there were more angels, only high-ranking angels could live here. Now with the smaller population, even ordinary angels can move in," Cyra said, pointing at the villa-style houses lining the streets after we landed.


    "Angels have social classes too?" Nicola looked around while walking, casually asking.


    I saw the mixed architectural styles of the houses, with carvings of all kinds of fish, insects, birds, beasts, flowers, and trees nearly everywhere. I couldn''t help but lament that angels live long uneventful lives. With nothing to do, they pursue these tasks that ordinary humans simply can''t afford the time for.


    "Of course there are classes! Wherever there are humans, oh, living beings, there are classes!" Cyra asserted.


    "Our wings are the most straightforward representation of classes, no? Angels with more wings naturally have greater authority. And it''s said that there''s an Angel High Council for angels with eight wings or more. Only those big shots with ten wings can participate. Us newborn small fries don''t get to know what they look like."


    "That''s normal. Just by the name you can tell it''s some governing body for Edenmere with so many angels. It does seem over the top for a population of only tens of thousands though," I casually expressed.


    "Not necessarily. With the recent introduction of light elf, the population has grown substantially, otherwise, it wouldn''t be so lively," Cyra contested.


    After leaving the residential area, a relatively bustling street came into view. Unlike before when we couldn''t even see people, here we could at least spot a few angels or light elves passing by now and then.


    "Finally some liveliness. I didn''t know angels run businesses and earn money too?" Nicola exclaimed, suddenly pointing across the street, "There''s even a restaurant!"


    I looked in the direction she pointed. There was indeed a shop with a signboard reading "Human World Restaurant". Inside were all kinds of large and small tables and chairs. Clearly a restaurant.


    "Of course! How can there be livelihoods without an economy? Although Edenmere''s population is small and resources can be allocated on demand, that would drain vitality from society. Of course there would be trade," I immediately understood after some thought. These angels weren''t servants of God revolving around Him like how the True Church portrayed. Naturally, trade would exist.


    "Fine, the apparel stores and weapon shops make sense, but don''t angels not need to eat? How is there even a restaurant..." Still confused, I walked over to peek inside from the entrance. Indeed, a few angels sat at tables eating despite the lack of crowds.


    "Angels only don''t need to eat given sufficient light elements. It''s not that they can''t eat," Cyra rolled her eyes at me.


    "Many angels who return from the outside world grow fond of human world cuisine. Back here, of course, they would crave it. Demand begets supply. Commerce thrives on goods and technology brought back from the outside."


    I see, the human impact runs deep indeed, I thought to myself and nodded. Just then, she lightly tugged at my clothes.


    "Umm...during your month out there, did you earn any money?" Cyra asked, slightly embarrassed. With her already gorgeous face and that shy expression, I felt this brat can be pretty cute sometimes, if not for that mouth...You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Why do you ask about money?" Unsure how to respond, I asked back.


    "Well...Edenmere uses the same currency as the human world, called Silver I think." Cyra''s face turned redder. "I haven''t eaten anything for a whole month already..."


    "That long? Edenmere doesn''t provide food?" I exclaimed in shock. Come to think of it, the last time I ate was the beast meat back in Val City hideout, so it has been over a day.


    "Food is a luxury here. Unlike water, angels can survive in Edenmere without eating. Other than the banquet Lady Elara held to welcome us new angels that first day, the Tivi Palace has not provided any free food since," Cyra helplessly explained.


    "If you really want to eat, either find ingredients yourself from the forests outside the city, or come to restaurants in the streets..."


    "Is there no way to earn money in Edenmere?" I asked, confused. "Sweeping floors or waiting tables in shops should provide wages right?"


    "The low native population means an underdeveloped economy. Only the downtown area here has some shops and foot traffic. Further out it''s desolate. So there aren''t many job openings, and I''m at the bottom as a two-winged angel. The moment I said I wanted a job, shop owners would shake their heads. Those positions got snatched up by the four and six-winged angels... And I still have to attend lessons at the Tivi Palace every day..." Cyra''s head hung even lower now.


    "Stop blushing harder than a hot teapot!" Nicola couldn''t stand it anymore. She strode right towards the restaurant entrance, "It''s just a meal! I haven''t eaten in ages too. It''ll be my treat!"


    "Hold it!" I quickly grabbed Nicola. "Let''s check the prices first. Don''t let it cost an arm and a leg finishing our wallet in one go. And we didn''t even bring that much..." I felt my empty pockets and panicked, "My wallet''s gone!"


    I was about to accuse thieves when I looked down at the dress from Lady Eleanora. Right, my original clothes and wallet were still left in that room back in City Val.


    Seeing my situation, disappointment crept into Cyra''s pretty face at the lost chance to freeload this rare meal. "Your lost the wallet?"


    "There was over a hundred Silver..." I grumbled with the pain of that loss. Although I usually didn''t carry much cash, what was lost could have funded several low level quests at the Adventures Guild.


    If only I had gotten a storage ring earlier. What a waste.


    "A hundred Silver...enough for one or two meals here..." Cyra eyed the restaurant regretfully once more.


    "You two, come on. We''re angels for goodness sake. Yet here you are, faces of starvation..." Nicola couldn''t stand our wretchedness anymore. She then fished out her wallet, "Haha! You should be thanking me now! When I left to join the army, I knew I''d be gone for long. So I brought all my savings along."


    "Really? Everything?" My eyes lit up. Although she had squandered her fortune before, Angie had slowly built up her savings again to at least a thousand Silvers I reckon.


    " of course! let me count" Angel flashed a stack of banknotes thick as a brick right there on the street.


    "Don''t flaunt wealth! I saw it, I saw it!" I hurriedly stopped her attention-grabbing antics.


    Naturally, we then sauntered smugly into this fabled angel-run restaurant. I just wondered how the food tasted.


    "A table for three ladies? Please come in!" A petite girl emerged from behind the counter. Smelling a big sale from three customers, she welcomed us eagerly.


    "Together right?"


    "Yup, together!" Clearly not her first time here, Cyra led us upstairs instead of sitting in the lobby. She knew this place like the back of her hand.


    "Take us to a private room!"


    "Wha-?! They have private rooms too?!" My jaws nearly dropped. I had never even been to such high-class restaurants with private rooms back in human Norvale City. Yet here in this angel city, we made a beeline for one the moment we stepped into a restaurant?!


    "Wouldn''t those cost a fortune? Can we afford it?" I pulled Cyra aside and whispered anxiously, remembering our initial plan for a casual, affordable meal since we weren''t even hungry.


    "Don''t worry! Pricing here isn''t steep. Even the best private rooms in this restaurant top out at just over a hundred silvers. I checked thoroughly!" Cyra confidently reassured me. "Y''all definitely have enough money!"


    "Feliciana, stop pinching pennies," Nicola came over to persuade me too. "It''s a rare chance after narrowly surviving doom. For all of us to reunite in this foreign realm, one indulgent meal doesn''t seem excessive when we can afford it."


    "You''re right, I''m being overly dramatic... Maybe because I lived too poorly on Earth," I conceded and apologized. My money-saving habits were hard to break after a lifetime of poverty.


    "But it doesn''t seem right enjoying this feast without Reed. She survived with us too."  For us three to first wine and dine without her felt improper.

 Vol 3/Chapter 13: Misunderstanding

    "The top student probably won''t come even if you drag her here. She just likes reading books and doing experiments. Now she''s also practicing martial arts! She''s not interested in other recreational activities at all."


    Cyra pouted, feeling that there was no way Reed would agree to come.


    "No way! Although Reed is eccentric and not good at communicating, she will definitely come!"


    I shook my head, recalling Reed''s appearance at the previous reunion, sitting alone in the corner reading a book, not wanting to talk to her classmates at all. This should be an illusion.


    "If she was completely uninterested in interacting with her classmates, why did she come to this reunion in the first place? Otherwise, she wouldn''t have ended up crossing over into this world."


    "Feliciana is right. We aren''t hungry anyway, there''s no hurry. Let''s find Reed first before eating together."


    Hearing my words, Nicola also nodded in agreement.


    "What time do you guys close?"


    I walked over and habitually asked the little girl. She had no wings behind her back. Seeing her pointy ears, she should not be an angel who had folded her wings, but a light elf.


    "We don''t close here! Did you forget, Your Angelness? All stores in Edenmere are open 24 hours. You can come for a meal anytime."


    The light elf answered us very respectfully.


    "Oh, sorry..."


    I suddenly remembered there was no night here, so it made sense they didn''t close.


    But don''t these light elves still need to sleep like angels? I just don''t know what their work hours would be like. Based on my experience, they probably work in shifts.


    "So we still have to wait a while to eat?"


    Cyra asked disappointedly, staring longingly at the food on the tables of other customers in the hall, involuntarily swallowing.


    "You can''t get hungry anyway. Why are you acting like you haven''t eaten for days..."


    Seeing her like that, I felt it was a bit of an overreaction.


    "I haven''t eaten for a month..."


    Cyra said pitifully.


    "Even if I''m not hungry, not having anything to eat for so long still makes me crave food..."


    "Alright, fine. I''ll buy you a chicken leg first to curb your appetite. Don''t eat too full or you won''t be able to finish your meal later."


    Nicola looked helpless as she casually glanced at the menu. Although most were Western-style dishes, she still found roasted chicken legs in the corner. But that chicken leg was quite expensive, costing several dozen silvers.


    "Wow! Thank you so much! You''re like my rebirth parent!"


    As soon as Cyra heard, she happily shouted and tried to pounce over to hug Nicola.


    "No need... Save your hugs for your Lord."


    Nicola didn''t know whether to laugh or cry as she pushed Cyra away.


    "Tastes good?"


    Walking on the road, seeing Cyra wolfing down the oily chicken leg with her mouth dripping oil, I felt it looked a bit weird. Because Nicola grabbing her wing earlier looked almost like how she was gobbling down that drumstick.


    "Not bad... so-so..."


    Cyra swallowed the last bite of meat into her belly and wiped the oil from her mouth.


    "The stuff served at the new angel welcome banquet didn''t taste very good. This was still the first time I ate chicken legs after becoming an angel. Speaking of which, does this world have chickens too?"


    "Yes, the ecology here is quite similar to Earth, apart from those magical beasts."  This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Nicola nodded and replied. It was normal Cyra didn''t know since she hadn''t gone to the outside world.


    "Luckily you believe in the True Church. If it was Buddhism, you probably wouldn''t have anything to eat."


    Seeing her still licking her fingers one by one, I felt I couldn''t stand to keep watching. Too irritating for the eyes.


    "No way I''d join Buddhism. Those scammers!"


    Cyra answered disdainfully.


    "Don''t tell me there''s Buddhism in this world too?"


    "Uh... No, there isn''t..."


    I didn''t understand why she disliked Buddhism so much, but it wasn''t important. The most urgent thing now was to go to the library. So I gave her a push and said:


    "Alright, stop licking your fingers! Hurry and take us to find Reed. You want to eat right? The sooner we find Reed, the sooner you can start your meal."


    "(?£þ ? £þ?) Yes Ma''am!"


    As soon as Cyra heard, her spirit was roused. She hurriedly rushed to the front to lead the way.


    "How on earth did this chick become a priest?"


    Seeing Cyra''s back, Nicola whispered to me.


    "Who knows?"


    I was quite speechless too. Cyra gave off a feeling of being too unreliable. I also wonder who allowed her to rise to the position of priest.


    "Maybe it was because she was pious enough..."


    I was quite certain at least regarding her faith.


    "But from now on, Cyra definitely won''t be able to continue as a priest anymore. Now that she has become an angel, it would be a blessing if she doesn''t get treated as God''s wife."


    Nicola said gloatingly.


    "I think she will most likely change her name."


    After what we talked about, Cyra should have realized the problem and would change her name which was too eye-catching.


    "On the contrary, I feel she won''t."


    Nicola shook her head, expressing a different opinion. Suddenly, she looked at me meaningfully with a sly smile.


    "Wanna bet on it? 100 silver. What do you think?"


    "All our money is with you now. How to bet like this?"


    I rolled my eyes, feeling it was unfair.


    "If I win, you don''t have to give me money since you don''t have any anyway. If you win, I''ll give you 200 silver, how''s that?"


    Nicola had it all figured out, but when she saw me simply stretch out my palm to her, she didn''t understand what it meant for a moment.


    "Hand it over!"


    I pretended to be serious.


    "Hand what over?"


    Nicola still didn''t get it.


    "The money of course!"


    I shook the ring on my finger.


    "The storage ring is with me now, so of course all the money should go inside the storage ring. Safer than your wallet, right?"


    "You..."


    Nicola was momentarily speechless, but reluctantly took out her wallet from her pocket and handed everything to me, instructing:


    "This is all our fortune. Don''t lose it again, or we¡¯ll truly become destitute."


    "Don''t worry, I¡¯ll keep it safe!"


    Of course, I didn¡¯t dare to be careless. After putting the wallet into the ring and carefully checking again that nothing was amiss, I finally felt assured.


    "Alright, now we can continue talking about our bet. If I win, you don''t have to give me money since I don''t have any anyway. If you win, I''ll give you 200 silver pieces, how about that?"


    Seeing my sly grin, Nicola was baffled for a long time before forcing out a smile.


    "You went through all that just for a rhetorical quip?"


    "Not really..."


    I took off the ring from my finger and handed it to her.


    "Mainly because a lot happened and I forgot¡ªthis ring was originally given to you by future Nicola. It doesn''t feel right for me to keep holding on to it, so I''m taking this chance to return it to you. You have to keep our fortune safe!"


    "Oh, no need..."


    Originally Nicola wanted to hand the ring back to me, but she instantly recalled the scene of me stuffing books into the ring before, and her expression became one of realization.


    "Oh, I see! You were trying to take this chance to pass me those naughty books, weren''t you?"


    "What? naughty books? Where, where? Let me see!"


    With her sharp ears, Cyra walking in front had caught the keywords and immediately turned around excitedly asking to see them.


    "Ah..."


    I didn''t expect Nicola to still remember this matter. I instantly became a little panicky. All of future Nicola''s stuff in that ring had been dealt with when I found the chance. Now, other than a wallet, it was empty.


    "Where are my naughty books?"


    After Nicola put on the ring and took a look inside, she was unhappy of course.


    "What naughty books? I''ve never seen any naughty books before. And does this world even have naughty books?"


    I pretended to know nothing and said:


    "That book you saw before was just a cookbook. Seeing it useless, I threw it away. After all, it only took up space..."


    "Is that so?"


    Nicola looked at me suspiciously for a moment, seemingly not convinced.


    "So this is a storage ring? Looks so magical..."


    Standing next to Nicola, Cyra saw her operation and said wonderingly:


    "I heard this was invented by humans from the outside world. Many angels have them except me..."


    "No naughty books for you to see!"


    Seeing Cyra kept squee squeezing over wanting to peek inside the ring''s internal space, Nicola said impatiently.


    "Hmph! You guys are teasing me! Lying to my innocent feelings!"


    Seeing that, Cyra could only angrily stomp back to the front by herself.


    "..."


    Nicola silently stared at me for a good while, before suddenly lamenting.


    "Feliciana, you¡¯re becoming more and more like a girl now, even throwing away my naughty books."


    "You''re the girl!"


    I was so furious when I heard that. I''m trying so hard here!


    I was kindly helping Nicola conceal her future marriage and giving birth. But this chick turned around and said I was the one becoming girly.


    I was just trying to be nice but getting treated badly in return. If I had known earlier I wouldn''t have thrown away those educational items. Just let her get dead drunk alone in a corner then!


    "Nicola, that was a bit inappropriate. Feliciana is a girl now anyway!"


    Having heard our conversation at the back, Cyra came over to watch the commotion.


    "If you want to say who''s more like one... that would be hard to judge..."


    She made a gesture of bowing her head in thought, shaking her head evaluating:


    "Actually I feel you guys are both quite alike! Nicola, voluptuous figure. Feliciana, delicate and cute... Very nicccce!"


    "I want both of you! Don''t worry, I won''t mind your past. Just go for it!"


    Then she made a perverted expression wanting to pounce over.


    "Piss off!"


    I and Nicola sprayed fragrance at Cyra simultaneously, wishing we could kick this shit-stirrer flying with one kick.

 Vol 3/Chapter 14: Reed

    ¡°This is the angel''s library!¡±


    Standing in front of a tall domed building, Cyra stood with one hand on her hip as she introduced it.


    The library was not located in a particularly remote area. But after leaving the commercial street, the number of people around had started to decrease.


    Standing at the entrance of the library and looking around, I almost didn''t see any traces of creatures.


    ¡°It''s so desolate. Are you sure this is the right place?¡±


    I questioned with some disbelief.


    ¡°Of course! I''ve been here several times already. The angel population is small, this is normal...¡±


    Cyra confirmed without hesitation. After looking at Nicola following behind me, she showed a frightened expression.


    Just now, Nicola was also ruthless, forcibly plucking one of Cyra''s feathers, hurting her so much that she screamed. Even the angel patrol squad circling over the city heard it and flew over to inquire about the situation.


    ¡°Don''t worry! As long as you don''t always play with words, I won''t have the leisure to bully you. You brought this onto yourself...¡±


    Seeing Cyra like that, Nicola also had a helpless expression.


    ¡°But it hurts! I didn''t expect it to hurt so much to pluck an angel''s feathers...you guys are too cruel!¡±


    Cyra said very aggrievedly, making us look like big demons.


    ¡°Didn''t you claim to be a dude? Why are you acting like a whiny girl now?¡±


    Nicola really couldn''t stand her appearance and made the plucking motion again to frighten her.


    ¡°If you say any more I''ll pluck another feather!¡±


    ¡°Help! My wives are going to pluck my feathers...¡±


    Seeing this, Cyra didn''t dare stay there anymore. She ran straight into the library.


    ¡°Reed, come help me quick! Only you can deal with the great demon Nicola now!¡±


    ¡°Hey, don''t run so fast!¡±


    Nicola and I hurried to follow her in, afraid that the library was too big and we might get lost without a guide.


    ¡°What a high ceiling...¡±


    After entering from the front door into the interior, I suddenly felt open space in front of me, with a spacious rectangular hall appearing before my eyes. But the most stunning thing was still the ceiling above my head. I had thought such a tall building would be divided into several floors, but in fact there wasn''t even a second floor. The whole structure of the building was just like a chimney with a domed roof. The bright light from outside shone directly onto the ground through the dome, eliminating the need for any additional lighting.


    ¡°Where''s Cyra?¡±


    I looked around. Apart from a row of tables in front with a four-winged angel who looked like the manager standing behind them, I couldn''t see anyone else. There were a few more doors opened across the hall. The real book chambers were probably behind them.


    ¡°Are you guys together?¡±


    That four-winged angel seemed to be quite familiar with Cyra already. She pointed to one of the doors and said,


    ¡°She went inside again to look for Reed. But you two are new faces. It seems I''ve never seen you before...¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is our first time here.¡±


    Nicola nodded.


    ¡°First time?¡±


    Hearing this, the four-winged angel looked at the wings behind us with some doubt.


    ¡°You already have six wings, yet you''ve never been to the library before?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we don''t like reading books...¡±  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    I knew it would be hard to simply explain things clearly, so I could only gloss over it.


    ¡°Actually, we came here to find Reed. Do you know where she is?¡±


    Through the door she pointed out, I could see what looked like an outdoor courtyard behind it. I didn''t dare recklessly chase in, afraid of getting lost.


    ¡°Reed usually reads books in the magic book chamber, but occasionally she also goes to the outdoor training ground to test magic. So I can''t be sure exactly where she is now...¡±


    The four-winged angel replied regretfully. It seemed that because there were usually not many people here, she was still quite familiar with where these regular visitors would be.


    ¡°Why don''t I take you guys to find her?¡±


    She was about to fly out from behind the table as she spoke.


    ¡°No need!¡±


    At this moment, Cyra''s voice suddenly rang out in the hall. I saw her waving at us from the edge of the door.


    ¡°I should have known you guys wouldn''t chase me for so long. You''re still in the main hall!¡±


    Then she said to the four-winged angel again,


    ¡°It''s okay, I can take them in myself.¡±


    ¡°It''s no trouble on my part at all... You know this place doesn''t usually have many visitors.¡±


    The four-winged angel said helplessly.


    ¡°If Reed invents any new magic spells again, you must let me know first so I can go see!¡±


    ¡°Why do you make Reed sound like an inventor? She only invented some spell didn''t she?¡±


    Following behind Cyra, I asked her doubtfully.


    ¡°It seems no new angel magic has been invented for thousands of years, so Reed is especially valued. Moreover, she still only has two wings now!¡±


    Cyra led us through the indoor courtyard we had seen earlier, passing by quite a few book chambers along the way.


    I saw that these book chambers were full of shelves, at least tens of meters high. This was obviously designed for angels'' use, as ordinary humans would find it hard to climb to such heights to fetch books.


    ¡°These are just the spare book repositories. In the dedicated storage space, there is another copy stored according to classification. Normally when angels come here, they just need to find Monna at the front desk, the four-wing angel from earlier. She can quickly retrieve whichever book you want directly from the storage space for you. There''s no need to come in here and search manually at all.¡±


    Seeing Nicola and I constantly peering curiously inside, Cyra explained.


    ¡°It''s really convenient. Earth can''t compare in this aspect!¡±


    After listening, I couldn''t help but admire it.


    ¡°But it still can''t withstand Reed''s frequent borrowing and returning. Monna gets quite annoyed by it. That''s why the spare book repository is opened for Reed to flip through and search on her own, as long as everything is put back in place at the end.¡±


    After Cyra finished speaking, she pushed open the large door in front of her. I saw the words "Magic Book Chamber" written on the door in large font.


    ¡°Reed, guess who''s here!¡±


    As soon as Cyra walked in, she shouted at the top of her voice. I saw a pair of eyes slowly rise from behind a pile of thick books.


    ¡°I know. Monna already told me earlier that two newly born angels from the outside world have come to find me. They should be classmates from Earth, right?¡±


    Reed''s soft and glutinous voice came out, sounding much nicer than before. I saw those eyes look everyone up and down, then stop on Nicola and me.


    ¡°They are?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they are high school classmates! This one is Flynn, and this one is Reilly. They are now called Feliciana and Nicola...¡±


    Cyra excitedly introduced, pointing at us.


    ¡°How is it? The change is huge, right? If I didn''t say, you definitely wouldn''t have been able to guess who they were!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, I saw those eyes sink back behind the pile of books again, and then there was no more sound.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...Is that it?¡±


    Nicola couldn''t seem to accept it and asked, though I didn''t know if she was asking Cyra or Reed.


    ¡°It seems like that''s it...¡±


    I also felt it was a bit too casual. I had looked forward to an emotionally moving reunion scene between classmates after going through an ordeal. But then I remembered who it was, and my heart suddenly felt much more at ease.


    ¡°That''s exactly it!¡±


    Cyra shrugged helplessly. It seemed she had already expected this kind of reaction beforehand.


    ¡°Reed, what are you doing back there?¡±


    I decided to take the initiative and went around the bookshelves to the other side, behind the pile of books. I saw a short-haired girl sitting on the ground, wholeheartedly focused on the book in her hand.


    ¡°Out of all our high school gatherings, there are only four of us classmates left alive. So we came here specially to find you...¡±


    ¡°Where are your wings?¡±


    I realized she had no wings behind her back. Her current state was no different from an ordinary human.


    ¡°Did you hide them away?¡±


    ¡°Yes, too annoying. My wings spread out on the ground would get in the way of me finding books.¡±


    Reed turned her head to glance at me, then continued to bury her head in reading.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Only then did I see her looks. She resembled her pre-transmigration self quite a bit, also with the same shoulder-length bob hairstyle, except her hair color had become light blond like Cyra''s.


    ¡°Why is your hair so short?¡±


    ¡°It''s annoying, so I cut it.¡±


    This time Reed didn''t even lift her head, just answered directly with her eyes still on the book.


    ¡°...¡±


    I felt a little awkward. I looked back at Cyra and Nicola, then at myself. We all had long hair.


    The originally born girl in this room had the shortest hair, while we who used to be boys had hair longer than each other.


    Especially Cyra, her long hair seemed to have never been cut at all, still almost covering her butt, just like me in the past. Of course, many angels in Edenmere were mostly similar, though they would generally tie their hair up with ribbons or twist it into buns and braids, for convenience of action.


    ¡°Don''t look at me! I''m going with the flow. The angels here are all the same, short hair is not popular. I wouldn''t randomly chop it all off with one slash like Reed did...¡±


    Seeing my attention shift onto her, Cyra''s pretty face flushed red as she explained.


    ¡°Besides, whenever I ask to cut my hair short, Norma and the others always nag that angel hair grows slowly, that it would take thousands of years to grow back, blah blah blah... So I don''t dare mess with it carelessly.¡±


    After saying this, she immediately redirected the topic back at me.


    ¡°And you guys still have waist-length hair that''s not much different! Acting all high and mighty, hmph... When your hair grows to your waist, dude will I marry you!"

 Vol 3/Chapter 15: The Power of the Top Student

    "You''ve gone too far!"


    Seeing Cyra pretending to be coy in front of me, I just wanted to tear her mouth apart.


    "If you have a problem with it, I''ll just cut my hair short when I get back, the same length as Reed''s. Then you''ll have nothing to say, right?"


    Although I had initially felt my hair was too long and cut it a bit shorter, I still couldn''t bear to cut too much. Nicola probably felt the same way. But now it has become a reason to be mocked.


    "Feliciana, don''t take Cyra''s words to heart. She''s always been like this with her words!"


    Hearing I wanted to cut my hair, Nicola quickly dissuaded me.


    "Besides, Norma also said angel hair takes thousands of years to grow back, so it needs to be treated carefully. If you make one wrong cut with the scissors, it would take at least thousands of years to grow back."


    "Did Norma say that?"


    I looked at Cyra doubtfully to confirm if this was true. Although I did feel like my hair hadn''t grown much in the past month, it would still be prudent to double-check.


    "It''s true, I swear!"


    Seeing my reaction, Cyra immediately raised her hand and said solemnly.


    "Otherwise I would have cut this long hair off already. It''s so inconvenient. Unfortunately, there are no reliable hairstylists in Edimere. I wish I could have it the same length as you guys..."


    "Have Nicola help you cut it. She cut my hair and it turned out alright."


    Since I felt it was just a matter of cutting long hair shorter without any styling, there was no need for a professional hairstylist. Cyra was probably just reluctant to part with her long hair til now.


    "You guys should go chat outside if you have nothing to do. Don''t stand here."


    Just then, Reed suddenly spoke up, clearly unhappy that we were disturbing her reading.


    "What kind of books are you reading so attentively?"


    Seeing Reed completely engrossed, Nicola walked over and casually picked up one of the books to take a look.


    "''Introduction to Magic Studies''..."


    I also took a peek from next to her. It reminded me of the various science courses I had taken in university.


    "What''s that other book you have there?"


    Nicola still wouldn''t give up, hoping to find a more normal book.


    "''Analysis of Auxiliary Circuits in Magic Arrays''"


    Reed briefly showed us the cover before turning her back again, no longer wanting to entertain us.


    "It''s up to you now, Feliciana. I was an art major in university."


    Nicola patted me on the shoulder and left the room without another word.


    "Hey! Even though I was a science major, magic stuff is still completely different, okay?"


    I said incredulously as I saw Cyra also shrug and exit the room, suddenly feeling all alone.


    "Um... Reed..."


    I stuttered a few words but got no reaction at all from the other party. My forehead started sweating a little.


    "Today is a rare chance for us four survivors to get together here. Want to join us for a meal?"


    I gathered my courage and asked the question I had originally come here for. Although I was quite certain earlier that Reed would agree to the dinner gathering, seeing her reaction now, I broke into a cold sweat.


    "Okay..."


    After a long pause, Reed finally gave a slow reply.


    "Great! Let''s get going then. Nicola and the others are waiting outside. And Cyra hasn''t eaten in a month already and can''t wait for this meal!"  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Seeing that she finally agreed, I knew I hadn''t judged her wrongly. I quickly urged her along happily.


    "Let me finish reading this last bit. You guys can go wait outside. I''ll be out shortly."


    She was still facing away from me and showed no intention of turning around. But since she gave her word, there should be no issues.


    Seeing my objective was already achieved, I didn''t say anything more and exited the "Magic Library" as she had asked.


    "How did it go?"


    Nicola and Cyra were indeed waiting outside. They immediately asked me as soon as I came out.


    "Done!"


    I made a victory sign with two fingers and smiled.


    "She said to wait a while. She just needs to finish reading something then she''ll come out."


    "Wow! You even managed to convince the aloof bookworm!"


    Nicola gave me a thumbs up in praise.


    "I''ve been saying all along, that Reed doesn''t oppose interacting with classmates!"


    I was also secretly relieved I hadn''t judged wrongly, otherwise would have been quite awkward.


    "Let''s wait here for a bit then..."


    Seeing the situation, Cyra could only find a spot to sit down.


    "Hopefully not too long. I''m still waiting to eat."


    "Don''t worry. Reed said she''d be out soon!"


    I firmly reiterated what she had told me earlier.


    "Unlike you, she''s reliable with her words. She definitely won''t go back on it."


    "But just waiting here is so boring. Don''t you have anything to kill the time? Like playing cards or something?"


    Cyra asked Nicola and me.


    "Get lost! Where would there be such things in this world!"


    I was too lazy to entertain her further. Looking around at the other rooms, I noticed there was a "History Library" next to the Magic one. I felt somewhat curious to take a look inside.


    "No playing cards here, but I have something even more exciting. Wanna take a look?"


    Nicola suddenly said mysteriously with a wink towards Cyra. She then took out two cards from her pocket.


    "Ta-da! What else could it be other than the wildly popular magical illusion cards that were all the rage in the human world!"


    Of course, it had to be those dumb cards... I rolled my eyes.


    "What''s this? Just two cards that look like a kid''s toy. How do you play with them?"


    At first, Cyra seemed completely disinterested. But after Nicola turned the cards into physical creatures, her eyes lit up immediately and she rushed forward, mouth agape in astonishment.


    "Sugoi! Amazing! How did you do that? Yoisho! They''ve become real!"


    "You guys take your time checking them out. I''m gonna go take a look in the History Library."


    Seeing them fawn over the angel from the card like nymphos, I really couldn''t take it anymore. I used it as an excuse to get away first.


    The number of books in this library was still quite substantial. Although the area was smaller compared to the Magic Library Reed was in earlier, there were still dozens of shelves.


    Glancing through them quickly, most were history books regarding angels and Edimere. There were some books about human world history too but very few in comparison.


    I randomly picked out a book called "Chronicles of Angels Battling Demons Volume 3" and flipped through it. One page described:


    "Elara the First led a legion of angels into the heartlands of the Dark Continent in hopes of defeating Demon Overlord HarTant in an epic battle. But HarTant held fast defending the Gates of Hell and did not emerge. Meanwhile, he stealthily sent armies from other unknown exits of Hell to attack the rear of Elara''s forces. Caught between enemies on both front and back, the entire Angel army was wiped out. Elara the First perished in battle while the allied human forces also suffered enormous casualties, with only a small number of survivors managing to escape back to Eldoria Continent. The first Dark Continent siege campaign thus ended in utter failure..."


    What the heck is this HarTant! Is this supposed to be a comedy? And isn''t the demon overlord called Michelle? Did the leadership change? Come to think of it, there seems to be a cycle of power transfer and succession on the angel side as well. This Elara the First sounds more like a title. So is Elara not a name? Then who is the current Elara?


    Just reading this one page brought up so many additional questions. But it wasn''t too important for me so after skimming a little more, I placed the book back on the shelf.


    "What''s with that sword of yours?"


    Just as I was about to pick up another book to continue browsing, I suddenly heard Reed''s voice coming from outside the library. Looks like she had come out already. I quickly made my way out of the History Library.


    Only when I got back into the hallway did I realize why Reed had asked that question. Right now, Nicola was putting on her usual performance ¨C Condensation Sword emerging from the palm.


    Meanwhile Cyra had a fan-girlish look, repeatedly clapping and shouting ¡°Sugoi!¡± excitedly. Seeing Reed emerge from the Magic Library, she eagerly pointed it out.


    "Quick, take a look! This is the cheat power Nicola mentioned! Awesome right? Badass right?"


    Seriously, leave it to Nicola to show off like this. Looks like those inflatable dolls didn''t keep her entertained for long before she had no choice but to bring out her "ultimate move".


    "I see it. Nicola, you summoned this weapon from another dimension?"


    Reed approached Nicola very curiously and tried poking the palm of her hand.


    "Careful, don''t hurt yourself..."


    Seeing Reed suddenly stretch her fingers out like that, Nicola quickly warned her. After all, little sparks and electricity could occasionally be seen when the Condensation Sword emerged.


    "It''s fine. An angel body can easily withstand that level of energy."


    Reed explained nonchalantly and fearlessly sticking her fingers right into Nicola''s palm without hesitation. I saw that her fingers did not sink into the rippling concentric circles generated when the Condensation Sword appeared, as I had imagined.


    "Hmm... doesn''t seem to be a storage dimension or anything similar. In that case, it''s very likely an actual physical sword formed out of thin air. Although I can''t sense what element it is, judging from the lightning discharge, it should be a wind-element physical sword created from nothingness, right?"


    Reed pondered briefly before deducing the origins of Nicola''s Condensation Sword based on her observations.


    "Com...completely correct..."


    Nicola and I were shocked and speechless. We didn''t expect her to be so incredible, analyzing it flawlessly down to every detail. So this is what the top student is capable of! Simply amazing!

 Vol 3/Chapter 16: Dinner Party

    "Your body is very interesting..."


    After examining Nicola''s body briefly, Reed said.


    "Although your body is made up of light elements like us, you can utilize wind elements to create physical weapons. This is something no other angel can do... Would you let me research you for a few days?"


    "No...I can''t!"


    Nicola''s body shuddered as she felt Reed looking at her like a lab rat.


    She now deeply regretted summoning the Condensation Sword in front of Reed, it was like walking into a tiger''s den.


    "Then can I borrow that sword for a few days at least?"


    Seeing Nicola''s firm refusal, Reed looked disappointed, but she did not give up and set her sights on the Condensation Sword again. Her eyes were very sharp and she quickly noticed its extraordinary nature, immediately asking Nicola for it.


    "No...this sword is very dangerous!"


    Seeing Reed staring fixedly at the Condensation Sword in her hand still, Nicola''s body trembled again, nearly losing her grip. She quickly dispelled the physical state of the sword.


    "Let''s not talk about this now. Let''s go eat first, we can discuss more after the meal."


    Seeing Reed''s eagerness, Nicola was afraid she would stab herself with the sword immediately in the name of "experiment". This was no joke.


    "Alright...remember to give it to me after the meal!"


    Seeing no choice, Reed could only retract her gaze and nod at me.


    "Then let''s go quickly. I still have experiments to do..."


    "This is..."


    I was looking forward to this dinner. I didn''t want it to end so quickly. Her words made me feel hopeless.


    "Let''s go! I''m starving!"


    Cyra couldn''t wait any longer. Seeing everyone had arrived, she hurriedly urged us to leave, even pretending to rub her belly, though she could not feel hungry.


    The rest of us followed Cyra leading the way back without hesitation.


    "You''re finally leaving? How rare!"


    When we returned to the lobby, the four-winged angel Mona was still at the counter. Seeing Reed walking among us, she couldn''t believe her eyes.


    "Yes, just going out for a meal. I''ll be back later. Don''t touch my books."


    Reed nodded slightly in response, then gave her a few more instructions.


    "Ok...Ok!"


    Watching us walk out of the door, it took Mona a long time to respond.


    "You''ve been in the library for so many days. Don''t you pay attention to personal hygiene at all? Aren''t you afraid of body odour?"


    I frowned. I felt Reed''s learning attitude was a bit crazy. Although I didn''t smell anything unpleasant from her, I still couldn''t help asking.


    "We are no longer humans now. Our bodies are completely made up of light elements, including bodily secretions like sweat.


    Hearing my question, Reed gave a very professional explanation.


    "So when they leave the body and are discharged externally, they will revert to dispersed light elements and dissipate directly into the air in a short time without leaving any trace. Also, angels have a very slow metabolism. With multiple factors combined, as long as we don''t get too much dust in very dirty places, even if we don''t bathe for years, we will be cleaner than humans who don''t bathe for a day. So naturally there won''t be any body odor."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    She sounded so reasonable that I was at a temporary loss for words to refute. But she did not stop there and continued thinking aloud.


    "Based on this theory, it can be deduced that blood leaving the body will also disappear by turning into light elements in a very short time. But I haven''t been injured yet. I''m considering trying it out one day..."


    "Don''t!"


    Afraid that she would come up with more strange ideas, I hurriedly stopped her.


    "You don''t need to try this anymore. I''ve been injured outside several times already. I can prove that the blood does turn into white light and disappear after leaving the body."


    "Oh, is that so... But if I don''t see it with my own eyes, I still feel uneasy..."


    Reed looked hesitant, seemingly unwilling to give up so easily.


    I deeply suspected that she might experiment on herself. But I didn''t know how to persuade her further, I could only hope nothing bad will happen.


    In the private room on the second floor of the "Human World Restaurant".


    "Please wait here for a while, esteemed angels. Call me again when you have rested well and are ready."


    After speaking, the light elf waiter left the private room.


    "Rest? Are there so many procedures for eating in a private room?"


    I asked Cyra doubtfully. She was probably the most familiar here.


    "I''m not sure either..."


    She smiled helplessly and said,


    "I just heard other angels mention that dining in private rooms provides the best experience."


    "Best experience?"


    I was even more confused. It was just a meal, wasn''t it? How did experience even get involved? Were there additional performances or something?


    But the waiter did not come back after going out. We waited for a very long time but no food was served.


    "What are we doing?"


    Reed asked expressionlessly. She was very unhappy about this kind of wasteful waiting.


    "Why is the food still not here? I feel hungrier and hungrier..."


    Cyra lay limply on the table and said weakly.


    "So hungry I barely have any strength left..."


    "How can that be possible? Shouldn''t we angels never get tired in Edemmere?"


    I thought she was exaggerating again and wanted to refute her, but strangely, I also started feeling hungry myself.


    "How can I feel hungry? What''s going on here? Could it be..."


    Nicola touched her belly and suddenly realized something. She got up and walked outside the room.


    "Just as I thought! The light elements in this room have been blocked."


    After carefully sensing the difference inside and outside the private room, she walked back in and said,


    "Could it be...the so-called best experience refers to cutting off light elements to make angels experience hunger, so the food tastes even better?"


    I suddenly understood the mystery behind this. I couldn''t help but feel amused. An utterly normal experience in the outside world became a luxury enjoyment when brought into Edemmere, exclusive to private rooms.


    "It does seem to be the case."


    Reed got up and pushed open the room''s wooden window. Through the pitch-blackness outside, she agreed with my view.


    "So the ''rest'' the waiter mentioned earlier refers to waiting for us to feel hungry!"


    Cyra suddenly realized too. She immediately called out loudly to the door,


    "Waiter, we can serve the dishes now!"


    "Have the esteemed angels rested well?"


    The light elf waiter walked back in shortly after.


    "Yes, you can serve the dishes now."


    Nicola nodded. Then we saw the waiter clap his hands outside the door. Several other waiters suddenly appeared at the door, walking in one by one carrying dishes. The last male light elf held a bottle of wine in his hands.


    "Did you order wine?"


    I whispered to Nicola quietly.


    "It''s included as a complimentary in their private room package."


    Nicola shook her head at me and said.


    "Also, I feel like wine should be had to liven things up for this dinner gathering, don''t you think? Moreover, I''m very curious about the wine sold in Edemmere..."


    "I guess you''re right. But don''t drink too much, be careful not to get drunk again."


    I reminded her worriedly. Recalling her binge drinking and raging drunken behaviour last time, it made me feel a slight headache coming.


    "Don''t worry, I used to be high society. I would never do something so crude as binge drinking."


    Nicola asserted firmly.


    "Liar..."


    I deeply doubted her words. I turned to continue watching the waiters serve dishes.


    "Poached phoenix tail bird egg."


    "Misty spinach soup."


    "Lizard meat steak."


    "Stuffed chicory."


    ...


    They were all some strange-sounding dish names. Everyone had a serving. While some dishes looked decent enough, whether they tasted good remained to be seen.


    I was disappointed to see the waiters were uniformly light elves, mostly male at that. Not an angel waiter in sight that I was hoping for.


    "There may be another implication that people don''t want to hire you as a waitress..."


    I whispered to Cyra. Combined with the extremely deferential attitude those light elf waiters had shown us earlier, it seemed less likely that they didn''t want to hire, but more like they didn''t dare to.


    "Whatever the reason, the result is still the same."


    Cyra could only sigh helplessly at me.


    "Alright, I''ll pour the wine instead of you."


    Seeing the last waiter about to pour wine for us, Nicola stood up to stop him.


    "Please enjoy your meal slowly, esteemed angels..."


    After all the waiters bowed deferentially and exited the private room one by one, Nicola poured wine into each of our glasses.


    "It was not easy. The last time we gathered was at the KTV private suite in Aurora Entertainment. And now after parting ways, only four of us survivors remain..."


    Holding her glass, Nicola made some remarks, then spilled the wine in her glass onto the floor.


    "Let''s dedicate this first glass to those classmates who have passed on..."


    Seeing her actions, the three of us instantly had grave expressions on our faces. We also stood up and poured the wine in our hands onto the ground.


    Unlike us, Cyra was a Church follower. She made the sign of the cross over her chest and closed her eyes to murmur a short eulogy prayer.


    "May God forgive you all, just as you have forgiven others. From dust you come and to dust you shall return. May your souls rest in heaven! Amen!"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 17: Dinner Party 2

    "I''m sorry, everyone should be happy getting together, but I brought up something too formal and sad. My apologies," Nicola explained to us somewhat regretfully.


    "No problem. The dead come first, we''re lucky to survive, perhaps thanks to the blessings of those dead classmates..." I quickly expressed that I didn''t mind.


    At this moment, Cyra had just finished her prayer. Thinking of our current situation, she suddenly felt her eulogy was quite meaningful.


    "It is said that in the eyes of the outside world, especially the True Church, Edenmere is often equated with heaven..."


    "What a coincidence! What a coincidence!" Cyra awkwardly waved her hand. After all, she was unwilling to admit that we were currently in heaven.


    Moreover, I felt the same way. After all, the impression of heaven is closer to a spiritual symbol, not the actual nest of angels.


    "Eat, eat! I won''t care about you if you don''t eat!"


    Seeing everyone standing there for a long time without recovering, Cyra plopped back into her chair and began to chomp on her steak.


    "Hmm - This steak is delicious! What animal is it called again?"


    "I think it¡¯s called a water lizard..."


    I flipped the meat on my plate with a fork, not quite daring to bite into it. It was my first time eating this kind of animal. But seeing her eating with great relish, I could only try a bite first.


    "Not bad!"


    The taste was fine, but unfortunately, it was prepared in an exotic style which I wasn''t quite used to eating.


    "If there are ingredients, I can make a hometown version another day."


    "I''ll be waiting for that!"


    As soon as Cyra heard that, she immediately raised her fork wanting me to set a date.


    "Uh...let''s talk about it later. I don''t even know where to find ingredients in Edenmere yet."


    I didn''t dare make big promises. The dishes I had researched in Norvale before were successful only after many attempts.


    The ingredients in this world seemed to be much more diverse than I had imagined. The texture of each animal''s meat was very different and could not be generalized at all.


    "Feliciana is good at cooking. In the capital, I only eat the meals she makes."


    Nicola chimed in to encourage me.


    "Don''t make things difficult for me!"


    I glared at her. I didn''t want to get entangled in this issue further, so I lowered my head and took a sip of the refilled wine in my cup.


    What a strange taste. Although it did have a wine flavour, I didn''t like it. I felt it was much worse than beer. I didn''t know if the angels made it themselves or brought it in from the outside world. Anyway, I felt this wine wasn''t worth it and eating the dishes was better.


    "I also want to eat the dishes Feliciana makes."


    After tasting some of the food in front of her, Reed suddenly spoke up.


    "Well..."


    Now I have a headache. Why did everyone want me to cook?


    "Angels in Edenmere don''t need to eat in the first place. Our gathering here to dine is already an extravagance. Where would there be a kitchen for me to cook?"


    I was certain the room allocated to me and Nicola would not possibly have a kitchen. I could only patiently explain to the nerd.


    "Then you can cook for us after we get to the outside world." Reed added to clarify.


    So that was what she meant! I instantly understood.


    "It would be much simpler if it was in the human world. But can you leave Edenmere?"  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Considering that she, like Cyra, probably only had two wings, I was afraid it would be very difficult to achieve in a short time.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll go talk to Elara about it."


    Reed didn''t seem to care about this issue at all.


    "Besides, I''ve wanted to go out and take a look for a long time. The angel library has many books, but without experimental materials, many theories can''t be verified."


    "Alright then. If there is an opportunity after going out, I''ll cook for you to try."


    Seeing her confidence, I just agreed.


    However, the topic of the human world piqued the curiosity of another person.


    "What do you two usually do when staying in the outside world? Don''t tell me you just made money?"


    Cyra asked vaguely with food in her mouth.


    "I don''t believe you two just adventured and did missions! Those countries in the other world must be very interesting! Tell me honestly, where have you been? How many bosses have you defeated? How many wives have you lied to? Have you seduced any princesses from those countries?"


    "It''s not that exaggerated. You''ve been poisoned by online novels and anime too much!"


    Seeing her going more and more overboard, I couldn''t help rebutting.


    "It''s just like Earth, not much difference!"


    It was obvious Cyra was quite looking forward to the outside world. But real life was not as exciting as imagined. Most of the time, Nicola and I were staying in the capital city mixing with ordinary people, going to work and taking missions from the adventurers association, completing missions and turning them in, turning in missions to take more... This plain and unremarkable life would probably have continued if I hadn''t been mysteriously transmitted to the Dark Continent. A day like today where the four of us gathered probably wouldn''t happen again for a long time.


    "You''re lying!"


    But she didn''t buy my story and even took out evidence.


    "Just now I heard Nicola mention something about Michelle, twelve wings, red wings, fire elements and stuff. There are no twelve-winged angels to be seen in the entire Edenmere! You had such magical experiences yet still tell me it''s the same as Earth!"


    "Red wings? What''s going on?"


    Hearing what she said, Reed also found an interesting point.


    "Ask them! It seemed to be an enemy they had encountered before, that''s all I know..."


    Cyra pointed at me and Nicola, waiting to listen to the story.


    "Before we came to Edenmere, we were being chased by a monster leader called the Goddess of Fire..."


    This was no longer a secret. Since they asked, I didn''t hide it and roughly recounted the events again.


    "The content you told still has considerable value. The twelve-winged, red-winged Goddess of Fire Michelle, and the mysterious time manipulator, are all worth studying."


    After listening, Reed finally commented. This was going overboard. It was as if those big shots were already under her control.


    To avoid unnecessary trouble, what I told them was a ** version. In the end, I held back and didn''t mention the magical plot of Nicola''s future return to fulfill her promise. After all, I felt Cyra''s mouth was a bit unsafe.


    "So your job at the Adventurer''s Association was to carry humans around flying everywhere?"


    Cyra''s point of concern was quite strange as she eyed me curiously and asked.


    "That''s the legendary ¡°Transportation Maiden¡±!


    "Definitely not! There were also various other missions which do not carry people, like clearing monsters, delivering letters...¡±


    I was explaining it normally at first without understanding her meaning. After a long pause, I finally realized. This ¡°maiden¡± was not that ¡°machine¡±! I wanted to strangle her.


    "Enough out of you! All day long spouting these crooked absurd ideas. You should think more about your name! If you don''t mind, I''d be happy to help spread the word of your special relationship with God."


    I gnashed my teeth threateningly. Now probably only this kind of stuff was what she cared most about.


    "I''m not afraid at all! The archangel Cyra I share a name with has six wings while I only have one pair now. No one would believe it anyway!"


    However, Cyra didn''t seem to care about my threat at all and refuted it strongly.


    "You''re really not going to change your name?"


    I was truly shocked. Previously when Nicola said she wouldn''t change her name, I didn''t believe it. But now it seems her words have come true.


    "I''m not changing it! I''ve made up my mind."


    Sure enough, Cyra shook her head very affirmatively and said:


    "Since the Lord has given me the similar birth name ''Cyrus'', there must be a purpose for it. It''s just a common name right now. If some rumors and gossip are enough to scare me into changing my name, that would show a lack of devotion."


    "What if the Yawee in this world exists and mistakes you for his wife Cyra?"


    I didn''t believe she could accept this fact when the time came.


    "Impossible. If the Lord really exists in this world, he would definitely not confuse me with that archangel. Because the Lord is all-knowing. If there is a so-called God Yawee who insists on recognizing me as his wife, then he must not be the true Lord."


    Cyra said very decisively. Her thinking was quite clear and her analysis spot on.


    "But the trouble is not limited to this. There are also those followers of God. Once they know your name, they will surely pester you endlessly."


    I warned unrelentingly. Selene had been extremely excited upon hearing this name before.


    "That would be troublesome too..."


    Hearing this, Cyra murmured thoughtfully for a moment, then waved her hand dismissively.


    "Forget it, whatever! Compared to everything else, these are all trivial matters. I just don''t believe those True Church people can do anything to me as an angel."


    "Huh? So casual about it?"


    I had previously felt she was considering things carefully. But now she was telling me to just let it go!


    However, on second thought, Cyra hadn''t even been out of Edenmere before. She had never seen what the human world outside was really like, so it was understandable she couldn''t consider too much.


    "Feliciana, what do you think?"


    Nicola nudged me gently and grinned smugly.


    "I''m right aren''t I? You lose! Don''t worry, you don''t need to give me 100 silvers as promised!"


    "Blind cat bumping into dead mice!"


    To be honest, I was very dissatisfied. This loss came too quickly. Cyra really let me down. I had staked my hopes of 100 silvers on her. To think her willpower was so weak! Wasn''t she the one who first said she would change her name!

 Vol 3/ Chapter 18: Self Created Magic

    "Reed, I heard you created your own magic spell. Would you like to show us?" Nicola suddenly asked as the dinner was winding down.


    "No!" As expected, Reed decisively rejected her request.


    "I''m busy! I still have a lot to do. I need to go back to the library to read books."


    Nicola didn''t seem discouraged and tried again, "Or how about we spar for a bit?"


    "I heard from Cyra that although you only have two wings, your strength is quite formidable that even she can''t beat you. And now I have six wings, so I should be able to match you, right?"


    "The strength of six wings is decent..." After all, it was two whole ranks higher. Reed had to admit Nicola had a point and her tone softened a little.


    "But in Edenmere, angels with six wings are not hard to find. Your conditions don''t seem to be enough..."


    "What do you mean?" Nicola leaned back slightly, seeming to understand what Reed meant.


    "That''s right. Like I said earlier, I want to research that sword you have for a few days. That should be fine, right?" Reed didn''t hesitate to make her demand again.


    "No way!" Nicola rejected it without a thought. The secrets hidden within the Condensation Sword were too many, even herself didn''t fully understand them. Moreover, it involved time. Even if Reed was a genius, Nicola worried something may go wrong during research.


    "It doesn¡¯t have to be the sword..." Seeing Nicola''s firm refusal, Reed was taken aback. Nicola made the sword, yet she was guarding it so closely. But Reed didn''t want to obsess over it and made another request, "Then you''ll have to voluntarily assist me in my research for a few days. That should be acceptable, right?"


    As expected, it was the same request. She had mentioned it earlier in the library too, but Nicola skirted past it then. Bringing up the old request now and using her self-created magic as leverage.


    "You won''t dissect me for research, right?" Although Reed was a classmate, Nicola still couldn''t fully trust her and cautiously asked.


    "Of course not! I''m not a medical researcher. I''m just curious why you''re an angel yet can control the wind element." Reed explained matter-of-factly. As expected of the aloof girl, if I were doubted like this, I would surely loudly protest.


    "So does that mean if you were a medical researcher, you might dissect me?" Hearing that, Nicola didn''t feel relieved at all but even more apprehensive.


    "You''re deliberately exaggerating. I don''t want to dwell on such meaningless talk." Reed focused on her food and soup after saying that, indicating she would ignore such talk.


    "I... " Nicola let out an embarrassed laugh, momentarily forgetting Reed''s personality wouldn''t entertain such joking around. Nicola decided to be serious again and asked, "Then tell me, why do you want to research me? What exactly do you want me to do?"


    "You already have six wings, don''t you know some basic common sense of this world?" Reed asked seriously.


    "Since you can control an element, that means you can sense it and use corresponding elemental magic. That is called elemental affinity. And now as an angel, you being able to control the wind element is very abnormal. Normally, you shouldn''t be able to have wind elemental affinity at all."


    "Oh right! Lady Elara was just talking about related stuff earlier!" Cyra suddenly recalled, slapping her thigh.


    "But that was about Feliciana, suspecting she has water elemental affinity because her wings turned blue. And it likely has to do with our souls that crossed over!"Stolen novel; please report.


    "Wings turned blue? Souls?" Reed glanced at me, her sharp eyes making me break into a cold sweat.


    "Seems like you two have many hidden secrets..."


    "No way! We came over from Earth together! We know everything about each other, what secrets could there be?" I quickly explained, not wanting her to misunderstand we were hiding anything. Our experiences in the Dark Continent were too long and messy, and not suitable to elaborate on now.


    But she was the top student who read many magic books, likely having some insights in this area. So I simply explained again the part about my wings turning blue.


    "So the initial suspicion is it''s related to our souls, since our souls are from different worlds. We plan to ask the Sages'' Council for help after staying in Edenmere for a while, to see if they can provide an answer."


    I''m increasingly certain of this now. From the elemental affinity perspective, Nicola''s situation is indeed similar to mine ¨C possessing elemental affinities angels normally shouldn''t have. And the only commonality between us is being Crossers. Although Cyra and Reed haven''t shown any abnormalities yet, the 50% "onset rate" is telling.


    "I see. Our crossing over indeed proves the existence of souls. Such matters are truly hard to say since souls are not well understood..." Reed nodded in agreement after listening.


    "But my research will continue. Or Feliciana, why don''t you participate too? It''s simple. I just need you two to manipulate some elements or use some non-light elemental magic for my reference. Here, basically all angels and light elves can only use light elemental magic. You two anomalies are quite rare."


    "just use Nicola. She alone should be enough!" Seeing she wanted to pull me in too, I decisively sold out my teammate and pushed Nicola to the forefront.


    "I''ve only confirmed I can sense water element, haven''t even manipulated water before, much less used water magic."


    "Hey! Don''t be so heartless!" Nicola smiled wryly in protest, but she didn''t mind. Between us two, she was indeed more suitable, plus she already agreed earlier.


    "You made another factual mistake. Direct manipulation is much harder than using magic. Most people simply cannot directly control elements. Magic is an indirect way of controlling elements."


    Reed meticulously corrected me, "Nicola skipping the magic step and directly controlling the wind element means she has surpassed most mages in this world."


    "Awesome! I bow down to you!" Hearing that, Cyra instantly gave Nicola a thumbs up.


    "I didn''t believe you earlier when you said you were hacking. Turns out I greatly underestimated you. You didn''t just hack normally but have some ultimate premium customized hacks for top game streamers!"


    "But I still don''t like using magic. I prefer to kill with weapons!" Nicola shook her head.


    "Even when playing games, I only ever choose warrior or physical attack type classes, never magic casters!"


    "That''s quite a waste..." I said enviously. Although I rarely played games on Earth, I still loved magic casters very much. If I played games, I would pick ranged attack classes like mages.


    "In any case, just come to the library every day to assist my research, okay? At least a week. How about it?" Reed didn''t care whether Nicola liked magic or not, that wasn''t her concern.


    "Okay, hope it doesn''t take up too much of my time." After thinking about it, Nicola agreed to the conditions.


    "I''ll try..." Reed nodded. Seeing Nicola agree, she suddenly stood up from her chair and spread her wings behind her back. It was my first time seeing her angel form.


    "Then I''ll fulfill my promise and teach you all the magic I created ¨C Five Lights and Ten Colors."


    She likely named it herself, I could feel the strong Earth characteristics. But it felt a little weird in this magical world.


    "No need for a spar. I could have taught this magic to you all without any conditions. But to get Nicola to cooperate with my research, I had to use it as a bargaining chip."


    She specially explained so we wouldn''t misunderstand.


    "It''s fine. I didn''t want to learn it anyway, just wanted to see it." Nicola was nonchalant. We were classmates after all. The earlier negotiation was just an after-dinner amusement. Helping a classmate a little without endangering lives, she didn''t mind.


    "I want to learn! Teach me!" Cyra pleaded eagerly.


    "You can come find me in the library after class tomorrow." Reed agreed without hesitation.


    "I''ll only demonstrate now for these two."


    "You''re casting it right here in this room?" I looked around. The room wasn''t big. Although I heard this new magic was something like illusion magic, I still worriedly asked,


    "It won''t blow up, right?"


    "It won''t. Most of this magic''s energy output is converted into light, so it won''t affect reality at all."


    Right after she finished speaking, I felt the people and the entire room around me start warping and spinning rapidly. All the colors visible to the naked eye were churned into a vortex within moments.


    Next, countless piercing bright lights appeared, flickering at high frequency as they joined the spinning fray.


    Then all sorts of illusions emerged, one moment morphing into a massive lump of meat squirming ceaselessly, another moment becoming dense agoraphobia holes that induced intense discomfort... Simply conjuring up whatever was most nauseating.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 19: Reed Gets Angry

    "Stop!"


    I couldn''t take it anymore and shouted. The visions before my eyes suddenly disappeared and everything returned to normal. We were still in the private room.


    "Poisonous!" Nicola''s voice came from the side. I looked over and saw that she had also collapsed on the floor, struggling to get up.


    "I got dragged into this again..." Two hands suddenly landed on the table. Cyra''s sleepy eyes slowly peered up from below.


    "Even though we saw it once already, why do we have to suffer through this again? And it was even worse this time!"


    "Reed, your spell went overboard. It''s anti-human!" I sat in the chair for a long time before catching my breath and unleashing fierce criticism.


    "And it affects everything around with no escape. There''s no way to dodge it at all!"


    "I agree! Too gross." Nicola was greatly disturbed mentally. Covering her mouth, she almost threw up.


    "Protest denied. You are not humans anymore." Reed answered seriously.


    "Besides, the weakness of this spell is obvious. It has no effect if you close your eyes. You didn''t need to endure it for so long."


    "Oh yeah! Why did I keep my eyes open?" Cyra knocked her forehead.


    "How could I forget when this was the second time?"


    "I think there was an irresistible attraction pulling my eyes toward the center at the beginning..." I recalled carefully. If it was just words or an image on a screen, the allure wouldn''t be so great. But when the whole vision is filled, the sensation is completely different, like an exponential upgrade.


    "Then the experiment to increase attraction can be declared successful." Reed nodded, seeming very satisfied. We had been her guinea pigs this whole time???


    "The version Cyra and Elara saw a week ago had no allure effect. It just transformed images into rays of light using the light element. So closing their eyes was easy. Later I integrated psychology, visual imaging, color aesthetics and other fields to improve the patterns for maximum deterrence in a very short time."


    She then explained the principles behind this spell in great detail. As expected of a top student, extensive reading made her formidable.


    "Unfortunately, repeated exposure still causes gradual immunity, like me. I saw the same things as you just now."


    "Even the caster is affected by this spell?" I asked dubiously, suddenly feeling uneasy and abandoning thoughts of learning this.


    "In other words, you have to see those images every time you cast it?"


    "Correct!" Reed affirmed decisively.


    "From initially inventing this spell until now, I''ve probably seen it hundreds of times already. I''m completely immune to it. The effects are similar to temporary blindness from a regular flash spell at most."


    "Hundreds of times!" Cyra shrieked and immediately threw up her hands to surrender.


    "I''m not learning this anymore. Making me watch those images hundreds of times is murder!"


    "Hundreds of times was just my count from initially developing this spell. You would probably only need a few dozen views of the finished product."


    Reed thought about it and tried to comfort Cyra.


    "Even dozens of times could kill me!"  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Cyra firmly rejected the good intentions. Indeed, seeing those images even once was enough. Let alone dozens of times. Learning a spell like this was purely masochistic.


    "Is that so?"


    Seeing us all decline, Reed muttered under her breath, slightly disappointed.


    "What a pity..."


    "Wait! You said the word ''experiment'' earlier. What do you mean by ''too bad the experiment failed''?"


    Nicola was sitting close by and overheard the slip. She immediately jumped up from her chair.


    "Could teaching us magic also be part of an experiment?"


    I shuddered and chased after the question as well.


    "No, you heard wrong!"


    Reed answered calmly, not seeming nervous or guilty at all.


    "Do I look like the kind of person who would experiment on classmates without permission?"


    "Yes!" The three of us, me, Nicola and Cyra, shouted in unison.


    "Unfounded accusations, not credible. Looks like you''re confusing me for some delinquent character that experiments without consent."


    Reed turned her head away, unwilling to look at us.


    "I''ve still got a bad feeling about this..."


    Nicola said uneasily. Although there was no evidence whatsoever, just speculation, she decided to err on the side of caution.


    "Anyway, I won''t participate in your experiments. I don''t even know any magic. And I have classes with Feliciana I need to attend. I don''t have the time..."


    "No way!"


    Hearing that she wanted to renege, Reed became anxious immediately. She stood up in opposition.


    "We already agreed! You must go to the library every day to assist my research!"


    "But you can''t force me, right?"


    Seeing the sudden hardline attitude, Nicola grew even more worried about inhumane torture during experiments. She desperately wanted to worm her way out.


    "You can''t do anything if I don''t go!"


    "You''re going back on your word!"


    Reed was very unhappy with Nicola''s shifty behaviour. Anger started showing on her face.


    "We had an agreement. I would teach you my original spell ''Five Light Ten Color'' in exchange for your participation in experiments. You can''t just break your promise like this!"


    "But you said yourself this spell could be taught unconditionally. And I don''t even want to learn it anyway, so the deal doesn''t stand!"


    Nicola refused to compromise at all according to "reason". She was determined not to fulfill her former promise.


    "Even though you have six wings now and are stronger than me, don''t think I have no way to deal with you..."


    Seeing her shamelessness, Reed became very calm instead. She plopped back down in her chair and slowly said.


    "If you insist on going back on your word...I''ll just throw ''Five Light Ten Color'' into your all rooms every day and see how long you can take it!"


    "You''re practically a demon!"


    I was shocked to hear this because she clearly said "you all" earlier. That undoubtedly included me, maybe even Cyra couldn''t escape. She was going to punish everyone!


    Reed had planned things out already, dragging others down to pressure Nicola into obeying.


    "That''s where you went wrong!"


    Thinking of this, I didn''t hesitate to criticize Nicola.


    "You already agreed earlier. How could you go back on it like this? And even dragging me and Cyra down too, totally immoral!"


    If it were something else, I might not care about Reed''s collective punishment. But this time Nicola was clearly in the wrong. I saw it all myself, so of course I wouldn''t cover for her.


    The main point was having to enjoy "Five Light Ten Color" with her every day. That was unacceptable.


    "Hey, how could you be so disloyal!"


    Nicola struggled to rally us to resist, but Cyra heartlessly shot her down.


    "This is your moral failing. Don''t drag me into it. I don''t want to suffer with you!"


    She then took on an air of righteousness and promised Reed.


    "If Nicola dares to skip the library any day, Feliciana and I will personally escort her there!"


    "Right! I''ll strictly supervise her keeping her word!"


    I covered Nicola''s mouth so she couldn''t voice any more protests.


    Thus the "Nicola Experiment" project was settled.


    Below the Restaurant


    "Ah, that was so refreshing!"


    Cyra yawned and patted her round belly.


    "Being full and then coming outside to this light element-rich environment feels just heavenly! The only downside is maybe feeling a little stuffed..."


    "Well obviously!"


    I said with some amusement.


    "Angels don''t eat much to begin with since they normally don''t need food. Yet you took portions from the rest of us. No wonder you''re stuffed!"


    "I hadn''t eaten in a whole month! So I indulged a bit..."


    Cyra gave a foolish grin to defend herself.


    "Thank you for visiting, please come again!"


    Just then the server''s loud farewell sounded in our ears. Nicola waved for us to see her, indicating she had already paid.


    "One meal cost hundreds of silvers, and you sold me out."


    As soon as we left the restaurant, Nicola started complaining to me.


    "Since when did you become so stingy? Think about those two inflatable dolls in your bag. This much could afford several meals!"


    I chuckled coldly and mocked without restraint.


    "Uh...aren''t you worried about me being captured and tortured by Reed? Who knows what kind of crazy mad scientist she is!"


    Nicola asked innocently, still dissatisfied that I didn''t speak up for her earlier.


    "This is a magical world! What scientist? Besides, Reed already told us the content of the experiments. Believe her, she won''t trick you."


    I rolled my eyes, somewhat helpless to say. It looked like Nicola''s preconceptions about Reed needed some adjusting.


    "She''s not the aloof girl you imagine, nor is she that crazy. She was a living, breathing human like us once too, even if she''s an angel now. She just doesn''t express emotions well."

 Vol 3/Chapter 20 - The Weak Teacher

    "I know..."


    Nicola blushed a little as she defended herself. After all, they had been classmates for three years, so it was impossible for her not to notice this.


    "It''s just that the way she talks and behaves makes me feel like she''s a robot. So sometimes I can''t help but see her that way."


    "Then you have to try and change your attitude from now on! It''s obvious that Reed doesn''t like it when people treat her like she''s ''faceless''. She was a bit angry just now."


    I sighed and admonished her. Coming to another world, we still have to be careful to maintain our relationship as classmates. It''s troublesome!


    "Angry...?"


    Nicola looked back at Reed who was talking with Cyra behind us. She seemed to have gained some realization.


    "It''s 11 pm already. I should get back to the library."


    After looking at the time, Reed bid us farewell as it was getting late. But before leaving, she didn''t forget to remind Nicola,


    "Remember to come tomorrow. Don''t make me come get you!"


    "I will!"


    Thanks to my counselling, Nicola''s attitude seemed to have improved quite a bit. She didn''t look as reluctant as before.


    "Your rooms should have been prepared already. Do you want to go back and see?"


    After Reed had walked far away, Cyra reminded Nicola and me. It was time we usually rested, but the light element in this realm meant I didn''t feel sleepy at all.


    "Of course!"


    I readily agreed. I remembered they mentioned there were also light-isolating devices installed in the rooms. So they probably wouldn''t interfere with sleeping.


    "We don''t need to walk this time. Let''s fly back!"


    The streets and alleys of this city were quite complex. As newcomers, we''d get lost trying to walk back.


    Earlier when Serena brought us here, the high platform where we landed was still towering over the city center. The palace was right below it, so it was easy to spot from high altitude.


    "Looks like you two don''t need me to lead the way..."


    Seeing Nicola and I finding our directions by ourselves, Cyra who was behind us could only complain bitterly that we didn''t need her.


    A few minutes later...


    "So soft! Angels know how to enjoy life!"


    I flopped down onto the bed in my room, sinking into the bedding.


    "See you tomorrow then!"


    After standing at the doorway for a while, Nicola finally bid me goodnight before returning to her room next door.


    Cyra''s room was on the other side.


    "Bye..."


    I responded to the doorway, then turned back realizing there was no one there anymore. So I got up to close the door.


    Thinking back, apart from those few days in the Dark Continent, Nicola and I had been sleeping together ever since coming here. This was the first time we were separated. It did feel a little unusual.


    But I finally had a room to myself! I excitedly rolled around the bed a few more times, before picking up a globe-shaped magic device on the table.


    This was the fabled light-isolating device! I didn''t see where it was placed when we were in the private room at the restaurant. But now I was looking at the real thing.


    Cyra had already explained to me earlier how to use it - just infuse some light element, then spin the sphere on top a few rounds to activate it.  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    In an instant, the light shining in through the window visibly darkened rapidly. First, it dimmed, then it was pitch black unable to see my hand.


    "Uh...too dark."


    I murmured to myself, then twisted the sphere back a little. The room immediately brightened somewhat. Yes! This device could also adjust brightness continuously. It could completely function as a magic lamp.


    Unfortunately even with light isolation, sleepiness didn''t come immediately. I tossed and turned on the bed bored for who knows how long before falling asleep unknowingly.


    "Feliciana! Wake up!"


    In my groggy state, I seemed to hear someone calling me. I felt a bright light in front of me. Even with my eyes closed I could feel the piercing brightness.


    I was instantly awake, opened my eyes slightly and sat up. It was a long time before I remembered where I was and that there were two extra people in my room.


    It was Nicola and Cyra.


    "Did you forget? Starting today we have lessons with Cyra at 8 am."


    Nicola was fiddling with the light isolating device on my table.


    "Didn''t I say yesterday that this thing can be set to auto-cancel isolation at a timed hour? Why didn''t you set it?"


    Cyra was also looking at that device questioningly.


    "Ah? Sorry, I forgot!"


    Reminded by them, I finally recalled yesterday''s matters. I hurriedly crawled out of bed to wash up. After all, I had graduated from university months ago, so going for lessons felt extremely distant.


    "No need to panic, just take your time."


    Seeing me scrambling chaotically, Cyra couldn''t help commenting.


    "This isn''t school after all. It''s just a supplementary course specially opened for us newbie angels. No need to make it seem so serious..."


    "Is that so? But won''t being late leave a bad impression on the teacher?"


    I spoke while changing my clothes. Luckily the wardrobe here came fully stocked with various plain colored dresses, mostly backless!


    I hated these types of clothes the most but had no choice but to temporarily put up with them. The one good point was they took angel wings into account so I didn''t have to manually slit the back each time.


    "Don''t worry, sometimes the teacher arrives later than us..."


    Cyra ogled me changing clothes and casually replied.


    "What are you looking at?"


    Nicola heavily slapped her shoulder, mercilessly dragging her out of the room and slammed the door shut.


    "What gives! We''re all girls, what''s there to be shy about? Feliciana doesn''t mind either..."


    In the corridor outside I could vaguely hear Cyra''s shameless protests.


    "What''s up with Nicola today?"


    I also felt it made no sense. We used to stay together before and she wasn''t so avoidant. Her double standards were quite slick.


    "Let''s go!"


    After getting dressed I exited the room. The two of them were standing there glaring daggers at each other, pushing each other''s arms testing strength. But Cyra was far weaker, conceding defeat quickly.


    "Aren''t you two a bit too old to be playing like kids..."


    Seeing them I didn''t know what to say, so I pretended not to see anything and asked,


    "I remember we''re meeting at the battle arena right, to learn some common knowledge? But that place sounds like we''ll be fighting..."


    "I''ve no idea. We usually have indoor classes."


    When asked, even Cyra was ignorant and could only reply in puzzlement.


    "Though we sometimes go there, like when learning to fly. But you two should already know how to fly right."


    "Who cares, let''s just go first before figuring it out..."


    Without waiting for a response, Nicola pushed Cyra to lead the way.


    "It''s past 8 already. Are you sure being late is no issue?"


    "Trust me, no problem!"


    Cyra swore resolutely, looking extremely familiar with the teacher''s habits.


    ...


    In the middle of a field bigger than a soccer pitch, stood a lonely figure.


    "This is what you call a guarantee?"


    Seeing the six white wings behind that figure, I glanced at Cyra and said.


    "Did I guarantee anything? What nonsense are you spouting, I don''t get it at all!"


    Cyra denied everything outright. Looks like she slipped up this time.


    "Forget it, since we''re already late, let''s just quickly head over. Hopefully, we don''t anger the teacher..."


    Cyra bitterly smiled and said. Then with no need to run, she spread her wings behind her back and flew towards the middle of the field.


    Not daring to tarry, I hurriedly followed close behind her.


    "You''re finally here..."


    Seeing us land before her one by one, that figure seemed to heave a sigh of relief and murmured.


    "I thought you all didn''t want to attend my lessons!"


    "No... Of course not!"


    Damn! Looks like the teacher was angry. I hurriedly explained,


    "There''s a valid reason. We only just arrived so aren''t familiar with the palace layout. We wandered those corridors and alleyways for half the day before getting lost!"


    I was lying since we couldn''t possibly get lost with Cyra leading. This was the usual trick I used back in school when late. Whether it worked depended on the other party''s discretion.


    "That''s right!"


    Nicola chimed in agreement.


    "We''ve memorized the route here already. We''ll be on time next round. This was an exception!"


    "Ah? It''s fine, don''t worry about it! I''m already very happy you all came."


    Who knew upon hearing that, she immediately waved her hands and poured out grievances.


    "It''s so hard to serve these new angels. Reed skips lessons every day, now there are two more of you... If not for Lady Elara''s orders, I''d have given up long ago."


    "Huh?"


    Hearing that, Nicola and I exchanged glances. This teacher''s attitude was off right? And why did she seem kinda weak?


    "Is there some problem with us?"


    I tentatively asked. Thinking back we were only a bit late. Was that deserving of her seeming unwillingness to teach us?


    "None at all! You''re all very good!"


    As if afraid, she waved her hands even more frantically upon hearing me and eventually hung her head low.


    "It''s all my problems. I''m afraid... afraid I can''t teach well, that you''ll all be displeased."


    "......"


    I was momentarily at a loss for words. What was up with this teacher? Her behaviour was like a bullied young daughter-in-law. While Nicola and I were wrongly portrayed as unreasonable mothers-in-law.

 Vol 3/Chapter 21: Flying Lessons

    "Did you get something wrong? Aren''t we the students?" Nicola frowned and asked. I was worried that the teacher would punish us, but now the situation has completely reversed.


    "I know!" The teacher quickly lifted her head and said, "But you are all six-winged angels like me. Although we are of the same rank, you want me to be your teacher. This makes me feel a bit awkward..."


    "It doesn''t matter if we are on the same level! This is not a fight or battle. We mainly want to learn some basic knowledge," I said puzzlingly, also wondering what Elara had told her. The choice of location was also very problematic. Were we going to learn through fighting each other?


    "You are newborn angels who have reached six wings after just one month. It took me over 300 years to reach this level. The pressure on me is tremendous..." she replied with a wry smile.


    "Furthermore, Lady Elara attaches great importance to you all and has specially instructed me to teach you well and be sure to satisfy any of your requests without slighting you."


    "This is..." Both Angela and I were somewhat speechless.


    It seems Elara is used to imprinting memories and has no clue about normal teaching. Her orders have turned a teacher into a servant.


    "Is she usually like this with you?" I whispered to Cyra, feeling Elara''s personality was also problematic for making such an angel our teacher.


    "No! Although Teacher Aetina is usually very gentle, Reed and I have lower ranks so she is not as respectful to us," Cyra denied while adding:


    "But what she just said sounds a bit familiar. After I created magic and got recognition, the orders Elara gave to Mona assisting Reed were quite similar..."


    "I see!" Nicola suddenly realized.


    "It looks like Elara puts us and Reed in the same category and thinks such arrangements would also aid our learning. Little did she know Reed does research and would take the initiative to study, completely different from me."


    "Um, Teacher Aetina right..." Noticing the situation, I quickly spoke up:


    "You don''t need to be so cautious with us. Just teach us basic knowledge like usual. just teach us the way you did to Cyra. That will do!"


    "What? Then wouldn''t I have to learn it all over again?" Cyra protested discontentedly.


    "With so few angels, we can''t possibly find another teacher. We''ll just have to understand!" I helplessly comforted her and proposed:


    "You''ve learnt it anyway so no need to redo it. You can read books by yourself like Reed."


    "No way! I don''t want to learn like Reed, all by myself. I''d rather learn together with you again. Since I know it all, I could even crush you! Just thinking about it excites me!" Cyra rejected.


    "You''re just wasting time!" I tried advising her but she could do as she wished.


    "Teach the way I do? So I get to decide everything to teach? Is that okay?" Aetina still felt uncertain and sought confirmation again.


    "After all, Cyra only has two wings while yours are so high-ranked. You must have comprehended a lot yourselves, right? My repeating it might seem redundant..."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "It''s fine! Elara should have told you, just teach us the basics. And even if we comprehend some things, we still want to systematically learn them. We may have missed stuff," Nicola impatiently urged.


    "I see..." Hearing our affirmation, Aetina finally breathed out in relief and slapped her chest saying:


    "I was worried you might not obey and want to test my abilities by fighting me...that''s why I purposely chose this arena today..."


    "..." I also felt that was going overboard. Why must Elara arrange a six-winged angel to teach us? Choosing an eight-winged one would solve everything!


    "Hurry up and start class! We won''t fight you. Should we move indoors then?" Nicola couldn''t stand it and hurried her. If communication completely failed, she was considering whether to ask Elara to change teachers.


    "Well..." Aetina looked around and pondered before deciding:


    "Since we''re already here, let''s not run back and forth. Today''s lesson will be on flying!"


    "Flying lessons?" I asked puzzlingly.


    "But we can already fly. What''s the point of you teaching us that now?"


    It''s so frustrating. I just said we wanted to relearn things even if we comprehended them, only to immediately contradict that. Can this Aetina not adapt at all? She saw us fly here...


    "You misunderstood. I''m referring to high-speed flying! Although you can fly already, there are still many techniques to fly faster."


    Fortunately, she wasn''t as inflexible as I imagined and quickly explained:


    "It''s mainly for angels above two wings. The extra wings allow them to fly faster but often hamper speed due to not knowing how to control them. So the higher ranking and more wings an angel has, the more complex techniques needed to fly faster."


    "Oh, there''s such knowledge?" Nicola immediately became interested. Looks like the teacher also has reliable moments!


    "Yes! This isn''t included in the knowledge imprinted when angels descend. Only after joining the angel legions do you have the chance to learn it." Aetina nodded and answered:


    "But Lady Elara specifically ordered me to hide nothing so I''ll just teach you while I can."


    "I see!" Hearing her, I instantly understood. No wonder Serena with just one extra pair of wings flew so much faster. Turns out there was a reason.


    "What about me then?" Cyra suddenly complained. With only two wings, she likely won''t need these so-called techniques.


    "So I''ve got nothing to do here? Can I leave first?" She hugged her head, wanting to slip away. But Aetina hurriedly called her back.


    "Wait! You can listen for now. It''ll be useful after you ascend in rank."


    "No way! Just listening without practicing would be so boring. I''d rather go back and sleep!" Cyra grumbled, extremely reluctant. I suspect she felt unable to show off in front us us, losing motivation to stay.


    "Cyra¡ª!" But before I could speak, Aetina suddenly frowned and yelled at her first:


    "How can you be so lazy! Among the four new angels left alive, you are the most hopeless. You need to work hard and catch up!"


    This was rather unexpected. I thought the teacher would never get angry. Looks like even a clod has a temper that Cyra finally exceeded.


    "The assignment I gave you yesterday! One hundred Holy Light bullets! Did you do it? Show me the wooden post you practiced on!"


    "Of course I did it! Just not on the post. I practiced with others instead." Cyra hurriedly explained.


    "Oh? Who did you find? Norma?" Aetina half-believed her and eased her expression a little.


    "I''ll go find and check with her later..."


    "Wait! Not Norma," Cyra panicked upon hearing of verification and quickly corrected herself, pointing at us:


    "It was Nicola. They happened to arrive here yesterday so I took the chance to practice with Nicola."


    "Practice with me? When?" Nicola was dumbfounded, surprised the blame extended to her when she didn''t even remember Cyra asking her to practice Holy Light bullets yesterday.


    "Don''t you remember? How can your memory be so bad!" Cyra anxiously gave Nicola hints with her eyes.


    "Just after we left the Sanctum yesterday and were in the sky..."


    "Oh, could you mean that time?" Nicola seemed to recall something and uncertainly said:


    "You did use Holy Light bullets on me then..."


    "See! She admitted it herself!" Hearing that, Cyra immediately stopped Nicola from continuing and pleadingly said to Aetina :


    "So I already finished my assignment!"


    "That''s good then. I thought you skipped it again..." Surprisingly, Aetina believed her just like that after pondering, leaving me completely dumbfounded. Wouldn''t she think to check further with Nicola?


    "Actually..." I really couldn''t stand it and wanted to expose Cyra''s lies. But she had noticed my intention long ago, pulling me aside the moment I opened my mouth for "confide talks".


    "Are we still friends? Still classmates?" She seriously asked me, as if I was going to cut ties with her.

 Vol 3/Chapter 22: Flying Lesson 2

    "Isn''t it quite inappropriate to deceive Teacher Aetna  like this?" I barely swallowed back the word "bully". I felt bad for the poor teacher. What kind of mess had she gotten herself into, being played like a fiddle?


    It was only in Edenmere that one could find such a naive angelic teacher. If she was on Earth, she would be the typical easy victim, helping to count the money after being scammed.


    "How is she pitiful? Didn''t you see how fiercely she was yelling at me earlier?" Cyra said, clearly displeased. Suddenly recalling something, she looked at me mockingly.


    "What''s wrong? Are you captivated by the pretty and cute angel teacher already? Are you even speaking up for her? Let me think, who was it again that woke up so late this morning..."


    "No way, don''t spout nonsense!" I hadn''t expected her to use this against me too. But after understanding Aetna''s overly weak personality, even if Cyra exposed my tardiness, it wouldn''t be a big deal.


    Still, I did feel bad about insisting on the truth after lying to myself. I had no right to accuse others.


    "Forget it, do whatever you want!" I conceded unhappily. But I couldn''t help reminding Cyra, "You should still focus on your studies. It''s not easy to have this opportunity that I couldn''t even have in the outside world. Didn''t you say you wanted to reach four wings during our stay? What if Elara doesn''t allow you to leave Edenmere afterwards? Have you thought about that?"


    "Oh...I forgot about that..." Cyra looked somewhat stunned. It seemed she had completely forgotten her promise.


    I felt a tinge of despair. Could this girl deliver?


    "Are you done?"


    Seeing us chat for so long, Aetna finally worked up the courage to ask Cyra and me timidly.


    "If you''re done, I''ll start class..."


    "Yes, we''re done!" I quickly nodded. She acted in this way mainly because of me. But when it comes to Cyra, she can still maintain some teacher-like manners.


    Perhaps Aetna was more suited to being a neighbourhood elder sister than a teacher. She actually matched my imagination of an angel quite well, with no complaints about her looks or figure, apart from that slightly dangerous hairstyle.


    "Let''s continue our lesson in the air. Cyra, come up with us." After seeing everyone was ready, Aetna gestured and took the lead ascending into the sky. Hesitating for a moment, Cyra finally spread her wings to follow.


    "Which of you wants to fly at full speed around the arena first? I want to observe your flying form." Aetna asked Nicola and I in midair.


    "I''ll go!" Nicola eagerly volunteered and rushed off without waiting for a response. Within a minute, she had circled and returned to her original spot.


    "As I expected, you''re purely relying on instinct to flap your wings. That would slow you down tremendously." Aetna laughed as she evaluated after watching Nicola''s flight.


    "You mean we shouldn''t use instinct?" I couldn''t help butting in. I had always taken for granted that flapping the wings must rely on instinct to fly. Her words completely shattered my assumptions.


    "Instinct is enough if you only have one pair of wings, but with two pairs or more, you need to learn to adjust the angles of the other wings. Never flap them all together¡ªthe greater thrust would disrupt air currents and reduce speed."


    Aetna finally demonstrated some teacher-like manners, patiently explaining to us.


    "But I can''t consciously control them..." This was the crux of the issue. I started feeling uneasy, afraid I might just drop straight down with one mistake.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "It takes a lot of practice. Admittedly, it''s quite difficult for new angels, but most can learn with proficiency over time."


    Sensing my apprehension, she reassured me.


    "For six-winged angels like us, we usually let the original pair continue flapping by instinct to maintain basic flight while using the other two pairs at varied angles for auxiliary propulsion, like this..."


    As she spoke, she turned her back towards us and demonstrated directly with her wings.


    "Try to separate each wing pair as I do, then coordinate that with the flapping of the original wings. Once you get the hang of it, your speed will be much faster!"


    "So fast..." I couldn''t help but be amazed. As soon as she finished speaking, she shot forth like a released arrow, circling the arena at remarkable speed before returning to her original position. It fully matched the impression Serena had left me.


    "She''s probably about several times faster than me." Even Nicola sighed in admiration. She immediately turned to stare at her wings on her back, trying to imitate the technique.


    "But it is difficult..." I followed suit in practicing. It had looked simple, but attempting it made me realize that simultaneously controlling so many wings to move differently was extremely tough. It felt like trying to draw circles with one hand while squares with the other¡ªutterly impossible to master quickly without talent.


    And it was easy to destabilize the original pair maintaining balance. Nicola wobbled unsteadily several times, nearly falling from the sky.


    "Let''s return to the ground for practice." Worried we might crash fatally, Aetna anxiously advised us to stop.


    However, Nicola and I were reluctant to change locations. Being in midair made experimentation more convenient, and with Aetna and Cyra watching over us, accidents were unlikely.


    "Don''t rush for quick results!" Seeing she couldn''t persuade us down, Aetna grew slightly frantic but had no other way to force us. She could only continue appealing rationally,


    "These things cannot be hurried. You need to familiarize yourself gradually, coordinating with your feel for air currents, until the actions become intuitive memory. Anyway, even if you can''t learn it, high-speed flight is an advanced technique for chasing enemies or urgent escape, not a compulsory skill for all angels."


    "I''m sorry..." Hearing her on the verge of crying, I heaved a sigh and obediently landed to practice on the ground.


    After the previous fiasco and her advice, I realized mastering these high-speed techniques quickly was unlikely.


    "Practice proficiently on the ground first before trying out at low altitudes. Never practice alone high up without supervision¡ªthat is forbidden." Seeing Nicola also follow me down, Aetna breathed a huge sigh of relief. She repeatedly reminded us of precautions and even came over personally to adjust our wing positions.


    "Teacher, I can''t get my wings to the angle you mentioned. Can you come over and see?" Batting her eyes pleadingly at Aetna tutoring Nicola hands-on, Cyra flapped her lone wing pair and called out.


    "You still have just two wings. Practicing now is useless! Just remember the motions for now." Although puzzled by Cyra''s sudden diligence, the naive Aetna still walked over to help adjust her stance.


    This was Cyra''s little trick. We watched her shamelessly take the chance to snuggle intimately against Aetna, even sneaking peeks at her chest area.


    Why are you so skilled in this? I was rendered speechless but could hardly rebuke her with everyone female. At most, I could just let her be.


    "Alright, lesson''s over for today!" Clapping her hands near noon, Aetna announced the end of class.


    The lesson today was simple¡ªjust wing movement drills. After a whole morning of practice, Nicola and I had improved. Given a few more lessons, we should be ready for aerial flight.


    "What''s the lesson this afternoon? More flight drills?" Nicola folded her wings and came over to ask.


    "Afternoon?" Aetna froze for a second before laughing. "There''s no class in the afternoons! You''ll have free time. We only have this one lesson every day."


    "So little class time?" I shot an incredulous look at Cyra and she nodded in confirmation.


    "That''s right, it has always been this way."


    "Isn''t that an awful waste of time?" I couldn''t help blurting in my complaint. Angels did not need sleep and if Aetna said lessons ran round the clock, though hard to accept, I could still understand.


    Yet now she was telling me only a few hours daily before ending all lessons. That was equally unacceptable in my opinion.


    "Why not have an afternoon class too for better efficiency?" Nicola agreed with me and suggested another session.


    Despite Aetna''s personality not suitable for teaching, her competence still met our satisfaction so far. We had genuinely learned much within the morning, perhaps the reason Elara assigned her to coach us.


    "Why do you care so much about efficiency?" Aetna asked, puzzled.


    "You already have six wings. Just take your time with the fundamentals. Angels live very long so there''s no need to worry about insufficient time."


    So such leisurely pacing was due to their extensive lifespans and fleeting sense of time?


    I sort of grasped her perspective, but as former humans, Nicola and I simply could not agree with such a waste of time.


    Moreover, who knew how long we''d be stuck here at this rate? I lacked the patience for extended stays in Edenmere.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 23: Customized Courses

    "How long did you originally plan for the teaching time?"


    Nicola seemed to have a bad premonition and asked specifically.


    "The content implanted into the new angels'' memories is not particularly large. I plan to finish teaching in half a year."


    Aetna thought for a while and gave a rough timeline.


    "Half a year?!"


    I underestimated the angels'' tendency to waste time. I thought it would only drag on for a month or two at most, but I didn''t expect it to be half a year right off the bat.


    "No, that''s too long. The course time must be compressed!"


    Of course, such an arrangement was unacceptable, not only to me and Nicola, but even Cyra didn''t expect the classes to drag on for so long.


    "First, change to two classes per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, each class about three hours. And for practical classes like today, they don''t need to be taught so carefully, one class can fully cover multiple contents. For magic, there''s no need to worry about me, just focusing on Feliciana and Cyra is enough..."


    Nicola re-formulated the teaching plan for Aetna. She originally wanted to arrange consecutive class times, but after thinking about it for a while, she still left a break at noon according to our past habits.


    Since Edenmere''s time is synchronized with the outside world, and many angels have stayed in the human world for a long time, the naming and division of time is still based on the outside world.


    If she hadn''t remembered that she still had to go to Reed''s place every day to assist with experiments, she would have added another class at night.


    "It sounds a lot like the teaching time arrangements in human schools in the outside world. Isn''t it too tiring?"


    Aetna thought for a moment that we were deliberately "tempering" herself, but because of Elara''s order, she could only obey the requirements.


    "This kind of intensity usually only appears after joining the angel legions. Can you handle it?"


    "Don''t worry, no problem! This is already quite relaxing."


    Of course, I didn''t care at all. These were all basic levels, far from my high school days.


    "Not bad for a genius who rose to six wings in a month... Don''t tell me pushing yourself desperately like humans in the outside world is the secret?"


    Aetna gasped, seeming to have misunderstood something.


    "It''s not that exaggerated. We just simply want to save time..."


    I suddenly felt somewhat speechless. But the other party simply didn''t believe this explanation. After all, if we don''t know why we rose to six wings so quickly, how could we convince others?


    "You two are too desperate! It''s making me lose a lot of free time too."


    After deciding the curriculum arrangement, Cyra complained with us halfway back to the room.


    "How dare you say that! You wasted more than half a month. Otherwise, maybe you would have risen to four wings by now."


    Thinking of this, I felt Cyra was just too lazy. A whole month, such an unreasonable arrangement, she never thought of applying for an adjustment.


    To be honest, at first, I didn''t expect this situation where I could customize courses and even class hours. But I have to admit, it feels pretty good.


    "...I''ll work hard!"


    Cyra wanted to refute a few words but considering her previous promise, she could only swallow it back into her stomach.


    "There you are! I''ve been looking everywhere for you!"


    Just as we reached the room door, Norma ran over from the depths of the corridor and called out to the three of us.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Tonight at eight o''clock, Lady Elara will hold a banquet in the hall to welcome Feliciana and Nicola, as a make-up celebration for the new angels. Cyra can come along too!"


    After Norma finished speaking, she looked relieved. It seems the housekeeper is not easy to handle either.


    "Why is it tonight? I thought I didn''t have to eat that meal!"


    Cyra was very dissatisfied and said, having just eaten her fill earlier. Plus she wouldn''t get hungry either, her appetite was far worse than it was yesterday.


    "You guys disappeared without a trace yesterday, only coming back past midnight. There was no way to notify you in time, so I could only postpone it to today!" Norma glared at her and said.


    "Did you notify Reed as well?" Nicola was also worried, suddenly realizing there were many things to handle. Thinking that she still had to go to the library after class in the afternoon, she wondered if she could make it back in time.


    "I just notified her earlier. You''re all the same batch, of course, I wouldn''t leave her out. But Reed said she already attended once a month ago and felt it was a waste of time, so she refused."


    I think it''s mainly because she just ate yesterday...


    Speaking of which, I don''t have much appetite either, but considering this is Lady Elara''s good intentions, it would be impolite to refuse, so I can only reluctantly agree for now.


    "You must be on time!"


    Seeing that none of us were very willing, Norma reminded us with a strange expression.


    Eating is considered a luxury for angels to begin with. Let alone a banquet personally hosted by Lady Elara.


    She didn''t know about our dinner yesterday, so of course she couldn''t understand why this situation occurred.


    "See if you can make it." Seeing Norma''s retreating figure in the distance, I said helplessly to Nicola,


    "Why don''t we go ask Reed for time off?"


    "I''ll try my best. But actually, I don''t care if I don''t eat."


    Nicola shook her head and headed straight back to her room.


    In Edenmere, who has any appetite... Nicola proposed having dinner yesterday for the gathering of classmates.


    Having it again today, the enthusiasm would be lacking.


    ...


    Sitting in my room, I flipped through some books placed on the shelves out of boredom. Most were recreational books, such as novels brought back from the human world, records of angel adventures in the human world, and some famous heroic biographies.


    "So boring. Why are there no magic books? Should have borrowed some from the library yesterday."


    I closed the book in my hand and looked at the time.


    If it wasn''t because I still had class later, I would have wandered out already.


    "Feliciana? You shouldn''t be sleeping right?"


    Just as I was lying in bed with nothing to do, Nicola''s knock came from outside. I hurried to open the door for her.


    "How could I fall asleep!"


    I let her in and jokingly said,


    "The door can be opened from outside anyway. When were you ever so polite as to knock? You just directly ran into my room this morning!"


    "Cough... I''m always very polite okay? It''s because you didn''t lock the door! And I knocked for so long in the morning because I was worried something happened to you before rushing in."


    Nicola walked in and plopped down on the bed.


    "Mainly because I don''t know how to use this magic lock. Also, there shouldn''t be anything in Edenmere that needs special precautions right?"


    I glanced at the door then turned my head back to ask her,


    "Come on, what did you come to my room for?"


    "What? Can''t I come visit you? See if you miss me after we started living separately!"


    Nicola joked half-seriously, casually grabbing a book from the bed and glancing at it.


    "¡¶The Biography of Elara the First¡·? Ha, so Elara is just a title. I always thought it was her name! Since when did you become so literary as to read biographies?"


    "Get lost! Your room must have a copy too, go read it yourself!"


    I kicked her in annoyance and snatched the book back to put on the shelf. "Did you just come here to chat?"


    "How is that possible? Alright, I came to discuss proper business..."


    She made an aggrieved expression, then suddenly turned serious and asked me,


    "What do you think is my relationship with Liana?"


    "Liana..."


    I didn''t expect her to take the initiative to ask about this. My hand holding the book paused slightly as I casually answered,


    "How would I know? Isn''t this something you should be most clear about? Been in Edenmere so long, never mentioning her, I thought you didn''t even care..."


    "That''s why I''m here asking your opinion now! Come on, tell me what kind of existence you think Liana is?"


    Nicola urged me earnestly. It didn''t seem like she was joking.


    "I don''t know anything about her, only confirming your time control ability comes from her. But you crossed over here, so I don''t know how you''re related. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have asked your future self back then. But your future self didn''t want to answer, always avoiding my questions..."


    I could only honestly tell her everything I knew, explaining it clearly.


    "Then where do you think my wind element control ability comes from?"


    Nicola frowned slightly, seeming to feel I hadn''t touched on the key point.


    "Wind element ability? Isn''t that as Lady Elara said, related to the soul..."


    I answered matter-of-factly without thinking twice, but suddenly felt something was wrong.


    "Looks like you finally realized it too."


    Seeing my expression, Nicola finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    "I only thought of it yesterday when Reed examined the Condensation Sword..."


    "You mean when she saw that the Condensation Sword is condensed from wind elements?"


    I asked uncertainly because we had discussed the method to make Condensation Sword long ago, it wasn''t much of a secret. But combined with what I know now, there seems to be some contradiction.


    "If what Lady Elara said is true, you obtained wind element control because of your soul. But the Condensation Sword is formed by condensing wind elements, Michelle recognized Liana through the Condensation Sword, meaning Liana can also control wind elements."


    "Then doesn''t that mean the wind element ability also comes from her, same as your time control? Or your soul is Liana..."


    Based on the reasoning, I came to a terrifying conclusion.

 Vol 3/Chapter 24: Horrifying Possibilities

    "This is nonsense! The soul that came from Earth belonging to Reilly is Liana?"


    I pointed at Nicola and yelled loudly, then suddenly felt a bit amused.


    Hearing the name Liana, it was a woman''s name, but what kind of person was Reilly? Surrounded by countless young ladies from good families, known as the Prince for Ladies! Yet I was told not only was she a woman now, but her former soul was a woman too.


    "Be honest and tell me when you secretly went to Thailand. Let me take a look..."


    I held her head pretending to inspect it.


    "Go away! I''m a pure man! Also, souls have no gender!"


    Nicola''s face turned black upon hearing this. She slapped my hand away.


    "Be serious! Isn''t this what we came to discuss?"


    "How are you pure?"


    I looked her up and down disapprovingly.


    "What other reason could there be? I feel we should still stick to the initial inference - there may be another soul living in your angel body, Liana''s soul, so it unknowingly affects your abilities. Even Elara did not completely deny this possibility."


    "But unlike you, I have never shown another personality."


    Nicola did not seem to agree with this explanation. She suddenly came up with another hypothesis.


    "Could we have gone down the wrong path? What if the ability to control time doesn''t necessarily belong only to Liana? Or perhaps Michelle was simply mistaken? Moreover, even my future self said she wasn''t Liana!"


    "But how could she possibly mistake that Condensation Sword? That sword can only be used by you."


    I immediately shook my head and denied it upon hearing this.


    "Who said only I can use it?"


    To my surprise, Nicola smiled mysteriously and pointed at me, saying:


    "You can use it too!"


    "Huh? Me?"


    I pointed at myself, puzzled. I was about to say she was wrong when I suddenly recalled that she did say before that when I was unconscious, I had summoned a long sword identical to the Condensation Sword, only the colour was slightly different.


    "You can''t be saying I''m Liana right?"


    I instantly felt confused. How did our discussion become more chaotic the more we talked? Many clues could be discovered, yet we couldn''t make any sense of them.


    "Not to that extent."


    Nicola shook her head and explained:


    "What I mean is, perhaps there are many people who can use this weapon, not just the two of us. Did you forget? Even Michelle''s weapon looks the same."


    "But that still feels like too much of a stretch..."


    I thought about it and did not agree with her view, rebutting:


    "Firstly, the colours of the weapons we each summoned are different. Michelle couldn''t have mistaken them. According to Elara, such colour differences should relate to the element types. So the grayish-white color of the Condensation Sword fits the wind element theory very well. Furthermore, you also can control time. Taken together, it seems even less likely she was mistaken."


    "Unless it can be proven there is a necessary connection between the wind element and time control. If a user of the wind element can create the Condensation Sword and control time, and this is not just an isolated case, then we could reasonably say Michelle mistook the person from the start."


    There was another point I did not mention. Based on the ambiguous attitude of Nicola''s future self, there was probably some secret between Nicola and Liana. Looking at it the other way, if they had no relationship, why didn''t she directly tell us back then?Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Wind element and time?"


    Nicola pondered for a moment, unable to come up with an answer for the time being. She could only try saying:


    "I thought of another possibility, it''s just that this possibility is rather frightening, so I didn''t dare conclude on my own... "


    "Oh? So terrible huh? Tell me about it?"


    Hearing her say this piqued my curiosity instead. I urged her on.


    "I''m serious, not joking!"


    Seeing my silly grin, Nicola said sternly.


    "Didn''t Michelle mention it before? Liana reincarnated, and the cycle of rebirth is also closely related to the Angel Descend Formation. So, any ideas on the connection?"


    "Isn''t it the same reasoning as two souls sharing one angel body that I mentioned?"


    I was a bit confused. The possibility that the formation malfunctioned and obtained the soul even before connecting to Earth, had already been brought up once in front of Elara. Did she not hear it at that time?


    "What if it''s not two coexisting souls, but a fusion?"


    After hesitating for a moment, Nicola ignored my words and continued voicing her speculation.


    "Or rather, I''ve long been dead. It''s just that some memory fragments attached themselves to Liana''s soul. What do you think, is this possibility conceivable?"


    ".....You must be joking right? Too abstract and completely speculative! This is the kind of crappy cliffhanger ending you only see in third-rate web novels!"


    I strongly denied it, but her words still gave me goosebumps all over. The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it became. I actually couldn''t find any loopholes.


    Moreover, this theory perfectly explained why Cyra and Reed had not shown any anomalies until now. Perhaps they were the only two who truly survived.


    "If what you said is true, doesn''t that apply to me as well?"


    I could no longer remain calm. I didn''t want to hear this kind of inference that completely ruined my previously happy mood.


    "That''s why I said it''s frightening. After all, it''s just speculation without a shred of evidence. Don''t take it too seriously..."


    Nicola looked at me helplessly, but I could still see that she desperately hoped I could refute this conclusion.


    "Don''t look at me. The one who makes the claim should provide the proof! You''re clear about your own life experiences. Do you feel like your past is just some memory fragments?"


    I turned away, not wanting to look at her. My mind was in complete chaos now.


    Nicola was fine. Even if Reilly died, at least she still knew her name was Liana. But what about me? Was I the same? Or rather, if Flynn had already died long ago, who was I? Who was my past self?


    Unknowingly, it had risen to the philosophical level.


    But to be fair, I felt my memories of my life on Earth were still very complete, with no missing fragmented parts, let alone anything resembling mere fragments. Unfortunately, this did not constitute definitive contrary evidence.


    "Forget it, stop thinking so much! Let''s summarize first..."


    Nicola sighed, interrupting my random thoughts.


    "With the limited information we have now, we can only temporarily categorize the explanations for our anomalous abilities, Liana''s relationship to all this, and the reason your wings turned blue into four possibilities."


    "First: Elara is lying or mistaken. In that case, there is no discussion and perhaps it still relates to the body. We''d have to uncover the truth from scratch."


    "Second: What Elara said is correct. Our abilities stem from our souls and relate to crossing over. But time manipulation isn''t unique to Liana. Wind element wielders may also control time. It all goes back to Michelle misidentifying the person."


    "Third: What you said, about two souls residing in our bodies, constantly influencing us."


    "Fourth: What I just now mentioned..."


    With her laying it out one by one like this, I only realized none of the options seemed very optimistic. The only slightly better one was the second possibility. The other three had considerable troubles.


    But could Michelle have mistaken the person that easily? Personally, I didn''t quite believe it. My instinct told me things could not be so simple.


    "Let''s put these issues aside for now. Perhaps once we arrive at the Council of Sages, we''ll get some clarity."


    Nicola stood up. She could only place her hopes on those sages.


    "Unfortunately, Reed doesn''t understand souls. Otherwise, with all those books she''s read, she might have found some clues."


    Good point. I had great trust in Reed. Her knowledge had always left me in awe. But three of the four possibilities related to souls, it was clearly beyond her ability to help.


    "Time to go for class!"


    Nicola looked at her watch, then left the room.


    Fortunately, the afternoon classes were still interesting.


    Aetina perhaps sensed our impatience to graduate sooner. Although it was still held at the Battle Arena, she did not continue the high-speed flight course in the morning. Instead, she switched to lessons about defence.


    "This time we''ll talk about how to defend against enemies'' magical attacks. Unlike high-speed flying, this is a very fundamental skill originally set to be infused into your memories too. So you must learn it."


    Aetina glanced at me and Nicola. She then turned to ask Cyra:


    "Cyra, you learned this before, right? Tell us about it?"


    "Of course, I know. An angel''s body has immunity to magic, no need to defend at all."


    Cyra stepped forward and answered very confidently. Finally, a chance for her to show off. She looked proudly at me.


    "Wrong! We only have absolute immunity with light element magic, hence no need to defend. But only near total immunity with other magic elements. Forbidden curse-level magic can still inflict damage. So when you see an enemy chanting big spells it''s best to get away!"


    Aetina gently knocked Cyra''s head, signalling her to remember this well. She then continued asking:


    "But wings do not have the immunity trait as they need to absorb external elements. So how to defend them?"


    Now this hit the crux of the issue. Since learning angels'' bodies were immune to magic, I''d always felt the wings could become a fatal weakness. Finding out there were defence methods instantly piqued my interest.


    "Simple! Look!" To save her pride, Cyra took two steps back and spread out her wings behind her, not waiting for the teacher to call her. Facing us, she said:


    "Well? You don''t know about this trick, right?"


    "Huh??????"


    I thought she was going to demonstrate some kind of special spell. But all she did was spread her wings?

 Vol 3/Chapter 25: The Welcome Banquet

    "What are you doing? Acting like a rooster spreading its tail?"


    Nicola''s words were venomous without any mercy.


    "My main wife, are you jealous? Dare to try attacking me?"


    Cyra retorted without losing any momentum.


    "Humph, you think I don''t dare?"


    Nicola was provoked by her words. She rolled up her sleeves, spread her claws, and wanted to rush forward to pull out feathers.


    "Wait wait wait!"


    Seeing this, Cyra immediately lost her coolness and retreated two to three steps in fear, raising her hands repeatedly to stop Nicola.


    "We agreed this would be a magical attack, not a physical attack! Pulling out feathers would be an illegal act!"


    "Is that so?"


    Nicola frowned and turned to ask Aetna. It was clear she was very disappointed to not be able to pull out feathers.


    "Yes, we are currently discussing magical defences. Physical defences cannot be done."


    Aetna  nodded in confirmation, then praised Cyra:


    "You did well, you can stop now."


    "That''s it already? But I didn''t see anything happen at all. Was there any difference?"


    Seeing this, Nicola asked in puzzlement.


    "I think I saw a little bit..."


    When they were talking just now, I had purposely walked closer to observe. I discovered that the outer edges of Cyra''s wings seemed to give off a layer of white light. But since the wings themselves were white, it was not very noticeable.


    "What Feliciana said is right. That layer of white light is the light element. It can have the same immune effect as the body."


    Hearing what I saw, Aetna nodded approvingly to answer.


    When Nicola heard this, she threatened and coerced Cyra to demonstrate it one more time before she could finally see it.


    "We angels can easily control the light element in our bodies. So as long as we release the light element along the wings, we can achieve this effect. But to be effective in defence, we must maintain above a certain concentration of light elements. Additionally, the light element released externally will dissipate by itself. In other words, this is an extremely light element-consuming skill. However, as long as you reach four wings and above, you can completely achieve a positive cycle. So strictly speaking, this does not belong to the category of magic, it can only be considered a special ability we angels have."


    What followed was the teacher''s detailed explanation. The theory was quite simple, but it was still somewhat difficult to put into practice.


    After the theory, naturally, it entered the favourite practice session. This time, Cyra could finally practice together with us. Naturally, this gave her plenty of opportunities to show off. Along the way, there was inevitably all kinds of ridicule and dissent from me and Nicola.


    ...


    "I''m going to see Reed."


    Time passed quickly. After today''s lessons were over, Nicola bid me goodbye, then spread her wings and flew up into the sky.


    Seeing that she was finally fulfilling her promise, I also breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, with Reed''s unsociable personality, if this continued, it was very likely things could turn ugly.


    Cyra suggested we go out together to wander the city for a while, but I refused. Because the flight class in the morning was very unfamiliar to me. So I decided to stay at the battle arena to keep practicing.


    "You have always been quite diligent..."


    Cyra stayed by my side to watch me practice. Her words were full of admiration:


    "Although your grades in high school were not as outstanding as Reed''s, you were still pretty good. Otherwise, Quinn wouldn''t have liked you either."


    "Oh stop, all I did was mug textbooks to death. I wasn''t even as good as you."


    Thinking back to my high school study life, I also sighed.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Although your grades were only slightly below mine back then, you had a lot more fun! I still can''t forget that time in our third year when you took me home to secretly watch anime. That scene is stuck in my mind."


    "You still remember that? I thought you had forgotten..."


    Speaking of this, Cyra was also full of feelings.


    "I remember we were only halfway through the episode when suddenly my dad coughed from behind us. I was so frightened my soul nearly flew away. I didn''t even hear him come in, not a single sound."


    "Yes, exactly!"


    My impression of what happened was also very deep. I repeatedly voiced my agreement:


    "I thought you would be in for some nasty punishment. But unexpectedly your dad just said ''It is acceptable to occasionally enjoy some entertainment during study breaks, but you need to pay attention to moderation.''. Then he walked away. I was so shocked I just stared with my jaw hanging open!"


    "What''s so strange about that!"


    Cyra disapprovingly waved her hand to correct me:


    "The most critical thing was the last sentence he threw out before leaving. That''s what mattered!"


    "The fear of being ruled by August!" (Reference to the 2015 anime "The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan")


    The two of us repeated this line in unison, bursting out laughing together.


    "I didn''t expect your old man to be an anime fan too. I guess the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree huh!"


    My words were filled with immense envy.


    "He''s just a nerd! He would often just squat at home occupying my computer to binge-watch anime during holidays instead of bringing me out to play."


    Although Cyra complained, one could still sense her longing for her father.


    "Sigh, unfortunately, there''s no chance to see him again..."


    "Don''t..."


    I wanted to comfort her and say that perhaps there might be a way to return in the future. But then I thought about how Cyra has completely changed as a person now, even her gender was different. So even if we really could return, her family may not recognize her anymore. I could only forcefully swallow back my words.


    "Forget it, let''s not talk about this anymore. Tell me more about some of the daily happenings from your life in the outside world!"


    Cyra put on a smile to change the topic, shifting the focus back onto me.


    "As an angel, isn''t life very glorious for you in the human world? Being worshipped everywhere you go?"


    "Not really. Although angels are rarely seen in human nations, there are still plenty of people more powerful than angels. So it''s not as exaggerated as you imagine."


    I shook my head and did not conceal the truth from her, recounting my experience taking the Adventurer''s Guild test in the royal capital.


    "My position and evaluation in the outside world is rather low. So I hope to use this opportunity to work hard and improve."


    "Are angels in the outside world really that incredible?"


    Hearing that two-winged angels were all at least tier 4, Cyra clicked her tongue in surprise. Meanwhile, as a six-winged angel, my evaluation was only tier 3, so naturally, I became the target of her mockery as well.


    "If I were to go, surely I could achieve tier 5 right?"


    As expected, she was back to her usual boastful ways.


    "Hey, even Nicola is only tier 5. You should just focus on advancing your tier quickly if you want to have any chance of going out. Don''t let your guard down."


    I couldn''t help but snort. Although Cyra was likely stronger than me initially, things were different now after entering Edenmere. I believed that after studying here for some time, I would be able to reach the normal level.


    "That''s why I''m practicing now, isn''t it? Just slightly different from how you practice..."


    Cyra pointed to the wings behind her as she said so.


    "The wings of two-wing angels can''t achieve a positive cycle for defence. According to teacher Aetna, this allows us to temper our wings'' ability to absorb light elements, raising our advancement speed."


    "There''s this theory?"


    I looked at her wings in surprise. Indeed, faint traces of white light could vaguely be seen emanating from them.


    "Then you should try to maintain that state as much as possible. If you can keep doing that even when sleeping, wouldn''t that be just like practicing internal strength continuously? Although that analogy sucks..."


    "The light element in the rooms is isolated while sleeping. How am I supposed to absorb any?"


    Cyra rolled her eyes at me.


    "You should pay more attention to your practice instead. Your moves look terrible, like a white-sliced chicken flailing around on a plate. Speaking of food, I''m feeling hungry again..."


    "Piss off!"


    I lashed out an angry kick at her.


    ...


    8 pm, in the banquet hall of the Thifa Palace, I saw Elara again.


    At this moment she was dressed in a white formal gown, seated upright at the head of the long banquet table. On either side of her were also seated several other angels whom I had never seen before. Without exception, all of their wings numbered either ten or eight.


    "I thought this was supposed to be a welcome banquet? Who are these big shots anyway?"


    I lowered my head to whisper to Cyra beside me. Somehow the atmosphere did not feel as wonderful as I had imagined.


    "Don''t know, we didn''t see these people appear during our banquet previously."


    Cyra was clueless. And Nicola still wasn''t here, looks like she got held up by Reed.


    "That Nicola still hasn''t arrived? How arrogant, making us wait so long!"


    Suddenly, a ten-winged angel seated to the right of Elara lightly snorted. She looked very displeased. Naturally, the waiting period she referred to was the time after the light element isolation device had taken effect when we would start feeling hungry pangs.


    "Elara..."


    At this moment, Norma pushed open the doors to the banquet hall and walked over respectfully:


    "Just now Reed sent me to deliver a message. She said Nicola has to help with her experiment, so very sorry cannot make it for the banquet."


    "I see, alright then."


    Elara remained calm as she briefly acknowledged the message. Then she said to the angels on both sides as well as me and Cyra:


    "Then let us begin the banquet now. Please serve the dishes."


    As her voice fell, Norma clapped her hands towards the door. Immediately a line of angels strode in carrying plates and dishes.


    The serving staff this time were finally angels, two-wings and four-wings. I looked upon them and suddenly found them far more visually pleasing than the light elves.


    "I think you have been far too lenient with that newborn angel Reed."


    Taking the chance while the food was being served, the previously vocal ten-winged angel continued addressing Elara with dissatisfaction:


    "No matter how capable she is in creating new magic, she still only has two wings. Her strength is too lacking. She should not have been allocated so many resources to mess around randomly in the library! And now she even brought along another angel to jointly skip out on such an important banquet without good reason!"


    I had not expected this ten-winged angel to dare speak to Elara in such a tone. Adding in her previous words and conduct, I could ascertain her identity was not simple.

 Vol 3/Chapter 26: The VIPs

    "Reed, I''m confident she will succeed. Don''t worry!"


    Elara seemed very confident and didn''t care much about the doubts, just casually waving her hand.


    "You''re right! I''ve seen that self-created magic before. If used properly, it can be very useful against magical creatures, especially high-level ones. And for a newborn angel to use magic like that, it shows the requirements are low and it can be equipped to the whole army."


    The other 10-winged angel sitting on the right also held a positive view, but I think if she knew the conditions to learn this magic, she definitely wouldn''t say that.


    "I believe you all must be wondering who these few sitting here are?"


    After all the dishes were served, Elara suddenly said to me and Cyra. Then she pointed to the right and to the angel who was unhappy earlier.


    "Before the banquet starts, let me introduce you, this is Councillor Yvonne from the Angel Council, and also one of the three angel elders..."


    "...Nice to meet you!"


    Suddenly, Cyra stood up and pulled me along too. I had no choice but to bow slightly to her and politely greet her.


    In contrast, the other party just sat there and nodded at us impassively, and that was it.


    Oh well, she''s a VIP after all! I suddenly felt a little envious of Nicola. Although the food looks decent, greeting like this is so tiring!


    "This is Council Member Meg, also one of the three elders..."


    Next was the 10-winged angel who spoke positively earlier. Although she didn''t stand up either, at least she smiled at us.


    "And finally this is Council Member Pauline."


    She''s not an elder finally. She even stood up and smiled at us. I felt a little flattered.


    After introducing the right side, Elara turned her eyes to the left where two other 10-winged angels and one 8-winged angel sat.


    "Those here are the Commanders of the 2nd, 4th and 5th Angel Legions."


    Since those on the left were not councillors and had lower status, Elara''s introduction was much briefer.


    "They are Commander Josie, Commander Janet and Commander Cheryl respectively."


    As expected, the Commanders were not pretentious at all. When their names were called, they politely returned the gesture.


    "I know you all have a question - why are there so many people at this welcome banquet?"


    After the introductions, Elara continued speaking, "The main purpose of the elders and councillors coming is because they heard two newborn angels reached 6 wings in just a month. So they came specifically to confirm..."


    She suddenly turned her head and smiled at Yvonne next to her, "What do you think, Elder Yvonne? Although the other newborn angel Nicola is not here, Fellow 6-winger Feliciana should be able to clear your doubts right?"


    "Hmm..."


    Yvonne closed her eyes for a while, thought for a bit, then looked up and asked me, "You are Feliciana right? Can you guarantee that you are a newborn angel of this batch and not an older angel impersonating?"


    "Huh? I just arrived at Edenmere yesterday right?"


    I was shocked. Didn''t expect she would ask me this.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Could it be that this Councillor recognizes my angel body? A thought crossed my mind. I couldn''t help but start imagining...


    "You must be joking! How can this be impersonated!" Elara probably didn''t expect her to ask such a direct question either, she responded with an awkward laugh.


    "Hmph! Who knows..."


    Since she couldn''t pick any fault, Yvonne could only grunt twice and stop saying more.


    "Elder Yvonne, isn''t that an overreaction?"


    Others may not dare object, but Councillor Meg who was sitting next to her suddenly spoke up, "Whether Feliciana is a newborn angel or not, everyone present should know clearly. After all, the total number of angels is limited, and even fewer reach 6 wings. Those present, the Legion Commanders each lead most of the 6-winged angels. If there was an impersonator, I believe we would have noticed right?"


    "Er..."


    Originally, the Legion Commanders sat with indifferent expressions. Being suddenly involved by Councillor Meg, they could only respond awkwardly.


    "Yes, yes, yes! We have never seen this Feliciana before, she must be part of the new batch of angels, no doubt about it!"


    So it was infighting huh...


    I finally understood what was going on. Suddenly felt a little helpless. Edenmere has only tens of thousands of population, yet the higher-ups fight quite fiercely.


    "Meg, seems you are quite unhappy with me?" Yvonne was not one to be trifled with in the first place.


    Seeing she was being overridden, she naturally retorted, "No! I was just speaking fairly to avoid leaving any bad impressions on the new angels."


    "The two elders please calm down!" Seeing the two 10-winged angels about to argue at the table, the most insignificant Councilor Pauline couldn''t stand it and quickly stood up to make peace, "Don''t forget this is the welcome banquet organized by Lady Elara for the new angels. We all understand your hard work for the angels, but too much distraction is in bad taste. So let''s end Feliciana''s identity issue here. After all, everyone has seen those wings right? They can''t be glued on!"


    "Pfft--!"


    Hearing this, Cyra couldn''t help laughing softly. She even reached behind and pulled my wings, whispering, "See I told you! How could you have advanced so much faster than me! Could they be glued on? Let me check..."


    "You dare to laugh!"


    I glared at her. Although Councilor Pauline intended to ease the atmosphere, having my identity questioned was unpleasant.


    The other angels naturally didn''t care how I felt. They politely laughed along to give the elders some face.


    "Fine. Since everyone agrees, I shall not doubt any further."


    Yvonne probably didn''t want to make things embarrassing further, taking the opportunity to step down. However, she wasn''t done and turned to Cyra and me again, "Since you have such potential, I hope you can continue your efforts and contribute to the prosperity of the angels. You should understand not every batch gets such a welcome banquet. It''s the first time in thousands of years we have hosted newly-borns so grandly. Can you understand the deeper meaning?"


    What deeper meaning? It''s obviously to pull us over!


    I''m no fool. I naturally understand the implication. Although I don''t feel so strongly about it, a verbal agreement was still necessary.


    "Don''t worry! No Problem! Leave it to us!"


    Cyra was the quickest to agree. Before I could even open my mouth, she was already sprouting nonsense.


    But her attitude made Yvonne very satisfied. Seeing her nod slightly and finally quiet down saved us a lot of trouble.


    "Since there are no more doubts, let me continue where I left off..."


    Seeing the commotion finally settled down, Elara continued speaking, "As for why the Legion Commanders are here, their purpose is a bit different. The angel legions and Astralrealm Kingdom armies these days are preparing for a major decapitation operation against Michelle you all mentioned earlier."


    "Michelle?"


    I was shocked to hear this.


    "Don''t tell me you all plan to..."


    "That''s right! We have confirmed. This Michelle is indeed the mastermind behind the invasion of the Astralream Kingdom as you said. If we are to end the war, this is the best opportunity to strike her while injured."


    Before I could finish, Commander Cheryl of the Fifth Legion explained first.


    They had heard Serena''s report already, so details like Michelle being transferred through time manipulation by the "Mystery Figure" were very clear to them.


    Although the "Mystery Figure" did not state specifically which time Michelle was sent to, it wasn''t difficult to guess¡ªalmost definitely the future!


    If she were sent to the past, not only would there be issues with time paradoxes, but there could also result in two Michelles, which have too many uncertain factors. So as long as the spatial position remains unchanged, the injured Michelle most likely would appear there in the future. This is the basis for this operation.


    Of course, all these remain as our verbal accounts. For the joint armies to have such faith in our intel to launch a major operation, Sir Alfreed and the others must have played a role from inside the Astral Kingdom armies as well.


    "But how can you be sure Michelle will appear soon? What if it''s many years or decades later, wouldn''t it be a wasted effort?"


    I hope they succeed in eliminating the threat too, but there are still many details I don''t quite understand.


    "That you don''t know..."


    It wasn''t the Legion Commander who answered me. It was Elara. Smiling, she explained, "The longer the time traversed in temporal transfers, the greater the cost required, and that also depends closely on the strength of the transferred target. This is an unchanging truth! From your descriptions of Michelle''s abilities and the traces left at the scene, the Mystery Figure couldn''t do the transfer too far into the future. At most, just a few days would be considered incredible already."

 Chapter 27 - The Bizarre Awakening

    "I see..."


    I don''t understand these theories, but since Elara is so confident about it with her prestige and capabilities, it''s pretty much confirmed.


    "But what does this have to do with the commanders attending the banquet?"


    The big shots sitting across from me kept staring at me, making me rather nervous. They had already planned this out, so why did they need me? Don''t tell me they want me to join them in the campaign against Michelle.


    "It mainly has to do with the issue of Michelle''s capabilities..."


    Hearing my question, the Fourth Legion commander Janet, one of the ten winged angels, finally spoke up.


    "The proposal for this operation came mainly from the Astralrealm Kingdom side. But for an enemy at Michelle''s level, since we haven''t seen her, it''s hard to determine which tier her capabilities belong to. This concerns the entire campaign effort, so to be prudent, we wanted to hear your firsthand account one more time."


    "But other than me and Nicola, weren''t Hyden, Eleanora and Selene also there to witness everything? With three people''s accounts, how could there possibly be any mistakes?" I asked doubtfully. Alfreed and Adrian didn''t count since they were unconscious the whole time.


    Did these commanders come back to Edenmere just to hear me and Nicola tell stories? Isn''t that making a mountain out of a molehill?


    "Humans'' words cannot be fully trusted! Just listening to their one-sided story makes me uneasy."


    Josie, the Second Legion commander sitting at the edge scoffed.


    "If we weren''t certain that angels were involved to corroborate the information from Edenmere''s side, our legions would never risk getting dragged into this mess."


    "This is..."


    I suddenly felt tremendous pressure weighing down on me. I could sense her great displeasure towards humans. With this, wasn''t the responsibility for everything now piled onto me?


    I understood Astralrealm''s eagerness to end the war, but to rashly launch such a major operation without fully grasping the enemy''s capabilities seemed overly reckless to me.


    To be honest, even as an eyewitness myself, I didn''t know Michelle all that well either. I had only witnessed a small portion of her capabilities after all. If something unexpected were to happen during the decapitation strike, and I got blamed for providing inaccurate intelligence, wouldn''t that spell disaster for me?


    "It looks like everyone is hungry. There''s no rush with this matter. We can take our time to discuss it while we eat..."


    Sensing my dilemma, Elara quickly stepped in to smooth things over.


    "Alright everyone, let''s start eating!"


    As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of clinking cutlery and soft chatter instantly filled the banquet hall, lightening up the atmosphere considerably.


    "I can''t help you out with this one... good luck yourself!"


    Cyra had endured it for a long time already. She shook her head at me and picked up her cutlery, ready to heartily tuck into the food placed before her.


    "I knew I shouldn''t have come today!"


    I bitterly bit into the Loftham mountain goat steak. The meal instantly lost all taste for me.


    ...


    After the exhausting banquet finally ended, I dragged my weary body back to my room, mentally drained. I had been interrogated for hours by the three commanders, barely touching any food. I felt I had suffered a major loss.


    Moreover, despite repeatedly reminding them that Michelle might be far more formidable than imagined, they simply refused to listen.  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Although Josie immediately voiced her objection to the operation after hearing my warning, Janet and Cheryl insisted I was just a fledgling angel frightened by Michelle, completely oblivious to the might of the angel legions and the allied forces.


    If that was the case, why even ask me for confirmation? Just go ahead and strike! I had already told them everything I could. As long as they didn''t come to blame me if something went wrong later, everything would be just peachy.


    "Ugh... That scoundrel Nicola escaped..."


    I flopped onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as I grumbled.


    "If she had been there, their firepower wouldn''t have focused so heavily on me. It''s because she''s taller and more conspicuous than me..."


    Just as I was lost in thought, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door. Glancing at the time, I realized it was already nearing midnight.


    Sure enough, Nicola soon came barging in, the fatigue evident on her face as she collapsed onto my bed.


    "I finally got today''s experiments done. I thought they would drag on until tomorrow..."


    Sprawled limply on the bed, Nicola looked as if she had just run a marathon. I wondered what torment she had endured to end up in this state.


    "Was it that bad? Just what torture did you go through?"


    After being ganged up on by the big shots for hours without any isolation from the light element, I didn''t suffer nearly as dramatically as her, did I?


    "Just what did Reed make you do? To put you in this shape."


    Faced with my question, Nicola remained silent for a good long while. Just as I thought she might have fallen asleep, she finally responded.


    "Nothing special. She just kept making me control the wind element, or try sensing various gases that are sensitive to the wind element..."


    "Oh? Gases? Are gases sensitive to the wind element?"


    Hearing her say that piqued my interest a little.


    Come to think of it, it made a lot of sense. The wind element is named aptly - it allows control over many wind-type magics. Most wind-type magic is related to gases, like tornadoes, blade vortexes, wind blades etc. While this magical world might not understand gases as well as Earth, for transmigrators like us who were equipped with knowledge from Earth, there was still much to anticipate from this line of thought.


    "I suspect Reed wants to combine magic and science to develop her theories. That''s why she keeps using me as a test subject!"


    Nicola sighed and sat up straight to complain to me.


    "She said that based on initial deductions, elements like the wind element and light element should be a special kind of energy that can influence specific substances. So she kept making me use the wind element to control those gases. One moment she''d ask if I could generate a gust of wind out of nowhere, the next she''d ask if I could sense molecules or atoms within the gases and try separating them..."


    "Doesn''t she know how draining all this is for me? It''s even more tormenting than fighting magical creatures on the battlefield! Mad scientists like her simply aren''t human - they''re demons!"


    "She stopped being human long ago. But her theories do sound rather fascinating..."


    Hearing Nicola''s indignant tirade, I couldn''t help but chuckle as I consoled her.


    "You can''t blame her. Don''t forget Reed''s background before transmigration - she was the cream of the crop at Jellongon University! Graduated early with honors and went straight into a Ph.D. program, even majoring in something physics-related. It''s only natural for her to have this level of academic curiosity! You should let her know upfront where your limits lie. Reed is reasonable - she would listen."


    "I hope so..."


    Nicola didn''t sound very hopeful.


    "Just thinking that I have to endure this for another week makes me regret ever agreeing so casually back then."


    "A promise is a promise, no matter how tough. You''ll just have to bear it yourself..."


    What else could I say? With the nearly endless energy replenishment angels get within Edenmere, fatigue lasts but a moment.


    Besides, for all her complaints, Nicola had bounced right back to liveliness after just lying there briefly, no?


    "I''m going back to my room. Wife, come give me a goodbye hug!"


    Nicola stood up and spread her arms, ready to embrace me.


    "Get lost!"


    I frowned and kicked her. All her dramatics from before were an act.


    "You only pick up Cyra''s bad habits, none of the good. Don''t let her lead you astray!" I admonished righteously.


    When I thought about that occult maniac Cyra and science fanatic Reed, two extremes who somehow transmigrated together into this magical world, I truly felt destiny was ironic.


    "Don''t compare me to Cyra..."


    Mumbling dejectedly, Nicola opened the door to leave, not forgetting to toss over her shoulder:


    "I still have way more integrity than her!"


    "As if you have any integrity left!"


    Recalling Nicola''s shameless behaviour ever since transmigration, I shook my head angrily and rushed forward to lock the door.


    ...


    "Where is this place?"


    When I awoke, I found myself lying on the couch inside an unfamiliar cottage.


    The brightly lit scene outside the window showed the room''s furnishings were simple - a couch, some chairs, a coffee table in the center, nothing else.


    There weren''t many items, but the decor was intricate. One glance revealed they formed a matching furniture set. The pure white colour scheme gave off a warm yet romantic vibe, cozy but still elegant.


    What was going on? How did I get here?


    I looked around blankly, completely unable to recall anything that had happened. I only remembered I seemed to have a dream just now. The last impression was shortly after Nicola left my room, though the details were fuzzy...


    Glancing down inadvertently, I spotted something that shocked me tremendously.


    "A wedding dress?"


    I was wearing a wedding dress. What did that signify if not the obvious? Was I getting married?


    Impossible! How could I possibly be getting married? And even wearing a wedding dress?


    Just then, the small door in the wall opened as someone rushed in from outside.


    "Cyra?"


    Recognizing the newcomer instantly, I called out. She hurried over anxiously asking:


    "Quick, it''s almost time for the bride and groom''s entrance. Are you ready?"

 Vol 3/Chapter 28: Awakening from the Dream

    "Newlyweds? What nonsense are you talking about, who did I marry?" I asked in confusion, suddenly realizing that Cyra was not wearing her usual white dress - instead, she was in a bridesmaid''s dress!


    "What''s with your clothes?"


    "Hello, I''m your bridesmaid what! What else would I be wearing?" Cyra replied and pulled me outside, urging "Stop dawdling! The wedding is starting, let''s get to the chapel!"


    I impatiently stopped her in the hallway, demanding seriously, "Tell me clearly whose wedding this is!"


    I was lost about how I got here and why I was in a wedding dress. And now Cyra was dragging me around talking about a wedding... this situation was just too bizarre!


    Cyra turned back, looking at me as if I was being unreasonable. "Don''t tell me you''re having second thoughts? Or did you just doze off in the waiting room earlier?"


    I cut to the chase and asked directly, "Why would I be getting married? And who is the groom?" Her messing with me had left my mind in chaos.


    Honestly, everything was bizarre after waking up, with an ominous atmosphere everywhere. I would not rest until I got some clear answers.


    "Are you joking with me?" Cyra looked at me in disbelief. "You agreed to marry Reilly yourself! And now you''re asking me why. Don''t tell me you''re having second thoughts?"


    "Reilly?"


    I doubted my ears - Reilly had become Nicola, how could he be the groom? And why would I marry her, two girls in a lesbian wedding?


    "Take me to see..."


    Since asking Cyra was useless, I would ask Nicola directly. I took the initiative to follow her toward the familiar large door at the end of the hallway. As it opened, a grand hall appeared before my eyes.


    "This is the Tivi Palace? Why is Elara using the hall for the wedding?" Many questions swirled in my mind. Something seemed missing from my memory - if I could remember it, all this would make sense!


    There were so many people inside... The hall was filled, and all seemingly familiar faces - Norma, Mona, Aetna ... even Selene, Alfreed and Adrian were there!


    I quickly went to Adrian and asked in surprise, ¡°How did you get here? This is Edenmere, how can humans enter?¡±


    ¡°What is Edenmere...¡± Adrian looked at me strangely, but before he could reply, Cyra pushed me forward... The crowd parted to reveal two people standing under the Archangel statue.


    ¡°Bishop Rist?¡± I stared at him dressed in bishop¡¯s yellow robes, standing before me. Even more shocking was the other person. ¡°Reilly?¡±


    Indeed, the so-called ¡°groom¡± before me was unexpectedly Reilly instead of Nicola! The male version of him!


    "How can this be? How did you change back?" I asked incredulously. Could this be some illusion magic? But as I sensed him more closely, I found no traces of light elemental power on him. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    There were no signs of any light elemental power, not only on Reilly but also in the surroundings and everyone present!


    "Don''t tell me... I''m not an angel anymore?" I turned and realized I had no wings at all, they weren''t hidden, they were simply not there! Nor could I sense any light elemental power in myself.


    I kept examining my body. I was not an angel anymore, so why was I still in female form, even wearing a wedding dress...


    "What change back? Angels, what are you talking about?" The Reilly-lookalike looked at me blankly as if he had no idea about the gender change. Then a sudden look of realization, "Oh I get it darling! Of course, you''re my angel! We''re getting married after all!"


    He even tried to hug me!


    "Go away!" I pushed him away in disgust, this sleazy "Reilly" was nothing like the one I knew. My instincts screamed he was an imposter.


    In truth, not only he but everything and everyone here felt off and strange, despite being in a familiar setting. It was like I had entered an alternate reality where nothing made sense.


    "Strange, why don''t you have any memories?"


    Upon hearing my harsh rebuke, "Reilly''s" face finally cracked as he asked incredulously, "Strange, why don''t you have any memories?"


    Before I could answer "Reilly''s" question, Cyra who was standing at the side also suddenly said the same thing.


    "Are you a tape recorder..." I had barely finished my words when the bizarre scene that happened next made my skin crawl - everyone started repeating like mindless puppets,


    ¡°Strange, why don''t you have any memories?¡±


    ¡°Strange, why don''t you have any memories?¡±


    ...


    It was as if I had suddenly been transported from a wedding scene into a horror movie, creepy as hell.


    "What the hell is all this!" I cried out in terror, retreating to a corner. But it was useless. After everyone finished repeating the chant once, they started on another sentence.


    "Why can''t we manipulate your memories?"


    "Why can''t we manipulate your memories?"


    ...


    "Just who are you?"


    I shouted. After calming down a little, I vaguely guessed what was happening - either this was a hallucination, or it was a dream.


    If a hallucination, then someone was trying to manipulate my memory. But a hallucination still didn''t explain why my memories were disjointed.


    I could remember little before waking in the waiting room as if parts of my memory were wiped clean. The only memories that still retained any vivid details were those hazy experiences, the welcome banquet, and the lessons. I just had some faint impressions left which might soon fade completely.


    Could those experiences have been real dreams? Compared to the bizarre happenings now, somehow those dreams felt more genuine.


    So could I still be dreaming now? But why did I feel so lucid and awake? I rubbed my eyes hard and pinched my arm, feeling the pain distinctly but not waking as expected.


    "How can you tell that you''re dreaming?"


    "How can you tell that you''re dreaming?"


    ...


    As if reading my thoughts, the broken records changed their chant again.


    "Let me out!"


    I was certain now that the voice was behind this mess, using some mystical power to trap me in this endless dream-sleep. But why? What was its aim?


    Another bizarre thing happened as soon as I shouted. I saw those chanting ¡°puppets¡± suddenly vanish without a trace, and then the entire scene around me drifted away and faded to darkness...


    Next, I felt myself lying in bed, eyes shooting wide open.


    Was I just...dreaming earlier?


    Sitting up, I saw my six wings strewn across the bed and it all came flooding back. Nicola had left not long ago, then I activated the light isolator before washing up and falling asleep. So I really must have been dreaming just now, but what an absurd dream!


    It was extraordinary! The mental impact was far stronger than any normal dream, where even lingering impressions tend to be vague and blurred. But this dream experience remained etched clearly in my memory even now, with such an intense lucid awareness of dreaming that I had never attained prior.


    ¡°What exactly happened, was that a real dream or not? If so, why did I wake up instantly when I realized I was dreaming?¡±


    I shook my head violently and got out of bed, going to the desk to turn off the light isolator.


    Right before external light elements came flooding back into the room, I thought I caught a whiff of that familiar stench again.


    The smell of dark elements?


    I couldn''t be mistaken. Edenmere had somehow contained traces of dark elements? Although that faint wisp vanished immediately, I was certain it wasn''t an illusion, after spending days immersed in the dark elements of Dark Lands.


    Could monsters have penetrated Edenmere without notice, even infiltrating my room?

 Vol 3/Chapter 29: I Dare Not Sleep Again

    How is this possible?


    Put aside whether demons can survive in Edenmere, which is full of light elements. Just the teleportation formation I saw when entering Edenmere earlier, Serena had clearly stated that it only allows angels in and out.


    Perhaps light elves can be exceptionally permitted as an exception, but demons definitely cannot be on the list. So how did these dark elements appear in Edenmere and evade the perception of so many angels outside? It makes no sense...


    I racked my brains but could not figure it out. I couldn''t help but suspect that I was still dreaming, but how to confirm that I''m not still in a dream now?


    Suddenly I realized that if compared to the realism in that bizarre dream earlier, I have no way to prove this point for the time being.


    After all, I don''t have that frictionless super tornado gadget from Inception. Surely I can''t be asked to jump off the roof without using my wings right? What if I die from the fall...


    All I can do is keep pinching myself and splashing water on my face to make myself more awake...


    But still no effect at all! Completely useless!


    Considering there is no discontinuity in my memories, and so far no other abnormalities have occurred, I should be in reality...probably?


    I''d better go find Nicola and ask! I really can''t sit still.


    Although she''s probably still sleeping now, this is a critical matter that needs to be properly confirmed.


    "Nicola!"


    I knocked forcefully on the door. It took a very long time before Nicola finally opened the door, looking at me with drowsy eyes.


    "What are you doing? You''re not sleeping yet? It shouldn''t be time to wake up yet right?"


    Nicola was very unhappy that I woke her up.


    Fortunately, it''s not the male version of Reilly...


    Looking at her messy long hair and attractively tired face, I heaved a long sigh of relief. It seems I''m probably in reality after all! Then I took a big step forward into the dark room and turned off the light isolator.


    The room was instantly filled with bright light again. After a while, Nicola began to wake up gradually.


    "What''s the matter? Can''t sleep so you came to chat with me?"


    Nicola looked at me blankly, not knowing my intention for the moment, and could only jokingly ask.


    "Or did you feel lonely and wanted to come over to sleep with me?"


    "Oh stop teasing!"


    I waved my hand, in no mood for joking with her. I got straight to the point.


    "Listen, I just had a very bizarre dream! I dreamed that..."


    I intended to tell her everything, but when I thought about what happened in the dream, I didn''t know how to start. Should I just honestly admit that I dreamed of marrying the male version of her? That would be so embarrassing!


    "I dreamed you all turned into tape recorders! Repeating the same words over and over..."


    Anyway, marriage is not the point. So I skipped those parts and roughly told her about the strangest part of the dream, including what I found after waking up.


    "What the heck! Tape recorders?"


    It took Nicola a long time to grasp what I meant. She seemed a little incredulous.


    "So you''re saying you had a nightmare? And because of that, you came knocking on my door in the middle of the night? Isn''t that making a mountain out of a molehill?"This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Of course not. Don''t you think this dream is very strange? Not only the repeating content, but I was aware in the dream that I was dreaming. Isn''t that abnormal too?" I argued.


    "It is quite bizarre..."


    Seeing my serious expression, she pondered it over a little before replying.


    "But dreams are like this, often illogical. What''s so surprising about that? Also, realizing you''re in a dream while dreaming, although rare, not that peculiar right?"


    "Uh..."


    I was a little speechless for a moment. What she said was not unreasonable, but that doesn''t alleviate my doubts.


    "Then how do you explain the traces of dark elements left in my room when I woke up?"


    It may be hard to account for what happened in the dream, but how can she deny what I found after waking up?


    "The appearance of dark elements in Edenmere is not normal. And it happened around the same time as that weird nightmare. If you say they are unrelated then I don''t believe it."


    "What if some demon secretly snuck into the room while I was sleeping, trying to control me in my dream!"


    Although these are just guesses, they are not completely made up groundlessly. The tape recorders in the dream were very bizarre, but what they said did give me a lot of ideas. Maybe someone wanted to manipulate my memories but failed.


    "Now you just sound paranoid... Why don''t we go take a look in your room?"


    However, Nicola didn''t think so. But she also couldn''t come up with a reasonable explanation for the moment, so she turned and opened the door to walk to my room.


    "Is this the place? But I don''t sense any dark elements at all."


    "Of course, there''s none now. It''s been so long already!"


    I replied helplessly as I followed behind her.


    "And I already said, there was only an extremely faint trace to begin with. How could it possibly remain in Edenmere''s environment?"


    "What if you just...mistook it in the first place?"


    Nicola walked around my room for a few circles and hesitated for a moment before finally voicing her doubts.


    "Maybe because you just woke up from a nightmare, your mood affected you and you felt something was off for a while. That would be perfectly understandable."


    "You doubting me like this is way over the line! You''ve rejected everything I said!"


    I was so angry to hear this. I argued indignantly,


    "I''ve encountered dark elements many times before. How could I possibly mistake it? And to think I specially came looking for you to discuss this. You don''t believe me!"


    "But even if there''s a demon that snuck in as you said, what can the two of us newbie angels do about it without evidence? We''d at least need to show some proof before getting others to believe right?"


    "That''s why I came looking for you to discuss..."


    After she put it that way, I suddenly felt disheartened. It would indeed be very difficult to show evidence. But just leaving it be like this makes me feel very uneasy too.


    "I can''t give much suggestions regarding this..."


    Nicola thought for a while and could only show helplessness. Then she suddenly suggested to me,


    "Why don''t you just come sleep in my room? Having two people should prevent you from feeling scared."


    "I''m not scared!"


    I rejected her invitation without hesitation. This guy is so unreliable. Not only does she not believe me, but she thinks I''m timid and don''t dare sleep alone, like I''m still a child.


    To tell the truth, the marriage in the dream made me feel weird about Nicola. Whenever I see her now, I involuntarily associate her with that male "Reilly". Though there''s no direct connection between them, I still feel a subtle awkwardness.


    "Anyway, it won''t be long before time to wake up. Rather than sleeping, I''ll just read some books first until it''s time for class."


    In the end, I made up my mind. I wouldn''t feel comfortable continuing to sleep in this room with the light isolator on. The bizarre dream still feels vivid in my memory. I''m afraid if I fall asleep again, I may not necessarily wake up next time.


    Moreover, angels don''t need to sleep.


    "You''re not sleeping just because of this?"


    Nicola looked at me incredulously, seeming to still believe it was merely a dream. I''m quite disappointed by this. Even if there''s no evidence for now, shouldn''t she unconditionally believe me based on our relationship?


    But I didn''t expect her to surprise me again. "Why don''t I stay up with you to keep you company? Anyway, you woke me up already."


    "You''re that nice? Or are you just here to watch me make a fool of myself?"


    I looked at her doubtfully and quickly pushed her out the door. She hasn''t been helpful at all, only making things more chaotic. What use would she be?


    "No need! You should go back to your room and sleep!"


    "Hey hey, you woke me up then deserted me just like that..."


    Nicola still wanted to argue. But I "slammed" the door shut, blocking out the second half of her words outside.


    In the end, I was alone again. Looking at the empty room, I sighed softly. I randomly picked out a book from the shelf and flipped through it, but still couldn''t concentrate on reading.


    Then a thought struck me. I spread my wings and leapt out of the window, landing on the commercial street outside the Tivi Palace.


    Anyway, I still have a few hours of free time. Might as well wander around outside for a bit.


    Although Cyra had briefly brought us around this street and we even ate a meal here last time, I didn''t get to browse many of the other shops properly.


    Walking alone on the wide road now, although it''s an early morning out here, there are still quite a few angels moving about, unlike us newbies who would feel uncomfortable if we miss even a night''s sleep.


    Although this street is not very long and doesn''t have that many shops, still rich in variety. Aside from some common apparel stores and eateries, I also saw a few weapon and equipment shops.


    Naturally, I have no interest in clothes since plenty are provided in my room. But weapons are different. Although I have a long sword I took from Hayden, it''s just a human-made weapon. I''m very curious about what kind of weapons angels use!

 Vol 3/Chapter 30: The Weapons Shop

    This weapons shop had a very simple name, just two words - "Holy Hall". But before even entering the shop, a gorgeous long sword displayed in the window had already caught my attention.


    This sword was really special. Firstly, its hilt adopted the more common style in Edenmere - winding lines, and golden lustre, giving it a noble yet graceful feel. However, that wasn''t too special. The important part was the straight blade, engraved with countless tiny glyphs, emitting a white glow through the conduction of the sword body, looking as dazzling as those weapons with special effects in online games.


    "Pretty nice right?"


    A familiar voice suddenly sounded next to my ear. I turned my head to look, and surprisingly it was Aetina . She seemed to have just exited the weapons shop.


    "What a coincidence..."


    I was stunned for a moment, not expecting to run into her at this time and place. We were going to see each other in class in a few hours anyway.


    "Yeah... I saw you staring at that sword for a long time, so I really couldn''t resist coming over to say hi."


    She smiled back, although she was our teacher now, she didn''t put on much of a teacher''s air before me and Nicola. Perhaps in her eyes, we were still fellow tribesmen at an equal level rather than students.


    "Although this sword looks flashy and eye-catching, it''s just an ordinary elemental weapon. Other than being more effective against magical beasts, it''s not that different from a normal long sword. Its sharpness might even be inferior. And to achieve this glowing effect, glyphs are carved to deliberately leak out its inner elemental composition. It''s simply wasteful with an extremely low cost-effectiveness."


    "Elemental weapon?"


    I discovered another new term and asked quizzically.


    "Elemental weapons are weapons made directly out of specific elements. Generally one needs exceptionally profound control over an element to produce them. So they are very expensive across the board."


    Aetina patiently explained this to me in detail.


    "Take this exhibit for example. It''s made out of the light element. Typically it would require at least three 10-winged angels, taking dozens of days, with the assistance of spell formations, before it can finally be forged into shape."


    "That difficult?"


    It sounded just like Nicola''s Condensation Sword. I immediately moved closer to carefully sensing the blade. Indeed as she said, nearly the whole sword was made up of the light element, and the light element within those glyphs seemed particularly unstable, slowly dissipating outwards at an extremely slow pace. So this sword, plainly speaking, was just a consumable item, merely with an extremely gradual consumption rate - roughly needing many years to completely disappear.


    But her statement about needing three 10-winged angels to make it really surprised me. Given what 10-winged angels represented in Edenmere, they were all big shots, belonging to the highest echelons. Judging from the looks of those elders, legion commanders and Elara, they were all unfathomable beings who had lived for thousands of years. For a weapon made by mobilizing three such characters, exhausting massive amounts of their energy, one could imagine the astronomical difficulty.


    "Of course it''s difficult! Directly transmuting elements into matter is an extremely arduous process to begin with."


    Aetina patiently lectured me as if I was still her student outside of class too.


    "Take the Angel Descend Formation that gave rise to your birth for example. Not only are the precious materials too numerous to count, but the mere task of gathering them would require several decades just to set up initially. To smoothly operate, it requires close to a hundred high-ranking angels simultaneously conduct the ritual simultaneously. Compared to that, making this sword is already very simple."


    "I see..."


    I suddenly understood a bit why Reed was so desperate to do experiments on Nicola - if it were me, I wouldn''t easily let go of such a rare chance either.


    "If you came specifically to purchase a weapon, I don''t recommend buying this long sword. It''s merely some high-ranking angels having nothing better to do and making an extravagant toy. It''s completely unsuitable for actual combat. Moreover, it is already very expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of silvers. Although that would be considered cheap for an elemental weapon in the human world, a newborn angel like you definitely can''t afford it right?"Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Seeing me staring blankly at the display, she naturally didn''t know what I was thinking. Instead, she assumed I had taken a liking to the long sword and wouldn''t buy anything else, hence kindly tried to dissuade me.


    "No no, I was just randomly looking, I didn''t want to buy it..."


    Hearing that, I hurriedly explained. No kidding, hundreds of thousands of silvers? I probably couldn''t afford it even if I sold myself.


    Moreover, even if I had the money, I wouldn''t buy this kind of impractical consumable item. Heaven knows if it might suddenly vanish while using it one day - that would be truly heartbreaking.


    "Are there any weapons suitable to recommend to a newborn angel then?"


    Speaking of which, I turned and entered the weapons shop. Although my personal preferences leaned more towards magic, I hadn''t learnt many spells yet. What''s more, mages still needed weapons to defend themselves sometimes. Gandalf''s staff contained a sword within after all. As an angel, I could consider getting a slightly better weapon too.


    And money wasn''t a concern anymore either. Since Nicola had taken the ring, she left me her wallet, even splitting half her savings into it. That should be sufficient in Edenmere.


    "Do you usually use a sword?"


    Instead of answering directly, Aetina suddenly asked while following behind me.


    "I guess so..."


    I thought about it slightly before replying. I never had any special requirements for weapons. It was just that most people tended to use long swords. Compared to large weapons like axes and spears, they were easier to carry around and didn''t demand high technique. My first experience was Nicola''s Condensation Sword. So I just stuck to swords until now.


    "Do you know swordsmanship then?"


    Seeing I kept staring at the various long swords on the weapon racks, she assumed I had some foundation in sword techniques. My reply was somewhat out of her expectations.


    "Nope..."


    I was a bit helpless about this. I hadn''t improved much in that field. Sword techniques demanded enduring arduous cultivation over a long term. Without even a sword master teacher, it was naturally impossible to succeed overnight.


    "It''s fine. The future curriculum will also include some basic blocking and combat techniques that you can train with your preferred weapon. Sword techniques are included of course."


    Seeing my expression, Aetina consoled me and took an ordinary-looking long sword off the rack.


    "Since you don''t have much experience, for now, you don''t need some amazing weapon either. This is the standard issue long sword often distributed in the angel legions. It incorporates techniques brought over by light elves, much sharper and more durable than human-forged swords. It''s usually sufficient and very affordable too. You won''t feel bad changing weapons in the future either."


    "Is that so?"


    I accepted the long sword she handed over and looked it over. Its material and workmanship were clearly on a completely different level compared to Hayden''s sword - easily over a grade higher. I couldn''t help feeling a little tempted.


    "How much is this?"


    "10 silvers."


    She simply stated a number without even checking the price.


    "So cheap..."


    I took a deep breath. That shabby sword I bought back in Norvale had cost me 100 silvers even after haggling relentlessly with the boss. Yet such a standard-issue angel long sword was only 10 silvers here.


    "Of course, this is the only price it could sell for in Edenmere. Most lower-ranking angels don''t actually have much money on them."


    Atina smiled and explained.


    "Also, angels wanting to travel outside usually choose to join the angel legions. Doing so allows them to get issued a weapon like this for free. As such, basic models like these don''t really have a market. Selling for 10 silvers is already pretty decent."


    "Where''s the boss?"


    I immediately took out my wallet, wanting to pay. Since Nicola had taken my ring, she left me her wallet and even split half her savings into it. I was quite well off in Edenmere now.


    Yet after searching all over the weapons shop, I couldn''t find any trace of the boss or even a shop assistant.


    This was very strange. The shop was clearly still open for business, how could no one be watching the store?


    "Could it be..."


    I suddenly recalled Aetina walking out from inside the shop earlier. My gaze landed back on her as I came to the only plausible conclusion.


    "You''re the owner here?"


    "What else could it be?"


    Aetina simply smiled at me, no longer hiding it.


    "I thought it would take you a bit longer to realize. Didn''t expect you to guess so quickly."


    "How could anyone have imagined that..."


    I smiled wryly. Our usual teacher turning out to be a weapons shop owner! If I didn''t witness it myself, there''s no way I would believe it. Aetina normally gave me the impression of a gentle, graceful girl next door. Who knew she was openly peddling "arms" here?


    Perhaps she gave me this huge discount on the long sword because I was her student...


    "Remember to come for class later!"


    Before I exited, Aetina couldn''t help repeatedly reminding me. It left me feeling somewhat amused. I didn''t expect to run into a familiar face just by randomly visiting a weapons shop. Could this also be due to the angel population scarcity?


    Still, obtaining a suitable weapon for a steal of a price was quite a decent harvest. Walking along the streets while gripping the long sword, I couldn''t stop looking at it over and over, utterly attached to it. I guess this is the so-called feeling of getting a bargain.


    After leaving the weapons shop, I was in no hurry to return. I also dropped by a bookstore ran by light elves. Unfortunately the magic books sold here were basically the same as what Elara mentioned - all light magic without exception. And there was an extreme dearth of them too. Most documented various new light magic spells recently developed by humans. Completely useless to me.


    Why waste time coming to such a place when I could directly borrow foundational light magic books from the library? Having understood this, I walked out from the bookstore disappontedly.


    But it was getting late. I should still go to class first...

 Vol 3/Chapter 31: Memory

    "....Because the elemental affinity of humans is usually not high, they can only use auxiliary methods like chanting magic spells to improve their control over the elements in their bodies, also known as magic power. In contrast, we angels are born with a high affinity for the light element and can easily skip the chanting phase to directly control the light element in our bodies. This is the fundamental reason why many high-ranking angels can cast magic without chanting..."


    In a more secluded small empty room in the Tivi Palace, Aetna was explaining to us the essence of magic.


    Today''s lesson was different from yesterday''s. Her main goal was to help us understand the basics of elements and some magic theory. So she chose an indoor venue.


    It was very different from the classroom when I was in school. Since this was just a temporary makeshift place, the entire room only had a few desks and chairs for us to use.


    And the teacher had neither blackboard notes nor textbooks. Everyone had to improvise. As for the learning effect, we could only rely on ourselves.


    "....In summary, the significance of magic lies in the chanting phase, which can act to improve elemental control. So ''casting magic without chanting'' is an incorrectly used term. Strictly speaking, it should be called ''direct elemental control''. So in essence, magic is a process of indirect elemental control, a tool..."


    Having finally finished explaining the last point of this part, Aetna heaved a sigh of relief and sat down to take a short break.


    "Since angels can already directly cast all kinds of powerful attacks, why bother spending time learning magic?" It seemed to be Cyra''s first time hearing this content. She surprisingly raised her hand to ask a question.


    "Of course, we have to learn it! Having the ability to control elements and using elements to achieve a wide variety of effects are two completely different things."


    But her attempt to slack off was immediately denied by Aetna. Indeed, even as talented as angels are, there weren''t many shortcuts available.


    "Think about drawing as an analogy. Even if you can control the pen to draw without using your hands if you don''t even know how to draw, could you draw well? Controlling elements is the same principle. The application of elements also involves many factors, such as elemental flow, composition ratio, aggregation method, etc. These factors differ greatly among different magic. Even for us angels, it would be quite difficult to achieve these out of thin air. The higher-level and more powerful the magic effect is, the harder it is to control, of course."


    "That''s why magic provides a simple method to lower the difficulty - chanting. Chanting can help mental strength guide the flow of elements, enabling species like humans who originally could not directly control elements to achieve indirect control. Although we angels can directly control elements, we don''t know how to control them. So by learning to chant magic spells, we can get familiar with magic first. Even many high-ranking angels still need chanting to assist mental strength in guiding and controlling when casting high-level magic. But of course, once the proficiency reaches a certain level, we can naturally skip those steps.¡±


    I suddenly recalled the situation when learning the Light Puppet. The reason why I could learn that magic by just watching it performed once was precisely because I learned the specific process of how the light elements flow inside Selene¡¯s body.


    "Seems so complicated..." However, Cyra who asked the question was left dazed and confused.


    "In other words, most methods of controlling elements were developed by humans through chanting magic spells?"


    I was lost in thought for a moment, and suddenly realized that the creativity of angels seemed lacking compared to humans. No wonder Elara valued Reed so highly.


    "Of course. After all, just look at the human population. The number of magic researched over so many years far exceeds that of us angels."


    Athena replied with some special examples.


    "Before magic came into being, our angel clans had also developed some methods to directly control light elements. They are now collectively referred to as "Primordial Magic". Due to the lack of optimization via chanting, such magic is extremely difficult to learn and control. Nowadays there are not many angels who can still use them. However, they also have many advantages. Precisely because they broke free of restrictions from chanting, their might is tremendous, comparable to forbidden spells that humans would have no chance of learning based on their talents."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Amazing..."


    I clicked my tongue. A possibility suddenly came to mind.


    "Does that mean, not only for light elements, but in theory as long as one can directly control elements, even for other elements, one can also cast magic without chanting?"


    "Yes, of course! Theoretically, that''s right."


    My dialogue partner nodded affirmatively.


    "It''s just that there are no other elemental beings known similar to angels in this world. Ordinary humans probably wouldn''t reach such a level of control."


    "What about dark elements then? Shouldn''t pure elemental dark beings exist, like vampires, and also..."


    I frowned. I suddenly realized there seemed to be many flaws in what she said. Dark elements did appear rather special, with seemingly no corresponding magic. Other than when succubus Camille summoned that small dark sphere to block my Purification Spell, I hadn''t seen anyone cast any dark elemental magic.


    "Dark elements? Worthy of a newly born angel to ask this. We angels have always been quite taboo regarding dark elements..."


    Athena was surprised by my words. It took her quite a while before she smiled wryly and explained in more detail.


    "Theoretically, it is possible for magic to develop from dark elements as well. But there are many objective factors in the emergence of any magic, as I just said earlier. Most magic was developed by humans, but humans are very averse to dark elements. Naturally, they would not allow such magic to exist, much less spend effort developing it. Magical creatures with high dark elemental affinity generally have lower intelligence and prefer physical attacks. So a systematic form of dark elemental magic has not been born yet until now."


    At this point she paused slightly, her expression turning more stern.


    "But nothing is absolute in the world. After all some magical creatures are extremely highly dark-elemental-affinity, like the vampires you mentioned. With sufficient talent and luck, they can completely skip the phase of magic and directly control the dark elements for simple elemental attacks, just like us angels. Then things would become dangerous. Due to the mutual restraint between light and dark elements, if an angel is directly attacked by a dark elemental attack, there is no defence. Nothing works, just like how magic beasts are towards light magic spells. Even a small bit of dark elemental attack can cause massive damage."


    "I see..."


    I suddenly felt somewhat fortunate. In all my time roaming the Dark Continent, other than Camille no magical creature threw any form of dark elemental attack at me. After using Purification Spell so many times, the result on the receiving end was quite clear.


    "But magic is so difficult. And I haven''t seen those dark elements or other elements you all were talking about..."


    Cyra was left dizzy and disoriented, slumping over the table. At this point, she didn''t even know what questions to ask anymore. Lacking practical experience, just listening to these theories alone was indeed a bit tedious and hard to understand.


    "Why not just use memory infusion? Wouldn''t that save so much trouble?"


    "Are you just trying to find an excuse to slack off?"


    I rolled my eyes at her words but was also similarly curious about the reason. Since there was a simpler and more efficient way to learn, why stick to this traditional learning approach that was comparatively more time and effort-consuming instead of memory infusion?


    "The memory infusion function is integrated into the angel descension formation. Based on our current research on that formation, there is no way to separate that function..."


    When it came to the angel descension formation, Aetna could only shake her head. It seemed angels declined with each generation. After all, their ancestors were just too powerful.


    "Why not try replicating that function? After all, it''s just different ways of controlling light elements. As long as you imitate its elemental flow, wouldn''t you be able to..."


    Applying what I just learned in today''s lesson, I proposed a suggestion. Though of course, I didn''t expect it would necessarily work.


    "It''s not that simple!"


    Aetna rolled her eyes at me. Whatever I could think of, angels would surely have thought of over thousands of years.


    "Memory infusion isn''t actually about elemental control at all. It''s related to the soul! Our research on souls is quite superficial. So we have no way of gaining any control over the memory infusion function at all..."


    "What? Memory is within the scope of souls?"


    I was greatly shocked. This completely overturned my previous understanding. On Earth, I knew from various studies that memory was related to the brain. And now she was saying it belonged to the soul???


    ...


    "Of course, memory is related to the soul! Otherwise, how would you have brought your memories when you transmigrated here? "


    In the outdoor practice yard of the library, Reed took a bite of an apple she got from who knows where, staring at Nicola who was waving her arms nonstop at the air in the distance without even knowing what she was doing. She didn''t even glance at me...


    Since Aetna was not very knowledgeable about souls, she couldn''t answer my confusion. After class, I directly headed to the library. While browsing magic books, I suddenly recalled this and randomly asked Reed as a fellow transmigrator. Unexpectedly, her response was the same.


    "That can''t be right?"


    I stubbornly defended, unwilling to admit defeat.


    "If memory is related to the soul, how do you explain those people with brain damage back on Earth losing memories or being unable to speak, even becoming dementia? That doesn''t make sense! And you were a top student of a prestigious university."


    "So is it the brain or the soul?"


    Cyra who was standing on the side was completely lost. Her feeling was that both of our arguments made sense and she had no idea who to side with.

 Vol 3/Chapter 32: Magic Formation

    "I think the different rules of the two worlds are causing this! Souls can carry memories in this world, so the Angel Descent Formation just happens to extract memories from our brains and stores them into the soul..."


    We did transport here with our memories, can''t deny that. So I confidently made up a theory based on my understanding.


    "Your theory makes no logical sense and contains philosophical flaws."


    Hearing this, Reed finally turned her head to glance at me, then turned back with indifference.


    "It''s not that complicated. Memories carried by the soul, whether on Earth or here, it''s the same..."


    "Then how do you explain memory loss from brain damage? Tell me!"


    I held on to this point. If she couldn''t properly explain it, I wouldn''t believe her.


    "You''re stuck in a thinking trap..."


    Reed fell silent briefly before continuing.


    "If a DVD player is damaged, of course, it can''t play the disc content properly. But the actual content isn''t stored in the DVD player itself."


    "Oh...I get it!"


    I hadn''t even replied yet when Cyra suddenly exclaimed excitedly.


    "So the brain is the DVD player, the soul is the disc, and memories are the content carried on the disc. So memories move with the soul!"


    "Fine...that makes some sense!"


    Although still reluctant, I had to admit Reed''s words perfectly answered my question, at least I couldn''t find any flaws for now.


    "How do you know that?"


    Feeling dejected, I sat down and asked. Reed had never even been to Edenmere, yet she knew memory principles that even Aetna didn''t understand clearly. I could only say, as expected of a genius nerd.


    "It''s common knowledge in Edenmere. Everyone knows."


    Reed replied plainly.


    "But I could only confirm it definitively because of the teleportation. Without that, there''s no way to verify."


    I admired her even more. At least Reed could deduce such deep-level reasons just from our teleportation with memories. I had never considered issues like this.


    "What''s she doing, shaman dance?"


    Cyra suddenly spoke up, referring to Nicola waving her arms as she focused on dancing nearby.


    Since Nicola disliked magic, upon hearing about magic class today, she fled directly. Her excuse was to help Reed experiment in the library...


    What could I say? She had always resented Reed dragging her for experiments before. I thought it was just an excuse initially, didn''t expect to see her here.


    "We''re testing controlling gases, but the effects don''t seem very good. Once reaching molecular levels, Nicola''s control decreases greatly."


    Reed freely revealed the experiment''s content and progress.  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "But tests show continuously separating air molecules can slowly improve her wind element control. So I want her to specially train this ability for the next few days here. I can also collect some pure oxygen and hydrogen for experiments."


    "What are you collecting those gases for?"


    I wondered. This world possibly hadn''t extracted pure oxygen and hydrogen before. The conventional methods I knew usually involved electrolysis of water. Even if a stable electric current was presently unachievable, there was no need to exploit Nicola like this right? It felt extremely inefficient, moreover, hydrogen should generally be quite rare in the air.


    "For experiments of course."


    Reed said matter-of-factly.


    "There''s quite a high hydrogen in the air here too, just byproducts. The main goal is to train Nicola''s wind element control. Better if she can reach atomic-level precision. "


    "Atomic-level isn''t gas anymore!"


    I didn''t know what to say. Magic world, yet nonsensically doing science experiments. I had sensed she was headed that way before but didn''t expect her to start doing it now.


    "I know. But it''s still unknown territory, a little experimentation doesn''t hurt."


    She brushed it off, seemingly unconcerned.


    Nothing to be done then. Nicola would just have to suck it up. But Nicola didn''t look like she had any complaints presently. She seemed to have finished her "shaman dance" and came before Reed.


    "About enough for today right? Let me rest a bit..."


    Nicola panted and held out both her palms towards Reed. Only then did I notice she was grasping an apple-sized sphere in each hand.


    "What''s this?"


    Curious, Cyra and I went closer to examine the spheres. They looked very ordinary, metallic, with a slit in the middle as if detachable.


    "Reed made them, magic devices to collect gases."


    Nicola explained.


    "After separating the gases in the air, insert them in here to store. Left is hydrogen, right is oxygen."


    "How does it work? Aren''t you afraid the gases will escape?"


    Cyra leaned in excitedly but couldn''t make out anything.


    "The outer shell only protects the true core inside."


    Reed pried the shell open, revealing the hidden interior.


    "Wow, that looks amazing!"


    Seeing it, Cyra and I gasped simultaneously. Inside the shell was etched an ultrasmall magic formation, presently glowing white. A glass bead-sized pitch-black sphere also floated above it.


    "What''s that black sphere?"


    I reached out to touch it but Reed quickly stopped me.


    "Best not to! It''s condensed elemental essence, like a force field. Quite similar to the light element isolation device in your room. I modified the formation based on that. Just added some extra elements."


    "Light isolation device?"


    I didn''t get how a gas collector related to the light isolation device.


    "I just tweaked the light isolation function to work on gases too, so it isolates gases now. The rest is the same."


    Nicola helpfully explained.


    "That powerful? You can modify magic formation now?"


    I looked at Reed in surprise. In just one month, she could understand magic to this level.


    "Not as hard as you think. No real innovation is needed actually. Mainly just applied the magic shield principle that blocks physical attacks. Magic formations are kinda like automated devices from our old world, with the patterns corresponding to programs. When elements flow in the engraved paths, magic forms. The patterns relate to element flow and final shape when you cast magic. The formation substitutes for the body and entire process, so just injecting elements keeps it running."


    Reed briefly introduced the magic formation principle. I suddenly found it perfectly connected with the magical theory the professor taught today. I felt rather moved.


    "No wonder you never attend lessons. You already grasp magic to this level."


    "Aetna rambles too much. To accommodate that Cyra laggard, self-study is faster."


    Reed bit her apple in ultimate nerd fashion.


    "Hey! Don''t say I''m dragging everyone back!"


    Cyra objected indignantly. But remembering her performance in class today, her steam ran out instantly.


    "Fine...I admit I''m bad at theory. But the actual application must be different! I excel there!"


    "Then hurry up and rank up to four wings. Or you won''t even get those battle chances."


    I impatiently reminded her.


    "Stop rushing me! I''m trying my best!"


    Cyra said, very reluctantly. Her attention returned to the sphere.


    "So gases fill the sphere? But it''s so tiny. Did Nicola only collect that little bit after all that gathering?"


    "Of course it''s compressed! The size is adjustable. A more intense light element supply shrinks it more, compressing the gas. Probably hundreds of cubic meters of oxygen now. This size has likely liquefied inside already..."


    Reed pondered briefly before looking at Cyra and me.


    "Further shrinkage needs more light elements. So I''m considering asking you two to inject light, or finding other methods to directly absorb light elements from the surroundings."


    "No way! Why shrink it so small? If you feel it''s insufficient, consider environmental absorption! Don''t drag me in!"


    Hearing that frightened me into refusing outright. She was eyeing us potatoes again. Better to escape now.

 Vol 3/Chapter 33: The Second Condensation Sword

    That night, as I was fully focused on reading the Foundation of Light Magic I had borrowed, Nicola suddenly burst into my room again with a loud "bang".


    The scene was the same as yesterday''s - she stumbled onto my bed.


    "What''s up? Was it difficult to separate the gases? You look completely exhausted." I put down my book and asked her expressionlessly.


    "Separating gases was quite easy. After all, I''m already very skilled at it..." Nicola mumbled into my mattress.


    "But after you guys left, Reed suddenly had the idea of getting me to try making a sword. That wore me out..."


    "A sword?" I was puzzled. That''s a weapon, isn''t it? When we were at the library, Reed was still worrying about compressed gases. How did she suddenly decide to have Nicola make a sword?


    Could it be that she saw the power of Nicola''s Condensation Sword and wanted one for herself to play with?


    But does Nicola even know how to make other weapons besides the Condensation Sword? I''ve never seen her create any other celestial weapons before.


    "Oh forget it! Let''s not talk about that..."


    Nicola suddenly sat up and said seriously,


    "Let''s get to the point. The main reason why I''m cooperating with Reed''s experiments is because I discovered that improving my control over the wind element has an amazing benefit."


    "What benefit?" My interest was immediately piqued. I had been wondering why she suddenly became so enthusiastic. So she had an agenda all along.


    "It''s related to the Condensation Sword of course!" Nicola gave me a mysterious smile. Then she held out her palm.


    "Remember the experiment we did before? At most, I could only summon one Condensation Sword. But after seeing my future self wield so many swords, I kept thinking of a way to do the same..."


    "So after two days of training my control, I finally succeeded! Ta-da! Behold!"


    She smugly summoned a Condensation Sword like she always does. Then without stopping, she summoned a second Condensation Sword!


    "Although this is the limit of what I can do for now, it should be enough for the both of us."


    "Amazing!" I took the two identical Condensation Swords from her and examined them repeatedly. I couldn''t find any differences at all. But I still had to confirm,


    "Did you test how sharp they are?"


    "Of course I tested them! Same quality, same sharpness!"


    "If one sword disappears, the other won''t vanish along with it right?"


    I still couldn''t believe I could just easily obtain an extra celestial weapon like this. I kept trying to find the catch.


    "I already considered that issue too. Unfortunately..." Nicola deliberately made a regretful face.


    "No problems at all! See for yourself!"


    As she said that, she pointed at the two Condensation Swords in my hands. Indeed, when one vanished, the other remained.


    "In...Invincible!" I stuttered, feeling like I had reached the peak of my life. To finally have my own Condensation Sword!


    And Nicola had the smugest look ever.


    "Even if you can''t use them, I can dual-wield them myself! Hahaha! Galaxy Explosion Slash! Here I come!"


    "Don''t be delusional..." I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. But gaining an extra Condensation Sword was indeed a huge increase in our battle power. In the future, we could even try to give everyone including Cyra and Reed their sword. That would virtually make us untouchable!Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Although I called Nicola delusional, I also couldn''t help grinning excitedly at the thought.


    "Let''s go! Let''s go test them out quickly!" I couldn''t hold back my eagerness any longer. I grabbed the swords and rushed for the door, wanting to dash out. Come to think of it, the last time I used a Condensation Sword was when I first joined the Adventurers Guild. After that, I never really had the chance. It''s been so long since I got to enjoy the thrill of 9999 damage per swing.


    From now on, as long as I have the Condensation Sword in hand, I can look down on any monster below Rank 6. If that succubus Camille dares to bully me again, I''ll hack her into eight hundred pieces!


    The only slightly troublesome thing was that the Condensation Sword doesn''t come with a sheathe, unlike normal swords. But no problem, that''s what storage rings are for. I''ll probably have to borrow Nicola''s again later.


    "Feliciana, wait for me!"


    Seeing me dash off down the corridor in a blink, Nicola rushed to catch up from behind.


    "I''ll be at the training grounds!" I yelled back without stopping. I leapt out of the corridor window and flew off.


    The training grounds had practice dummies I could use. Guess I''d have to get Elara to foot the bill...


    Just as I happily wondered exactly how many pieces I should slice the dummy into, I suddenly felt my hand grow light. The Condensation Sword in my grasp had inexplicably vanished!


    "..."


    Could it be Nicola dispelled my weapon in annoyance when she couldn''t catch up to me?


    I stopped flying and hovered in midair, waiting quite a while before she finally flew over slowly.


    "Why are you so slow?" I asked, slightly miffed. The training grounds were within Tivi Palace grounds. It was just a few steps away. How could she take so long even when flying?


    "You didn''t even shut your door. I helped you close it. And I''m in no rush to test the swords out. After all, I''ve used them countless times already. What, were you hoping we could do a twin-blade resonance?" Nicola grinned and retorted.


    "Ew! What twin-blade resonance! Even if you''re bored of using them, you didn''t have to  drag me down..." I glared at her.


    "Hurry up and summon the Condensation Swords again! Too unfair."


    "What happened to yours? Did you drop it somewhere?" Seeing my empty palm, Nicola''s expression changed slightly as she glanced down at the ground below.


    "It wasn''t you who dispelled it?"


    Seeing her reaction, my heart skipped a beat. I suddenly had a bad feeling.


    "It disappeared? Vanished?" Hearing what I said, it seemed Nicola also realized something. She immediately summoned two more Condensation Swords in her palm again.


    "Of course, it wasn''t me! I never touched the one in your hand..."


    Right after she said that the two newly summoned swords disappeared again.


    "What happened? Could it be there''s a time limit after exceeding one sword?"


    Seeing that, my face changed slightly. How could the two swords that were just summoned vanish so quickly? The one in my hand earlier managed to last at least a few minutes!


    "No, I stored them in the storage ring."


    Realizing my misunderstanding, Nicola quickly clarified. Then her expression became serious again, and she sighed softly.


    "As expected..."


    "What''s going on?"


    I was rather confused, what does this have to do with the storage ring


    "I didn''t expect the Condensation Sword would have a distance limit..."


    Saying so, Nicola summoned two Condensation Swords again before passing them and her storage ring to me.


    "Try keeping them inside the storage ring, which should be like moving them very far away into a separate space.


    "No way..."


    Despite all my guesses, how did I miss this vital point...


    Although I''d always doubted it was too easy to obtain such a powerful celestial weapon, I''d never imagined the catch would be a distance limit!


    After placing both swords into the storage ring and closing then reopening the entrance, they predictably vanished entirely.


    "Alright, looks like I won''t be able to keep the Condensation Sword for an extended duration..."


    Feeling rather discouraged, I returned Nicola''s ring. I gave a helpless shrug then slowly flew back.


    Come to think of it, a distance limit made perfect sense. After all, these were weapons personally created by Nicola. She could even remotely dispel them anytime. Naturally, there would have to be some special connection maintained between the creator and the weapon. On the flip side, having no distance constraint would be truly illogical.


    "Hey! It''s not that bad!"


    Nicola hurriedly flew up to reassure me.


    "There''s a distance limit but as long as you don''t stray far from me there''s no issue right? We''ll always be together!"


    "That flaw is too obvious... At most, it probably works within a hundred meters. While fighting alongside each other there''s no major problem. But if we separate even slightly, or enemies intentionally keep their distance, it''d be no different from being disarmed."


    I glanced back at her and shook my head.


    "And it''s not like I can always remain by your side. Who knows if we might suddenly separate in the future? Besides, over-relying on these external things isn''t good..."


    Calming down, I realized I still had to rely on my ability to truly become strong.


    "How could we separate!"


    Hearing what I said, however, Nicola became agitated. She rushed forward to grab my arm.


    "We crossed worlds together and barely survived! How could we easily go our ways? Have you forgotten? We''re...aren''t we good friends?"


    "Why are you getting so emotional..." I was quite exasperated. I hadn''t expected her to react so intensely. I could only gently persuade,


    "I didn''t say we must separate! Just that it''s a possibility I brought up. After all, this world isn''t peaceful like Earth. Dangerous magical beasts are everywhere. And we don''t know what will happen in the future either. All we know for sure is that your future self turns out fine. But my fate is uncertain. Even if I don''t get into trouble in the future, we might have gone our separate ways already. Am I right?"

 Vol 3/Chapter 34: Nicola Get Struck Too

    "Who said we''re going to split up in the future?"


    Nicola raised her eyebrows in disagreement.


    "Didn''t you see the blue-winged angel floating in the sky back then? How many blue-winged angels could there be in this world? It had to be you!"


    "We can''t be sure of that! It could very well not have been me!"


    I flung her hand aside and flew back. I still had no idea why my wings had turned blue. Thinking about it too much would only add to my distress. I hadn''t wanted to bring it up in the first place, yet she had dredged it up again.


    "How could it not be you? Coming back from the future with my future self - who else could it be?"


    Nicola tailed me closely, speaking with complete certainty.


    "Who knows? People change after all..."


    I was reminded again of the items from my storage ring and the possibility of Nicola getting married in the future. I suddenly felt that the human heart was so complicated...


    After returning to my room, I would''ve activated the light elemental isolator and gone to rest on any other day. But today I decided not to sleep at all and to stay up reading all night instead. Angels didn''t need sleep anyway, and there was no day or night cycle here besides.


    Of course, there was another, more important reason - after yesterday''s nightmare, I had developed a phobia of dreaming. That nightmare had simply been too realistic! I kept feeling like it wasn''t just a random dream but was connected to the traces of dark elemental energy I''d discovered somehow.


    Unfortunately, Nicola didn''t believe my words at all. And I had no evidence to show anyone else to plead my case either. My only option was to not sleep for now and see if I could find any clues. If a demon had snuck into my room, it was very likely not ready to give up just yet and could take action again. Maybe I could catch it red-handed next time.


    "Feliciana, why are you sitting out here in the hallway?"


    Around midnight, Norma happened to walk past my room slowly. Seeing me sitting on a chair I''d dragged out into the hallway and reading by the window light, she asked in surprise.


    "Oh it''s nothing, I just felt the lighting''s better out here in the hallway..."


    I closed my magic book awkwardly, not having expected to run into Norma at this hour. Looks like she was also a night owl.


    "But don''t you have windows in your room... Wait, do you have the light elemental isolator on?"


    Since my room door wasn''t closed, she could easily see the boundary of the light elemental isolator inside, glinting like a mirror.


    "And it''s at max power?"


    Norma shot me a bewildered look, unclear why I would do that.


    Activating the light elemental isolator created a barrier within a bounded space to reflect external light elemental energy, including the normal light we could see. If the effect was maxed out, it would be pitch black inside the bounded zone, while looking in from outside was like peering into a mirror since all light shining in was reflected out. Of course, I could also adjust the intensity so the mirror effect wouldn''t be as pronounced and some light still filtered through if I wanted.


    "Well, you see..."


    I was at a sudden loss over how to explain this properly. Should I just tell her flat out that I''d deliberately set the isolator to try and lure whatever had caused my strange dreams, hoping to catch it in the act?


    But I couldn''t just wait indefinitely inside either! As time passed with no replenishment of external light elemental energy, I''d get sleepy before long. And it would be so boring with no light to read by too!


    "Do you think... demons could exist in Edenmere?"The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I decided to first probe her opinion circumspectingly.


    "Impossible!"


    As I''d expected, Norma almost blew her top instantly, immediately refuting,


    "Only angels and light elves permitted by Lady Elara can enter Edenmere. Entry and exit are extremely strictly controlled, how could demons possibly get in? Besides, extremely rich light elements are everywhere here, completely unsuitable for demons to survive. We angel and light elves would never allow demons to exist anywhere in the Edenmere either. You telling me demons exist here now is preposterous..."


    "Alright alright!"


    I quickly cut off her long tirade. I''d anticipated she might react strongly but this was even more excessive than I imagined.


    "I was just casually asking..."


    "Why ask about something like this!"


    Norma shot me an uncomprehending look, then stuck her head past the isolator boundary to peer inside.


    "Could it be someone''s sleeping inside?"


    With it dark inside, she couldn''t see anything much so could only guess.


    "It''s Reed! Reed wanted to rest today so she''s temporarily staying over in my room!"


    A flash of inspiration hit me and I blurted the first excuse I could think of. I suddenly remembered Reed didn''t have quarters arranged for her in the Tivi Palace since she always lingered in the archives, so I could conveniently use her as my smokescreen now.


    "So don''t disturb her at all, she hasn''t slept in a long time already..."


    I advised earnestly, even intentionally lowering my voice some.


    "Really?"


    That bookworm Reed suddenly running back to sleep? Norma was naturally somewhat skeptical but also couldn''t think of reasons to doubt me for now. She could only leave first to handle her matters.


    But just then, an accident occurred...


    "Who goes there!"


    Only to hear a tremendous crash from the next room over, followed by Nicola yelling at the top of her lungs.


    "What''s going on here?"


    Norma and I gaped at each other, stunned, taking quite a while to recover our wits before hurrying to pound urgently on Nicola''s door.


    "Nicola..."


    I''d only knocked two or three times when the door abruptly opened from inside. Nicola, dressed in pyjamas with her Condensation Sword in hand, stood behind it.


    "Tsk tsk¡ª"


    One look at the scene within made me suck in a breath - it could only be described as utterly disastrous. Not only was the bed hacked into pieces but the table hadn''t been spared either. The light elemental isolator lay cracked on the ground, seemingly rendered non-functional. Even the wall was left with several deep gouges from a sword.


    "Just what happened here! Were you sleepwalking?"


    All this destruction was wrought by Nicola alone with her Condensation Sword, while Norma stood there utterly flabbergasted, gaping wordlessly at the wrecked room.


    "There was..."


    Nicola exchanged a look with me, seeming to want to say something but hesitating over it.


    "There was what?"


    I had no clue why she''d gone postal like this and pressed anxiously for answers, but I sensed something off immediately. A now familiar smell lingered faintly in the room.


    Dark elemental energy again!


    "Could it be... you too?"


    I thought I grasped her implication now - Nicola had likely suffered the same experience I had yesterday.


    Moreover, the concentration of dark elemental energy seemed much higher than what I''d felt before, though it probably still couldn''t withstand the endless encroachment of external light elemental energy for long and would vanish without a trace soon.


    "What is this disgusting smell?"


    As a four-winged angel, Norma was naturally also highly sensitive to dark elemental energy. She seemed to detect the anomaly too, wrinkling her nose to ask,


    "This is dark elemental energy! Don''t you know?"


    I found it a bit odd. Could she have never sensed dark elemental energy before?


    "Dark elemental energy? You mean from demons themselves?"


    She gave a full-body shudder at my words, peering warily around even though no more traces of demons could remain.


    "It''s not necessarily unique to demons only..."


    I''d intended to explain more about the relationship between dark elemental energy and demons, but now was not the time.


    "Oh forget it, it means about the same thing!"


    "Really? Since I''ve never left Edenmere before, don''t try tricking me!"


    As I expected, Norma belonged to those angels who''d yet to experience the wider world at all. Seeing Nicola''s and my lack of fear, she remained dubious over my claims.


    "And how could demons exist in Edenmere?"


    "If you don''t believe me, hurry and get another angel who can identify dark elements to verify!"


    I was getting antsy now. The lingering dark elemental energy would dissipate any second. Yet I just had to bump into such an ignorant angel. Wouldn''t the evidence then get invalidated completely?


    "Quickly..."


    "Forget it, it''s faded almost completely anyway. Too late now!"


    Nicola blocked my urging and shook her head. Then she looked at me apologetically and said,


    "I''m sorry. You tried to warn me earlier but I didn''t believe you..."


    It seemed that she only took my words seriously after suffering the incident herself.


    "It''s alright, let''s try to find some evidence first."


    I rolled my eyes, not wanting to nitpick over this. Although I didn''t know how the demons had entered Edenmere, the most urgent matter now was to make the Angels alert to the demon invasion.


    But looking at the scene here, Nicola seemed to have engaged in intense combat with the demon, yet there were no demon corpses left behind.


    "Did you let it get away?"


    I asked doubtfully. Her situation seemed better than mine - by the time I woke up yesterday, there wasn''t a single shadow left to be seen already. Who knew if we faced the same one? If more than one demon had infiltrated, the circumstances could be considered quite severe.


    "I couldn''t help it...I couldn''t hit it. But I saw what that demon looked like."


    Nicola walked to the window, gazing thoughtfully outside at the cityscape.


    "It was like a ball of black smoke, without tangible form. Really bizarre, completely different from demons we normally see."

 Vol 3/Chapter 35: Everyone Has Secret Motives

    "Smoke?"


    I couldn''t help but glance again at the deep sword marks on the wall that penetrated the light. Could those marks be left because the monster had no physical form and thus couldn''t be hit?


    I had never heard of such a monster before, not even in the Dark Continent. What the heck was that thing?


    "A formless black smoke monster? Are you sure such a thing exists?"


    Seeing that even Nicola acted like there was a monster about, plus the awful scene in front of her, Norma could only half believe it.


    "Not necessarily. This was our first time encountering it too," I shook my head in reply.


    "But we can''t be for sure whether such a monster exists or not. Best we check with other angels."


    "Then I...I will inform Lady Elara!"


    Upon hearing me, Norma immediately left the room, running down the corridor.


    "So you had nightmares too?"


    With Norma gone, I saw Nicola plonk herself heavily onto the room''s only intact chair. She didn''t look too good.


    "Yeah...just a slight headache..."


    She held her head, seemingly very uncomfortable.


    "You alright? It was just a dream, why do you have a headache?"


    When I woke up, I felt perfectly fine. How come she reacted so badly?


    "It''s nothing much, I feel a lot better already..."


    Perhaps afraid that I would worry, Nicola rubbed her temples while insisting she was fine.


    "You know the feeling of ''ghost-pressed sleeping''? In the dream, I suddenly sensed something amiss. When I opened my eyes, I saw a ball of black smoke floating beside my bed. But my body was completely paralyzed. I could only force my limbs to move, which made my head hurt like crazy. Luckily, once I regained control I immediately fought back and chased away that black ball."


    "Oh?"


    I grew curious for a moment.


    "What exactly were you dreaming about that made you so uneasy you woke yourself up and opened your eyes?"


    "Nothing much. Just that you got married in my dream..."


    She paused without elaborating. I thought I glimpsed anger on her face as if recalling something outrageous.


    "Huh? You dreamed of me getting married too?"


    I was greatly astonished. What were the odds? Something fishy must be going on.


    "Don''t tell me you dreamed of you getting married too?"


    Nicola looked equally incredulous, eyeing me suspiciously.


    "That''s weird. Yesterday you said you dreamed of me becoming a tape recorder. Were you lying to me?"


    "Uh, that was just the second half. I hadn''t gotten to the first half yet..."


    I glanced uneasily at her displeased face. She didn''t believe my explanation.


    "Come on, tell me honestly what you dreamed first."


    Sensing she now had the upper hand, Nicola haughtily demanded the truth.


    "Fine...I randomly dreamed of getting married out of the blue! And Cyra was my bridesmaid..."


    Knowing I couldn''t bluff my way out, I reluctantly confessed.  This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Who was the groom? Who''d you marry?"


    She impatiently cut me off, eager to uncover the key details.


    "The groom was...me, of course!" I had a sudden brainwave.


    "I randomly turned back into a guy, so I must have been the groom. As for the bride¡ªdon''t get mad, okay¡ªit was you! Gotta say you looked quite pretty in a wedding dress..."


    "Haha, weird right? Why would I dream of marrying you? That''s why I was embarrassed to mention it earlier. I used to be a guy after all!"


    I deliberately acted nonchalant, waving my hand and laughing it off. Worried she might overthink things, I specifically clarified:


    "Don''t worry, I definitely won''t make a move on you!"


    "Hehe...hehe..."


    Nicola laughed drily with me a few times. She seemed very unhappy with my answer. Her reaction made my hair stand on end. Had she seen through my lies?


    "What about you? You said you dreamed of my wedding too. So who was my wife?"


    I quickly changed the topic, afraid she might read too much into things and catch me lying.


    To be honest, I was also very curious about what Nicola''s dream was like. Since I''d "come clean", shouldn''t she share too?


    "Hmph...who was your wife? In my dream, of course, I was the groom. And you were naturally my obedient little wife."


    Seeing my move, Nicola instantly crossed her legs arrogantly and crooked her finger at me.


    "Come, entertain your husband!"


    "Piss off!"


    I kicked her in annoyance.


    As expected, something was fishy! Our dreams were oddly similar, save for minor details. It seemed my guess was right - that smoke monster was messing with us!


    But why make Nicola and I dream of marrying each other? Strange...


    "Was your wedding also in the Hall? With many people we knew attending too? Including Adrian and the rest?"


    Unable to figure it out, I probed further to verify things.


    "How''d you know Adrian was there too?"


    Nicola''s smile vanished abruptly, her expression souring. Seemed I shouldn''t have mentioned that name.


    "Isn''t that normal? He is our friend after all..."


    I suddenly recalled they didn''t seem to get along anymore. Wonder what had soured their relationship for no reason.


    "Speaking of which, did something unpleasant happen between you and Adrian? You look like you dislike him."


    "No sh*t! Why would I like another guy?"


    Nicola retorted unpleasantly, very blunt.


    "That''s not what I meant..."


    Lost for words, I understood she just didn''t want to say. She had deliberately rebuffed me. Letting it go was the only option.


    "Oh forget it!"


    Hopefully, things wouldn''t become too awkward between them. It''d be troublesome if they fought, with Adrian losing.


    Not long after Norma left, Elara herself came, followed by a group of angels I didn''t recognize.


    "What happened to this room..."


    Elara surveyed the interior and frowned, ordering the angels behind her:


    "Prepare a few extra rooms. All angels in this vicinity are to move out immediately. Put out an announcement too - no angels are permitted to sleep in the coming days until that nightmare is found! They must stay awake and alert round the clock."


    "Nightmare?"


    My heart stirred a little. I wasn''t unfamiliar with that term, though I didn''t expect it to appear like Nicola described. If so, the cause of our nightmares seemed clearer now.


    "How did you determine that? There is not much dark element remaining here?"


    Nicola was very curious and asked. Norma spent lots of time observing before she was convinced that daemons appeared. But Elara had issued a slew of orders the moment she arrived, without a shred of doubt.


    "You only have six wings, so you aren''t as sensitive to elements as I am," Elara smiled in reply.


    "While the dark elemental energy here feels almost depleted to you, as a ten-winged angel I can still clearly perceive the lingering traces of that monster."


    "Nightmares are a very special kind of monster. They lack physical form and are scarce in number. But by manipulating memories in dreams, they can trap their victim in an endless slumber without the victim knowing. Generally, those afflicted will have great difficulty noticing anything amiss in their dreams and waking themselves up. Unless there is external interference, they may potentially sleep to their deaths."


    Standing beside Elara, an unfamiliar eight-winged angel scrutinized Nicola intently, as if trying to see something on her face.


    "We angels have always been suppressed by nightmares due to our light element. Once trapped in slumber, even outside interference rarely wakes us up. Yet, you managed to wake yourself using just your willpower..."


    "Is she really just a newborn angel?"


    "When do newborns ever have six wings?"


    "The one beside her seems to be a new angel too..."


    ...


    For a moment, all the angels began whispering and pointing fingers at Nicola and me.


    "Alright, enough!"


    In the end, it was still Elara who came to our rescue.


    "I''m very clear about their circumstances. They may be special cases but they are indeed new angels, so stop gossiping!"


    She then instructed us:


    "Come with me to my room. We''ll talk more there."


    "What is this about..."


    I gave Nicola a wry smile, wondering what Elara wanted with us so suddenly. We wordlessly followed behind her out of that gossip nest.


    As the tribe''s leader, Elara''s quarters were naturally much bigger than what we new angels got. Aside from a bedroom, there was also a reception lounge.


    Right then, Nicola and I sat uneasily on the chairs in the lounge under Elara''s gaze, unsure what she had summoned us here for.


    "No need to be so tense just because a monster infiltrated Edenmere," Elara said upon seeing our state. She slid the fruit platters on the table towards us.


    "So what exactly did you call us here for?"


    I randomly popped a few grapes and nibbled some apple slices into my stuffed mouth. My tummy wasn''t hungry and I didn''t feel like eating, but I was too unsettled. I had to chew something to relax.


    "Just to confirm some details," Elara first questioned Nicola, seeming very concerned about this matter.


    "Did you see that monster floating by your bed?"


    "Yes."


    Nicola stared blankly, asking very puzzledly in response:


    "Didn''t you already determine it was a nightmare? What''s abnormal about that?"

 Chapter 36: Traitors

    "It is a bit suspicious..."


    Elara listened to us intently while sitting calmly in front of us, seeming to contemplate.


    "While the daemon you described does match the appearance of a nightmare with its black, smoky exterior that can sneak into Edenmere due to its intangible nature, nightmares don''t usually linger after attacking. Unless they were continually trying to manipulate your memories..."


    "Are you saying the same thing as those other angels, that it''s weird I didn''t fall asleep like a normal angel?"


    Nicola impatiently interrupted, getting straight to the point.


    "If you really can''t stand us and think we''re too different from the other angels, then just let me and Feliciana leave Edenmere!"


    "Nicola!"


    I was shocked. While I understood her pent-up frustration after what happened earlier, was it wise to be so rash in front of the Queen? If we angered Elara, there was no telling what consequences that could bring.


    And what about Reed and Cyra still in Edenmere? Surely we can''t just abandon them.


    "No, I think you misunderstood..."


    But Elara did not seem angry at all. Quite poised, she even smiled slightly.


    "To me, I''m just marvelling at how special your souls truly are. I meant nothing else. Those angels from the guard department earlier also had no ill intentions. It''s just that the common sense of thousands of years has been broken, so they feel a bit uncomfortable. I hope you can understand."


    "Then why did you call us here if not just to praise our souls?"


    Since the Queen was being so conciliatory, Nicola also softened her tone a bit.


    "Of course, it''s not that simple!"


    Elara said, suddenly turning her gaze towards me.


    "From what Nomar reported to me, it seems Feliciana was also attacked by a nightmare before, correct?"


    "Huh? You know about that too?"


    I gaped, not expecting her to suddenly shift the topic to me. What does this have to do with me?


    "Aside from why you two can wake up on your own, which we''ll set aside for now, I suspect the nightmares may have wanted to access your memories while you dreamed. That''s why they lingered instead of leaving quickly."


    The Queen seemed to contemplate briefly before continuing her explanation.


    "There aren''t many methods in this world that can read memories, but nightmares can manipulate dreams to make their target unaware they''re dreaming. Then they guide the direction and development of the dreamscape to obtain the memories they want. It''s an important method daemons use to steal intelligence."


    "Why would daemons want our memories?"


    I was disturbed. I didn''t realize this was more than just giving us bad dreams - it sounded like espionage!


    "Yeah! We''re just newbie angels. Even if we were once humans in our past life, why target us?"


    Nicola looked confused, unable to fathom what these demons were up to.


    "Could they be trying to get information about our old world to attack Earth or something?"


    "..."


    I didn''t know whether to be exasperated by her wild speculation or concerned she might be right. Surely that''s going too far off base?Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "You''re overthinking it..."


    As expected, even Elara found it too absurd, stating flatly:


    "Your souls came from another world. Most angels in Edenmere don''t know this, and many don''t even know you retain past memories. Even if demons wanted that kind of information, why not just target Cyra? She''s been here a month with no incidents, so clearly the nightmares were after you two specifically."


    "But we don''t have any other valuable intel worth stealing!"


    I still couldn''t understand it. Wouldn''t it make more sense to target high-ranking angels'' memories?


    "Speaking of which, apart from your unique backgrounds, your growth has been exceptionally swift. Could that be why?"


    Elara mulled it over and offered one possibility:


    "While Edenmere has many angels, most are low-ranked, still stuck at four or six wings with little progress. Even that progress is the result of efforts lasting decades even centuries. But you two are different - in just one month, you reached six wings. If the enemy didn''t know better, they might think you discovered some quick promotion trick. If spread among angels, that could pose a huge threat to demons, so they desperately want to uncover the method."


    "But we didn''t use any special tricks! And we still don''t even understand why we advanced so quickly!"


    I protested, finding it all baffling.


    "And it''s been months in Edenmere. If there was some instant promotion trick, wouldn''t it have already spread and daemons would realize we don''t have it? Why would they think we''re hiding something?"


    "Because they likely know the situation here well enough to realize you don''t possess such skills. They probably assumed you were keeping secrets and wanted to strike first to find out..."


    Highly familiar with Edenmere, Elara tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought.


    "This way, they can kill two birds with one stone. If you were ordinary angels, you would still be unconscious by now..."


    "But how do these demons know so much about this place?" Nicola impatiently asked the key question: "And I still don''t understand how that nightmare even got in! The fact demons infiltrated Edenmere is just crazy!"


    "It is crazy. This is the first demonic presence detected inside Edenmere in thousands of years."


    Elara gave a wry smile and dropped the bombshell:


    "But considering what happened during the ambush at last angel descent formation, it''s not impossible...I suspect there''s a traitor among angels who defected to ally with the demons!"


    "How could this be..."


    I instantly recalled Alfreed''s wild theories. Turns out his big mouth predicted this - a double agent betraying angels from within!


    Honestly, my perception of angels has been overturned since coming to Edenmere. Not only is there a conflict here, but betrayal and other such behaviours as well...it''s no different than human society. Far from holy!


    But on second thought, isn''t that the realistic outcome?


    Can a united front with unanimous agreement exist, even in an angelic realm? As Elara admitted, many angels'' souls were once human before reincarnating here. And angels aren''t robots either; Edenmere isn''t some ant colony with a hive mind. Uniformity of thought is impossible.


    Viewed that way, I felt less surprised.


    "Do you know who the traitor is yet?"


    Nicola eagerly asked. If this spy enabled last month''s tragedy, then they''re surely partially responsible for our classmates'' deaths.


    "No, it''s still just speculation now. After all, betrayal has never occurred in Edenmere history before. And the time and location chosen for the descent formation weren''t top secret - many six-winged angels knew about it."


    Elara shook her head. "That''s why I wanted to speak to you privately. Firstly because you were directly impacted in that incident; and as new angels, you''re the vanguard for us reformists and happen to be top newbies. Naturally, you''re trusted allies."


    "Us?"


    I nearly choked on my apple slice. Turns out unbeknownst to us, Nicola and I had already been conscripted, becoming Elara''s hand-picked recruits. Though bold of her to trust we aren''t secretly double agents!


    "What do you mean by reformists?"


    Nicola focused on that term instead, making me realize some factional divide exists here.


    "Edenmere is not as harmonious as it appears on the surface..."


    Elara sighed before reluctantly elaborating:


    "Due to years battling demons, many angels died, leaving Edenmere drastically underpopulated for centuries. So dissenting voices emerged called the Conservatives - they want to seal Edenmere''s external exits, even reduce or cease using descent formation to sever all contact with humans outside. Completely withdraw from the war to ensure no further loss of our numbers."


    "You can''t be serious? That''s like isolationism!"


    I was incredulous that angels could conceive such a terrible idea.


    "But remember, this is the angelic realm!"


    Nicola reminded me:


    "Unlike humans, angels here don''t need to eat and have boundless energy and long lifespans. Self-sufficiency should be no issue if Edenmere closes itself off."


    "Still unacceptable!"


    I shook my head, unable to accept it.


    "Ignoring everything else, won''t angels feel cramped clustering in this tiny landmass? Look at Cyra after just a short time unable to go out - she''s already going stir-crazy!"


    "Generally angels are quite docile; Cyra is an exception. You new angels retaining past memories can''t be used as benchmarks."


    Elara couldn''t help but laugh, speaking matter-of-factly.


    "But you summed it up well calling it isolationism. We reformists strongly oppose such measures too. Although sealing Edenmere''s exits would temporarily solve survival issues, it would greatly weaken the outside world''s ability to resist demons. If the human world was completely overtaken by demons, Edenmere, which is attached to the main world, would also struggle to remain unaffected.

 Vol 3/Chapter 37: The Conservatives

    "Humans aren''t necessarily that weak. What if they defeat the demons?"


    I was a little unhappy to hear her speak so poorly of humans, so I couldn''t help but speak up for them.


    "It''s very difficult! Even with the angel legions now joining them, it is still hard for them to gain an advantage," Elara shook her head, denying my viewpoint.


    "Even if, as you say, humans eventually become strong enough to face demons alone without our help, that would mean their overall strength has surpassed that of angels. But by then, we''ll be hiding in here, cut off from them. How is that situation any different from the demons occupying the entire Eldoria Continent?"


    I had to admit, that Elara considered things very far ahead. Just think about it a little, and you can foresee this kind of outcome.


    No matter which world I''m in, I firmly believe that human greed remains the same. When the time comes, humans will set their sights on Edenmere.


    "So you suspect the traitor is someone from the conservative faction? They even let the nightmares in?"


    Nicola was silent for a while, then suddenly spoke up, seemingly still unable to believe that there would be traitors.


    "Could it be a mistake? Aren''t angels and demons mortal enemies? Even if you want to isolate yourselves, there''s no need to collude with the enemy, right?"


    "The power in Edenmere is still in the hands of us reformist faction. The conservative faction has always been looking for opportunities to seize my title of Elara."


    As the clan leader, Elara naturally understood the ins and outs very clearly, and it was unlikely she would get it wrong.


    "And the occurrence of such a tragedy is just right to provoke feelings of fear towards the outside world among the public. Besides, the conservative faction has always been opposed to the use of the Angel Descent Formation..."


    "Why? Isn''t the Angel Descent Formation said to be the main way the angel population grows?"


    Nicola simply could not understand. At the same time, I was also confused. They were complaining about the lack of population, yet they did not want to find ways to increase the population. Instead, they sabotaged population growth. What''s wrong with these conservatives?


    Could it be... A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.


    "Is it to control the population?"


    I tentatively asked.


    "That''s right. After all, angels have a very long lifespan."


    Elara nodded and admitted my guess.


    "If the conservatives'' plan can be implemented, the number of angels will hardly decrease again for thousands of years. Edenmere''s total area is so small. The fewer the population, the more average resources each person can occupy. It''s evident that the conservatives have been carefully preparing for this for a long time."


    "Fuc...."


    Nicola almost burst out swearing, but even if she did, Elara probably wouldn''t understand anyway.


    "If it was them, I definitely wouldn''t let those traitors off!"


    "Why are you always so impulsive..."


    I rolled my eyes. We didn''t even really know who the conservative angels were yet. Things weren''t even clear and she was already threatening revenge. Isn''t that just making Elara use her?


    When I think back to Nicola''s future calmness towards enemies, skilled scheming in combat, and logical thinking, the contrast is just so huge!


    Could her future self be Liana possessing her? Maybe the twelve-winged Nicola we met isn''t the original Nicola at all. Or as I guessed before, we''re already long dead and Nicola is someone else entirely, only retaining Reilly''s memories?


    A sudden chill went through me at this thought. I couldn''t help but glance again at the one in front of me who would just charge forward swinging her Condensation Sword wildly. I suddenly felt a little creeped out...Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Why do you keep staring at me? Don''t you want revenge anymore?"


    Nicola looked completely confused.


    "No...let''s find out more clearly first!"


    I shook my head. I didn''t oppose revenge itself, but getting embroiled in the angels'' factional struggle wasn''t what I desired.


    "In short, you two must be careful of Councilor Yvonne. Avoid her if you can. She is an important figure among the conservatives who has never looked kindly on newborn angels. Even I am wary of her. If you truly offend her, it will be hard for even me to save you."


    This was Elara''s final reminder to us. Hearing it made me feel even more wary.


    Damn, yet another big shot that even Elara doesn''t dare provoke! And we''re supposed to oppose her? Why do we have such bad luck...


    "Who''s that Yvonne?"


    Just after leaving the room, Nicola asked me in puzzlement, clearly not recognizing the name.


    "That''s what you get for not attending the welcome banquet!"


    I glared at her resentfully, recalling having to face several legion commanders alone that night. What a headache that was!


    "Anyway, she''s a troublesome ten-winged angel with quite some influence. In short, stay away from her if you see her!"


    "But I don''t even know what she looks like..."


    Nicola anxiously explained. Just then, she suddenly saw Cyra actually waiting in the hallway outside.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "How did it go for you? I heard a demon was discovered in Nicola''s room. Nothing happened, right?"


    Upon seeing us, Cyra immediately began asking questions.


    "Of course nothing happened! It was a small matter. I drove away the demon in a few moves!"


    Nicola bragged complacently.


    "Is that so? Noma was right after all. It really isn''t dead!"


    Hearing that, Cyra immediately waved her arms excitedly, looking raring to have a go.


    "That means there''s still a chance!"


    "Chance? What are you trying to do?!"


    I thought she came to show concern for us and was touched. But it didn''t seem to be what I imagined?


    "To fight monsters of course! It''s rare to have a chance to battle demons without going to the outside world. I definitely won''t let this opportunity slip by easily!"


    Cyra''s reply left me utterly speechless. Why didn''t the nightmares go disturb her! Let her also experience some nightmares and see if she still dares to jump around recklessly!


    "Don''t get cocky. I heard nightmares are the nemesis of many angels. A two-winged angel like you definitely can''t withstand it."


    According to what Elara said, although angels who fall into a nightmare''s dream are generally hard to wake up from, if one accumulates enough light elements to reach a certain rank, as a demon it would simply be unable to get close. So only angels below eight wings could potentially become targets.


    Nicola and I happened to be at this watershed line, while Cyra...one comes and one sleeps, one pair lying down per arrival.


    "Don''t worry! When Norma woke me up she already said, as long as I don''t sleep, the nightmare can do nothing to me!"


    Cyra spoke dismissively.


    "So you haven''t had any nightmares these few days?"


    I felt very unhappy about this. Why did the nightmares only look for me and Nicola? She was also an angel who crossed over, yet could sleep so soundly without even reacting when there was such a huge commotion.


    "Of course, this is all thanks to the Lord''s protection!"


    Came her very religious-like reply to my doubts.


    Alright, I feel "The nightmares targeted us for our memories" makes more sense...


    But if it really was the work of the conservatives, with Edenmere now in a big stir, wouldn''t it startle the snake in the grass?


    With the traitor''s cover, it''s very likely the nightmares won''t dare come out again for a while. This makes it impossible to sleep at ease!


    But the daily lessons still had to go on. Today''s class was indoors again.


    "I heard Nicola encountered a nightmare? The whole city has been buzzing about it today."


    As soon as Aetina walked into the classroom, she came up to ask us right away.


    "It''s fine. It''s just a pity it got away! Looks like Nicola''s sword couldn''t hit that demon."


    I nodded. I didn''t expect news to spread so quickly. I could only explain it again. Angels asking us along the way were endless.


    "Of course! Nightmares have no physical form. Physical attacks basically have no effect at all. This is when magic must be used!"


    Aetina looked around at everyone present, still not seeing Nicola. She couldn''t help but rubbed at her head in frustration. After all, today''s class was still magic...


    "It really is a headache. Even if she only knew one Light Blast spell, it shouldn''t have led to this result..."


    "Don''t worry, just leave it to me next time! Since we can''t sleep these few days anyway, as long as that nightmare dares to appear, I''ll make sure it can''t walk away properly!"


    Cyra was boasting recklessly again.


    "Have you forgotten what I taught you before? Never let down your guard!" Aetina scolded upon hearing that.


    "Besides, with your current ability, you''re not the nightmare''s match even when awake! Although a nightmare''s normal strength is very poor, it has at least a level close to rank 5. The might of your Light Bullets simply cannot completely destroy it!"


    "That powerful?"


    Hearing about rank 5, I immediately felt uneasy. Would even I be in danger then? And I''ve never seen Nicola use magic either. If she left that Condensation Sword, would she have problems too?


    "Don''t worry, there certainly are risks if the nightmare gets close. But we angels aren''t to be trifled with either. As long as it dares to approach while we''re awake, any low-level light-type spell can make it unable to walk away properly."


    Aetina reassured me.


    "So in the second lesson this afternoon, let''s specially practice these magics!"


    "What kind of dangers are there from getting close?" Cyra suddenly raised her hand to ask.


    "Could it also have a sleep-inducing effect that forces sleep?"


    "Where did you get that idea? Of course that''s not the reason. Have you forgotten what I just reminded you of yesterday?"


    Aetina sighed and shook her head in denial.


    "As a demon, the nightmare is naturally composed of pure dark elements. Although it lacks physical form, and its dark elements isn''t as high as vampires and other demons, its effect on an angel''s body is still no less than any dark element attack. So you absolutely can''t let it make contact with your body!"

 Vol 3/Chapter 38: The Most Feared Thing

    "But how does it manipulate dreams without getting close?"


    Just thinking that I and Nicola were actually approached by such a dangerous monster at the bedside, and even in a dream, really makes me feel terrified.


    If I was accidentally touched by the nightmare, such as on the head, would it explode directly?


    "It should be some kind of spiritual influence..."


    Even Teacher Aetina was not very clear about why this was happening.


    "Now we only know for sure that nightmares generally lead out the most feared things in the dreamer''s subconscious at the time, using this as the basis for the dream, gradually peeking out inner secrets, to obtain information. This belongs to the spiritual level."


    The most feared thing? I was stunned immediately, recalling the dream I had. My greatest fear turned out to be marrying Nicola?


    Given Nicola''s previous identity, I didn''t want to marry her, which was understandable, but to talk about "the most feared", it seemed a bit far-fetched, right? Shouldn''t the most feared thing normally be death?


    And what does marrying the male version of her mean? Is this bizarre plot hinting at something? Do I not want Nicola to change back very much?


    Hmm...thinking carefully, it does seem to be that way...


    Nicola''s current looks and figure are top-notch, not to mention she is an angel. Although only suitable for distant viewing, to be honest, she is still quite eye-catching. Plus her carefree personality, I can enjoy some benefits from time to time ¡û_¡û.


    But what did her dream represent? She said she also dreamed of marrying me, and she was the groom and I was the bride...


    What the heck...


    I got confused all at once. According to the most feared theory, it''s not surprising that Nicola fears marrying me, that''s understandable. But her claim that she was the male in the dream marriage is worth pondering...


    Could Nicola''s subconscious also be afraid of changing back? What kind of weird thing is this? It feels completely inconsistent with the facts! Did I get it wrong, am I overthinking this? Or is she lying and hasn''t told me the truth?


    Because I kept speculating randomly, I didn''t listen in class today.


    After class, I thought about it and had nothing to do so I flew to the library again.


    Surprisingly, Reed was not at the outdoor training ground today. Looking at the empty field, I paused, it seemed I could only go to the Magic Section to look for her. Unfortunately, Cyra was more concerned with the new room assigned to us and did not come with me.


    Upon entering the Magic Section, I did indeed see that book-loving girl again. Just like when I first saw her after arriving in Edenmere, Reed was now kneeling on the floor behind a pile of books, concentrating on reading.


    "Where''s Nicola?"


    I walked around the library and didn''t see anyone else, so I had to ask her.


    "Don''t know. I told her to keep helping collect gases, but she disappeared later."


    Reed raised her head and glanced at me as she casually replied.


    "She''s probably slacking off somewhere."


    "That girl! She hasn''t gone to magic class for two days in a row. Does she hate magic that much? What if she runs into the nightmare?"


    I sighed, feeling I had wrecked my brain over this.


    "You met the nightmare when you went back yesterday... Nicola already told me about it..."


    Reed suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up at me to ask.


    "But how does it use magic to hurt the nightmare? I was just guessing before, but you seem to be very sure?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Of course, Teacher Aetina told me. We just had class today! She must have seen nightmares before, so what she said should be correct, right?"


    I was startled for a moment and quickly explained.


    "Maybe, but I''ve never seen such a creature that''s pure energy and has no physical form. It doesn''t seem to follow common sense to me..."


    Reed lowered her head, staring at the book in her hand, but her mind was clearly not on it now.


    "This is a magical world. Isn''t it normal that Earth''s physics theories don''t apply?"


    I understood Reed''s habit of always pursuing the essence of things and looking at problems with a scientific mindset. Suddenly I felt it was a bit funny to pursue science in a magical world - that''s just asking for trouble!


    "It is very normal!"


    But she still stubbornly refuted me.


    "But science on Earth is also built on continuous development and improvement, and even through constant denial and correction to develop to its current stage. So we can''t say that what we know as common sense is completely correct either. Even magic, I believe, can also find corresponding scientific reasons. Not understanding the principles now can only mean that my grasp of basic theory is still incomplete and needs further study!"


    "But is reading these magic books all day useful? It doesn''t seem like this world understands the principles behind the existence of creatures like nightmares either, right?"


    In my impression, she should read physics books instead, although there are none in this world...


    "Not necessarily!"


    Reed shook her head, denying my view.


    "Maybe in your eyes, magic books are just tools to teach you magic, improve your strength and make it easier to fight monsters. But in my eyes, magic books record the ways various energies are utilized in this world. In the end, it is all experience and a wealth of vivid energy experiments at that. There are even quite a few examples of energy and matter conversions that would be almost impossible to achieve in pre-Earth environments. It is very helpful for understanding the essence of this world."


    "Alright, that makes sense. You''re formidable..."


    I had to admit I couldn''t win against her in this regard. But with things going crazy in the city now, I had to remind her to be careful.


    "Speaking of which, you should also be more careful. The nightmare still hasn''t been found. What if it hides in places like this and possesses you when you''re off guard... that would be very dangerous..."


    I didn''t tell her my speculation that there might be traitors among the conservatives and that the monsters might have been smuggled in by traitor help, but these were still just guesses without evidence.


    "Don''t worry. As long as I don''t sleep, it has little threat."


    Even though Reed was holed up in an isolated place like the library not attending classes, she was still quite knowledgeable about common sense.


    "By the way... what do you think about nightmares being able to draw out the most feared dreams from one''s mind?"


    I thought about it and suddenly wanted to hear her opinion on this issue.


    "The most feared dream? Did you dream of what you fear most?"


    Hearing my words, Reed closed her book and asked with great interest.


    "Not really..."


    I felt a little awkward and still didn''t quite dare to frankly tell the contents of the dream.


    "At best it can only be said to be something I don''t want to happen. And it feels like there are a lot of contradictions. Shouldn''t the most feared thing be death?"


    "Not necessarily!"


    As soon as she heard me, she immediately refuted.


    "Fearing death is often just a superficial conscious idea. If you''re in a relatively safe environment, away from the threat of death, what the subconscious fears most is usually not death, but other things. And a means of indirectly obtaining memories by manipulating dreams like nightmares can only affect the brain and cannot even touch the soul. It can''t obtain all of your memories, so the scope of what constitutes the most feared must be limited - most likely to be things you were thinking about in the period before the dream. After all, they always say you dream about what you were thinking during the day!


    "But that doesn''t make sense either! I haven''t thought about anything like getting married these days..."


    I realized I had let it slip as soon as the words left my mouth, but it was already too late to take them back.


    "Getting married? You dreamed about marrying someone?"


    As expected, Reed gave me a puzzled look. Fortunately, Cyra was not here, otherwise she would surely make a big fuss.


    "Could it be that person Nicola keeps threatening to chop up every day?"


    She murmured to herself as she pondered with lowered eyelids.


    "No...that doesn''t make sense either... It should be the thing you fear most. This doesn''t add up..."


    "What person?"


    I was completely confused. Just what had Nicola been saying behind my back?


    "Nothing..."


    Reed suddenly picked up her book again and started "studying hard", clearly wanting to drop the subject. But at the last moment, she still remembered to remind me.


    "She''s coming."


    "Who?"


    I looked up when I heard her and saw Nicola wandering aimlessly to the door.


    "You''re here too? Seems like class ended early today!"


    Seeing me also in the Magic Section, Nicola immediately strode in to greet me, casually throwing two spheres containing stored gases to Reed.


    "Collected just about enough, feels like the space inside is a bit lacking. You may need to compress it further."


    "The weight issue can still be resolved. Angels are much stronger than humans. But the energy needed to continue compressing almost increases exponentially. There''s no way the two of us can achieve that."


    Reed put away the two spheres and replied helplessly.


    "Looks like we must consider ways to absorb energy from the environment..."


    "Where did you go?"


    I was puzzled about their secret scheming. Suddenly I remembered to ask Nicola.


    "Of course, I went to collect the gases Reed wanted! And to train my wind element control in passing. Don''t you know that already!"


    Nicola looked at me puzzledly. Seeing I didn''t seem too happy, she hurriedly added:


    "Could it be because you couldn''t find me? Of course, I can''t stay in one place! Since there''s air everywhere, I just wandered around the library vicinity for a bit!"

 Vol 3/Chapter 39 - Daring to Think, Daring to Act

    "Today''s magic class was specifically about how to deal with nightmares. You missed out on so much by skipping! If you knew even just a little magic, you wouldn''t have let that nightmare get away yesterday!"


    I sighed helplessly and lectured her, "There''s something so useful like magic, yet you insist on using your sword. And now you''ve finally met your match with a physical-immune monster, but you still haven''t learned your lesson!"


    "Who cares! I just don''t like magic. Using a sword is so much cooler! When we run into nightmares in the future, I''ll just leave them for you guys to deal with!"


    She waved her hand dismissively, still completely stubborn and refusing to take in what I said.


    "What if we''re not by your side? What will you do if you run into a monster alone?"


    I really couldn''t understand how she could be so reckless! This wasn''t a game - death here was permanent. How could she be so careless with her life?


    "Is looking cool more important than your life? Having another way to protect yourself can''t be a bad thing! Do you think you''re invincible..."


    Oh right! It seemed like with Nicola''s ability to travel through time to save us, she was invincible for now...


    "Alright, even if you can''t die, severe injuries would still be very troublesome!"


    I had to amend my words. This was so frustrating.


    "Just because you think you can''t die means you can do whatever you want?"


    Hmm, it seemed she really could do whatever she wanted...


    I was at a complete loss for words. What kind of freak was she? I suddenly felt that lecturing her was pointless, so I just squatted in the corner and drew circles on the ground.


    "What''s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly in such a bad mood?" Nicola looked completely confused as she asked.


    "Who knows!" I answered grumpily. Since she was stubborn about not learning magic, I could only let her do as she pleased. She''d have to face the painful consequences herself if something happened.


    Silence fell between us for a while. Reed continued researching her books while Nicola and I idly flipped through books on the ground. It felt just like our student days back in the library - peaceful and quiet.


    After some unknown amount of time passed, Nicola seemed unable to sit still any longer. She put her book down and asked Reed, "There shouldn''t be anything else today right? Can I go back early?"


    "Mm... OK!" Reed tilted her head and agreed after a brief consideration.


    "You also don''t need to come the next two days. I''ll be researching some magic arrays so I''m postponing the experiment deadline. Don''t try to take advantage of that!"


    "Sure, don''t worry. I''ll keep my promise," Nicola replied with a wry smile. She then waved to me saying, "Let''s go, time to head back! You wouldn''t want to stay in a place like this right?"


    "You''re being let off so easily today?" I asked in surprise upon hearing their conversation.


    "Weren''t you guys going to make some kind of special knife yesterday? How come I don''t see you working on it? Did you give up?"


    "We have to do that! But I don''t know if it''s because I lack the skill or if it''s just completely out of the wind element''s capabilities, but controlling things on an atomic level is simply too difficult. So we had to put that plan on hold for now. Reed''s decided to go back to the original plan."


    Nicola spread her hands helplessly as she explained to me.


    "Wait..."


    I was confused by what she said. Making a knife would require work at an atomic level? I thought they were trying to make some kind of laser sword!


    I had an inkling that this so-called "knife" was somewhat different from what I imagined. Many doubts arose.


    "Exactly what kind of knife are you guys talking about?"Stolen story; please report.


    "What do you think it is?" Reed glanced over from her book to ask me.


    "Of course it''s deuterium, a hydrogen isotope."


    "Deuterium? Could it be..."


    I thought hard for a good while before I realized what she meant by deuterium. I was so shocked I almost jumped up.


    "That''s a f***ing key ingredient for hydrogen bombs!"


    "Are you all crazy? You want to conduct nuclear tests in the magical world?!"


    Suddenly it all made sense - the compressed gases they were experimenting with weren''t for easy storage at all. That''s a prerequisite condition to detonate hydrogen bombs!


    The detonation process of hydrogen bombs generally utilizes two hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium. Under conditions of extreme heat and pressure, they undergo nuclear fusion to form helium and release massive amounts of energy and neutrons in the process. As long as you''ve studied until high school or above, these basics can easily be recited.


    "So that''s why making deuterium failed! Of course, it wouldn''t be that easy. And tritium with its two neutrons would be even more troublesome... There''s no way you could succeed."


    Seeing my reaction, Nicola immediately raised her hands innocently.


    "Hey, don''t look at me. This was all Reed''s idea, I''m just cooperating with her."


    But it was obvious she was still quite interested in the prospect of nuclear experiments in the magical world.


    "Neutrons... Your wind elemental powers can already manipulate neutrons? You must be joking..."


    I laughed sarcastically, not knowing how else to describe my feelings at the moment.


    "Geniuses... you''re all geniuses! Daring to think and daring to act!"


    How ironic - I had just advised Reed not to bring scientific methods into the magical world. Yet soon after I discover she''s secretly conducting nuclear tests here.


    Judging by the amount of hydrogen Nicola had collected over the past few days - didn''t they know that if anything went wrong, all of Edenmere would be doomed? But then again, whether nuclear theory would even work the same way here was still an unknown.


    "Why not consider nuclear fission first? Don''t hydrogen bombs usually require an atomic bomb as the trigger?"


    After all the trouble gathering deuterium, Nicola couldn''t help but suggest this. Clearly, she was still quite keen on nuclear experiments in the magical world. But I knew the answer even without Reed saying it.


    I rolled my eyes. "Where are you going to find radioactive elements? Are you sure angels'' bodies are immune to radiation?"


    "I was just giving a suggestion..."


    Nicola shrank back, chastened into silence.


    "Since it failed, just stop this business. It is too dangerous!"


    After some thought, I tried to persuade them. I had great confidence in Reed''s abilities - she surely had more than one route to success in mind if she dared attempt this.


    While I wasn''t uninterested in such experiments myself, the sheer power was truly horrifying. It''s better to be more cautious. If we blew up the entirety of Edenmere, I''m sure none of the surviving angels would let us off easily. By then we''d truly be in deep trouble.


    "Mm-hmm..."


    Without lifting her head from her book, Reed gave a short sound of acknowledgment before continuing to read.


    I opened and closed my mouth, hesitating on whether she had taken my words in. But I was powerless to do anything else about it.


    The following days passed uneventfully with our dull student lives continuing. With Elara''s order banning sleep still in effect, the days felt dragged out much longer, which at least gave me ample time to practice magic and combat skills.


    I ultimately chose the sword like Nicola since I had some familiarity with using it multiple times already. It just felt more intuitive in my hands compared to other weapons.


    "You''re shameless!"


    Standing in Tivi Palace''s training grounds, Cyra angrily threw aside her wooden sword. She was extremely displeased with me.


    "Ah, my bad!"


    I glanced back at my six wings and quickly apologized.


    "I accidentally let my wings out again..."


    We had agreed beforehand to conceal our wings and not use any magic to have a fair, pure swordsmanship duel. This way, our physical conditions would be roughly equal.


    But annoyingly, whenever I felt disadvantaged, I couldn''t help unleashing my three pairs of wings. With them, how could she possibly withstand my attacks? In just two to three strikes, she was pinned to the ground.


    "As if I''d believe this is already the second time!"


    Cyra harrumphed unhappily, refusing to accept my apology.


    "I don''t wanna play anymore! You sly cheater!"


    "It''s not about playing or not playing - this is homework assigned specially by the Teacher for us to practice on."


    I anxiously stopped her and said, "Teacher Aetina taught us a sword style that''s used by angel legions in battles. Nicola gave it the flashy name ''Angel Sword Style''."


    But, to me, all the moves just seemed like different ways to target the opponent''s weak points, like their head or armpits for stabbing and striking. Of course, the defence also focused heavily on guarding those areas, very practical. Additionally, because angels have wings on their backs, aerial factors were specially considered in the style, like lots of moves incorporated top-down gravity strikes. There was also an emphasis on practicing gestures to protect the wings.


    It was a pity that learning swordplay truly seemed to require talent. Even though we learned it together and had similar power and speed, I still couldn''t beat Nicola no matter what. She had a gift for martial arts - after just a few days, she could already spar with Aetina. As for me, I could only find someone around my level to practice with...Cyra, who was maybe a little stronger than me.


    "Fine...I''ll give you one last chance. If you use your wings again, I''ll report straight to Teacher Aetina that you cheated and can''t fight properly!"


    The mention of homework was Cyra''s weak point. She had no choice but to give me another chance. After all, this was a collaborative homework assignment. Without my portion to complement hers, her work certainly wouldn''t be considered complete.


    "Of course, I''ll beat you fair and square this time!"


    I immediately promised at full volume to hide my wings. To be honest, I wasn''t confident at all. Cyra had nearly half a month more sword practice than me. Fighting her would be very tough and I was afraid of revealing an opening by accident.

 Vol 3/Chapter 40: Love grows over time?

    "Haha, just watch out! Although you are better at magic than me, I will not lose in swordsmanship!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra immediately picked up the wooden sword on the ground and rushed towards me, straight to the chest.


    "Hey, the heart seems to be on the left side. How do you poke the right side?"


    I blocked her attack with my sword and asked, what kind of trick is this?


    "Hmph, there will be more later!"


    Cyra smiled at me strangely, without answering, and then raised the sword from bottom to top, attacking my lower body.


    "This... is nasty!"


    When I saw this, I quickly took a few steps back and almost fell.


    "Why nasty! Didn''t you say that stabbing your right breast wasn''t a serious injury? It''s a serious injury after all, right?"


    Cyra retorted proudly, giving me a chance to rebalance and not pursue further for the time being.


    "You''ve gone too far!"


    I don¡¯t have that thing now, so it¡¯s not a big deal. This guy is teasing me!


    Although I am a woman now, isn¡¯t she the same? If the tiger doesn''t show off its power, it will be treated as a sick cat!


    So without saying a word, I thrust out the wooden sword and stabbed Cyra in the chest. Upon seeing this, the opponent immediately turned sideways and swung her sword sharply. She let out a mean laugh, circled to my left side, stretched out her claws and struck at my chest.


    "you!"


    I quickly pushed her body away with my left hand and stabbed her back with my sword. However, Cyra suddenly dwarfed and avoided my counterattack, and then came up with the wooden sword and hit me directly at the bottom...


    This trick again!


    The moment she lowered her head, I had already expected that she would do this, and I was already prepared! I immediately took half a step back to leave her attack range, then raised one foot and stepped on the sword.


    "Gan, you noticed it!"


    Unexpectedly, Cyra let out a light chuckle, and suddenly changed her move midway, unfolded her wings, flew into the air, and struck at my head in the air.


    "You''re cheating!"


    I didn''t expect that she would play like this, with my feet still hanging in the air and unable to move! In a hurry, I had no choice but to roll to the side and avoid this move in a panic.


    "How can this be? You said I cheated before, aren''t you the same?"


    I got up from the ground, patted the dust on myself, and yelled at Cyra in the sky in dissatisfaction.


    "A soldier never tires of deceit! And this can only be regarded as a return gift. You just acted rogue twice."


    Cyra landed back to the ground, folded her wings and retorted triumphantly to me.


    "Besides, I don''t need wings, my "Flirting with girls" swordsmanship can also make you desire more! "


    "Ah! Are you sure it''s not "Lewd" Swordsmanship? "


    I clenched the wooden sword in my hand angrily and rushed towards her again.


    "Hmph, easy to do!"


    When Cyra saw my sword hitting her face, she tilted her head slightly and was about to fight back, but she didn''t expect that a dazzling light suddenly erupt in front of her eyes.


    "My eyes..."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Cyra turned around and covered her eyes, but I took the opportunity to place the sword on her neck.


    "Haha, you''ve been fooled! Let you try my ''Sun Fist''!"


    Sure enough, the other party was not prepared for the flash magic I quietly threw out. Although magics that can be released without wings are limited, the lowest level light magic such as Light Bomb and Flash Magic, which do not consume many light elements, can still be used.


    "You are cheating. You agreed not to use magic!"


    After a while, Cyra barely regained her sight and was very unwilling to yield.


    "Of course, this is a return gift. Besides, I only promised not to use wings, but I didn''t say not to use magic!"


    Anyway, everyone is shameless, so I can''t be that pedantic and inflexible. Who knows when she will fly again, I wouldn''t be able to resist it at all.


    "How can you be so quibbling..."


    Cyra originally wanted to argue but closed her mouth. I guess I was right. After all, she even committed a foul and showed her wings. What else can she do besides admit defeat?


    "So tired!"


    I took a breath and quickly released the six wings behind me.


    After strenuous exercise, I felt like I was going to collapse. Without wings, physical fitness is not much different from ordinary humans, and after playing three games in a row, it is simply too much.


    "Strange, it seems that the recovery of physical strength has slowed down?"


    Cyra also stretched out her wings and suddenly asked me with some confusion.


    "Isn''t it an illusion?"


    I did feel that the light elements in the air seemed to be slightly reduced, but the difference was not big, so I always thought I was mistaken.


    "Forget it! That''s it for today."


    I don''t know if this is a normal phenomenon. Anyway, even if it is, I can feel that my physical strength is slowly recovering, so I don''t bother to pay attention.


    "When will Nicola come back today? Then let''s continue the Poker Cards last night, right?"


    Cyra followed me back to the room and suddenly asked me. A few days ago, she was too bored, so she asked Norma for some cardboard, drew a deck of playing cards herself, and played with Nicola and me.


    "You have to ask her about this. It has been many days. Why does she still run to Reed''s place every day? Is it really for experiments?"


    Just after class today, Nicola flew to the library as usual. Only now do I realize that the promised deadline seems to have passed long ago.


    "Could it be that they two love each other?"


    Cyra tilted her head and suddenly burst out laughing.


    "You know that Reed used to be a girl, and Nicola stayed with her for a long time. With both surviving a disaster, so they fell in love?"


    "No way? Nicola is also a girl now. What can two girls do?"


    I can''t believe it. But in retrospect, Nicola''s attitude was very negative at first, and she even wanted to break her promise, but now she comes to her doorstep. Is there any secret between these two people?


    "But Reed is not lesbian, right? Would she be interested in Nicola becoming a girl?"


    It seems that it doesn''t make sense, so in the end, it''s Cyra who is messing around.


    "Tch! Have you ever seen Reed in love before? You don''t understand! As the saying goes, true love is between the same sex, and the opposite sex is just for reproduction! In my opinion, the two of them must have an affair!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra immediately concluded confidently and even sighed in a pretentious manner.


    "It''s a pity, it''s a pity, lesbian is infinitely good, but just can''t give birth..."


    "If you can believe what you say, then you are going to hell!"


    Naturally, I don¡¯t dare to believe Cyra¡¯s words casually. This guy has never been reliable.


    But having said that, these two people are indeed suspicious. They are mysterious all day long and no one knows what they are doing. Haven''t all nuclear tests been declared a failure? Why continue with more efforts? Could it be that they have found new projects?


    Forget it, leave them alone. Besides nuclear bombs, I can¡¯t think of anything more dangerous. Reed can¡¯t possibly make biological and chemical weapons, right? I believe they wouldn''t go so far.


    After returning to my room, I lay down on the bed and read "Spell Pronunciation Techniques" leisurely. After Elara ordered to change rooms last time, we were still assigned together, and the rooms had similar styles, so we didn¡¯t feel much difference at all.


    As for the original nightmare, it disappeared without a trace as expected and never appeared again. But with this monster still at large, the "no sleeping order" dared not be revoked. It is said that the Angel Guards have searched every place in the city, but still found nothing.


    The unbearable thing is the boredom caused by not being able to sleep£¬ with one-third more free time every day.


    Cyra was the first one who couldn''t sit still. At night, she would run around, either coming to me or Nicola''s place.


    But I''m also bored. Although there are many new magics to practice, I can''t focus on them all the time. When I can''t bear it anymore, I just run outside and wander around the whole of Edenmere.


    As for Nicola, she had a pretty fulfilling life, except for the very beginning two days of "vacation". She was extremely proactively "working overtime". Apart from going to class every day, she spent the rest time in the library. I don¡¯t know what she and Reed are doing. It¡¯s no wonder that someone is gossiping behind their back.


    It didn''t take long for Cyra to run over with playing cards.


    "Come on, come on! Let''s play a few games!"


    "Huh? Are you so addicted to cards?"


    My butt wasn''t even hot yet, she so was eager to play cards.


    "What can I do? I can''t sleep. It''s so boring."


    She spread her hands, sat next to me and started shuffling the cards hurriedly.


    "Not just us, even many other angels are out having funnie!"


    "Funnie?"


    When I heard her use of words, I thought of many things, and asked in confusion.


    "Don''t tell me there is a shop like that here..."


    Although I have walked around the entire city, it is impossible to go into every store and every house. If there is such a secret place, it is not completely impossible.


    But angels are all women, so what kind of business can a place like that run? Can we name male elves? Or with girls directly?


    Wow~ This is a bit exciting, there are many ...

 Vol 3/ Chapter 41: The Martial Arts Tournament

    "What are you thinking? If there''s such a good place, I wouldn''t be staying here!"


    Cyra rolled her eyes when she saw my expression.


    "Edenmere is currently hosting a martial arts tournament these days, and quite a few angels have gone out to watch it."


    "Martial arts tournament?"


    I was confused. Martial arts tournaments seem to only exist in wuxia novels. How come the angels are also doing this kind of thing?


    "Of course, it''s because they are bored! I told you before, that many angels have the habit of sleeping. With the ''no sleep order'', there is a large number of angels having nothing to do. So activities are organized for them to kill the time!"


    Cyra sorted her cards while explaining to me and prompted me to play first,


    "A 3..."


    I randomly threw out the lowest points and lowered my head to take a closer look at my cards. I couldn''t help but frown.


    "Where are the competitions held? How come I don''t know about such things?"


    I took the opportunity to ask while waiting for her move.


    "4 Aces!"


    Without saying anything, Cyra threw out a quad and stared at the cards in her hand while casually answering.


    "Of course, it''s at the North Triumph Plaza. The place is spacious. You don''t usually go to places like that, so of course you don''t know."


    "I pass."


    I shook my head to signal her to continue playing. Still puzzled, I asked again.


    "How come Norma and the others never mentioned it to me? Did they sign up at that plaza too?"


    "I think so... Do you want to participate?"


    Cyra glanced at the ceiling as she tried to remember.


    "The angels participating in the martial arts tournament are at least six-winged or eight-winged high-ranking angels. For new angels like us, it would be a waste to go up and compete, so of course they didn''t tell us."


    "4455667788!"


    After speaking, she threw out a long string of pairs.


    "I pass."


    I didn''t even bother to look at my cards and directly indicate that I passed.


    "Never mind that they didn''t tell us. I and Nicola are six-winged too! We can still go and watch even if we don''t participate."


    "You''re thinking too much. After all, Norma is just the chief steward of the Tivi Palace. She doesn''t have the obligation to inform us about these entertainments. I only found out when I was out wandering at noon today and happened to see many angels and light elves gathered in the plaza. I asked about it when I came back."


    Cyra glanced at me. Prepared, she immediately threw out four more cards.


    "3 twos with a 3!"


    "Uh...I pass."


    How is she so lucky to get all good cards! I took a look and there were only 4 poker cards left in her hand, while on my side...


    "Two King Quards!"


    Following that, she mercilessly revealed two small and big ghost cards painted in a doodled style.


    "..."


    Looking at the smug, arrogant little face in front of me, I suddenly threw the poker cards in my hand out the window.


    "What''s the point of continuing to play, let''s go watch the tournament! Playing cards is so boring!"


    "Huh?"


    Caught off guard, Cyra was stunned for a while, then hurried to chase after me. I could vaguely hear curses coming from her mouth,


    "Feliciana, you''re just a sore loser! I finally got such good cards and you fled away!"Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "No way! I just suddenly felt that watching the angels compete in martial arts would be more interesting."


    Still flying in the sky, I turned my head and argued.


    "Don''t you think it''s boring with just the two of us playing cards?"


    "That''s purely an excuse! Why say that only when I''m about to win? I see you just can''t stand to lose!"


    Cyra was so angry she desperately chased after me, but how could she catch up to me with six wings? Plus, I learned high-speed flying, so I threw her far behind in no time.


    But I didn''t have to fly for long before I noticed that the number of people in the air and streets below gradually increased, eventually all converging to the nearby Triumph Plaza.


    "It''s so lively!"


    I hovered in the air and looked down. It was still my first time seeing so many gathered angels in Edenmere. Although there were some light elves mixed in, roughly counting there were at least over a thousand.


    In fact, not only were there many angels lingering in the low altitude, but as far as the eye could see, the place could be described as extremely crowded.


    The Triumph Plaza occupies a very large area. Although I passed by it from above several times before, I never went down. Because there is nothing special below seen from the air.


    However, in the center of the plaza now, there is an extra circular arena. There seems to be a match going on, with two eight-winged angels fighting fiercely against each other.


    "It''s purely hand combat?"


    I saw one of the angels holding an extremely long battle axe, while the other, although using a sword, did not get disadvantaged at all. It''s just that I haven''t seen anyone use magic.


    "You''re too shameless, flying so fast just because you have six wings!"


    It was only then that Cyra caught up to me and grumbled with dissatisfaction.


    "With such a lively scene, you were playing poker in the room?"


    I really couldn''t understand why she was unwilling to come here to watch the competition. Isn''t she always clamoring that she''s bored? This is a good way to kill time!


    "I already came to watch at noon. At first, I was a little interested, but later..."


    Cyra looked at the scene below, hesitant to continue.


    "In short, you''ll know after watching for a while. Anyway, I feel it''s boring. Maybe with your extra wings, you can see some skills."


    "Why is it boring?"


    I didn''t quite understand. What does it have to do with the number of wings? But still, I lowered to an appropriate altitude to watch the battles between the angels in the arena more clearly.


    The two angels from before still hadn''t determined the winner. Their strength can be said to be evenly matched. But bizarrely, after fighting for so long, they didn''t seem to be tired at all. Apart from some superficial injuries, it was as if they had endless energy.


    "Just hitting each other like this endlessly, there is no appeal at all. Unless you can appreciate their swordsmanship like appreciating a flower!"


    Cyra snorted softly. Afraid that I still didn''t understand, she specifically explained to me again.


    "Due to Edenmere''s special environment, as long as they are four-winged angels or above, they won''t feel tired without using large-scale magic. Most of such battles are just a waste of time."


    "Maybe it''s because they just happen to be evenly matched, so it''s taking so long to determine a winner..."


    I thought about it and argued. Looking at the two angels ding-dong fighting swords, although their level was so high that even I could hardly keep up with their speed and variations, it did cause some visual fatigue after a long time. My mind was only left with the thought of "Look forward to when they make a mistake to end this quicker".


    "If the opponents were slightly more unevenly matched, it might not be so boring."


    "Then keep watching! You''ll understand after a while."


    Cyra didn''t seem to be in a hurry at all. She casually looked around the crowd, obviously for beauties.


    After a while, the situation on stage finally changed. The axe-wielding angel caught an opening in her opponent and swung down hard and accurately rested her axe on the neck of the sword-wielding angel.


    "Melisa wins!"


    An angel who looked like a referee sitting at the edge of the arena immediately stood up to announce the result, then signalled for the next competitors to enter.


    "Look! Isn''t this what you meant? With a different batch of angels, they shouldn''t fight for so long right!?"


    I immediately pulled Cyra''s clothes to make her pay attention.


    "So what? Does it make a difference?"


    Unexpectedly, she wasn''t interested at all. She glanced at the arena and continued to turn her head to look at the beauties.


    "Uh..."


    I didn''t know why she was so against this. If she didn''t like fighting, didn''t she also watch those flashy battle scenes in anime back then? Could it be just because it''s not 2D this time, so she lost interest?


    This group of two angels were still eight-winged. Their gap in strength was indeed bigger than the previous group. It didn''t take long for them to determine the winner either. But after watching the next group fight for a while, I suddenly understood Cyra''s feelings.


    In fact, this had nothing to do with how long they fought for. It was also not about the level of combat skills, and definitely had no connection with 2D or 3D ¡ª simply put, it was monotonous without variety.


    Unlike the battle scenes in movies, TV and anime, which are carefully designed with actions, scenes plots, and even special effects. Generally, it would not give the audience a feeling of repetition.


    Actual combat scenes were almost completely different. The basic principle is to find out which moves work well, and which parts are effective to attack, and then specialize in using that move to specifically target that body part until the opponent defends against it.


    Moreover, even if it was different pairs of opponents, their combat methods were basically the same. After all, they all learned from the same school. Although occasionally a few used different weapons which could bring some refreshing feeling, after some time you''d realize it''s still just those few moves, and most of them still used swords.


    So, with the same moves, same endurance, and no stamina limit, it was hard to watch them ding-dong their way to finish one match, finally having one side admit defeat. Then onto the next batch, repeating the same story. Watching it for too long makes one feel jaded.


    "Alright, what you said makes sense..."


    I turned back to Cyra and said unenthusiastically. But still found it puzzling.


    "Why don''t those angels watching feel bored?"


    "Who knows?"


    She just shrugged at my words and could only casually guess.


    "Maybe they are used to being bored in daily life. Even such repetitive martial arts drama is interesting to them. Or maybe they are watching to learn, hoping to gain experience from it to improve their swordsmanship?"


    "Could be both..."


    I murmured as I looked at those angels not far away staring intently at the arena. After all, unlike Cyra and me who transmigrated here, they hadn''t seen those flashy battle scenes from shows before. In this way, it seemed completely understandable.

 Vol 3/Chapter 42 - The Familiar Stranger

    "Are there any magic competitions? Since this is a tournament, magic should also be involved right?"


    I asked unwillingly. I can''t do anything if the martial arts battles are not exciting to watch, but magic competitions would surely be much cooler.


    "I think there are...wait!"


    Cyra pondered briefly before descending rapidly to the ground.


    In addition to the fighting ring in the middle of the Triumph Plaza, the edges of the plaza were also filled with angels standing in neat rows and queues. At the front were tables that looked like registration counters.


    "The 2nd Edenmere Tournament?"


    After reaching the ground, I noticed this huge banner erected right in the middle of the plaza. Below it was a notice board that probably listed details about the various competitions, according to Cyra.


    "The magic competitions only start tomorrow night. Today is mainly some martial arts contests."


    Cyra shouted at me from afar while pointing at the notice board. With so many angels on the ground, it was very noisy.


    "I see it!"


    I shouted back equally loudly. Although we were quite far apart, my vision had improved tremendously after becoming an angel. I could see the words on the noticeboard from this distance.


    It seemed like the tournament had been going on continuously for more than a day. The notice showed that the martial arts competitions were held first, followed by the magic competitions. But it didn''t end there. At the very end were the highlights - the comprehensive ability contests.


    "Aren''t you that legendary newborn angel, Feliciana?"


    Just as I was focusing my attention on the notice board, I suddenly heard someone talking to me. Turning my head, I saw a six-winged angel whom I didn''t recognize.


    "You are...?"


    I asked curiously. In Edenmere, apart from a handful of acquaintances, I had no interactions with other angels. It was very rare to see an unfamiliar angel actively approach and even call out my name like this. Many angels around us turned their heads when they heard her words.


    "I''m Aria. You may not know me but I''ve heard a lot about you."


    Seeing my puzzled look, this six-winged angel quickly introduced herself. Like Reed, she also had short, neat hair which made her stand out sharply among the angels with long hair everywhere.


    "Huh?! I can''t believe I''m that famous!"


    I was pleasantly surprised to hear the words "heard a lot about you" from her and didn''t know how to respond at first.


    "Of course! Recently there have been rumors circulating all over Edenmere about two lost newborn angels who returned from the outside world and reached six wings within just one month. It''s simply unimaginable talent. And very recognizable too, one has grayish-white hair while the other has blue hair. So both of you are already celebrities."


    Aria explained breezily with a smile. However, I was confused by what she said.


    My main activities were limited to the Tivi Palace and the library. Although I occasionally noticed angels pointing fingers at Nicola and me, I always thought it was due to our unusual hair colours. Looks like news of our fast promotion has already spread so widely and elicited such a strong response. This was beyond my expectations.


    "You flatter me...I also don''t know why I advanced to six wings so quickly. It was pure luck!"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I hurriedly acted modestly.


    "It can''t be just luck. Don''t joke with me!"


    Aria shook her head, unable to agree.


    "I''ve never heard of any angel accomplishing this feat. Both of you are amazing. It''s a pity I''m caught up with things now, otherwise, I would certainly ask you to teach me."


    "Haha...what a pity indeed..."


    I smiled wryly in response. I preferred to avoid things like duel requests. I just hoped she would leave quickly so I wouldn''t feel awkward about how to response.


    "So are you here to participate in the competitions too? Which events did you sign up for?"


    However, Aria didn''t seem to want to end the conversation so soon. She continued asking me.


    "No!"


    Hearing that, I quickly clarified. After being taught a lesson by Adrian, I didn''t dare to overestimate myself again. Of course, I couldn''t let her misunderstand.


    "You thought too much. I''m only here to take a casual look, not to participate. No matter how capable I am, I''m still no match for those eight-winged or ten-winged angels right?"


    "It doesn''t matter. Participation is what counts! The tournament only happens once every few thousand years. It would be too much of a waste to miss it."


    Aria waved her hand to signify I shouldn''t worry too much.


    "So just now I went to sign up for the flight competition happening later this week. I heard it''s very interesting. It''s a hot event with very limited slots. Why don''t you try participating too?"


    "Flight competition?"


    Of course, I knew about it. The event followed after the magic competitions. But I didn''t expect her to recommend it to me.


    "Yes, you can sign up now at the registration point in the north."


    After speaking, Aria pointed me in the direction before realizing the time and hurrying off.


    "The registration time for the sword fighting events is almost up. I still need to go queue! Let''s catch up next time!"


    "Ah? Sure, hurry along then!"


    Finally seeing off this sociable angel, I heaved a sigh of relief and turned my gaze toward the direction she had pointed to earlier.


    "Do you want to participate?"


    Seeing my expression, Cyra couldn''t help asking.


    "Well..."


    To be honest, I was rather tempted. Mainly because I had been pent up for too long and wanted to find an outlet. Every day was either lessons or reading books, with occasional trips to the library. My days were so incredibly boring.


    "Are you sure? That confident huh?"


    Seeing my look, Cyra''s expression was a bit strange.


    "Since when did you become so arrogant to challenge those ancient monsters who have lived for thousands of years?"


    "Hey, don''t say it like that! The correlation between flight and combat ability isn''t as big as you imagine! Maybe a six-winged angel can still compete fairly well...."


    Flustered by her questions, I quickly justified. I had some confidence in high-speed flying.


    Although higher-ranked angels could theoretically fly faster, there were also more factors for them to consider. The extra wings would cause more turbulence and interference, the more wings the greater the interference. So those eight-winged and ten-winged angels might not be that much faster than six-winged angels.


    Through arduous practice these months, I was confident to had achieved considerable mastery of high-speed flying. Although I didn''t dare say I could win any prizes, at least I wouldn''t end up last. As long as I could get a middling result I would be satisfied.


    "But I heard this flight competition isn''t so simple! That Aria didn''t tell you right? It seems you can attack and obstruct other contestants. Even so, you still don''t see any issues?"


    Cyra stared at the notice board and reminded me curiously.


    "Huh?"


    Hearing that gave me a shock. I quickly took a closer look too. Indeed at the bottom under the rules were these few lines of words.


    "...No restrictions on any means to hinder opponents'' speed during competition, including use of weapons, magic etc, but must not overdo it. Absolutely no life-threatening fights..."


    "Then forget it!"


    I immediately chickened out. How was I supposed to play this? Might as well admit defeat directly! Compared to those eight-winged and ten-winged angels, my meagre combat ability was negligible. I would surely be trampled to last place after just a few rounds.


    "What did you expect? This is a martial arts tournament after all, not a racing competition. How can it work without some element of combat!"


    Cyra grinned gloatingly as if she had seen through everything. She patted my shoulder arrogantly.


    "So even with six wings, it''s useless! For us newbies, let''s just obediently return to our room for card games! At least my efforts drawing those playing cards weren''t wasted."


    "Look at how pleased you are with yourself!"


    I felt extremely unhappy with her attitude but had no other recourse.


    The root cause was still the tournament''s flawed system. Why didn''t they consider segregating angels of different ranks to compete? Angels with the same number of wings could reasonably be placed in one-tier. That would avoid huge disparities in ability.


    But then again, there were already so many events. Further dividing each event by tiers would expand the scale manifold. With the angel population not large to begin with, that would indeed be overdoing it.


    Just as I turned back feeling dejected and wanting to take another round with Cyra before leaving, I suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the crowds.


    "Isn''t that Aetina?"


    "Teacher?"


    Seeing her too, Cyra immediately pulled me along to fly over and landed in front of her.


    "Feliciana, Cyra?"


    Aetina was queuing in the middle of a long line and was caught unprepared when she saw us suddenly pop up, giving her a huge shock.

 Vol 3/Chapter 43 - Encouraging Competition

    "Are you going to join the competition?"


    I glanced at the front of this line of people. That should be the signup spot for martial arts. I didn''t expect Aetina, who is usually so timid, to have the confidence to challenge those contestants with eight or ten wings. When I first met her, she was quite wary of Nicola and me, who only had six wings.


    "I didn''t come for myself, I''m mainly here to sign Nicola up... "


    She quickly clarified when she saw me and Cyra.


    "Nicola? She''s the one who wants to join this martial arts tournament?"


    I didn''t expect things to go this way. I immediately looked around, but I didn''t see any shadow of her.


    "Where is she? Why didn''t she come herself?"


    "She probably went to see Reed again?"


    Aetina smiled and said.


    "When we were sparring today, she heard me mention this tournament and said she wanted to participate but didn''t have time to come queue, so she asked me to help sign her up, because the martial arts competition will end tomorrow."


    "And you just agreed?"


    I was admiring Aetina. To be willing to help with troublesome things like queueing, she pampers Nicola too much. Where''s the teacher''s demeanour?


    As for Nicola, how can she be so busy that she can''t even find time for this? I must go to the library later to see what she and Reed are up to.


    "It''s alright. I have nothing to do anyway. Besides, Lady Elara specifically instructed me to try my best to satisfy your requests. So I came to help along the way."


    Aetina didn''t seem to mind running errands at all. She waved her hand casually as if it was no big deal.


    "Nicola only has six wings. How can she possibly beat those top contenders with eight or ten wings?"


    Cyra asked in bewilderment. Although in her eyes, Nicola counted as overpowered, and her swordsmanship was better, compared to those top contenders, she should still be far from their level.


    I held the same view on this. Nicola''s current strength was mainly due to the Condensation Sword. It was obvious she wouldn''t be allowed to use it in this competition. Even if weapons were provided, they would be distributed evenly by the organizer, like those swords from the weapon racks below.


    "I''ve reminded her already, but she was very determined and confident"


    Aetina could only sigh upon hearing this. But she still made an effort to explain the tournament to us.


    "Although the rules don''t restrict by rank, there are only so many ten-winged angels in the whole of Edenmere, and most of them hold high positions, so they usually don''t participate. So six wings still have a chance."


    "So you mean Nicola has a chance at ranking?"


    I was intrigued to hear this. Removing the insurmountable gap posed by the ten-winged angels, it did seem a lot more manageable.


    "It''s not that simple."


    But Aetina shook her head again and analyzed for us.


    "Although Nicola has decent talent in swordsmanship, her skills are still too raw and she hasn''t trained long enough. She definitely won''t have an advantage over eight-winged angels now. I think she should have the right mind when participating this time, focusing on learning."


    "So it''s still going there to get beat up!"


    Cyra curled her lips in disdain. We saw many angels get injured in the matches earlier, some quite seriously, though thankfully there was a medical team on standby. So no life-threatening situations occurred.


    "Letting her suffer a bit is good too."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    But I wasn''t too worried. There was no risk to her life anyway. And I''ve always felt that Nicola was too arrogant relying on Condensation Sword. It was about time someone taught her a lesson.


    "Actually, Feliciana could consider participating in this event..."


    But at this moment, Aetina suddenly changed the subject and suggested to me.


    "The magic competition tomorrow would be very suitable for you."


    "Huh? You kidding me?"


    I was unprepared. We were just discussing Nicola''s reckless actions, yet here a pit was already dug and waiting for me to jump in!


    "No way! I''ve only learned a few magic spells, how can I compete!"


    I firmly rejected this ridiculous proposal. Speaking of which, I''ve only been at this Triumph Plaza for a short while, yet I''ve already met two people egging me to join the competition, and for different categories too. How bizarre!


    But the Teacher seemed very confident in me, even more so than with Nicola.


    "It''s no problem, your talent in magic is quite impressive. Joining the competition can get you a ranking."


    "Are you sure you''re not joking?"


    I thought I must have misheard. Aetina said I could aim for a ranking?


    Although she did teach us quite a few magic spells, most were still basic and insufficient for competition. Also, I only have six wings, whether in terms of quantity or power, I would lose to those eight-winged angels.


    "Of course not, you really can do it!"


    Aetina insisted firmly, encouraging me.


    "You may have some misunderstandings about magic competitions. The main test is still elemental control. From my observations these past days, your elemental control is very high, far exceeding even me."


    "No way?"


    Cyra was also shocked to hear this and immediately looked at me in surprise.


    "We learned together, and can both do many basic magic without incantations. Why is she so much better?"


    "Haven''t you noticed Feliciana''s learning speed is way faster than yours? She understands after one lesson, while you need to be taught multiple times!"


    Aetina sighed and reminded her.


    "Even so, that can''t be considered slow right?"


    Cyra was still unwilling to admit inferiority and argued.


    "Most of them I managed to learn during lessons too. It felt quite fast to me!"


    "It''s not slow..."


    Aetina naturally didn''t want to discourage her too much, and could only give an objective evaluation.


    "You have to know those are the most basic magic. Your elemental control still needs more practice. Otherwise, at best you can only be considered average."


    What she called basic was like Purification, which was already quite impressive by human standards.


    "So it''s still middle-tier, not bad, not bad!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra immediately felt relieved. She had a very open mindset, satisfied as long as she wasn''t the worst.


    "My goal is only to reach four wings anyway. Torturous stuff like competitions, I''ll leave it to you to slowly enjoy!"


    Saying so, she patted my shoulder and looked at me sympathetically, as if she could already foresee my wretched state after being abused by the competition opponents.


    "If your wings get fried golden brown and crispy outside but tender inside, remember to call me over for a taste. I''ve never eaten deep-fried angel wings before. Remember to add lots of peppercorn and plum!"


    "How can you be so gleeful about my misfortune!"


    I helplessly retorted. I was long used to her shameless outbursts. But thinking about that angel whose arm nearly got sliced off by a sword earlier, it gave me some chills. I felt this competition was a bit too dangerous.


    "Or... let''s forget it? I really can''t do it!"


    I wanted to back out again. Having just Nicola participate was already sufficient, my absence wouldn''t matter much. Cyra was right, what''s wrong with staying in the room playing cards? Why insist on going out to get abused?


    "Don''t listen to her nonsense!"


    Aetina became anxious upon hearing this and didn''t forget to glare at Cyra, seemingly very dissatisfied with her words.


    "The magic competition is not like this at all. It would be a real pity for you to give up."


    "But I only know some low-level magic, quite far from this competition. And I just reached six wings a few days ago. My abilities are far too lacking."


    Seeing Aetina unrelenting, I quickly flew off to avoid further persuasion.


    "Next time! I will go for next time!"


    "It''s that exaggerated huh? Did I scare you? I was just joking!" Cyra didn''t expect me to flee so quickly and hurriedly chased after me to clarify.


    "Don''t forget angels are basically immune to magic right? The competition shouldn''t use forbidden spells, right? Although I''m also not clear what these so-called forbidden spells are like..."


    "Oh right!"


    On hearing her say this, I quickly reacted and stopped.


    "If magic is ineffective, what''s the point of a magic competition? Wouldn''t it be completely meaningless to fight in a ring?"


    "Uhh..."


    Cyra seemed to realize the same thing suddenly and was rendered speechless for a moment. She pointed behind her and was about to turn back.


    "Why don''t we return and ask?"


    "Forget it. I don''t plan to participate anyway. Even if my elemental control is good, it doesn''t mean I can beat those eight-winged angels. The difference in rank is there after all!"


    I quickly stopped her and decided not to think further about this matter.


    After returning to the room, Cyra was still enthusiastic and dragged me to play cards, unfazed by my past cheating.


    "Why don''t you go find other angels to play cards with?"


    Considering she had been playing with us ever since making this deck of cards, clinging on with great tenacity.


    It wasn''t that I was unwilling to play cards with her, just that I needed to go to the library now to find Reed and Nicola.


    "Norma and the rest definitely won''t know the rules! I''ll have to coach them from scratch, how troublesome. Also, they tried to stop me several times when I was cutting the cards and kept scolding me for wasting. Most likely they won''t be willing to accompany me."


    Cyra answered unhappily. Speaking of which, the paper for these playing cards was something she got Reed to procure using her privileges. It seemed to be a type of magic material imported from the outside world, with excellent elemental affinity. No wonder Norma would feel pained seeing it get cut.

 Vol 3/Chapter 44: Falling Asleep

    "You should try it. Rules aren''t that hard to learn. If you teach her, she might find it fun and naturally be willing to play with you," I continued persuading. After all, Nicola and I won''t always have time, and Reed is even less available. So we must find someone to take over.


    "Really?" Cyra sounded doubtful after hearing me out.


    "Norma is so serious all the time. She never jokes around. Are you sure she''ll be interested?"


    "Even if Norma doesn''t work out, there are other servants here in the Tivi Palace! Think about how many angels and light elves there are. There must be someone suitable for you. "


    I suddenly realized this idea could work. There have been quite a few bored angels recently. Having another recreational activity can''t hurt, right?


    "That''s true..." Cyra thought about it and nodded in agreement. She immediately ran out to find Norma without hesitation.


    "Finally got that done..." I breathed a sigh of relief after seeing her off, suddenly feeling a little tired. I plopped down on the bed.


    Beside me were the unfinished magic books I had read earlier. I struggled internally for a while before deciding to return them to the library while I was there anyway.


    It wasn''t that I couldn''t understand them or had mastered all the magic in them. The truth is, the few magic books I borrowed from the library recently have been quite useless for me.


    The books were full of magical incantations, chanting methods, and techniques to simplify spells and shorten chanting time. They offered limited help to me. I didn''t even know if I should keep reading them.


    According to the book Introduction to Spell Pronunciation, different pitches and combinations can guide the elements in the body in different directions. But in practice, I found it was not that simple at all. If the tones were even slightly off or I accidentally lost focus during the chanting, the elements would immediately lose direction and disperse entirely. I''d have to start over from the beginning.


    So I have to learn to sing first before I can learn magic?


    When I practice enunciating every day, I always feel like I''m doing something wrong. Why do I have to force myself to follow the book''s instructions, awkwardly going "yada yada" all day without knowing how useful it is? The progress is slow and torturous.


    But if I don''t chant the full incantation, there''s no way to know the full effect of the spell. Anything moderately complex requires long, incomprehensible incantations that must be read out smoothly in one go to work. It''s basically like learning an obscure foreign language.


    And don''t get me started on mid to high-level magic. Simple low-level spells are usually a few dozen to a few hundred words long. Mid-level ones reach a few thousand words, while high-level magic has at least ten thousand words or more. As a result, one thick high-level spell book can only contain one or two spells, with most of its length devoted to convoluted, meaningless incantations.


    In the end, the tutorials in magic books are largely designed for humans. Although Aetina said angels use chanting either to get familiar with new magic or as an aid for high-level spells.


    But for a newborn angel like me who can''t even read the incantations, it took me several days just to self-learn half the pronunciation. I still have a long way to go before I can recite the full spells. It would be much easier to learn from a teacher.


    At least Aetina teaches elemental manipulation methods directly in class, along with demonstrations. I can learn on the spot.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "That''s it!" I slapped my forehead, suddenly thinking of a compromise. Since the bottleneck is with the incantations, why not skip them entirely?


    For example, I could give the books to Aetina and have her demonstrate each spell one by one. Then I can directly observe the elemental flows in her body and easily learn the magic in the books!


    But there''s one problem. While low-level magic is relatively simple, there''s a huge number of them. If I make her chant them one by one, who knows how long that would take? And there''s no way I can remember so many spells anyway.


    But high-level magic doesn''t seem right either. Chanting ten thousand or more words for each spell, Aetina would probably want to kill me if she saw that.


    And that''s not even considering the impact powerful magic could have on the surroundings. Just memorizing the elemental flows would be extremely difficult. After all, the longer the incantation, the longer the elements move inside the body. If I did that, I''d probably have to stick to Aetina for days.


    "Too bad, so I can only pick some mid-level spells?" I lamented. I immediately gathered all the magic books from the floor and started flipping through them one by one to carefully select the most useful ones.


    Even for mid-level magic, there were still a considerable number, so I had to be picky. And I couldn''t give up on low-level magic completely either. Many were still very useful, like the flash magic I used against Cyra.


    This made it extremely tricky. First, the total number couldn''t be too low or it wouldn''t be enough. But it also couldn''t be too high or it would be too much trouble for the teacher...


    As someone who frequently suffers from choice paralysis, this felt worse than being led to the gallows.


    I sat on the floor, staring at the 5 or 6 books in front of me. I hadn''t even read some of them yet. I had no idea where to start, my mind was a complete mess.


    In a daze, I unknowingly started drifting off to sleep.


    ...


    I don''t know how much time passed, but when I suddenly jolted awake, I realized in shock that I had fallen asleep sitting up.


    "What? How could I fall asleep in Edenmere?"


    I jumped up in panic and looked around frantically. I was indeed in my room, with the magic books still strewn across the floor.


    "My memories don''t seem to have any gaps..." I carefully recalled what happened before falling asleep. There didn''t seem to be any memory loss, so it probably wasn''t a dream.


    But I couldn''t conclusively decide yet. I had to confirm!


    I didn''t care about the books on the floor anymore. I raced out of the room and sprinted down the hallway, first heading straight for Cyra''s room next door.


    "No one''s here?"


    The door opened easily to an empty room. Since she wasn''t in her room, she had to be in the palace''s internal affairs office where I sent her to play cards with Norma.


    Luckily the internal affairs office wasn''t far. Just a couple of turns and I arrived.


    Pushing open the half-closed door, the first thing I saw was the two angels slumped over the table, fast asleep, with playing cards scattered all over the floor.


    "Cyra, Norma! Wake up!"


    I shook them forcefully until the two finally opened their eyes groggily after a long while, blinking at me sleepily.


    "Feliciana, why are you here..." Cyra yawned lazily, clearly not fully awake yet. She opened her mouth for a big yawn and lazily asked me.


    "You''re asking me? You didn''t even notice you fell asleep?"


    I rapped her head impatiently to make her more alert.


    "Huh? What''s going on?"


    On the other side, Norma also seemed to have just realized what happened. She shot up abruptly, looking around.


    "Feliciana?"


    Seeing the sudden extra angel in the office, she thought I was causing mischief for a moment.


    "Did you use some kind of sleeping spell on us?


    "Nonsense! I don''t even know that magic yet..." I almost choked from anger. She suspected me immediately. Am I that amazing to hypnotize myself?


    Although hypnotism is considered a light-based mid-level spell, Aetina hasn''t taught it to us in class yet.


    "It''s the light element! The light elements in the air have become extremely sparse. Haven''t you noticed?"


    I had already sensed it on my way here. And seeing them now, I was almost certain this wasn''t a dream. The only possible cause was what I mentioned.


    "Impossible!"


    Upon hearing me, Norma quickly sensed something was off. Her expression changed drastically.


    "The light elements in Edenmere are virtually unlimited. In the thousands of years, it has never been this thin before. How could this happen?"


    "So even you don''t know why? Then this is serious..."


    I furrowed my brows tightly, feeling a bit uneasy. From her attitude, this was an irregular situation.


    Having just experienced being swapped to the Dark Continent not long ago, I immediately associated it with that. Could it be that the nearby area has been teleported out of Edenmere?


    If that''s true, then it means the monsters have started openly acting. After all, from what I know, only the Dark Continent has the technology to swap large areas. Of course, I''m not ruling out the existence of even more advanced dark tech...I mean, dark magic!


    "Where are you going?"


    Cyra was finally more awake at this point. Seeing me turn to leave without another word, she hurriedly called out.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 45: Big Trouble

    "Of course, I''m going to check out what''s happening in this area!"


    I glanced back at her,


    "Did you forget what I told you about my experiences in the Dark Continent? This is likely related to monsters, so I want to confirm."


    "Then I''ll go with you..."


    Cyra immediately stood up, indicating she would follow me out the door.


    "Hey, wait!"


    Norma didn''t expect us to make a decision so quickly on what to do. She looked at me, then at Cyra, unsure what to do.


    "I''ll...I''ll go check somewhere else. There''s probably other angels still asleep."


    "Of course."


    I nodded, thinking her suggestion made sense. While the drop in light essence wasn''t enough to make all Edenmere''s angels sleep, the nightmare threat still wasn''t eliminated. If the monster took advantage now, the damage would be huge.


    After leaving Tivi Palace, Cyra and I flew up high to survey the situation. Surprisingly, the forest outside the city was unchanged, even in the far distance. The lush, thick trees remained as usual.


    "Strange, could the spatial transfer have not happened? Or is the affected area so large we can''t see the boundary from up here?"


    I looked around, confirming there were no signs of monster invasion as imagined. With that threat seeming gone, I felt some relief.


    "I don''t see anything abnormal or clear boundary lines like you said."


    Having lived in Edenmere longer than me, Cyra was very skeptical.


    "Don''t tell me you''re being paranoid about this spatial transfer. I don''t see any signs of it."


    "Okay, maybe I was mistaken..."


    I pouted, having no choice but to admit I misjudged. With no direction, I didn''t know where to investigate next.


    "What caused the light elements to drain away?"


    An endless amount constantly fell from the sky above, replenishing the surroundings. Yet not long after, it completely disappeared. Sensing carefully, it seemed the air''s light elements slowly moved north, as if sucked away.


    Before long, Cyra also noticed this issue. Circling above, we could feel the south had a slightly higher concentration.


    So the attraction had limited range, not affecting all Edenmere as first thought, but at most covering the city.


    "Why are they all moving one way? No wonder the light element is so scarce. Is someone gathering it on purpose?"Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Cyra looked curiously north, where the root of all problems lay, not too far from us.


    To the north was a place we knew well - the library.


    "Could it be..."


    Recalling Reed''s insistence on extracting light elements from the environment for air compression, I quickly made the connection.


    "This is big trouble!"


    I felt a surge of anxiety. Below, many angels had woken up and sensed something wrong. They flew up in groups to investigate, quickly focusing north.


    "Let''s check out the library first."


    These angels wouldn''t find it too quickly, but also couldn''t take too long. If it was Reed and Nicola, I hoped to notify them to stop before it was too late.


    But pretending nothing happened was unrealistic. The library was in an uninhabited area, with light elements flowing that way. It would be easy to trace.


    "It''s really them?"


    Seeing where I flew, Cyra guessed some of what was happening. But having not gone to the library much lately, she didn''t know about those two secretly conducting nuclear experiments in the corner. So she still didn''t understand the exact situation.


    "Not confirmed yet..."


    I shook my head. I hoped I was wrong and this was fixable.


    But the reality is often disappointing. The closer we got to the library, the less light elements remained, down to the Dark Continent''s levels.


    "The flow seems to have stopped. Maybe they already stopped." Just entering the main hall, Cyra sensed the change.


    The large, empty hall was devoid of people, even the librarian Mona missing from her post.


    "Then they definitely did it! And we''re probably too late..."


    I smiled wryly. Did Reed not consider the impact? They''d woken up nearly all the city''s angels. I wondered how Elara would handle this.


    Sure enough, reaching the outdoor training grounds, an enormous magic circle occupied the space. Though inactive now, Reed and Nicola at the center clearly caused this.


    As expected, two other angels had arrived first. And they are Elara and librarian Mona.


    "Lady Elara..."


    Cyra was shocked to see Elara discovered this and froze, unsure whether to bow.


    "You''re here too?"


    Seeing us, Nicola smiled and waved, fiddling with the gas containers.


    That girl! So casual even caught red-handed...


    I was furious. Even Reed beside her didn''t look remorseful, focused on the floor''s magic circle instead.


    "You two are so thoughtless! This is hard to resolve!"


    Elara seemed angry. Seeing no reaction from us, she turned to continue scolding them.


    "It''s just some light elements. Edenmere won''t be lacking." Nicola sounded impatient, not understanding their strong reaction.


    "The conservatives are always looking for chances to oppress us. Your chaos justifies them. Light elements are fundamental to angels, and Edenmere''s has remained for centuries. If I hadn''t noticed and stopped you quickly, you''d likely be deemed heretics and detained for deliberately causing mayhem!"


    Elara patiently explained the serious situation. Losing light elements had given her much trouble.


    "Is it that bad?"


    I was shocked. I''d expected a small punishment like admonition, not charges this severe.


    "Just taking some light elements makes us heretics? Isn''t that overreacting?"


    Nicola was also bewildered about provoking such treatment. She kicked the magic circle on the ground. "The most damage is to this ground. It''s just dirt that can be cleaned, leaving no trace."


    "Haven''t you noticed the whole city is affected? Many angels will sleep without light essence replenishment, causing panic!"


    Unable to refrain, Mona interjected, seeming they didn''t know the unrest already brewing outside.


    "These are concerning times with the nightmare not found yet. Though I said it targets you and Feliciana, that''s unconfirmed. And other angels are unaware!"


    Elara also seemed frustrated.


    "Without light elements, the ''no sleep order'' can''t continue."


    "The whole city''s elements were absorbed here?"


    Nicola''s expression changed. She turned to Reed doubtingly.


    "Didn''t you say it would only affect the library''s vicinity?"


    "It should be so in theory..."


    Reed took a container from Nicola''s hand, examined the magic circle, then admitted reluctantly.


    "Looks like we miscalculated the range. This world has several different measures for units, and something is wrong with the allocation of elements. Most of the light elements probably enhanced the attraction force."

 Vol 3/Chapter 46 - Eager for Talent

    "What do you mean ''we''? This was all your idea, it has nothing to do with me!"


    As soon as Nicola heard this, she immediately denied any involvement and came to stand by my side.


    "I don''t believe for a second that you had no part in this!"


    I rolled my eyes at her and said.


    "Come on, confess. An elaborate magical array this large, you must have been involved somehow, right? Reed couldn''t have pulled this off alone."


    "It was mostly her who drew it. I was only responsible for getting materials from Mona, and some finishing touches... "


    Of course, Reed wasn''t stupid either, she didn''t want to take all the blame herself, and could only weakly defend herself. At first glance she looked pitiful, making one unable to bear to criticize her.


    "Don''t act all innocent and push the blame onto me!"


    As soon as Nicola heard this she couldn''t stand it anymore and revealed all of Reed''s misdeeds.


    "Anyone can see that without your design and planning, I couldn''t have drawn such a profound and complex magical array! Feliciana already warned us not to mess with it earlier, but you ignored her, insisting on continuing to research compressed gases. And now look what''s happened!"


    "Don''t drag me into this! I didn''t know what materials you wanted the array for, I was just following Lady Elara''s orders and fulfilling your requests!"


    At the same time, Mona was also waving her hands desperately, indicating she didn''t want to get involved.


    "Alright, stop pointing fingers at each other!"


    Elara yelled loudly to stop their bickering, and massaged her temples as she asked Reed directly:


    "Was this magical array designed by you alone?"


    "...Yes."


    Reed hesitated briefly but ultimately chose to confess.


    "I spent several days researching, before coming up with this method of utilizing absorbed light elements to sustain the array. This is equivalent to a magical perpetual motion machine in Edenmere! If you just give me a few more days I can get it to work, I just need to adjust some parameters..."


    "Wait!"


    Elara stopped her long-winded explanation, looking very serious as she said:


    "I don''t understand what you mean by perpetual motion machine and parameters. But looking at the patterns of this array, they seem a bit familiar - does it have to do with the Angel Descent Formation?"


    "It was indeed designed with reference to the Angel Descent Formation patterns..."


    Reed readily admitted it.


    "I had Mona request the full documentation on the Angel Descent Formation earlier but was rejected by the higher-ups. I could only get an overview diagram, and it was this diagram that inspired me and helped me resolve the issues with the light element absorption part of the functional circuits."


    "That makes sense, only top brass have access to the full details of the Angel Descent Formation. Even with my authorization, those stubborn old geezers probably wouldn''t easily share it with a newborn angel like you..."


    Elara nodded, showing she understood. But then revealed a wry smile.


    "Our angel clan has been puzzled by the mechanisms of that formation for thousands of years. Yet you managed to recreate part of its functions just from an overview diagram - that''s simply unbelievable!"Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The principle of the Angel Descent Formation is to extract light elements from the environment, and then form the angel''s body from them. Looked at this way, it did indeed have similarities with Reed''s magical array, just different purposes.


    "I don''t think it''s as incredible as you make it sound."


    Reed calmly replied.


    "It''s just that your foundational theoretical knowledge has quite a few flaws and misconceptions. For example, many magic theory books clearly state that elements are a form of matter, just too small for ordinary humans to see. But from my observations, elements should be a form of energy, which would fit the basic properties of energy, like interconversion, and could even..."


    "You''ve lost me with all this..."


    Elara helplessly interrupted Reed before she could continue, and proposed a compromise:


    "While there aren''t many angels in Edenmere well-versed in magical arrays, I happen to know a few candidates who have long studied the Angel Descent Formation. Why not have them come to exchange ideas with you?"


    "Well..."


    Reed looked hesitant. Having strangers shoved at her would disrupt her research pace. And not knowing them well, she''d have to watch everything she said and did. More bluntly, they might even be sent to monitor her.


    "Wow, Reed has the protagonist halo! Supporting characters have been stumped by this for ages, and then the protagonist comes along and solves it instantly. And now they want to stick lackeys under her - if she''s not the protagonist, who is?"


    Cyra whispered snarkily beside me.


    "Have some shame!"


    I rolled my eyes at her and sneered:


    "Just the other day you were calling Nicola a cheater, now you''re hyping up Reed as the protagonist. Could you be any more fickle?"


    "Being a cheater and protagonist don''t conflict. Protagonists usually need one or two capable assistants, that''s normal! Like Nicola - she plays the role of a disobedient subordinate on the surface but is super loyal inside. She might even have a chance to turn things around in the end by licking the protagonist''s boots ."


    Cyra didn''t care at all, and continued expounding her "protagonist" theory:


    "As for us, looks like we can only join the protagonist''s entourage. As long as we support the protagonist, and steadfastly follow the protagonist''s path, we''re guaranteed riches and glory down the line! The only danger is possibly being left behind as cannon fodder in the final boss fight, to pave the way for the protagonist''s victory."


    "Where do you get all these twisted theories?"


    I was rendered speechless. She hadn''t stopped watching anime and movies even after joining the True Church. To grasp those tropes so readily...


    "Haha, these are all common sense for transmigrators! Looks like you lack knowledge in this area!"


    Cyra laughed proudly, attracting Nicola''s attention from the other side. Nicola asked suspiciously:


    "Too much! Can''t you see I''m in trouble here? Don''t tell me you''re mocking me!"


    "No, nothing to do with you..."


    I didn''t dare relay Cyra''s "licking protagonist''s boots" analogy to her. Otherwise, Nicola would surely rage and pluck all of Cyra''s fur out.


    "Don''t worry! Since Elara has offered to send people to exchange ideas, it means she''ll protect you guys. After all, she''s so eager for talent..."


    To ease Nicola''s concerns, I tried my best to reassure her:


    Even though several unfamiliar angels were watching us from above, I was no longer anxious at all. With Edenmere''s queen backing us up, what could go wrong?


    Sure enough, after recognizing who was below, they swiftly descended and knelt.


    "Lady Elara..."


    These angels didn''t dare speak for a long time. Finally, one six-winged angel cautiously opened her mouth:


    "We noticed the light elements in the surroundings were disappearing rapidly and traced it all the way here. We didn''t expect you to arrive first."


    "You''re from the angel guard?"


    Elara glanced at their uniforms and asked.


    "Yes..."


    Another four-winged angel replied very respectfully:


    "We''ve received multiple reports already. More and more angels in the city are falling asleep, and many have asked what is happening."


    "This was just a research accident. Don''t worry, the problem has been resolved. Things will return to normal in at most one or two days."


    Elara already knew how to handle this. She immediately reassured them and issued some instructions:


    "For now, you can relax enforcement of the ''no sleep'' order for a couple of days. The Nightmare still hasn''t been found, so as a precaution, angels must have companions keeping watch while resting, and not fall asleep together."


    "Understood!"


    After listening, those angels didn''t say anything more. They immediately took off and disappeared from view.


    But they had barely left when another group of angels emerged from the hallway leading to the library. Their leader was none other than Councilor Yvonne, whom I''d seen at the welcome banquet.


    "Elara, what are you scheming here? How did you absorb all the light elements in Edenmere into this place?"


    Yvonne had just stepped into the training grounds when she aggressively questioned Elara, not giving the queen any face at all.


    "Terribly sorry to trouble you like this."


    Elara was extremely patient, and not angry at all. She gave Yvonne the same explanation I''d heard before:


    "There was just a minor issue during a magical array experiment here, but everything is under control now, no need to worry."


    But Yvonne had come prepared, and with her lofty status, wasn''t so easily dismissed as the previous angels.


    "Isn''t this the library where the newborn angel Reed stays all the time? Taking advantage of your indulgence, what shameful things has she been up to? Could she be secretly plotting against Edenmere?"


    As expected, Yvonne wasn''t easy to cope with. She immediately pinned heavy charges on Reed, suspecting her while also implicating Elara.

 Vol 3/Chapter 47 - Confrontation

    "You must be joking! Reed is just a newborn angel who has never even been to the outside world. How could she possibly do anything detrimental to Edenmere?"


    Elara remained calm and composed as she rebutted, looking as though she had already anticipated Yvonne''s attitude.


    "Besides, I know about these experiments. They are related to a derivative application of the Angel Descent Formation, just with some issues in the scope. I''ve already ordered Reed to correct it, so there''s no need to worry at all. The light elements will be back to normal in a couple of days."


    Elara''s explanation was watertight, with barely any holes to pick at. But Yvonne merely paused briefly before refusing to back down, instead accusing further:


    "Isn''t this inappropriate? As the leader of the angelic clan and the Queen of Edenmere, you revealed detailed information about the Angel Descent Formation to a newborn angel with old memories. This is a blatant violation of the rules!"


    Upon hearing this, even the angels behind her began murmuring amongst themselves.


    "Rules can be flexible. Besides, you acknowledged that I''m the Queen of Edenmere, so naturally, I have the power to modify some outdated rules," Elara frowned, not expecting her opponent to be so stubborn. She could only try to reason with her.


    "Surely you know we haven''t made any progress with this formation in a long time. Now that we finally have a lead, how can we let this opportunity slip by? Reed didn''t even look at any of the information, she was able to achieve this much just by looking at an overview diagram of the formation. Can you find another angel of equal or greater skill to replace her?"


    "You..."


    Yvonne was finally left speechless, stubbornly trying to confirm:


    "Are you certain you didn''t give Reed the information about the Angel Descent Formation?"


    "Lady Yvonne! I can testify!" Mona suddenly spoke up, raising her hand.


    "The request Reed made to me for the materials on the Angel Descent Formation was indeed rejected. You can verify with the Records Department if you don''t believe me."


    "Of course, I will verify!"


    Yvonne nodded. Realizing she no longer had any grounds to make trouble, she could only use this as an excuse to leave with her group of angels.


    "...Finally gone!"


    Once I confirmed they were out of sight, I quietly let out a sigh of relief. The atmosphere just now was so tense, it was on the verge of erupting. If we hadn''t been careful enough and she managed to find something to use against us, Reed would have been in big trouble.


    It seems that even with Elara''s protection, it''s not absolute safety. The internal conflicts among these angels are far more intense than I imagined.


    "You''re the Queen and leader of the angels, yet you''re so afraid of Yvonne?"


    To Nicola, Elara''s performance seemed too weak, which she really couldn''t comprehend.


    "If it were me, I would''ve long ago issued an order to throw her into prison, convicted of...mental illness! Oh no, that''s not a crime. Then it would be slandering the leader!"


    "It''s not as simple as you think!"


    Upon hearing this, Elara immediately shook her head.


    "Although Yvonne and I are both ten-winged angels, she is much older than me. During the reign of Elara the Second, she had already obtained a councillor position by battling monsters. By the time I took over as Elara the Third, this veteran from the previous era was already well-established with many followers. So she is unmovable."


    "That background sure is tough to deal with!"The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I took a deep breath. Although I had guessed Yvonne''s influence must be substantial, I didn''t expect it to be this great.


    "There are also many restrictions around convicting a councillor. It''s not something I can decide alone. First, it has to pass a vote in the council, but in reality, nearly half the councillors are Yvonne''s allies, not to mention she has the additional status of an elder. Unless there is definite evidence for severe crime, there''s no chance to take her down."


    "How about the crime of treason then?" I pondered and asked.


    "That should be severe enough right? You said the conservatives were suspected of betrayal. She just happens to be a conservative, what if she was the traitor?"


    "Highly unlikely!"


    However, she shook her head and gave a negative reply.


    "As the leader of the conservatives, Yvonne hasn''t left Edenmere in hundreds of years. That eliminates her as a suspect."


    "What if she instructed her subordinates or confidants to commit treason?"


    Nicola stubbornly provided another possibility.


    "That''s hard to say..."


    Elara sighed as she analyzed:


    "Unless we find the traitor and get definite evidence from them. But even if Yvonne was the mastermind, she definitely wouldn''t send someone who would betray her. So there''s no chance of that route working out."


    "Then there''s no choice but to tuck our tails between our legs and obediently play nice...angel?"


    Cyra seemed to take it very openly. After all, she had never been interested in power struggles.


    As for Reed, she was squatting in a corner, constantly drawing on a piece of paper, completely oblivious to the situation here.


    "Reed, what do you think about my proposal? Have you decided yet?"


    Seeing this, Elara brought up the earlier topic again about sending two angels to learn from Reed.


    "I''m busy with other work right now and may not have time to research the Angel Descent Formation."


    Reed lifted her head to reply, still seeming reluctant to agree.


    "It''s fine, we can talk again when you''re free. After all, we''ve waited thousands of years already, a little more time makes no difference."


    Elara smiled and replied, not seeming worried at all that Reed might reject again.


    "You see! I just helped you cover up a huge mess, isn''t it a bit ungrateful to repay me like this? Besides, I''m the leader of the angelic clan, think about my face and reputation."


    I see, so her help in resolving this matter did have ulterior motives. I knew it was odd that even the leader of the angels would be such a nice person. Turns out it wasn''t purely out of eagerness for talents huh...


    "Fine! I''ll agree to it, but can we reduce it to just one angel? I don''t have the energy to deal with too many."


    Reed also saw that the so-called exchange was just an excuse for sending confidants to learn from her experiences. Even if the Angel Descent Formation was successfully researched in the future, she couldn''t let this technology be monopolized by Reed. After all, there were many coveted technologies involved in this formation that were very important to the angels.


    "That''s not a big problem..."


    After thinking about it for a while, Elara reluctantly agreed.


    "So you''re determined to break the rules and let Reed access information about the Angel Descent Formation?"


    I couldn''t help asking. Recalling how Yvonne had relentlessly pursued this issue earlier, I was surprised Elara would be willing to take this risk for Reed.


    "I said that with my status, modifying some regulations is completely feasible. Based on Reed''s accomplishments, just the arrays on the ground now should be enough for this proposal to easily pass the council. "


    Elara explained confidently.


    "Even Yvonne''s goal was only to find something to use against me. Researching the Angel Descent Formation can only benefit her and not harm her, so I believe she wouldn''t oppose it either."


    "If your purpose with these convoluted rules is only confidentiality, I feel there''s no need at all. The information about the Angel Descent Formation has probably already leaked out long ago."


    Nicola suddenly spoke up with astonishing words, then turned to look at me and reminded:


    "Feliciana, remember that fallen angel we met in the Dark Continent?"


    "Ah? You mean that executive director of the Dark Council?"


    I immediately realized who she meant. I still had quite the impression of that chuuni organization. And that executive director, Claudia, did mention that Michelle had summoned her based on the Angel Descent Formation.


    Since we didn''t know what the so-called Angel Descent Formation was at the time, we didn''t pay it much attention. Thinking back now and combining the information we have, it''s very possible the traitors already sold it to the monsters long ago.


    "Why didn''t you mention such an important information earlier!"


    Elara was greatly shocked upon hearing this. After listening to our experience with Claudia, her expression became even more volatile.


    "You didn''t ask us either, right?"


    Nicola shrugged and replied,


    "Besides, we had no idea how important it was before..."


    "I must hurry back and verify this matter, to prepare countermeasures for the future..."


    Anxiously unfolding her five pairs of wings, she flew into the sky without another word. Looking back, she still didn''t forget to instruct Reed:


    "Clean up here! No more conducting experiments with this array in the city. Aside from this Edenmere city, there is a large uninhabited area outside that you can use. I''ll have Mia come hep you find a suitable location tomorrow. As long as you don''t affect other angels, feel free to mess around however you like."


    Then she hurriedly flew off in the direction of Tivi Palace.


    "Let''s start cleaning up then!"


    Cyra stared up at the sky for a good while before lowering her head and saying to us.


    "But hearing you guys say the Angel Descent Formation has already fallen into the monsters'' hands, and they''ve even modified it to summon fallen angels, will they start relying on those summoned fallen angels to fight in the future?"

 Vol 3/Chapter 48 - Feasibility of the Hydrogen Bomb

    "It should not be possible!"


    Reed thought for a moment and shook his head in denial.


    "Didn''t you hear what Elara said? The Angel Descent Formation can only be used once every few decades, and it also requires various rare materials. Even with modifications, these limitations should be unavoidable. Feliciana and the others only encountered one fallen angel, and it was only a six-winged one for such an important role in the demon army. This shows how rare they are - there may only be that one."


    "That''s right! The resources on the Dark Continent are very scarce. I stayed there for so long without seeing a single tree," I strongly agreed with her and continued.


    "And obtaining sufficient resources for the formation is even more difficult. Also, if this method was truly feasible, I reckon we''d be seeing fallen angels instead of demons fighting the angels outside right now."


    "That''s good then!"


    After hearing it, Cyra heaved a sigh of relief.


    "I was still worried that in the future, I might not be able to fight those cute fallen angel girls..."


    "You shameless flirt! With your level of fighting skills, don''t tell me you''re fantasizing about those girls'' figures?"


    Nicola was very disdainful, tidying up the scene while mocking her. She had no such concerns. Back then, when fighting Claudia, she did not hold back at all.


    "Tsk! You''re not much better yourself..."


    Having been seen through, Cyra''s face flushed slightly. Although a little unwilling, she was too embarrassed to continue this topic with a "real girl" present.


    Speaking of which, the materials on the ground forming the array were similar to Cyra''s playing cards - they were magic materials with an affinity for elements, extremely rare, and of course could not be wasted. Nicola didn''t bother with words and directly stored everything in the storage ring on her finger.


    "By the way, I heard you guys and Lady Elara say that this array absorbs light elements. What are the collected light elements used for afterwards?"


    While helping tidy up with me, Cyra suddenly opened her mouth to ask puzzlingly.


    "Of course, it''s to provide energy for the compressed gas."


    Reed glanced at her and answered.


    "Didn''t Nicola just say so? And you should have been there when I first proposed this idea!"


    "Then that''s strange!"


    Since I also had many questions, I hurried to bring them up as well.


    "Didn''t the deuterium experiment already fail? Without deuterium and tritium, what are you compressing the gas for?"


    "Don''t tell me you''ve made a breakthrough and can now control atoms?"


    I turned to Nicola and looked at her incredulously.


    "Of course not!"


    Nicola quickly clarified.


    "That experiment was abandoned long ago. Reed is just continuing based on the original plan..."


    "What original plan?"


    I was completely confused. I vaguely recalled that Reed did mention some original plan before, but I had no memory of its specific details.


    "What dau...What controlling atoms?"


    Cyra was even more befuddled, not understanding what we were talking about at all.


    "Deuterium - tritium..."


    I sighed and corrected her mistakes word for word.


    "You should at least know the raw materials for a hydrogen bomb, right?"


    "Don''t...don''t tell me you guys are secretly making a hydrogen bomb here?"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Finally getting it, Cyra was so shocked she couldn''t close her mouth. She asked unbelievingly.


    "What do you think?"


    I neither confirmed nor denied it.


    Sigh! As expected, I had frightened another youngster. Though anyone would probably have this kind of reaction.


    "Awesome! So cool!"


    Unexpectedly, she yelled loudly and became extremely excited, contrary to her usual demeanour. It seems I had guessed wrong - she was very interested in this nuclear experimentation.


    "Why didn''t you tell me sooner? I want to join too. We have to make the biggest one to blow those bastards away!"


    "..."


    I helplessly covered my forehead. Out of the four who crossed over, am I the only normal one? How is it that everyone is a dangerous terrorist!


    "What kind of priest are you to be so militant? What about the gospel of benevolence and compassion?"


    I really couldn''t stand it anymore and questioned her.


    "What''s wrong with being militant? There are so many demons in this world! Benevolence and compassion have nothing to do with them. We''ll inevitably end up fighting sooner or later, so there''s no problem making a bomb now."


    Cyra argued righteously, completely unburdened.


    "I''m sure the Lord would also agree with me doing this. Those fallen angels are the best proof - they''re all traitors recorded in the Bible. The hydrogen bomb may be the divine punishment meant for them."


    "... "


    These fallen angels probably have no relation to the biblical fallen angels. And didn''t you just call them "cute fallen angel girls" earlier? How did you go from that to wanting to nuke them with a hydrogen bomb so quickly?


    I wanted to retort, but she probably wouldn''t listen right now. I could only let it go for the time being.


    "How far along are you guys now? Is there anything I can help with?"


    Eager to give it a try, Cyra asked if she could help make the hydrogen bomb happen tomorrow.


    "We''re probably about 30% done."


    Reed''s answer truly shocked me. I didn''t expect progress to be so fast.


    "How did you get to this point without deuterium and tritium? What exactly are you compressing with the light elements?"


    "It''s of course the most primitive hydrogen gas! Not a hydrogen isotope, which is protium. Two protium atoms make up a hydrogen molecule, remember?"


    As she explained, Reed took out the gas collection sphere and tossed it to me.


    "This heavy?"


    When I caught the sphere, my palm immediately sank. I was in a state of revealed wings, so my strength was considerable. Based on experience, the mass of this small sphere was at least several dozen kilograms.


    "Is it all hydrogen...protium inside?"


    "Of course. You should know that under conditions of extremely high temperatures and pressures, even ordinary hydrogen gas can undergo nuclear fusion. It''s just much more demanding than deuterium and tritium."


    Nicola explained proudly to me, then pointed at Reed.


    "This was her original plan. But later we found out I could control gaseous substances, so we tried the easier deuterium and tritium instead. What a pity that still failed."


    "So you''re using light elements to enhance the pressure? What about the high temperatures - how are you achieving that condition?"


    Finally understanding, Cyra took the gas collection sphere from me and weighed it in her hands a few times. She also went "so heavy".


    "I planned to solve the pressure issue first before considering other conditions..."


    After thinking for a bit, Reed supplemented a little more.


    "Temperature is much easier to solve than pressure. I already have preliminary solutions. The main issue now is still pressure."


    "But I still feel it''s a bit far-fetched."


    I shook my head, still not very optimistic about the chances of success.


    "The conditions hydrogen needs to achieve fusion are truly too demanding. I guess only celestial bodies like the Sun would meet the criteria."


    "You''re underestimating the light elements contained in this Edenmere. That is the result of thousands of years of continuous accumulation..."


    Reed did not seem affected by me, appearing very confident the whole time.


    "Anyway, starting tomorrow, we''ll be moving outside the city to do experiments per Elara''s request. To be honest, having fewer concerns may be good. Perhaps the experiments will progress much faster."


    Based on our usual trust, since she was so adamant, I didn''t feel right to say anything more.


    But just thinking about the weight I felt from the gas collection sphere, I still felt somewhat uneasy. The explosive power of all this hydrogen undergoing fusion...


    Please, anything but another accident! Even if it doesn''t explode in the city, other parts of Edenmere probably couldn''t withstand it either.


    When we finished tidying up the library training grounds and returned to the Tivi Palace, we were greeted with very good news.


    Noma came to our room to tell us that the nightmare which had plagued all of Edenmere for days had just been found and eliminated less than ten minutes ago.


    "What! Where was it found?"


    Cyra immediately stood up from her seat, not even bothering with the playing cards in her hand.


    After so many days without even seeing the shadow of a nightmare, being directly told the target was already gone was a bit hard to accept.


    "You can forget about your ''Extermination'' plan. With your level, how could you fantasize about beating a 5th-order demon?"


    Nicola mercilessly mocked. Having just lost n rounds of cards in a row, she was in a bad mood and Cyra, the big winner, naturally became her target.


    "Even if I can''t beat it, there''s no harm in seeing what these so-called demons look like, right?"


    Not willing to take it lying down, Cyra retorted a few times before hearing Noma continue.


    "It was in the east city district near the shopping street. A passing four-winged little angel accidentally discovered it. Just a few cleansing spells thrown over and the nightmare was annihilated without a trace in two strikes, not even leaving the slightest residue."


    "Are you sure it was that nightmare?"


    The eastern shopping district could be considered one of the most densely populated areas of the city. It was suspicious that the nightmare could hide there for so many days without being discovered.


    "The angel guards have already sent someone to investigate the scene. Traces of lingering dark elements were indeed discovered, barely preserved thanks to the scarcity of light elements in the environment recently. It''s speculated the nightmare wanted to take advantage of angels falling asleep to cause chaos. Unfortunately for it, a weak little angel just happened to bump into it..."


    From Noma''s account, it could be seen that she looked down on the nightmare that was destroyed so quickly.


    "It truly was too weak! For Lady Elara to make such a big fuss over this kind of trash."

 Vol 3/ Chapter 49: I Have a Special Move

    "This is normal. After all, Nightmare''s threat does not lie in combat..."


    I quickly explained. She had never gone out into the outside world, let alone seen ordinary monsters, so it was not too strange for her to think this way.


    "Anyway, I''ve passed the message on to you. Now that Lady Elara has agreed to lift the ''sleep ban'', feel free to sleep later if you want. You don''t need to gather together every day to play that, what was it called again?"


    "Poker!"


    Cyra quickly reminded her.


    "Right, right! Poker."


    Norma smiled rarely and couldn''t help reminding Cyra as she left:


    "That poker game you invented is quite interesting. I underestimated it. Remember to make me a deck tomorrow too. I''ll help you get the materials."


    "No problem! I''ve invented many other ways to play too! I''ll show you when we have time!"


    Cyra shouted back without even turning her head.


    "Wait a minute!"


    Seeing that Norma was about to leave, Nicola suddenly thought of something and hurriedly chased after her...


    "...You invented it?"


    I looked at Cyra in disbelief. This shameless guy claimed the invention of poker so blatantly.


    "It''s a common trope for transmigrators, don''t you know that?"


    Cyra shook his head at me smugly.


    "Anyway, I''ve got the patent for poker in this world now. None of you even think about stealing it from me!"


    "Shameless b*stard!"


    I gritted my teeth. Why didn''t I think of creating something unique to this world, like mahjong, chess or go...


    "If the ''sleep ban'' is lifted, will the fighting tournament continue?"


    Nicola and Norma''s conversation could be heard clearly from the hallway.


    "Of course! Once it starts, it will usually continue..." Norma sounded a little surprised. "Don''t tell me you signed up?"


    "That''s right! My match should be at noon tomorrow. Remember to come watch!"


    As soon as Nicola finished speaking, she walked back into the room excitedly.


    "You''re participating in the martial arts tournament?"


    Although I already knew about it, I still felt it was a bit of a stretch given her level.


    "What? Do you think I can''t do it?" Nicola asked back, slightly displeased.


    "You''ve seen how powerful I am. Don''t you remember when I saved you and killed that Level 6 vampire with one sword...?"


    "But you can''t use Condensation Sword in the tournament. And you''ve only been learning martial arts shortly, right?"


    I interrupted her self-praise and spoke objectively.


    "Don''t worry! I can win even without Condensation Sword. I know what I''m doing..."


    Nicola winked at us mysteriously.


    "I''m telling you, I have a new secret move! You''ll see it if you come to watch my match tomorrow at noon!"


    "I see. Hidden skills, how impressive! So you had an ace up your sleeve!" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Cyra immediately let out an admiring voice and gave her a thumbs up.


    "Silence is golden, action speaks louder than words! I admit I was wrong! Like Feliciana, I also thought you couldn''t do it before."


    "That''s not right. How can a man say he can''t do it!"


    Nicola pointed at her and said. It seems the flattery hit the mark. The two, who were like brothers just now, high-fived each other and shouted in unison:


    "Super manly! If you can''t do it, make it work! Woo hoo!"


    "..."


    I covered my face, really unable to watch their silliness...


    Shouldn''t you check your gender first?


    "Oh, that''s right..."


    Nicola suddenly turned to ask me curiously:


    "Feliciana, why don''t you want to participate in the magic competition?"


    "Huh? How do you know about that?"


    I was a little nervous that she brought this up unexpectedly.


    "You should know my level. How could I be a match for those ten-winged angels..."


    "But Aetina told me she thinks highly of your magic talent. And it seems the magic competition at the tournament does not require sparring like the other events. So she hopes you''ll participate too."


    Nicola looked at me earnestly.


    "I know about that!"


    Cyra immediately came over to explain when he heard her words:


    "We met the teacher together at the Triumph Plaza before. She was queuing to register for you and kept persuading Feliciana to join the competition. But Feliciana insisted on not participating."


    "Yes, I''ve heard about it already."


    Nicola nodded and explained:


    "I was going to ask Aetina to queue for me, but later I felt it wasn''t right to trouble her. So I went there myself. Unfortunately, you seemed to have just left when I arrived."


    "I see! So you went to the Triumph Plaza too. We must have just missed each other!"


    Cyra immediately realized why Nicola knew so clearly about this.


    "So what do you mean? Are you trying to persuade me on Aetina''s behalf?"


    I felt a little annoyed inside. I didn''t know why she and Aetina wanted me to compete in a match I had no chance of winning.


    "No, you got it wrong! I don''t mean that at all..."


    Unexpectedly, Nicola shook her head, looking completely unrelated to it.


    "I don''t care whether you participate or not. I''m not that concerned about it. I just want to say, that although Aetina is a six-winged angel like us, her judgement shouldn''t be wrong. Otherwise, Lady Elara wouldn''t have let her be a teacher. So I think you should give it some thought and reflect on what everyone said to you before coming to Edenmere. Have you forgotten?"


    "What did they say? And who is ''everyone''?"


    Cyra looked confused and eagerly asked.


    "Go on, go play by yourself! This has nothing to do with you!"


    Nicola pretended to be impatient and shooed him away.


    "How unfair! You riddler! Do you think you can fool me so easily?"


    Cyra was unhappy, feeling that she was made fun of. So the two, who were like brothers just now, started bickering again.


    "..."


    I looked at them silently, naturally knowing very well who she meant by ''everyone'' and what they said.


    But even so, I still felt very conflicted inside. It seemed too hasty for me to compete with those masters now.


    That night, although I had turned on the light element isolation device, I still couldn''t sleep...


    Funny enough, I had insomnia after coming to this world?


    Lying in bed tossing and turning, I just couldn''t fall asleep. The words Adrian said to me outside Val City in the Dark Continent kept ringing in my ears.


    "Maybe I really should be more confident?"


    Looking up at the ceiling, I murmured to myself.


    Having made up my mind, I got out of bed and turned off the light element isolation device.


    "Aetina, I trust you and I trust myself!"


    Looking at the gradually brightening scenery outside, I spread my wings and flew out the window...


    The sky above Triumph Plaza was empty after the "sleep ban" was lifted. The fighting ring was nowhere to be seen, and there was no sign of any competition. Only a few angels gathered in the center of the square, where a table was set up with an eight-winged angel sitting on a chair.


    "What''s going on here? Where''s the fighting tournament? Didn''t you say it would continue as planned?"


    I was dumbfounded. Just when I finally worked up the courage to participate, this was the scene.


    Without rushing to land, I hovered above the table so I could hear the conversation between the angels below.


    "I''ve said it many times already! The fighting tournament has changed location to the south of the city where light element levels are relatively high. Go compete there!"


    The eight-winged angel sitting behind the table kept yawning and telling the angels in front of her. She looked very low in spirits.


    "But the south of the city covers a large area. You haven''t told us the exact address yet!"


    A six-winged angel complained unhappily.


    "My match time is almost up!"


    "Me too! It''s almost my turn, but you''re telling me to wander the skies slowly looking for it myself. I''ve flown all over the southern city but couldn''t find any trace of it..."


    Several other angels also started chirping in grievance. One eight-winged angel even knocked on the table quite rudely.


    "Hey! Can you be more responsible? Is it the southern city? Isn''t your job here to notify us, uninformed participants?"


    "Alright, alright! It''s in the forest clearing outside the southern city! Now go!"


    The eight-winged angel sitting at the table was extremely annoyed. She finally revealed the answer and immediately laid down to sleep on the table.


    "That''s not the southern city at all! It''s outside the southern city. Leaving out just one word makes a big difference!"


    The angels were immediately outraged upon hearing this. But the other party seemed to be completely asleep now and couldn''t hear them at all.


    "Uh..."


    For a moment, I didn''t know what to say. I guess this could also be considered a spectacle. The decrease in light element levels caused the original social order to become chaotic. Even the angel staff were dozing off on the job. Fortunately, the impact was not too great, though it must still be giving Elara a headache.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 50: Sign up for the magic competition

    "Isn''t that the famous newborn angel? What was her name again.....?"


    It wasn''t until now that an angel looked up and noticed me in the sky, recognizing me at first glance.


    "I think it was called Feli... or something like that?"


    Another angel also saw me, but clearly, they weren''t as familiar with me as the passerby angel Aria. It took them a long time to try to remember my name.


    "My name is Feliciana."


    I had no choice but to directly state my name.


    "So you''re also going to participate in the martial arts competition?"


    The eight-winged angel who had banged on the table earlier finally realized who I was and continued asking me.


    "No, you''ve got it wrong! I''m just here to register for the next magic competition."


    I hurriedly clarified upon hearing this.


    "Oh, so it''s the magic competition..."


    The other party seemed a little disappointed when she heard I was joining the magic competition.


    "What''s wrong? Is there something inappropriate about it?"


    I cautiously asked, afraid of causing any accidental troubles again.


    "Nothing''s wrong, it''s just that the magic competition is quite boring..."


    A six-winged angel kindly explained to me, afraid I would misunderstand.


    "Precisely because it''s not interesting, few angels are willing to participate. Generally, only those top magic users would be interested."


    I couldn''t help but silently retort - was the martial arts competition really that interesting to watch? I still found it equally boring after watching it yesterday.


    Of course, I certainly wouldn''t dare to say this out loud. It was normal for angels living in Edenmere with limited entertainment to have these thoughts. In contrast, humans had a much wider variety of entertainment.


    "Well then, I''ll be on my way..."


    Since I had already obtained the new location for the tournament, I didn''t hesitate and immediately flew south.


    Although I had never been to the open area south of the city before, I had caught a glimpse of it from afar when passing by the area. It wasn''t very far from the city districts either.


    To tell the truth, I didn''t like going into the forest outside the city. Although the trees looked lush and verdant, extremely tall and thick, and seemed to be growing very well, I always got a feeling that it was too quiet - as if there were no wildlife at all living in this forest. I hadn''t even come across a single bird before.


    Fortunately, when I arrived at my destination, I let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the current lively atmosphere, which replaced that feeling of silence.


    As expected, the arena from the Triumph Plaza had been moved here.


    Indeed, the light element-filled environment was much more energizing! It made me feel refreshed instantly.


    Although the competition was still going on, there were fewer angels around. After all, without the "no sleep order" restricting them now, many angels preferred to go home and sleep rather than stay here watching the tournament.


    Like before, the registration spots were still open 24 hours a day.


    I landed in front of the registration for the magic competition. I''m not sure if it was because there was almost no queue for now, or if there were fewer participants to begin with, but only one or two angels were standing there.


    "Name?"


    Beyond my expectations, it was incredibly fast - before I even had time to feel nervous, the previous registrant had already cleared, and it was my turn directly.


    "Ah, um..."


    I gawked blankly at the registration official sitting at the table, stuttering as I stated my name again. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Fe...Feliciana!"


    "Alright, just remember to come back here for the competition at 6 pm tomorrow, it''ll be in this open area."


    The registration official jotted down some notes and casually instructed me with just a few words before trying to dismiss me.


    "That''s it?"


    I was stunned for a moment, feeling like something was missing. Shouldn''t I be given some kind of receipt?


    Compared with the flying competition next door - each participant there would be given a number plate, marking the order of the contestants. So why didn''t I get anything on this side?


    "Of course that''s it! What did you expect...?"


    Upon hearing this, the other party glanced up at me, seeming to recognize me.


    "Aren''t you that legendary newborn angel? To think you''d come to participate in the tournament just one month after being born, how incredible!"


    "Uh, it''s not as exaggerated as you make it sound..."


    I started feeling uneasy again. This kind of flattering speech didn''t make me feel good; on the contrary, it only made me more nervous. What I feared most was that the final competition results would disappoint the other party, leading them to ridicule me for overestimating my abilities.


    "I''m just here on someone''s request... to experience it in passing..."


    I racked my brains for various excuses and finally found a more familiar one.


    "Right, the main thing is to participate!"


    "If it''s just to get some experience, that makes sense..."


    The other party contemplated for a moment, seeming to believe my words.


    "Indeed, for a newcomer the magic competition is more suitable to participate in. Just earlier, a light elf and a four-winged angel came to register."


    "Light elves can participate too?"


    I was completely caught off guard by this - I had always assumed this was just a competition between angels, and the participants I had seen were without exception angels.


    "Of course, since it clearly states this is the ''Edenmere Tournament'', naturally all residents living in Edenmere can participate."


    The registration official pointed to the banner in the center of the clearing and explained to me.


    "It''s just that the other events have more intense physical confrontations, so some weaker angels or light elves don''t dare to participate for fear of getting injured. Aside from this special magic event..."


    "How exactly does the magic competition work?"


    I of course knew why it was special - angel bodies are immune to ordinary magic! But how would the competition proceed in that case? I had been quite curious about it all along.


    "It''s very simple! You''re given a target, and you just need to ''destroy'' it within a certain time using light magic. The shorter time you take, the higher you rank."


    All this information was probably written on the announcement board under the banner, but the registration official patiently gave me a brief explanation, keeping my status as a newborn angel in mind.


    "I see!"


    No wonder those angels thought it was boring - even if the stage combat was unsightly, it was still much more interesting than this kind of "target shooting" competition.


    "So you can''t hinder or drag down other participants, right?"


    To play it safe, I further sought confirmation.


    "You can''t do that this time."


    The other party shook her head and gave a definite answer.


    "You could in the previous tournament, because even if you did that it didn''t serve any practical purpose. But the rules were modified this time, prohibiting attacks on others. Because there''s the possibility of light elves participating now, and they don''t have magic immunity like angels do, otherwise it wouldn''t be fair."


    I thought it was already quite unfair. Logically speaking, light elves were inferior to angels by more than just a level, in terms of both innate physical qualities and magic capabilities. So they really shouldn''t have any chance of winning at all.


    Moreover, there was also the flying competition that could directly exclude light elves.


    "Since there''s no more danger of being attacked, there should be a lot of participants right?"


    Recalling what an angel had told me earlier about there being very few participants in this event, I thought they must have been exaggerating.


    "Not that many!"


    To my surprise, the registration official''s reply completely exceeded my expectations. I saw her glance at the registration list in front of her and say to me:


    "Not many who just want to experience it like you... There are less than 10 participants in total so far. When the time comes, everyone will compete together at once, so there''s no need for number plates to record anything."


    "Uh..."


    I looked over at the flying competition''s registration spot, where the numbers were already nearing triple digits, while this side had less than 10... Wasn''t this difference too far?


    "It can''t be helped, because it''s not actual combat. For competition modes like attacking a fixed target, it''s hard to make a comeback. Besides, everyone is very clear about their magic capabilities. Moreover, Edenmere''s population is small, to begin with, so naturally, the number of participants is lower."


    The other party shrugged at me reassuringly.


    "But among these participants, there are several eight-winged angels - they are strong contenders for the championship. For you, having this learning opportunity isn''t a loss!"


    How was it not a loss? It felt like a huge loss! Competing with three eight-winged angels seemed tremendously stressful no matter how I looked at it.


    I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Aetina had told me I could aim for a ranking, but how did it turn into just participating for experience and observation? Even if I wanted to observe, I''d much rather do it from under the stage!


    So was I confident or arrogant in the end?


    Maybe I should do some last-minute cramming when I get back... I suddenly started missing those few magic books left in my room again. Fortunately, I hadn''t returned them to the library yet, perhaps I could still save the situation a little.


    "Oh right, I forgot to ask - if you win the competition, are there any prizes? What are the rewards?"


    I had already flown up into the sky when I suddenly thought of this question. I hurried back to the registration official to ask.


    "Go take a look yourself..."


    The other party lazily pointed at the announcement board in the center of the clearing and said to me:


    "Different competitions and rankings have different rewards set up, it''s a bit complicated to explain..."


    Is that so? As soon as I heard there were prizes, I became excited and dashed towards the center of the open space.


    Since there were prizes for each ranking, and there were so few participants total, that meant the chances of winning something were very high, right?


    Maybe there would even be some celestial weapon prizes, and even if I couldn''t get first place, a storage ring or something wouldn''t be bad either!

 Vol 3/Chapter 51: Hitting Walls Everywhere

    However, when I arrived excitedly in front of the announcement board, I was caught off guard and dealt a devastating blow.


    "First Place: Cloud Top Pick restaurant in the shopping street - 1 free meal voucher, 3 20% off vouchers."


    "Second Place: 2 20% off vouchers for Cloud Top Pick in the shopping street."


    "Third Place: 1 20% off voucher for Cloud Top Pick in the shopping street."


    Damn it! Is this a magic competition sponsored by that "Cloud Top Pick" restaurant? Their advertising is so shameless!


    Compare that to the prizes for the martial arts competition next door:


    "First Place: A customized ''Holy Sword'' weapon from ''Winner''s Eye'' weapon store in the shopping street."


    "Second Place: A set of enchanted armour from ''Proper Miss'' equipment store in the shopping street."


    "Third Place: A magic staff from ''Sanctum'' weapon store in the shopping street."


    Alright...now I understand why there are so many contestants willing to risk injury. These prizes are on completely different levels, not even comparable.


    No wonder the magic competition is so unpopular! The competition itself is boring, and the lame prizes, it''s a miracle they even got participants.


    As for the prizes in other events, needless to say, each one is better than the last. Only the one I''m competing in looks utterly destitute.


    With conflicted feelings, I returned to my room. Suddenly, I don''t feel as enthusiastic about winging it in this competition. Good thing my original intention wasn''t for the prizes, otherwise I''d want to withdraw on the spot.


    But since I already decided to compete, I have to give it my all. I cheered myself up and looked through the magic books, deciding to pick the most powerful spell and ask Aetina to demonstrate it for me.


    "Let''s go with this Holy Cross Slash!"


    After much deliberation, I finally made up my mind. The advanced magic book only contained two spells, and the other one was a defensive spell called "Sanctum of Light".


    Based on the competition rules I know, defensive magic is useless. So this "Holy Cross Slash" is the only one I can try.


    Although the incantations for advanced magic are very long, even challenging for Aetina, and I probably can''t master it in such a short time, I still have to try for the competition.


    As for worrying about troubling Aetina, I''m not concerned at all. She was the one who wanted me to compete anyway, who else should I ask for help?


    Alright, I admit I''m a little spiteful. But Aetina was also not very nice, I didn''t forget the name of her weapon store...


    She strongly encouraged me to join the magic competition, yet secretly sponsored the martial arts competition. Did she think I wouldn''t notice?


    Since it was almost time for class, I decided to ask her to demonstrate this advanced magic during the lesson.


    But when I arrived at the combat arena, our agreed-upon location, I only saw Cyra standing there alone, no Nicola or Aetina.


    "What''s going on here? I understand Nicola, but Aetina should not be late this long as the teacher right?"


    I looked at the time, it was already several minutes past the scheduled time, yet I didn''t even see their shadows.


    "She just came by earlier, and said she has to serve as a temporary referee for the competition, so today''s class is cancelled."  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Cyra shrugged and gestured I could leave.


    "What? How can this be?"


    I was dumbfounded when I heard that. I was counting on Aetina to help with my magic issues, how will I get through the competition this afternoon? Should I just rely on a few low-level spells?


    "What do you mean how can this be?"


    Cyra looked at me strangely, wondering why I showed up to class holding a book. She didn''t understand what I meant.


    "You''re usually so diligent, reading these magic books all the time, yet today you want private tutoring from the teacher? What gives?"


    "It''s not that...I just wanted Aetina to demonstrate one spell for me!"


    I looked at Cyra and suddenly thought maybe I could have her try.


    "How''s your incantation learning going? With one extra month you should be able to recite them decently right?"


    Although Cyra only had two wings, with angels'' innate talent, she should have no issues executing advanced magic in terms of "hardware".


    "Of course, I''ve been studying diligently this past month, and can already chant a full spell fluently!"


    She immediately lifted her head proudly and bragged to me.


    "What, you want me to tutor you in magic? Come, let this uncle enlighten you!"


    Smugly closing her eyes, she held out her hand asking me to give her the magic book.


    "Alright, I''ll call you teacher today, Teacher Cyra!"


    I was overjoyed, immediately holding out the advanced magic book respectfully in both hands for her.


    "It''s the first spell - ''Holy Cross Slash''!


    Considering the long incantation, I thoughtfully told her where in the book it was.


    "Since it''s advanced magic, the chant is pretty long. You''ll need some patience!"


    "Oh, is that so..."


    Cyra first casually read a few pages, then her expression gradually hardened. She rapidly flipped through the rest of the book, and finally slammed it shut with a "pap", smiling at me.


    "Hehe..."


    "Hehe?"


    I was puzzled, not understanding what she meant.


    "You should keep this and study yourself!"


    Without another word, Cyra tossed the book back and headed out of the arena.


    "If it was too much just say so!"


    Getting the book back, I understood what happened and said unhappily. Her attitude was too much, acting all capable earlier yet still a weakling in the end.


    "Please! I''ve only studied magic for a month. With tens of thousands of words in these advanced spells, who knows how long it''ll take me to chant it for you!"


    Cyra turned back and retorted defensively.


    "Besides, I didn''t lie earlier. But with my current level, I can only cast relatively simple intermediate magic by chanting. How would I know you asked about advanced magic? I really can''t help you there!"


    Alright, maybe I did expect too much of her...


    Thinking about it, Cyra''s level is already quite good among average angels. Viewing incantations as a language, her speed has been remarkably fast.


    But with things turning out this way, what should I do for the competition?


    In the remaining time, I also went to the Hall and Elara''s room, still hoping to get Elara''s help demonstrating it, but unfortunately didn''t see her around.


    Left with no other options, I desperately got help from Norma.


    But after glancing at the magic book, Norma coldly said,


    "I''m just an internal affairs official at the Tivi Palace, very busy, and have never left Edenmere. Of course, I don''t need to learn magic beyond ordinary humans, let alone recite such long incantations. I don''t have the time."


    "Do you know anyone who can? Just demonstrating once will do!"


    I quickly followed up, though the outcome was expected.


    "Come to think of it, one of my friends who''s an eight-winged angel may be able to...only she''s probably too busy now, having signed up for the magic competition this afternoon and busy preparing."


    "As for other angels..."


    I see, so no hope then.


    "To my knowledge, actually not many angels in Edenmere can do such complex magic, because just chanting takes so long. Most who can have gone out campaigning with the angel legions, those left behind generally don''t even know intermediate magic. Likely only high-order angels with profound magic mastery can chant spell-free."


    Seeing my situation, Norma kindly explained.


    "Is it that difficult?"


    Looks like I underestimated advanced magic. Even Aetina may not be able to successfully cast it.


    Since advanced magic was out, I could only compromise and ask Cyra''s help with some simple intermediate magic to get by.


    Time quickly passed to noon. At this time, Cyra, Norma and I were already beside the arena.


    Having promised to watch Nicola''s match, I couldn''t go back on my word, plus we looked forward to her new killer move.


    "What do you think Nicola''s hidden skill is?"


    Lazily sitting ringside, Cyra absentmindedly watched two other angels fight on stage while asking me.


    "I guess it could be some hidden Condensation Sword move, so no one can see her innate weapon."


    "Nonsense! Condensation Sword isn''t some ordinary weapon you can casually whip out. You''ll kill someone."


    I scoffed, clearly she knew nothing about Condensation Sword.


    "Then what do you think it is?"


    She immediately retorted.


    "How would I know?"


    I scoffed again, always hating riddles like this.


    "We''ll see when she''s up anyway."


    "Is it the next round or the round after?"


    Cyra uncertainly asked Norma.


    "Should be next. She told me her number was 110."


    As expected of the head internal affairs officer, Norma had a terrific memory, immediately recalling the number Nicola left her yesterday.


    "Next up, Number 110 Nicola and Number 111 Ayshu..."


    Right on cue, the referee announced the next round of competitors after the current match ended.

 Vol 3/Chapter 52: The New Secret Move

    "Haha, it''s your turn now. You gotta win this!"


    Cyra stood up excitedly and cheered loudly for Nicola.


    "Don''t you think her opponent seems a bit special?"


    I reminded her. The opponent''s name sounded obviously like a male name, but all angels are female. Their names are usually more feminine. So the only possibility is...


    "A light elf!"


    Seeing the male light elf following Nicola onto the stage, I exclaimed in surprise.


    "Aren''t light elves usually quite weak? How dare he challenge Nicola?"


    "It''s not about daring to challenge. The opponents in martial arts events are decided by the number drawn..."


    I shook my head. Although this light elf dared to sign up for the Martial Arts Tournament filled with strong contenders, it indirectly proved that his strength must be quite good.


    "I don''t know the combat power of light elves. I only know their talents are far below those of angels. Compared to using weapons, they are more adept at magic. But I dare not hastily conclude. After all, even humans have experts above level 7..."


    "Level 7?"


    Hearing my words, Cyra turned back in surprise. Although we had learned about strength levels in class, she still didn''t know how strong human experts could be.


    "That powerful? Then they''re almost on par with ten-winged angels?"


    "Well, as far as I know, the gaps in high levels are quite huge, with many sub-levels. So it''s hard to determine who is stronger..."


    I scratched my nose, a bit stumped on how to answer.


    "But it''s said that humans'' talents are below those of light elves, at least in magic. That''s for sure."


    "So this male light elf swordsman could be even stronger than Nicola..."


    Cyra looked at the stage. Just as she finished speaking, the match had already begun.


    "Wow, so fierce!"


    I saw that light elf named Ayshu instantly rush at Nicola with his sword, moving so fast even I could barely see clearly, let alone Cyra.


    With a "dang", their swords clashed. Caught off guard, Nicola somehow luckily blocked his slash with her sword. But she was also forced back several steps, looking extremely dishevelled. Fortunately, she took this chance to pull back some distance. Her opponent didn''t immediately pursue.


    "Be careful, this light elf is very strong. His level can''t be low!"


    I breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly shouted for Nicola to focus.


    "That Ayshu should be at least 6th level right? His strength is almost on par with eight-winged angels. Nicola will have a hard time dealing with him."


    A voice suddenly sounded from behind me. I looked back to see that it was Aetina, who I couldn''t find anywhere this morning. I didn''t know when she had also come to watch the match.


    "Weren''t you going to be a substitute referee? Why aren''t you on stage but down here instead?"


    Seeing this, I asked puzzledly. If she was free now, I figured I could still find time in the afternoon to learn some advanced magic from her. It wouldn''t be too late.


    "I did substitute for a referee this morning, that''s right. Because of the lack of light element in the city now, she accidentally overslept. She just rushed over. So I''m done with that now..."


    While answering my question, Aetina''s gaze remained fixed on the stage.


    "If you want me to demonstrate advanced magic for you, there''s no need for that at all. Let''s just focus on watching the match for now!"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Uh... You knew that already?"


    I was surprised she had guessed my intentions. For the moment I had no other options, so I could only follow her words and put my attention back on the stage.


    By now Nicola and Ayshu were exchanging blows again. After several back-and-forth clashes of their long swords, it was clear to anyone that Nicola was inferior in both skill and strength. Within just a few exchanges, she was easily pushed to the edge of the stage by her opponent.


    "If she falls off the stage, that will be an automatic loss!"


    Seeing the dire situation, Cyra cried out anxiously. Hearing this, I also broke out in a cold sweat for Nicola.


    But the situation showed no signs of easing. On the contrary, it became even more dangerous.


    With a straight thrust aimed at her heart, Ayshu''s move was steady and powerful. Caught off guard, Nicola had no way to defend. With a "bang", she was immediately swept off the edge of the stage by his sword, about to lose balance and fall to the ground...


    Just at this crucial moment, her six wings suddenly exerted force together, narrowly stopping her downward momentum. Then she instantly ascended, hovering in midair.


    "This is allowed too? If fighting while flying with wings, wouldn''t that be a huge unfair advantage over the opponent?"


    Seeing this, I was dumbfounded. I had completely forgotten that angels could do this. Naturally, it wouldn''t be an issue if the opponent was also an angel. But the opponent now was a light elf who couldn''t fly at all. For him, this was simply an unbeatable cheat.


    "No sustained flight is allowed in martial arts events. Must land within 3 seconds, or the one closest to the stage wins."


    At this time, the referee floating in the air suddenly started counting while pointing at Nicola.


    "3...2..."


    Hearing this, Nicola didn''t dare hesitate any longer. Fortunately, she hadn''t flown too high. She simply folded her wings without landing properly, letting herself drop back onto the stage. Then she hurriedly stood at the opposite side of the stage from Ayshu.


    "1... Match continues! Any more flight will result in an automatic loss!"


    The referee ruthlessly warned Nicola, and then signalled for the match to resume.


    "So strict..."


    I grimaced. I wondered if this flying referee was the one Aetina mentioned who had overslept. Because there were also four line referees guarding the edges of the stage. Their role was quite similar to linesmen in a soccer match.


    "I can''t believe you took advantage of your wings to escape a close call. But that was within expectations. Unfortunately, there won''t be a next time."


    Rarely, the light elf Ayshu took the initiative to speak before making a move. It seemed he was already assured of winning this match.


    "Humph, the good part is still to come. Being pushed this far by you would only happen once!"


    Nicola flicked her longsword. Her words didn''t seem worried at all, as if the one at a disadvantage so far wasn''t her.


    "I just didn''t expect your martial arts to be so good. I was careless at first. You light elves are adept at magic instead of physical attacks like dark elves, right? Yet you''re also dabbling in swordsmanship?"


    "Mastering swordsmanship is my life''s pursuit, unlike you angels with long lifespans able to master both magic and martial arts. I will not lose to such immature swordwork!"


    Although Ayshu''s strength was superior, he was not underestimating his opponent. As soon as he finished speaking, he concentrated his energy and took on a combat stance.


    "Too bad you''re still just a light elf after all. Your strength is decent, but still not enough for me..."


    Nicola shook her head and clicked her tongue. Then she suddenly turned to face me.


    "Why are you looking at me? Watch your opponent!"


    I hurriedly reminded her. To be honest I was speechless. What was up with her suddenly acting Chuuni? Was her mind muddled from all that idle chatter?


    "Be careful of a sudden attack from him. His speed is very fast!"


    "Didn''t I say I have a new secret move? I was planning to save it for the end, but looks like there''s no choice..."


    However, Nicola seemed not to hear my words. She just kept on talking.


    "Here he comes!"


    Cyra beside me suddenly cried out. Sure enough, the opponent could no longer hold back. Seeing Nicola completely open, how could he wait for her to keep blabbering? He raised his sword and pounced over first.


    "Watch closely now..."


    The corners of Nicola''s mouth turned up slightly. It seemed to be within her expectations. With the distance still far, it gave her a brief moment to react. I saw her standing in place, raising her longsword and casually swinging it toward Ayshu''s incoming direction.


    "¨C¨C¨C¨C Super Duper Lightning Armstrong Hurricane Slash!"


    What a silly skill name! Did she name her move?


    While I was astonished, I suddenly felt an invisible pressure blast forth from the sword tip, already almost reaching the nearing Ayshu. As expected of the 6th level, his reaction was unimaginably fast. He immediately crouched down and dove slanted to the ground.


    "What was that..."


    All the spectators were stunned. Soon after Ayshu ducked to evade, the trees behind him suddenly swayed, then


    "Crack crack crack"


    three large trees in succession silently toppled over, as if sliced clean through the trunk by something.


    "That''s your new secret move? What the heck was that!"


    After a long time, I finally regained my senses, but from the skill name, I seemed to grasp a clue...


    Could it be something she conjured with her wind element control?


    However, the others didn''t know this. They looked as if they had seen a ghost, and the atmosphere of the entire tournament became bizarre.


    "Sorry about that. Seems I didn''t control the power too well. Went a bit overboard..."


    Nicola spread her hands towards Ayshu still crouching on the ground, putting on a helpless look.


    "Could it be qi?"


    Behind me, even Aetina was stunned. After teaching Nicola for so long, she was completely unaware Nicola had hidden this card up her sleeve.


    "But even qi shouldn''t have such great destructive power..."


    Saying so, she immediately rejected her guess again.


    "Only humans completely lacking any elemental affinity, unable to use magic, could cultivate qi. It''s impossible for angels! Light and dark elves can''t do it either."

 Vol 3/Chapter 53: The Overpowered Skill Got Nerfed

    The audience of the martial arts tournament exploded into commotion after Nicola''s move. Everyone started discussing excitedly.


    "Wow, I knew I was right about you - Nicola the Mighty Cheater with Overpowered Hacks and Godly Skills! I almost slipped up in my excitement though..."


    Although Cyra didn''t understand what happened, that didn''t stop her from showering praises on Nicola. Almost went overboard in her passion though.


    "So do you still want to fight me?"


    Nicola squatted down and smiled at Ayshu who had been frozen in shock on the ground.


    "Even if I lower my power, my attacks could still cause more than a new hairdo. You might lose an arm next time! What do you think?"


    "I..."


    Ayshu touched his head nervously after hearing that. He visibly shuddered.


    Clearly, he was not willing, but after considering it for a while, he still chose to admit defeat.


    "I lost..."


    It was the wisest choice. Although Nicola''s swordsmanship was inferior and her abilities were lower, her hacks gave her an unfair advantage!


    No need to say more, just randomly firing Wind Slashs, it was impossible to block them with the standard tournament weapons.


    "Nicola, are you sure that slashing isn''t magic?"


    The head judge who had been stunned finally recovered her senses and asked in disbelief. After all, this was a martial arts competition, and using magic would lead to disqualification.


    "Are you sure such a light-based spell exists in this world?"


    Nicola retorted confidently. Initially, everyone thought she would lose, who could have predicted such an easy win?


    "..."


    The head judge was rendered speechless. She could only suggest discussing it with the other judges.


    "Let''s confer on this..."


    Following the head judge''s request, the four side judges flew up and gathered around her. After much discussion, they finally concluded.


    "Nicola wins!"


    "How did you do it? That Wind Whatever Slash isn''t magic right?"


    Aetina couldn''t help asking when Nicola returned victoriously.


    "It''s a new martial arts technique I developed. You can see it as a way to project sword qi outwards."


    Nicola explained proudly. At first, everyone assumed she would lose, who could have predicted such an easy win?


    "Sword qi?"


    Aetina frowned when she heard the unfamiliar term.


    "You mean it''s not battle qi?"


    "Uh..."


    Nicola hesitated, seemingly unaware that such a thing as "battle qi" existed in this world. She quickly corrected herself.


    "More or less the same, you can just treat it as battle qi."


    "But something feels off..."


    Aetina was unconvinced, but she couldn''t put her finger on the discrepancy despite racking her brains.


    "Come to think of it, it does bear some similarities to the weaker wind spells I''ve seen before. But there are also many differences, especially in power..."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "You noticed it too?"


    I was surprised she suspected wind magic so quickly, theoretically ordinary angels shouldn''t be able to sense wind elements.


    "Don''t tell me Feliciana you feel the same way?"


    She immediately looked to me, as if finding a kindred spirit.


    "I guessed it from the name Nicola picked...isn''t it obvious?"


    I scratched my head embarrassedly, then quickly turned to Nicola for confirmation.


    "Come clean, you abused your wind powers to cheat again right?"


    "How is that cheating? And why did you say ''again''?"


    Nicola pretended to be grievously wronged and defended herself.


    "I shouldn''t have named it Hurrican Slash! Don''t get the wrong idea, it''s not magic! As you all know I don''t study magic at all. I came up with this from practising air separation these days."


    "So you can control wind directly?"


    Aetina was shocked. In her eyes, angels could skip incantations and directly control only light elements. It was nearly impossible for other elements.


    "We only discovered recently that Nicola has quite strong wind powers..."


    I didn''t hide it and admitted matter-of-factly. It was normal she didn''t know since we never mentioned it. Even Elara likely wasn''t very clear about this.


    "I only heard Feliciana may have water element affinity. I didn''t expect Nicola to have something similar too."


    Aetina gave a wry smile, still finding it unbelievable.


    "Don''t worry, she''s purely a monster. You''ll get used to it soon!"


    Cyra consoled lightly. For her, the issue wasn''t why Nicola was cheating anymore, but how many cheats she had and what effects they would produce next.


    "Dare to call me a monster, looks like your feathers grew back huh?"


    Nicola glared fiercely at her. Cyra immediately shut up like a deflated balloon.


    I was suddenly very curious about how many feathers she lost...


    One, two, three...


    Alright (¨s¨F¡õ¡ä)¨s(©ß©¥©ß! Couldn''t even count clearly. Luckily angel feathers regrow quickly, otherwise, her wings would be at least half bald by now.


    "But if it''s wind element, it does make some sense..."


    Aetina pondered briefly then said,


    "Although I''ve never seen such wind magic, magic is essentially just the incantation phase. If you skip the magic and directly create a way to control elements, it still makes sense - that''s the principle behind source magic. What Nicola created is just ''source magic'' of the wind element type."


    "Then does source magic count as magic according to the rules? If it''s magic then doesn''t that mean Nicola cheated?"


    I couldn''t help asking. For someone who never studies magic to accidentally create source magic, while I beg others daily to teach me to no avail...


    "Of course not."


    I heaved a sigh of relief at her answer.


    "From the perspective of modern magical theory, source magic does not contain incantations or chants. So it can''t be considered true magic, at most a way to utilize elemental attacks. The competition rules don''t explicitly prohibit this, so the judges were right to rule Nicola''s victory. At most, she exploited a loophole in the rules."


    "Tch, you make it sound like I won dishonourably..."


    Nicola pouted, seemingly unhappy.


    "Come on, don''t pretend to be nice when you already took advantage!"


    I rolled my eyes at her as a reminder.


    "Don''t forget, you only won this time purely by luck. No guarantee you''ll be so lucky next time."


    "That''s right, luckily your opponent was a light elf."


    Aetina immediately chimed in agreement.


    "Although light elves also have light element affinity, they don''t have the immunity angels do. That''s why your Slash could threaten Ayshu. If your opponent was an angel instead, you couldn''t have caused much damage at all. The match result might have been different then."


    "No way?"


    Nicola was dumbfounded when she heard this and anxiously asked,


    "Didn''t you just say my new killer move isn''t magic? If it''s not magic, should it still be immune?"


    "This is why I said you should attend magic classes. You don''t even know such basic knowledge, it''s easy to be disadvantaged..."


    Attina held her forehead and sighed as she emphasized again,


    "The essence of magic is an indirect way to control elements, namely the incantation phase. Angel immunity on the other hand targets the elements themselves, possibly even more... It''s said human battle qi doesn''t belong to any elemental type but is similarly within the immunity range."


    "Then won''t the upcoming matches become very troublesome?"


    Nicola was dumbfounded by this new variable. Her surefire victory now had an uncertain element she was too late to solve.


    "Congrats, your overpowered hack got nerfed right after appearing."


    Cyra couldn''t help gloating, but unfortunately, she poked the hornet''s nest this time...


    And so everyone happily watched another round of the familiar chasing game with feathers flying.


    "Maybe Nicola still has a chance..."


    Aetina frowned watching the feathers and gave us a preview of the next round as the temporary judge.


    "I got important news as the temp judge - the martial arts tournament should finish the first round this afternoon. The second round will change the rules, it has been decided to make it a full battle royale - the first-round victors will fight to the death on this field and compete for the top three positions."


    "Huh? The second round is changed to this...Nicola got lucky!"


    To be honest, I felt slightly disappointed hearing this. I don''t like battle royales.


    Although battle royales look more exciting on the surface compared to one-on-one matches, actual placements depend more on luck. The strongest could get ganged up on, and the weakest sneak to the end, not showing true strength at all.


    "No choice, although there are only around a hundred participants, angels can fight tirelessly in Edenmere so each match takes too long. And the ''no sleep order'' was just lifted, so the organizers want to end sooner."


    Aetina gave a smile. She also revealed another piece of news related to me.


    "The magic competition battle royale seems to be at the same time as the martial arts one, in another clearing in the forest. So you probably won''t get to watch Nicola''s finals."

 Vol 3/Chapter 54: Learn On-Site?

    "nothing we can do if there is a time conflict... "


    I was very disappointed that I couldn''t watch Nicola''s finals, but I was more concerned about the magic competition right now. There was less than half a day left and I was anxious.


    "Aetina, can you help me with advanced magic again? After all, you were the one who encouraged me to sign up for the competition."


    Although she had already said no demo was needed earlier, I kept asking.


    "It''s useless. With so little time left before the competition starts, it''s too late to learn now."


    Aetina shook her head, still refusing my request.


    "I''ve heard from many friends earlier that my famous newborn angel student has been going around asking about advanced magic with a book... Even I would find it very difficult. After all, advanced magic spells take a long time to decipher."


    "Then what should I do?"


    I felt my heart sink when I heard that.


    Angels are extremely talented. From the two-winged newborn state, they can easily cast advanced light magic spells, of course requiring they already learned how.


    My opponents would know more than just one or two advanced spells. Just a few intermediate spells I learned from Cyra on-site definitely wouldn''t be enough.


    "I already said, learning magic from spells is a human approach. For angels, incantations can only play an assisting role at most, helping to understand elemental flows and new spell structures."


    Aetina sighed and advised.


    "So you reading this human-authored magic book over and over again is a waste of time. Since you have the talent, why not directly observe the elemental flows in others?"


    "Isn''t that what I''m trying to do?"


    I was confused. After all that, she was suggesting the same thing I wanted to do!


    "But no one is helping demonstrate, so how can I observe?"


    "Or you could demonstrate another advanced spell you already know, so I can watch and learn without deciphering those incantations. That works too right?"


    I immediately thought of a compromise. Any advanced spell would do, didn''t have to be one I picked. I couldn''t be picky anymore at this point.


    "That''s unnecessary..."


    My teacher smiled wryly at my request. But as a mentor, she apparently couldn''t resist my pestering and reluctantly agreed.


    "Fine, let''s go find an open space first then?"


    "Great!"


    I was overjoyed to finally get what I wanted after all that waiting. Just as I thought about flying up to find a good spot...


    "Luckily you didn''t leave yet..."


    Suddenly an eight-winged angel flew over from the arena and said to Aetina.


    "Yolanda had something urgent just now and needs to leave for a while. Can you help substitute as referee for a bit?"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Huh? No way!"


    I blurted out anxiously upon hearing that. I finally convinced Aetina to demonstrate magic for me, and now it''s ruined again.


    "She''s your newborn angel student right?"


    Hearing my reaction, the eight-winged angel glanced at me and jokingly said to Aetina.


    "I heard she reached six wings in just a month. No wonder you''re so stressed..."


    "Oh stop that. Can''t you see I''m conflicted here?"


    Aetina snapped back irritably. Looks like she was close to the other angel. She looked at me again, then the arena. The competition had indeed paused. It seemed hard for her to decide right now.


    She should be helping me, but without a referee, the whole competition schedule would be affected...


    It was an extremely difficult choice.


    "It''s fine, you go first. Don''t worry about Feliciana here!"


    Unexpectedly at this moment, Nicola jumped in and waved Aetina away.


    "Alright then!"


    Since Nicola said so, Aetina didn''t hesitate further. But before leaving, she still reminded me:


    "Don''t worry so much. Just perform at your normal level during the competition, using your elemental control."


    "Oh... Okay."


    I watched her leave helplessly, immediately turning to Nicola in dissatisfaction.


    "What are you doing? Did you take the wrong medicine?"


    Why was Nicola the one jumping in?


    "It''s my competition! What can I do without the teacher?"


    "The competition needs referees for everything to go smoothly. And you''re so dumb! Even I understood what to do..."


    Seeing my reaction, Nicola looked exasperated.


    "Forget about learning magic beforehand. Can''t you just learn your opponents'' magic during the competition? They will use them, it''s countless live demonstrations!"


    "Huh? Do you want me to learn on-site? Are you joking? Is there enough time?"


    I was shocked. I had never even considered such an arrogant approach. She thought of it. Does Athena think the same?


    "Of course! Don''t you remember Selene''s ''Light Puppet'' magic in the Dark Continent? You learned it in one glance. So I believe you can do it."


    Nicola seemed very confident in me. But in my view, she never took magic classes and didn''t understand the actual situation.


    While "Light Puppet" was advanced magic to humans, at most it was mid level in Edenmere and a simpler one at that.


    I do agree I can quickly learn magic through observation, but that''s limited to a mid-level at best. Most of what teachers taught in class were beginner spells anyway.


    "No, you don''t get it. This is too difficult!"


    I truly lacked confidence. The long incantations of advanced magic showed how extremely complex they were. I couldn''t even remember all of them, how could I possibly pull it off?


    "Here we go again!"


    Seeing my response, Nicola immediately sighed and shook her head.


    "You were afraid to join yesterday, yet you secretly registered today. Don''t you even know why you entered the competition?"


    "... Of course, I know!"


    I understood what she meant. Lack of confidence again, nothing new.


    "But I have evidence this time! You''d know if you read that thick advanced magic book..."


    "Uh, didn''t bring it..."


    I was about to show her the book before realizing I left it in my room this morning after all that frustration.


    "...Cheer up, believe in yourself!"


    Nicola patted my shoulder, not saying more, only encouraging me meaningfully.


    "Cheer up! Believe in yourself!"


    Cyra ran over to joke around and copy her actions, so I swiftly plucked one of his feathers in retaliation.


    "Ow!"


    The sudden pain made Cyra yelp in surprise and clutch his wing pitifully.


    "Why! That hurts a lot okay. Feliciana, how could you learn to pluck feathers too..."


    "That''s for randomly patting my shoulder when it''s none of your business! My competition has nothing to do with you!"


    I happily examined the feather in my hand. Plucking Cyra''s feathers was indeed stress relief...


    Unfortunately, like blood, the feather quickly faded into white specks of light and disappeared soon after leaving his body.


    "Too much! I can''t touch Nicola, but I won''t fear you!"


    Not resigned to lose, Cyra shot back.


    "A tiger doesn''t show might, and you take me for a hello kitty?"


    "Bring it on! Who''s afraid of who!"


    ...


    As the tournament continued into the evening, the martial arts competition finally entered the final stage.


    At the same time, my magic competition also began.


    "Magic competition contestants, please follow me to the other arena!"


    An eight-winged angel called out loudly overhead.


    Soon, several angels flew up into the sky and gathered around her. A couple even carried light elves who kindly helped transport them.


    "I''m going then, good luck!"


    I said to Nicola still here for the finals, waving as I took off.


    "You too, good luck..."


    Nicola also nodded, though she seemed to be holding back laughter as she watched me leave.


    "I already realized my mistake, so stop that..."


    Seeing her expression, I sighed helplessly and waved back before ascending into the sky.


    "Look, it''s that legendary newborn angel!"


    Sure enough, as soon as I flew up with the others, it immediately attracted a lot of attention below. Everyone started chatting loudly.


    "Just born for a month and daring to join the magic competition, incredible!"


    "Most likely just to gain experience and learn right?


    "Winning does seem too difficult, especially with tournament favourite Phoebe here..."


    ...

 Vol 3/ Chapter 55: The Rules

    "What a coincidence seeing you here again," said Aria the six-winged angel who had greeted me at the triumph plaza earlier. She came over and said hi when I reached the chief referee.


    "Oh...it''s you!" I recognized her right away, the overly friendly stranger.


    "I thought we''d only meet again at the flying contest. Didn''t expect to run into you so soon at this less popular magic contest," Aria said happily. The chances of meeting someone familiar were quite low in this contest.


    "Haha...I''m surprised too. The flying contest is too thrilling, so I chose this one instead," I said with an awkward laugh, not sure how to respond. We weren''t very close and didn''t have much to talk about.


    "But..." Aria seemed to notice something and looked at me in surprise, "What happened to your wings? Are you injured?"


    "Um..." I looked back and felt even more embarrassed. The tip of my top right wing was bare, easily noticeable if you looked closely. But I couldn''t hide my wings while flying now. I had no choice but to stutter an explanation, "Got...caught in a door..."


    "How could you get your wing caught in a door? That''s so careless," Aria asked with a strange expression, though still sounding concerned, "It must have hurt a lot right?"


    "Haha...it did hurt!" I couldn''t help grimacing. Thankfully she didn''t ask how I could still fly with an injured wing...


    It wasn''t a door at all! Cyra had forcefully plucked a large handful of feathers from my wing.


    To be honest, she went too far! The pain was excruciating, I nearly fainted on the spot.


    But I didn''t let her bully me without retaliating. As a two-winged angel, how could I not fight back against a six-winged one? So I decisively returned the favour, plus my "Universe Shift Level 9" amplification...


    Alright, I admit I overdid it a little. I was quite impulsive and tore out most of the feathers on her left wing, leaving the tender flesh exposed.


    "Let''s not talk about it..." I felt a headache coming just thinking about it. It would take at least two to three days for new feathers to fully grow back. Though the speed was fast, the biggest nuisance was being unable to hide injured wings.


    My area of injury was small so it was fine. But Cyra really couldn''t be seen now. She probably had difficulty even flying. Could only hide in her room, definitely unable to watch the contest.


    She''s probably still cursing me now...


    I regret it and feel awful about the outcome, though I''ve apologized. Going overboard despite my good intentions, I can''t help feeling very guilty.


    "Feliciana!"


    The chief referee was doing a roll call in the air with a notebook, my name came up.


    "Here!" I quickly responded. Looking at the angels in the sky, there were only around ten, including the spectators.


    "Since participants are few, we''ll determine the winner in one round. I believe everyone is clear on the rules?"


    After taking attendance, the chief referee reiterated the competition rules. Once everyone indicated understanding, she flew to the front to lead us to the venue.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Reaching six wings in just a month, you''re truly a genius. The magic contest is different from other events, no luck is involved, purely a test of ability. Only top masters with exceptional magical attainments dare participate."


    Aria kept buttering me up mid-flight.


    "Stop praising!"


    I felt I really couldn''t take it anymore and returned the compliment, "You''re participating too, means you''re also a top master!"


    "No no, I''m no master at all. Like I said, it''s more for the experience. I''m here to truly experience it."


    Aria quickly clarified upon hearing that, then pointed stealthily up ahead, "See that eight-winged angel flying behind the chief referee? That''s Phoebe, the hot favourite to win."


    "I see..." Following her finger, I tried looking but couldn''t make out appearances in flight.


    "Phoebe can cast high-tier spells without incantations! Also the champion of the previous magic contest. She''s very impressive," Aria resumed praising others.


    "Most impressive!" I sincerely marvelled. I couldn''t even find someone to demonstrate high-tier spells with incantations!


    "How long did she take to win the previous tournament? And what is her best magic that you know of?"


    Since the contest was about to start, getting more intel on my opponents would be useful.


    "Not sure..."


    Aria shook her head in response.


    "The previous tournament was held before I was born. All I know is hearsay."


    "Oh, so this is your first time too!"


    I finally found some common ground. The tournament only happened once every few millennia, countless angels were born in between.


    "Yeah, though I''ll probably just end up in last place, let''s cheer each other on! Who knows, we may get a pleasant surprise with some luck!"


    Aria encouraged lightheartedly.


    "I might even be second last..."


    I sighed, feeling utterly hopeless. Coming with just some mid-tier magic, I was probably the only one so underprepared.


    "If you''re second last, doesn''t that leave me at most third last?"


    Well, this scene felt familiar...reminded me of everyone saying they would do badly before exams, then...


    "We''re here!"


    Following the referee''s cue, we had arrived above another open area.


    The organizers probably chose this place considering the destructive power of magic.


    Not sure if it was artificially created. The area was several times bigger than the main venue, easily over kilometres, and looked very empty at first glance.


    On the ground were already a few angels, clearly competition staff.


    "Thought it was like shooting at targets, so where are they?"


    I assumed the so-called targets would be like the wooden posts and dummies in the training grounds, just larger and bulkier. But the venue was empty except for the staff.


    "Probably still inside storage not brought out yet." Aria could only guess randomly.


    Turned out she guessed right. As the angels landed, the staff immediately took out scrolls under the referee''s direction.


    "What are those?" I wondered, watching them spread out, stopping around tens of meters from the center, before laying the scrolls on the ground.


    "Can those scrolls be the targets?" They looked nothing like posts or dummies.


    Just as I spoke, I saw a huge pitch-black sphere rise from a scroll''s magic circle and float at some height, motionless.


    So much fuss about this! I immediately realized the black sphere was just an aggregation of dark elements. Having dealt with them multiple times, I could identify it at a glance.


    That familiar stench and discomfort...same old formula, same old taste!


    And I seemed to recall seeing a very similar object before - the black sphere Camille the succubus summoned to block my Purification. Felt almost identical, only differing in size.


    "Each contestant has a dedicated timekeeper. Target the ''dark element spheres'' assigned to you. Destroy them using light magic. Results will be by timing, shortest duration wins."


    After the explanation, contestants were randomly grouped.


    "I''m in group two, you?" Aria was quite delighted with her grouping and came over to ask me.


    "Group one..." I was worried. Apart from me, group one was almost all top masters. Aside from Phoebe the winner favourite, there was another eight-winged. The pressure was immense.


    Aria''s group was much better. Though there was an eight-wing, there was a light elf. Probably wouldn''t lose too badly.


    But groupings didn''t matter. The final results still depended on timing. Even taking first in your group didn''t necessarily mean winning the championship.


    "At least don''t lose to the light elf!" I gave Aria one last encouragement as group two left...


    Well, I''m not sure if it counted as encouragement.


    "You too, never mind the eight-wings, just make sure to beat that other six-wing!"


    She didn''t fancy my chances either, given my group''s line-up. It would be hard not to finish last.


    I wondered again about Aetina''s judgment. With three eight-wings ahead, there was no way I could place right?

 Vol 3/Chapter 56: The Choice and Use of Magic

    "3...2...1...Begin!"


    With the referee''s gesture from above, all the contestants in the competition rushed to cast magic on the "Dark Element Sphere" dozens of meters in front of them.


    Right after it started, I took out my best Purification Spell, because, from experience, Purification Spells can automatically track those Dark Element spheres. It''s guaranteed to hit every time, with no chance of missing.


    Moreover, the power of Purification Spells is quite strong on its own. It''s considered mid-tier magic in Edenmere.


    But in comparison, the mid-tier magic I learned from Cyra in the morning felt useless. Although they were both light-based magic, most of the light elements were wasted and went into weird places. Especially when it came to damage against dark elements, the efficacy of Purification Spells was by far the highest.


    In about a few seconds, I had already thrown out over a dozen Purification Spells. I felt my energy instantly drained, while the target sphere visibly shrank a tiny bit in diameter from afar.


    It seems a bit slow...


    While I rested to recover, I observed the situation around me.


    That Phoebe was someone I couldn''t overlook! As expected, I didn''t see her chant at all. Using just that bit of time, she had already released a transparent, milky white light barrier covering her target ball from above. She was now preparing her second spell.


    The second spell was high-tier magic. Even a top player like Phoebe needed chanting to help cast it. What concerned me most was that light barrier, because it looked very similar to the "Sanctum of Light" from my high-tier magic book.


    According to the magic book, the "Sanctum of Light" is a spell that covers a certain area of ground under massive amounts of light elements. Hiding inside its light barrier can effectively reduce external magic damage, especially from dark elements. At the same time, it provides slight ongoing healing to angels inside.


    I see! How did I not think of that earlier?


    I immediately realized that even though this spell was classified as defensive and healing, precisely because of the continuous light element supply within its range, it resulted in ongoing corrosion damage against dark elements. Although the damage wasn''t significant, its advantage was in being lasting!


    Moreover, while the ongoing damage took effect, it allowed time to prepare other big spells at the same time, like the high-tier magic Phoebe was chanting to cast now.


    She lived up to being the winner of the previous competition. Her opening move stood out so differently, taking the lead in skill while also very effectively reducing time wasted.


    And don''t forget, the "Sanctum of Light" was also a high-tier spell. For her to cast it out so quickly, it was either due to the aforementioned lack of need for chanting or she had done the chanting in advance during the countdown.


    In contrast, the other eight-winged and six-winged angel competitors lacked experience. They just let their target sphere sit there while chanting spells.


    If I hadn''t gone through the various gaming skills on Earth, I probably wouldn''t have realized this point either. Unfortunately, I didn''t get to see how the light elements flowed when Phoebe cast "Sanctum of Light" earlier. Now I could only pin my hopes of learning high-tier magic on observing her next big move.


    Due to the environmental influence, the light elements in my body recovered after a short while. This didn''t stop me from observing the light element flow in Phoebe''s body. I knew the Purification Spells so well I could fire them off instantly without needing to concentrate. Then I quickly drained my reserves again, going back into recovery mode...The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    After nearly half a minute of chanting preparation, Phoebe''s second high-tier spell finally finished casting - it was a spell I didn''t recognize. I just saw a dazzling pillar of white light descend from the sky, striking the dark element sphere covered by the "Sanctum of Light," immediately reducing its diameter considerably.


    No wonder the organizers used a peculiar grouping method. This spell''s range was quite wide. Thanks to the surrounding open space, otherwise it would accidentally blast another contestant''s target.


    "But it still feels a bit strange. If it''s high-tier magic, shouldn''t its power be better than this? It doesn''t seem as strong as I imagined..."


    I muttered doubtfully to myself. I had to admit that one strike was quite impressive, but adding the chanting time, I could have fired off two or three Purification Spells already.


    Compared in this way, the target sphere now looked only a tiny bit smaller than mine. It didn''t seem like a very big difference. It didn''t look much better than mid-tier magic.


    After learning and observation, I had grasped how to cast this unknown high-tier spell. But now I hesitated a bit on whether to try it out immediately.


    Firstly, this spell consumed a lot of the light elements in my body. Phoebe was drained after using it, now in the same recovery state as me.


    Although she had used the "Sanctum of Light" before, as an eight-winged angel her rank was higher than mine, so the light elements in her body should be more abundant too. If she didn''t stop to recover, she could probably use such a high-tier spell continuously three times, while I estimated at most twice in a row as a six-winged angel.


    Secondly, although I roughly memorized how the light elements flowed in her body during the spell''s chant, it would be hard to recreate it myself. Because the flow of elements was simply too complicated, with countless twists and turns. I feared what consequences might result if I got any part of it wrong.


    In short, it definitely couldn''t be fired off instantly like Purification Spells. And I didn''t know how to use chanting to assist like Phoebe. Giving up now after spending time learning it would be a waste, so I struggled to decide.


    "Why don''t you keep using Purification Spells?"


    While I hesitated, the assistant referee behind me suddenly spoke up softly and asked.


    "Huh? You can talk?"


    I was startled. I had assumed their duties forbade speaking during the competition.


    But looking around, the other opponents were chanting and casting away, while I was the only one chatting with the staff here. How embarrassing.


    Seeing me hurriedly throw out another dozen Purification Spells, and then enter recovery mode again, the assistant referee continued speaking.


    "Me talking doesn''t affect timing, I was just curious and wanted to remind you since you weren''t doing anything. At least cast some lower-tier spells, don''t waste time!"


    "It''s nothing, I was just wondering why Phoebe''s high-tier spell seems weak in power..."


    I casually replied. By now Phoebe had recovered very quickly, in less than 10 seconds. She immediately started repeating the chant for that spell again.


    "That spell is called ''Blast of Paradise Lost.'' Didn''t you see she had cast a layer of the ''Sanctum of Light'' over her target sphere? The reduced power is because of that protective spell."


    "!!! I see!"


    Reminded the assistant referee, and I immediately understood. Although the "Sanctum of Light" had ongoing damage, it was also a double-edged sword that would hinder the power of subsequent attack spells.


    Now the "Sanctum of Light" had disappeared. So it was foreseeable that Phoebe''s next "Blast of Paradise Lost" would have considerable might.


    Since I no longer had this concern, I could fully try out the new spell!


    But before casting, a flash of inspiration suddenly reminded me of a spell I had overlooked all this time.


    Since the "Sanctum of Light" would affect attack spells'' power, was there a spell that wouldn''t hinder power but could still inflict lasting damage?


    The answer did exist! It was the "Light Puppet" I had learned from Selene before.


    This Light Puppet, though made of light elements, had no physical form. It also met the condition of lacking a protective effect. What''s more, the light element concentration inside was much higher than the "Sanctum of Light", so the damage dealt was greater too.


    Although its range was far smaller than the "Sanctum of Light", I didn''t need such a large area to begin with. Moreover, I could freely change its shape, making it optimal against the dark element sphere!


    "Oh, what spell is that?"


    Seeing me immediately pinch out a bright light clump floating in midair without a word, the assistant referee behind me asked, rather puzzled.


    "''Light Puppet''"


    I replied embarrassedly. Just like when I first cast it, the end product looked nothing like a puppet at all. But it was already more than enough...


    When I manipulated the "Light Puppet" to the target''s position, completely overlapping with the "Dark Element Sphere", the assistant referee finally understood my intention.


    "This method is very clever. I didn''t expect the ''Light Puppet'' could be used like this. It''s much more effective than Phoebe''s ''Sanctum of Light''!"


    It was obvious that after being invaded by the "Light Puppet", the "Dark Element Sphere" was slowly but visibly shrinking. Although still very slow overall, it was already much faster than the "Sanctum of Light".


    "It''s also thanks to your reminder!"


    I modestly said, of course not daring to relax yet.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 57 - Stage Two

    At this moment, Phoebe had already finished her second chant during the time I was controlling Light Puppet. The dazzling pillar of light struck down again, this time much more powerful since there was no protective spell to hinder it. In an instant, the target sphere shrank rapidly, making the angel next to me nervous.


    After unleashing it, she threw out another Light Sanctum, and then immediately started preparing for the third strike without stopping.


    This time I could see that the Light Sanctum she released was chantless! It seems what Aria said about casting high-level spells without chanting wasn''t completely unfounded.


    "Amazing! I wonder how long it''ll take for my Blast of Lost Paradise?"


    I concentrated on manipulating the light element in my body according to the "tutorial" I saw earlier. I don''t know how much time passed, but the familiar scene finally reappeared. The pillar of light successfully descended onto my target, though due to the difference in rank, the power was weaker than Phoebe''s, only about 2/3.


    "Wow! I''m drained this time!"


    I immediately knelt on the ground, gasping heavily. Although there was still some light element left in my body, I realized after releasing my first high-level spell that this was much more tiring than throwing out a dozen Purifications together. While more efficient, I couldn''t withstand the exertion! Only now did I truly admire Phoebe''s abilities, to be able to throw a Blast and then immediately follow up with another one.


    "XXXXX"


    The vice referee stared at the stopwatch in her hand and said in surprise.


    "Huh?"


    I don''t know whose big move happened to strike down just then, the deafening roar made it so I couldn''t hear clearly for a moment.


    "...Not bad, it only took you over twenty seconds to cast it."


    Since the other side repeated it, I finally understood.


    "That short?"


    To be honest, this was unexpected. Although the method I used could also be called chantless casting, it wasn''t instantaneous since the light element still needed some time to circulate within my body. It felt like a long time had passed just now!


    "It''s already about the same speed as Phoebe''s, keep in mind you didn''t have the aid of chanting. With practice...there''s room for improvement, while chanting needs...pronunciation, no way...to simplify..."


    The assistant referee encouraged me for a bit, but her words were drowned out again by a burst of strange rumbling noises. She shrugged and closed her mouth, signalling me to stop standing there blankly and to keep competing.


    "Then I''ll keep at it, go again!"


    Since I was able to get this result on my first time casting a high-level spell, I was pretty excited. As my spirits lifted, I didn''t feel as tired anymore.


    Just as I was about to continue, I suddenly noticed that the target sphere in the distance had stopped shrinking automatically at some point.


    "That was quick, is it over already?"


    As expected, Light Puppet still couldn''t reach the duration of high-level spells. I had infused quite a bit of light element into it earlier, and it had only been this long.


    But now wasn''t the time to dwell on this. I hurriedly supplemented it with another Light Puppet, then followed up with a Blast, doing it in one go! It seemed I had a slight improvement over last time.


    On the other side, something happened with Phoebe. The magic she chanted for so long and released wasn''t the Blast of Lost Paradise, but a different high-level spell!


    I should have realized it earlier. Within the duration of Light Sanctum, if she used Blast of Lost Paradise again the power would be greatly reduced. The only way was to chant an even longer, more powerful spell to avoid that defensive period.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Therefore, the massive light giant before my eyes was Phoebe''s handiwork! Unfortunately, I only noticed now, completely missing this learning opportunity.


    I saw the light giant roar after appearing, then rushed towards Phoebe''s target sphere, grabbing it in its hand. It then placed it in its palm and kept kneading it nonstop.


    While there''s no denying this method was very effective, the giant''s actions made it seem like it was clowning around.


    Although the giant''s emergence drew all the contestants'' attention, they quickly buried their heads to focus on the competition again, not daring to get distracted.


    I continued using two more Blast of Lost Paradises and a Light Puppet.


    On Phoebe''s side, however, after the giant disappeared, the target sphere looked deflated, less than half its original size.


    As expected of big sis Phoebe, ruthless in action and few in words!


    Looking at my side, there was still some distance. I''d need at least two more Blast to reach that level.


    Suddenly, I realized chanting had some advantages too. Although it took time, it allowed absorbing and recovering light elements! If not for too much time spent on recovery, I probably could have caught up to Phoebe already.


    "Phoebe''s progress has passed the halfway point, her Dark Element Sphere enters the second stage!"


    Just then, the chief referee in the sky suddenly announced.


    "Huh? The second stage, what''s this about?"


    I was completely surprised that the organizer would pull this, it wasn''t mentioned in the rules at all!


    "No major difference, the target just starts moving after its volume is reduced by more than half. You''ll see at a glance."


    The assistant referee behind me quickly reassured me.


    "After all, can''t have you keep hitting a fixed target forever..."


    Indeed it was as she said. After the chief referee finished speaking, the Dark Element Sphere floating in front of Phoebe suddenly began moving on its own, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, making it hard to grasp at first.


    "It''s controlled remotely, for fairness the motions of all targets are preset and uniform."


    Seeing my utterly confused look, the vice referee could only explain.


    "But isn''t this way too difficult! How can we possibly hit it..."


    Although my target hadn''t started moving yet, it was only a matter of time, just two more Blast.


    "Rosalia''s progress has passed the halfway point, her Dark Element Sphere enters the second stage!"


    Soon after, the chief referee''s voice rang out again.


    No way, who was so fast? I thought I had a chance to enter the second stage second, didn''t expect someone else to get there first.


    Since my attention had been on Phoebe''s, I wasn''t too clear about the other two contestants'' status. Only looking over now did I see it was that other eight-winged angel, her target was moving just like Phoebe''s now.


    As expected, eight-winged angels were no pushovers! All I could do now was try my best to increase my casting speed, and strive not to come in last place. It seemed I could at least compete with the remaining six-winged angel.


    "Feliciana''s progress has passed the halfway point, her Dark Element Sphere enters the second stage..."


    Finally, after supplementing with another Light Puppet, I also welcomed the more difficult second stage on schedule.


    As long as I''m not in last place, that''s a win!


    A long-absent sense of confidence suddenly returned to me. Still excited, I casually blasted a Lost Paradise toward the target sphere flying to and fro several dozen meters away.


    Anyway, this was a range attack spell. I''d just try first!


    After using it so many times, I became very familiar with it, and able to control the time to mobilize the light element within 10 seconds.


    But the actual effect was mediocre at best. As guessed, the center of the Blast was where the power was greatest, gradually decreasing outward. Hitting the moving target precisely at the core was extremely difficult, and the tracking feature of Purification was more reliable.


    I decisively gave up on the new spell and went back to my old trick, while Phoebe on the other side used a simple and crude strategy ¡ª she had summoned her giant again.


    This move was shameless. For fairness, the trajectories of all targets were preset, so there was no chance of them dodging the giant''s grasp. In a few moves the giant under Phoebe''s control grabbed it in its hand, then started doing that silly kneading motion again.


    Damn it, the gap will widen like this!


    Seeing that, I immediately threw out a few more Purifications, then unleashed Light Puppet again.


    Unlike Phoebe''s Light Sanctum which could only stay fixed in one spot, Light Puppet could move, and the speed wasn''t too slow either.


    Since I didn''t know how to summon a "big giant", my "little giant" should work fine right?


    That''s right! Light Puppet was developed based on a humanoid form to begin with. Although making a realistic human shape was beyond me, I could still create a rough humanoid form...


    Ah, wait! Why did I have to learn from Phoebe and spend time sculpting a human shape, isn''t a simple sheet just as good?


    Thought of and done! Shaping the light mass into a thin sheet instantly increased the area drastically. Compared to it, the giant''s palm was insignificant.


    And controlling the Light Sheet, I could precisely fill in the gaps during my recovery downtime.


    With this amazing sheet, capturing the target ball was no longer difficult at all, succeeding almost in one go. Unlike the giant''s small palm, which still required slapstick butterfly-catching at times due to bad luck.


    Of course, after catching it, all sorts of rubbing and grinding maneuvers followed!


    Unexpectedly, at this moment the target sphere slowly poked its head out from under the Light Sheet''s wrap...


    "F**k..."


    Truly, no plan survives contact with the enemy! I had forgotten that magics like Light Puppet didn''t have physical substance. I was overwhelmed by envying Phoebe, completely overlooked this critical issue.

 Chapter 58: Scores

    No worries, physical entity, right? Although I don''t know any large-scale physical magic, there just so happens to be a simple one that I''ve learned before - "Light Shield"!


    Reed mentioned before that the spell she uses to constrain gases referenced the principles of "Light Shield", since this mid-level spell was developed specifically for defending against physical attacks.


    It requires six shields - above, below, left, right, front and back.


    Luckily, the "Light Sheet" wasn''t completely useless. With them, the moving target not only shrank in size but its speed was also significantly reduced. I quickly summoned six shields and boxed them in like a cage.


    The good thing about these shields made of light elements is that in a translucent state, you can see the situation behind them.


    The target barely escaped from the "Light Sheet"''s grip before its speed immediately recovered, only to ram straight into the surface of the "Light Shield", leaving a huge dent. But ultimately it bounced back onto another shield.


    Mid-level magic really can''t withstand much...


    Although this was expected, I still grimaced and added another layer on the outside.


    After sending out 12 mid-level spells continuously, the light element in my body was nearly depleted.


    Fortunately, the random bouncing against the shield walls was equally damaging to the target itself, and each shield could still withstand a few seconds since it wouldn''t always hit the same dented spot.


    Replenishing the "Light Shield" consumed much less than throwing dozens of spells at once, so before long I had recovered, then opened up the "lid" a little and threw in a few more "Light Puppet".


    Suddenly I had a ridiculous feeling that this whole "adding ingredients" process was like cooking something, except the quality of this "shield pot" was a bit lacking...


    Maintaining this approach wasn''t bad either. Although each "Light Puppet" consumed energy of 2-3 Purifications, the target being "cooked" inside gave me a chance to recover and recast. Especially when multiple puppets were stacked, the effect was surprisingly good - the basketball-sized target slowly became more and more immobilized until it could barely move at all in the viscous light element "congee".


    Finally the "Light Shield" became less damaged, to the point where I could remove the outer "pot" entirely after the target came to a complete stop.


    By now, light element consumption had returned to the same rate as the first stage. Time for "Lost Paradise Blast" to make its encore!


    Unexpectedly, under the wrapping of "Light Puppet" the blast''s power also seemed somewhat reduced.


    After a few tests I finally figured it out - it wasn''t just the "Light Sanctum", it appeared the light element itself had a certain effect of lowering magic power, which also explained why angels could be immune to magic to a certain degree.


    But this didn''t impact my plan, because unlike the "Light Sanctum", the "Light Puppet" were mobile. I could just control them to expose a small part of the target and blast that, the effect would still be great.


    In comparison, Phoebe''s giant magic was not as useful as my "magic puppet congee". At least she hadn''t researched any other more effective methods. Although the high-tier spells had considerable effect each time, she had to recite and summon the giant all over again after each one. So who would win was still up in the air!


    After a period of back and forth, the gap between me and Phoebe was shrinking. When both our targets shrank down to just pellet size, the moment that would decide everything finally arrived.


    I calculated the casting duration of "Lost Paradise Blast" - at the beginning, the light element still needed to pause halfway to reroute in my body, but by now I had practiced so much I could do it with my eyes closed. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    My latest record was 10 seconds!


    Based on experience, the "target" would need at least 3 more hits to annihilate, plus recovery time, so around 40 seconds total. Meanwhile, Phoebe was still chanting...


    Although this should be her final giant spell, victory wouldn''t come immediately after casting it.


    So there was still a chance!


    But right after I unleashed the first blast 10 seconds later, another "Lost Paradise Blast" simultaneously rained down on Phoebe''s target.


    She didn''t use the giant spell?!


    I miscalculated! Phoebe wasn''t stupid. At the critical moment, she would adapt too. And her magic power far exceeded mine - she only needed two hits to settle it, so this was her final blow.


    But her luck was good, actually landing a direct hit on the moving target. Looks like she had staked everything on this one strike too.


    But the surprises didn''t end there. Right when I thought Phoebe would have to chant again after that one blast, the second "Blast" followed seamlessly, without even pausing before firing off.


    Now that was true "instant cast"! Much faster than mine.


    Why didn''t she need to chant suddenly?


    I was baffled as I watched Phoebe''s "Dark Element Target" completely disappear. But now wasn''t the time to ponder it, the match was still going!


    I hurriedly refocused and concentrated on preparing my magic. After two attacks, the "Dark Element Target" on my side finally ended its duty as well.


    "Phew!" I collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily for breath.


    In my haste, I had cast the final blow before my light element fully recovered. The feeling of being nearly depleted was awful like my whole body would crack and fall apart.


    But according to my judgment, that last shot only took around 5 seconds, It was truly an extraordinary performance! Unfortunately, if I could have reached that speed earlier, perhaps I could have surpassed Phoebe.


    I nodded satisfactorily, resting for a good while before catching my breath. I quickly looked back to check on the other participants, only to find that Cecilia the 8-winged angel had finished the match at some point, leaving only the last 6-winged angel still casting...


    Not bad! At least I didn''t come in last, looked like 3rd or 4th place was possible, maybe even 2nd if I got lucky. But I didn''t forget there was another 8-winged angel in the second group.


    Now to see how they performed. Glancing over, it seemed like someone had already stopped over there.


    "What was going on with Phoebe earlier?"


    I turned and puzzledly asked the assistant referee, now that the competition had ended I could finally slowly inquire about this.


    According to the rules, you shouldn''t be allowed to bring any magic amplification devices or anything that reduces chanting time. Phoebe suddenly decreasing her chanting time from nearly half a minute down to none was very abnormal!


    "I don''t know either. If she used any tools we should have been able to see it. But don''t worry! The chief referee will definitely get to the bottom of this."


    Even the assistant referee didn''t know? I thought it was some unknown method, since Phoebe wouldn''t be stupid enough to break the rules in front of everyone, especially with another assistant referee watching her.


    "So what exactly was my time?"


    While waiting for the other participants, I boredly inquired about my own score.


    "10 minutes 56 seconds."


    The assistant referee smiled slightly and softly reported a number.


    "..."


    I suddenly realized there was no point in just knowing my own score! Other than confirming Phoebe was faster than me, I''d have to wait for the times of the other participants before determining the order.


    But I didn''t want to shamelessly ask other referees, so I could only go practice "Lost Paradise Blast" in the open space a few more times.


    Not bad at all, new magic is so refreshing! Especially high tier magic, it really gets better the more you use it. After consolidating a few times, I could now steadily keep the time at around 5 seconds.


    "The rumors really are true, this batch of new born angels are too freakish!"


    The assistant referee looked at me behind enviously and said.


    "Uh..."


    I scratched my head, not sure how to respond. Maybe my elemental control really was stronger like Aetina said? But even so I hadn''t achieved true instant cast, given I clearly witnessed Phoebe instantly cast two high tier spells.


    "The competition is officially over!"


    Suddenly the chief referee''s voice rang out from above. I could see the second group''s members flying over this way.


    Once everyone gathered together again, all the timekeepers began reporting results to the chief referee.


    "How was your match?" Aria asked concernedly as she landed beside me.


    "10 minutes 56 seconds! Don''t worry, definitely won''t come in last!" I responded honestly and optimistically, giving my estimate.


    "Should be able to get 4th or 5th place, 3rd if I''m lucky."


    "Wow, awesome! Pretty good! As expected of the freshman prodigy!" She immediately praised upon hearing it.


    "It was alright actually, I didn''t expect to be so fast either, maybe I just found the right method." I said a bit embarrassed.


    "What about you, how do you feel you did?"


    Of course I should return the courtesy and ask her as well.


    "No good. Didn''t perform well, only next time will tell, who knows how many years until then..." Aria had a dejected look.


    The time for announcing results soon arrived.


    "First place: Phoebe, 10 minutes 38 seconds."


    As expected, Phoebe had the shortest time. Worthy of being last year''s champion.


    "Second place: Feliciana, 10 minutes 56 seconds."


    "Eh?!?!"


    I was so shocked my mouth hung wide open. Turns out I didn''t just make top 3 but got second place!


    So it turns out Cecilia finished after me! That means I got really lucky - if I had been a bit slower she definitely would have surpassed me.

 Vol 3/Chapter 59 Reeds Good Deed

    "Third place: Aria, 10 minutes 57 seconds."


    "..."


    Alright, I guessed wrong again.


    "Haha, you''re amazing to get second place!"


    Aria gave me a bright smile after hearing her ranking.


    "Ha...you too, I didn''t realize we were only one second apart..."


    I didn''t know how to describe my feelings at this moment. She was also unfathomable.


    "Fourth place: Rosalia, 10 minutes 59 seconds."


    ...


    The rest of the rankings were no longer important. It was worth mentioning that the light elf who came in last had a particularly poor score as if she hadn''t succeeded in destroying her own "Dark Element Sphere" when time was up.


    "The above are the competition results for all contestants..."


    After the chief referee read them out, she did not immediately announce the end but turned his head to face the first-place winner instead.


    "But this may not necessarily be the final result, because there is an important question I want to ask Phoebe clearly¡ªhow did you pull off the high-level spell ''Lost Paradise Blast'' at the end without chanting?"


    "Here it comes!"


    I was startled. As expected, the referee would not easily let go of this irregularity. It all depended on how Phoebe explained it.


    "According to the report from your assistant referee, she didn''t feel any elements flowing in your body for that final blow. Instead, she discovered that the light elements needed to condense the magic all came from your right arm..."


    Seeing that she did not answer immediately, the chief referee continued to press her.


    "For fairness, please show everyone your arm!"


    "Alright..."


    The laconic angel Phoebe finally spoke for the first time, slowly nodding her head and pulling up the sleeve of her right robe.


    "I had a high-level spell pre-stored in here."


    "That''s...a magic circle!"


    Everyone present immediately started discussing it upon seeing it. Of course, a magic circle wasn''t that unusual, but what was impressive was that Phoebe had engraved this magic circle on her arm. This made it a bit difficult to determine if it counted as using a prop.


    "What''s going on with your arm? Isn''t a magic circle strictly speaking not your ability?"


    The chief referee frowned, probably also encountering this situation for the first time.


    Looking at the angel''s slender arm, how big could a magic circle engraved on it be?


    "But I have this magic circle tattooed on me, without using any scrolls as a medium, and I plan to keep it permanently. So it can''t be considered external aid, right?"


    Phoebe argued reasonably. To be honest, she was already exploiting loopholes in the rules. If one followed this line of reasoning, wouldn''t tattooing magic circles all over the body guarantee first place every time? But there was no help for it, Edenmere''s Martial Arts Tournament had only been held twice, so loopholes were inevitable.


    "But to my knowledge, magic circles capable of containing high-level magic are generally impossible to miniaturize to this degree, it''s simply unheard of! Are you sure it came from this magic circle?"


    However, the chief referee''s concern was not on this point. Judging by the angel''s slender arm, how large an area could a tattooed magic circle occupy on it?


    "Of course, I can demonstrate it to you again as many times as needed!"


    Phoebe affirmed very positively.


    "Perhaps it was indeed impossible in the past, but nowadays there are angels who can do it!"


    "Really? Who exactly?"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Hearing this, many angels present couldn''t help but become agitated. After all, even Elara had said that research into magic circles wasn''t something angels were particularly adept at. But from Phoebe''s words, I vaguely guessed who the angel that helped tattoo her was.


    "It''s the newborn angel Reed who just descended last month. If you don''t believe me you can go ask her, I only found her to help me tattoo it out a few days ago."


    I knew it...


    "You mean that new angel who''s always holed up in the library, and even invented new magic on her own?"


    Sadly, when the crowd heard the word "newborn", their gazes unanimously turned to me.


    "...Why are you looking at me!"


    I don''t know magic circles, go find Reed!


    "You new angels are all monsters!"


    Aria gave me a glance, then turned her head away and stopped talking.


    "Huh?"


    I was completely dumbfounded. What was this? Passing the buck?


    "Please give us a few minutes..."


    Fortunately, the chief referee did not forget her duties. Left with no choice, she pulled several assistant referees aside to discuss.


    "How cunning! If I''d known, I would''ve done the same. Turns out it''s so easy to achieve instant high-level magic."


    Watching the referees surround Phoebe and have her demonstrate the magic circle further to confirm, Aria said enviously.


    "But don''t you think it''d be very painful, and also look terrible to have magic circles all over your body..."


    I couldn''t help but try to persuade her. I absolutely could not accept it. Such a nice angel girl ending up with tattoo lines all over, wouldn''t that be too much?


    "Isn''t improving your strength the most important thing? If it can give me an advantage in battles against monsters, why not do it even if it looks bad?"


    She refuted me very pragmatically, leaving me at a loss for words.


    She also had a point. After all, the angel population was scarce, survival was the top priority. As for how to achieve that, it depended on how each individual weighed the pros and cons.


    "Phoebe''s tattoos do not count as external aids, the result stands!"


    Not long after, the chief referee announced the conclusion of their discussion and made a special note of it.


    "But this method is undesirable, as it not only leads to unhealthy competition but is also detrimental to improving one''s strength. So we will revise the relevant rules for the next competition."


    "Next time?"


    I murmur sarcastically. Who knew how long it would be before the next Martial Arts Tournament?


    Reed, you''ve indirectly sabotaged me!


    "Congratulations to the top three contestants, you may proceed to the main venue to collect your prizes!"


    With the chief referee making some final remarks, the magic event finally concluded smoothly.


    "I''m not interested in the restaurant coupons, I still have to prepare for tomorrow''s flying competition, so I''ll head back first."


    On the way back, Aria made an excuse to part ways with me, then turned and flew away.


    "Goodbye."


    I waved my hand. Mere 20% off coupons didn''t have much use. I naturally didn''t have much feeling about such a reward either. But the sword competition finals with Nicola were still at the main venue, so I was still very concerned about the results.


    When I arrived, the open space was already filled with crowds. It looked like the finals had long ended. As expected I had completely missed it.


    But picking Nicola out from below was not so easy either. I hovered stupidly in the sky for a long time, before deciding to descend at the central banner.


    "The magic competition results were just announced, and you''ve already come to claim your prize..."


    The staff member looked at me strangely.


    "Better than nothing!"


    I grabbed the two coupons handed to me. Occasionally pigging out at the shopping district was not a bad idea either. Come to think of it, I hadn''t eaten anything in a long time.


    "How''d it go?"


    Suddenly my back was gently poked a few times. Caught unprepared, I looked back to see that it was Aetina. Running into her here was not too surprising either.


    "Second place!"


    I quickly reported my ranking. This time I had to admit, her judgement was truly impressive.


    "Thank you! It wouldn''t have meant anything if not for your ability..."


    Aetina humbly smiled, and continued asking,


    "So who were first and third place?"


    "First place was last tournament''s champion Phoebe, and third place was Aria..."


    I nodded and listed out all the rankings in sequence.


    "I can understand Phoebe, but I didn''t expect you to surpass Aria..."


    She had an expression of surprise, sighing and saying,


    "I''d estimated third place at most for you originally, I didn''t expect the result would be even better."


    "Is Aria that amazing? She''s also a six-winged angel like me!"


    Seeing Aetina''s manner, it seemed this Aria had quite the background. But the fact remained, her score was only slower than mine by one second, basically a close shave.


    "It''s normal you don''t know. In the last few hundred years, Aria can be said to be the most talented of the young angel generation, whether in magic or combat techniques. She can challenge and easily defeat those of higher rank..."


    Aetina slowly described Aria''s past experiences, otherwise I would never have imagined Aria''s capabilities to be so great. My impression was that she was just an ordinary six-winged little angel...


    "Because of her talents, Lady Elara has always been reluctant to let her join the angel legions and venture out."


    "But even so, Aria has also successfully advanced to six wings after staying in Edenmere for hundreds of years. You must know, based on normal standards, advancing to six wings without combat experience against monsters would take at least several thousand years!"


    "That outstanding?"


    I had a deep experience of this. I''d met quite several four-winged angels recently, especially those like Norma who had never gone to the outside world. Despite being over a thousand years old, they still hadn''t broken through.


    "Yes, outstanding, but she can only be considered past now..."


    Aetina shook her head and glanced at me, sighing,


    "Because later there were some even more freakish ones".


    "..."


    I was speechless. After this competition, I finally had a new understanding of my own strength.


    I''d never realized before, but I seemed to have reached this level unknowingly at some point. In my impression, I was always still that ignorant novice adventurer who only had 3 ranks.


    But my growth seemed to have been too sudden. I didn''t have any tangible experience of progressive improvement in between. It was as if I''d learned magic for a period and then suddenly became stronger.


    "Your and Nicola''s capabilities are far beyond this, you just don''t know how to utilize them yet. If you can further advance to eight wings, even Lady Elara and the others might not necessarily be your match."

 Vol 3/ Chapter 60: The Use of the Prize

    "Oh..."


    I responded emotionlessly. Although I now had complete faith in Aetina''s judgement, her words of encouragement still felt lacking.


    "By the way, how did Nicola''s competition go? Did you watch it?"


    I suddenly remembered the original purpose of coming here.


    "Of course I watched it. She exceeded my expectations and got third place!"


    When it came to the swordsmanship finals, my conversation partner immediately switched to a wry smile as she replied.


    "No way! That wind slash is useless against angels, isn''t it?"


    I said in surprise. Based on the level of strength, an eight-winged angel had already surpassed a 6th-order light elf. Logically, Nicola shouldn''t have stood a chance, and it would have been impressive for her to not finish last.


    "It''s useless! But we underestimated her control over the wind element. Even if the wind element can''t injure an angel''s body, they can still be affected by the force of wind-based skills."


    According to Aetina''s explanation, I gradually understood the situation of the swordsmanship competition.


    Since it was a battle royale, although Nicola had the reputation of a newborn angel, the top dogs with eight wings didn''t see her as their primary target. Their focus was more on opponents of similar rank.


    So in the initial period, she was able to relax and hide around the edges of the arena. For a six-winged, although her swordsmanship was lacking, she could still barely hold her own.


    However, the situation soon changed.


    After a period of mutual attacks, those eight-winged angels finally calmed down and agreed. They decided to first eliminate the weaklings before fighting among themselves at the end.


    At this point, Nicola could no longer hide. With her inadequate sword skills, she had no chance against the top contenders. So in desperation, she used that new killer move.


    Unlike with the male light elf, this time her "XXX Hurricane Slash" directly struck an eight-winged angel in the chest. Although it didn''t injure him, the tremendous force still blew her out of the arena.


    According to the rules, leaving the designated area meant failure. So that angel who had chased after her was inexplicably eliminated.


    This gave Nicola a taste of success, and of course, she wouldn''t stop there! After a few more slashes, violent winds whipped up across the entire arena. The vast majority of contestants were caught off guard and "blown" out of the field, leaving only two eight-winged angels who relied on their formidable strength to remain inside.


    There''s not much else to say after that. With her killer move rendered completely ineffective, faced with the fierce joint attack of two top contenders, Nicola decisively chose to surrender, easily securing third place...


    "How could no one suspect she was using magic?"


    I asked in disbelief. This outcome was just too outrageous. If I were the referee I would have disqualified her as a cheater.


    A ban! Banning her for a few hundred years. No, a few thousand more like it!


    "I already said, theoretically speaking, that her move doesn''t count as magic. Besides, it wasn''t the first time the referees saw her use it."


    Aetina shrugged and explained.


    "Furthermore, we angels generally judge the use of magic by sensing the flow of elements within the opponent''s body. Although some angels noticed Nicola''s skill seemed related to the wind element, no one in Edenmere could detect whether she had wind elemental energy flowing in her body. After all, no one had ever heard of an angel using wind magic before. So in the end, like in the preliminaries, this move could only be treated as battle qi."


    I don''t know what to do with Nicola. She''s just too ostentatious, making it difficult for the rest of us to get by. No wonder I felt an unusual number of strange looks after returning here.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "So where is she now?"


    I looked around but still couldn''t find any trace of her.


    "Not sure. Right after the match ended she disappeared. I thought she went to find you."


    Aetina also shook her head cluelessly.


    "Uh, I didn''t see her on the way here!"


    I figured we likely missed each other while I was en route. After all, Nicola probably didn''t even know where the magic competition venue was.


    "Why don''t we wait here? If she can''t find you she''ll probably come back."


    Aetina suggested to me.


    "Also, the flying competition will be starting here soon. Because of the large number of contestants, there will be preliminary group rounds first. You might as well stay and watch."


    "It''s beginning now?"


    I recalled Aria telling me before we parted that her flying competition was tomorrow. That girl seemed to have joined every event, with such an abundance of energy!


    Before long, at the direction of the competition organizers, a group of angels arrived in the air above us. They were the first group of contestants for the flying competition.


    "It''s starting!"


    Aetina looked up and said. The surroundings were already crowded with angels, so congested that we couldn''t even fly up. We could only watch from the ground.


    "Looks like this is the starting point. Doesn''t that mean there''ll be nothing to see after they fly away?"


    I suddenly realized there didn''t seem to be much point in staying here to watch the competition unless I followed along behind the contestants the whole way. But I might as well participate myself then.


    "The route goes around half the continent of Edenmere, so this is also the finish point. But it is rather boring in between."


    Aetina conceded.


    "But everyone''s just here to liven things up!"


    With the referee''s signal, the first group of angels shot forth like arrows, accompanied by the clamorous cheers of quite a few spectator angels trailing behind to spur them on.


    "I recall they can attack each other mid-race. That does sound interesting..."


    As I watched the angels recede into the distance, I suddenly remembered this rule. Unfortunately, I didn''t have the free time to follow along.


    "Alright, I''m going to head out first! Nicola will probably just return to the palace herself if she can''t find me."


    Taking advantage of the dispersing crowds overhead, I rose into the air again to look around one more time. Confirming no sign of Nicola, I bid Aetina farewell.


    "See you for lessons as usual tomorrow!"


    Aetina reminded me before I left.


    "Let Cyra know too, don''t forget!"


    "Oh...okay!"


    The mention of Cyra gave me a headache. She was probably still upset with me...


    But I had already apologized once, so buying her a gift was probably the only option left! After all, plucking out some of her feathers warranted more than just a verbal apology.


    But what gift would be good? This question plunged me, a chronically indecisive shopper, into distress once again.


    Based on Cyra''s preferences, she would likely be overjoyed if I gave her something religious like a cross.


    But they don''t sell those kinds of things in Edenmere!


    Or should I get her some equipment? But that might be expensive, I worried. Weapons and armour weren''t cheap commodities in Edenmere, and I was reluctant to fork out too much.


    After long consideration without an answer, I happened to notice the two restaurant discount vouchers still in my grasp. That sparked an idea...


    "Waiter, two orders of ** roasted duck legs to go!"


    Standing in the lobby of the ''Cloud Pinnacle'' restaurant, I called out loudly while pointing at the menu.


    "And one of these...yes, the braised goose wings with lime and tarragon as well!"


    "Angel, are you certain you want to order the goose wings?"


    The light elf waitress timidly confirmed again. With her remark, I did feel it seemed a little inappropriate for an angel to order goose wings as food.


    "It''s fine, you are what you eat!"


    I nonchalantly replied. After all, these were gifts, meant for the glutton Cyra to eat.


    Maybe eating them would make her grow an extra pair of wings, who knows!


    "...You are what you eat?"


    The light elf had probably never heard this notion before. She swallowed nervously and couldn''t help sneaking a few more peeks at me. Not daring to say more, she hastily rushed back to the kitchen.


    "The decor here is not bad!"


    While waiting for the food, bored, I looked around admiring the restaurant''s furnishings.


    To be frank, it felt much more upscale than the place we dined at last time. No wonder they could afford to sponsor the martial arts tournament.


    Just the name of this place reminded me of a certain famous dining brand back on Earth...


    "Please come again!"


    After a long wait, my order finally came out. The wait staff respectfully held the discount voucher I had given them and escorted me to the door.


    The few items only cost a little under 200 silvers after the discount, completely affordable.


    "Whoa, watch out in front!" En route, just as I was imagining Cyra''s reaction to the gifts, a sudden shriek came from the distance ahead, frightening me. I looked around in all directions but only caught a glimpse of an angel darting out from somewhere, shooting swiftly over my head.


    "What was that about?"


    How dangerous! I nearly lost my balance in the air from almost being grazed. I was about to go reason with her, but she had already flown far away. From the direction she had come from, several more black dots seemed to be zooming rapidly toward me.


    "You in the way, move aside!"


    What a coincidence! Did I happen to pass through the flying competition route?


    Sure enough, these were precisely those contestants who had taken off from above my head earlier. They were now flying over me again, interspersed with the silhouettes of attack spells...


    So fast! They had already nearly circled back in this short time.


    I couldn''t help but be amazed. Although Edenmere''s land area was smaller than the Dark Lands, it was still about the size of the Astralrealm Kingdom.


    But this competition didn''t concern me. After watching from the ground for a bit, I hurried on toward the palace again. Delivering the gifts was the priority, or the takeout would get cold and not taste as good.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 61 - Destined Meeting

    "Cyra! Look what I''ve brought for you!"


    I gently knocked on her door after landing right outside her room. But there was no response even after waiting for a while.


    Was she asleep or not even in her room?


    I lightly turned the door knob and it opened easily. The room was empty without a shadow. It looked like I missed her again. With one wing half bald, where could she go?


    Since she couldn''t fly, she must still be somewhere in the Tivi Palace.


    I decided to go look for her. There were only so many places she frequented in the palace - the training grounds, our rooms, the housekeeping room, the throne room and the makeshift classroom.


    "What''s going on here?"


    As soon as I stepped into the throne room, I felt something was off. There were noticeably fewer angels than on my last visit. The two angels who usually stood behind the service counter were missing too.


    On closer look, they weren''t missing. Their heads were peeking out from behind the counter. Someone seemed to be crouching down there.


    Why were they sneakily hiding there?


    Curious, I went behind the counter to take a look. What I saw shocked me.


    The usually quiet and demure four-winged angels... plus another unfamiliar two-winged angel were sitting in a circle playing poker!


    "One pair of 2!"


    "Four Ks!"


    "Haha! Bet you didn''t expect this.!"


    "No way! We''re on the same team. Why did you bomb me?"


    "Huh? I thought you were both landlords... I''m so confused who''s who."


    "She''s the landlord! We''ve been playing for so long and you still don''t get it. We peasants have to team up and take down the landlord!"


    "Oh, I see... Sorry about that..."


    "Do you guys even know what landlord and peasants mean?"


    I couldn''t help but retort. Seeing this, Cyra immediately came to mind. I didn''t expect her to move so quickly, teaching Norma and even the front desk angels.


    "Ah! How may I help you?"


    The three angels were so absorbed in their game that they didn''t notice me. When they heard my voice, they jumped in shock. Recognizing me, they heaved a sigh of relief.


    "It''s just Feliciana. Don''t scare us like that!"


    Gwen, the four-winged angel I often saw, clutched her chest and complained.


    "Yeah, this round doesn''t count!"


    The other four-winged angel, Juliet, completely ignored me and was eager to restart the game.


    "Come on, let''s continue! I have to get good cards and be the landlord this time."


    "As if! If you''re landlord we''ll take you down!"


    Hearing this, Gwen immediately taunted her, seemingly unhappy with her poker skills.


    "Yeah, take you down!"If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The two-winged angel I didn''t recognize had just started playing recently, pulled in by them.


    "What does ''take you down'' mean?"


    I was confused by their crass language so different from their usual behaviour. Since when did angels use such expletives?


    "Oh, Cyra told us we must say this to the landlord player. It makes the game more ceremonious."


    Gwen turned and earnestly explained to me.


    "I can''t believe the nonsense she taught them!"


    Swearing was one thing, but also gambling. She had gone too far. Seeing the stacks of silvers on the floor shocked me even more.


    "You''re gambling too?!"


    "What''s the big deal with some friendly bets? We do it all the time! Like today I bet 50 sila on Phoebe to win the magic competition."


    Juliet dismissed my concerns casually.


    "Cyra said playing cards is more fun with real bets. She was right! We just can''t stop now."


    Gwen nodded vigorously in agreement.


    "You bet on Phoebe?"


    The two-winged angel was still innocent, her attention still on the competition bets.


    "I picked Aria. I bet all 20 of my silver on her since we were in the same new angel batch. I have to support her..."


    "Congrats, you''re now a true peasant - farmer!"


    I sighed and gently patted her shoulder, not bothering to explain further. Then I continued asking,


    "Where''s Cyra now? I need to find her."


    "Should be in the housekeeping room."


    Gwen tilted her head trying to recall.


    "She just went there with Norma, talking about some new game called Mahjong. They''re looking for materials."


    "Oh no, that''s my invention!"


    Hearing that I panicked immediately, rushing straight for the housekeeping room. How dare she plagiarize my ideas!


    It had only been a day since the last visit due to Reed absorbing all the light elementals. It had recovered decently now.


    When I reached the room entrance, the door was slightly ajar. I could vaguely hear voices coming from within.


    "Norma, isn''t Mahjong I invented fun?"


    "I have to admit, you''ve impressed me..."


    That was Norma''s voice, though it sounded a bit off near the end.


    "I was so blind before. You''re so talented! These recreational games you created are so interesting."


    "Haha! Being able to see my strengths means we have fate together!"


    "What does ''have fate'' mean?"


    "It means we need to communicate more deeply!"


    "I see..."


    "Norma..."


    Bang!


    I pushed the door open. As expected, the first thing I saw was Cyra with her arm around Norma''s shoulder, up to no good as before.


    Seriously! Can''t you two be less cliche?


    And Norma... I''m too embarrassed to say it... How did she suddenly become so silly? One Mahjong game and she''s completely enthralled. Isn''t that too cheap?


    "Crap! Feliciana why are you here?"


    Cyra''s actions were interrupted by my sudden entrance. She jumped in shock. Seeing it was me, she quickly released Norma and pulled me outside, closing the door again.


    "Don''t worry, I didn''t mean to disturb you two..."


    I sighed helplessly and handed her the takeout I brought.


    "I got this to make up for plucking your feathers. Sorry about that."


    "You''re too kind! You already apologized so I forgave you long ago."


    Though she said that, her hands obediently accepted the gift and peeked inside.


    "Ooh, my favourites! Roast duck leg and chicken wings!"


    "Goose wings!"


    I couldn''t help but correct her.


    "Whatever, food heals!"


    For once we agreed on something. She shamelessly hugged the food in her arms.


    "Thanks, just seeing this made me hungry. I can share it with Norma too."


    "Are you sure you like her?"


    I had to ask. It was obvious Cyra was just playing with girls for fun.


    "Isn''t that unhealthy?"


    When we first arrived in Edenmere, she used similar tricks on me. It seemed like leading the other party on.


    "Don''t worry! This is common in Edenmere since we''re all girls. Just some fun flirting, no big deal!"


    Cyra lectured me like a seasoned veteran. She had done this a lot, just that Norma didn''t fall for it before.


    "You do know you''re a girl now right? Just having fun?"


    I couldn''t help but retort some more.


    "What, find a guy instead?"


    She rolled her eyes at me, arguing righteously.


    "I''m not gay! I have standards!"


    "You..."


    I was at a loss for words, realizing I had no right to dictate her lifestyle. I could only drop the matter.


    "Trust me, I know my limits!"


    Not wanting to discuss further, Cyra dashed back into the housekeeping room. But suddenly a cry came from within!


    "What the! Where is she?"


    "Huh?"


    I was shocked. I hurried in and found only Cyra and myself¡ªno one else.


    "Did she fly away?"


    It was possible. Embarrassed at being caught, Norma may have escaped through the window.


    If so, then I unintentionally ruined someone''s good time. Another crime was made.


    "It''s all your fault! I almost had her!"


    As expected, Cyra complained angrily and plopped down on a chair. She even forgot about the duck and goose she was holding.


    "I''m sorry!"


    I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry and could only apologize profusely. I just wanted to deliver a gift, how did it get so complicated...


    Not long after returning to my room, Nicola rushed in looking for me frantically.


    "Where have you been? I''ve been looking everywhere for you!"


    "I should be asking you that! After leaving the main arena, I waited a long time but didn''t see you. Where were you?"


    I retorted. How dare she shift the blame when she was the one who disappeared!


    "So we missed it? I wanted to see your match and got lost..."


    Hearing that, she froze and quickly asked again.


    "Never mind that for now. How were your results?"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 62 - Leaving Soon?

    "Second place!"


    I happily made a V sign with my fingers to indicate the double meaning.


    "Doesn''t that mean you ranked even higher than me?"


    Nicola looked a little upset, but still sincerely congratulated me.


    "Congratulations. I only got third place..."


    "I already heard about the swordsmanship competition from Aetina. You made a scene!"


    Just thinking about it made me want to admonish her for not keeping a low profile! But then I remembered she''s always been arrogant like this. Asking her to change probably wouldn''t work, so I just asked,


    "Are you going to participate in the upcoming events? I remember there''s still a comprehensive combat competition after the flying competition..."


    "I''m not going!"


    To my surprise, Nicola chose to give up.


    "For angels, the comprehensive competition just adds some magic to the swordsmanship competition. Since I don''t use magic, there''s no point in participating in repetitive events."


    Well, she had a point. But I could still sense her disappointment over losing the finals.


    Getting third place was decent, but it meant truly conceding defeat to the two eight-winged angels winning her. Not even her run-in with Michelle was this humiliating.


    Hopefully, Nicola can learn from this experience and rein in her arrogance. She was too conceited before.


    "Oh right, I stopped by Reed''s place on the way here."


    As Nicola was leaving, she suddenly remembered to tell me,


    "She''s moved to the northern forest now. It''s secluded there, perfect for her experiments."


    "That''s great! Keep at it, you can do it!"


    I wasn''t sure why she was telling me this. Did she want me to pass it along to Cyra?


    "Reed said at this rate, the experiment could be done in a few more days..."


    Nicola hesitantly conveyed the news to me.


    "So get ready!"


    "Done? Get ready?"


    I was puzzled as Nicola disappeared out the door. Could she be talking about the hydrogen bomb being completed soon? That would be a big deal! After all, we can''t detonate it here in Edenmere. But we also can''t just leave it after it''s completed, right?


    So by telling me this, did Nicola mean it was time to consider leaving Edenmere and taking the hydrogen bomb to the outside world?


    Suddenly I felt conflicted. It wasn''t that I didn''t want to leave, just that it felt like there were still many unfinished things here - Aetina''s lessons, Cyra''s promotion, and more...


    The next day during lunch break,


    "Feliciana, I saw a six-winged angel asking about your room in the Throne Hall just now..."


    Cyra stood at the edge of the training grounds in Tivi Palace and called out to me. But she was suddenly interrupted by a beam of light shooting down from the sky, scaring her immensely.


    "What the hell was that spell?"


    "Lost Paradise Shockwave! What do you think? It''s a spell I just learned during yesterday''s competition."


    I proudly answered, very satisfied with my practice over the last few attempts. My casting speed improved again today.


    "Awesome! That''s the high-level spell you used in the competition, right?"


    She looked at me with great envy.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Half a book''s worth of spell incantations, and you can already cast it so quickly."


    "Well, it''s not bad I guess. Though I didn''t chant anything - Phoebe can cast it pretty fast, in under half a minute."


    Not sure if she knew who that was, I added,


    "The magic competition champion. I learned it from her."


    "I know. You and Teacher Aetina have mentioned her name many times this morning already."


    Cyra said with a snort, even deliberately repeating it mockingly a few times.


    "Phoebe has practiced for many years to simplify her incantations. And you just straight up copied her technique and used it even better than her..."


    "Hey, even if you say that, I don''t know how I was able to do that either!"


    I awkwardly tried to defend myself.


    "I just feel chantless magic suits me better. If you''re interested, I can teach you the spell too."


    "No need. I''ve tried it already!"


    Cyra shrugged and declined my good intentions.


    "It''s too difficult for me to learn such high-level spells. I''m not a freak like you who can instantly use it after just seeing it once. Plus, the Teacher said from the start that it''s because you have a greater innate talent for elemental control. I definitely can''t learn this!"


    "Anyway, you should hurry to the Throne Hall. Someone might come looking for you in your room soon if you''re not there."


    "Huh? Who is it? Do you know them?"


    I was totally confused, only just recalling the reason she came to find me.


    "Don''t know them, but they looked a bit familiar... like I''ve seen them somewhere before..."


    After thinking about it briefly, Cyra shook her head.


    "Oh..."


    I murmured, full of questions as I left the training grounds.


    The walk was quiet. When I arrived at the Throne Hall, no one seemed to be asking about me.


    But Gwen and Juliet were there bored as usual, secretly playing cards behind the service counter.


    "Four Aces! You guys should fold."


    "Then I''ll go with a 2. You should still fold, right?"


    "And an 8... Haha, I win! Pay up, pay up!"


    This was...


    Unexpected. Instead of the two-winged angel I met yesterday, the one playing cards with them today was none other than our old friend - the third-place winner of the magic competition, Aria!


    "What are you doing here?"


    I was very surprised. After hearing about her genius status at Aetina''s place yesterday, I thought she was mysterious and low-key. But seeing her again in this situation...


    "What, I can''t come here?"


    Hearing me, Aria looked up. Seeing it was me, she immediately gathered up the pile of silvers she had won and stood up.


    "I frequented Tivi Palace a lot before you two were born, you know."


    For some reason, her tone today was very blunt, clearly carrying a hint of displeasure.


    "I didn''t mean it that way, you misunderstood!"


    I quickly clarified,


    "It''s just that I heard there was a flying competition this morning! So I was completely surprised to see you playing cards here."


    "The flying competition ended in the morning. My results were decent."


    Aria brushed it off indifferently as if she didn''t care much. Instead, she asked about me,


    "But you did so well in the magic competition. Why aren''t you participating in the other events? You skipped the sword competitions yesterday too."


    "Because I''m no good at sword..."


    I hurriedly explained,


    "I only know some magic really, I''m not good at competitions involving direct combat."


    "But you registered for the sword competition too, didn''t you? So why didn''t you participate in the finals and choose the magic competition instead?"


    I suddenly recalled this point. Aetina had mentioned she was decent at swordplay, so making the finals shouldn''t have been too difficult. Even if the schedules conflicted, wouldn''t it make more sense to skip the magic competition?


    "You didn''t know? I ran into the eventual champion in the very first qualifier and lost miserably. So I naturally only had one choice left..."


    Aria sighed and answered, giving me a look as she spoke.


    "Only to lose to you again in the magic competition."


    "But I only got second place. I lost to Phoebe too..."


    Seeing her dissatisfied expression, I truly found it baffling. Weren''t we supposed to focus on participation?


    "Phoebe''s situation was different... Forget it, let''s not talk about the competition for now..."


    Aria stopped herself and suddenly looked rather interested as she picked out a Joker card from the deck,


    "So these are called playing cards? The rules are quite simple and it doesn''t seem hard to win. But I''ve never seen them before, so it''s impressive someone could come up with this..."


    "Who invented them?"


    She asked Gwen and Juliet beside her.


    "Who else but Cyra! A newborn angel."


    Gwen didn''t seem too happy after losing quite a bit today.


    "A newborn angel?"


    Aria''s eyebrows twitched slightly.


    "Not another one who came with Feliciana?"


    "Yup, you got it right!"


    Juliet readily agreed.


    "There are many other ways to use these cards, but they''re relatively more complex. So we''ve only learned the simpler ones..."


    "Is that so?"


    Hearing this, Aria immediately glanced my way again.


    There she goes again! It was the same when she heard others talking about Reed yesterday. I don''t get it. Is it jealousy?


    "It''s just a recreational game, nothing impressive. Especially since Cyra only has two wings. "


    I could only state the facts. Reed was one thing, but I didn''t see what was so enviable about Cyra.


    "Reed should only have two wings too, right? Neither has a high status, yet they often come up with interesting inventions."


    Juliet, why are you making things worse? And exaggerating on top of that!


    "Norma said the mahjong Cyra recently invented is even more fun since four can play together."


    "Mahjong is mi--"


    I stopped myself in time. Changing the topic, I asked,


    "I heard someone was looking for me. Do you know who it was?"


    "Me!"


    Aria immediately spoke up from the side.


    "Huh? Why were you looking for me? Is something the matter?"


    Up until now I still thought she was only here to play cards! So this was her real purpose all along.


    "Of course, there''s a matter!"


    Aria nodded and got straight to the point.


    "We were in different groups yesterday so I didn''t know at the time. After asking the judges, I learned you could cast ''Lost Paradise Shockwave'' without chanting in such a short time. So I came to learn from you!"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 63: Classroom Inspection

    "Wow! So powerful?"


    Before I could say anything, Juliet and Gwen were the first to exclaim.


    "I heard the ''Lost Paradise Shockwave'' is one of the most powerful high-level magic!"


    "Yeah, not many angels can use it, right?"


    "....Really?"


    As they discussed among themselves, I suddenly realized I had struck it big. I had somehow learned such a powerful spell just by chance. A miracle?


    "You don''t even know what magic you''re using?"


    Aria had a mocking expression on her face.


    "Uh..."


    I didn''t know! Of course, she didn''t know I had just learned this spell, she probably thought I was pretending.


    "Why are you so insistent on learning this magic from me?"


    I still didn''t quite understand. If it was really that simple, then I didn''t mind teaching her.


    "It''s not about learning magic, it''s about learning your method of being able to cast spells quickly without incantations. "


    Aria corrected me word for word.


    "Method? There''s nothing special about my method!"


    Incantations help control the elements, this is basic knowledge that I''m sure all angels understand. All I did was skip the incantation and directly control the element, no different than normal spellcasting without incantations. There is no special method at all!


    The incantations can be simplified, but element control cannot be simplified. The only difference is that controlling the elements is easier for some people than others.


    "That can''t be. I can''t cast spells like you can. You must have some secret trick!"


    But she did not believe my words.


    I suddenly understood. She must think I was using some kind of cheating tool like Phoebe''s magic circle.


    "You''re overthinking it, I don''t have any tricks!!"


    I stated clearly once again. To be honest I felt very depressed. It was bad enough that Phoebe got first place by cheating, now I was being suspected along with her.


    "I think you just don''t want to share it!"


    She didn''t believe me at all. With a cold snort, she turned and left in a huff.


    "I reckon this is another one of Reed''s tricks. I''ll just go ask her directly."


    "Huh?"


    I was surprised she associated this with Reed. I wanted to stop her, but then I realized it didn''t matter. She wouldn''t find out anything anyway, plus Reed had moved out of the library yesterday. I didn''t even know her new location, there was no guarantee Aria could find her.


    "If you have a trick, you could teach me too, right?"


    Seeing Aria leave, Juliet also wrongly assumed I had a secret. She offered,


    "Don''t worry! I absolutely won''t tell anyone else."


    "Don''t listen to her nonsense! There''s nothing!"


    I was exasperated. Why did they both think I was hiding something?


    A few more days passed after that. If you didn''t pay attention to the tournament, life was back to how it was before.


    "The basic knowledge from the memory infusion is all covered now, much faster than expected..."


    Aetina breathed a sigh of relief and told us,


    "But as Lady Elara requested, there are still some important things I need to teach you, like the light-based healing spells unique to the angel race..."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Wait!"


    Cyra seemed to notice a problem. She raised her hand and asked,


    "Are you sure all the missing content from the memory infusion is covered?"


    "Yes...did I miss something?"


    Aetina was stunned for a moment, then quickly took out her notebook to double-check.


    "It looks fine!"


    "Are you sure nothing about weapon crafting methods is missing?"


    Seeing her reaction, Cyra didn''t seem so certain anymore, but still prompted,


    "Weapon crafting methods? There''s stuff like that in the memory infusion too, how did I not know?"


    Aetina had a blank look on her face. It was pretty amusing.


    "Are you talking about Nicola''s Condensation Sword?"


    I understood immediately and got right to the point. No more beating around the bush (¡¨''¨Œ''¡¨)


    "Condensation Sword? What is that?"


    Aetina had never seen the Condensation Sword, so it was normal she didn''t know. But Cyra and I knew something was off.


    From my perspective, the Condensation Sword was likely related to Nicola''s time manipulation ability. But Cyra didn''t know that.


    Plus, Nicola had mentioned many times that she learned how to craft the Condensation Sword during the memory infusion period. It seemed very strange. Why was she the only one given special treatment?


    Did she pay extra in her past life?


    Or was the Angel Descent Formation related to time manipulation?


    No...that''s not right. It''s more appropriate to associate it with spatial control.


    After hearing our description, Aetina was completely confused. It took her a while to recover.


    "Although the specific content of the memory infusion can be modified to a certain extent, the method is only known by Lady Elara. It normally would not leak out."


    Since Nicola wasn''t in class today, we couldn''t ask her directly. Aetina could only tell us what she knew.


    "Besides, I''ve never heard of this ''Condensation Sword'' you mentioned. If it''s that powerful, and newborn angels could make it anytime, our race wouldn''t be in such dire straits."


    "So what exactly is going on? Is Nicola deceiving us?"


    Cyra had a disappointed expression. Did she think learning this would make her as awesome as Nicola?


    "She''s not deceiving us, there are probably other reasons..."


    I naturally did not want to reveal certain secrets outright. But even so, there were still many questionable points.


    "We''ll have to get Nicola to show it to us next time we see her."


    Aetina was also intrigued and very much wanted to see this alleged "cheat weapon."


    After that, the class continued as usual.


    "Due to the angels'' physique, the water-based healing spells humans use are not very effective on angel bodies. If injuries are not healed promptly it can be troublesome. This is when the light-based healing spells unique to our race come in handy..."


    "Cyra, are you okay? Stomach upset?"


    I wasn''t seeing things right? This girl was normally lazy, slouching so far down in her chair she was practically lying down. Why did she suddenly sit up straight?


    "Shhh..."


    Cyra didn''t even turn to look at me, staring fixedly ahead at Aetina''s teaching. She whispered,


    "Elara is here!"


    "Elara?"


    I immediately realized what was going on. Her reaction was similar to when the homeroom teacher did inspections back in school.


    Strangely, I did not see any sign of Elara at the door. Did Cyra get it wrong? She was acting like she had been bitten by a snake and was now afraid of ropes.


    Speaking of which, since Nicola and I started attending class, we rarely saw Elara come during lessons. I didn''t think much of it, but Cyra was always high-strung as if the slightest inattentiveness would give Elara an excuse to pick on her.


    I understood her mentality. According to rumours, she used to be reprimanded by Elara frequently before we came to Edenmere. Although the situation improved greatly afterwards, her rank and achievements were below Nicola and me. Among the four transmigrators, only she remained stagnant, her growth no different than an average angel''s. Even Aetina was relatively stricter with her.


    "The other side!"


    Seeing me keep staring at the door, Cyra whispered again to remind me.


    "The other side?"


    The only thing on the other side was the window, and we were on the third floor...


    Although confused, I still turned to look out the window. I was shocked by what I saw.


    "Oh my god ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥¡ã;)¤Ã! What the heck?"


    I was so frightened I stood right up from my seat by the window. Don''t know when it started, but a face appeared in the corner of the window. With one look I could tell it was Elara.


    Heavens! As clan leader, why are you hiding in a place like this? It scares people...


    "Oh, I''ve been found out!"


    Seeing my reaction, Elara knew she couldn''t hide anymore. She mischievously stuck out her tongue, then reluctantly flew in through the window. The oblivious Aetina heard the noise and quickly bowed down on one knee.


    "No need to be so formal, I just happened to pass by to check in..."


    Once inside the room, Elara''s aura immediately became powerful, as if her previous mischievous actions had nothing to do with her. Then her gaze returned to me.


    "Of course, I''m also here to find Feliciana for something."


    "Find me?"


    I pointed at myself, confused as to why she would personally come here for me.


    "Come with me to the office first..."


    After saying that to me, Elara didn''t elaborate further. She simply walked out the door, leaving me and Cyra staring at each other.


    "The teacher wants to see you, hurry up and go!"


    Cyra looked at me gloatingly and urged me to hurry. But then Elara''s head suddenly poked in from outside the door again.


    "Cyra, you still haven''t ranked up right? I haven''t forgotten our four wings pact..."


    "Ah! Don''t worry, I''ll work hard!"


    You could see Cyra''s whole body tremble. Without even turning her head back she quickly asserted loudly.


    "Why must you say more...there''s no need for that..."


    I sighed inwardly, feeling I couldn''t bear to watch. I was also puzzled. Over the past half month, I have observed Cyra''s learning closely. She was much more diligent than before, yet her abilities had not improved at all. There was still no sign of her getting four wings, and we couldn''t wait much longer...


    Thinking of Nicola''s reminder, I felt our departure date drawing nearer day by day. I wasn''t worried about Reed at all, but what if Cyra still couldn''t rank up when the time came? Were we supposed to just leave her behind in Edenmere?

 Vol 3/ Chapter 64: Extra Reward

    The sense of urgency now forced me to face this issue, but I still couldn''t find an effective solution.


    "What''s the matter?"


    I followed behind Elara in silence all the way, and finally couldn''t help but ask.


    "It''s not a big deal, I''ll tell you when we get to my office!"


    Her voice sounded very relaxed, which allowed me to put my heart down for the moment.


    I heard about Elara''s office for the first time. But on second thought, it made sense that the ruler of a country would need an office.


    "We''re here!"


    Before long we stopped in front of a set of doors. Elara opened her arms and pushed open the doors, walking in first.


    Inside was a luxurious office as expected. The extravagant interior design, spacious desk, exquisite and comfortable chairs, and a sofa next to it for resting and receiving guests.


    "I''ve heard about your and Nicola''s performance at the martial arts tournament..."


    After entering, she didn''t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.


    "So what do you mean?"


    I immediately understood when I heard that, but it seemed a bit too much to call me here for such a small matter!


    I thought we did quite well in the competition, but if Elara wanted to give some extra rewards, why did she only call me and not Nicola?


    "Let''s talk about Nicola first..."


    Elara didn''t answer my question directly, but stared at me and asked instead.


    "Why didn''t you tell me earlier that she can manipulate wind elements?"


    "Well..."


    I was startled and broke into a cold sweat. Crap! It turned out she didn''t call me for a reward, but to interrogate me!


    "Because you didn''t ask!"


    I answered guiltily, not knowing if I was digging my own grave, but I simply couldn''t come up with a better response on the spot.


    "You don''t need to report it if I don''t ask?"


    As expected, Elara didn''t buy my crap at all, her voice suddenly rose.


    "Do you know how I felt when I received the report saying Nicola exhibited signs of powerful battle qi during the competition? And then when I asked Aetina and she told me it was wind element magic, how did I feel?"


    "Is there a difference?"


    I was confused and stared blankly for a long time before asking.


    "Of course, there''s a difference! The battle qi are much more powerful than elements."


    Elara sighed and explained.


    "Do you know why humans are generally less talented than angels, but many can still reach the 7th order and above in top combat strength?"


    "Isn''t it because there are more humans?"


    After another long pause, I explained just in case she didn''t understand.


    "Because there are so many humans, it''s possible for some outliers with solid talents to appear, right?"


    "Uh... that''s not the reason I''m talking about."


    Elara suddenly realized she seemed to have been led off track and quickly pulled it back to the main topic.


    "Many 7th order and above humans don''t know any magic at all. They can rank among top experts relying solely on pure martial arts skills. A big contributing factor is the existence of battle qi..."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "So what exactly is this battle qi?"


    Only then did I realize battle qi was much more powerful than I imagined, yet it seemed no one ever mentioned it back in the human world.


    "I don''t know either, I just know battle qi is completely different from normal elements, it doesn''t exhibit any elemental characteristics."


    Elara was in no hurry and slowly explained to me.


    "It''s generally believed to exist only in humans practicing martial arts with no magic affinity. But even so, those who can awaken battle qi are few. However, once awakened, they will usually grow to become top experts on the continent, as long as they don''t die prematurely."


    "Isn''t that ridiculously overpowered?"


    It was just like those martial arts novels where the MC starts with a top-tier secret manual, equivalent to a maxed-out talent of 999 and top skills. Just stay alive and you''ll be invincible.


    "So you understand how I felt when I learned Nicola might have battle qi? Although in theory angels can''t awaken battle qi, you newborn angels often defy common sense, so there was still hope..."


    She sighed deeply.


    "But in the end, it was just a false alarm. Turns out Nicola was using wind element magic to cheat, which disappointed me greatly."


    "Maybe she wasn''t cheating..."


    I thought about it and spoke up for Nicola.


    "She''s always been unwilling to learn magic, so she probably didn''t spend time on wind magic either. I think it was mostly the result of directly manipulating wind elements."


    "Directly manipulating wind elements? Aetina seems to have mentioned it too, but can angels reach that level..."


    Hearing this, Elara fell into thought but didn''t believe it.


    "Forget it, put Nicola aside. Tell me about you!"


    She gave up and switched topics decisively.


    "First of all, congratulations on getting second place in the magic competition, especially with Phoebe using special methods to get first place."


    "It''s not that big of a deal, and it was many days ago already..."


    I scratched my head, not knowing where to look, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.


    "Of course, I called you here today mainly because of this."


    Elara didn''t care and just kept talking.


    "You should know, that no angel in Edemere can cast ''Lost Paradise Shockwave'' without chanting, so after careful consideration, I decided to give you an extra reward."


    An extra reward?


    This was a pleasant surprise. Up until now, I thought my hopes were shattered, but the reward suddenly came back!


    So what exactly is the reward? Like a weapon for the swordsmanship competition, or armour or a magic staff? It would be best if it was a storage ring...


    While I was daydreaming, I saw her stand up and walk to the wall behind her.


    I don''t know which mechanism Elara touched, but a hidden compartment suddenly appeared on the wall. From afar, it looked like there were several angel figurines inside.


    "Here, this is for you!"


    After hesitating in front of the hidden compartment for a while, Elara selected one of the winged angel figurines and handed it to me.


    "This is..."


    I turned the figurine over and over in my hand for a long time before finally concluding - it was just an angel action figure!


    Although I didn''t know what material it was made of, I could see that it was a poorly crafted figure. I couldn''t even make out what the face looked like! If this was sold on Earth, it would be considered a cheap knockoff product.


    "What is this? A trophy?"


    I couldn''t help but ask. If Elara was going easy on me and giving me a trophy as encouragement, I could only accept it.


    But could the quality be a little better? At least it could be worth some money if I tried to resell it.


    "Do you know source magic?"


    She smiled and asked me instead.


    "What? This thing is related to source magic?"


    Elara''s words gave me a shock comparable to a bolt from the blue. Even magic needs a grimoire, right? What''s the point of giving a figure?


    "Take it and study it slowly. If your talent can reach the level of using source magic, you''ll understand eventually."


    With that said, she waved her hand to indicate I could leave.


    Just then, hurried knocks suddenly came from the door. Someone was anxiously waiting outside.


    "Come in!"


    Elara sat back at her desk and yelled at the door.


    "Elara, urgent news!"


    The one who entered was an unfamiliar six-winged angel. Seeing there were others in the room, she glanced at me hurriedly, didn''t even kneel, and just handed over the documents.


    "What happened?"


    Not only Elara but also I could see this angel had an extremely anxious look.


    I suddenly had a feeling something must have happened again.


    "Just now a message came from the angel legions stationed in the outside world. The decapitation target they''ve been waiting for with the allied forces of the Astralrealm Kingdom finally appeared after being late for many days!"


    "Michelle?"


    I immediately realized who she was talking about. Although Elara and the others initially determined the mysterious person (future Nicola) could only teleport Michelle within a few days, they still waited patiently for over half a month, which exceeded my expectations.


    But it was good they finally succeeded in waiting for her, otherwise I wouldn''t know how to explain it.


    "You are?"


    Hearing me speak, the messenger couldn''t help but turn to look at me questioningly.


    "She''s Feliciana who provided the intel this time. What''s the situation with the battle now?"


    Without even lifting her head from the report, Elara told her to continue.


    "The target matches the intel. She did appear with serious injuries. As planned, our side launched a full offensive shortly after the target suddenly materialized. The result is..."


    "What''s the result?"


    Seeing the six-winged angel''s hesitant look, I anxiously asked again. Did something happen?


    To be honest, I had foreseen this kind of outcome already! We know the future twelve-winged Nicola mentioned we''ll encounter Michelle again in the future, so there''s no way she could be eliminated so easily.


    Unfortunately, those high-ranking angels didn''t listen to my advice at the welcome banquet and insisted on carrying out this decapitation operation.


    "The result was the target didn''t resist the fierce siege at all and died on the spot, destroyed..."


    "What? No way?"


    What what what what! Why isn''t this following the plot?! I was dumbfounded. It didn''t go as planned!

 Vol 3/ Chapter 65 - The Amazing Switch

    How could Michelle just die like that?


    Future Nicola''s words should not be wrong if no observers appeared. Could she have remembered wrongly? But that''s unlikely...


    Of course, there''s another possibility - the future has changed. But that raises more questions and doubts about future Nicola''s credibility. After all, she implied that everything that happened during that time travel was predetermined and unchangeable without observers.


    Suddenly I thought of many things, but Elara looked puzzled by my reaction.


    "Don''t you think it''s good that the Flame God is dead? It''s safer for you and Nicola that way."


    "nothing."


    I quickly explained, afraid she might misunderstand.


    "I just...just find it hard to believe Michelle could be killed so easily. After all, she''s the Flame God in the demons'' eyes. Even if injured, she shouldn''t be so defenseless right?"


    "Oh? Is that so? What if Michelle''s injuries were much more severe than we thought?"


    Elara picked up the report again and asked the messenger angel. She wanted to see if there were any inconsistencies.


    "Did you investigate the scene? Were there any bodies left?"


    "Yes, that''s why I rushed back to report... According to later investigations, the target was mutilated beyond recognition due to the attacks. But after research, all agree the body doesn''t match an angel''s identity and absolutely cannot be an angel..."


    "Then what was it?"


    I didn''t understand. Although Michelle''s exact identity was a mystery, I did sense light elements from her before. But that completely disappeared after she unfolded her twelve wings, so it was a stretch to call her an angel.


    "It...it seems to be human!"


    The messenger angel sounded hesitant, but the next bit of information shocked me even more.


    "And a membership card from the Adventurers'' Guild with the name Blanche was found among the remains."


    "What???!!! How is that possible? How could it be her?"


    I was completely stunned. I didn''t expect this name to appear. Shouldn''t it have been Michelle who was beheaded? How did it become Blanche instead?


    "You know this Blanche?"


    Elara saw my reaction and curiously asked.


    "Yes, she''s a 5th-tier human martial fighter. She was with us humans when we were trapped in the Dark Continent. To escape smoothly, she betrayed and sold out her companions, but went the wrong way..."


    I had no reason to hide this past event, so I recounted it in full.


    "After returning to the Astral Realm Kingdom, I''d forgotten about her, thinking she was still stuck in the Dark Continent. I never imagined she would show up now."


    "From your words, could this Blanche have cooperated with the demons since she couldn''t return?"


    Elara pondered.


    "But even cooperating with the demons doesn''t explain why she would coincidentally appear where Michelle disappeared right?"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I couldn''t figure it out. After waiting so many days without a sign of Michelle, an unrelated outsider showed up instead. What exactly happened?


    For the angel legions and us, it seemed like half a month had passed. But for Michelle, the time she experienced should have been instantaneous. There was no chance for her to do anything.


    Although I haven''t personally experienced time travel, this much should make sense.


    It can''t be like Doraemon''s portrayal of time travel, where you still travel through a time tunnel to the future right? That''s too farfetched...


    But there is another possibility - that everyone guessed wrong. Future Nicola didn''t send Michelle to the future, but to the past instead?


    But that possibility should be low right? Because everyone knows what sending an enemy to the past implies - the risks are too great...


    "That''s true too... With the joint forces surrounding the scene, even if Blanche was highly skilled, it''d be impossible to come and go unseen, much less show up injured..."


    Elara shook her head, unable to answer my questions. But she suddenly thought of something and asked:


    "Could the body''s owner be the Michelle you met before? The ID card just happened to fall into her hands. Otherwise, what a coincidence that would be?"


    "That''s possible too..."


    This was also a reasonable explanation. After all, it was a stretch to confirm the identity based solely on an Adventurers'' Guild membership card.


    "What''s the current situation with the joint forces? Are they still stationed there?"


    Seeing I agreed with this view, Elara turned to ask the six-winged messenger angel.


    "The Astral Realm Kingdom forces believe they killed the wrong target, so plan to continue monitoring the area for some time. But the Second Legion''s leader Josie and Fourth Legion''s leader Jeanette insist the right target, Michelle, was killed! So they should withdraw their forces in the next couple of days. Serena of the First Legion expressed no opinion..."


    "I see."


    After hearing the report, Elara rubbed her forehead in frustration and said to me:


    "You should head back first. I''ll handle this matter."


    "Alright."


    I nodded although I still had many concerns. But staying would be useless. I could only leave it to the expert.


    Today, Cyra unusually flew off right after class without a word.


    "Hey! Why are you rushing off?"


    I called out to her.


    "I heard Reed''s hydrogen bomb is complete. Of course, I have to go see it. Aren''t you coming?"


    She turned and asked me midair.


    "Sure!"


    I quickly agreed, just remembering Nicola mentioned it yesterday when she returned. Cyra was also present then.


    "Even if it''s done, they can''t detonate it immediately, right? Why are you in such a hurry?"


    "A nuclear bomb! Aren''t you excited? We''ve never seen one for real on Earth."


    Cyra said matter-of-factly, looking like she could hardly wait. In a flash, she sped off into the distance.


    "At least wait for me!"


    I didn''t know the location of Reed''s new lab like she did. I could only hurry after her.


    I only knew Reed''s new lab had moved north of the city. But most of Edenmere outside the city was forest, so even knowing the general direction wouldn''t help.


    But with Cyra leading the way up front, things became much easier. After flying for about ten minutes, we finally landed at the foot of a mountain.


    "There''s a cave here?"


    I was quite surprised. It wasn''t visible from the sky, only noticeable on the ground.


    "Reed''s new assistant suggested the location. Otherwise, how could just the two of them find such a good spot?"


    Cyra explained.


    Indeed, the cave was surprisingly spacious inside, more than enough for a simple lab.


    "You''re here?"


    Before we even entered, Nicola came out to greet us.


    "You''re early!"


    "Of course, we rushed over right after class. How could we not be fast?"


    Cyra dashed excitedly into the cave, shouting loudly.


    "Reed! We''re here to see the hydrogen bomb! Show it to me quickly!"


    "What''s there to see? Didn''t you see it already?"


    Reed''s familiar, indifferent voice came from within. As I entered, I saw the interior was more "luxurious" than I imagined.


    First I noticed piles of books on the ground. Reed must have brought her collection from the library. There was also furniture like chairs and desks inside. But the one sitting wasn''t Reed, but an unfamiliar eight-winged angel.


    "Who''s she?"


    I was surprised. I thought only our transmigrated group would come here. I didn''t expect an uninvited guest.


    "Remember Elara said she would send an assistant to exchange magic array knowledge?"


    Nicola reminded me from behind.


    "That''s Mia. She''s the one who helped find this place too."


    "You''re Feliciana right?"


    Mia noticed our arrival and recognized me immediately.


    "I heard you were quite active in the recent tournament."


    Looks like news of my tournament results spread quickly, even to a place like this.


    "It wasn''t much! I only got second place for magic..."


    I gave my usual modest response I''d delivered countless times the past few days.


    "Mia, help return these books to the library. And borrow the ones on this list for me."


    Reed''s voice suddenly came from behind the piles. A slender hand reached out holding a note.


    "Got it."


    Mia was about to say more to me but had to quickly agree at Reed''s request. She took the note and books and headed out.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 66: Feasibility of Resisting a Nuclear Bomb with Physical Body

    "Sorry, you guys continue your discussion. I don''t understand all this stuff about ''hydrogen bombs'' and ''fusion'' and ''neutrons'' - it all sounds so amazing to me. I''ll just slip away for now."


    Mia turned back and gave me an apologetic smile, then flew straight out of the cave entrance.


    "Wasn''t she supposed to be here for an exchange? How did she end up becoming an assistant?"


    I was completely dumbfounded by this turn of events. The library staff Mona only had four wings, so it made some sense that she would help out with menial tasks. But for an esteemed eight-winged angel to willingly be ordered around was just absurd!


    "Well, she does need us, doesn''t she? Until my experiment here is complete, she has no choice but to help out first. And we do have a lot of odd jobs that need an extra hand now that we''ve moved here. Can''t expect Nicola to handle it all alone, right?"


    Reed emerged from behind a pile of books, casually tossing a gas collection sphere to Cyra.


    "Here, this is the thing you were pestering to see!"


    "It looks the same though. What''s the difference?"


    Cyra took it and peered at it for a few moments, immediately crying out in disappointment as it did not match her imagined appearance of a hydrogen bomb.


    "What were you expecting?"


    Reed didn''t even glance her way, asking flatly in response.


    "I already explained earlier that the mechanism behind a hydrogen bomb is quite simple. The real difficulty lies in achieving the conditions necessary for detonation. This apparatus is nothing more than a device for increasing pressure."


    "What about the remote detonation controls? I don''t see those anywhere!"


    Cyra refused to give up, pressing on with her questioning.


    "Hydrogen bombs need to have some kind of remote triggering device to set them off from a distance, right? How do you plan to handle that function? Don''t tell me you''re going to try controlling it with your mind or something?"


    Though it sounded a bit absurd, such mental remote control did not seem entirely impossible in this world.


    "There is no remote control function whatsoever."


    But Reed immediately shut down that notion, casually revealing her true intentions.


    "My original plan was to detonate it through direct operation at close range."


    "Huh? Say what?"


    "You can''t be serious!"


    I and Cyra could hardly believe our ears, shocked that we''d misheard something so outrageous.


    "If you detonate it up close like that, wouldn''t you be right at the epicentre of the blast?"


    Just to be safe, I had to confirm again. If I was guessing correctly, was Reed planning on physically withstanding a nuclear detonation?


    "That''s exactly what I intend to do!"


    But she didn''t hesitate for a moment, affirming very definitively.


    "Remote methods are possible but overly complicated. Plus many of the necessary materials are hard to obtain here in Edenmere, so direct detonation is the most straightforward way..."


    "But that''s no different than suicide bombing! Do you have a death wish?"


    Cyra interrupted to cut straight to the core issue. At least by our understanding, even as angels now, there was no way we could survive at the center of a nuclear blast.


    Moreover, judging by the weight of the gas collection sphere, if the hydrogen stored inside was successfully detonated, the yield would be far beyond that of a normal nuclear weapon. Even atomic bombs would seem like child''s play in comparison.


    "It seems like even now, you still don''t properly understand the nature of angels...or rather, the nature of the Light element!"  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Reed glanced at the three of us and suddenly sighed as if lamenting our ignorance.


    "Do you remember the lesson Aetina gave at the very beginning? About how to protect your wings..."


    "I know that one! I remember it very clearly from when she taught it the second time!"


    Cyra was quick to chime in with the answer.


    "It''s releasing a portion of the Light element from your body to cover your wings. That provides defence against elemental attacks."


    "Do you know why it has that defensive effect?"


    Reed immediately followed up with another question, and Cyra faltered.


    "Um...isn''t it because of magic?"


    "No, it is not!"


    Reed shook her head.


    "Whenever an angel uses magic, whether chanting or not, the Light element circulates in complex ways internally. But covering the wings only requires external release, with no relation to magic whatsoever."


    "So it''s because the Light element itself has defensive properties?"


    I joined in, as my battles during the tournament had given me some firsthand experience of the Light element''s protective effects.


    "Correct. It seems you noticed as well, Feliciana."


    Reed nodded approvingly at my input.


    "In truth, the Light element''s defensive capacity against other elements is far greater than we imagine. This very fact is why angels are immune to most magical attacks - because angel bodies are composed entirely of the Light element."


    "But still, that can''t possibly extend to withstanding a nuclear blast, right? For starters, angels'' immunity isn''t absolute. Atina did say they can''t defend against forbidden-tier magic..."


    I still couldn''t wrap my head around it. While I''d never seen what forbidden spells looked like, it seemed unlikely they could be much more powerful than a nuclear detonation, especially one of this magnitude.


    "The strength of the Light element''s defence depends mainly on its concentration - the higher the concentration, the greater the protection. And since angel bodies are already energy-made, their concentration is maximal."


    Rather than jumping straight to an explanation, Reed first provided some background context.


    "I''ve done experiments showing that the defence provided by releasing Light to cover the wings is generally between 50-70%. That is, any magical attack striking protected wings will have its power reduced by at least half. Meanwhile, the magic defence of the angel body itself can reach over 90%."


    "It''s really that strong?"


    I gasped. Although my battles with Michelle had impressed me regarding my magical resilience, hearing it quantified like this still seemed outrageous.


    Going by what I''d seen, the high-tier spell "Light''s Sanctum" probably only offered around 50% defence at best. But in light of this, that level of protection from a thin barrier was quite remarkable, given the broad area it covered. Likely boosted by magical enhancements.


    "Looks like I made the right call not learning magic after all. I''d just be at a complete disadvantage against angels otherwise."


    Nicola sounded quite relieved as if mocking my earlier encouragement for her to study magic.


    "Your opponents won''t necessarily always be angels. More skills can''t hurt, right?"


    I stood by my position. And learning magic didn''t have to only be for combat purposes.


    "Even with 90%, what does that have to do with withstanding a nuclear blast?"


    Cyra remained focused on the feasibility of physically resisting a nuke. Still unsatisfied, she kept pressing for answers.


    "By itself, even if only 10% of the power got through, an angel''s body clearly couldn''t withstand a nuke. But have you considered what would happen if you released another layer of Light to cover your body surface? Like this..."


    Rather than elaborate further, Reed opted for a live demonstration. I immediately noticed a thin layer of light enveloping her, similar to what I''d observed on Cyra''s wings before.


    "So basically a personal barrier?"


    Cyra immediately understood, even offering another suggestion with an excited clap.


    "Would be better to make it a sphere around you like in those anime shows - more efficient coverage with the curved surface."


    "Shaping it into a sphere would require magical arrays to control it. The released Light will dissipate uncontrollably otherwise, so it can only adhere directly to the skin."


    Reed took the time to explain seriously. To me, these were all very basic, commonsense facts that Cyra should know. Her nostalgic, old-fashioned "anime Otaku" thinking was getting the better of her and could be safely ignored.


    "It does seem a valid approach. And if one layer isn''t enough, you could just add more..."


    Meanwhile, Nicola lowered her head in contemplation. Observing closely, I could see a white glow now surrounding her as well, evidently testing it out personally.


    "Based on 50-70% defence from release...that would provide at least 50% * 90% = 45% protection..."


    Cyra gazed up at the cavern ceiling, beginning the mental calculations when her face suddenly blanked.


    "Wait, shouldn''t that be higher?"


    "Did you have gym teachers for math or something? How do you mess up such a simple problem!"


    I just couldn''t hold back any longer and gave a light knock to her head to correct her.


    "It''s 50% * 90% = 45%. Then add the 50%, totaling 95% defense! More layers would bring it close to 98%. Of course, these are just rough estimates - actual values will fluctuate."


    "Hey, don''t hit me like that, I''ll turn dumb!"


    Cyra yelped in pain, pitifully protesting my correction. I suddenly felt a twinge in my heart - how could I find her behaviour so adorably endearing?


    Strange...though Michelle''s face is identical to hers it never came across like this at all. Why so different on her?


    "This can certainly boost magical defence, but nuclear weapons aren''t magic, right?"


    Nicola, speaking up unusually, raised a pertinent question.


    "You''re correct, they are not. However, the angelic defence may not be limited solely to elemental effects. Supposedly it can completely nullify even non-elemental forces like battle qi of humans."


    Reed shared her hypothesis.


    "So I suspect the Light element protects against all energy-based attacks."


    "Are you certain?"


    I furrowed my brow slightly. Stakes were high on something like this. Making assessments based only on guess seemed far too risky with the possibility of being vaporized on the line.


    "Around 80% probability..."


    She hesitated briefly before providing another estimate.

 Vol 3/Chapter 67: Detonation Method

    "Strange. The teacher tells us to run away immediately if we see the forbidden spell, even though we could make up for the lack of magical defences by releasing light elements externally. Doesn''t she know about this method?" Cyra tilted her head, still not quite convinced.


    "Or maybe she just didn''t know this method?"


    "No way. With almost ten thousand years of history, how could angels not know about this? It''s just that this method consumes too much of one''s light element. Using it carelessly in battle without enough replenishment could lead to even bigger troubles." Nicola scoffed, having experienced the contamination of dark elves through the external release of light elements herself, she understood the direct consequences very clearly.


    "So you have to make it explode up close? When are you planning to do it?" I looked at the gas collection sphere in my hand and asked Reed. 80% was quite a high probability, but as long as it¡¯s less than 100%, I feel it''s still best not to try, after all, it''s life and death.


    Reed seemed a bit equivocal. She lowered her head in silence for a while, and her next words surprised everyone. "I can''t use just compression to do it. I plan to find another opportunity after we get to the outside world..."


    "Ha! Didn''t you say you were done? How come you still can''t detonate it?" Cyra reacted first. She had been looking forward to this day only to get disappointed.


    Even I felt it was too lame. So all that talk earlier about resisting nuclear explosions with our physical bodies was just pointless.


    "It is complete, just lacking one necessary condition!" Reed explained anxiously, seeing that we were all speaking up.


    "Although I''ve already absorbed as much light element from the surroundings as I can to convert into pressure, it''s still far from enough to reach the critical point for detonation, the amount of energy needed increases exponentially. Even if I drained all of Edenmere''s light element, it would be useless."


    "Then what''s your solution?" I understood this point. After all, hydrogen gas is nothing like deuterium and tritium, meeting the conditions for fusion is much more demanding. But since Reed said so, there must be another way to resolve it.


    "Temperature, of course." The other replied matter-of-factly.


    "The pressure inside this gas collection sphere is already very high, and the internal temperature has also risen a lot due to the increased pressure. But it''s still far from enough. So I re-engineered the light element isolation device to absorb external heat..."


    As she spoke, Reed took the gas collection sphere from me and opened it to reveal the pure black sphere suspended inside. The black sphere had been compressed to the size of a sesame seed and was barely visible without close observation.


    "Usually the light element isolation device reflects external light and absorbs internal light. That''s why you see a mirrored surface at the room entrance, and it''s pitch black inside. But this black sphere works the opposite - reflecting internally and absorbing externally. Also, by blending in the materialization effect of the Light Shield spell, no energy can escape from the inside. Now we just need to open this collection sphere and throw it into an ultra-high temperature environment, it will massively draw in external energy, and the inside will quickly reach the critical point of high temperature and pressure!"


    "By ''ultra-high temperature environment'' you just mean fire, right?" Cyra immediately understood after listening, coming over to Reed''s side to observe the compressed black sphere in her hand again, and tentatively asking.


    "So you mean it will explode if you just throw it into fire?"


    "It''s not that simple!" This time it was Nicola who answered. She had been working on this experiment together with Reed, so she knew some basics.


    "Although ordinary flames could theoretically work, it might take a very long time. It would be best to have an even higher temperature environment."


    In this world setting, something with ultra-high temperatures was not easy to find. The first thing I thought of was the smelters in the angel weapon shops in the city. The temperature inside the smelters was at least high enough to melt iron ore.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    But the problem was, getting a smelter would not be easy! First of all, they were not cheap. Of course, there were still ways. We could just walk into a weapon shop on the main street throw the gas collection sphere in and be done with it...


    Except the vast majority of creatures in this city were probably gone already (¨s¨Œ¨t)¨r.


    Also...


    "Aren''t you worried the magical formations will be destroyed by the high heat if you put it in?" I looked at the patterns on the inner wall of the gas collection sphere. This material shouldn''t be heat resistant, right?


    "The black core sphere itself already has the function of absorbing energy, so the materials making up the formations won''t be easily burnt away."


    Afraid we still didn''t quite understand just by listening, Nicola went out and gathered some tree branches to demonstrate making a fire on the spot.


    "Is...isn''t that dangerous? What if it detonates when heated up?" Cyra took a step back in fear as she saw this, instantly enveloping herself in white light.


    "You think it''s a firecracker or something?" Nicola glanced at her impatiently.


    "This little bit of energy is far from enough. And even if it did explode, with your speed, you definitely couldn''t fly out of the blast radius!"


    We watched as the gas collection sphere was thrown in, and all the surrounding flames were immediately sucked into the black core. And because the temperature was insufficient, the tree branches quickly stopped burning further.


    "So amazing!" This was the first time Cyra and I had witnessed such a scene with our own eyes. After squatting on the ground and staring for a long time, we fished out the ice-cold gas collection sphere from the extinguished firewood pile.


    "See? Ordinary flames are meaningless. We must find an extremely high-temperature environment, like inside a volcano... it could work too..." Reed also watched for a while, seeming to have some feelings as she murmured.


    "Hmm... just to be safe, an extra simple light element cover can be added too. It should be enough even at extremely high temperatures."


    "Awesome! How many functions does this have already? Is such a small magical formation enough?" I looked up in surprise at her words. With the area of magical formations on that inner wall, it was really hard to imagine she could integrate compression, energy absorption, and materialization of the Light Shield spell all into it. And now she wanted to add light element covering too. I had to admire her talent. No wonder even Phoebe came to her for magical formation engraving after hearing about it.


    "It''s enough! The truth is, I''m not that great. It''s just that there''s a lot of redundancy in common magical formation patterns, you know?" Reed looked at me. Then she went to the pile of books on the ground, took one out and threw it to me.


    "Take a look when you have time! This book talks about a lot of magical formation theory, quite reasonable. I was also inspired by many parts in it."


    "This is..." I took it and saw the title was Analysis of Magical Formation Patterns. It looked vaguely familiar but I couldn''t quite remember.


    The author''s name was also printed below the title:


    "Bezi Bennett? Is that an angel''s name?"


    "No, he was said to be a sage, but his theories don''t seem to be highly regarded in this world." Reed shook her head.


    "Is that so? What''s written inside..." I flipped open a page and glanced randomly. Most of it was arcane terminology, but I could vaguely understand some words and phrases.


    "The forked structures composed of the third class of materials each represent possibilities under certain conditions..."


    "Using circuits made of the thirteenth class of materials can achieve the purpose of storing elements. The storage capacity and types depend on the material''s affinity and quantity for the elements, and runes can also specify the storage amount within the material''s tolerance..."


    "The pathways formed by the second class of materials can achieve various magical effects according to the elemental flow of the magic..."


    "The nodes formed by materials of the twentieth to forty-fifth classes refer to the alterable count results of this type..."


    "It doesn''t seem comprehensible!" Not just me, even Cyra and Nicola cried out in surprise upon hearing this.


    "Remember what I said before? Magical formations are like automated devices on Earth, and the patterns on them correspond to automation programs. Although what''s written in this book is quite crude and hard for ordinary people to understand, for us transmigrators who have used computers, it should make a little more sense."


    Reed directly pointed out the key point without beating around the bush.


    "So I think these patterns represent something similar to code in computers."


    "Huh?"


    Not just me, even Cyra and Nicola cried out in surprise upon hearing this.


    I wouldn''t have thought of connecting magical formations to computers before, but after seeing the book and Reed''s explanation, I suddenly realized there were indeed some subtle connections and traces.


    For example, the "forked structures representing possibilities under certain conditions" described sounded a bit like the if conditional statements in programming code.


    And the "alterable count results" were even more obvious - clearly variables!


    "You can think of the patterns on magical formations as physical code. Although not as flexible and versatile as computer languages, just combining them simply can achieve many things not possible with magic alone."


    Reed took the book back from me and flipped to a page with a diagram, explaining:


    "Generally, a large branch pattern or rune area can achieve a relatively complex function. But after thousands of years of development, plus some magical formation creators not understanding the principles and just copying entire branches or sections, it evolved like computer code from low-level to high-level. So redundant, useless patterns gradually took up most of it, lowering the overall efficiency and increasing the size."

 Vol 3/ Chapter 68 - Magical Array as Code

    "So you can make such a small magical array because you removed the redundant patterns?"


    Cyra finally understood. Although she didn''t know much about programming, from using computers and phones, she had absorbed some related knowledge.


    "That''s right. Originally not many people in this world understood magical arrays, and the glyphs and patterns were too complex to analyze. So it was hard to optimize them," Reed explained.


    She picked up a small notebook on the table and showed it to us.


    "But we''re different. With computer languages as an example, we just need to translate the patterns and glyphs into computer code. That can greatly improve efficiency by avoiding redundant patterns. Recently, I''ve translated most of the patterns and glyphs into programming languages, including notes on what each pattern corresponds to. Generally speaking, as long as you know some basic programming, you can learn to create the most magical arrays!"


    "You can do that too?"


    We were all stunned, even Nicola who had been with her for a while didn''t know Reed had made such an amazing discovery.


    This wasn''t just teaching someone to fish, but giving them the whole fishing boat! As long as we memorized the contents of this little notebook, we could all become masters of magical arrays!


    However...


    "I don''t know programming, though I can interpret the Bible. It''s up to you, cheat master!"


    Cyra glanced at it briefly before losing interest and handing the notebook to Nicola beside her.


    "I''ve said many times I studied humanities, how could I possibly know programming!"


    Nicola took it without even looking and passed it to me.


    "Feliciana, you studied science, right? This should be useful for you, I''ll leave it to you!"


    "Who said everyone who studies science knows programming..."


    I smiled wryly and flipped through a few pages. Reed had indeed recorded everything in great detail, with syntax for each symbol and pattern based on her understanding. But as for programming, I was just a layman. Although I had self-studied for a while, I had to admit I was still far from proficient.


    "Weren''t you a physics major? How come you know programming?"


    Closing the notebook, I glanced sideways at Reed. Her programming skills must be quite good to reach this level.


    "I took an elective course in programming when in university. I felt computer science suited me well, but current programming doesn''t have much hope for strong artificial intelligence unless there are major hardware innovations. So in the end I chose physics."


    Reed''s answer nearly made me choke. So she had learned programming with strong artificial intelligence as the goal?


    She deserved to be called a genius. Compared to her, ordinary people like me could only consider practical factors like job prospects when choosing a major.


    "So it wasn''t a complete lie when you said before the hydrogen bomb was ready, since it just lacks one last step. We shouldn''t try that recklessly here in Edenmere, it will have to wait until we''re in the outside world."


    Seeing we had no interest in her "magical array code", Reed brought the topic back to the hydrogen bomb.


    "So when are we planning to set off?"


    I raised this question again. It was about time we left this place.


    "If all goes smoothly, we should be able to go next week. There are two main issues right now..."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Nicola jumped in at this point with a sigh. We all turned to look at her.


    "The first is that eight-winged angel Mia you met before. She''s an exchange delegate from Elara to learn the Angelic Descent Formation. When we go to the outside world, we''ll have to bring her along. "


    "No problem! I don''t plan to go back on my word anyway. After the hydrogen bomb test, I can research the Angelic Descent Formation with her. I''m quite interested in that ancient magical array."


    Reed breezily agreed. It seemed she was well prepared for how to deal with it.


    "The real trouble is the second issue, Cyra''s rank..."


    Nicola said with another sigh. At that point, all our eyes turned to Cyra.


    "Hey...don''t all look at me!"


    Caught in our gaze, Cyra shrank back awkwardly. Seeing there was no escape, she could only defend herself.


    "I really couldn''t help it! I tried my best but my wings just won''t increase..."


    "What exactly is the reason? Is some necessary condition lacking?"


    I knew she wasn''t making excuses. I hadn''t made nearly as much effort as her, yet accidentally reached six wings.


    "Maybe it is because she lacks combat experience?"


    Nicola glanced at Reed as she spoke. Since levelling up through fighting monsters was her promotion path, she wanted to ask the "expert''s" opinion.


    After all, in our minds, no matter what theory, principle or essential nature we encountered, Reed still had a say.


    "I''m not sure either. But based on your experiences, Feliciana probably hadn''t killed many magical creatures before her first promotion?"


    Reed shook her head, pointing out the difference. She then unfurled her pair of wings behind her.


    "Like Cyra, I still only have two wings. So the conditions for promotion aren''t as simple as being a transmigrator like we initially thought."


    "That''s right, you have two wings as well. How could Lady Elara agree to let you go to the outside world so readily?"


    Cyra reacted right away, feeling it was very unfair. I also just realized among the four of us there was another "low-rank" one.


    "What else could it be? Influence!"


    Nicola answered on her behalf.


    "Reed is different from Cyra. Her knowledge and inventions are useful to the angel clan, so she only needs to claim she''s going out to experiment. Lady Elara is quite easy to persuade. Of course, she wouldn''t let Reed go unsupervised, which is why Mia the eight-wing angel was sent as protector. Moreover, there are me and Feliciana, two six-wing angels, going together.


    "I see, if there was another Cyra, there would be one more person Lady Elara felt we''d have to look after. Without reaching four wings, she probably wouldn''t approve the trip easily..."


    Things seemed increasingly tricky to me. Were we relying on Cyra suddenly having a miraculous breakthrough? Even with divine intervention, the odds of her promotion in such a short period were tiny.


    "Then what is the reason? Why did you two get promotions so quickly?"


    Cyra now also realized the gravity of the problem and was getting anxious.


    "We''re the same transmigrators, so why is there such a huge difference!"


    Somehow I felt like I had heard these complaints somewhere before...


    "It might be related to their abilities," Reed mused after thinking for a while.


    "Based on what we know so far, the biggest difference between Nicola and us is her wind element power, and Feliciana is said to have an affinity with water as well. Neither Cyra nor I have shown any other elemental abilities so far..."


    "But what does that have to do with promotions?"


    I didn''t understand. If it was some special light elemental power it could maybe explain things since angels were light elemental beings.


    "Unclear, too little information."


    Reed could only shake her head again at that.


    "Right! Feliciana, even though you have water elemental affinity, why don''t you manipulate water like Nicola controls air? You play around with light magic even better than me!"


    Cyra looked at me strangely and said.


    "I can''t! I''ve never tried it before..."


    When it came to applying water elements, the first thing I thought of was water magic. But no one would use water magic here, so naturally I couldn''t have learned it.


    Besides, due to the absolute dominance of the light element, water was extremely scarce in the Edenmere environment. Usually, we only came into contact with water used for drinking, which was drawn bucket by bucket from wells. It honestly never occurred to me to experiment with directly manipulating those.


    "Well you can try now, there''s a small stream just outside the cave."


    Nicola pointed outside and suggested to me.


    "Oh, there''s even a stream here?"


    I was a bit surprised to hear that. It hadn''t rained once since I came to Edenmere.


    "It seems to only not rain in the city, maybe some magical cause. We''ve experienced rainfall several times since moving here with Reed."


    Nicola explained, already going toward the cave entrance and gesturing for me to follow.


    "Let''s go! We can observe your water abilities at the same time. Maybe we''ll get some useful information."


    Reed urged me as well.


    Although I felt awkward being put on the spot like this, I was also very curious about my so-called water powers. I could only comply and follow them out of the cave.


    "Remember, if my water abilities turn out to be weak, you''re not allowed to make fun of me!"


    I started feeling a bit nervous on the way, and could only warn them preemptively.


    "Don''t worry, other than light I can''t control anything either! If it is because of this, I want an extra elemental power too!"


    Cyra walked behind me, sounding a bit envious as she said that. Then she put her palms together and started praying.


    "May the Lord enlighten my prayerful heart, caress me with your hand, grant me the power to control wind element! No, please grant me fire elemental power instead, so I can make hand-thrown nuclear bombs!"


    "Pfft¡ª"


    I couldn''t help laughing. What kind of nonsense prayer was that! If there was a Lord, he would be pissed to death.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 69: The Law Between 6 and 9

    "We''re here," Nicola suddenly said in front. I could immediately feel the water elements in the surroundings increase greatly.


    "I didn''t expect there to be such a clear stream hidden in the Edenmere jungle. The water looks so clear!"


    As soon as Cyra reached the stream''s edge, she immediately took off her shoes, lifted her skirt, and stepped into it, beginning to play with the water.


    "Be careful, the current is a bit rough, don''t get washed away!"


    This scene of a beauty playing in the water looked quite pleasing to the eye, and even had the added effect of wings, simply gorgeous beyond compare. But I still stood on the shore and warned.


    "Don''t worry! Did you forget she can fly? No need to worry!"


    Nicola was watching with great interest on the shore. She even reached out and splashed some water on Cyra on purpose.


    "Hey hey hey! Even if I can fly, my feathers will be too wet to fly!"


    Cyra was caught off guard and got splashed quite a bit. Her two wings on her back flapped wildly as her whole body got half wet, instantly reminding me of a chicken tossed into the water.


    "Wife rebelled again! You think I don''t how to do it?"


    She certainly wasn''t willing to take this loss. She immediately screamed as she splashed creek water back.


    "Wah, you dare to fight back!"


    Nicola also didn''t expect her opponent to still have the courage to resist after having so many feathers plucked by her. Too late to dodge, she got splashed all over, and even I got caught in the crossfire next to her.


    "You two are adults already, how can you still be so childish!"


    I didn''t expect things to suddenly turn out this way. I yelled loudly for them to stop, but the response I got was a handful of cold water over my head.


    "Wahhhhh! Too much already, tiger no roar, you treat me like a sick cat is it?"


    I couldn''t care so much anymore either, just splashed back. Of course, that meant I naturally joined the fight.


    "...seems like you all forgot why we came here?"


    A voice suddenly came from above. The few of us were in the midst of intense battle, only to come to our senses now. Reed had noticed the situation was not good earlier and flown up into the sky first.


    "It''s all because of my wife! She started it!"


    Cyra was quick to tattle, standing in the middle of the creek pointing at Nicola and shouting. Right now, her whole body was completely soaked, especially the feathers on her back, continuously dripping water.


    "If you call me wife again, don''t blame me for plucking all your feathers out!"


    Hearing this, Nicola pretended to charge forward and threaten. Of course, she was still stuck on the shore blocked by the creek water.


    I don''t think it would make much difference even if she did charge in. After all, her whole body was just as soaked as Cyra''s.


    My situation wasn''t much better either. My upper body was drenched, back equally wet and soggy. My thick feathers were also not sure how long they''d take to dry... Should have hidden my wings first earlier...


    "That''s right!"


    Thinking of this, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration. When my wings were injured, I definitely couldn''t hide them away. But now I just got my feathers wet and wasn''t injured! So that means I could...


    "You all can use the method of hiding your wings to get rid of the water on your feathers."


    Indeed, just as I thought of this, Reed in the sky opened her mouth to advise.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Hiding your wings is equivalent to returning them from physical form back to the elemental energy state. The water on the feathers is foreign matter, so it will naturally be separated during this process."


    "Really!"


    Hearing this, Cyra immediately tried it out. Indeed, after the wings on her back dissipated into dots of white light and disappeared, the water clinging onto them earlier instantly cascaded down like a waterfall "whoosh" and fell back into the water.


    "So magical!"


    I didn''t expect there to be such a trick. Nicola and I followed suit. In a blink, the wings on our backs regained their dry, soft and fluffy state.


    "Awesome awesome! If only this could be done when injured too, then it can immediately recover. "


    Cyra said somewhat regretfully. The experience of me plucking half her wings last time was still fresh in her memory. It had taken her a full two days to regrow them, although that was considered quite fast already.


    "Hiding and manifesting wings is a little similar in principle to magic arrays. Usually within an activated magic circle, the elements flow along the engraved paths. The blood vessels distributed within the wings correspond to these paths, plus blood itself inherently belongs to the materialized light element. So injury is tantamount to the elemental pathways being damaged, thus unable to smoothly hide them."


    "You can even explain the principles?"


    I admire Reed! To me, things like this already belonged to the rather incomprehensible realm, yet she somehow came up with a complete theory.


    "This is not strange at all! All things have cause and effect, so every seemingly incredible phenomenon must have its principles behind it."


    Seeing our wings were dry, Reed finally dared to descend from the sky. She answered me matter-of-factly.


    Well! She had always been this scholar style. Felt like nothing was different...


    "What about the clothes on our bodies? Any way to dry them?"


    Nicola asked looking down. At this point, everyone''s attention was placed back on the clothes. The atmosphere instantly became tense.


    "......?(????¦Ø????)?"


    "......(?§Õ?;)!!"


    "......( ?©` ?)"


    "Err...you two cannot peek!"


    Cyra didn''t know which part to cover up. She could only turn around and sit butt down in the water. The feathers on her back instantly got soaked again over a large area.


    Luckily luckily! At least got wings to block behind.


    My situation was slightly better. Only my upper body was wet, so just needed to hug my chest to temporarily avoid streaking.


    Aiya, women! Just a bit troublesome. And who asked us to all be wearing the silk dresses issued by the Tivi Palace? Pure white silk fabrics, indeed very comfy, but usually okay if not wet. Once wet, the transparency ...?(o¡ºo?).....


    "Wah, how come you hid your wings again!"


    I was just thinking of teaching Cyra the previously used "Spring roll wrap technique" to alleviate the awkwardness of having no clothes to change into. Didn''t expect this girl''s brain to short-circuit. Felt her wings were wet then hid them again.


    Now nice right, whole back completely exposed naked before our eyes.


    I won''t say much more...


    Reed was originally female, to begin with, so had zero reaction to this kind of situation. The main problem was with Nicola.


    "Yo, nice curves, front sticks out, back sticks out, very promising!"


    Nicola whistled lightly and teased flirtatiously, fully displaying her playboy nature. However, her situation wasn''t any better. But couldn''t beat her shamelessness, totally unconcerned about the gazes of me and Reed.


    "Wife, don''t think you can get away with it. You were also soaked through!"


    Cyra gnashed her teeth and retorted. Hurriedly stretched her wings back out again. Amazingly, she had subconsciously learned the "Spring roll wrap technique" and directly stood up from the water facing us.


    Huh, how come Nicola knew to be shy now?


    Seeing Cyra ogling her unabashedly, this girl started to panic. Hurriedly stretched her wings from behind to wrap around herself.


    "Tsk, no creativity. I''m collecting copyright fees for your ''zungji wrap technique!"


    Cyra looked very dissatisfied, probably only caught a tiny glimpse. Unhappy, she started shouting.


    "Hey! That was my invented ''spring roll wrap technique''. You''re infringing my patent!"


    I couldn''t help but protest. This girl had stolen so many of my patents. Simply intolerable.


    "''Spring roll wrap technique''? When did you register that?"


    Hearing this, Cyra turned to look at me blankly. Didn''t expect I hadn''t reacted yet, but Nicola was the anxious one, actually yelling loudly.


    "You, close your eyes! No peeking at Feliciana!"


    "Huh?"


    Just now when she was peeking at me, how come she didn''t say that? Otherwise, I wouldn''t have had to block my chest with my hands. Moreover, her original intention in splashing water at Cyra was also very suspicious. I suspect she did it on purpose!


    After this fiasco, I suddenly felt my lower body wasn''t so secure either. Could only hurry to wrap myself in my wings too.


    "What''s it got to do with you?"


    Cyra glared fiercely at Nicola. Right now everyone''s movements were inconvenient, so she could only seize this chance to bluster a bit.


    "Alright alright! You''re all girls. What''s there to be shy about, you all want to drag this on?"


    Reed really couldn''t stand watching anymore, directly stepping in to put an end to this farce.


    "Are we still doing Feliciana''s water element test or not?"


    "Who said I''m a girl, I''m pure man!"


    Nicola argued very indignantly.


    "who isn''t the same!"


    Cyra immediately echoed right after.


    "I..."


    I looked left at Cyra then right at Nicola, hurriedly raising my hand too.


    "Me too!"


    ".... what''s the difference?"


    Reed paused expressionlessly for a long time before spitting out these few words.


    "All are the same gender right, what needs to be so fussy over?"


    Had to admit, Reed''s words simply struck at all our sore spots. Looking back now, the earlier situation was like taking off pants to fart, exaggerated and pretentious.


    But speaking of which, if I were to spread my wings without care and calmly stand naked in front of them, it still feels too embarrassing...


    From their looks, Cyra and Nicola seemed to have the same thoughts.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 70: Water Element Control

    "Is there any quick magic to dry clothes? My wings are wrapped around me so I can''t fly anymore..."


    Cyra twisted her body, her face flushed red as she pleaded to Reed for help.


    She only had two wings. With them wrapped around her body, there was nothing left to fly with. Nicola and I still had at least two extra pairs that we could use.


    "The Light element doesn''t have magic like that. You''ll just have to wait for your clothes to air dry!"


    Reed ruthlessly replied. Then she turned her head towards me.


    "This is a good chance, Feliciana. Try using your water element control to dry her clothes."


    "Dry the water from her clothes? Isn''t that too difficult for a first try?"


    I smiled wryly. She was asking too much.


    Normally, I could only control the Light element within my own body. There was also Water element inside me. I could even make it flow around meaninglessly. I just didn''t know the right way to cast water magic.


    But it was different outside my body. Even as an angel, I couldn''t control the Light element externally. The only way was to absorb it into my body through my wings and then use it.


    So compared to that, directly controlling external Water elements was like a huge leap. Especially clothes with physical water on them, while Cyra had her whole body wrapped in wings!


    "I''ll try with other water first..."


    I decided to start with something simpler like my hand. The air was filled with water vapour that could also be tried.


    Ordinary people might think water vapour and Water elements were the same thing. But after experiencing the Light element, I knew they were two different states.


    According to Reed''s theory, the Water element itself was a form of energy. While water vapour and liquid water were materialized substances of Water element. Just like how angels were made of Light elements. I could sense the difference just like with Light element.


    This was interesting. It meant all matter in this world was probably formed from various elements. But there was an exception - Qi, which was different from any known element according to Aetina and Elara. Could it be the unknown 7th element?


    "Oh, it worked..."


    I focused my mind to move the water moisture in the air like controlling my internal Light element. And it moved as I willed!


    "Really?"


    Cyra and Nicola couldn''t help but confirm with me again. From their view, nothing had happened. The amount I controlled was tiny and macroscopically invisible.


    "Why not try my clothes then, like Reed said?"


    Cyra didn''t unfold her wings to expose herself. She just pointed at the wet hem of her dress not covered by wings.


    "So petty..."


    I pouted.


    "Don''t blame me if your clothes get damaged."


    "It''s just a little bit. I''m not worried!"


    She nonchalantly replied. But the hem of her dress instantly started dripping water at an abnormal speed. The fabric colour lightened, dried, and wrinkled.  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "What''s going on? This is more than just drying!"


    Cyra looked down in surprise at her legs. In just seconds, the soft wet fabric had become dry and stiff folds that cracked when lightly touched.


    "Probably because over-drying made the fabric too brittle," Reed tried to explain the phenomenon.


    "Tsk tsk! This will be fun for months!"


    Nicola squatted down to ogle the torn dress, nodding her head appreciatively.


    However, nothing much was visible since higher areas were still wrapped.


    "Feliciana, do the same to Nicola''s clothes, full coverage!"


    Cyra wasn''t happy being teased. Blushing, she shouted and pointed at Nicola.


    "No way..."


    I couldn''t take it anymore, covering my head and thudded to my knees. I''d intended to tease Cyra but went overboard.


    The water content in liquid water was nothing like water vapour. I underestimated the mental strain of controlling so many Water elements at once. It felt like my head would explode from the sudden intense pain. I couldn''t even stand steadily.


    "Feliciana!"


    Seeing that, Nicola hurriedly ran over to support me. The others were also shocked, unsure what happened.


    "I''m fine, just need to rest a bit."


    I waved my hand and buried my head between my thighs. After some rest, I finally felt a little better.


    "Is it because you controlled too much Water element?"


    Seeing I was recovering. Reed came over and asked.


    "Probably..."


    I tried controlling a little water vapour like before. This time it was fine. So I slowly described my earlier experience.


    "If it''s because you can''t control too much Water element, why doesn''t Nicola have this issue?"


    Cyra asked, puzzled.


    True. Not to mention the few dozen kg of gas in her spheres, just making the Condensation Sword needed controlling lots of Wind elements, and converting them into the physical sword. But Nicola had never complained of headaches from it.


    "I don''t know. To me, it''s easy, no issues at any amount!"


    Nicola shrugged.


    "In any case, at least we confirmed Feliciana can control Water element, just not as strongly."


    "I remember you all saying Feliciana once summoned a long sword similar to the Condensation Sword. And she thought it might be made of Water element?"


    Reed suddenly brought up something from long ago, staring at me.


    "That''s right! I remember her telling us at dinner, it left a deep impression!"


    Cyra also suddenly recalled and echoed in agreement.


    "Feliciana had fallen into water then, right? She lost consciousness. But her body leapt out itself, went wild, and even grew an extra pair of wings..."


    Speaking to there, she immediately became envious.


    "See, must be because of the Water element! No way it''s so easy to rank up otherwise!"


    "Why not just stay in water yourself and see?"


    After thinking about it, Reed suggested.


    "Great idea!"


    Nicola''s eyes lit up and she immediately agreed.


    "With my logic, I''m always soaking in Wind elements (gas, air), so I ranked up so fast!"


    "Heh!"


    I sneered. As if I didn''t know her intentions!


    "What if it''s fire element abilities? Wouldn''t you have to roast yourself over a fire to rank up?"


    "Um..."


    Nicola didn''t react much, but Cyra''s face suddenly froze.


    "No more splashing!"


    I sternly warned Nicola. Although reluctant, I had recovered and trying couldn''t hurt. So mimicking Cyra, I gathered my dress and waded into the creek.


    "Don''t worry! Your wings are wrapped around you, I can''t splash you anyway..."


    Nicola stood disinterestedly on shore assuring me.


    As for the remaining one...


    "Oh almighty and all-knowing Creator, designer and maker of the universe! I''m filled with gratitude and praise for Your great power and wisdom. You created me and chose me. But I''ve considered carefully, fire is still the symbol of demons. So I''d rather not have fire element control. Please grant me wind element instead..."


    "..."


    "Ignore her. Hurry and test it."


    Reed urged me.


    "I''ll try..."


    I focused my mind on controlling the creek water at my feet.


    Standing in the cool creek felt very comfortable. But it didn''t seem to help me at all. After a long time, all I managed was raising marble-sized water droplets from the surface.


    "This is the limit..."


    The droplets fell back into the stream. I breathed heavily, enduring the headache as I staggered back to shore.


    "No real use with such weak effects. And the side effects are too big." Nicola glanced at me still rubbing my temples and said.


    "Should her whole body be submerged?" Having finished praying, Cyra saw the situation and offered her opinion. "Since Feliciana entirely fell into the water before."


    "Why not demonstrate first yourself? I guarantee you''ll be in ecstasy!"


    I retorted, still upset. My headache hadn''t even faded yet, and she was suggesting nonsense again. Should I also be held down in the water until passing out?


    "Forget it, this is good enough! At least we confirmed Feliciana has some water element abilities, so the trip wasn''t wasted."


    Reed seemed disappointed. Clearly, partial submersion wasn''t very effective for me. Then she turned and flew back towards the path we came from.


    "Where did you go?"


    Mia had returned to the cave. Hearing us enter, she immediately stood up to greet us.


    "Just a small experiment at the nearby creek."


    Reed took the newly borrowed books from her and suddenly turned to Cyra.


    "Doesn''t seem easy for you to rank up as promised. I''ll still talk to Elara tomorrow. Nicola should come along too."


    "Really?"


    Cyra had been depressed the whole way back. But hearing that immediately cheered her up.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 71 - Reviewing the Research Results

    "Why do you have to drag me into this?" Nicola pointed at herself, seemingly puzzled.


    "Because your situation is very special. First, your strength is enough to have a say in front of Elara. And there is also the issue about the Condensation Sword that I want to ask her specifically. Don''t you feel the method and origin of making this sword is very strange?"


    "Yeah, you''re right!" Cyra suddenly thought of something and chimed in.


    "Teacher also mentioned in class today that the Condensation Sword doesn''t belong to the knowledge transmitted in the Angel''s Descent Formation."


    "What''s Condensation Sword?" Mia looked at us in confusion, completely unaware of what we were talking about.


    "Also, Lady Elara won''t be in the city tomorrow morning. She''s going to attend the comprehensive competition finals of the Martial Arts Tournament and present awards to the top three afterwards."


    "The comprehensive competition is that prestigious?" When I heard this, I immediately recalled the scene when I got second place in the magic category. Compared to that, this was like heaven and earth.


    "Didn''t you get a third place too? Where''s your prize?" I asked Nicola. I remembered the prizes for the swordsmanship category were much more generous, but I''d never heard her mention it.


    "The magic staff? I don''t use magic, so I simply gave it up." Nicola was stunned for a moment before answering.


    "What? You gave up the prize? Why so wasteful, you could''ve given it to me!" I almost jumped up, extremely regretful. Although I didn''t know how a magic staff helped with magic casting, it was better than nothing!


    "Magic staves are quite useless for angels too. They generally help focus spiritual power when chanting incantations." Reed automatically ignored Cyra who wanted to speak but stopped herself, and continued speaking to Nicola.


    "In that case, let''s just go directly to the martial arts tournament venue tomorrow."


    "I don''t have a problem, but didn''t you promise that Meg to demonstrate your research results?" Nicola shrugged indifferently.


    "Meg the councilor?" I pondered why that name sounded familiar. But Mia next to me suddenly explained and helped me remember.


    "Although Lady Elara''s protection allowed the accident at the library last time to pass uneventfully, Councilor Yvonne''s conservative faction still tries hard to find loopholes to suppress us. Therefore, to counter their groundless accusations about the purpose of the experiment, Reed has agreed to demonstrate the research results in person at the Tivi Palace tomorrow. And Councilor Meg, as a neutral elder, is the adjudicator approved by Lady Elara."


    "Ah I see...that Meg!" After hearing the explanation, I suddenly understood. Wasn''t she the ten-winged angel who had argued with Yvonne during the welcome banquet last time? Although it had been a long time and I didn''t remember clearly, putting those two together instantly jogged my memory.


    "There''s no rush for this matter. We can still talk after seeing Elara tomorrow." Reed didn''t seem to care as she sat back behind the pile of books and started reading again.


    "But is it okay to show the hydrogen bomb to those higher-ups?" I suddenly felt something was wrong. This thing was extremely dangerous. If those people like Yvonne found out we were secretly conducting nuclear experiments that could blow up the entire city, wouldn''t we be slapped with a treason charge right away?


    "You''re overthinking. Do you think they even know what a hydrogen bomb is?" Nicola suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ear.


    "Those people don''t even understand what atoms and molecules are, how could they comprehend technical terms like nuclear fusion? Reed and I just need to demonstrate a bit of the combustible properties of hydrogen or oxygen gas, then say the purpose of the magic circle is to obtain those two gases. They haven''t seen these, so they can only believe us!"This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    As she said this, she gave Mia a meaningful glance.


    "Why are you looking at me?" Mia was puzzled and asked us.


    "What were you two whispering about just now?"


    Cyra also looked very curious.


    "It''s nothing, don''t mind it. It doesn''t concern you much, just some technical issues." Nicola''s mouth curled up slightly as she explained to Mia.


    "Do you know? Under extremely high temperatures and pressure, the outer electrons of an atom can break free of the atom''s nucleus, allowing the nuclei of two atoms to collide, undergoing atomic fusion to generate a new atom of helium with greater mass."


    "Ah! That''s..." Cyra wanted to interrupt and answer when she heard this, but Nicola ruthlessly cut her off.


    "If you know, don''t say any more. I''m asking Mia!"


    "I don''t understand at all what this means..." Mia answered with a confused face.


    "It sounds like some magic incantation, or the trick to setting up a magic circle. And what is this ''nuclei'' too?"


    "Does bullying someone for not understanding make you happy?" I rolled my eyes at Nicola. Although Mia wasn''t very close with us yet, she was still one of Elara''s trusted aides, so we should be on the same side. We shouldn''t mock her like this.


    "I''m demonstrating for you! Mia has been with us for several days and still doesn''t have a clue when asked. Let alone those old hags on the council."


    "Demonstrating? What were you demonstrating just now?" Mia was still puzzled, not understanding what Nicola and I were getting at.


    "It''s nothing, don''t mind it. It doesn''t relate to you, just some technical problems." I reassured the poor girl. The blame lay with Nicola''s twisted sense of humour. Then I turned my head to Cyra and said,


    "I''m going back first, want to join?"


    I don''t know if it was due to controlling the water elements previously, but my whole body still felt a little weak. Since I had already accomplished my purpose in coming here, I now just wanted to return to my room and rest early.


    "Huh? So soon?" Cyra seemed reluctant as she shook her head. "Then you go first. I discovered a congregation of light elves nearby and want to go take a look."


    "A congregation of light elves? There are other people living around here?" I glanced towards Reed. Actually, on the way here earlier, I had already noticed the extremely low concentrations of light elements in the large area here. It was almost identical to the mess We had created in the city at first, clearly having undergone "devastation" by magic circles.


    "Light elves aren''t as sensitive to light elements as angels, so there won''t be too much impact." Reed''s voice came from behind the pile of books, seeming to have realized what I was thinking even though I hadn''t said anything yet.


    "...Fine." This was just too weird! But I could only nod at Cyra, bid farewell to the others, and then leave this place alone.


    I smoothly returned to the Tivi Palace. Just as I wanted to fly back to my room directly through the window, I inadvertently heard a familiar clicking sound.


    "No way?"


    I followed the sound for a long time before discovering the source outside a first-floor window - it was several angel attendants sitting around a table playing mahjong inside the room.


    "Eight bamboos!"


    "Pong!"


    "Three dots."


    "Kong! Haha, kong with flower, you''re paying the penalty!"


    "How can this be, the stake goes up with a kong!"


    "Consider yourself lucky! I haven''t won yet, when I win you all have to pay!"


    "Unfair!"


    "Right, we''ve already lost so many rounds."


    ...


    This... mahjong had become this popular at the Tivi Palace after just a few days?


    Watching those angel attendants'' skilled tile-washing techniques through the window, I suddenly felt like I was back on Earth.


    If even they were playing so smoothly, I wonder what state Gwen and Juliet would be in.


    Curious, I flew to the main entrance and walked into the Royal Hall, but did not see the scene I hoped for of them hiding behind the counter playing mahjong. Because at this moment, the hall was filled with many angels.


    "I am Legion Commander Jeanette of the 4th Legion. I request an audience with Lady Elara but why are you blocking us?" The angel speaking was someone I recognized, one of the ten-winged angels who kept asking me questions at the welcome banquet. Standing in front of her was the Tivi Palace''s housekeeper, Norma.


    "Lady Elara has scheduled to attend the final comprehensive competition of the Martial Arts Tournament held outside the city tomorrow morning. She is currently resting in her room, so your group is not allowed to enter the inner palace now. Please wait until tomorrow morning after the Lady wakes." Norma explained solemnly. Behind her stood Gwen and Juliet, the other two four-winged angels.


    Normally outsiders could not freely enter or leave the Tivi Palace. If there was anything requiring an audience with Elara or other matters needing entry, they had to apply at the service counter in the Royal Hall. Of course, newborn angels like me and Cyra who lived inside were special cases that could be exempted.


    "What''s so important about that crappy tournament? Our 4th Legion has just returned from outside, we have military matters to report, so go wake the Lady! Angels in Edenmere don''t even need rest!" Jeanette urged Norma impatiently to step aside, appearing ready to charge in with her group if refused.


    "May I ask what important matter Legion Commander Jeanette has that requires breaching scheduled routines? The Tivi Palace rules are that schedules can only be disrupted for emergencies. But I remember the 4th Legion just finished a successful encirclement operation and wasn''t scheduled to return until tomorrow..."


    Yet Norma spread her arms and wings to block them, not giving way even when facing the high-ranked ten-winged angel and legion commander. She remained calm and unhurried.

 Chapter 72 - Attending on Someones Behalf

    "What? I thought the target was already eliminated, so how can there still be an emergency? Don''t tell me Michelle has reappeared?"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but ask in surprise. I had never fully understood the details of the encirclement operation and felt like things were not as simple as they seemed. How could Michelle have been so easily eliminated?


    "Are you Feliciana?"


    Everyone present turned to look at me. Janette immediately recognized me, her expression changing.


    "Where''s Nicola who was with you? How come I don''t see her again?"


    "Nicola?"


    I didn''t understand why she suddenly brought up Nicola, wasn''t she here to seek an audience with Elara just now? Why did she switch the topic to Nicola?


    "Nicola is outside the city right now, she probably won''t be back tonight."


    Still, I honestly reported the situation. This was not confidential information, anyone could find out by asking around in Tivi Palace.


    Speaking of which, Elara and Reed had been inseparable these days. Now not only Cyra, but even other angels were secretly whispering whether something was going on between those two.


    "Is that so?"


    Upon hearing my reply, Janette''s expression eased a little, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief.


    "In any case, even if there is urgent military business, you still have to go through the messenger to request an audience, not barge into Lady Elara''s chambers as a legion commander yourself. That does not follow protocol!"


    Norma was unconcerned with Janette and my conversation, sternly warning her.


    "If you force entry into Tivi Palace again, don''t blame me for informing the angel guards!"


    "Fine! I was just returning from the outside world anxious to report, since you''re so unwelcoming, I''ll come back tomorrow then!"


    After pondering for a while, Janette eventually chose to compromise.


    "But you must help me arrange to see her before Lady Elara leaves in the morning!"


    "That part shouldn''t be a problem!"


    Norma hesitated briefly then agreed. Janette, seeing this, said no more and immediately turned to the followers behind her with instructions.


    "I heard the comprehensive competition is quite exciting and still going on right now in the south of the city. You may go watch if interested, perhaps you can learn some useful combat skills... dismissed for now!"


    "Yes ma''am!"


    The angels immediately dispersed upon command, leaving only one or two closely following Janette.


    Didn''t she just dismiss the tournament as a crappy event on-site? How did she suddenly recommend her subordinates go watch now?


    I really couldn''t comprehend Janette''s maneuvers here. I thought she might complain to me for providing inaccurate information, but unexpectedly she just glanced at me silently and then left with her people.


    "Janette used to be very respectful of Lady Elara, wonder why she''s become more and more arrogant recently."


    Once Janette was far away, Juliet finally relaxed.


    "Forget it, it''s over, let''s not mention it again. You two just return to your posts. Pay more attention, and stop daydreaming about playing cards all the time!"


    Norma reminded them before turning to ask me.


    "Where''s Cyra? How come she hasn''t come back so late?"This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "She''s staying a while longer at Reed''s, and probably will be back late."


    I pondered then replied, hoping that guy wouldn''t play too long in the light elf settlement.


    Don''t know why I suddenly regretted not going with her. Those primitive light elves living in the forest sounded quite interesting. Unfortunately, I had already returned, and could only wait for the next chance.


    After getting back to my room, I lay in bed spacing out for a while. Just as I was about to turn on the light element isolator and rest, I suddenly recalled something else. So I went back to the desk, took out the angel figurine Elara had given me earlier and started examining it.


    This figurine was so ugly, if not for Elara telling me it was related to source magic, I would''ve tossed it into a corner long ago.


    But even so, after flipping and checking it for a long time, other than discovering its material was extremely affinity with light elements, I found nothing else.


    Oh right, the joints could move, making me even more dubious whether this was a figurine from another world. Maybe Elara picked up the wrong thing, very possible.


    But picking the wrong thing would be quite amusing. Don''t tell me Elara secretly collected figurines? Didn''t expect someone her age to have such unique hobbies...


    Anyway, I''ll think more about it later. I threw the figurine aside and then went to bed as usual.


    Not sure how much time passed, in my groggy state it seemed someone was shaking me awake.


    "Who is it?"


    I opened my bleary eyes. This kind of situation had occurred many times since coming to Edenmere, often woken up inexplicably early by Nicola or Cyra. If not for quickly becoming lucid after disabling the light element isolator, I would''ve exploded in anger long ago.


    "Get up quick, let''s go find that councillor Meg together!"


    Cyra''s voice came from beside my ear. The culprit this time was her. When I saw my surroundings, the clock on my bedside table showed it was already morning.


    "Huh? Find councillor Meg, isn''t that Reed''s business?"


    I got out of bed and stretched towards the bright window outside. Another peaceful, ordinary day!


    When I turned back to look at Cyra, I noticed she was holding two gas collection spheres in her hands.


    "How did you bring those things back? Where are Reed and the others?"


    "They already went to the tournament venue according to plan!"


    Cyra held up the gas collection spheres to show me, a sly expression suddenly appearing on her face.


    "I had a great time playing in the light elf settlement last night. When they saw my angel identity, those light elves were so warm and welcoming, so I ended up staying the night... Why didn''t I find out about this place sooner..."


    "You didn''t come back all night?"


    I looked at her reminiscing appearance, truly shocked. what could she have played for a whole night? I couldn''t help looking her up and down again.


    "That doesn''t seem right, does it? Norma specially asked about you coming back last night."


    "Norma asked about me?"


    Cyra didn''t seem to quite believe it. She lowered her head silently for a while, then suddenly spoke again.


    "Anyway, let''s talk business! When I went to Reed''s cave this morning, we discussed and decided since I''m back in the city with nothing to do, might as well have you join me in bringing these two things to represent them at the council meeting, to show those higher-ups.


    "Can we do that, isn''t that too silly?"


    Hearing this, I immediately focused my attention back on the two collection spheres in her hands. After some thought, I suddenly realized in astonishment.


    "How do we demonstrate this? Don''t tell me we just show these two spheres to the councillors?"


    "Of course not, if it was only for display one would be enough, why two?"


    Cyra said, handing me one of the collection spheres.


    "This is the other byproduct Nicola obtained when separating the gases - oxygen. Since we didn''t use it at all, Reed only compressed it to a certain degree and didn''t continue. Unlike the near-complete ''hydrogen bomb'' in my hand, I can still extract pure oxygen from the inside. I''ll be in charge of displaying the magic circle''s light element absorption and extreme compression, you just need to ignite it with fire, give those high-ranking angels a taste of what combustion boosting is, and scare them a bit. That''s all."


    "You make it sound so easy, leaving all the tricky parts to me!"


    I opened the oxygen sphere, and the marble-sized black orb inside was enormously bigger compared to Cyra''s hydrogen sphere, still completely unchanged from when I first saw it.


    "Is it dangerous to ignite all this pure oxygen at once?"


    Recalling carefully, Nicola did say she would use hydrogen and oxygen''s chemical properties to fool the audience but still felt uncertain.


    "It should, probably, maybe be no big problem... Reed said Edenmere is filled with light elements, so the combustion effect may be suppressed, only seems weak because of the proportions... we don''t normally notice..."


    Cyra also didn''t sound too certain and immediately added:


    "But I suggest finding a wide open area before demonstrating!"


    "Can you be a bit more reliable?"


    I put away the oxygen sphere for now. With angels'' defensive capabilities, it shouldn''t fear a bit of flame anyway.


    "I don''t know where that councillor Meg is either, why don''t we ask Elara first..."


    "Oh right, she''s leaving this morning, so we''d miss her just in time!"


    Suddenly recalling Norma''s schedule reminder last night, I didn''t know what to do for a moment.


    "No worries, these things all have procedures, Tivi Palace must have arrangements too. We just need to find Norma and ask."


    Cyra casually suggested, seeming quite familiar with all these protocols already.


    "The service counter at the Royal Hall should also know, let''s go there and check first!"


    Having said that, we immediately walked out of the room together. But we had barely turned a corner past one hallway when we ran into Norma rushing anxiously towards us.


    "Oh no! Many angels were unable to wake up in their rooms last night, nightmares have started appearing again!"


    "You can''t be serious..."


    I grabbed her and asked.


    "Are you certain it''s true?"


    Weren''t nightmares already eliminated? Moreover, we were told the angel guards had confirmed it last time.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 73: The Great "Blackout"

    "Of course it''s true! This morning the Tivi Palace suddenly received multiple emergency internal reports, so I hurried over to notify those angels who were still asleep, to wake them up..."


    When Norma saw that it was Cyra and me, she immediately asked anxiously.


    "Where''s Nicola?"


    "She didn''t come back last night, and didn''t sleep in the city either, no problem!"


    Cyra was stunned for a long time before reacting and quickly answered.


    "That''s good, you two didn''t get hit, that''s fortunate!"


    Norma was relieved when she heard this and then continued to explain the situation.


    "It is said that not only in the Tivi Palace, but also multiple reports in the city, and now it is suspected that there is not just one nightmare making trouble."


    "But that''s not possible! Nightmares belong to dark creatures, how could there be so many lurking in Edenmere?"


    Could there be secret holes connecting Edenmere to the outside world? Or did the conservatives secretly bring in a lot of monsters?


    When I thought of this, I suddenly remembered that the Fourth Legion had just returned from the outside world yesterday. Could it be related to them?


    But at that moment, another accident happened.


    I just felt that everything went dark, and the originally bright corridor suddenly became pitch black.


    "Don''t tell me, blackout?"


    Cyra''s dumbfounded voice came from beside me. After a pause, she continued:


    "Oh right! There''s no such thing as electricity in a place like this... But why did it suddenly turn dark?"


    "What is this...did I go blind?"


    Next was Norma''s voice, which trembled. I suddenly felt someone''s body lean towards me and grabbed my arm tightly.


    "Cyra? Is that you?"


    "No, it''s me! You got the wrong person..."


    I was also shocked for a long time before I came to my senses, and had to speak up to clarify. At the same time, I also shouted like the other person.


    "Cyra, where are you?"


    "I''m right here, but I can''t see you guys either! What happened here, how could we not see anything?"


    This time the voice came from behind me. You could tell she was also looking for me.


    "These wings, they feel a bit too many...should be yours, right Feliciana?"


    Finally, I felt my wings were also touched by a hand. But this rascal pulled out a feather in passing!


    "Haha, the texture is still so good, nice!"


    "!@£¤%%......, Cyra!"


    The pain made me want to curse, but in the brief light brought about when the feather turned into dots of light and disappeared, I could vaguely see the other person''s cheeky face.


    "Be serious, what''s with pulling my feathers at a time like this!"


    "Who made you pull out so many of my feathers last time? I''m just collecting some interest..."


    The unrepentant voice came from the darkness again. It seems that although I apologized and compensated her for this matter, she still held some resentment.


    "I just saw Cyra''s face, so does that mean I''m not blind? But why is there suddenly no light here at all?"


    Norma chimed in to ask anxiously. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Could it be the magic lamps broke down?"


    I thought about it and guessed. Although there are no electric lights in this world, there are magic lamps.


    "What magic lamps? The Tivi Palace has never used such things!"


    But when Norma heard this, she was puzzled and retorted immediately. Her words made me fall into confusion at once.


    What''s going on here? There were no lights in the corridor to begin with, so how was it illuminated before?


    Oh, I remember now! Originally, Edenmere was always filled with light, and there were windows everywhere in the corridor, so natural lighting was usually used, and no artificial lights were needed at all!


    Gradually, I could now roughly see the situation around me. It''s not that it was completely dark, it was mainly because it was so bright before, causing my eyes to not adapt for a while.


    Although the corridor we were in was inside the building, and I couldn''t see any windows for the moment, I could still discover faint light coming from around the corners at both ends.


    "Let''s go to windows first!"


    Cyra behind me had also adapted to the darkness and took the lead to walk forward. However, a shadowy figure drifted over from the end of the bend ahead.


    "Be careful, there''s a monster!"


    I immediately felt nervous. Although I couldn''t see it clearly because it was too dark, the strong dark elemental aura emanating from it constantly warned me that the monster ahead was very powerful.


    "Monster?"


    Hearing my warning, Cyra reflexively turned her head to ask. As the light around was very dim, it was hard to see the movement of the shadow, so she didn''t notice at all that the monster had already rushed to attack her.


    "Danger!"


    I shook off Norma''s hand holding me and threw out a Purification light sphere, then quickly stepped forward to grab Cyra''s wings and pulled her back.


    "What the! Why does this thing feel so disgusting to me?"


    Cyra was caught off guard by me pushing her to Norma''s side, and still didn''t understand the situation. I saw that the shadow was hit by the Purification light, stopped in place silently twisted a few times, then staggered and flew towards us again.


    "Not dead yet?"


    I didn''t dare hesitate and threw another Purification at it. This time, the opponent finally couldn''t withstand the attack and disappeared into thin air.


    "Is it dead this time?"


    Cyra couldn''t help but ask again.


    "Probably...I think so!"


    I carefully checked the dark elemental aura ahead several times, and found that only a very small amount remained in the air. Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief and explained,


    "It''s normal for you to react like this the first time you see a monster. Feeling disgusted is precisely because of the dark elements. Generally, only monsters emit this kind of aura."


    It looks like this thing wasn''t as powerful as I imagined, and was easily eliminated.


    "So this is what monsters look like? How unpleasant, like ghosts..."


    Cyra frowned at where the shadow disappeared, making sure it wouldn''t appear again before carefully walking over to take a look.


    "What are you looking at? It''s completely gone. And the whole body is wrapped in light elements, It''s very obvious in the dark! You''re wasting it, thinking it''s a nuclear bomb protection?"


    I said sarcastically. The place where my feather was plucked still hurt! And this guy is always yelling about going out to the outside world and hunting monsters. Yet this is how she acts when encountering a real monster, it''s simply worrying!


    "I''m just being precautious!"


    Cyra pouted, embarrassed to come back to my side. Now she didn''t dare move recklessly anymore, and could only stick close to me with Norma to seek protection.


    "That was also my first time seeing a monster. Could it have been the nightmare you mentioned?"


    After some time, Norma had also adapted. She could barely see now. What she said reminded me all of a sudden.


    Nightmares indeed have no physical form, which is very consistent with the appearance of the monster we just saw.


    "You''re right, if that was a nightmare, doesn''t that mean I missed a chance to hunt one?"


    Cyra also reacted, and at this time recalled her "Demon-Hunting" plan again. I was so angry I wanted to just leave her here.


    "Don''t worry, there''s more than one!"


    It seems only silly Norma tried to comfort her.


    "I already said that now it''s suspected many nightmares have appeared at the same time. The Tivi Palace has issued a warning to the angel guards to quickly carry out search and elimination actions..."


    But before she could finish speaking, another large swath of shadows rushed out from the corner ahead.


    "You gotta be kidding... you jinxed it..."


    I felt goosebumps all over. This stretch of shadows wasn''t a single nightmare at all, but the product of many nightmares gathered together. Purification alone could no longer be of much use.


    "Guys, I think we''d better escape from the other direction..."


    Cyra had retreated to the back. The "other direction" she referred to was the direction we had come from.


    "Feliciana, you guys hurry and follow me too!"


    She shouted and dashed back the way we came, making Norma and I have no choice but to hurry and chase after her.


    "Hey, don''t run so fast, what if there''s dangers that way too!"


    I yelled loudly from behind, but this girl felt running with her legs wasn''t fast enough in the corridor, and flapped her wings to fly up, making me panic. With such poor visibility in the dark environment, I feared she wouldn''t be able to make the turn and crash into the wall.


    But when we turned at the bend, it suddenly became much brighter ahead. Because although this section of the corridor was not long, it had a window.


    I could see that the scenery outside was grey and gloomy, the sky was covered with thick dark clouds, oppressively dark, looking like it was about to rain heavily.


    "How could Edenmere become like this?"


    I simply couldn''t believe my eyes. The nearby buildings and scenery seemed to have no changes, yet the sky had lost its light, making the whole city feel gloomy and oppressive all of a sudden.


    "Hurry and get out of here!"


    After glancing at the group of nightmares chasing from behind in such a narrow corridor, I pulled Norma beside me and jumped out the window together.


    But who could have expected that Cyra, running ahead, was foolishly focused only on sprinting forward, and missed this great chance to escape the building?

 Vol 3/ Chapter 74: Return to the Dark Continent

    "Cyra! Don''t keep flying around in the corridor, hurry and get out of the building!"


    I shouted at her while hovering outside the window, but this girl turned around the corner, quickly disappearing. As for those Nightmares chasing after us, the vast majority followed her down the corridor, with only a few stragglers noticing me outside the window and slowly floating out.


    "Feliciana! They''re coming after us," Norma cried out behind me, immediately growing worried.


    "Will Cyra be okay dealing with so many monsters alone?"


    "Let''s get rid of these Nightmares first!"


    I didn''t dare be negligent, the crisis before us had not yet passed! I immediately cast a light spell.


    "Luckily these Nightmares move slowly and don''t have much attacking power either. Their combat strength and intelligence aren''t too high, as long as we don''t let them get too close we''ll be fine."


    Norma, having seen me kill these monsters before, also tried to imitate me by casting magic. Unfortunately, with only four wings, the power of her light shots and purification were not that great. Monsters that I could take out with just two or three purification spells, she needed at least four or five casts.


    I suddenly felt that there was no need to worry too much about Cyra either. At least with her escape speed, these Nightmares definitely wouldn''t be able to catch up.


    Before long, Norma and I had worked together to wipe out all the Nightmares that had chased out.


    However, after waiting in midair outside the Tivi Palace for a while, we still didn''t see Cyra fly out from any other windows. It was as if she had disappeared inside the building, without a trace.


    "Could something have happened to her? She only has two wings after all..."


    Seeing the situation, Norma couldn''t help but start worrying again.


    "Hard to say, what if she left from a window on the other side?"


    I didn''t know how to reassure her and was also starting to feel uneasy. I should have followed after her earlier, this gal is always causing people to worry.


    "It''s too dark inside the building now, recklessly going in would be too dangerous. Why don''t we go to the Royal Hall first, that''s where there are usually the most people, we''ll be able to find help!"


    Norma suggested, looking in the direction of the main entrance to the Tivi Palace.


    "And if Cyra did escape, she would also likely go to that place."


    "Perhaps you can go ahead, if it''s just these Nightmares it should be fine. I have some other things to do..."


    I didn''t intend to act together with her for the time being. Because the abnormal skyscape of Edenmere reminded me of a certain familiar place again.


    "Are you going to act alone?"


    Hearing this, Norma seemed a little uneasy. Although my rank was higher than hers, Edenmere looked too bizarre at the moment. She could also feel that the situation now likely involved more than just the Nightmares.


    "It shouldn''t be a big problem for now, I just want to confirm some guesses."


    I nodded, and quickly advised her,


    "Don''t linger outside for too long, once you get to a crowded area hurry and gather everyone together, I''ll catch up soon after."


    "I hope this is just another faulty judgement on my part..."


    After parting ways, watching Norma descend towards the ground, I didn''t dare waste any time and shot straight upwards.


    Last time, the magic circle Reed created drained all the light elements in the city. At the time I had flown high into the sky with Cyra to observe, confirming it was just a false alarm.


    But this time was different. More and more facts proved my guesses were right. Like the increasingly thin concentration of light elements as I flew higher, and the increasingly strong aura of darkness...If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "As expected, Edenmere has also been transported to the Dark Continent."


    Looking at the barren desert in the distance, I murmured. Although visibility wasn''t good under the cloud cover, I could still distinguish it at a glance from Edenmere''s usual landscape covered in forests.


    I suddenly felt extremely bitter inside. After leaving for so many days, I still hadn''t completely escaped and had returned to this old place. After observing for a while longer, I could even recognize some familiar scenes outside the city.


    It seemed the current location was still within the lake area I had left from before. After we departed, the monsters had not moved the location of the "Eye of Galadra" control terminal.


    As for the exchange range, it was still based on the lake''s size, so the outermost periphery of Edenmere City was not fully included, with many buildings even cut off halfway.


    According to known intelligence, the positioning terminal of the "Eye of Galadra" should be a portable mobile device, long lost in the town of Tethys. But it now appeared the monsters had found it, and even brought it into Edenmere.


    As for who brought it in. In my opinion, the Fourth Legion which had recently returned was the most suspicious. If everything was the work of conservative collaborators, it wouldn''t be surprising for the Fourth Legion to have conservative members hidden within.


    The key was, was it worth doing this?


    Even if they were conservatives, their goal should only be isolationism. Exchanging all of Edenmere like this, even to the Dark Continent, I really couldn''t understand it. Was some important reason being overlooked here?


    Without a doubt, this must have been a deliberate, premeditated operation. Large swarms of dark silhouettes had already gathered at the southern border of the exchange, pouring towards the city center.


    As expected, these were probably all magical beasts, it seemed they had already started invading Edenmere.


    I had to hurry and warn everyone to take shelter!


    I delayed no longer, and dove down swiftly, aiming for the Royal Hall I had just promised to meet Norma at.


    Just as I was descending, a dazzling white light flashed across the southern city district. This was an effect only possible with high-level light magic, it seemed angels had encountered those monsters and started fighting.


    "Norma? Cyra?"


    I shot into the Royal Hall, but the entire hall was pitch black, and I couldn''t tell if anyone was even there. I could only call out loudly.


    "Feliciana?"


    Norma''s voice rang out in response, coming from around the service counter it seemed. I strode over but unexpectedly collided fully into something soft.


    "Ow, be more careful!"


    This voice was very familiar, it took me a good while before I remembered, it should be Gwen. Looks like she was fine too.


    "Then the last one must be Juliet right?"


    After my eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, I finally made out three silhouettes around me, I couldn''t see their appearances clearly at all. But I could probably guess who they were since these two were usually inseparable.


    But just as I finished speaking, a dazzling white brilliance rose in the hall, instantly illuminating the surroundings. It turned out Norma was worried I couldn''t see, and had cast a small light spell.


    "Feliciana, did you finish up whatever you were doing? Have you seen Cyra?"


    She immediately asked about Cyra, leaving me feeling a little overwhelmed.


    "Nope, didn''t she come here herself?"


    I looked up at the light orb which quickly dissipated after not long, surrounding us in endless darkness once more. I suddenly felt a little strange.


    "Why did you guys stay indoors where you can''t see anything? Shouldn''t it be much better outside?"


    "Some people from the angel guards came by earlier, telling us not to wander around outside because a large number of monsters had suddenly appeared in the city..."


    Juliet cut in to answer. She, Gwen, and Norma were probably all the same, although angels, they likely hadn''t fought much since birth. When encountering this kind of emergency they had never seen before, the only thing they could think of was to hide.


    "So you already noticed the monster invasion? And here I was about to inform you guys about it. I saw a whole bunch of monsters surging this way from the sky just now."


    I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the angel guards had reacted swiftly. Right now, continuous roars and magical explosions could be heard in the distance. The two sides had started fighting.


    From outside the building, piercing shrieks could even be heard from the sky. These should belong to flying monsters.


    "Just what on earth happened? How did so many monsters get in? And I feel the light elements around us disappearing rapidly. Could it be another experiment accident like last time?"


    Gwen was completely unclear about the situation. From a normal perspective, Edenmere was isolated from the main world, making it almost impossible to invade. But the enemy had sinister black technology! This kind of shady warfare through exchange of spaces couldn''t be avoided even if we were in a different dimension.


    "The specific reason is a bit complicated, I can''t fully explain for now..."


    I figured the issue with the exchange of spaces wasn''t something I could easily convey to them in a short time, so I could only remind them,


    "But what can be certain is that Edenmere is unsafe now, and we may not be able to wait for rescue from outside the city."


    Due to the comprehensive final of the Tournament taking place, many angels including Nicola and Reed had left the city district to watch the matches in the forest clearing. Even Elara was probably there.


    Because of this, most of the top fighting angels had been left in Edenmere''s forests, completely cut off from us.


    On the flip side, the control terminal for the "Eye of Galadra" on the central island of the lake was likely transported over as well. If Nicola and the others could seize control of this device early on, there might still be hope for us.


    "Is it just you few? What about the other angels from the Tivi Palace? Like people from the defence force, and the guards?"


    I suddenly felt staying in Royal Hall might not be very safe either. Our available fighting forces were far too few at the moment. If possible, it would be best to retreat deeper into the Tivi Palace again. But the pitch darkness was also a huge problem. Now that things had developed to this level, those Nightmares were the least of our worries.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 75: Triplet Vampires

    "Most of them went out with the angel guards, some went to the shopping district to find lighting supplies, they haven''t come back yet..."


    Norma''s voice revealed a hint of worry, it''s understandable given the situation outside.


    "I think it''s best if we don''t make bright lights anymore..."


    The shrieks from the creatures in the sky just now made me feel uneasy. What if our location gets discovered because of the lights?


    But just after I finished speaking, another shriek sounded, even closer this time. Then I saw swarms of shadows rushing in through the windows.


    "Ahhh!"


    Juliet and Gwen screamed and hid under the service counter, too shocked to know what to do.


    I had no choice but to quickly cast two "Light Shields", one in front of Norma and one for myself, barely blocking the first wave of impact.


    Bats?


    In that instant when the shadows collided with my shield, I seemed to make out their silhouette. Among the creatures I know, only vampires match that bat-like form. But even if they were vampires, why would so many come at once?


    After crashing into us once, the bats seemed to realize the angels were tough opponents. They didn''t linger in the hall but flew back out as quickly as they came.


    "Be careful! I almost forgot monsters can also locate us by the light element."


    Seeing Norma was unharmed, I yelled to remind them. But it was useless to say it now, our location was exposed.


    The abundant light elements in the air could have provided some cover earlier, but after dissipating outside for a while, almost nothing was left.


    "Then... what do we do? There''s nowhere left to hide?"


    Gwen and Juliet poked their heads out from behind the counter, trembling as they asked.


    Somehow those two didn''t seem injured. Their hiding spot was quite good.


    "There''s nowhere left to hide!"


    With a shrill laugh, the ceiling was suddenly blasted open. A figure plunged from above.


    "Since my kin found you, how could I let you escape?"


    "Another vampire!"


    Seeing his coat and tailcoat through the hole''s light, my body started shaking too. I couldn''t help backing away one step.


    Our luck today was just too bad, running into our nemesis right off the bat. I still vividly remembered almost dying under a vampire before!


    But this one seemed weaker than the last, probably not sixth level yet based on his dark aura.


    If he was only fifth order, we angels working together should have no problem defeating him. We took down Camille, another fifth-order succubus, so...


    "Feliciana, we''re counting on you! You must destroy him!"


    Under the powerful aura of a high-order creature, Juliet and Gwen didn''t dare come out from the counter. I could only hear their voices.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Norma wasn''t much better. Realizing something was wrong, she hid over there, but the space was too small and half her wings stuck out.


    "Hey now! This wasn''t my plan!"


    I was completely stunned. They were only one order below me, yet they chickened out this badly?


    "You got second place in the magic contest! With your skills, it''s different for us!"


    Norma''s voice came from behind as she cheered me on.


    "Go for it, blast him away with your best magic!"


    "Hahaha, so this is what angels are really like? Not like the legends at all!"


    Seeing this situation, the vampire burst into loud mocking laughter.


    "You dared to come alone when you knew we were angels. Looks like you want to die?"


    On the surface, I retorted him tit for tat, but secretly I felt a little uneasy. Although I learned a lot of magic in Edenmere recently, facing a near sixth-order creature alone still made me nervous.


    "Who said it was just me?"


    Just as he finished speaking, another black shadow dropped down from the ceiling...


    A second vampire!


    "Crap!"


    I wanted to slap myself for jinxing it with my big mouth! The newcomer felt just as strong as the first. They seemed to be identical twins.


    What a nasty combo! As if one wasn''t bad enough. Double the "fun".


    "Norma, I suggest we strategically retreat..."


    Without daring to turn my head, I whispered back to discuss escape plans.


    "It''s just one more, right? Champion of the magic contest, Phoebe, once said she could fight ten creatures at once. As runner-up, two shouldn''t be an issue for you either, right?"


    Juliet snuck another peek at me.


    "That depends on the opponents!"


    I was speechless. This girl was just a sheltered little bird. She had no clue how dangerous the outside world was.


    "Who said there were only two of us?"


    But to my surprise, both vampires responded in unison to her words.


    As their voices faded, a third vampire plunged from above...


    "What the heck... will this ever end?"


    I was in chaos! Three fifth-order creatures? Way too much to ask of me!


    "We''re triplets, we always act together. You think we''d dare attack the angels'' base alone otherwise?"


    The three vampires lined up together, looking even more identical now. The last arrival even licked his lips and chuckled weirdly.


    "I wonder how angel blood tastes..."


    "Angel blood is pure light element. Aren''t you afraid you''ll burn your mouth?"


    I couldn''t help retorting. Looking back at the three still hiding behind the counter, escaping seemed impossible now. No way could we win a confrontation, so I had to stall them while finding another way out.


    "That six-winged angel looks quite strong. I heard she got second place in some magic contest. We should attack together, don''t give her a chance to pick us off one by one!"


    The first vampire was more cautious. He reminded the other two while moving to attack me.


    "Michelle! You came too!"


    I suddenly acted surprised, pointing at the hole in the ceiling and shouting.


    "Huh? Lady Michelle?"


    As expected, all three vampires looked up, but of course, nothing was there.


    "You tricked us!?"


    Gotcha! My mouth curled into a faint smile. With a downward sweep of my raised hand...


    "Ever heard of an aerial magic attack?"


    I will never forget the advanced magic I learned at the contest, "Paradise Lost Shockwave". Its range was huge. And after relentless practice these past months, my new record casting time was... 3 seconds!


    As an enormous pillar of light descended through the hole, the three vampires were caught right in the center.


    Without checking the damage, I immediately circled the counter to drag the three scaredy cats out the window before the enemies recovered.


    "Why are you running?"


    Clearly, Juliet and the others didn''t understand yet, but they flew up under my pull anyway.


    "Hurry and follow me, we''re outmatched indoors!"


    I planned to get outside while they were still dazed from the spell, widening the distance before engaging again.


    Once we reached the open air, it would be the angels'' domain. I knew these vampires couldn''t fly in human form, they had to revert to bats. And bats were slower than angels. We could easily escape or pick them off one by one.


    It was flawless! I couldn''t think of a better plan. As long as the vampires didn''t pursue us, we had zero losses.


    Now everything was ready, just had to see how they reacted.


    "Wait, Feliciana!"


    But right before flying out the window, Juliet''s voice suddenly called me back.


    "Something''s wrong with them..."


    "Huh?"


    I immediately turned to look. In the gray outdoor light, the three "corpses" were sprawled motionless amid the hall''s wreckage.


    "No way, I didn''t even attack yet. What about the plan?"


    I didn''t expect this outcome.


    "What plan?"


    Norma asked, still confused about what I was doing.


    "Nothing..."


    Not sure how to explain, I looked at the "corpses" and said,


    "They can''t be playing dead right? That would be too lame."


    Being cautious, I didn''t dare approach. But it seemed after being blasted by "Paradise Lost Shockwave", the vampires had shrunk to a fraction of their earlier size.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 76: The Death of an Angel

    "Are they dead? We can''t just wait around like this!"


    Gwen was getting impatient. We were trapped by the window with no way to escape. It was a big waste of time.


    "To be safe, let''s stab one more time!"


    Whether they were playing dead or not, it was better to be cautious. Without hesitation, I summoned another pillar of light. But due to the exhaustion, I couldn''t keep floating in the air. I fell straight down along the wall and crashed onto the ground.


    "Huh, what happened to you?"


    Juliet and Gwen quickly descended and landed beside me.


    "Could it be you''ve run out of light elements in your body?"


    Norma, who was a bit more knowledgeable, roughly figured out what the reason was.


    "High-level magic takes up too much power. If not for this, I would have blasted it ten more times!"


    I sat on the ground slowly catching my breath. The light elements in the air were now insufficient to quickly restore my condition. After all, we weren''t actually in Edenmere right now, so there was no unlimited light source.


    "There''s no need to go to such lengths. Those creatures seem to have reverted to their original forms."


    Gwen looked up at the vampire triplets again after the double blast. She hesitated before reminding us.


    "Really?"


    Only then did I notice that under the hole in the roof, there were only the bodies of three bats left. It looked like that extra stab was the right choice after all.


    "They should be dead now, right?"


    Juliet finally relaxed. She walked up and started kicking and stomping the three bat corpses.


    "That''s for acting all arrogant! Trying to suck my blood! Got anything else disgusting to try..."


    Sis! I know you''re frustrated but there''s no need to desecrate their bodies, please stop randomly firing holy light bullets...


    But at least there was no immediate danger for now.


    "So the power of ''Lost Paradise Shockwave'' is this great, only needing two shots to take out three fifth-tier monsters."


    "Of course! Although I can''t use it myself, I''m very familiar with the reputation of ''Lost Paradise Shockwave''. It''s said no creature can withstand a third hit."


    Norma explained while standing beside me.


    "Of course, it also has many weaknesses, like high consumption, long incantations leading to slow casting speed, etc. That''s why few angels are willing to spend effort learning it, and it''s hard to master..."


    Saying that she couldn''t help glancing at me.


    "But I see you cast it pretty fast, so it''s practical."


    "Naturally! I practiced it for a long time, being able to use it means the effort wasn''t wasted!"


    To be honest, my mood was incredibly good right now. After many days of hardship, there was finally a reward. At least by taking out these three vampires, I had a feat to boast about for life. I must remember to exaggerate the story when I meet Adrian and Nicola again.


    Just then, a large group of people holding torches entered from the direction of the main entrance, immediately bringing some light into the spacious, gloomy royal hall.


    "Is everything okay here?"


    The one leading them was an eight-winged angel I hadn''t seen before. Seeing the bat corpses on the floor, she rushed in and asked Juliet directly.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "And Norma and the rest?"


    "Rae! Over here!"


    Norma beside me quickly responded, then walked to below the hole in the center of the hall.


    Even with the torches, their brightness was insufficient to illuminate us few hiding in the corner of the spacious royal hall.


    "We''re fine. Just now three vampires charged in but we took them out promptly. How about your team that went out to search, did you meet any invading creatures? And why do I see a lot more people than before?"


    It looked like Norma and this lead eight-winged angel Rae knew each other. Meeting up, they immediately started sharing intel.


    "Our team got lucky. After finding a fire source in a restaurant on the shopping street, we retreated right away without directly encountering creatures. But we took in some angels and light elves hiding along the way, which is why there are so many more people."


    Rae explained the situation while holding up her torch. I saw that the number of people following her was indeed not small, at least several dozen. Their faces were mostly obscured by shadows so I couldn''t see clearly.


    I noticed most of them didn''t have wings on their backs. Not sure if they were light elves or just not having their wings manifested.


    "Being able to gather so many survivors is of course good news. Now that we have lighting, we should head to the inner palace. There''s an underground shelter inside we can take refuge in. Though it hasn''t been used for thousands of years, hopefully, we can still enter..."


    Norma spoke while beckoning me and Gwen to move immediately.


    I knew why she wanted to re-enter the palace interior, probably also to look for Cyra. We still hadn''t seen her until now, and with the worsening situation outside, we were very worried.


    But just as she reached to take a torch from the crowd, Norma''s actions suddenly halted.


    "Cyra? Why are you hiding back there, why didn''t you say anything to us?"


    "Cyra?"


    Hearing Norma say this, I also went to take a look. I was just worried about her safety and didn''t expect her to show up so quickly.


    Indeed, in the back of the crowd, Cyra had appeared among them. Due to the distance from the light source, and obstruction by others, we could only roughly make out her face in the torchlight.


    "You all..."


    She made a soft sound of surprise. Then her eyes darted around, even more shocked when she saw me.


    "Feliciana? How can it be you? What are you doing in this place!"


    "Stupid question, where else would I be if not here? You were just chased all over the place by nightmares, and didn''t contact me after escaping."


    I rolled my eyes. She was still playing hide and seek at a time like this, how silly. But good thing she didn''t meet any creatures outside.


    "Alright, as long as you''re fine! The situation outside the palace is so dangerous, I was really worried something might have happened to you."


    Norma pushed through the crowd, went over and grabbed her left hand, speaking seriously.


    "Promise me you won''t run around recklessly anymore, okay?"


    "I see, so that''s why Feliciana is here at this time... makes sense I was discovered..."


    Her reaction was somewhat unexpected. She didn''t answer Norma''s question but was still wondering how we found her.


    "Huh? No, you are..."


    Smelling something off, Norma rubbed her eyes as if realizing something. She cried out in shock.


    What happened next was extremely sudden. The surrounding crowd abruptly screamed shrilly, then scattered in all directions at once.


    I saw a flaming translucent red sword tip stab out from Norma''s back, even trailing fiery flames that quickly spread through her body.


    "Norma!"


    Seeing this, I was completely stunned. Not just me, Juliet, Gwen and the other angels also cried out.


    "You... you aren''t Cyra... who are you?"


    Norma used all her strength to say painfully. But there was no answer from the other side. Amidst the raging fire, her head drooped down.


    Next, her entire body suddenly shone brightly and started becoming translucent. Very soon she dissipated into specks of white radiance that completely vanished in the air. Only her pierced clothes draped limply on the sword.


    "This..."


    I really couldn''t believe my eyes. Although I had heard about it many times before, this was still the first time I saw an angel''s death and disappearance with my own eyes. I never expected it to happen to Norma.


    "I''m certainly not Cyra, though I am quite curious why you all kept calling me by that name..."


    With Norma''s death and disappearance, only a flaming longsword remained stabbed into the ground - the familiar Condensation Sword! The red-haired swordswoman''s hair shone glaringly in the fiery light, her face increasingly twisted and sinister.


    "Mi-chelle!"


    I shouted through gritted teeth. I can''t believe my eyes. But the facts were right before me - she had escaped the heavy encirclement by some method, and infiltrated this far with the monsters.


    So these anomalous events were most likely planned and led by her.


    "It''s been so long, I''ve finally waited for this day..."


    Michelle''s face revealed a nostalgic expression. But she didn''t have her wings out now. Her hand held the Hephaestus Sword with the flaming blade, yet her body still gave off the aura of an angel''s light element.


    Was she an angel or not? I was thrown into confusion. Just what was the deal with this monster leader?


    If she was a dark creature I could understand, just blast her with "Lost Paradise Shockwave" and be done with it. If one shot is not enough then two shots, two shots not enough then three... Okay, I still can''t do three continuous shots now.


    But if she was an angel, that would be extremely tricky. Most magic is useless against angels. The only way to hurt Michelle would be physical attacks, but my swordsmanship wasn''t powerful. I didn''t even have a sword now...


    "Feliciana, she''s not Cyra, right? That hair color and she killed Norma..."


    Juliet asked me with a trembling voice. As for Gwen, she had long ago been scared to hide behind the counter again.

 Vol 3/Chapter 77 Closed Loop

    After Norma died, the light elements in the air increased a lot. Although I didn''t have to worry about replenishing energy for the time being, I didn''t have the mind to retaliate.


    After all, the shock that Michelle brought me last time was too strong.


    "Of course not, you guys get out of here quickly, none of us is her match!"


    I shouted at the others, my clenched fists felt completely sweaty. The situation could be said to be a dead end, with no chance of winning at all.


    And this time, no future Nicola was coming again to save us.


    "Don''t worry, you mob are not my target..."


    Hearing my words, Michelle said leisurely. But before she could finish speaking, Rae, the eight-winged angel who was very familiar with Norma, had already rushed at her with a sword.


    "You just killed Norma like that! She was the most trusted by Lady Elara..."


    "The most trusted what?"


    Michelle didn''t even glance at her. With a casual wave of the sword Hephaestus in her hand, I saw a flash of red light. In an instant, a large hole was pierced through Rae''s chest, her heart was gone without a trace, and she was dead before she could even reach her target.


    As Rae''s corpse fell to the ground and disappeared into light dots, the Hephaestus sword that flew out also returned to its owner''s hand at the same time.


    "Tsk tsk, this instant cleanup upon angel death is still pretty nice. Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome to peel them off the sword..."


    Michelle gently stroked the fiery red blade, reacting as if she had just killed a chicken.


    "Ahhh¡ª! Run!"


    Seeing that the eight-winged angel was killed in one move, the people around were shocked and panicked, only then reacting to desperately flee outside.


    I was no exception, also wanting to escape with the others from the Royal Hall, but suddenly I found that the way forward had been blocked by a wall of fire.


    "Feliciana, you can''t run! I still want to chat with you!"


    Michelle''s voice came from behind. Clearly, this wall of fire was set up specifically to trap me.


    Although the firewall itself wouldn''t cause me any real harm, Michelle had that flying sword!


    I believe that if I stubbornly charged out, what awaited me would be the same fate as Rae.


    "Heh heh, do you have it wrong? We can''t stand each other, what is there to talk about?"


    Left with no choice, I could only pretend to smile as I turned around to face Michelle.


    "It''s only been half a month since we last met..."


    By this time, only the two of us were left in the grand hall, along with the torches brought in earlier still burning on the ground.


    "You may not believe it, but for some reason, I find you quite agreeable."


    Contrary to my expectations, she did not attack me. It was obvious that as long as I cooperated obediently, she had no intention of further aggression. Although her next words greatly exceeded my expectations.


    "For you, it may have only been half a month, but for me, it''s been more than that, because I was sent back one year into the past by Liana."


    "One year ago?"


    I was dumbfounded again. Wasn''t it said that at most you could only travel for a few days in the future? How did it become going back to the past instead, and even one whole year in the past?


    "Since you went back to the past, didn''t you think about nipping the problem in the bud?"


    I thought about it carefully and asked. If it were me sent back to the past, I would definitely notify my past self or take action personally to preemptively eliminate these future threats.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    But in reality, the fact that I was still alive showed that Michelle did not do so. Moreover, until now I didn''t even know two Michelles were existing in the past timeline.


    Not to mention anything else, if the current Michelle had participated in the battle against Future Nicola, the outcome could have been completely different.


    "Didn''t Liana tell you? The predetermined future cannot be changed."


    Michelle looked at me in surprise and said.


    "When I first went back to the past, not only was I severely injured, but I was also entangled by various trivial matters, and I didn''t even get a chance to meet my past self. Later I was trapped in a place until I escaped recently. I just happened to take over the position of the other me..."


    "No way, you didn''t affect the past at all? And who could trap you?"


    Suddenly I understood her feelings a bit - unable to change the fate of the past, and restricted in actions the whole time, having finally endured until returning to the original point in time, it would be strange not to feel emotional about it.


    "The one who trapped me I''ll set aside for now, but it''s not like I didn''t try to change the past at all..."


    Unexpectedly, she seemed a bit hesitant, but after thinking about it for a while, she still told me.


    "Actually, based on the information I got from Camille, I had already deduced that you were a newborn angel who slipped through our assault a month ago. So I left a message in a roundabout way for my past self, to ambush and kill you all if possible, especially Liana, on the day of the Angel Descension Formation. But unfortunately, she didn''t succeed, though that''s also strange, it was within expectations..."


    "????????"


    I suddenly felt the logic here seemed a bit chaotic as if something was off.


    "You''re sure the intel about the Angel Descension Formation was left by you, and not leaked by the Conservative faction?"


    "What Conservative faction? You mean those angels who came to surrender after seeing my true form?"


    Hearing this, Michelle was startled for a moment, and then her expression changed, as if recalling something.


    "But now that you mention it, there was something suspicious about my source for the intel on the Angel Descension Formation..."


    "Forget it, these details aren''t important! Moreover, I already said, those who play with time are lunatics!"


    With a wave of her hand, she didn''t want to dwell too much on this issue. Suddenly, looking at me playfully, she said.


    "You know what''s funny? I didn''t expect those angels who surrendered to me to be so useful. Just promise them safety in the future, and they''re willing to die for me, even betraying their own kind. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have been able to take over a place like Edenmere so quickly..."


    "There they are!"


    However, the shouts coming from all around interrupted Michelle''s words. I saw several angels rushing out from the windows and main entrance, all with six wings or more, and the leader even had ten wings¡ªit was Councilor Meg I was supposed to meet with Cyra earlier.


    "Feliciana? Some survivors reported that, an angel suddenly went berserk and killed Norma in the Royal Hall. Which one of you was it?"


    Seeing the two of us standing in the center of the hall without fighting each other, Councilor Meg was unsure what to make of it, and could only ask first.


    "I know Feliciana, she''s the famous newborn angel, but as for the red-haired one next to her..."


    An eight-winged angel''s eyes lit up, immediately recognizing me.


    "She''s not an angel, you all need to run quickly! Otherwise, you''ll be killed!"


    To be honest, seeing the situation, I really wanted to take the chance to escape to the other side, but I was still afraid of Michelle''s deterrence, and could only shout a loud warning.


    "Run? Why would we run?"


    Hearing my words, the ten-winged angel was puzzled. She took a careful look at Michelle, then suddenly frowned.


    "Aren''t you Cyra? Don''t think I can''t recognize you just because you''ve hidden your wings. And why has your hair changed colour, what''s with that weapon in your hands?"


    "Cyra?"


    Michelle sneered upon hearing this.


    "I''m surprised you angels are quite knowledgeable! But this name is not to be called casually!"


    "Insolence! How can you be so rude to Councilor Meg!"


    The eight-winged angel beside her angrily shouted and moved to apprehend Michelle, only to meet the fate I had anticipated.


    A flash of red and another eight-winged angel fell...


    "You, this is..."


    Watching her pretend to "wipe" the Hephaestus sword, all the angels present were shocked. Instantly killing an eight-winged angel was not something just anyone could do.


    "You''re not Cyra! Who exactly are you?"


    "I am Michelle!"


    At this point, Michelle finally revealed her signature twelve red wings, hovering in midair, giving a strong sense of pressure.


    "Red...twelve wings..."


    Seeing the scene before her, Councilor Meg''s eyes widened. The other angels behind her were even more frightened and at a loss, continuously retreating.


    No wonder, after all among all the angels in Edenmere, the highest rank was only ten wings. Moreover, in thousands of years of history, there had never been any record of a twelve-winged angel existing.


    "Mm..."


    As for me, being closest to Michelle, my inner feelings could be said to have no fluctuations at all, having already witnessed this before. I even felt a little urge to laugh, but couldn''t bring myself to based on the current circumstances.


    She still loved showing off as usual, though, with her strength, she had certainly earned the right.


    "I heard you angels determine rank based on the number of wings, so do you still dare say I''m being rude now?"


    Using a mocking tone, she taunted back. But Michelle''s "performance" seemed not over yet, as it was interrupted by a deafening roar¡ª


    Something fell from the sky, crashing right into the already ravaged roof. In an instant the entire Royal Hall was filled with flying dust and debris, temporarily blocking all sight.


    "Cough cough cough... what the hell!"


    After barely crawling out from the ruins, looking at what used to be the Royal Hall now turned into an open-air venue, I thought this was surely the perfect time to escape right?


    But when I saw the figure hovering in the sky above the hall, I froze¡ªwasn''t that Elara?

 Vol 3/ Chapter 78 Mission

    "Feliciana? I''m glad you''re okay!"


    Elara was holding a long sword that shone with white light. She was also surprised to see me, but quickly regained her composure and didn''t say much more. She then turned her attention back to the pile of rubble below.


    "Be careful, Elara. Michelle is down there too!"


    I hurriedly warned her, afraid she would be ambushed.


    I wondered how Elara was here when she had left early this morning to attend the comprehensive competition.


    Looking up at the sky, it was still filled with dark clouds. This meant Edenmere City and the lake of the Dark Continent had not switched back.


    "Michelle?"


    Hearing my words, Elara glanced at the ruins below in surprise.


    "That can''t be... How is that possible..."


    "Watch out!"


    In the next moment, a familiar red beam shot out from the rubble, heading straight for Elara in the air.


    Although my warning came too late, the Hephaestus sword that was fired was still barely blocked by Elara at the critical moment.


    "Not bad, that weapon of yours!"


    Michelle''s voice came from the rubble, followed by a huge explosion. Countless stones were blasted into the air as the Fire God''s figure finally emerged completely from the ruins.


    "Twelve wings, red wings?"


    Seeing Michelle''s true form, Elara was stunned, though her reaction wasn''t as strong as the other angels. She quickly narrowed her eyes and regained her composure.


    "And that appearance, this weapon..."


    "What, did you mistake me for Cyra again?"


    Having been mistaken several times before, Michelle seemed used to it now. She elegantly retrieved her weapon and suddenly recalled something.


    "I''m surprised there are still so many ancient angels surviving in Edenmere. So as the clan leader of the angels Elara, you should know who I am, right?"


    "If I''m not mistaken, you shouldn''t be a creature of darkness?"


    Elara''s expression was a bit strange. She looked Michelle up and down for a long time before finally answering.


    Indeed, in her twelve-wing state, there was no trace of light elements left on Michelle. But similarly, there was no aura of dark elements either, making it hard to define what state she was in now.


    "That''s it?"


    Hearing this, Michelle seemed a bit disappointed. She stretched her arms and asked,


    "Why don''t you think I''m an angel? Don''t I look very similar to an angel, moreover with twelve wings!"


    "How dare you! Although I don''t know why your wings look so much like an angel''s, you absolutely cannot be one, because an angel''s wings can only be pure white!"


    Elara''s expression changed as she angrily pointed at the other party and shouted.


    "Besides, if you claim to be an angel, why are you mingling with demons? And even daring to attack my Edenmere sanctuary?"


    "Of course, it''s to kill you personally!"


    With a cruel smile again, Michelle had just finished speaking when she flew straight up and slashed at Elara with her sword.


    Although Elara had one pair of wings less than the opponent, she was still the clan leader. She barely managed to block Michelle''s attack, though unable to steady herself in the air and was knocked down to the ground.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "She''s...she''s so strong! Is this the power of twelve wings?"


    A trembling voice sounded behind me. I looked back to see Councilor Meg had gotten up from the ruins at some point, and more angels were gradually emerging from below. It seemed the collapsed roof didn''t pose too big a threat after all.


    At the same time, in another corner of the rubble, there was also a figure coming out, similarly a ten-winged angel.


    "Jeanette?"


    I recognized her at once. After all, we had just met last night, leaving a deep impression.


    "Lady Michelle? Lady Michelle has finally shown herself in person!"


    Jeanette''s reaction was quite unexpected. Seeing the figure in the sky with twelve red wings, her first reaction was to immediately kneel and worship. This made all the other angels present unable to stand it.


    "Jeanette! Do you know what you''re doing? How can you bow down to the enemy leader!"


    Councilor Meg scolded first.


    "She has long betrayed our angel clan! I had already tricked the truth from her earlier. This whole disaster was caused by her!"


    It seemed Elara had been dealing with Jeanette before seeing us. Though looking a little messy from the ground, she didn''t seem to be seriously injured.


    Her next words further explained why she was still here.


    "Jeanette came to see me early in the morning deliberately to keep me from leaving the city. After we switched to the Dark Continent side, she would collaborate with Michelle! Also, because of the comprehensive competition finals, most of Edenmere''s combat force was intentionally kept outside the city."


    "Hmph! Of course, I wouldn''t let you go outside. Because there were others I had arranged on the other side to meet you. If you had gone over it would have been completely ruined."


    Michelle chimed in from above, clearly they had been planning this for a long time.


    But in my opinion, their goal in keeping Elara back was more likely to prevent the control terminal of the Galadra Eye from being taken away.


    "If I''m not mistaken, it should be Yvonne and the commander Josie of the 2nd Legion right? They are both members of the conservative faction! No wonder they suddenly told me yesterday they wanted to attend the comprehensive finals together!"


    Having guessed their internal spy at once, Elara spat out a mouthful of blood and spoke as she flew back into the sky.


    "Hah, I don''t know anything about conservatives or reformists..."


    Michelle shrugged her shoulders. Suddenly her eyes froze as she instantly blocked a sword swung at her from Elara.


    "Looks like you''re not bad as the clan leader, you''ve got some skill. Maybe this fight won''t be too boring!"


    "Thanks for the compliment..."


    Elara gave a wry laugh. The two separated in an instant and started fighting again.


    Although on the surface they seemed evenly matched, even I as a beginner could see Elara was far inferior to her opponent in all aspects. Her defeat was only a matter of time, perhaps Michelle was only toying with her...


    "Jeanette, I know you conservatives have always been at odds with Elara, but why go as far as betraying? Have you forgotten the glory and mission of the angel clan?"


    Councilor Meg seemed to see it too. She must have wanted to fly up and help, but was stuck dealing with the similarly ten-winged Jeanette below, forcing her to temporarily give up support.


    "Glory and mission? Are you joking? In my eyes, you are the ones who have forgotten the origins of our race."


    Hearing this, Jeanette snorted disdainfully with contempt.


    "Let me ask you, do you still remember who the deity is that our angel clan worships?"


    "Deity? You mean our founding ancestors right?"


    Her expression changing, Councilor Meg looked up involuntarily, as if recalling something.


    "That''s right! Apart from the two founding ancestors, our angel clan has not given birth to any twelve-winged angels in nearly ten thousand years. All the angels summoned through the angelic descent formation, without exception, were capped at ten wings. This just happens to prove that twelve wings is a height that only gods can achieve!"


    Having said that, Jeanette''s gaze moved to Michelle in the sky, her eyes full of fanaticism.


    "So you see, Michelle''s true form is precisely the twelve wings. Everything points to her being the true god of our angel clan!"


    "Sophistry! How could the god of our angel clan have red wings, plus she''s mingling with the demons attacking Edenmere? This is intolerable!"


    Councilor Meg seemed a bit shaken but argued loudly based on her usual stance.


    "Then let me ask again, when have you ever heard that our two founding ancestors had white wings?"


    Jeanette gave a cold laugh. Her words made Councilor Meg''s whole body tremble. But she didn''t intend to end it there, and continued persuading.


    "As for why I stand on the side of the demons, it''s related to the mission I mentioned earlier. I''m sure you understand..."


    "You..."


    Hearing her words, Councilor Meg''s expression changed greatly again. She shook her head in disbelief.


    "No! This cannot happen. I absolutely will not allow it!"


    Just what was this so-called mission of the angel clan? Why did Councilor Meg react so strongly when Jeanette brought it up again?


    Standing on the side, I naturally felt more and more confused. But Elara seemed anxious seeing this happen in the sky while fighting Michelle, and couldn''t help calling out to us.


    "Don''t listen to her! She''s just spouting nonsense. As Elara the third, how could I not know who the founding ancestors of the angel clan are!"


    "Daring to be distracted while fighting me, now just go die!"


    Michelle said sinisterly. Taking advantage of her distraction, she suddenly exerted force to hack down. Just as it seemed she was about to hit the unprepared Elara...


    A huge pillar of light suddenly fell from the sky directly at her head.


    "Magic?"


    Her expression suddenly changed, Michelle fiercely looked up at the sky. The Paradise Lost Shockwave was cleanly split into two halves in midair, barely avoiding the target in the center and striking the ground.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 79: The Forest Maze

    "Is this for real?"


    I was shocked. The high-level magic I had cast to save Elara had turned into naught?


    Although I didn''t expect it to severely injure Michelle, at least hit and show some effects right?


    To be honest, since Michelle no longer had any angelic aura on her twelve wings, I wanted to see if she still had immunity against energy attacks.


    "Feliciana! I thought you were alright, and was even thinking of recruiting you... But now it seems I can''t let you off!"


    Michelle stared at me fiercely after my sure-kill attack was interrupted.


    "Uh... Why don''t you reconsider?"


    I didn''t expect myself to be so highly regarded in her eyes. After all, even someone as important as Meg had been persuaded by Jeanette. I suddenly realized that joining the Fire God''s side might not be so bad after all.


    "You..."


    Michelle opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a dirty and dishevelled two-winged angel suddenly rushed in between us, shouting.


    "Norma! Where are you, Norma!"


    "Who are you?"


    I looked at her up and down. She seemed very familiar, but with all that mud and blood on her face, I couldn''t recognize her at all.


    "Feliciana?"


    Upon hearing me speak, she recognized me instead, and immediately flew over to shake me violently.


    "Tell me, did something happen to Norma? Just now when I was fighting monsters nearby, I met Gwen and the others. They said Norma had been killed by a red-haired angel who looks just like me!"


    "You are Cyra? Why do you look like this?"


    Through her words, I finally recognized who she was. I didn''t expect her to show up at a time like this! I could only nod and reply:


    "Yes, it''s true. Norma was indeed killed! The murderer is that red-winged angel fighting Elara up in the sky..."


    I was also very sad about Norma''s death. But Cyra didn''t give me much time to grieve. This fool went boldly forward, pulling out a long sword and charging straight at Michelle.


    "You dare to kill Norma, I will fight you for her revenge!"


    "You idiot! Do you want to die?"


    Seeing this, I rushed forward and grabbed her back. But Cyra was still stubborn even after I held onto her clothes. She even threw the long sword at Michelle.


    At that moment, two things happened at the same time:


    First: Elara, who I had just saved, took the chance to sneak attack Michelle while she was distracted.


    Second: Just as Michelle barely blocked Elara''s attack, the surroundings abruptly changed, as if a switch had been flipped. The sky instantly reverted to Edenmere''s endless light.


    "How is this so fast? Could it be..."


    Michelle looked up in disbelief. With the two sudden developments hitting her at once, her attention was completely drawn away. She no longer had any energy left to care about anything else.


    This included Cyra''s long sword that was spinning and flying haphazardly towards her...


    And so, against all odds, the sword sliced past the unguarded Michelle, leaving a tiny cut on her cheek.


    "You..." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Michelle drove Elara back with a sword thrust, then touched the wound on her cheek. Looking at the blood on her fingers, she was suddenly furious.


    "You dare injure me! And with a mere two-winged angel..."


    "Crap!"


    I thought to myself that things had taken a terrible turn. Although it seemed we had somehow returned to Edenmere again, there was no time for celebration. I still didn''t know what exactly had happened.


    If it was Elara who had injured her, Michelle might not have been so angry. But to be wounded in the face by Cyra, a two-winged angel, given Michelle''s arrogant personality, she definitely wouldn''t let this go easily.


    Cyra should look at the situation! The Royal Hall had already become a high-level battlefield for the big shots. How could a two-winged angel like her rashly interfere?


    Even I was looking for a chance to escape!


    "You two have done it this time..."


    Elara sighed, flew over and grabbed one of us in each hand. She then flew off in a random direction.


    "Run away with me!"


    "You think you can escape just like that? I''ll catch up eventually!"


    As expected, Michelle recklessly chased after us from behind. She had no intention of letting us off.


    "Lady Elara, what are you doing? Let me go, I want to fight her to the death!"


    All the way, Cyra kept struggling and trying to break free of the restraint. But with her strength, there was no way she could succeed.


    "You should keep quiet for now! That''s Michelle, even Nicola can''t deal with a monster like her."


    I said impatiently. Fortunately, I had learned high-speed flying techniques from Aetina earlier, so I could barely keep up with Elara''s speed.


    As for Cyra, she could only be carried by Elara the whole time.


    "Michelle? She''s the Michelle you mentioned?"


    Upon hearing the name, Cyra seemed to have trouble believing it. Only then did she realize who she had provoked.


    "No duh, with those obvious twelve wings behind her, you can''t see it?"


    If not for this guy, Norma wouldn''t have been charmed by Michelle''s looks which led to her death. But she had some conscience for wanting to avenge Norma, though with her current strength, success was unlikely.


    "This Michelle is too strong, simply unfathomable. Even I have no chance of winning against her. Escaping with you two now is just a stopgap measure. We can only lead her somewhere else first."


    Elara spoke up at this point. It seemed her earlier act of saving Cyra wasn''t just an impulsive move, but because she had no choice but to retreat.


    "Then... what should we do?"


    After keeping silent for a while, Cyra finally realized her situation and weakly asked.


    "What about the other angels in the city? After I escaped from the Tivi Palace alone, I followed some angel guards and killed many monsters. Even the grunts seemed very difficult to deal with."


    "That''s because you are too weak! Actually, with the angel guards'' strength, these invading monsters aren''t that huge of a threat..."


    As Elara spoke, she glanced back at the relentless Michelle behind them. She abruptly twisted her body to narrowly dodge the Hephaestus Sword flung at them.


    "We should be back in Edenmere now. Let''s first head to the forests outside the city. The complex terrain there would be more advantageous for us."


    "Wow, that was swordsmanship!"


    Seeing Michelle attack angels for the first time, Cyra cried out dramatically.


    "Still want to fight her to the death?"


    I taunted her. Fortunately, Michelle''s weapon had lost quite a bit of speed in high-velocity flight, giving us ample time to react.


    "I didn''t know back then..."


    Cyra didn''t dare speak anymore. Her current demeanour was a far cry from her boldness earlier. She had become utterly cowardly.


    Due to the high speed, we were already out of the city area. But Michelle was still hot on our tails, occasionally flinging fiery bullets and other tricks. She had no intention of letting us off.


    "We can''t keep fleeing like this right? Moreover, we''re dragging a burden!"


    I glanced at Cyra and couldn''t help asking Elara. After all, Michelle was travelling light. Getting caught was only a matter of time.


    "I remember there''s an ancient forest maze not far ahead planted by the previous Elara. Perhaps we might have some luck there."


    She lowered her head in thought for a while, then pointed to the front. Looking in that direction, I could vaguely make out an abrupt short mountain peak standing there. Its top was slightly flat.


    When we flew closer, I realized it was a very lush forest. Every tree stretched straight into the clouds, and the trunks even emitted a faint glow.


    "Quick, hide inside!"


    Elara charged into the forest at the first command. Without hesitation, I followed right after.


    The trees here were deliberately arranged. Most trunks didn''t have the slightest gap between them, forming interconnected passages. Coupled with the dense branches and leaves overhead, not a single speck of sky could be seen. It felt like an indoor maze.


    If not for the glowing trunks providing light, the surroundings would have been pitch black and we wouldn''t be able to see anything.


    "This forest covers a large area. It can temporarily provide us with protection. Let''s rest first!"


    After a few turns, Elara landed directly on the ground and started using the Light magic "Healing" to treat her injuries.


    Aetina had just taught me this spell yesterday. The Council of The Mage specially developed it for angels. Unfortunately, due to the limits of human talent, the healing efficiency wasn''t high and it had many restrictions. But it was still the only recovery magic angels could use.


    "Has Michelle come in yet?"


    Cyra looked back nervously at where we came from. Our entrance point had long been obscured by the dense trees.


    "What if we get lost too? Can we fly out from above the treetops?"


    "Of course!"


    Elara nodded.


    "This place was originally built to provide entertainment for angels. Occasionally competitions would also be held here. For us, bursting through the tree canopy is very easy to escape whenever we want. But it would be difficult for someone outside to find our location."

 Vol 3/ Chapter 80: Edenmere Nuked

    "So we''ve reached an invincible place, haven''t we?"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    "It''s a pity that Michelle can also fly, otherwise we could have trapped her in here."


    But before her words fell, a violent explosive sound came from above our heads, accompanied by Michelle''s furious warning that could be heard throughout the forest.


    "Feliciana, Elara! If you don''t come out, I''ll burn down this forest! If the fire doesn''t kill you, the smoke will choke you to death! That would be far more painful than being stabbed by my sword."


    She was as good as her word. Before long, we saw many branches and leaves above us catch fire.


    "What should we do? I almost forgot her nickname is the Goddess of Fire. These trees can''t withstand it at all!"


    I suddenly felt a little panic. It was hard to say whether the angels would be smoked to death. After all, they needed to breathe too. Moreover, with the trees burned down, there would be nowhere left to hide.


    "At least you can rest assured for now!"


    Elara seemed much calmer about this. As she looked at the flames above, she explained to us:


    "These are Glorious Trees that have been specially bred over thousands of years. They are very compatible with the light element and won''t be destroyed so easily by fire."


    Sure enough, the fire soon began to diminish gradually before extinguishing silently.


    "Then there''s nothing to worry about. Since the trees won''t burn, we don''t need to be afraid either."


    Seeing this, Cyra waved her hand and completely relaxed. But I still had some concerns, because I vividly remembered how she had destroyed a vast forest in an instant before.


    "Humph, you think you can trouble me with these weird trees?"


    Michelle''s voice rang out again, but this time not from above. It sounded a bit lower, as if she had descended into the maze.


    "Let me show you the power of the Goddess of Fire!"


    With a tremendous "boom", a row of tree trunks forming a "wall" in front of us collapsed. At the same time, they began to burn violently.


    It was not just these few trunks. Through the fallen "wall", we could see that there was a world of flames beyond, with the very air turned red and distorted. The scene looked even more dramatic than the inside of a smelting furnace.


    We of course saw Michelle in the middle of the "furnace". Fortunately, she had her back facing us and had not noticed our location yet.


    "Still not coming out?"


    "In that case, I''ll increase the temperature and range even more! Absolute power renders all tricks meaningless!"


    "How can this be? Her flames are so powerful they can even burn down Glorious Trees, which have almost half the light elements of angels'' bodies!"


    This time Elara had completely miscalculated. Michelle''s strength far exceeded her expectations. Now the only thing she could do was to lead us in a continued escape.


    "Wait a moment!"


    Unexpectedly, Cyra made a hand gesture to stop Elara from swooping over to carry her away. She then rushed forward quickly, took out something from her pocket and tossed it towards the high-temperature zone.


    "I''ve wanted to do this since hearing her threaten to burn down the forest, but never had the chance until now..."


    "What did you throw?"


    Elara looked puzzled. But she saw Cyra''s demeanour change drastically after these actions. The angel fled back as if her life was in imminent danger, with a white aura enveloping her body.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Hurry up and get me out of here!"


    "You can''t be serious! You threw that thing out?!"


    My face changed instantly as I immediately realized what she had tossed away just now.


    Since that was the case, I would go all out to increase the chances of success!


    Without another word, I took out the oxygen sphere I carried and threw it out as well. Then I turned to Elara and shouted:


    "Cover your whole body with as much light element as possible! Then escape from this place at full speed!"


    "What have you two done?"


    Hearing this, Elara looked at Cyra and me in astonishment. She glanced again at the ultra-high temperature zone created by Michelle ahead. Even her instincts seemed to sense a trace of fear. Ultimately she still followed my instructions, grabbed Cyra and flew straight up into the sky with me.


    "Found you. Did you think you could still escape from my palm..." Huh?


    Michelle had just begun to speak when she saw the high temperature region suddenly swell violently around her. The combustion range instantly enveloped the entire Glorious Tree forest.


    I looked back and knew this should be the effect of the oxygen accelerating the flames. Then came the climax...


    When the combustion range expanded to its limit, the center suddenly collapsed, as if a whirlpool was rapidly absorbing the surrounding flames. The larger the whirlpool grew, the faster it absorbed. Until all the nearby flames were completely drained...


    "Here it comes!"


    I shouted loudly. Without caring about the others, I hurriedly plugged both ears. At the same time I turned my head forward and added another layer of light element around my body.


    First came an extremely dazzling flash of light. Even with my back to the explosion and eyes closed, I could still feel its blinding intensity.


    This was immediately followed by a deafening roar. Suspended in midair, I was instantly blown away by a tremendous force, spinning and tumbling uncontrollably.


    "Whoaaaaaa¡ª¡ª"


    I was now even more wretched than a severed kite, not daring to open my eyes to see what was happening around. I didn''t know how long I tumbled in the sky or how far the shockwave had blown me. Until I finally got caught in a treetop upside down, I cautiously opened my eyes a sliver.


    "Where is this...?"


    When I spoke again, it was in an extremely hoarse voice. My throat was shredded from all that frantic screaming in the air. But there was absolutely no response from my surroundings.


    Through the gaps in the branches I could see the sky above Edenmere, which normally radiated light, now seemed somewhat distorted. Strange unnatural veins had appeared, looking like milk foam squeezed together on the surface of a cappuccino.


    I really survived a nuclear detonation at ground zero!


    I definitely felt excited at this moment, but at the same time immensely sorrowful, because it was so miserable! Although I had put on two layers of light element protection in advance, it was still unable to completely offset the power of the explosion.


    Even with an angel''s body, largely immune to energy damage, I had still suffered extensive severe burns. Almost no intact skin remained on my exposed exterior. My arms and legs were covered in dense blisters that I absolutely could not touch! Still, it hurt so much I was writhing and gnashing my teeth.


    As for clothes, those had long since evaporated! I was back to the long-absent nude state. My hair wasn''t much better off either. A large section of the ends had been carbonized, changing my waist-length style to a bob cut.


    The most serious damage was probably to my back, which I couldn''t see. But most of the pain was concentrated there, so I knew the injury was no trivial matter.


    At the critical moment before the explosion, I had concealed my wings out of fear they might not withstand it. So all that was left facing the explosion''s center was my bare back.


    Well, I guessed it was probably cooked through, since the smell of grilled meat was wafting up. And it did smell pretty good...


    Such an ordeal would have killed an ordinary human body instantly. But I was still a dignified six-winged angel after all, with superior physique and restorative magic to aid me. Plus my wings were protected, I quickly freed myself from the treetop after summoning them out for a few flaps.


    "What''s going on with the sky?"


    After regaining some altitude, I finally located the direction I had been blown from. An enormous white mushroom cloud stood on the distant horizon, impossible to ignore.


    But strangely, there was a huge hole blasted out above the mushroom cloud. The sky once filled with light seemed to be squeezed to the surroundings, like a thick cloud layer.


    Still, it looked to be slowly converging back towards the center. Maybe it would be completely restored after some time.


    What was that?


    I blinked, wondering if I was seeing things.


    Logically, Edenmere existed in a different space from the main world, so the cavity should be pitch black with nothing inside. But I seemed to inadvertently glimpse an extremely large sphere passing the hole''s edge. Unfortunately that area was quickly obscured by the "cloud" outside the rim, and I couldn''t see anything more.


    "Feliciana!"


    My thoughts were interrupted by a faint call from behind. I looked back and saw a nude angel waving at me in the distant sky.


    "Elara?"


    Although I couldn''t quite make out her face, I could confirm her identity from the number of wings and hurriedly flew over.


    "Where''s Cyra?"


    Seeing her alone, I immediately asked upon approaching. When the two of us drew closer, I saw that Elara''s condition was vastly better than mine. Though rather awkwardly, her destroyed clothing left many sensitive areas completely exposed.


    "Um..."


    I felt it was a bit hard to look directly, because they were just so big... So I quickly suggested:


    "Why don''t you follow my example and manifest a pair of wings to cover yourself?"


    With ten wings, the light elements composing her body was much higher than mine. Although she had similar wing and hair damages, I didn''t see many burn scars.

 Vol 3/Chapter 81: Impact

    "Why are you wrapping your wings around your body? Are there male light elves below?"


    Elara looked confused by my words, but her attention was not focused too much on these questions. Instead, she asked me again.


    "What did you guys throw out just now? A magical array? That explosion was too terrifying, it makes forbidden spells look like child''s play in comparison!"


    "This is hard to explain..."


    I scratched my head, avoiding her gaze as I replied.


    "Overall, it was a kind of large-scale destructive weapon that Reed and Nicola created together. The magical array was just a small part included in it..."


    "Large-scale? Destructive? Weapon?"


    Elara looked back at the mushroom cloud that was almost dissipated, seeming to understand the meaning of these words a little.


    After all, the power of a nuclear explosion is enormous. Looking at the distant forest that had been razed to the ground from here as survivors, the only phrase that could describe it was ''shocking''.


    With the base of the mushroom cloud at the center, the areas within a radius of nearly ten kilometres were affected, including the city within this range.


    Luckily, the city was located right at the edge, so apart from the taller buildings like the landing platform at the top of the Tivi Palace...the damage was not too severe overall.


    As for the regions a bit closer to the explosion center, they could only be described as "Hell". The further in towards the center, the more severe the damage to the trees.


    The trees first just fell over, then gradually turned into burnt and carbonized states as you moved closer to the center...By the inner ring, you basically couldn''t make out any details - because everything in sight was just charred black, and in the most severely affected areas around the mushroom cloud''s base, you could vaguely make out flickering red shadows.


    I guessed that the forest maze near the explosion center had probably turned into a lava sea by now.


    "Too scary! If you hadn''t given me a warning, I could have been seriously injured. But even so, the shockwave from the explosion was too strong, I couldn''t keep holding onto Cyra midway, so we got blown apart..."


    Saying this, Elara pointed in a direction.


    "Based on the possible falling range, I couldn''t have landed too far from Cyra. And I know the direction she got blown away in, it should be over here..."


    It was impressive that she could still discern the direction they fell in. Not like me who had my eyes shut the whole time - it was like going on a rollercoaster ride.


    "But this area is all forest too. There''s no way the two of us keep searching in there, right?"


    Looking at the sea of trees before us, I suddenly felt finding Cyra in a short time would be nearly impossible.


    "No problem. I know there''s a light elves settlement around here. We can go ask them for help."


    Elara seemed to know what she was doing, flying off in front as she finished speaking.


    "Then let''s hurry back to the city after! I''m very worried about the situation there, plus there''s still lots of problems like the monster invasion left unresolved."


    "But..."


    I looked back again at the mushroom cloud, hesitating to speak further. I felt we should confirm if Michelle was dead or alive first right? But then I thought that with an explosion on this scale, if she didn''t have any warning, the chances of her surviving were low. Elara probably took that for granted too.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Anyway, saving lives took priority...


    "Notice anything about where we are?"


    We hadn''t flown far before Elara suddenly asked me thoughtfully.


    There was a continuous mountain range below the forest, nothing special about it from afar. But the closer we got, the more familiar it looked.


    "Isn''t this near the cave Reed just moved to!"


    I finally realized it. We had fallen into this area after all the drama. As we flew over a mountain peak, we could even vaguely see the cave within the mountainside, as well as the stream we had played in just yesterday.


    "If this is the place, then the so-called light elves settlement is probably...?"


    I immediately linked it to the place Cyra didn''t return from last night.


    "What a coincidence..."


    Following Elara as we flew on, what came into view over the mountain peak was a small lake area. In the center of the lake was a small island, occupied almost completely by a single thick and lush gigantic tree. A turbulent stream flowed right by here, emptying into the lake, before flowing out from the other end.


    "That tree is the light elves'' settlement!"


    Elara said and dove down onto the island. She had barely landed before numerous light elves jumped down from the tree branches, both males and females. Seeing an angel descend, especially Elara herself, they immediately knelt to pay respects.


    "Lady Elara, have you come in person because of the strange sight in the distance?"


    The leading light elf looked very old, supporting himself with a cane as he stood and asked from within the kneeling crowd.


    Here, tucked away behind the mountain range, the explosion site was too far to witness directly. They might not even be able to see the mushroom cloud without crossing over the peaks. But they should still have heard the enormous sound from the blast, including the large swathes of dust kicked up into the sky afterwards, causing immense panic for these light sprites.


    "Sorry to disturb everyone, our main purpose in coming today is to seek help..."


    Elara didn''t seem to want to waste time on pleasantries, getting right to the point.


    "As for the distant explosion, it is related to our visit. It was primarily prepared to resist foreign enemies, so you need not be overly alarmed."


    "What! Resist foreign enemies?"


    "No way, how could there be foreign enemies within Edenmere!"


    "Whether it''s humans or monsters, if battles break out within Edenmere..."


    "Don''t know how the fighting is going, which areas have they advanced to?"


    "Seeking help, does that mean conscripting us?"


    "...


    Hearing this, the light elves immediately exploded into chatter, whispering to each other.


    "Edenmere City was just attacked by monsters. Looks like you''re still unaware, right..."


    Seeing their isolated lifestyle here, with no wings for flight like angels, it was normal they didn''t know about today''s happenings. So I quickly explained.


    "What! Edenmere City has fallen?"


    "No way, are the angels about to be wiped out!"


    "If even Edenmere has fallen, then the mortal realm is probably..."


    "What do we do? Will the light elf tribe perish along with them?"


    "We''re doomed! I''ll be conscripted and die on the battlefield!"


    "It''s the end of the world!"


    ...


    But hearing my words, their reactions grew even more intense instead of calming down.


    "That exaggerated?"


    I couldn''t help but retort. Did these light elves have hidden careers as sensationalist reporters in Edenmere? Such lively imaginations! Everyone was so talented...


    "Forget it, we''re not that close to them anyway. Better not let them know about these things."


    Elara shook her head, stopping me from saying more. Then she turned to ask the elderly light elf chief.


    "Chief, do you have any spare hands who can help us search the forest areas around here? We''re looking for an angel who fell from the sky."


    "An angel who fell from the sky?"


    The chief''s expression immediately turned odd upon hearing this. He looked back at a female light elf behind him, whispering some questions.


    "Lady Elara, speaking of angels falling from the heavens, there is one now actually. But she''s still stuck in our ancestral tree up there!"


    What a coincidence!


    "Then hurry and take us to see!"


    I was shocked and immediately suggested to the chief.


    The so-called ancestral tree naturally referred to the single gigantic tree on the island. Although not that tall compared to the trees along the lake shore, its trunk was absurdly thick, easily several hundred meters around. Two-thirds of the island''s area was taken up by it.


    The top branches then spread out horizontally in all directions. Their reach had long exceeded the land area below, extending out over the lake''s surface. Looking down from above, it was like a massive umbrella erected in the lake center.


    The light elves'' dwellings were built among these branches. Looking up, you could see exquisite tree houses everywhere, though there were also platforms built onto the trunk, with houses constructed on them in a "convenient traffic" layout.


    "This way, please!"


    The chief personally led the way, taking us around the back of the trunk where there was a spiral staircase entrance built into the outer wall.


    "Do...angels need something like this?"


    Perhaps the flightless light elf required such facilities, but I was anxious - so I just flew straight up to the branches overhead.


    "Sorry for the offence due to our haste..."


    Elara also smiled slightly, grabbed the chief, and brought her up to join me.


    The rest of the way was walking atop the branches. As many light elves lived up here, the obstructing twigs had been cleared to form interweaving treetop pathways after joining up.


    But the higher we went, the thinner the branches below our feet grew. Our group''s combined weight was probably pretty huge. I kept feeling the branches flexing softly underfoot, as if they might snap and drop us any moment.

 Vol 3/Chapter 82: Broken Wings

    "We''re here, right above you."


    I had been worriedly staring at the ground the whole way here. It wasn''t until the chief suddenly turned around and told us that I looked up.


    "Ah!"


    The moment I raised my head, I came face-to-face with a pair of eyes.


    "You can''t be serious, it''s so close?"


    I was shocked by this sight and took a few steps back before realizing it was Cyra. She was hanging upside down from a tree branch just like I had been.


    "Hi..."


    Cyra waved at me silly, barely managing a smile. She helplessly called out:


    "You''re finally here, hurry and get me down!"


    "Are you okay?"


    How could she be so lucky? To fall right into the Light Elf village we had been to before. No matter how I thought about it, the chances seemed too low!


    I looked over Cyra''s body. Strangely, she was completely unharmed. Not only were there no burns, but even her clothes were undamaged without a single scorch mark...


    "Wait! Those aren''t the clothes you were wearing before?"


    I suddenly realized something was off. Before Cyra threw the nuclear bomb, she had been wearing the standard angel dress. But now she was dressed in normal resident clothing from this Light Elf village.


    Did the Light Elves help change her? But her whole body except her head was wrapped up in branches. If they could dress her, why didn''t they just rescue her down first?


    "This angel lady''s circumstances are quite special. It''s not her first time hanging in a tree..."


    A young female Light Elf quickly explained:


    "The first time we found her, she was in a tree on a nearby hill. Back then, she was completely naked with burns all over. But after we brought her back and treated her, she impatiently wanted to leave again, not heeding our advice. She tried to secretly escape but had barely flown up before crashing into the top of a home tree.


    "Because she was stuck so high up this time, we hadn''t figured out how to rescue her yet when you and Lady Elara arrived..."


    "I didn''t have a choice!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra also spoke up:


    "How was I supposed to know the ''Heal'' spell doesn''t fully cure an angel''s wings? It only healed my body. To find you sooner, I tried flying with injury, and... and you see the result..."


    So there were some processes in between, not as simple as I imagined.


    "Your wings were injured yet you still dared to scurry around? Aren''t you afraid of pain?"


    I recalled how it had felt when my wings were hurt. I couldn''t even stand steadily. Yet Cyra looked completely fine?!


    "That''s because we used the light spell ''Sedation'' during treatment earlier to numb the pain, but it didn''t have any therapeutic effect to heal the wounds..."


    The young female Light Elf cut in to explain, clearly also finding Cyra quite troublesome.


    "But Lady Cyra thought she was fine as long as she didn''t feel pain. She disregarded our advice and forcibly tried to fly up, worsening her injuries."


    "An angel''s wings don''t have the same defensive power as their body due to their uniqueness. Even the ''Heal'' spell developed for angels has little effect on them. To completely cure wings, water-type healing magic is needed. Otherwise, they can only slowly heal on their own."  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Elara sighed and stated the reasons. She then told us:


    "Don''t leave her hanging up there anymore, it''s embarrassing!"


    "But we tried many methods already. It''s difficult to reach the ends of the branches here..."


    The young Light Elf had just started explaining when Elara flew up without another word. She drew her sword and cleanly cut through all the branches wrapping Cyra''s body. The whole process was neat and decisive. Even the clothes Cyra was wearing remained undamaged.


    This swordsmanship... was simply amazing!


    Because Michelle had been so powerful earlier, Elara was completely suppressed in their fight, unable to display anything impressive. Only now did I truly witness her superb skill with the sword.


    "This may be difficult for Light Elves, but it''s extremely easy for angels."


    Carrying Cyra in one hand, Elara descended and handed her over to some waiting Light Elves. She then put on the clothes they had just prepared.


    Come to think of it, up until now she had still been using her wings to cover herself like I did. After all, there were male Light Elves here too. But out of respect for her status, no one dared mention it. So I only just noticed now.


    "You two don''t need to hurry, just rest here for a bit before coming over slowly. I have to go on ahead first."


    After speaking, Elara immediately flew up again. She gave the Elf Chief some instructions about treatment before hurriedly leaving in the direction of the city.


    "Well..."


    I watched as Elara gradually flew away, and put on some clothing as well. Looking back, I saw Cyra being reverently carried down by the Light Elves and couldn''t help but swallow.


    "Or, after they''ve treated your wings, it''s better if I bring you back quickly. I''m worried about the situation in the city."


    In a tree house, Cyra lay stomach-down on a bed and spoke to me with difficulty. She was surrounded by female Light Elves, two of whom were holding a wing each. The rest were busy preparing medical supplies.


    "Lady Cyra, I''m afraid half of your right-wing can''t be saved. We can''t keep using light magic to stabilize your injury forever... And the effects of the previous ''Sedation'' spell should be wearing off soon..."


    After examining the wound, the Elf Chief beside the bed shook his head and said.


    "To prevent secondary infections from the open wound, although infections shouldn''t be too serious for your angelic physique, I still recommend amputating it first..."


    "What! That can''t be, argh¡ª!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra could no longer stay lying down. She tried to prop herself up but pulled at her wound again, shuddering in pain.


    "Then won''t she never be able to fly again?"


    I also felt extremely reluctant. Cyra only had two wings to begin with. Losing half of the right one would surely ground her.


    But come to think of it, her wing injuries this time were also too severe. Unlike Elara whose feathers were just charred, more than just feathers were gone from Cyra''s wings. It could be described as... that''s right! "Angel wing tips - barbecue style!"


    What great smelling barbecue!


    Speaking of which, I once again caught a whiff of that tantalizing aroma permeating the room. Staring at those golden brown, glistening crispy wing tips, I couldn''t help swallowing again.


    "We haven''t eaten in so long, the fire looks just right for cooking... The smell is appetizing too..."


    "Feliciana! I treat you like a brother yet you want to eat me... Ow!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra nearly exploded in rage but ended up writhing in pain on the bed again.


    "Too far! I can barely fly anymore yet some still have their eyes on my wings for a snack, wah..."


    "There will be plenty of chances to fully heal in the future."


    Seeing her miserable state sprawled on the bed, the Elf Chief gave a wry smile and explained:


    "The most direct method is to go to the outside world and find Sage Council to use water-type healing magic. The wings would quickly recover."


    "Are there any other ways?"


    It was clear this Elf Chief, though not an angel herself, knew a lot about them. No wonder Elara trusted her with Cyra.


    "Of course!"


    As expected, he nodded and directly answered:


    "And that is ascension! Once ascended to four wings, the new wings can let the severed ones regrow to normal."


    "I see, ascension huh..."


    Cyra had naturally heard our conversation too. Judging from her expression, she seemed much more at ease and no longer so strongly opposed.


    Indeed, although ascension didn''t seem possible for her anytime soon, compared to human amputation, it was infinitely better with ample chances to recover.


    "Just accept your fate obediently! You can''t fly now anyway, and leaving it could even endanger your life!"


    Seeing this, I hurriedly persuaded her further. Come to think of it, I suddenly felt a bit fortunate that I had withdrawn my wings during the nuclear blast. Although hiding wings may weaken the body''s defensive capabilities somewhat, it was infinitely better than lying in bed getting them amputated like this.


    Moreover, from Cyra''s condition, she would probably have to go around with half-severed wings for a very long time, maybe even unable to hide them.


    Wait! Isn''t that the legendary fallen angel...


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Thinking of this, I couldn''t help but laugh out loud.


    "What are you laughing at!"


    Cyra was in a terrible mood right now. Seeing my expression made her even more furious.


    "It''s nothing, I just suddenly thought of something funny!"


    I quickly corrected my attitude, worried she thought I was gloating. I then urged the Elf Chief:


    "Hurry and begin!"


    "First let the angel sleep to reduce the pain."


    The Elf Chief nodded and signalled to one of her subordinates. Under the effects of a sleep spell, Cyra soon lost consciousness.


    What a convenient anesthetic method! I couldn''t help but marvel at it and left the room to not disturb their operation.


    Only now was I free to properly observe the village.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 83 - Ayshu

    I''m currently sitting on a huge branch of the Hometree. Below me is the edge of the island. I can see many boats docked around the island''s shore - these are probably the transportation for the Light Elves going in and out of the island.


    Despite it being just a tree, at least over a hundred people are living in this tribe, so I can see Light Elves of all ages, both male and female, passing by above and below me. It feels quite novel.


    Looking at the peaceful scenery before me, I''m suddenly reminded of the scene I saw in Edenmere City previously. Despite the two places not being very far apart, they seem like two different worlds, which makes one sigh with feeling.


    "Angel Lady, is it true Edenmere city got invaded by monsters?"


    Just then an elderly Light Elf woman hurriedly ran up to me and asked.


    "Ah? Yes."


    I was just sitting on a tree branch outside the door spacing out, didn''t expect a Light Elf to specially come and ask me this question. Feeling puzzled, I added:


    "Do you have something worrying? We didn''t come to conscript troops..."


    "No! I want to ask about a Light Elf, my son. He should be training swordplay in the city now..."


    Hearing that, I immediately understood. She''s here for her loved one. But there are many Light Elves in Edenmere city, at least a few dozen if not over a hundred. It would be useless even if she gave the name.


    "His name is Ayshu. Do you happen to know him? And if you do, do you know of his current situation?"


    "Of course n... huh?"


    Speaking of which, this name does seem a bit familiar! Thinking carefully, isn''t he the male Light Elf that Nicola fought in the swordplay competition? Can''t help but correct myself:


    "Uh, alright! I have heard of him, but I don''t know about his situation under the monster invasion. Sorry, I''m afraid I can''t be of much help."


    "I see. Thank you, sorry to disturb..."


    Hearing my reply, she seemed somewhat disappointed and didn''t say anything more before leaving.


    "The Ayshu family only migrated into Edenmere from outside about ten years ago..."


    Not long after the woman left, the voice of the Elf Chief sounded from behind me, saying:


    "You''re done over there?"


    Seeing him, I naturally asked about the matter of greatest concern first.


    "So fast, how''s Cyra?"


    "Of course no issues, she''ll wake up soon. Only that during the time before the cut heals, she has to keep the wing wrapped with bandages and change them periodically, which is a bit troublesome."


    Quite professional! Aligns with my knowledge of medical practices in this world. The main difference is that primitive medical methods are rarely used here due to the existence of healing magic.


    "I''m clear about this part, don''t worry!"


    I nodded, just about to go into the room to see Cyra, when I suddenly recalled what he mentioned earlier, and couldn''t help but turn back to ask:


    "That Ayshu... is there anything special about him?"


    "Oh, nothing special. Just that his family has always been a single-parent household. It''s said his father was once a powerful warrior, a rare combat and swordsmanship specialist among the generally frail Light Elf race. Unfortunately, he later encountered powerful monsters and got dark corrupted into a Dark Elf..."


    "No way?"


    I''m aware of dark corruption, of course, having heard Selene mention it before. But this is still the first time hearing a real-life example, moreover such a tragic case of a broken family. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    " Doesn''t that mean Ayshu might end up confronting his father in battle?"


    "Not necessarily. Light Elves and Dark Elves originate from the same source after all. Even if they meet on the battlefield, they''d try their best to avoid fighting."


    The Chief shook his head at my words, seeming quite certain of Ayshu''s father''s current state.


    "Moreover, it''s been over ten years already. His father probably died long ago."


    "How can you be so sure his father must be dead?"


    It looked incredulous unless he witnessed it. But it doesn''t sound that way...


    "Not fallen in battle, but his lifespan ended. I can ascertain that after being turned into a Dark Elf, he couldn''t have lived over ten years!"


    However, his reply greatly exceeded my expectations, leaving me confused.


    "Just what is going on? Why would his lifespan end after just ten years?"


    The conversation had successfully piqued my interest at this point. A possibility suddenly occurred to me:


    "Could it be Dark Elves have very short lifespans?"


    "That''s right, very short! Seems like you aren''t very familiar with the related basics about our Light Elves and Dark Elves, Lady Feliciana..."


    He nodded, acknowledging this point, and explained especially for me:


    "Although Dark Elves and Light Elves can transform into each other, originating from the same source, in reality, they are completely opposing existences. Dark Elves, influenced by the dark element, excel in combat and have robust physiques. Due to the dark element, they can barely use any magic. Light Elves on the other hand are the complete opposite, with affinity with light elements, generally frail physiques even weaker than humans, but extremely adept at light magic."


    "I''m aware of most of this, but what does it have to do with lifespan?" Still feeling puzzled, I continued asking¡£


    "It''s related to the influence of the dark element. The main reason why dark creatures are defined by humans as the evil side is because the monsters affected by it are mostly physically strong beasts with extremely high fertility and violent temperaments. Apart from some extremely rare existences like vampires, their lifespans are all very short, the higher the rank, the shorter the lifespan, rarely living past thirty years."


    "No way, even succubus demons too?"


    I was a bit incredulous, this completely overturned my existing knowledge.


    "That''s right, although I haven''t personally observed it, legends say this is true without mistake."


    The Light Elf Chief affirmed my statement and continued explaining:


    "As for Yashu''s father, he had already lived a very long time as a Light Elf. According to Yashu''s mother, he was probably a few hundred years old. So after becoming a Dark Elf, his remaining lifespan probably wouldn''t exceed ten years, unless he encountered light corruption and turned back into a Light Elf."


    "Light Elves can live that long? Several hundred years..."


    Elves living long lives isn''t that bizarre by conventional notions. But the Dark Elves'' lifespans being so short, the disparity between them seems a little too huge.


    "If it''s so, shouldn''t Dark Elves be very enthusiastic about getting light corrupted for the sake of longevity?"


    But Irene didn''t seem to act that way.


    "It''s related to light and dark being incompatible. And not just for this reason alone..."


    He sighed, and revealed the cause:


    "All dark creatures instinctively reject the light element, similar to angels'' revulsion towards the dark element. They generally won''t willingly accept light corruption. Moreover, among all monsters, Dark Elves probably have the weakest affinity for the dark element, their average strength doesn''t even rank. So despite having birth rates several times higher than Light Elves who at most have one child, they still can''t make up for losses from war."


    "With the warlike nature of monsters, repeated external wars coupled with internal strife, the Dark Elf population is said to be extremely scarce now, almost extinct. This is no secret across the continent. In contrast, the Light Elf tribes have grown even bigger, relying entirely on the angels for help..."


    Saying this, the Light Elf Chief looked at me, seeming to have hidden meaning in his expression.


    "You''re probably a younger generation, right? Actually, in this world, only angels have the power to transform Light Elves. Just like an angel''s lifespan, thanks to the light element, a Light Elf''s lifespan has also become extremely remarkable, far surpassing humans and even reaching records of close to a thousand years."


    "Moreover, decades ago when Lady Elara broke convention and permitted us to migrate to Edenmere to escape the monster threat, it was an immense grace! Hence our gratitude towards angels is impossible to convey in words. Now Edenmere city is in trouble, if you need help please speak up, the Light Elf tribe will undoubtedly answer the call!"


    "We didn''t come to conscript troops..."


    Alright, I finally understood his meaning. Talking so much was just a roundabout way of declaring loyalty.


    But from his standpoint, this might be considered a normal reaction.


    After all, Cyra suffered such a serious injury that her wings had to be amputated. Later when Elara and I appeared, we were disheveled and even naked with our clothes burned off. It''s only natural for them to be worried...


    But none of this was caused by monsters! The real culprit is still snoozing away in the room.


    "You''re awake?"


    Having been held up outside for so long, when I returned to the room Cyra already had her eyes open, looking around restlessly.


    "What can I do, my wings are gone."


    Looking at the stumps wrapped in bandages where her wings used to be, Cyra seemed on the verge of tears, a rare disheartened expression.


    "Don''t you think I''m unlucky today? First Noma died, and then my wings suffered such a serious injury that I can''t fly anymore. Could this be a trial from God as well?"


    "Don''t worry, we already said it can be healed."


    I could understand her feelings, and could only advise.


    "But Noma died! Don''t know if there''s a way to revive in this world, but at least I took revenge for her."


    "Revenge? Oh you mean throwing the nuke..."


    I was startled for a moment before reacting - she wasn''t wrong in this sense. But taking revenge in such an exaggerated fashion is unprecedented.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 84 - Reckless Behavior

    "Is it true that Michelle looks exactly like me?"


    Cyra suddenly changed the topic and asked me.


    "Didn''t you see it for yourself? Why are you still asking?" I was a little confused, not knowing what her intention was for bringing this up again.


    "Even though I heard from you that the red-haired twelve-winged angel is Michelle, I still didn''t get a clear look at her face because she was too far away the whole time," Cyra explained, lowering her eyes.


    "Come to think of it, you mentioned this before, but it never felt very real to me, so I didn''t pay much attention. It wasn''t until Juliet and Gwen saw me and were scared to death that I truly felt the strangeness of it all..."


    "Do you think this is all just a coincidence?"


    "Well, this..."


    I didn''t know how to answer, not expecting her to ask such a question. After all, I couldn''t find any common ground between her and Michelle. At least based on the information I had so far, I could only explain it as a coincidence.


    "Never mind."


    Seeing my awkward expression, Cyra didn''t say anything more either. She just turned her head to look out the window.


    "Perhaps there is a reason we came to this world. Everything is the will of the Lord. He is waiting for us somewhere in this world..."


    I wasn''t sure if I was seeing things, but it seemed like a few sparkling tears appeared rarely in the corners of her eyes.


    I was suddenly at a loss, never having seen Cyra like this before. I didn''t know how to comfort her.


    I had always felt that she was an optimist. Whether it was in high school, or after crossing over, she was always bouncing around getting into trouble. Even after I tore out half the feathers from her wings, she just complained for a bit and soon returned to normal.


    I didn''t understand why she was reacting so strongly just because her wing was temporarily damaged. Was it because of Norma''s death? But that didn''t seem right either! After all, she had said it was just a fling between them, consensual. Could it be... she had truly fallen for her?


    If that was the case, it would be troublesome. Angels'' bodies disappear when they die, so even if there was a resurrection technique, it wouldn''t work!


    "Um... people die... I mean, angels can''t be brought back to life after death, so you better mourn and restrain yourself!"


    Thinking of this, I could only stiffly say some words of comfort.


    "Besides, souls can be reincarnated in this world. Maybe you two will meet again someday, just with a different relationship."


    This sounded a bit familiar...where had I heard it before...


    "Meet who again?"


    Cyra didn''t understand and turned to ask me.


    "Norma of course!"


    I answered matter-of-factly. Who else could it be but her?


    "What does Norma have to do with anything?"


    She carefully recalled my words and immediately reacted.


    "Oh... that''s what you meant! Don''t worry, I already got revenge, so I''m over it now!"


    "??????"


    I was filled with question marks. This didn''t seem like the right reaction...


    "You''re not sad anymore?"


    "Why would I be sad?"


    Cyra looked at me blankly and retorted with a question.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "You''re the one acting strange. Do you have something you want to say to me?"


    "No...nothing..."


    I didn''t know what to say anymore, so I just patted her shoulder and said,


    "As long as you''re happy!"


    Then I opened the door and walked out of the room again.


    "Hey! Don''t go playing guessing games!"


    I could hear her disgruntled yell behind me. It almost made my nose crooked from anger. She was the one who started it!


    ...


    "Chief, you don''t need to send these warriors. Edenmere''s forces should be enough now. Hurry and call them back!"


    Standing under the home tree, I helplessly declined the Light Elf Chief''s offer. Even though I had refused, after learning Edenmere City was in trouble, he still selected over ten skilled mages to support the angels. He had even dispatched them on their way not long ago.


    Regardless of these Light Elves'' combat strength, just travelling by foot would take at least a full day to reach their destination. By then, it would be too late.


    "It''s alright. We just want to do our small part to help. Besides, if everything is peaceful, that''s even better. At least this troop can bring back good news to us promptly."


    The Chief shook his head and argued. It seemed he had already anticipated my reaction.


    "Alright then..."


    Since he was determined, I didn''t want to say anymore.


    "In that case, I''ll be on my way first. After all, I''m also very worried about the situation in the city. Thank you again for taking care of Cyra, I appreciate it."


    "It''s no trouble at all. Cyra is a regular guest here. Not a bother in the slightest!"


    Seeing the Light Elf Chief''s smiling face, I nodded slightly, then leapt onto the branches and headed straight for the tree house.


    Although Cyra had insisted on leaving with me, her wings were damaged after all. Plus, her strength wasn''t great either, so going back wouldn''t be very helpful. On the contrary, it could be dangerous.


    So I had decided on my own to leave her here. My purpose right now was to tell her this news and let her rest and recover at ease.


    However...


    When I opened the door to the room, the atmosphere inside had become strangely "mysterious."


    "Lady Cyra, do you have to leave so soon? They say Edenmere is under attack by monsters now. Will we have a chance to meet again?"


    This was a female Light Elf speaking. When had two more people gotten on the bed? And why were clothes strewn all over the floor? I had a very bad feeling about this.


    Sure enough! After quietly walking into the room, the scene I saw made me even more speechless. I was furious.


    "Cyra!"


    I yelled loudly. The three on the bed were caught off guard and immediately sat up. Seeing it was me, they breathed a sigh of relief, especially the one in the middle who even had a nonchalant expression.


    "You scared me. I thought Lady Elara had come back again..."


    Cyra sat between two female Light Elves, one arm around each, and complained very unhappily to me.


    "Feliciana, don''t be so jumpy next time."


    "Do you know what you''re doing? Norma just died not long ago, and you''re already..."


    I was truly at my wits'' end. I had thought Nicola was bad enough already, but Cyra was even worse than I imagined!


    "What kind of potion did you use to bewitch them? To be so devoted to you?"


    I turned my gaze to the two Light Elves. I could tell they were willing, but I just couldn''t understand how they had become so infatuated after I had only left for ten minutes. And it was a threesome!


    "There''s no potion. We''re already very familiar with each other. Every time I come here, they cling to me."


    Cyra proudly said. She took a bite of the fruit the Light Elf brought to her mouth, clearly enjoying herself very much.


    "You should realize it too. Angels are very noble existences to Light Elves. Plus, they are very intimate with the light element by nature. So they have always been obedient and catering to angels."


    "So you took advantage of that? With two at the same time?"


    I finally understood. This thing was purely an opportunist, insatiable whenever a chance appeared. No wonder she didn''t come back all last night.


    Looking at it this way, although both were scumbags, at least the rich playboy had more integrity compared to the pervert.


    "You two are adults, right?"


    I was starting to feel these Light Elves looked very young.


    "Of course! I''m 17 years old this year. This is my younger sister, she''s 16."


    The Light Elf who looked slightly more mature immediately introduced herself proudly. Then a shy expression appeared on her face again.


    "The Chief said I must serve the Angel well. So Lady Feliciana, we are very willing if you don''t mind..."


    "Too much!"


    I just wanted to slam my head against a wall! Alright, maybe 16 was considered an adult in this world. But on Earth, you''d go to jail for this, Cyra!


    "Don''t pretend to be so upright! I already heard from Nicola that she got you!"


    Seeing my unable-to-accept expression, Cyra was very dismissive. She directly exposed my scandal.


    "What do you mean she got me? That was a misunderstanding! She even told you things like this?"


    I jumped in anger. I really couldn''t believe Nicola would shamelessly tell such embarrassing stories everywhere! What was she thinking? I thought she had integrity just now...


    "Of course, we''re all best buddies going through difficulties together! What''s there to be shy about?"


    Cyra looked at me encouragingly and suggested,


    "What do you think? Do you want to try it too? Don''t worry, I definitely won''t participate! Or we can switch Light Elves?"


    "Get lost!"


    I rejected her rotten lifestyle in annoyance.


    Maybe I couldn''t control Cyra''s private life usually, but after personally watching Norma disappear before my eyes today, I absolutely wouldn''t just stand by this time!


    "Get up and put your clothes on properly!"


    I went over and pulled her off the bed, then shoved all the clothes on the floor into her hands.


    "Weren''t you yelling about leaving together with me? Now, immediately, let''s go back to Edenmere City together!"


    I changed my mind. If I let her stay here longer, who knows how many female Light Elves in the tribe she would corrupt.


    "Oh...fine, but why are you overreacting so much!"


    Having no choice, she slowly started putting clothes back on, still grumbling very unhappily.


    "Such a good opportunity, and you don''t even take advantage of it. Are you even a man?"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 85: The Prophecy

    "You..."


    I''ve seen shameless people before, but never someone this shameless! But you hit a sore spot.


    "Are you even a man? Look down there first before saying that!"


    "Although my body is no longer that of a man, my spirit remains!"


    Cyra stood with her hands on her hips, righteously looking at me as she spoke. She even brought up the god she believed in to help her argument.


    "Besides, what man isn''t a playboy? It would be a problem if they weren''t! I''m sure the Lord thinks so too!"


    "Sweetheart, I''m afraid I have to leave first. Don''t miss me too much."


    After getting dressed, she didn''t even look at me. She bid farewell to the two light sprites still sitting on the bed, then walked out the door.


    "Um... Lady Feliciana, please don''t be angry!"


    Seeing how I reacted earlier, the two light sprites squeezed together and clarified in a cowering voice.


    "We were the ones who asked to do those things with Lady Cyra, so please don''t blame her too much."


    "You two... sigh!"


    I glanced at them, hesitating to say more. Oh well, they''re all girls anyway... I could only sigh and hurry after her.


    But I had barely reached the door when it was pushed open again, almost hitting me in the head.


    "Um..."


    Cyra stood at the door, scratching her head awkwardly.


    "I just remembered my wings are broken so I can''t fly. I''ll have to trouble you to be my transportation again."


    "Damn transportation service!"


    I grabbed Cyra by the collar without another word and rushed out of the room. All that followed were her continuous screams and shrieks.


    "Whoa! Hold on tight or I''ll be finished if my clothes rip!"


    "Finished is fine, you can go accompany Norma!"


    Although I said that, I still reached out with my other hand to grab her arm.


    "From your attitude earlier, could it be you were still a virgin before crossing over?"


    As soon as she felt secure, this jerk''s mouth started spewing nonsense again. I even heard sighing from below.


    "Tsk tsk, so you changed without any real experience. How pitiful..."


    "Hey! What makes you say that? Just because I don''t approve of your messing around means I''m a virgin?"


    I couldn''t hold back anymore. I was shocked she hit the mark, damaging my ego.


    "At least I had a girlfriend in high school! You were just jealous back then!"


    "Hmph, so what about high school? I know how gutless you are, not even daring to hold hands. How could you possibly book a hotel room?"


    Cyra snorted disdainfully and then her voice turned smug.


    "Let me tell you, I got together with a real beauty right after graduating high school! Haha, so I became an adult a long time ago!"This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "What! You had a girlfriend in college?"


    I looked at her in surprise. Suddenly something felt off.


    "But didn''t you become a priest later? Priests can''t get married, right? Doesn''t that mean you broke up?"


    "We didn''t break up..."


    Her voice now sounded melancholy, but she added:


    "She died. About one year after we started dating, she died."


    "Oh, sorry to hear that."


    I didn''t expect this. From her tone, it was obvious she had much stronger feelings for this girlfriend than Norma. I suddenly felt some sympathy for her.


    Could joining the Church later have something to do with this?


    "It''s nothing. After all, it was a long time ago."


    Although she said that, I could still sense the sadness in Cyra''s tone.


    After years without contact, everyone has their own unknown stories.


    I couldn''t help feeling emotional. As I looked ahead at the land, I realized we had entered the neuclear blast radius.


    "Look at the mess you caused. It''ll probably take years to recover."


    Gazing at the collapsing trees below, I couldn''t help but speak up.


    "Luckily Edenmere has low population density and hydrogen bombs have little radiation. Otherwise, Elara would kill you if she knew."


    "I had no choice at the time! I was desperate and couldn''t win in a direct fight. I could only throw it out to test the power. Who knew..."


    Cyra''s voice also sounded uncertain. After a long pause, she suddenly spoke again.


    "What if I told you I received a prophecy to do this? Would you believe it?"


    "Prophecy? You mean from your Lord?"


    I didn''t understand what she meant by suddenly bringing this up.


    "When I first saw Michelle burn down the trees, my first reaction was to run away. But suddenly, it was as if a voice rang out in my mind telling me: you can throw the hydrogen bomb now, this is the time, do it now! Only then did I remember I still had the gas collector ball from Reed in my pocket, so I threw it out."


    As Cyra spoke, her voice also seemed uncertain.


    "Perhaps this nuclear explosion was also the will of the Lord... maybe."


    "Ha? Are you sure your Lord isn''t just a scapegoat?"


    I was speechless. She made it sound so fantastical and brought up her Lord again.


    Her Lord ordained the crossing, approved fooling around with elf girls, and now even sanctioned throwing nukes...


    This Lord is so versatile! No wonder she follows so devoutly! It makes me want a Lord like that too!


    "Hmph! I knew an obstinate person like you would never accept the Lord''s gospel!"


    Cyra huffed, seemingly unsurprised.


    "But in any case, Lady Elara also acknowledged Michelle as the biggest threat. The damage is great, but at least Edenmere should be safe now, right?"


    "I guess the spatial swaps did stop..."


    I had to admit that point. Although we were still far away, the city was still standing there clearly. I didn''t see any signs of magic use either, so could the battle be over?


    "Spatial swaps?"


    Cyra cried out in surprise, realizing it suddenly.


    "So when the light suddenly darkened earlier, it was because we got swapped to the Dark Continent? In other words, this incident was caused by the Gadra''s Eye thing you got hit by before?"


    "It''s Galadra''s Eye!"


    I couldn''t help but correct her and explain again:


    "It''s something Michelle created that can do large-scale spatial swaps. The sudden blackout like a power failure happened because the entire city of Edenmere got swapped to the Dark Continent. Then for some reason we swapped back again, though I don''t know why."


    "I see, no wonder when I was with the angel guards killing monsters, even the angels didn''t know what was going on.


    Cyra immediately understood and then thought of something else.


    "Speaking of which, does that mean Nicola and Reed were left behind when we escaped the Dark Continent? But we didn''t see them when we came back!"


    "Maybe the directions were off? The path we took to escape back then seemed to be eastward, while the arena was in the south. Not running into each other makes sense..."


    I didn''t mention another possibility. To be honest, I was very worried. That is, they may have entered the lake area on the other side when the city swapped back. In that case, they likely got swapped to the Dark Continent as well! That would bode ill.


    "Let''s just go see the situation first."


    The rest of the way we traveled in silence. When we finally arrived, the entire city was quiet with monster corpses piled everywhere. Of course, even if angels had died, they wouldn''t leave any traces behind.


    As for the buildings, they were a complete mess. Not only were many destroyed in the initial monster invasion, but the nuclear shockwave also caused massive damage. Even many of the shorter rooftops were blown off.


    Looking around, the once elegant and luxurious angel city now looked like a massive garbage dump, with few intact buildings in sight.


    "Look, an angel is flying over there!"


    Cyra pointed ahead and shouted at me.


    "Since there are still angels around, things should be under control."


    I also noticed and quickly headed toward the target.


    "You are... Feliciana?"


    Seeing us approach, the angel was surprised at first but recognized me immediately and flew over as well.


    "What is the situation now? We just got back and don''t know about the invading monsters."


    "Of course, they were annihilated! Not long after the sky returned to normal, our comrades who went to the arena outside the city quickly rushed back to assist. We then clear out all the monsters in the city with absolute advantage. We''re now searching everywhere by Lady Elara''s orders, looking for any stragglers."


    Hearing the reply, we both breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed likely Nicola and Reed were among the angels who came to reinforce.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 86: Communication Magic

    "That''s right!"


    Just then, the patrolling angel suddenly seemed to hear something and said to us, "I just received special instructions from Lady Elara. She ordered you to report to her office at the Tivi Palace immediately."


    "Special instructions? Where is she? How do you know?"


    I was a little confused. There was no one else around, yet the angel reacted as if she was wearing a wireless earpiece.


    "It''s like this - it''s a type of advanced light magic called ''Spiritual Convergence''. It allows direct mental contact with the commander, to report in real-time. It''s very helpful for battle deployments. But since it requires high magic power from the commander, it''s rarely used in daily life."


    The patrolling angel smiled and pointed towards the Tivi Palace, telling us, "For this demon invasion, Lady Elara has cautiously opened her spiritual connection. As long as you learn this magic, you can sense Lady Elara''s mental energy through specific fluctuations in light elements. Then you can directly contact her."


    "It feels strange, like a group chat!"


    I glanced at Cyra, but she didn''t understand what I meant. She just kept asking about herself.


    "Did Lady Elara mention me?"


    "Who are you?"


    The angel looked at Cyra in my arms, and the bandaged half of her wings, seemingly hesitant.


    "I''m Cyra! Cyra!"


    "Never heard of you."


    Seeing the patrolling angel shake her head, Cyra immediately drooped her head in disappointment.


    "How could this be? I''m the great hero who slew the enemy commander! Without my bombs, Michelle could never have been..."


    "Bombs? You mean that earth-shaking massive explosion in the east?"


    The angel frowned upon hearing this, seemingly unable to accept it.


    "That huge blast damaged many buildings in the city. Even the landing pad of the Palace collapsed. Luckily we''re far enough here to avoid casualties. But a nearby community of light elves wasn''t so fortunate. They suffered terrible losses, even their ancestral tree was destroyed! Now the entire tribe has been forced to move here."


    "Many angels have gone east to investigate the explosion. They found it''s become a dead zone, barren and lifeless. And in the center is a huge crater with lava still at the bottom, almost like the legendary Darklands."


    "But this is Edenmere!"


    The patrolling angel sounded increasingly distraught, after all, Edenmere was the angels'' home. To be baptized by a hydrogen bomb was upsetting.


    "Not to mention the forests attuned to light elements - it''ll take thousands of years for them to recover. Damn! This must be the work of those demons, do you know anything about what happened?"


    "No! We don''t know anything. The bombs she mentioned have nothing to do with this."


    Sensing trouble, I quickly pinched Cyra''s back to warn her. I pointed to her broken wing and explained,


    "We were also blown away by that explosion, only just managing to return. See, that''s how she injured her wing."


    "I see... Losing a wing is hard to heal in Edenmere. Quickly take her to rest."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    These weren''t complete lies. Hearing this, the angel showed a sympathetic expression and kept urging us to go.


    "Be more careful in the future! Don''t show off recklessly again, do you see the damage your nuclear blast caused?"


    After flying away, I immediately admonished Cyra,


    "Don''t randomly mention the hydrogen bomb again!"


    Though Elara saw with her own eyes Cyra throwing the bomb, she didn''t expose it, allowing the other angels to investigate. She likely realized revealing this would greatly harm Cyra.


    "I thought Lady Elara summoned you to reward you."


    Cyra could only explain,


    "Didn''t you say last time she called you to her office to give you an extra angel figurine? I was quite envious, I want one too. Let me see it when we''re back."


    "It''s just a stupid figurine, I still don''t see anything special about it."


    I shrugged indifferently and promised,


    "You can look at it as long as you want after this is over!"


    Though the landing pad atop the Tivi Palace had collapsed, the main section below was largely undamaged, except for the Royal Hall...


    Gazing at the Royal Hall missing its roof below, with many angels and light elves busily moving rubble, I did not descend.


    "Remember the ten-winged angel Janette who betrayed us? I don''t know what happened to her afterwards."


    "Janette? The commander of the 4th Legion? She betrayed us?"


    Hearing me, Cyra reacted with shock, seemingly unbelieving.


    "No way. I can accept angels betraying us, but joining the demons? Just looking at them makes me uncomfortable!"


    "How else could Edenmere be swapped to the Darklands? As you''ve heard about my experiences there, it must have required internal help to bring the Eye of Galadra for translocation."


    Apparently, many conservative high-ranking angels betrayed us, though most remained at the arena instead of swapping over.


    As for the insider carrying the Eye, the most suspicious now are Janette and her followers, but their whereabouts are unknown.


    But since we''ve won, they likely fled the city, were captured, or even killed on the spot.


    "Feliciana!"


    Just as I stood before the office door, I suddenly heard someone call me from behind. Before I could react, two dark shadows pounced over and tackled me into a hug.


    "Nicola, stop ramming people with the ball!"


    Cyra yelled loudly beside me.


    "Nicola?"


    I pushed the figure away and saw it was indeed her.


    "You came back! But why are you here?"


    "I heard from Lady Elara you were coming here, so I rushed ahead to wait."


    Nicola smiled and explained,


    "After the city returned to Edenmere, I entered with the other angels from the arena. But I didn''t see either of you, I was so anxious I nearly went mad! Shortly after, the nuclear explosion occurred outside the city. I realized it must be related to you two, but after searching the blast vicinity for a long time, there were no traces. It was only when Lady Elara returned from outside that I learned of your whereabouts."


    "Why make things so complicated?"


    I frowned. Nicola was so stubborn, chasing to the nuclear site but ultimately fruitless.


    "If you just stayed in the city waiting for us, things would have been simpler!"


    "I was worried! After hearing from other angels that you faced Michelle, I was scared to death. She''s far too dangerous..."


    After looking me up and down and seeing nothing wrong, Nicola glanced at the half wing behind Cyra and twitched her mouth.


    "What happened to you? Cosplaying a crippled angel?"


    "It''s the price I paid to defeat Michelle!"


    Cyra seized the chance to show off since no outsiders were around to hear.


    "What do you think? Even such a powerful foe was finished off by my hands! Doesn''t that make me Edenmere''s greatest hero?"


    "I did hear Lady Elara mention you throwing some massive destructive weapon, but she only said your wing needed healing. I didn''t think it got severed!"


    "It can''t be helped. The angels'' healing magic doesn''t work well on wings. I''ll have to wait till we''re outside."


    For such troublesome matters, all I could do was explain. But then I suddenly recalled an important issue I had neglected.


    "Where''s Reed? Wasn''t she with you at the arena? Why don''t I see her?"


    "That''s right, where did Reed go?"


    Cyra instantly reacted as well, but her thoughts went to worse possibilities. Her face paled in shock.


    "Could she be..."


    "Don''t think randomly, Reed''s perfectly fine now..."


    Just as Nicola was about to explain, the office door suddenly opened by itself and Elara walked out.


    "We can talk more inside. Don''t keep chatting out here, I''ve waited long enough!"


    "Oh..."


    We nearly forgot the purpose of coming here. I quickly stepped into the office. Fortunately, the interior remained unchanged from our previous visit.


    "Have a seat!"


    Elara indicated the sofas and even poured water for us herself.


    "It can''t be helped. Edenmere has suffered such losses this time, even many handmaid angels in the palace fell prey to the Nightmares, trapped in endless sleep. We''re now severely short on manpower."


    "What can be done? They can''t remain asleep forever, right?"


    I just recalled that was why Norma had come to find us initially.


    "There are solutions, but they will be very troublesome. Each one needs individual mental guidance, and success isn''t guaranteed..."


    Elara rested her chin on her palm, seemingly vexed by the matter. Seeing Cyra''s wing, she was even more surprised.


    "Your wing still couldn''t be saved?"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 87: Our Secret Weapon

    "It''s like this..."


    I had no choice but to explain Cyra''s injury situation all over again.


    "This is indeed troublesome, but luckily it''s just a minor issue. As long as we go to the Astralrealm Kingdom, it should be resolved smoothly,"


    Elara nodded as she responded.


    "The Astralrealm Kingdom is also one of the more human nations to us. Plus, they tend to revere angels highly. You won''t even need to report my name, just go directly to the palace in Norvale and you can meet with the king. With the magical ability of their court magicians, I believe they should be willing to help with this small favour."


    "So does that mean I can finally leave Edenmere and go to the outside world?"


    Cyra was immediately excited to hear this. Since the other party hadn''t mentioned the four-winged bet at all, it meant she wouldn''t have to be troubled by advancing in rank anymore.


    "This is a special circumstance. Nicola had also brought up this issue with me before. If it was yesterday, I might have insisted on keeping you here. But after this demon invasion, I don''t feel right insisting Edenmere is safe either, so letting you go out with them could be a better choice."


    Elara''s attitude had changed a lot. It seemed the impact of this incident had been quite significant on her.


    "But before that, there are still many things to do. For example, you mentioned Reed just now - I''m currently gathering troops to rescue them from the Dark Continent. You should know, there were also many demons attacking the tournament grounds outside the city..."


    "Rescue them? Don''t tell me Reed got captured by the demons?"


    I was greatly shocked. Is that why only Nicola came back?


    When the city was teleported to the Dark Continent, the ''Lake District'' on the Dark Continent got swapped to Edenmere  along with the ''Eye of Galadra'' control terminal.


    Michelle definitely wouldn''t have just sent an empty Lake District over. She must have brought over a good number of demons. There were also many angels attending and spectating the tournament finals on the forest clearing outside the city then.


    Compared to the depleted forces within the city walls, those angels outside posed real trouble for the demons. So working with Yvonne and the other traitor angels to take out these obstacles first would be crucial.


    I just didn''t know why they had failed.


    From Michelle''s reaction when the city sky suddenly lit up earlier, it was obvious the return swap of Edenmere was completely unexpected for her. Subsequent events further proved this, since Nicola and many angels were able to return smoothly, and even helped resolve the demon invasion within the city.


    But I didn''t think it was all thanks to Nicola''s efforts because Michelle had suffered at Nicola''s hands before. She couldn''t have overlooked Nicola''s existence when making her plans and had likely prepared Yvonne and the other angel traitors specifically to counter her.


    Thinking back to when I had just returned from Reed''s place last night and bumped into Jeanette in the Royal Hall. She had specifically mentioned Nicola then, likely worried that her return to the city would foil Michelle''s plans to assassinate Elara.


    So was the actual situation like this: Nicola and the other angels repelled the demons attacking the tournament grounds, as well as the conservative angel traitors like Yvonne. But the lower ranked angels like Reed were unfortunately captured, forcing the demons to retreat early using the Eye?


    It felt like something didn''t add up still...


    "No, she wasn''t captured by the demons,"


    Elara shook her head, denying my guess. But her next words made me feel it was a little fantastical.


    "On the contrary, based on the reports of angels who returned from outside the city, as well as Nicola''s account, their battle at the tournament grounds went fairly smoothly. They suffered minimal losses and annihilated all the enemies. They even counterattacked to seize control of the whole island and observation tower, otherwise, they wouldn''t have been able to reinforce this quickly."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "No way... Don''t tell me Michelle didn''t even send much force to the other side?"


    I was completely dumbfounded. The situation had gone completely beyond my expectations.


    "How was it easy, it was extremely tiring for me okay! And there were a considerable number of demons too!"


    Nicola leaned back against the sofa with a helpless look, rebutting,


    "When the entire Lake District got teleported over, the central island and the paths leading to it were all crammed full of demons, all at least fourth-rank or higher.


    "Coupled with those conservative angels who suddenly defected, they were extremely troublesome to deal with, especially since there were two ten-winged angels among them. They all specifically targeted me, including Yvonne I met previously. If we fought them head-on, it would''ve been extremely difficult even with the Condensation Sword."


    "So... some powerful reinforcements appeared at the critical moment?"


    I was even more confused now. If it was so difficult to handle, what happened then?


    But within Edenmere, aside from angels, there shouldn''t have been anyone who could play the role of powerful reinforcements right? Those elves in the forests definitely couldn''t.


    "There were no reinforcements either. It was because the opponent didn''t expect we had Reed as our secret weapon..."


    "Reed?"


    I hadn''t even spoken yet when Cyra cried out in surprise first. Her jaw practically dropped to the floor.


    "She''s the same as me with only two wings, so how did she become the secret weapon?"


    "I''m guessing my expression was probably the same as yours when I heard it the first time..."


    Seeing our reactions, Elara gave a wry smile and asked back.


    "Do you still remember the unique magic Reed created?"


    "What was it called again?"


    Hearing that, I immediately looked to Nicola and Cyra for help. After all, it had been so long I couldn''t remember the name anymore.


    "It''s called ''Five Lights Ten Colors''!"


    Nicola sighed and answered.


    "Back then, we also couldn''t remember the name of the magic like you guys. As a result, we got smacked in the face by that nauseating magic again... Of course, it wasn''t just me affected. All the friends and foes present were incapacitated."


    "It''s really that powerful? Uh..."


    Instinctively, I still harboured some doubt, but recalling the sensation I experienced back then, I didn''t doubt it anymore.


    "Alright! But even if all sides were incapacitated, just Reed alone probably couldn''t have handled that many demons right?"


    "At least during the previous times experiencing that magic, it was basically impossible to resist its effects. Before the second ''Five Light Ten Colors'' began, Reed already informed me and some other angels to close our eyes in advance. So next came the one-sided slaughter time..."


    Nicola spread her hands explaining,


    "But even so, there were simply too many enemies to kill them one by one. Plus, the demons at the back couldn''t experience the magic''s effects due to obstruction of vision. Hence, Reed took out a large stack of magic scrolls, all filled with stored advanced magics. Releasing them created consecutive beams, bombarding all the way. The vast majority of demons didn''t even have time to leave the island before dying at her hands."


    "Lost Paradise Shockwave?"


    Hearing her description, I immediately called out the magic''s name. After practicing it daily for a while recently, I''d be an idiot not to recognize it. But even so, it was enough to astonish me greatly.


    "Where did she get so many advanced magics? Don''t tell me she already learned how to cast them herself. But even if she did, given a two-wing''s level, wouldn''t it take an extremely long time to store that many ''Lost Paradise Shockwaves''? I don''t remember seeing her practice this magic before either!"


    Even at my six-wing level, I could barely unleash it twice. With Reed''s level, her mana would probably be depleted after one cast. Even if she slowly stored more after recovering, the time and effort spent would be considerable. That''s not to mention the issue of chanting that I don''t know how she overcame.


    "She said it was an eight-winged angel who came to find her recently to get magic arrays tattooed in exchange for helping her store a hundred advanced magics for self-defence reserves."


    "A hundred!"


    This time, it was Elara''s turn to be shocked. She nearly leapt up from her seat.


    "That''s unleashing advanced magic a full hundred times!"


    I naturally knew who that eight-winged angel was. I also felt it was too exaggerated. Wouldn''t even an eight-wing be exhausted from that?


    Frankly, it was practically exploitation! Even my total practice count of "Lost Paradise Shockwave" probably didn''t reach that high.


    "It''s not like she''s the one eating that bitterness anyway, it was a willing buyer and willing seller,"


    Nicola responded with an indifferent attitude.


    "As for those unaffected conservative  angels, they were gathered up and imprisoned within magic cages. After Edenmere got swapped back, they''ve already been handed over to other angels in the city to deal with."


    "Magic cages?"


    I was rather curious. What magic cages were so powerful that they could even contain ten-winged angels? And more than just one.


    "Magic cages is actually just similar in principle as those gas collection spheres I gave you previously.  Reed modified them by enlarging that small black sphere in the middle into a gigantic hollow sphere. What''s contained inside is no longer gas but angels instead."


    After a simple reminder from her, I understood. So it was those things! No wonder then. Something that could withstand the pressure to induce nuclear fusion in hydrogen could surely contain just some angels.


    As for subsequent events, it naturally followed -


    Nicola and the others occupied the island and observation tower, then controlled the "Eye of Galadra"  console terminal I saw previously.


    While we may not have understood how to use that console back then, Reed probably did. Hence, she and some other angels stayed on the island while swapping Edenmere city back. But they themselves stayed in the Dark Continent. That was why Elara thought to gather troops for a rescue mission.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 88: The Captive

    "We shouldn''t delay any longer. Reed and the others are in danger. When do we set off?"


    Cyra was raring to go.


    "Don''t rush ahead. This is not so simple!"


    I glanced at her and quickly asked Elara,


    "The key is, how can our rescue team get to the Dark Continent?"


    Given the current situation, going through the space swap was not going to work. Not only was it uncertain whether we could contact Reed who could operate the device, but even if we did exchange back to the Dark Continent, Reed and the others would simultaneously switch back here. Then the rescuers would be left on the Dark Continent side.


    "I have my solutions for this problem. You''ll know in due time. But it requires some preparation. I''m already urging my team to speed things up."


    Elara left us hanging, paused for a moment, then continued speaking to me,


    "In the meantime, I''m also gathering hands from among the survivors. After all, we''re going to the Dark Continent for a rescue, so we have to be fully prepared. But Edenmere has just gone through a great disaster, and there are not many combatants left. So you and Nicola will probably need to come along too."


    "Of course, not to mention this concerns rescuing Reed, we''re duty-bound to go!"


    Nicola and I agreed without hesitation. But the other party suddenly glanced at Cyra by my side and arranged with a frown,


    "As for Cyra, you can''t even fly now, so be good and stay in the city to recuperate!"


    "I want to rescue Reed myself!"


    Cyra hesitated for a moment, uncharacteristically mustering the courage to oppose Elara''s decision.


    "Although I only have two wings now, I can cast intermediate magic. That''s also very powerful against monsters."


    "But it''ll be difficult since you can''t fly..." I couldn''t help but advise.


    It was clear she was quite enthusiastic about the rescue, understandably since it concerned Reed''s safety. But at the same time, it was clear this expedition was no child''s play. Going to the Dark Continent with injured wings was pure suicide.


    "It''s alright, I can carry you and fly together!"


    Nicola probably also felt moved by her enthusiasm and unexpectedly chimed in with nonsense.


    "No way? Even if you''re strong, carrying someone and..."


    I still felt it inappropriate, but Nicola cut off the rest of my words and made a firm decision.


    "That''s settled then! You guys know ordinary monsters are no match for me now, especially after mastering my new moves. I feel much stronger. Maybe one hand will be enough!"


    "I know you''re all anxious to rescue Reed. I''m equally anxious too. But before the preparations are complete, none of us have any solutions. Let''s wait patiently for now..."


    Seeing our state, Elara helplessly placated us. She didn''t insist further on Cyra''s participation. Then she stood up and walked to the door.


    "Speaking of which, there''s another matter I need Nicola''s help. Perhaps you all can lend a hand too. So come with me!"


    "What matter?"


    I was puzzled by her words. Elara led us out of the office and walked down the corridor. After reaching the stairs that had gone unused for millennia, she went down several floors and came directly to the basement.


    "What the hell is this place?"


    Cyra gasped. After leaving the stairwell, what waited before us was an iron bar gate, guarded by two six-winged angels.


    Beyond the gate was a dimly lit corridor with a few torches hastily hammered into the walls. The lavish decorations of the upper floors were gone. Or rather, there were no decorations at all! Besides the fairly even floor, it was practically bare walls and ceiling throughout.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    We had been in Edenmere for so long, living in Tivi Palace for over half a month. Going between floors, we always flew in through the windows. We never knew such a place existed downstairs if you took the stairs.


    "Lady Elara!"


    The two six-winged angel guards saw us and immediately knelt.


    "Open the door! Where is Mia? Has she completed the task I assigned? Is she still inside?"


    In a moment, Elara''s demeanour completely changed into one of great authority as she inquired.


    "Mia has completed and activated the magic array. And she hasn''t left yet..."


    The two guards respectfully answered. Without hesitation, one of them immediately opened the iron bar gate for us to enter.


    "Mia? Isn''t that the exchange student who studied magic arrays with Reed?"


    Cyra instantly recalled the name.


    "That''s right."


    Nicola nodded.


    "When Edenmere was exchanged to the Dark Continent, she stayed with us at the arena. But later she was injured by Yvonne and the other conservative angels when protecting Reed. So after we occupied Central Island in the lake district, Reed had her come back with me. I didn''t expect that after recovering, she would be assigned here."


    "She is one of my most trusted assistants, and apart from Reed, the most proficient with magic arrays in all of Edenmere. Fortunately, she didn''t meet with any mishaps during this upheaval."


    Elara smiled and explained as she heard their conversation.


    "This is the underground prison, built very long ago, probably thousands of years ago and has been empty all this time. Until the recent monster invasion, Nicola and others brought back many captives and it was hastily put into use."


    "Captives?"


    Listening to Elara''s introduction, we walked forward into the passage. This corridor felt extremely long, seemingly endless when looking ahead. Further in the distance, it was pitch black without even a torch.


    "You mean those conservative angels were brought here?"


    Nicola immediately realized who these captives were, her expression changing in an instant.


    "Wait! Didn''t I already instruct you? Don''t release them from the magic cage!"


    "I understand your meaning. But we can''t keep imprisoning those traitors in such a confined space forever, can we? From what I know, not only does that magic cage prevent any energy from leaking out, but it also can''t exchange air with the outside. And it''s only about the size of a carriage, so keeping them in there would surely suffocate them to death..."


    Elara, walking ahead leading the way, suddenly stopped and pointed forward continuing to speak.


    "So I had Mia come up with an alternative, reproducing one of Reed''s magic cages. Removing the effect of physical obstruction, only keeping the energy isolation¨Din other words, an energy barrier."


    "Energy barrier?"


    Only then did we notice that what she was pointing to ahead wasn''t air, but a black curtain blocking the corridor. Nothing could be seen behind the curtain even when a torch was brought close to illuminate it.


    "The feel of this curtain seems so familiar..."


    Cyra stroked her chin, pondering hard for a moment before her eyes lit up.


    "That''s right, it''s the same as the surface of that little sphere inside the gas collector! Pitch black, not reflecting any light!"


    "You noticed it too?" I said.


    "According to Reed, in the gas collector, the purpose of this black surface was to absorb external energy..."


    "Could it be Mia also reproduced that effect?"


    I turned to Elara for confirmation.


    "Correct! If we go further inside, that''s where the cells are. This energy barrier doesn''t hinder us from going in and out."


    Elara nodded approvingly.


    "It seems Mia did quite well. I didn''t expect she could meet my expectations after only learning from Reed for a few days..."


    She then instructed the guard holding the torch,


    "You don''t need to light the way. I''ll use magic instead!"


    As soon as she finished speaking, a transparent light ball floated up from her hand and hovered above our heads.


    Unlike ordinary holy light shots, after rising this light ball persisted and continued radiating soft illumination. It appeared to be specialized lighting magic.


    "Its surface even has a smiling face?"


    I looked up at the lighting orb and cried out in surprise.


    "It looks so cute... Woah, it even blinks!"


    Cyra also gazed up and marvelled. The smiley face only consisted of a few short black lines, but the sensory effect was different as if it had come alive.


    "That''s just the appearance I set according to my personal preference. It can be removed too..."


    Elara spoke without any visible action, and the smiling face instantly vanished, leaving only a hollow transparent light sphere floating there.


    I never knew there was such amusing magic. I must find an opportunity to learn it in the future!


    "Let''s not waste any more time and head inside first!"


    Without further ado, Elara stepped into the black curtain first.


    The curtain could indeed be passed through. It felt somewhat similar to entering a room with the light element isolator activated, just with the opposite effect.


    Speaking of which, Reed had designed the gas collector by modifying the light element isolator after all.


    Stepping through the curtain, the surroundings instantly became much brighter. I could see an extremely spacious room before me, filled with rows of enormous cages.


    Most of the cages were empty, only one held an inmate. There was also an angel squatting outside the cages, drawing on the floor.


    "Lady Elara, you''re here?"


    The angel squatting there was Mia. Hearing the commotion, she came up to greet us upon seeing it was our group.


    Only now did I notice the floor was filled with dense magical markings, occupying the entire room''s floor space.


    "Only one survived?"


    Elara frowned, looking at the empty cages as she asked.


    "I''m incompetent!"


    Seeing this, Mia immediately knelt taking the blame.


    "It took too long to set up the arrays. By the time I freed them from Reed''s magic cage, only Yvonne was left."


    "Yvonne ?"


    I peered into the cage and found the collapsed inmate who had not woken up was none other than Yvonne, the ten-winged angel councillor I had seen previously.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 89: Escape Tools

    "What about the other rebellious angels?"


    Nicola was also stunned. She had worked so hard to bring back so many prisoners, yet only this one was left.


    "They all suffocated to death..."


    "Suffocated to death?"


    I was also dumbfounded. I didn''t expect angels could die this way. But I soon realized¡ª


    The magical prison Reed made was hastily adapted from a gas-collecting ball. Gas-collecting balls can collect gases precisely because they isolate the inside from outside air.


    But using it to hold those angels may not be so suitable, because angels need to breathe too! Without air exchange with the outside, it''s no wonder they all suffocated after being thrown in together.


    As for Yvonne, she survived purely thanks to the superior physique of a ten-winged angel. There was even an element of luck since I remember there was more than one rebellious ten-winged angel.


    "But why is there still a need for this energy isolation barrier?"


    Cyra still didn''t quite understand.


    "Now that they''re already locked in the cage, even if they can fly, we''re underground anyway so how could they escape?"


    I had the same question. Glancing back at where we came from, I saw that the inside of the energy isolation barrier was a concave mirror. It was precisely because of these mirrored surfaces reflecting every bit of light that the torch lighting inside the prison was much brighter than outside.


    "Nicola can explain the specifics! After all, she was the one who told us we must do this. I''ve only heard about the actual situation, never saw it myself."


    Elara quickly passed the buck.


    "It''s because we encountered a strange incident at the tournament arena. That''s why we have to take precautions..."


    As soon as Nicola heard, she readily explained:


    "I mentioned earlier that Reed used magic scrolls to eliminate many monsters. But when dealing with these angels who are immune to magic, she ran into problems. With no other choice, she hastily adopted the magical principles of a gas-collecting ball and created this magical prison to hold the traitors. But then an accident happened¡ªone of the rebellious angels somehow found a loophole in the ''Five Light Ten Color'' spell, pretending to faint on the ground before suddenly attacking Reed. Fortunately, Mia protected her in time, but unfortunately, her wings were injured."


    "Wings?"


    Hearing her, we immediately looked towards Mia''s back, only to see that her four pairs of wings were nearly sheared off on the right side. The clean cuts came from a sword, only now they were all wrapped in bandages.


    "Wow¡ªso your wings broke too!"


    Cyra went behind Mia and exclaimed. She had suffered the same misfortune, with the right wings also injured and rendered flightless.


    "Oh¡ªso your wings broke too!"


    Mia naturally saw Cyra''s condition as well. Fellow angels fallen from grace, they let out identical laments.


    "Nicola, what happened next?"


    I didn''t want to see these two sympathizing. I wouldn''t even feel surprised if they suddenly started dancing together...


    "Next... Of course, I took over next, fought her with my Condensation Sword, hoping to take her out quickly."


    But from Nicola''s attitude, it seemed she didn''t really want to talk about what happened after.


    "But her movements were extremely agile, I just couldn''t hit her!"Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Condensation Sword? You used the Condensation Sword yet still couldn''t beat her?"


    I was genuinely surprised to hear this. Even if Nicola''s swordsmanship wasn''t brilliant, relying on the sharpness of the Condensation Sword, the opponent would almost certainly be killed or gravely wounded if they tried to parry.


    The only weapon I knew of right now that could withstand the Condensation Sword was Michelle''s sword, Hephaestus.


    In fact, based on my previous experience, even Hephaestus probably wasn''t as sharp as the Condensation Sword.


    "Could she also be a ten-winged angel?"


    Cyra guessed. That was probably the only possibility.


    "No, she was a six-winged angel like me. And she even told me her name."


    Nicola shook her head and answered.


    "A six-winged angel? Who exactly?"


    I was incredulous. Even six-winged angels were instantly killed by Nicola with the Condensation Sword. Just who could be so preposterously strong?


    "She said her name was Aria and kept taunting and ridiculing me! Said I was all false fame, unworthy of my third place title in the swordsmanship tournament, just trash compared to Feliciana!"


    Speaking of this, Nicola was angered again. Clenching her fists with a look of gritted teeth hatred.


    "That scumbag, even if I have to search the whole world I''ll find her and drag her out!"


    "No way, she brought me into it too?"


    Of course, I remembered who Aria was¡ªpublicly recognized as a genius among the last generation of newborn angels, skilled in both swordsmanship and magic! We''d parted on bad terms not long ago because she insisted on learning fast spellcasting from me. I just didn''t expect she would be on the conservative side.


    "You let her get away?"


    Since Cyra didn''t know Aria, her focus was different from mine.


    "Weren''t all the other rebellious angels knocked out by the ''Five Light Ten Colors''? How could you let her get away?"


    "That''s the crux of the issue. Aria didn''t get away, she disappeared!"


    "Disappeared?"


    I was even more confused hearing Nicola''s account.


    "After she mocked me enough, she waved at me and said bye, then completely vanished before my eyes without a trace, not even a shadow left!"


    Probably remembering the scene, Nicola looked furious and indignant as she explained.


    "How could I possibly have stopped her? My final strike was just about to hit!"


    "Could she have turned invisible?"


    I considered and suggested. But I soon rejected that guess. Because if she had just turned invisible, Nicola''s final strike should still have hit. Getting struck by the Condensation Sword meant certain death or grave injury. It was impossible to remain untraceable.


    Of course, I couldn''t rule out the possibility that Aria''s swordsmanship was good enough and movements agile enough to dodge even the final blow. That would make it hard to judge.


    "I thought about invisibility at first, as Feliciana mentioned. But the same strange thing happened in our district too, which is thought-provoking."


    Elara spoke up now, expressing her viewpoint:


    "Previously, some subordinates reported that during fights with Janet''s confidantes, their opponents also mysteriously disappeared at critical moments, exactly as Nicola described!"


    "So Reed and I share the same opinion, that it''s more likely a kind of special space teleportation magic, allowing the user to teleport to a marked location."


    To avoid misunderstanding, she further explained:


    "To be precise, it should be a magic item! Because Nicola didn''t see Aria make any gestures or chant any incantations. Besides, angels generally can''t use spatial magic. Spatial magic doesn''t belong to the light element but is classified under the earth element at quite an advanced level. Usually, only human high-level earth mages can use it."


    "Considering the monsters were already capable of magic devices that could massively exchange space, Reed analyzed this as likely another new gadget Michelle came up with, some kind of space teleportation item! Viewed this way, it shouldn''t seem so strange..."


    Nicola finally caught her breath and added:


    "After all, those rebellious conservative angels are now Michelle''s capable subordinates. To prevent their meaningless casualties, giving them tools like this to aid their escape would make perfect sense."


    "Isn''t that going overboard? If that''s true, wouldn''t it become very difficult to kill or capture enemies with devices like this? They could just slip away whenever something goes wrong..."


    From Nicola and Elara''s dialogue, I finally understood. Since it could exchange space across a city-sized area, scaling it down to the size of angels shouldn''t be impossible.


    Moreover, we currently knew nothing about Aria''s miraculous escape. It could simply be teleportation, not even exchange.


    "So following this train of thought, since even a six-winged angel like Aria has this escape ability, then the enemy''s every important figure could potentially possess this power. Setting up this energy isolation barrier seems necessary!"


    Nicola turned her gaze towards Yvonne in the cage. Clearly, as a rebellious conservative leader and ten-winged angel, she couldn''t be excluded from this privilege.


    "Reed believes that since it''s accomplished through external objects, there must be some kind of communication between the teleportation device and the target location. As long as it''s communication, it most likely involves energy. And the magical prison adapted from a gas collecting ball happens to be able to isolate this communication."


    "What if it''s quantum communication?"


    Cyra inopportunely started quibbling again.


    "Shut up!"


    Nicola nearly wanted to strangle this nitpicker.


    "Unfortunately, the facts prove this isolation is effective!"


    "How do we know? Maybe the angels inside didn''t die at all, but have all teleported away already, leaving only this one knocked out at the bottom for failing to escape in time..."


    Cyra stubbornly hypothesized on her own. Actually, I suddenly felt her reasoning made some sense, though the possibility was probably low.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 90: Loot "Spoils"

    "Let''s talk about Yvonne first..."


    Elara was unable to understand quantum communication and turned to ask Mia instead.


    "Did you find anything on her?"


    "Yes, these are all the things found on Yvonne..."


    Mia immediately took out item by item from her storage ring and laid them on the ground. Among them were weapons, money, change of clothes, emptied storage rings, and some miscellaneous little gadgets that were unrecognizable.


    "I''m a little dizzy, this guy has so many personal belongings. How are we supposed to find that legendary ''escape teleportation gadget''?"


    Cyra blinked and complained.


    "I remember when we killed Janette, the personal belongings she left behind were collected by you, why not take them out as well?"


    Nicola suddenly recalled and reminded Mia.


    "Janette? You killed Janette?"


    I had always thought Jeanette was either captured or escaped, but it turned out she was killed by Nicola.


    "It was a coincidence. Earlier when I went back to the city with Mia, we flew straight to the Tivi Palace to find you, but at the Royal Hall we saw two ten-winged angels fighting, although I didn''t recognize either of them. But Mia recognized one as Councilor Meg, and the other as Janette."


    Nicola spread her hands helplessly, briefly recounting the entire process.


    "At the time we didn''t know why they were fighting, let alone that Janette was also a traitor. We just saw from the battle that Councilor Meg seemed to be disadvantaged, while Janette kept pressing her. After secretly watching for a while, I realized that this Janette kept instilling some nonsense that Michelle is the true light to Councilor Meg, which of course could not be tolerated! So I took the opportunity when she was unaware and sneaked up from behind, stabbing her directly to death."


    "You''re quite ruthless..."


    Although I said this, I also knew that if Nicola hadn''t bumped into them by chance, Janette would most likely have escaped as well. After all, with Janette''s status, she was fully qualified to possess that kind of "escape teleportation gadget".


    "Councilor Meg is fine now, right?"


    Speaking of this councillor, I recalled the original plan for this morning, I was going to attend the hearing with Cyra on behalf of Reed, but now it seemed I didn''t need to consider this matter anymore.


    "Although Councilor Meg suffered some minor injuries, her wings were intact. She was healed quickly afterwards. Physically she is fine now, just mentally..."


    Elara seemed a little hesitant but eventually disclosed everything.


    "Her mental state has been a bit depressed, seemingly very impacted by Janette''s words, which worries me greatly. But Meg is after all a councillor and an elder, I can''t restrict her movements, I can only secretly have some confidants keep an eye on her for now..."


    "Why, is Councilor Meg also showing signs of defecting? What exactly did Janette say?"


    Since Cyra came late, she didn''t know the situation back then. But I had heard everything clearly from start to finish.


    "Is it because of the matter of the angel ancestors?"


    "I don''t know why the ancestors disappeared thousands of years ago. Although successive Elaras have inherited many secrets, there are no records explaining the whereabouts of the two founders."


    Elara looked at me and answered very definitively.


    "I can assure you that the Michelle that Janette spoke of is definitely not the angel ancestor! Moreover, although the two ancestors have always been revered as deities by us angels, there has never been any notion of compulsory faith. As for the so-called mission of angels, that is even more irrelevant, completely separate matters."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Uh..."


    I didn''t care much about this. Even if Michelle was the ancestor of angels, it didn''t seem that surprising to me. The main reason I stood on Elara''s side was because she had shown goodwill to us crossers from the very beginning, and her attitude towards us was also very tolerant and generous.


    Of course, the more important reason was that Michelle had long stood in opposition to us! If Nicola hadn''t summoned her future self back to help us, it would be hard to say whether we could even stand here now.


    "My lady Elara, all of Janette''s personal belongings are here. Please take a look."


    By now, Mia had laid out a pile of large and small miscellaneous items on the ground, roughly divided into left and right halves.


    The left half was the stuff from Yvonne.


    The right half was the personal belongings Janette had left behind after death.


    "Let me take a look!"


    Cyra rushed to the front and began sorting through them.


    "If we''re looking for the ''escape teleportation gadget'' that Reed speculated, it''s obvious that ten-winged angels like Yvonne and Janette should both have been carrying it. So we just need to compare if there are any identical items left by them..."


    "Although you say that, there are still quite a lot of identical items between these two angels."


    Not to mention common stuff like money, there were many identical objects among the daily necessities and jewelry.


    Take for example the two combs I held in my hand, the styles were almost the same, equally gorgeous and exquisite, seemingly produced by the same workshop. Could it be they had the same hobbies too?


    Then there were those weirdly shaped, colourful rings. These two loved rings, with no less than a dozen types!


    I couldn''t tell at all which ones were storage rings, which were ordinary, or which might be our target. They didn''t seem to look very different on the surface.


    "I remember this comb, it was imported from the Laputa Empire a few years ago. The quantity was extremely scarce, said to be daily necessities very popular among their royal family. It was only distributed to some high-level council angels, so I don''t think it''s what we''re looking for."


    Elara glanced at the item in my hand and explained.


    "Alright..."


    Just as I was about to dejectedly put it down, I suddenly thought that this comb of Janette''s should be ownerless now, and I happened to like it too, so I conveniently slipped it into my waist pouch.


    "I saw that you embezzled secretly!"


    Cyra stared at my waist pouch, exposing me.


    "How could you not get me a share too!"


    "It doesn''t matter, as long as you don''t take the ''escape teleportation gadget'' we''re looking for, feel free to pick anything else you want from the rest! They won''t use them anyway."


    Elara was very generous, saying so and glancing again at Yvonne in the cage with a sigh.


    "Just in time, I''m lacking a weapon. This sword looks pretty good, I''ll just shamelessly take it then!"


    As soon as Cyra heard, she hurriedly hugged Yvonne''s gorgeous glowing long sword. That''s right! The kind that emits white light! It made me green with envy, regretting that I didn''t act faster.


    Unfortunately, Janette''s weapon here was a long spear, completely not to my taste, and it didn''t glow either, nor was it easy to carry, so I could only give up and look for other suitable options.


    "This looks like a storage ring, you just happen to not have one right?"


    Naturally, Nicola would not miss this good opportunity either. She also squatted down and picked out a plain-looking ring to hand to me.


    "That''s right, I almost forgot about it!"


    I slapped my forehead. How could I have missed such an important item? So I quickly put it on to check.


    "Fortunately you reminded me, I have to thank you!"


    Indeed I was not mistaken, this was a storage ring, and it seemed the space inside was even larger than Nicola''s.


    This was finally a stroke of good fortune. Without hesitation, I stuffed the previously abandoned long spear and other things into the ring. Although I wouldn''t use them, they could be sold for money. How could the weapons used by the commander of the Angel Legion be lacking?


    "There''s no need for thanks between you and me..."


    Nicola waved her hand very casually, randomly picking up a black button-like object from the ground and examining it for a while. Suddenly she knitted her brows.


    "What is this thing?"


    "I don''t know either."


    I leaned over to take a look, also clueless.


    If you called it a button, but there was no hole in the middle for threading the needle and line through. From the appearance, it looked a bit like a small button cell battery on Earth. Although black overall, it had a metallic luster.


    "I''ve never seen anything like this before..."


    Elara took the mysterious object from Nicola''s hand and looked at it, then immediately turned to hand it to Mia and asked:


    "Are there any similar button-like items on Yvonne''s side too?"


    "There are, here!"


    Cyra was still frantically hunting amidst Yvonne''s pile of stuff. Upon hearing this, she scanned the ground and quickly found the target to hand over to us.


    "Completely identical! It looks very suspicious!"


    Holding one in each hand and pinching the two "buttons", I carefully compared them and simply could not find any difference, yet they came from different former owners.


    "But can an ''escape teleportation gadget'' be this small?"


    Cyra still seemed a little incredulous as she asked, holding up the handful of rings in her hand.


    "I thought it might be something like rings..."


    "You don''t know how to make magic gadgets either, who knows if magic can make it so small."


    I shrugged and retorted.


    "If these ''buttons'' are magic tools, they do feel a little too small..."


    At this point Elara also gave her opinion, siding more with Cyra on the issue of size.


    "Wait, there''s another one on Janette''s side!"


    Suddenly Nicola stared at the pile of items by her feet, squatted down and picked out yet another identical "button".

 Vol 3/ Chapter 91: Interrogation

    "What''s going on here with three buttons?"


    I was dumbfounded. Why did Janet have two ''teleportation devices''? That didn''t make sense!


    "Could we have made a mistake?"


    Nicola turned and asked me as if realizing something important.


    "Do you know what the locator for the ''Eye of Galadra'' looks like?"


    "Huh? No, I''ve never seen it. Shouldn''t it be quite heavy? Since two high-level demons were sent to guard it..."


    I knew from the caveman Bogg''s words that the locator had long been lost in Tethys Town. But this invasion clearly showed Michelle had found and secretly brought it into Edenmere City.


    The most likely suspect was Janet, who had just returned from the outside world yesterday, and her followers from the 4th angel legion.


    "Wait!"


    I suddenly understood what Nicola meant.


    "Are you saying one of these is the ''Eye of Galadra'' locator?"


    "Eye of Galadra? What''s that?"


    Hearing the name, Elara narrowed her eyes, seemingly shocked.


    "It''s the device that swapped the whole Edenmere City to the Dark Continent! It''s a celestial weapon in the demon''s eyes. Didn''t Nicola mention it to you?"


    I was confused. Elara knew about the swap, so why was she asking?


    "Nicola just told me it''s a spatial swapping device made by Michelle. I didn''t know it had this name..."


    Elara casually replied. She looked very solemn, eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.


    "Is there something odd about the name?"


    I asked curiously. Apart from the ''eye'' reminding me of the surveillance image from the island control center, the other words didn''t mean anything to me.


    "No, it''s probably just a coincidence. Shouldn''t be important..."


    After thinking for a while, Elara shook her head, not answering my question directly, but changing the topic to urge Nicola instead.


    "Rather than that, continue talking about what you missed."


    "Miss Riddler!"


    Cyra cheekily gestured the words behind Elara''s back to me, but didn''t dare make a sound.


    "Well, Feliciana already said it for me..."


    Nicola was also confused. After being interrupted, she struggled to pick up where she left off.


    "That''s what I think! Since Janet is confirmed a traitor, the extra ''button'' makes sense now. It must be the ''Eye of Galadra'' locator she secretly brought in from outside. Otherwise, Edenmere wouldn''t have swapped with the Dark Continent."


    "That''s not necessarily true! As the key device for the invasion, it''s likely Janet carried the important locator on her. But we can''t rule out her putting it on a confidant to divert attention."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I disagreed and immediately felt a headache coming as I recalled meeting Janet last night.


    "She seems to have many legion members. It would be hard to identify who has it. They may have escaped into the forest already, or even left Edenmere."


    "On this point, I can assure you, after the demon invasion, Edenmere''s external passages have not reopened yet. No angels can leave Edenmere with only Serena leading the 1st legion in."


    Just then Elara spoke up and pointed behind us.


    "Guessing whether it''s the so-called ''Eye of Galadra'' locator is meaningless. We should just ask a potential informant!"


    "Yvonne is awake."


    Mia''s voice rang out too.


    "Elara, we''ve never got along. Now that I''m your prisoner, why keep me alive?"


    Sitting on the ground, Yvonne looked weak but could still speak.


    "It''s necessary. I won''t take it personally! With the demon invasion being so huge, I must interrogate you!"


    Elara directly stated her intent without arguing back.


    "First, what''s the deal with Michelle? You haven''t left Edenmere for centuries. How did you collude with her?"


    "You met Michelle?"


    Oddly, Yvonne seemed very calm, completely unlike Janet who got fanatic at Michelle''s name.


    "She kept her promise! We agreed I would stall the angels outside the city, while she would directly enter Edenmere from the Dark Continent to kill you. But she failed..."


    "You dare speak of this! You openly colluded with demons. What would your conservative angel followers think!"


    Hearing this, Elara couldn''t help but angrily condemn her.


    "And Melly, even reaching ten wings! She''s always been loyal to you, yet you dragged her into betrayal. Now she and Josie may have suffocated to death in the magic prison!"


    "So what? I only cooperated with Michelle! As long as I controlled Edenmere, they would surely understand, just like Janet right? If I failed, wouldn''t the outcome be the same anyway? Have you forgotten how Elara the 2nd died?"


    Speaking of this, Yvonne suddenly got agitated.


    "Besides, Michelle wasn''t a demon! Elara, we were born around the same era. There were first-generation angels remaining in Elara the 2nd''s time, from them you must have heard that Michelle was the two founders''..."


    "Don''t say more. I know enough about this!"


    Elara impatiently interrupted her and repeated the question.


    "I care how you contacted Michelle!"


    "Hmph! Why should I tell you? You''ll kill me eventually anyway..."


    Seeing Elara''s attitude, Yvonne just coldly laughed, refusing to cooperate.


    "I''m curious how you managed to defeat Michelle. With twelve wings, I''ve witnessed her power!"


    "Haha! You don''t know huh? I killed her of course!"


    Just then Cyra jumped out from behind, finally getting a chance to boast smugly.


    "I''ll have you know, no matter how powerful Michelle is, she still fears my nuclear bombs!"


    "Nuclear bombs? What''s that supposed to mean?"


    Yvonne glanced at her with utter disdain.


    "Just you? With only two incomplete wings left?"


    "Hey! I got these from killing Michelle. You understand it''s a man''s badge of honour..."


    Cyra wanted to continue, but I stepped forward and stopped her.


    "Wait! Yvonne, don''t you find Cyra''s appearance odd at all?"


    "Odd? Why would I, I''ve seen her before."


    Yvonne was confused by my question.


    "That''s right! Haven''t you noticed? Michelle and Cyra look the same!"


    Nicola also recalled this strange fact and joined the interrogation.


    "Take a closer look at her face..."


    She said while lightly slapping Cyra''s cheeks.


    "Ring any bells?"


    "Hey! I know you''re jealous of my handsome looks. Be careful not to ruin them!"


    Cyra glared at Nicola but didn''t dare retaliate, only swallowing the insult silently.


    "Are you messing with me?"


    Yvonne was at her wits'' end with these two clowns, nearly losing it. But considering her situation, she endured.


    "They''re right. I saw Michelle''s face myself. It''s the same as Cyra''s, only the hair colour differs."


    Elara had to confirm as well.


    "You''ve never seen Michelle''s true appearance?"


    I suddenly thought of a possibility.


    "...That''s right."


    Indeed, after a moment of silence, Yvonne revealed the truth.


    "I''ve never seen Michelle''s real face. None of her angel followers likely have either. The one time I met her was about a week ago in the Dark Continent..."


    Yvonne recounted her experience as if sleep-talking.


    "Outside the demon city walls, I saw the twelve-winged figure hovering over the demon castle. Her fiery red wings left a deep impression. In that instant, I was certain she was the legendary ''Angel of Fire''!"


    "But Michelle then wore a bizarre mask, supposedly the fire god totem worshipped by demons."


    As she spoke, she glanced at Cyra as if seeing Michelle.


    "The demons in the city were all chanting and praising her, yet wouldn''t let me get closer. Even the great demons that angels fear were there. I suddenly felt my proud ten wings might be a joke... Maybe she really could kill you, Elara!"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 92 - Galadra

    "So you just sold Edenmere like that?"


    I wasn''t too surprised after hearing this. Michelle''s actions were typical - a pretentious show-off, which fits my impression of her.


    "We had an agreement! Michelle had no interest in taking Edenmere. She agreed to help me defeat you. Afterwards, she would lead the demons to withdraw from Edenmere, while I would take over and lead all the angels to retreat from the conflicts in Eldoria Continent."


    Although answering my question, Yvonne was speaking to Elara, seemingly not as fanatic as Janet''s betrayal, and hadn''t forgotten her original goal as a conservative.


    "What makes you so sure Michelle would keep her promise?"


    Elara asked bitterly.


    "Because she is the ''Fire Angel''!"


    Yvonne emphasized the title again.


    "Elara, you should know very clearly the relationship between the Fire Angel and the two founders of our angel clan..."


    "Of course, I know. But so what! The Fire Angel isn''t our founder after all. Now that she stands against the angels, there''s no need to discuss this further!"


    The two started arguing. Elara waved her hand and reiterated:


    "All I want to know now is how you got to the Dark Continent behind my back?"


    "It doesn''t matter if she doesn''t say. I roughly guessed it already."


    Seeing Yvonne''s nonchalant attitude, I couldn''t help but say:


    "The only way to travel from Edenmere to the Dark Continent without you noticing is ''teleportation''."


    "That was your method before, right?"


    Although not 100% certain, I was quite confident, showing the ''button'' in my palm to Yvonne.


    "How did you know?"


    Indeed, seeing the ''button'', she was startled and blurted out:


    "If I''m not wrong, you weren''t the first angel to betray. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have gotten this."


    I continued probing, wanting to hear her admit who gave it to her, although I already had a guess.


    "So Janet was also caught by you guys? With the ''Eye of Galadra'' she still couldn''t escape..."


    Yvonne''s expression changed, her gaze falling to the ground behind us, where their belongings were.


    "She''s dead! Just a while ago."


    Elara sighed and corrected her.


    "The angel clan already has a small population. Yet you still mess around like this. Do you think you''ve done right to the Founders?"


    "Stop pretending, Elara! Janet may not know, but Michelle already told me! Although the Founders'' true names were lost over tens of thousands of years with several rumours, as Elara you must know! Yet you never wanted to reveal it."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Yvonne sneered and glanced around at us.


    "It''s because of reincarnation right? You know very well where reincarnation is! Perhaps deep down you''re afraid. Afraid that the Founders who created the angel clan have mingled with the demons! Michelle''s existence proves this..."


    "Enough!"


    Elara rudely interrupted her, seemingly struck a nerve and reacted anxiously.


    "Haha, so what! Are you afraid to tell these lovely juniors what ''Galadra'' in the ''Eye of Galadra'' actually refers to?"


    As if intentionally provoking her, afraid we didn''t understand, Yvonne explained:


    "The ''Eye of Galadra'' is that thing in your hand Feliciana, only a small part of this celestial weapon. Michelle told me it''s called a ''positioning terminal'', a teleportation device. The most important part is of course still the ''main control'' on the island. Supposedly a week ago there was only one such ''positioning terminal'', but now many can be produced. Although identical in appearance, their functions differ. I also got mine from Janet. It teleported me next to the main control in the Dark Continent. Janet had another type that swapped two locations. I needn''t explain further right?"


    "Uh..."


    I was a bit stunned. She simply blurted out everything we wanted to know. The official name ''positioning terminal'' sounded quite sci-fi.


    Also, suddenly so many could be produced. The time point of a week ago when Yvonne met Michelle was noteworthy.


    About half a month ago...


    If I remember correctly, that was when we first met Michelle, when future Nicola teleported her to the past.


    Unaware of my thoughts, she continued provoking Elara.


    "You may not realize just by the name. But Michelle also said although part of it uses a completely different method than magic, the key spatial functionality still stems from a certain person''s special ability..."


    "I know, it''s Galadra!"


    Hearing Yvonne say this much, Elara had no choice but to admit the truth.


    "Galadra is one of the two Founders of our angel clan. Her special ability is spatial manipulation!"


    "No way?"


    Not just me, Mia and Cyra were also shocked.


    "Co... could it be, Elara, that you''re saying one of the Founders has joined the demons?"


    Mia asked in disbelief.


    "Rumor says the Founders disappeared thousands of years ago already right?"


    "Galadra didn''t disappear. Only I as Elara knew this secret, but it can''t be hidden anymore now, so I''ll just say it - Galadra has always been in the Dark Continent. However, when she left Edenmere in that era, the dark creatures hadn''t flourished or occupied that place yet..."


    Knowing we transmigrators didn''t understand, Elara specifically explained:


    "Strictly speaking, she has contributed the most to our angel clan. Edenmere''s independence from the main world is all thanks to her power."


    "Then why is she siding with the demons now, helping Michelle create the ''Eye of Galadra''? How can we possibly win against that?"


    Cyra also clicked her tongue. She was right. With such a powerful figure, if she made a move, we might as well just give up.


    "I don''t know the reasons either!"


    Elara sighed slightly, seemingly relieved after speaking out.


    "Perhaps things aren''t as simple as Yvonne described, with many doubts. If it was the Founder''s will, why wouldn''t she act directly? We''d stand no chance."


    "Hmph! Logically Michelle alone would be enough. I don''t know how you defeated her, looks like Elara has inherited many secrets I''m unaware of."


    Yvonne coldly snorted, attributing Michelle''s defeat entirely to Elara.


    "Always snorting like a pig! Didn''t you hear me earlier? I took out Michelle, even had to lose half my wings to kill her!"


    Cyra was very dissatisfied and reiterated. But the other was still unfazed, clearly unbelieving, infuriating Cyra.


    "Yvonne, Cyra did use a certain large-scale destructive weapon..."


    Elara tried to speak for Cyra. Just then, a guard entered the dungeon and reported:


    "Elara, Serena just came asking for you. She has led the First Legion and Sheryl''s Fifth Legion to Edenmere City."


    "Are the teleportation formations ready?"


    Elara nodded and continued asking.


    "Ready!"


    Hearing the guard''s reply, Elara finally smiled and reminded us as she led the way out of the underground dungeon.


    "We can go save Reed now, and the other angels left in the Dark Continent..."


    Tivi Palace''s training grounds.


    Originally our classroom, now temporarily serves as Elara''s mustering area.


    The hastily gathered angels weren''t many, only around fifty. But this was enough to form an angel legion. The rest were either occupied with other matters or low-ranking angels who had never left Edenmere.


    But Elara was still worried there weren''t enough, especially calling back the First and Fifth Legions outside, cramming the training grounds. At least a few hundred angels.


    "No need for long speeches. The pain from the demon invasion must wait to be licked. Also, the situation is urgent. Our main task now is rescue. So remember, don''t stray too far from Edenmere''s entrance, be ready to retreat on orders!"


    Elara now stood on a makeshift platform, assigning tasks one by one.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 93 - Rescue Operation (Part 1)

    Elara was now standing on a high platform built beside the training grounds, assigning tasks one by one.


    "According to intelligence, the terrain where the rescue target is located is a circular lake area. Shirley of the Fifth Legion, after the outlet to the outside world is open, you are responsible for reconnaissance ahead! Then disperse to the edges of the outer lake area to stand guard, and eliminate any approaching monsters! And I will personally lead the ''Rescue Legion'' to carry out the rescue operation. As for the First Legion, you will stay in the city to defend until we return!"


    "Yes!"


    A loud and uniform response came from the First Legion and Fifth Legion, while the Rescue Legion, which was cobbled together in a short time, responded sporadically and unevenly.


    "Let''s start now!"


    Satisfied with a nod, a golden magic circle suddenly appeared under Elara''s feet.


    At the same time, a huge golden magic circle also appeared in the sky overhead, spinning constantly, resonating with the magic circle on the high platform.


    I had seen this magic circle before, it was the external space teleportation array I saw when I first entered Edenmere. Only now it had been moved by Elara over our heads.


    On the way from the dungeon, we had already learned how to get to the Dark Continent - using this external space teleportation array to open the outlet to the Dark Continent, going directly to the lake where Reed and the others were located above.


    It is said that since the summoning of the Angel Descending Formation, this space teleportation array has been fixed in the sky above the Astral Realm Kingdom. Because moving the outlet position is quite troublesome, each time the magic circle needs to be redrawn according to the orientation of the inlet and outlet, which is the golden magic circle under Elara''s feet now, it took so long to prepare.


    "Don''t you think it feels very oppressive?"


    Cyra stared at the huge magic circle overhead and exclaimed in astonishment with her imagination running wild.


    "What if this magic circle falls and crushes someone to death?"


    "The magic circle overhead is just an illusion, the control magic circle under Elara''s feet is the real magic circle. "


    Mia was also standing behind us at this time. She looked up at it and immediately explained the principle. As expected of someone in this profession, professional!


    As she said, the control magic circle and the illusory magic circle were now rotating in sync. It felt like decoding an old rotating combination lock, checking the scales one by one. Finally, both magic circles stopped at the same time, shining brightly, indicating that the outlet was opened.


    "Fifth Legion, move out!"


    Following Legion Commander Shirley''s order, all the angels of the Fifth Legion immediately rose into the air and surrounded the center of the illusory magic circle. Then a six-winged angel went in first and disappeared instantly.


    "Reconnaissance reports no enemy near the outlet."


    The first to react was not Legion Commander Shirley, but Elara still standing on the high platform. She said and hurriedly gave us instructions.


    "Just as the outlet opened, the rescue target asked for help saying a large number of monsters are gathering at the edge of the lake area, ready to attack at any time. So your actions must be quick!"


    Following her order, Shirley waved her hand, and all the angels of the Fifth Legion orderly dove one by one into the center of the magic circle, leaving Edenmere.


    "She stands here but can directly obtain reconnaissance information outside Edenmere, is it because of the communication magic mentioned earlier?"


    Nicola looked at Elara on the high platform, somewhat uncertainly asking me.


    "Yes."


    I nodded. This was also the communication magic the patrol angel mentioned earlier.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "If I remember correctly, the name of this magic seems to be ''Spiritual Convergence''."


    As long as you use this magic, you can communicate remotely with Elara regardless of distance without using language. In theory, as long as you are in continuous light elements, you can easily achieve communication conditions.


    In this world, the light elements are almost everywhere, even the Dark Continent is no exception. It is only a matter of more or less, so this feature is very powerful, simply a tool for obtaining information.


    The only downside is that the user who hosts the communication requires an extremely high level of light element control. As the communication distance increases and the number of communicators increases, this requirement threshold will continue to rise. This also led to the fact that only angels with eight wings could do it, while humans were almost excluded from this.


    So, Elara was able to confirm Reed and the others'' specific location and open the transfer outlet to the other side, also due to this magic. Obviously, there was also an angel besides Reed using this magic to communicate with Elara.


    " Rescue Legion, move out!"


    With the departure of the entire Fifth Legion, next up was our Rescue Legion. Elara took the lead and dove into the center of the illusory magic circle without hesitation, and we hurried to follow her one by one, while Cyra was naturally taken care of as Nicola had promised.


    "Nicola!"


    Just as it was almost my turn to leave, I suddenly heard someone calling my name from below. Looking back, it turned out to be Teacher Aetina!


    "Cyra, Nicola!"


    Seeing my response, she greeted the two guys next to me at the same time.


    "I''m so glad Teacher is fine! I haven''t seen her since the ''blackout'' today, didn''t expect to meet here."


    Cyra waved her hand happily and said to me very gratefully.


    "Aetina is an angel who retired from the angel legion. Although only six wings, her strength is quite strong, not much worse than ordinary eight-wing angels."


    Nicola emphasized without surprise.


    "That''s right! The main point of this demon invasion is catching people off guard. Although the overall average strength is not bad, compared to Aetina''s level, it is still not enough. Most of the casualties were also low-level angels and light elves who had never been to the outside world."


    I also chimed in. Of course, there was still the most important point I didn''t mention, and that was Michelle, the key figure who made the decisive difference in this battle! If it wasn''t for Cyra''s fluke using the nuclear bomb to blow her up, the outcome would have been very hard to predict.


    Upon entering the outlet and arriving at the Dark Continent, the first sight was the familiar sky, overcast with clouds and dim light.


    "Oh my god, what the hell are those things!"


    Cyra''s scream came from behind. Following her pointing finger, I saw the shore of the lake below was full of dense monsters. At first glance, almost all were undead creatures made up of skeletons. From the most common low-level skeleton warriors to bone dragons flying in the sky that were already fighting the Fifth Legion, all kinds showed up. As long as it was the skeleton of a creature, it could be pieced together to resemble its pre-life form and join the battle.


    The battle in the sky was quite fierce. Although at first glance there were quite many sixth-order bone dragons, with many angels tackling them, there were no major problems. On the ground, due to the obstruction of the lake, only a narrow island access channel, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Therefore, most of the undead legions could only gather near the island entrance and did not play much of a role.


    "Why are most of them undead?"


    Nicola looked down and asked strangely as well. It was still acceptable in the air, at least some other monsters were mixed in. But the ground was just skeletons and zombies left. Although some of them were wearing armour, and even equipped with mounts, after all, they were still skeletons and zombies!


    "It may be related to Reed''s ''Five Light Ten Color'' magic."


    I thought about it and guessed. This magic was too overbearing, simply a weapon of the few defeating the many. Even the monsters fell for it! But it also had many weaknesses. I won''t go into the loophole that it can be avoided by closing your eyes. Mindless undead creatures like skeletons would not be affected either.


    I guess the demon side had launched many attacks and suffered heavy losses, forcing them to use this method.


    "Our mission is to follow Lady Elara to the island to rescue people. Pay attention and keep close!"


    At this time Aetina also came over. Seeing the three of us chatting at the exit, she reminded us verbally.


    "Oh...okay!"


    Hearing her, I hurriedly responded. As expected of a former angel legion member, she became extremely focused as soon as she came to the battlefield, never forgetting the mission, behaving completely unlike us temporary fill-ins.


    Speaking of which, this was the first time I officially went to the battlefield. Angels and monsters were fighting all around, but these were not something the Rescue Legion needed to deal with.


    Under Aetina''s lead, we were rapidly decreasing altitude, descending towards the small island in the center of the lake. The whole way was extremely smooth, and almost no decent enemies were encountered. They must have been cleared out by the angels ahead.


    Elara had already landed on the island. She could vaguely be seen talking to a two-winged angel.


    But a sudden change occurred - a huge demon poked its head out from behind their lookout tower, even bursting through the whole tower body. Then it raised its scythe and charged at the two-winged angel.


    "Quick, turn around, face the ground, don''t look there!"


    Aetina in front of us stopped in an instant, turning back to shout at us anxiously.


    "Lady Elara just informed all nearby angels to do so through the spiritual network. Hurry!"


    "Could it be..."


    I understood at once. Most likely Reed was going to use ''Five Light Ten Color'' again.


    Sure enough, when we turned around as instructed and Aetina gave the all-clear, looking back at the ground, we found that the big demon was already clutching its head, writhing in pain on the ground.


    "So that''s what being hit by ''Five Light Ten Color'' looks like..."


    Seeing the situation, Cyra patted her chest and said apprehensively.


    Fortunately, we reacted in time, otherwise we would have fallen from the sky. The benefits of ''Spiritual Convergence'' are shown here!

 Vol 3/ Chapter 94 - Rescue Operation 2

    On the ground, Elara turned around to see the big demon fall, rushing over to plunge her sword into its head to end its life. But the two-winged angel Reed did not stay put, instead rushing towards the collapsed watchtower.


    "Be careful!"


    I was wondering what Reed was doing when I heard Aetina shout a warning, raising her sword to block a skeleton griffin''s attack on us.


    "On the battlefield, you must always be aware of your surroundings and prioritize your safety, don''t get too distracted and overlook hidden enemies!"


    With that she swung her sword in fierce strokes, hacking the skeleton griffin into pieces.


    "Got...got it!"


    I swallowed and quickly acknowledged my mistake.


    Since coming here, Aetina has been like a different person. Gone was the friendly girl, now she was like an Amazon warrior!


    Speaking of which, that move just now was so cool! No wonder Nicola is so obsessed with swordsmanship, it made me itchy to try learning the "Angel Sword Techniques" too.


    But I''m self-aware enough to know my swordsmanship can''t match up. That doesn''t stop me from showing off in other ways though, like with that Ghost Stinger flying at us now!


    "Lost Paradise Shockwave!"


    This was my strongest move, and the Ghost Stinger didn''t even twitch before the beam pillar blasted it out of existence. It fell silently into the lake below and disappeared.


    "A complete waste!"


    But instead of the praise I hoped for, Aetina scolded me harshly.


    "The Lost Paradise Shockwave is an extremely light element-draining high-level spell. Using it on a level 5 Ghost Stinger is overkill when a simple Purification could easily take care of it. With six wings, you can only cast it twice at most, and in the Dark Lands, light elemental recovery is slow. What will you do next? Cast it again and you''ll probably have to wait for other angels to carry you back!"


    "Using a cannon to shoot a mosquito?"


    Cyra mockingly defined my actions.


    "Okay, I''ll be more careful from now on!"


    I pouted and admitted my mistake somewhat aggrievedly. The teacher was right, a simple Purification would easily take care of a lone Ghost Stinger. I just got too reliant on the Lost Paradise Shockwave after taking out three vampires in one hit last time.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Though you are getting more proficient with that move, you probably just need some more practice before you can fire it instantly... "


    Seeing my expression, Aetina softened and gave me some praise. With the airspace clear, she led us down towards the ground.


    "Reed, are you okay?"


    We landed next to Reed and asked before even touching down.


    "I''m fine, but come help me move these rocks!"


    Reed didn''t even turn to look at us, immediately ordering us to work.


    "What are you doing?"


    Cyra frowned.


    "We came to rescue you, and you want us moving rocks..."


    "There''s something important buried here, the control terminal for the ''Eye of Galadra'' that Nicola mentioned. We must retrieve it!"


    Reed patiently explained. Though only a two-winged angel, the weight of the rocks was nothing to her, easily grabbing and tossing aside massive boulders with one hand.


    "It''s probably smashed beyond repair under all this though?"


    I rolled up my sleeves and started helping.


    "Doesn''t matter if it''s broken, we may still find parts to fix it. Even if it can''t be repaired, it has great research value."


    As expected, whenever the word "research" was involved nothing else mattered to her.


    "How did that arch demon get out?"


    Nicola was more concerned about safety, worried more monsters might suddenly pop out and catch them off guard.


    "Don''t you remember? Yvonne ''voluntarily'' confessed earlier that the button-like ''locator terminal'' can teleport the user directly next to the ''Eye of Galadra'' main control terminal here."


    I impatiently reminded her.


    "So that Archdemon must have been sent to backstab you. Thankfully Reed wasn''t in the tower then, otherwise it may have succeeded."


    "Wait! So that means Aria also teleported here? Reed, did you see her inside the tower?"


    Nicola was slow on the uptake, only reacting now.


    "Unfortunately I only found out later that the teleport destination was this place... "


    Reed dispassionately explained over her shoulder.


    "When Aria teleported away we were still at the tournament grounds. She must have hid in some corner of the tower and got transported with me to the Dark Lands, probably long gone by now."


    "Grr...this pisses me off!"


    Nicola smashed a rock fragment to dust in frustration. She had missed several chances to capture Aria.


    "I definitely won''t let her get away next time!"


    Undoubtedly Aria had come here multiple times before Reed was exchanged to the Dark Lands. She could have even been hiding overhead in the tower itself.


    "Oh right, there''s one important thing I must tell you."


    Reed suddenly recalled something and raised her head to speak to me.


    "Besides some unimportant fallen angels teleporting in and being intercepted, a red-winged angel looking exactly like Cyra, with the same red hair, also appeared. She was severely injured, covered in blood stains and missing an arm. Though she only had one pair of wings left, from the remnants it was clear she originally had at least eight wings or more. I believe it may have been that ''Michelle'' you encountered before."


    "Holy shit!"


    Cyra''s rock fragment fell from her hand as she stared in disbelief.


    "She''s still alive even after a nuke? Did you guys manage to stop her?"


    I also reacted anxiously, hurriedly asking for details.


    We should have expected this! If even Aria and Yvonne carried "escape teleport" items, of course, Michelle would prepare one for herself too!


    "Couldn''t stop her!"


    Reed shook her head, giving us the most despairing answer.


    "Even heavily wounded, that red-winged angel was very powerful. She fled too quickly before we could react, already escaping outside the tower. We had no way to stop her and could only watch as she vanished into the depths of the Dark Lands."

 Vol 3/ Chapter 95 - Rescue Operation (Part 3)

    "Where''s your vaunted ''Five Light Ten Color'' now?!"


    Cyra was hopping mad, angrily berating Reed. Oh well, so much for all that boastful talk earlier. And to think she had been bragging non-stop just a while ago.


    "I already said I didn''t have time to react. Don''t forget my rank is the same as yours, even if I had tried to stop her, there''s no guarantee I could have killed her!"


    Reed shot an extremely displeased glance back at Cyra, narrowing his eyes in a very dangerous way. As she spoke, she held out her palm.


    "But I did hear you mention something about a nuclear bomb... Where''s my gas collection ball? Give it back!"


    "Well...this..."


    Cyra instantly deflated, mouth agape as she scratched her head, at a loss for how to respond.


    "We were being chased by Michelle, so we had no choice but to use the hydrogen bomb..."


    Seeing that she was tongue-tied, I had no choice but to help answer. But in the interests of honesty, I had to emphasize - "Cyra" did it.


    "That has nothing to do with me!"


    "What do you mean it has nothing to do with you!"


    Cyra pointed at me and yelled loudly.


    "It was you who threw out that oxygen collection sphere, even shouting ''Let''s add more fuel to make this storm even fiercer!'' right?!"


    "Nonsense, I never said anything like that!"


    Of course, I had to deny it! Though my heart knew full well that was exactly what I had thought silently - absolutely could not say it aloud!


    "Cyra, you ruined in an instant the experimental results that took me half a month of hard work to obtain. While it''s true that device wasn''t so important to me anymore, still I spent a good few days collecting that gas successfully..."


    Reed just silently bowed her head and kept moving the rubble, but her words pronounced the verdict.


    "At the very least, one month...no, three months of unpaid lab assistant work, and you''ll also need to cooperate with my research!"


    "I don''t want to! It''ll kill me!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra immediately yelled a loud rejection, not even daring to move the rubble anymore as she retreated far away from Reed.


    "Be good now, come back here and keep hauling bricks!"


    I waved at her, gently persuading her,


    "How could it possibly kill you? Don''t you remember how Nicola has been spending the past few months, utterly carefree! She''s even volunteered for overtime!"


    "Feliciana, you wasted my oxygen collection device. While it wasn''t anything too important to me anymore, still I spent a good few days collecting that gas..."Stolen novel; please report.


    Reed didn''t seem swayed by my series of actions at all, instead uncompromisingly and mercilessly - mercilessly - declaring my sentence.


    "You just work unpaid for me for one week!"


    "What, how can that be?!"


    The only thing I could do was wail dejectedly.


    "Haha, you deserve it, you blundering fool!"


    Cyra gloated on the side, but then we heard Nicola yell loudly.


    "Stop chitchatting! Have you all forgotten where we are?!"


    It turned out several bone dragons had slipped past the angels'' aerial defences, and were almost upon Central Island.


    "Hurry up and clear the rubble, once we get the ''Eye of Galadra'' we retreat immediately!"


    Elara had already flown up to join the other angels in intercepting the bone dragons, and seeing that Aetina was having some trouble soloing them, Nicola also summoned her Condensation Sword to join in.


    "Oh, right!"


    Seeing the situation, Cyra and I didn''t dare dally any longer, hurriedly buckling down to work. Soon, we dug out that familiar controller.


    "Looks broken, though I guess it''s good that it''s broken, otherwise who knows what kind of monsters it might have summoned over...?"


    Seeing the screen with no display, Reed sighed, then muttered to herself.


    "Never mind, let''s hurry, tidy it up and take it away! Do you have a storage ring?"


    I urged impatiently. I was about to offer my newly obtained storage ring, when a shocking sight accidentally caught my eye.


    "What is this...wires?"


    Behind the control panel of the "Eye of Galadra", the rubble had smashed an opening, revealing flickering lights inside - extremely familiar wiring, with some of the wires even severed, continuously shooting sparks.


    "Haven''t you figured it out yet? Despite not knowing why, it''s obvious this thing is partially crafted using technological methods."


    Reed had seen it too, of course. But after studying this thing for so long, she didn''t seem surprised at all.


    Without another word, she casually took out a "button", placed it on the ground, and crushed it under her foot...


    "This is...a chip? An integrated circuit?!"


    I picked up the shattered "escape teleportation device", eyes wide. While the exposed chip had a far higher degree of integration compared to normal chips I''d seen before, and lacked any logo or markings, finding something like this here was already highly irregular.


    "No way...what is going on? Didn''t we cross over to a magical fantasy world?"


    Cyra had also come over to take a look, an expression of disbelief on her face.


    "Now''s not the time to discuss this, let''s get back first!"


    Seeing the aerial battle, Reed urged us to hurry, bending down to gather the parts on the ground and beckoning us over to help.


    "This is..."


    Indeed, there was no time left to agonize or delay. After hesitating a moment, I finally grit my teeth and went over, stuffing the entire "Eye of Galadra" console into the storage ring in one go.


    "Alright! Notify Elara and the others to retreat!"


    After quickly surveying the surroundings for anything else, Reed rushed out first from the ruins of the lookout tower, flying straight up into the sky.


    "All done over there?"


    Nicola struck both sides, a Condensation Sword in each hand as she sliced apart a bone dragon''s skull. Glancing back at us, she asked.


    "All done! Retreat!"


    Giving an OK sign with my hand, I flew up towards the sky with Cyra, heading in the direction we had come from based on memory. But I didn''t know what to do next, unable to spot where Edenmere''s entrance was!


    Hovering in midair, I could only keep looking left and right, hoping to get lucky and find the entrance by chance. But there were so many angels in the aerial battlefield right now, light elements everywhere, not to mention the endless magic bombardments - it was hard to pinpoint its location based on the light aura alone.


    "Retreat!"


    But no worries, if I didn''t know, some other angel was bound to.


    I didn''t have to worry for long either. Since Nicola had already spread the retreat order, Elara received this news through the spiritual network. She promptly notified all the angels to begin withdrawal.


    "You go first, we''ll cover the rear here!"


    Seeing Nicola still tangled with some bone dragons, Elara and Shirley flew over to her side, urging her to leave quickly. But their gaze remained fixed on the Condensation Sword, unable to look away.


    "This weapon is..."


    "What are you still dawdling around here for? Reed''s already returned, didn''t you hear Elara''s order to retreat?!"


    Passing by me, Aetina grabbed my clothes and forcibly dragged me into Edenmere''s entrance.


    In the final moment before entering, I glimpsed from afar Elara excitedly receiving the Condensation Sword from Nicola...

 Vol 3/ Chapter 96: Magic Science

    "Pair of twos!"


    In my room, Cyra casually threw out the Poke cards in her hand while sitting on the edge of the bed.


    "I pass."


    I glanced at the cards in my hand and shook my head.


    "You two have been playing cards for so long already. Don''t you find it boring?"


    Reed sat bored on a stool by the desk, holding a copy of ''The Origins of Magic'' while peeking out to ask me.


    "Boring? How could it not be?"


    Cyra stared at the cards in her hand and replied.


    "Always playing Big Two, I''m sick of it already! And you''re here but not joining in, it would be so much better if we played three-person mahjong together."


    "I''m here because later Elara will announce Nicola''s new identity, and then we''ll be leaving Edenmere together."


    Reed glanced at her and slowly replied.


    "Besides, I don''t know how to play cards and have no interest in learning."


    "Three tens with an eight!"


    Finally deciding how to play, Cyra threw out some not-so-big cards.


    "You don''t understand this yet. Now playing cards is Edenmere''s most popular entertainment, second only to mahjong!"


    "That''s not necessarily so. Edenmere''s atmosphere is not the same as before. I heard many low-ranking angels died in this demon invasion, so your entertainment probably won''t be as popular as you imagine."


    I sighed and casually threw out my hand cards.


    "Not only do the collapsed houses need rebuilding, but soon after safely returning from the Dark Continent, many angels already asked Elara for permission to launch a third demon-conquering campaign, directly invading the Dark Continent to avenge their fallen comrades. But Elara strongly suppressed these voices."


    "Saving people is one thing, but the angel population is low, and can''t afford more wars. If continuous wars are waged, the angel race will probably soon face extinction."


    Luckily not too many angels died in the rescue operation this time, less than 10% of the angel legions. As an organized operation, the high combat strength of the angel legions was fully displayed.


    "Three Q with a ten!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Thinking of this, I casually threw out my hand cards.


    "Yeah, slowly recuperating is pretty good!"


    Cyra nodded in rare agreement with my viewpoint.


    "I feel the conservatives have a point. Demons are too powerful, even possessing black technology! If the angels launch a war, they would probably lose badly."


    "Speaking of which, I''m starting to doubt if we''re still on Earth."


    Hearing the words "black technology", I recalled the "Galadra''s Eye" control console and the interior of the "buttons" I saw with my own eyes.


    "I''ve reiterated it several times already."


    Hearing my words, Reed couldn''t help but seriously correct me again.


    "I can confirm with certainty that we are not on Earth! This conclusion is verified through the ''Galadra''s Eye'' control console, which not only has teleportation functions but can also monitor like a satellite. Zooming in on the region shows clearly that although this world is also spherical, neither the celestial star charts nor the landforms and shapes of the continents resemble Earth''s at all, there are no similarities!"


    "I understand! I was just making an exclamation, don''t get agitated!"


    Looks like Reed thought I didn''t believe her words, a rare moment of slight agitation. Actually, hearing from her that the main world doesn''t resemble Edenmere''s flat earth already satisfied me greatly.


    Once when bored I flew to the edge of Edenmere, and below the cliffs saw only dazzling bright light, couldn''t make out anything clearly, and nearly blinded my eyes. Luckily I steadied myself in time and didn''t fall, otherwise, I''d certainly be done for.


    "So what exactly are we fighting against? Could Michelle possibly be a synthetic cyborg organism? She''s so durable, even a nuclear bomb couldn''t kill her..."


    Cyra made wild guesses.


    "Impossible. I''ve seen her gravely injured, without any mechanical traces. Even a cyborg couldn''t survive a hydrogen bomb blast!"


    Reed seriously refuted.


    "Hey! Hurry up and play your hand! It''s your turn, are you still playing or not!"


    Growing impatient, I urged Cyra.


    "Tsk...what''s the hurry..."


    Cyra glanced at her hand cards, waving her hand helplessly.


    "I pass, you go ahead."


    "Pair of eights!"


    Hearing that, I immediately threw out the pair I had been waiting to play.


    "Haha, you''re doomed - pair of twos!"


    Cyra gleefully threw out two cards, looking completely confident of winning. She even casually chatted with Reed again.


    "What if it was an Earth scientist who travelled to this world decades earlier, and then developed such advanced technology? Or could it be some aliens with similar technology brought to this planet?"


    "You''re thinking too much. You need to learn more common sense!"


    Without needing Reed''s reply, I could easily deny this question.


    "No matter how brilliant, one scientist isn''t enough, even a few can''t do it! To develop to the chip level requires a whole set of systematic technologies. But given the human lifespan of less than 100 years, time is very limited too. In this world, these conditions are very difficult to meet. Most countries rely too much on magic, so technology is stuck in the medieval period. Even mixed with magic it''s impossible!"


    As for the alien theory, I didn''t dare argue. Too outlandish, who knows what aliens in this world look like, or if they even exist!


    But mentioning the origins of "Galadra''s Eye" reminded me of what Reed told us after returning from the Dark Continent to Edenmere.


    While awaiting rescue on Central Island, she had ample time to study the "Galadra''s Eye" console.


    Turns out this so-called "celestial weapon" is not purely technological. Although containing many chips and circuit boards, similarly, the two devices also incorporated many magical techniques, like crystals, elemental affinity materials, and even hidden magic arrays inside the console!


    In summary, "Galadra''s Eye" is a hybrid of magic and technology, similar but not identical to Earth''s science and technology, and can be called magic science.


    In Reed''s view, comparing purely by technological level, these chips are at least 100 years more advanced than Earth''s, but probably not too much more, otherwise they would be completely incomprehensible.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 97: The High Council Meeting

    "Learning some common sense from the Earth is useless in this world. Can you figure out what Nicola is selling just based on common sense?"


    Seeing that I chose to pass as she wished, Cyra pouted and threw out four more cards.


    "Three Aces and a King, you definitely can''t beat that, haha! Now you know how good I am!"


    "Who knows..."


    I gave an ambiguous reply.


    After returning from the Dark Continent, Elara didn''t even have time to ask about the casualties of the two legions before dragging Nicola into her office for a long private talk, as if Nicola was her long lost family member.


    When they came out of the office together, Elara announced to us with a relieved expression that Nicola''s new identity would be made public at the high council meeting later. After that, she could leave Edenmere with me to find the Sage Alliance. As for Cyra and Reed, they could choose to stay or leave, but Reed must bring Mia to ensure her safety before being allowed to go.


    To be honest, I was quite surprised to hear this news. Although I had wanted to leave Edenmere for some time, I thought the date might be postponed due to the need to rebuild after the war. I didn''t expect Elara to suddenly approve this matter, and even grant Cyra and Reed permission to go out at the same time.


    From this situation, it seems they must have reached some kind of deal in the office. But when we asked Nicola about it later, she actually kept it a secret from us!


    "After all, I promised Elara not to reveal anything to anyone in advance. She wants to announce it at the high council meeting to catch those wavering neutrals off guard. You''ll know soon anyway!"


    That was what Nicola said, before disappearing with Elara again. How annoying!


    Why is everyone liking being so mysterious!


    Thinking of this, I fiercely threw out all four cards in my hand.


    "Four 3''s, a bomb!"


    I had been saving this bomb for a time like this! And now Cyra only had two cards left.


    "What, you actually still had a hidden bomb at this time?"


    Cyra looked at the four cards I put out in disbelief, and glanced at her own two cards again.


    Unfortunately, her four Aces had already been baited out by me earlier.


    "Can''t beat it..."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Sensing something was off, she stared nervously at my many cards in hand, and started to panic.


    "A straight! 45678910JQKA!"


    "..."


    Cyra''s bad premonition quickly came true. Clearly she had no way to counter it. At this point, I only had one card left in my hand.


    "A 4!"


    Without waiting for her to say "Can''t beat it", I officially declared my victory.


    "Haha, what do you think? This is what''s called a final comeback!"


    I glanced at her last two cards in satisfaction, which were indeed a pair of Kings! As usual, her luck at drawing cards was too good.


    "Occasionally losing once spices things up!"


    Cyra resentfully shuffled the cards again, still stubbornly talking back.


    "Cyra, Reed, and Feliciana..."


    Juliet''s voice came from the doorway. We saw her and Gwen standing there reminding us:


    "Lady Elara asked us to inform you that the high council meeting is about to start! As the major contributors in resisting the demon invasion this time, you''ll be allowed to attend as special guests."


    "It''s starting?"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra was stunned for a moment, and immediately went out ahead of us, putting cards away.


    Speaking of which, Gwen and Juliet were also survivors of the invasion. As low-ranking angels, being able to live through the terrible demon invasion was really not easy. I heard most of the victims in the city this time were light elves and low-ranking angels, while the mortality rate was very low for those with six wings or more.


    "Where''s Nicola? How come she''s nowhere to be seen, could she have already gone ahead to the conference room?"


    I asked a bit nervously along the way, the council members were all big shots, although some had fallen in the rebellion, there should still be quite a few ?


    And in truth, the major contributor was Reed. Cyra also barely claimed some credit for driving away Michelle with the nuclear bomb.


    As for me, other than killing three 5th-order vampires, it seemed I did nothing worthwhile, so going along felt purely due to connections.


    "I''m not sure, she seems to have been with Lady Elara the whole time. I heard there''s important news to be announced at this meeting, unfortunately we can''t know it right away..."


    Gwen replied regretfully.


    "Feliciana, you must tell us immediately after you come out, we''ll be waiting outside!"


    "Ok, I know!"


    I readily agreed. But then noticed Cyra had somehow fallen behind.


    "What are you looking at?"


    She was standing in front of an open door, blankly gazing inside without saying a word, as if lost in thought.


    "Nothing! Let''s go quickly!"


    Hearing my question, Cyra immediately snapped back and brushed past me without looking back.


    "Huh?"


    Watching her retreating figure, I looked up at the door sign: "Internal Affairs Office", and instantly understood.


    "I see..."


    I walked over and took a look at the empty room, stood for a moment, then gently closed the door.


    "Farewell for now, Norma."


    ...


    The conference room was on the 4th floor of the Tivi Palace, the top level of the main building, and also the regular meeting venue for the High Council.


    When we entered the conference room, a huge round table appeared before us, with 12 chairs arranged around it, giving off the vibe of a Round Table meeting.


    "So there''s a total of 12 members on the High Council?"


    I looked around the currently empty conference room. Only 1 or 2 angels were seated, including Serena, the legion commander of the 1st Legion whom we already knew.


    "Feliciana, come sit here!"


    Serena waved at us in a friendly manner. I saw a row of guest seats against the wall behind her, just nice for the 4 of us. That must be prepared for us.


    "Isn''t she the legion commander of the 1st Legion? You know her?"


    Cyra whispered beside me.


    "Didn''t I tell you? She was the one who brought us to Edenmere originally."


    I nodded and replied. Speaking of which, although Serena was the first angel we met, we didn''t interact much afterwards since she left Edenmere. At most we could be considered half acquaintances.


    But from her attitude now, it seems she wasn''t too distant from us, which was reassuring.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 98 - Taking a Seat

    "So after all that, you''re a council member too? Should I start addressing you as Councilwoman Serena from now on?"


    I couldn''t help but tease her as I sat down in my seat. I didn''t expect Serena to have this additional role.


    I had always assumed that an angel would need at least ten wings to be on the council, but apparently eight wings were enough to get a seat.


    "Titles like that are just formalities. You can keep it simple. Actually, all the legion commanders have a place on the High Council, so I barely squeezed in," Serena waved her hand modestly.


    Since there was still some time before the meeting began, she casually explained some things about the High Council and the angel legions to pass time.


    Only now did I know that the angel legions were divided into six sub-legions, which coincidentally occupied half the seats.


    The other six council members were all venerable ten-winged angels. Aside from Elara and Meg whom I knew, and the infamous Yvonne and her lackey Memy whom I hadn''t met, there was still one more unknown member.


    "Given the emergency nature of this High Council meeting called by Lady Elara due to the invasion, it was expected that nearly half the members would be absent. This is really unprecedented."


    Looking at the empty seats around us, Serena seemed slightly sentimental.


    "Josie, commander of the 2nd Legion, and Janette, commander of the 4th Legion, died in the invasion since they were traitors. I''m sure you already knew that."


    "The commanders of the 3rd and 6th Legions definitely won''t attend this time. They lead nearly a thousand angel officers garrisoned long-term at the Borderlands to defend against northern monsters, so there''s no way for them to rush back at such short notice."


    "As for the last remaining Elder of the three...well..."


    She hesitated slightly here, seemingly unsure about confirming something.


    "I''ve never even seen this legendary third Elder, not to mention knowing her name. It seems very few angels in Edenmere are aware of her existence." Upon hearing Serena''s words, Cyra immediately leaned over and whispered to me.


    "How mysterious!" I couldn''t help but retort. But at this point, more and more angels had started entering the room, including Elara and Nicola.


    As soon as Nicola entered the room, she looked around and immediately headed over when she saw us.


    "What have you been so busy with after getting back from the Dark Lands? You''ve been attached at the hip with Elara and nowhere to be seen," Cyra questioned her right away.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "It''s really nothing. After leaving the office, we went to the archives again because Elara wanted to find some documents proving my relationship with her..." Nicola answered quite casually. But she didn''t reveal any details about the critical information.


    "What relationship? Don''t tell me you two were in-laws or lovers thousands of years ago?" Cyra clearly wasn''t having it and kept pressing for an answer.


    "It''s about your Condensation Sword, right?"


    I naturally didn''t believe such a contrived scenario. But I had my own guesses, especially since I hadn''t forgotten the change in their attitudes after leaving the Dark Lands.


    "Uh...it''s really not appropriate to talk about this beforehand. It''s not that Elara doesn''t trust you all, mainly she''s worried about eavesdroppers!"


    As I expected, Nicola didn''t outright deny it, so it was likely related to Liana. Michelle''s attitude changed immediately upon seeing the Condensation Sword. Elara probably reacted the same way, and she may also have known Liana.


    Speaking of which, from my previous conversation with Yvonne, it seemed Elara was not as clueless about Michelle''s origins as I had imagined. She appeared to have concealed quite a bit of the truth. If that was the case, I figured I should try to ask her for clarity after the meeting, even if she was reluctant to tell me due to confidentiality.


    After all, Michelle was still alive, amazingly surviving even a hydrogen bomb! We couldn''t rest easy with that threat still around.


    "We agreed that if I keep it confidential and help her get through this difficult time, she''ll immediately consent to us leaving Edenmere. Not only can Cyra go out to get her wings treated, she can also join us to find the Sages'' Alliance. Reed is already a given."


    In order to reassure us, Nicola had no choice but to first reveal the terms of their agreement.


    "Really?" Cyra immediately stopped probing as soon as she heard it involved permission for her to travel outside.


    "But what difficulties could Elara face at this time? Shouldn''t the Reformist have the upper hand now?" I still didn''t quite understand. Based on the information so far, this so-called difficult time was likely to occur during the High Council meeting. But with Yvonne imprisoned and conservative members like Janette dead, I really couldn''t imagine what other difficulties could arise.


    "That''s not necessarily true."


    Hearing our discussion, Serena suddenly turned around to interject.


    "Before this rebellion, the conservatives actually slightly outnumbered the reformists on the High Council, but neutralist Councillor Meg and the 6th Legion commander always supported reformists, so the balance is tipped".


    "Although the conservatives are weakened this time, the reformist is missing their 3rd Legion commander and the moderate 6th Legion commander, so the advantage isn''t as great as imagined. And with top Councillor Meg''s questionable health, there''s also the possibility of flipping sides at the last minute, so the situation isn''t that optimistic..."


    "Even if Councillor Meg has special circumstances, it shouldn''t make that big of an impact, right?"


    I was also reminded of Meg''s wavering expression when facing Janette. She was sitting right across from Serena, and although looking very stern, did not seem as despondent as rumored.


    "It''s hard to say. After all, Councillor Meg also has the status of an Elder. With Yvonne gone, her decision represents half the Elders'' weight. If she can also persuade the remaining neutral Elder, then according to the Elders'' privileges..."


    As Serena spoke, she trailed off into contemplation.


    I was taken aback by the sudden mention of some Elders'' privileges. Wasn''t it supposed to be majority rule?


    Just as I was about to inquire further, I saw Elara suddenly stand up at her seat and announce:


    "It''s time. I now call this emergency High Council meeting to order!"


    Here we go! My heart stirred as I glanced at Nicola beside me. I was finally going to find out what she and Elara were scheming.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 99 - Elder Gwendolyn

    However, Elara looked around at all the attendees present, but did not continue speaking. Instead, she frowned and asked:


    "Where is Elder Gwendolyn? Why hasn''t she arrived yet when we already sent someone to notify her?"


    This was the first time I heard this name. If there were no surprises, she should be the remaining one of the three Elders.


    "Is Elder Gwendolyn going to be absent from this meeting again?"


    "After all, she lives in the outside world most of the time, entangled in human affairs. It''s hard to say."


    "I heard she was working as a maid in a human noble family. She skipped the last high-level meeting because she was too busy."


    "No way? How could an Elder of the angel clan possibly work as a maid? Being a daughter would make more sense..."


    Although there were not many attendees, I could still hear whispers between Legion Commander Serena and Legion Commander Shirley.


    "Ahem..." Elara coughed lightly to indicate a reminder. She then distributed documents to the councilors present.


    "This is the casualty report of the demon invasion. We convened this emergency high-level meeting mainly to discuss future plans for city reconstruction and a series of foreign policies, including the expansion plan for the angel legions and field training assessments for low-ranking angels."


    "Expansion plan? Field training assessments?"


    Councilor Pauline, who had not been seen for a long time, immediately spoke up when she heard those words.


    "Given this assault on Edenmere, it would be too risky for us to venture deep into the Dark Continent, seeking revenge in haste may lead to even greater casualties. But strengthening the defenses of the main world against demons through cooperation with humans is achievable. At the same time, recruiting more low-ranking angels into the angel legions for training, as well as appropriate field training - such as working at adventurer guilds opened by humans - will better increase their chances of survival when facing demons."


    Elara did not hide anything and proposed the planned scheme very directly. The heavy casualties among low-ranking angels this time forced her to come up with countermeasures.


    "I don''t think it''s a good idea. We already have enough legions dispatched to the human kingdoms. Just the Third and Sixth Legions already have nearly a thousand members. If we further expand the scale of the angel legions and implement this new field training policy, won''t the chances of friction with the demons be even greater?"


    Although Councilor Pauline did not quite agree with the proposal, her tone was still very careful.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Are we still afraid of friction with the demons now? They have come attacking our home! I''m looking forward to it!"


    Shirley, sitting next to Serena, snorted contemptuously, clearly disdaining Councilor Pauline''s attitude.


    "Lady Elara is too merciful, still allowing conservative members to remain on the council. If not for other angels testifying that you did not participate in the rebellion, and indeed led resistance against the demons. I would have arrested you long ago!"


    "This..."


    Upon hearing this, Councilor Pauline shrank her head in fright and immediately stopped talking.


    "Councilor Pauline is actually from the conservative faction too?"


    I was stunned for a moment, then recalled her playing the mediator when Yvonne and Meg argued at the welcome banquet. It seems that not all the conservatives are traitors!


    "Excuse me, sister, could you move your legs a bit..."


    A voice that sounded rather young suddenly rang out next to my ear. Looking back, I found that a girl who looked about eleven or twelve years old was standing next to me somehow, bending over and looking rather sneaky.


    "You are?"


    I reflexively glanced at the entrance of the conference room. The door was pushed open a slit, apparently her doing.


    "Shh... Just let me sneak by quietly!"


    The girl made a hushing gesture and then turned sideways, trying to squeeze through the already cramped space behind Serena.


    "This is where the high council is meeting. Did you get the wrong place?"


    Cyra, sitting next to me, of course also saw her and asked in confusion.


    Although the girl had no wings on her back, it was easy to see that she must also be an angel. But this was the first time I had seen an angel so young in form.


    "Keep it down!"


    Hearing Cyra''s words, she became flustered at once, putting on a frightened expression. However, all of this was heard by another angel sitting in front.


    "Huh?"


    Serena looked back and immediately understood. With an amused expression, she said:


    "Isn''t this Elder Gwendolyn? You''re late!"


    "Busted!"


    The girl looked up at Serena peering over the chair and covered her forehead, closing her eyes.


    "You are Elder Gwendolyn?"


    Cyra and I exclaimed in unison.


    "No way? You look so young, are you an adult?"


    Nicola was also completely bewildered, habitually questioning the girl''s age.


    "Is there even an underage concept for angels?"


    Cyra was puzzled.


    That said, even though it''s not easy to discern an angel''s age, isn''t this Elder Gwendolyn a bit too young?


    Although Elders like Elara and Yvonne also look very young, at least they appear to be in their twenties, which is not too jarring.


    "Are you really thousands of years old?"


    I thought about it and decided to just ask directly.


    Even though the other two Elders were this old, perhaps she alone was younger? After all, there''s no rule that one must be thousands of years old to be an Elder.


    "That''s right, I''m already close to 5,000 years old, about the same as Elara! The angel descent formation that invoked me back then lacked sufficient materials to construct a full body with enough light elements, so I could only temporarily remain in this underage form."


    Since she was already exposed, Elder Gwendolyn no longer hid it. She stood up straight and proudly answered:


    "In fact, I''ve grown a lot over the years! I remember when I first started, I wasn''t even as tall as this chair."


    Well, there''s not much improvement, just half a head taller...


    I silently dissed in my heart, of course not daring to speak out loud.


    "So that''s possible too?"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra stroked her chin as if pondering something unsavory.


    "As long as you''re over 18, wouldn''t that make you a legal loli?"


    "Speaking of which, how''s your research on angel descent formation with Mia going recently?"


    Nicola suddenly turned to the book-obsessed Reed and asked earnestly. Afraid she would associate Cyra''s words with something, she specially emphasized:


    "Don''t worry, I''m just genuinely curious!"


    "..."


    Reed raised her head and glared at Nocola, not wanting to say anything, and went back to burying her head in the book.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 100: Elemental Imbalance

    "Elder Gwendolyn, stop wasting more time since you''re already late! Hurry up and sit in your seat..."


    Elara pointed to an empty spot next to her.


    "Also, a report has already been distributed to your seat, so read it carefully."


    "Oh alright...I''m coming!"


    Seeing this, Elder Gwendolyn quickly strode to the chair. But because she was too short, she couldn''t reach the tabletop.


    "This table is too high. Can I get a taller chair?"


    "Juliet... Go to my room and bring some seat cushions!"


    Sighing, Elara called out with an exasperated look.


    "Yes, Lady Elara."


    The door that was already ajar was silently pushed open. Juliet and Gwen standing at the door responded.


    The seat cushions arrived shortly. Gwendolyn barely climbed onto two stacked cushions and looked down, couldn''t help commenting.


    "It still feels a bit unstable..."


    "Elder Gwendolyn!"


    The good-tempered Elara was almost angered.


    "I''m reading it now, reading it now!"


    Seeing this, Gwendolyn didn''t dare say anything more. She sat up straight on the cushions and hurriedly started reading the report.


    "This monster invasion caused 70% of houses in Edenmere City to be damaged. 335 light elves died, 158 angels died, low-ranking angels with four wings or less accounted for about 80% of the total... "


    Her face grew heavier as she read, finally looking a bit like an Elder. Then she turned to the second page.


    "The unidentified giant explosion outside the city destroyed more than half of the northern forests. 5 eight-winged angels were injured, 8 six-winged angels went missing, 15 angels with six wings or less went missing, two light elf tribes were destroyed, one of which was annihilated with over three hundred dead, the exact number is unknown..."


    "While the monster invasion is one thing, what exactly happened with the explosion in the northern forests?"


    Gwendolyn put down the report and asked solemnly.


    "This..."


    I looked at Cyra, and saw that she also looked uneasy. It seemed neither of us had expected the hydrogen bomb''s damage to be so severe.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "I know the cause of this explosion..."


    Elara also glanced in our direction. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally chose to tell everyone the truth.


    "Michelle''s strength far exceeded my imagination. If left unchecked, the consequences would be unimaginable. But no one in Edenmere could defeat her with a head-on fight. So I lured her to the maze in the northern forests, together with Cyra and Feliciana..."


    After hearing Elara''s account, all attendees except us four reacted differently - some were shocked, some rather calm.


    "If this Michelle is so hard to deal with, then this bit of sacrifice is acceptable..."


    Gwendolyn muttered while flipping through the report, hand on her cheek. Suddenly finding something interesting, her interest was piqued.


    "Oh? She has twelve red wings on her back, how interesting!"


    "The mass destructive weapon thrown out by Cyra was made by Reed?"


    This question came from Shirley, who seemed unwilling to believe a palm-sized sphere could cause such massive damage. She even turned back to glance at us, mainly at Reed.


    "If we equip this weapon in the angel legions and use it in the right place, wouldn''t fighting the monsters be much easier?"


    This is nuclear proliferation! How familiar!


    "Unfortunately, there is no way to mass produce using my method of making this weapon!"


    Hearing this, Reed raised his head and poured cold water on her.


    "The current method of gathering materials can only be done with Nicola''s assistance, and requires absorbing a huge amount of light elements. All this can only happen in Edenmere. But with Edenmere''s light element reserves, at most ten more can be produced. In other words, the environmental impact on Edenmere would be huge."


    "So you''re saying making these weapons may cause Edenmere''s light elements to become sparse?"


    Gwendolyn asked thoughtfully after listening.


    "Of course. Although it''s recoverable, the concentration definitely won''t return to its original levels in a short time. Do you think you can accept such consequences?"


    Seeing his warning was effective, Reed pushed further.


    "And that''s not even the most important - according to Elara''s account, the one who ultimately detonated the weapon was Michelle''s special flames. This fire has extremely high temperatures, even those trees with extreme heat resistance can be ignited. This step cannot be replicated. So defeating Michelle was only possible under various coincidences."


    "If we cooperate with human sages and add smelting techniques, replicating such high-temperature flames may not be that difficult. The biggest trouble is still the light element consumption..."


    Elara lowered her head in thought, seemingly hesitant about the impact on her homeland''s environment. After all, she had personally resolved the near depletion of Edenmere''s light element before.


    "Is the magic circle you used to compress air only able to absorb light elements?"


    Cyra suddenly turned and whispered to Reed.


    "Do you want this world full of nuclear deterrence too?"


    Reed glanced at her and whispered back.


    "Umm..."


    At a loss for words, Cyra could only turn her head back embarrassingly.


    Don''t be fooled by us seemingly just relying on Michelle''s ultra-high temperature flames to detonate the nuclear bomb. That alone wouldn''t have worked. Detonating a nuclear bomb requires extremely harsh conditions, it''s not that simple! Reed''s long-term compression of hydrogen gas through the magic circle beforehand was essential.


    "The meeting time is limited, let''s postpone the decision for now..."


    Unable to decide, Elara could only shelve the issue of mass-producing nuclear bombs for the time being. She then admonished all present:


    "However, due to the gravity of this matter, the weapons of mass destruction are classified as confidential. I hope everyone will keep it secret after the meeting, and not divulge it casually."


    "I object!"


    Councilor Meg, who had been quiet, suddenly stood up.


    "Previously it was expanding the legion, expeditions, etc. But if these horrific weapons are equipped in the angel legions, it won''t just be defence. Who knows, it may flatten the entire Dark Continent, leading to elemental imbalance!"


    "Elemental imbalance?"


    It immediately stirred up a flurry of discussions among the other angels. As for us four new angels, we weren''t too clear about this concept of elemental imbalance.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 101 - Proposal for Peace

    "Elemental imbalance refers to the natural balance between light and dark elements in nature. No matter which side becomes too dominant or powerful, it will cause an imbalance. Of course, this idea doesn''t apply in a small space like Edenmere."


    Elara explained to help us understand. Then she changed the topic and refuted:


    "But Councilor Meg, you seem to have a major misunderstanding. The death of demons does not increase the dark elements, so even if we wipe out all the demons, it wouldn''t greatly impact the balance."


    "But introducing many new policies will send more angels out, and it''s hard to ensure there won''t be any casualties. That would also cause an elemental imbalance. Have you forgotten our mission as the angel race?"


    Councilor Meg argued reasonably.


    "Mission? Why bring up this outdated notion?"


    Hearing this, Gwendolyn turned her head slightly, looking surprised.


    "Elder Gwendolyn, have you forgotten? Think carefully - hasn''t the growing strength of the demons been very abnormal all these years?"


    Meg lowered her head to face Gwendolyn, who was still sitting in her seat.


    "And think back thousands of years ago, the demons only hid in the Dark Continent, not daring to come out. But now their sphere of influence has expanded beyond the Barren Lands, and mindless demonic beasts can even be seen rampaging across the whole continent. In contrast, our angel numbers continue to dwindle, with many dying in battle over the millennia. Perhaps all this is exactly because of our over-involvement!"


    "This..."


    Meg''s words seemed to remind Gwendolyn of something she had overlooked.


    "So my proposal is, stop the endless fighting with the demons, and all angels should retreat into Edenmere!"


    Seeing Gwendolyn reveal a hesitant look, Meg immediately seized the opportunity to announce her policy.


    "Isn''t this thinking the same as the conservatives?"


    Serena couldn''t sit still upon hearing this and spoke up in disagreement.


    "If we stop helping humans, with the demons'' capabilities, humans won''t be able to withstand the threat alone. Then even our own Edenmere  will find it hard to keep away."


    "I remember Councilor Meg and Elder Gwendolyn used to be moderates like me, right? How did you start siding with the conservatives after their betrayal?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Shirley asked, puzzled.


    "Because of Janet - I don''t agree with her defecting to the demons, but it did remind me not to forget the angels'' mission. And for thousands of years, we''ve been doing the exact opposite. Now it''s time to correct everything!"


    Meg explained passionately.


    "That traitor Janet! She betrayed our angel race, and you''re still speaking up for her!"


    Just hearing that name made Shirley furious. Edenmere would not have nearly fallen to the demons if not for Janet.


    But since Meg had not betrayed the angels after all, there was nothing the liberals could do about her sudden change of stance.


    "Even if Elder Gwendolyn switches sides, the numbers on both sides seem about equal, right?"


    Seeing the situation, Cyra quietly asked me to confirm.


    The situation was already quite clear. Of the twelve councillors, only half were present. Of the six attendees, Elara, Serena and Shirley were naturally liberals. The conservatives originally only had Councilor Pauline, but adding the turncoat Meg and Gwendolyn, it was only 3:3 evenly matched. So there was still a chance Elara could prevail with her position as clan chief.


    "Councilor Meg, I hope you can think it through clearly! I don''t deny that what you said does have some validity. But you should also consider the consequences of our race severing contact with the outside world - it''s not something that can be resolved just by hiding!"


    Elera tried to reason with her and stated her viewpoint.


    "I believe we should use traditional combat methods to resist the demons, and even seek peaceful coexistence. That is the best policy! Besides, the natural balance outside is not as imbalanced as you claim."


    "Elder Gwendolyn, for thousands of years we''ve both played the role of mediators. So neither of us has exercised elder authority before. Maybe this time that authority should truly come into play."


    Ignoring Elara''s persuasion, Meg directly addressed to Elder Gwendolyn.


    "Is it Elder privilege?"


    Hearing this, Gwendolyn looked conflicted, seemingly very reluctant to make such a decision.


    "That''s right! When a majority of the three elders jointly exercise this privilege, they can override the council and the clan chief''s decisions, and directly pass certain resolutions and laws. This was a rule set down by the two Founders!"


    Meg explained it to her again, afraid she might hesitate further, and reminded her.


    "I know, Elder Gwendolyn, you''re very attached to life outside. The lifestyle of human nobles is perhaps captivating, but don''t forget your identity and the responsibility that comes with it..."


    "Stop! Can I not use it?"


    Gwendolyn cut her off, and said to Elara helplessly, "Elara, it''s undeniable that our numbers have been declining over the years, like Meg said. Continuing to fight isn''t the way. The demons won''t decrease, and may even grow..."


    "That''s why I''m saying we should seek peaceful coexistence! Many demons do possess intelligence - we can communicate!"


    Elara refused to give up and insisted on persuading.


    "So what if they''re intelligent? Angels and demons are mortal enemies, fundamentally incompatible! The conflict between them has lasted thousands of years already. Talking of peace in this situation is pure fantasy. Moreover, the recent invasion showed everyone - we have nothing to say to these beasts!"


    Meg interjected ruthlessly.


    "And your Internal Affairs officer died at the demons'' hands too, right? Even so, you want to negotiate with them, even coexist peacefully?"


    "Noma died at Michelle''s hands. She wasn''t strictly a demon!"


    Hearing this, Cyra couldn''t help but speak up to correct her.


    "You''re Cyra? You really resemble..."


    Hearing this, Meg turned to look our way. Cyra''s appearance made her pause briefly, but she soon realized the difference from Michelle.


    "If I remember right, Michelle is said to be the demon leader, right? Then this invasion must have been masterminded by her. Doesn''t that sufficiently demonstrate the issue?"


    "But perhaps not all demons are belligerent..."


    I thought of the tavern in Val City on the Dark Continent, and the succubus Camilla''s attitude towards the war.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 102: The Inheritor

    "How do you know?"


    Senator Meg rebutted me very contemptuously.


    "Have you been to the Dark Continent? Do you understand monsters?"


    "Ah, well..."


    Although I can''t say I understand them, I have been to the Dark Continent on a three-day tour. Sorry about that ( ?©` ?).


    "Forget it, Feliciana..."


    Seeing this, Elara signalled me not to say anymore. Then she glanced at the spot next to me.


    Nicola instantly understood. She immediately stood up and strode over to Elara''s side.


    "Is it time?"


    Seeing this, Shirley sat up straight, staring intently at Nicola.


    "It''s finally time for the reveal!"


    Cyra also seemed to have guessed what was coming next. Her spirit suddenly lifted.


    "Who is she?"


    Gwendolyn looked puzzled seeing Nicola come over.


    "She only seems to have six wings right? Can six-winged angels participate in high council meetings now?"


    "Nicola and the others are here for special reasons. But most importantly, I''m about to announce Nicola''s other special status!"


    Elara said with a rare smile.


    "Humph, what special status could a newborn angel have? You''re just stalling for time with no meaning!"


    Of course, Senator Meg had already heard about this matter. But she didn''t think it could influence the elders'' privileges.


    "That''s not necessarily true, Councilor Meg. Didn''t you just say the elders'' privileges were rules set by the two founders?"


    Shirley also seemed to know the truth. She said mockingly:


    "I now publicly announce that Nicola is the rightful inheritor of our angel clan''s founder Liana! Her every word and action can fully represent the founder herself."


    "What? When did she get together with the angel founder?"


    Cyra had a shocked expression. Even Reed put down her book and looked over. They didn''t know the origins of Nicola''s Condensation Sword yet.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Hearing this result didn''t surprise me. Based on Elara''s reaction earlier, I could only think it had to do with Liana.


    I already knew Michelle was connected to the angel clan in some way! By the same logic, it''s not strange that Elara, having lived for thousands of years, would also know Liana. I''m quite surprised Liana is one of the angel clan''s founders.


    "The founder''s inheritor? Are you sure about saying that here?"


    Of course, just a verbal claim wasn''t convincing. Gwendolyn, Meg, and Pauline who was hiding silently, all looked doubtful.


    "Perhaps most of you remember nothing about the two founders any more, given how long ago they lived. But the shapes of the two founders'' weapons are recorded in Edenmere''s history books and paintings, which I''m sure you''re all familiar with..."


    Saying this, Elara nodded at Serena, who immediately stood up from her seat. She took out a painting and displayed it publicly.


    "This is..."


    The painting depicted the heroic sword-wielding poses of two twelve-winged angels - Liana and Galadra. Unlike the sculptures in the sanctuary, the weapons in the founders'' hands were visible. They were unmistakably Condensation Swords.


    "Nicola, show them proof!"


    As soon as Elara finished speaking, Nicola summoned her own Condensation Sword. Side by side, they were identical.


    "The sword of Michelle looks the same right?"


    Looking at the painting, Reed meaningfully said to me.


    "There''s definitely some connection between that Michelle and the angels..."


    I recalled Janet and Yvonne mentioning Michelle. Perhaps their betrayal had another layer to it.


    "Feliciana, you think I can still avenge Norma?"


    Cyra looked conflicted. Michelle''s background was getting more terrifying. And we likely wouldn''t get a chance to nuke her again.


    "Who knows..."


    I sighed softly. Avenging Norma seemed unlikely now. Gazing at the two angels in the painting, I suddenly noticed something strange.


    "Did you notice, the two angels look exactly the same!"


    "You''re right..."


    Hearing me, Cyra hurriedly leaned in for a closer look.


    "Were the two founders twins?"


    "I''m not sure about that. Their era was so long ago, much has been lost with the passing of older generations."


    Shirley, holding the painting, shook her head.


    "The artist probably just simplified things. It''s a distant scene, hard to show their true appearances. The swords were the focus."


    Serena thought for a moment and gave a reasonable explanation, pointing to a few small words in the bottom right corner.


    ¡¶Divine Sword Genesis¡·


    "What''s this, Nicola''s become the genesis god now?"


    Cyra couldn''t help but quip.


    "Weren''t you listening?"


    Reed looked at Cyra like she was an idiot.


    "She''s just an inheritor, still different from the founder herself."


    "But why is it only her? The other founder didn''t choose me? My qualities aren''t bad."


    Cyra was very imbalanced. Like me, she had long been eyeing Condensation Sword. The difference was I still had some decency, unlike her shamelessness.


    "Don''t be rude to the inheritor!"


    Hearing our conversation, Elara frowned and scolded Cyra. Then she asked the two elders:


    "Well, do you acknowledge it now?"


    "I have no objections, but can the inheritor represent Founder Liana''s will?"


    Gwendolyn was very familiar with the painting Shirley held. And the way Nicola summoned Condensation Sword was unique, she immediately recognized that.


    "Of course. As the next generation''s newborn angel, you can see Nicola as Founder Liana herself!"


    Elara meaningfully replied. However, I didn''t understand the relationship between newborn angels and the founder.


    "The new generation''s newborn angel...you mean the angels recently summoned by the Angel Descent Formation?"


    Gwendolyn was puzzled for a moment, but she seemed to quickly grasp the nuance. She immediately jumped down from her stool and knelt on one knee deferentially.


    "Greetings, Fo...Inheritor!"


    "Is this okay?"


    Nicola didn''t expect her to act this way and looked back at Elara with a strange expression.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 103 - The Impact of Death

    "The new generation of newborn angels... Are they the new angels recently summoned by the Angel Descending Formation?"


    Gwendolyn was stunned for a moment, but she seemed to quickly grasp the implications. She immediately jumped down from her chair and knelt on one knee to ceremoniously pay her respects.


    "Greetings to...the Inheritor!"


    "Isn''t that a bit much?"


    Nicola had not expected such a gesture and looked back at Elara with a strange expression.


    "Elder Gwendolyn, she''s just the Inheritor after all. There''s no need for such a grand greeting," Elara helplessly reminded.


    "Oh right...I got too excited!"


    Gwendolyn quickly got up from the ground again, respectfully saying, "If the Inheritor has any objections to Meg''s proposal, the council can immediately reject it. But I think she has a point... "


    "Forget about all that. Let''s just follow Elara''s plan. I support her proposal!"


    Nicola hoped for openness. If they followed a closed-door policy, we transmigrators definitely wouldn''t be able to stand being stuck in a place like this.


    "Elder Gwendolyn, don''t you have any doubts? It''s too strange for a newborn angel to suddenly appear claiming to be Founder Liana''s inheritor."


    Councilor Meg did not agree. Seeing the situation developing in an unfavourable direction, she voiced her objection.


    "Nicola''s sword indeed looks exactly like the ancestral weapon described in the records, I''ll admit that. But the weapon used by Michelle to invade Edenmere was also the same style. How do you explain that?"


    "What if wind elemental abilities are added to that?" Elara calmly replied.


    "In the finals of the martial arts tournament, Nicola was suspected of using battle qi. I''m sure everyone has heard about the uproar it caused. Now I can definitively tell you that it was the wind elemental control inherited from Liana. I shouldn''t have to elaborate on the implications."


    "Legend says Founder Liana''s ability was controlling the wind element. There''s no way to fake that!" Gwendolyn added.


    "Are you saying that Nicola is..." Upon hearing this, Councilor Meg''s expression changed drastically. With things as they were, she could no longer find any reason to object. She could only compromise and plead to Nicola, "If you have our race''s best interests in mind, please agree to my proposal! Continuing to fight the monsters will have no benefit!"Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Elara doesn''t mean to proactively fight the monsters either. The openness faction just doesn''t want to close off Edenmere..."


    Councilor Meg''s words were tantamount to acknowledging Nicola''s identity. Seeing her attitude, Nicola also didn''t want to reject too forcefully, and could only try to reason with her as much as possible.


    "If we rashly withdraw from the main world, it will inevitably damage relations with humans, which would be very detrimental to the future circumstances of angels. Whether the monsters occupy the entire continent or humans successfully resist the monster invasion, the fact that Edenmere is attached to the main world will not change. Closing ourselves off will only lead to a dead end."


    "Don''t worry, I''ve always been very mindful about elemental balance and will try to minimize angel deaths as much as possible. As for Michelle, she''s now the demon leader, so it''s best if we can find an opportunity for dialogue. If that doesn''t work, then we can consider other methods."


    Elara also quickly clarified to reassure. As for the so-called "other methods", she did not elaborate on them immediately.


    Seeing the situation, Meg knew further argument was futile. She could only lightly sigh and sit back down.


    "I don''t see peaceful coexistence working out, but since you''re set on trying, there''s no harm in attempting. I hope the Inheritor can keep the angel race''s best interests in mind. Don''t forget..."


    "Of course!" Nicola looked somewhat conflicted. She didn''t want to get involved in so much trouble. But she finally nodded and agreed.


    And so the future governing direction of the angel race was decided.


    Since Nicola''s identity as the Inheritor had been made public, it was no longer appropriate for her to continue sitting with us.


    Elara "invited" her to formally take a seat at the table, picking an empty spot and joining the meeting of seven.


    Next, the meeting continued to discuss some trivial matters, including handling the spoils of war and response plans against Michelle. It soon came to an end.


    "Let''s adjourn for now!" Elara had just finished speaking when Gwendolyn jumped off her stool, waved at Nicola, then rushed out the door and disappeared in an instant.


    "What''s the hurry? Still the same after spending so many years in the human world..." Serena smiled wryly as she watched her disappearing back. After tidying up the table, she followed the other attendees out.


    But Shirley did not react as calmly as Serena. She quickly went up to Elara and asked, "Lady Elara...and Inheritor, are you going to negotiate with the monsters?" She did not agree with the proposal to peacefully coexist with the monsters.


    "They just invaded Edenmere. Isn''t it too weak to give in like this? Many citizens won''t be convinced!"


    "It''s inevitable. This war has been going on for thousands of years. It can''t go on forever. There has to be an outcome!" Elara and Nicola stood together, helplessly acknowledging with a nod.


    "Plus a lot is going on that you don''t know about. I''ve had this idea for decades already, but unfortunately could never find the monster leader. At least now it seems that Michelle isn''t completely unreasonable."


    "Humans are one thing, but how could angels possibly peacefully coexist with monsters..." Shirley persisted, still trying to dissuade them. But Elara gestured for her to stop. Then she turned her gaze to us, a slight smile on her face.


    "Looks like you guys are confused, right?"


    "We''re confused about so many things. But Shirley has already helped ask some of them, so what more can we say..." I sighed in response.


    "It''s because of the angels'' deaths, right?" Reed suddenly spoke up after thinking for a bit.


    "When angels die, they release an extremely large amount of light element into the environment. I didn''t pay attention to it before, but after hearing about elemental balance, I guessed it must be a very serious problem."

 Vol 3/ Chapter 104 Reincarnation

    "You found out after all! Though this isn''t a secret, many angels are completely unaware of it..."


    As she spoke, Elara gently patted Shirley''s shoulder and slowly walked over to sit next to us, continuing to explain:


    "Edenmere is a small, self-contained world, so imbalance doesn''t matter much. But the main world is different. When a single angel dies, the massive amount of light element released has a huge impact. Though the effect of one death isn''t too bad, as the number of dead angels increases - even less than ten - it can influence the elemental balance."


    "So you mean the amount of light element in the outside world is probably very high now? Haven''t thousands of angels died over the millennia? It seems the number is over ten thousand already..." Cyra interjected.


    "It''s not that simple!" Elara shook her head and replied:


    "Nature has its rebalancing mechanisms. Once light and dark become imbalanced and the light element level rises, the levels of the other five elements like dark, fire, wind, water and earth will slowly and gradually rise correspondingly. The increase in fire, wind, water and earth is not too problematic, at most only increasing the number of ordinary creatures. But higher dark element levels are more troublesome, as that accelerates the breeding of monsters and increases their numbers!"


    "In simple terms, with more fight comes fewer angels and more monsters." Nicola also jumped in. Apparently, they had discussed this topic during their earlier private talk.


    "Not necessarily, you forgot about the Angel Descension Formation!" I thought of a solution and immediately refuted:


    "New angels can be summoned through the Angel Descension Formation. And don''t those draw in huge amounts of light elements from the main world? That would reduce the light element in the environment at the same time!"


    "Feliciana is right! That''s exactly what I''ve been doing in recent years..." Elara smiled at me in approval.


    "But sadly, the Angel Descension Formation cannot be used frequently. Even with the best luck and fastest material gathering, summoning can only happen once every few decades or almost a century. Also, the number of angels summoned is restricted by factors like ritual materials, light element level in the surroundings, and number of souls available for reincarnation. Often the number is not that high."


    "So in reality, the angel population is decreasing, not increasing. This leads to the monsters increasing year by year, a vicious cycle where one side gains as the other loses. That''s why after Janet''s reminder, Councilor Meg also realized this and naturally took the conservative side."The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "How could this be..." Only now did Shirley finally recognize the complex secrets behind elemental balance, murmuring in disbelief:


    "In that case, doesn''t our angel legion''s resistance against the monsters become meaningless? We might even give the monsters more opportunities to grow stronger."


    "How is it meaningless, you forgot what I just said? Without resistance, just letting the monsters conquer the entire world, even Edenmere couldn''t escape disaster in the end! So you must be responsible for your troops, not let them sacrifice easily! Every reduction in sacrifice is the greatest contribution to the angel race!"


    "Besides, in the past century, I''ve learned much from humans, continuously strengthening angel legion training - what was that for? Wasn''t it to improve survival rate!"


    "I understand now!" Shirley immediately stood up to swear allegiance.


    "Then what exactly is the mission of the angel race? I remember Janet brought this up too - is it maintaining elemental balance?" I asked the question that had been on my mind for some time.


    "I also find it strange. If the angel race''s mission is maintaining elemental balance, then for thousands of years we''ve been destroying balance. And angels as a species inherently cause imbalance- very illogical!" Reed chimed in pensively.


    "That is indeed the mission, but let''s not get into it now..." Elara''s expression turned sentimental at our question.


    "As for Janet, she''s too extreme. She probably wrongly believes the outside world''s situation of monsters growing stronger is because the dark element far exceeds light, and even wants to sacrifice the entire angel race to restore balance."


    "Why did the two Founders create the angel race to begin with?" Reed persisted in asking this critical question.


    "Don''t look at me! I don''t know anything!" Seeing all our gazes turn to her, Nicola hurriedly waved her hands innocently.


    "Aren''t you the Founder Liana''s ''inheritor''? How do you know nothing?" I shot her a scornful look. We hadn''t had the chance to interrogate her properly about Liana yet.


    "I''m not a ''inheritor'', it''s just a declared identity..." Nicola said awkwardly.


    "Shirley, go out first. What follows is confidential, you shouldn''t know for now." With things reaching this point, Elara had no choice but to dismiss all unrelated personnel.


    "But I want to know why the Founders created our race..." Shirley pouted unhappily, but under Elara''s stern gaze could only obediently leave the conference room.


    Now only the five of us remained in the conference room.


    "So confidential huh..." Cyra muttered while staring at the door close from outside.


    "What I''m about to say is a secret that only successive Elaras could know, but Nicola is after all Founder Liana''s reincarnated soul. At her request, I will tell everything." Elara''s words shocked us.


    "No way, she''s Founder Liana''s reincarnated soul? I thought she was the inheritor..." Cyra pointed at Nicola, unable to close her mouth for a long time.


    "I told you, that''s just the publicly declared identity. Otherwise, the impact would be too great, and the pressure on me would be huge too." Nicola helplessly explained.


    "So Gwendolyn and Me guessed it too, that''s why they compromised?" I immediately realized this in a flash, linking it to the two Elders'' change in attitude at the meeting.


    "Wait, don''t forget we''re transmigrators!" Cyra suddenly exclaimed loudly, which was also my puzzle.


    "Nicola''s soul was originally on Earth with us, right? How did she suddenly become Founder Liana''s soul!"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 105: The Cloud Palace

    "At first I also could not understand this issue. But everything about Founder Liana in Nicola is too obvious. After eliminating all impossible options, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Elara said, looking a bit emotional but still answering us openly.


    "A few thousand years ago, Founder Liana''s soul, for some unknown reason, wandered to the Earth where you were!"


    "So Nicola''s soul is not an Earth person''s soul?"


    Although it sounded unbelievable, this was the only explanation. I immediately thought of many possibilities, including the possibility that all human souls on Earth came from this side.


    "Is this an isolated case or a common phenomenon?"


    "It should be an isolated case... At least I can be sure the effects of reincarnation only work in our world, unrelated to your world."


    Elara thought for a moment and answered very definitively.


    "But at least we can conclude that spatial passages between this world and Earth have opened more than once!"


    Cyra was thinking completely differently and said excitedly,


    "We may still have a chance to return to Earth!"


    "Forget it. First look at yourself now, wanting to go back to Earth! When you go back your parents will not recognize you. "


    Nicola rolled her eyes at her.


    "But speaking of which, the Church on Earth will probably have a huge chance because of this. Maybe it can be further promoted in your hands!"


    I also joined in to fully exercise my imagination.


    "You guys..."


    Cyra looked a bit stunned. She lowered her head to look at herself, looking a little helpless.


    "But I miss home. What will my mother do without me..."


    "There''s nothing we can do about it. We are completely unaware of how Founder Liana''s soul got to Earth," Elara said.


    "So just stay in this world obediently. At least here is also a True Church. It''s better than letting your parents find out their son has become a daughter, and also an angel... Tut tut!"


    Nicola said mockingly.


    "Hmph, I haven''t forgotten that you used to be a man too, not to mention the annoying wealthy playboy!"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Cyra fought back, starting to reveal each other''s secrets.


    "Lady Elara, Founder Liana must have been female in the past right? Do you know how many girls she was in when her soul was on Earth..."


    "There''s no need to say that!"


    Nicola panicked and rushed over to cover her mouth. Due to the huge difference in strength, Cyra tried her best but still could not break free.


    "Souls have no gender, so this is not too strange,"


    Reed commented flatly. She naturally knew what Cyra wanted to say.


    "Nicola, don''t you miss home at all?"


    I asked curiously.


    "It''s alright. In fact, I like this world a little more. There are many things and people I like here."


    Nicola stared at me, her expression suddenly becoming serious.


    "As for my parents, they got divorced long ago. There''s no going back to that home anyway."


    "I see..."


    I couldn''t help feeling emotional. It seems every family has its troubles.


    "You guys are going off-topic!"


    Reed interrupted our idle chatter and returned to the previous topic.


    "If Nicola is the reincarnation of Founder Liana, it does explain the origin of her wind element abilities. But what about the origin of the angel clan?"


    "This is a very complicated matter..."


    Elara looked a little troubled at the words.


    "Perhaps because humans have too many generations, they can no longer remember this history clearly. But we angels have long lifespans after all, with some superior conditions, much of history is still well preserved."


    "Nicola, as the reincarnation of Founder Liana, are you sure you want everyone here to see the inheritance of the Elaras over the generations?"


    Speaking to this point, Elara turned to Nicola and asked solemnly.


    "Of course!"


    Nicola nodded without hesitation, generously indicating.


    "I don''t remember any of this stuff myself. Since you''re going to talk about it, let''s tell everyone together!"


    "Then come with me, all of you!"


    Hearing this, Elara nodded, immediately got up and walked to the position she had been in during the meeting. She placed her hand on the surface of the huge round table.


    "Huh? Do we have to change places again? Where are we going?"


    Cyra looked at her series of actions in confusion. Just as she finished speaking, there was a "rumble" from above. The ceiling of the conference room split open from both sides, revealing the dazzling Edenmere sky overhead.


    "The passage to the ''Cloud Palace'' is open. Follow me, don''t get left behind!"


    After instructing them for a bit, Elara flew up first, rushing out of the conference room upwards. We followed closely behind, then spiralled upwards at almost vertical angles.


    "The higher we go, the more concentrated the light element!"


    Nicola said while hugging Cyra. We were currently flying between layers of clouds. As the concentration of the light element gradually increased, the surrounding light also felt more and more glaring.


    "We''re so high already, are we going to rush outside? We''ll suffocate there!"


    I was reminded again of the sky leak caused by the nuclear explosion earlier. What was outside of Edenmere, void or outer space?


    "We should be close!"


    Reed looked up and saw a black dot appearing right above us, which grew larger and larger as we approached.


    "There''s a floating building at such a high place?"


    I was truly amazed. Only when flying closer did I realize the black dot was an exquisite pavilion suspended in mid-air.


    "This is the Cloud Palace, where the Elaras of each generation pass on their inheritance. It is classified in Edenmere, even the three Elders cannot enter casually."


    Elara led us to land inside the pavilion. The space here was not very big. Calling it a "palace" was too much flattery. There were also many bookshelves and tables inside the pavilion. With the five of us suddenly added, it became very crowded. Except for Cyra, the rest of us had to temporarily tuck our wings behind us before we could barely move around.


    "Due to its location high up in Edenmere, the light element here is very concentrated, even stronger than in the Sanctum. So it is very suitable for preserving some valuable historical materials and artifacts."


    While introducing this place, Elara walked to a table with crystal balls on it and motioned for us to sit on the floor.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 106: The God of Light

    "Next, close your eyes, relax your mind, and try not to think about anything. Empty your thoughts."


    "So mysterious! Are we going to meditate?"


    Although she said this, Cyra still followed along and closed her eyes with us.


    "Ready?"


    After a while with no movement from Elara, I couldn''t help but open my eyes. To my surprise, I was floating in the sky and the others were nowhere to be seen.


    "What''s going on?"


    "Wah! How am I in the sky? Where are Feliciana and the rest?"


    I suddenly heard Cyra''s voice, but I couldn''t see her.


    "I''m here! Where are you?"


    I quickly called out and then heard Elara''s voice coming from somewhere unknown.


    "Don''t panic! This is an ancient light magic that can preserve memories. I''m using it to replay these memories in your minds."


    "So the scenes we''re each seeing now are identical?"


    I was starting to understand a little.


    "Correct! These are real memories from our ancestors thousands of years ago."


    "Got it, so it''s like we''re watching a first-person immersive video!"


    Nicolas drew on a simple metaphor.


    "If these are the memories of an angel ancestor from history, what is the situation we''re seeing now?"


    I realized I couldn''t control my body or perspective, but not long after asking, the view started moving on its own. Clearly, the perspective''s owner was flying at this moment.


    "These are Founder Liana''s memories. At this point in time, neither angels nor demons had been born yet. The location is the outer main world."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Elara explained. I wondered what Nicola was thinking since these were essentially her memories of her previous life.


    The Eldoria continent of the past looked very barren, with brighter light. Maybe because we were in a landform like the Dark Lands. As far as I could see, there were only rocks. No traces of greenery.


    "What''s that?"


    Not long after starting to fly, I could see a gigantic glowing object on the horizon. Squinting, it seemed to be twisting and changing.


    Elara didn''t answer right away. As we got closer, I finally saw that the shining thing was a giant. It kept changing shapes, sometimes human, sometimes a twelve-winged angel, sometimes into rocks and trees - very bizarre and terrifying.


    Although I knew this was an illusion, the visual pressure felt very strong. Whenever it shifted into a human or animal, deafening roars could be heard. I even heard shocked cries from Nicola and Cyra.


    "What the heck is this thing?!"


    "This is the true god that once existed in this world..."


    Elara''s voice explained, giving us a brief history of this so-called god.


    "In the ancient main world, after a period of extreme dark element depletion, the huge imbalance between light and dark meant nature could not adjust in time. With no restraints, the light element became too abundant, forming a self-aware consciousness - the God of Light, Beluto!"


    As she finished speaking, Beluto seemed to notice Liana and shot a beam of dazzling light at us.


    "Beluto can freely control any light element. Unlike us angels, it can control light elements both inside and outside its body. It can also use light elements to create a body, which you see as this ''giant''.


    "That beam is a unique attack. It wouldn''t harm Liana, but back then it nearly wiped out humans."


    "It doesn''t seem to move too quickly. Other than being big, it doesn''t look too hard to deal with. How could it cause such disaster?"


    I still didn''t understand. After the beam, Liana seemed unhurt but I could feel her experiencing intense headaches.


    Seeing no effect, Beluto stubbornly fired more beams. When those failed too, it went berserk. The ''giant'' charged at us.


    "Seems not very smart for a god. Is its IQ very low? How could something like this destroy humans?"


    Cyra mockingly commented as the attacks were completely missed due to Liana''s evasion.


    "I don''t know why it lacks intelligence, but that''s likely why communication was impossible. But don''t underestimate the threat because of that! As I said, the ''giant'' is just a toy it created. Its true form is only a consciousness, or soul, without a physical body..."


    As if to prove her words, the ''giant'' suddenly vanished into white specks like angels do when killed, after repeatedly missing its attacks.


    "Did it give up? Doesn''t seem that powerful..."


    I cautiously asked. But before finishing my words, the light intensity around us increased dozens of times in an instant, too bright to keep my eyes open.


    "This is when it truly went berserk. The light is a worldwide attack, intermixed with dangerous mental corrosion. In other words, the light of the entire world is its body. Unless hiding indoors or underground, humans couldn''t survive."


    As Elara finished explaining, the light soon returned to normal. But Liana no longer seemed unharmed. Although still floating in the sky, I heard heavy breathing.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 107: Dark History

    "How can we fight it if it doesn''t have a physical form? Doesn''t that mean we can''t possibly win?" Nicola''s voice asked in confusion.


    "Although I''m not clear what happened afterwards. According to the records, the two founders did eventually defeat the God of Light together with the remaining humans and Fire Angel, completely destroying its consciousness," Elara answered.


    The scene suddenly went dark, like switching scenes. It looked like a long time had passed. I found myself standing in a grassland, with a huge magic circle on the ground - the Angel Descent Formation I had seen before, judging by the pattern.


    A group of nude Angels stood in front of me, looking in my direction.


    "You are the second batch of Angels summoned. Beluto has been dead for years, but the light elements won''t just disappear. The recovery of the dark element is too slow. Based on calculations, there is still a chance for a new God of Light consciousness to be born. The light element level needs to keep decreasing to a certain level..."


    It sounded like Liana was the one speaking, though I couldn''t see her in this first-person view.


    "That''s why we specially created this Angel Descent Formation, to gradually seal the excess light element into angels'' bodies, and implant basic knowledge and memories."


    "So has the balance between light and dark been restored now? But I feel like the light element level in the air still seems very high..." The leading angel asked doubtfully.


    "It''s not that simple!"


    Liana shook her head and sighed again.


    "A single summons can only be a drop in the bucket. But as long as you steadfastly expand your race''s numbers, one day the balance between light and dark can be restored. That is also the purpose of your creation..."


    "So does that mean this can be considered the mission of the Angel race?" The leading angel asked excitedly.


    "Uh..." Liana sounded hesitant at first but quickly clapped her hands decisively. "That''s right, this is your mission! It''s good you think of it that way!"


    So that was the so-called mission of the Angels... I finally understood why Elara and Elder Gwendolyn had reacted that way when the topic was brought up. At least through this memory fragment, we finally knew the founders'' reason for creating the Angel race.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The surroundings went dark again as it switched scenes.


    "Your Majesty! According to Angels from Outside, recently many magical beasts have been landing and invading the northernmost coast. They emit dark elements and are mostly very violent, with exceptionally strong bodies. Many villages near the coast have been attacked and forced to move south. The entire coast is now occupied..."


    This was a huge hall - upon closer look, it was the Sanctuary in Tivi Palace. But it looked very different now, much more luxurious. Aside from two more intricate, lifelike founder statues, there was also a huge throne between them.


    The six-winged Angel reporting was facing the ten-winged Angel on the throne. More Angels stood on either side, a mix of eight and six-wings, looking very much like a scene of an emperor holding court.


    "The magical beasts are so arrogant now? I remember they were just normal livestock and wildlife affected by dark elements, they shouldn''t have much intelligence right?" The ten-winged Angel on the throne asked in an authoritative voice. Listening closely, she sounded like the leading angel from before.


    "Your Majesty!" An eight-winged Angel stepped out. "According to the local fishermen, these beasts came from the northern continent, where the land is barren with active volcanoes, so no one lives there. They seem quite organized and disciplined, all obeying a powerful magical beast called ''Hadan''..."


    "Hadan? A magical beast with a name like that? Are you sure they''re not here just to joke around?" Cyra suddenly interrupted to ridicule.


    "Shut up and watch properly, I can barely hear what they''re saying!" Nicola scolded in annoyance. Cyra immediately kept quiet.


    "What!" The ten-winged Angel on the throne suddenly slammed her fist and stood up angrily after hearing something.


    "This Hadan dares to be so arrogant even after hearing my name, Elara the First! If not for our Angels constantly working to reduce the light elements over the years, would they even have survived until now!"


    "I hereby order - I will lead the crusade personally and thoroughly conquer these beasts, to show them the might of the Angel legions!"


    "Ah... I know this part!" I suddenly realized and recalled the history book I had flipped through in the library.


    "This Elara the First later invaded the Dark Continent but seemed to have died there."


    "This is recorded in many history books, it''s no secret," Elara said matter-of-factly, not surprised at all.


    The scene switched again. Still in the Sanctuary, but the first person I saw was Elara.


    "Angels shall never be slaves!" The Elara on-screen wore angelic armour and swung her glowing elemental weapon at another ten-winged Angel, smashing her and the throne and two founder statues behind her...


    But the scene abruptly ended there and we were back in the pavilion. Nicola and the rest were still sitting around me.


    "Boss, don''t stop the show!" Cyra blurted out impatiently.


    "Ehem... what kind of nonsense is recorded in this memory crystal..." Elara coughed awkwardly. She had likely cut off that last part herself.


    "I think you should understand the Angels'' mission very clearly now, right?"


    "So those statues in the Sanctuary were added later, no wonder they look so shoddy..." Nicola remarked meaningfully with a smirk.

 Vol 3/ Chapter 108 - Thoughts After Viewing

    "If they were the original two statues, I probably could have recognized the similarities to the Condensation Sword from the weapon details in the statues'' hands when I first arrived."


    I nodded in agreement.


    "It can''t be helped. There was once an internal strife in Edenmere, and the original statues were destroyed. The later craftsmen didn''t see the two ancestors in person, so made the statues look a bit distorted..."


    A trace of redness appeared on her rarely blushing face. Elara looked somewhat embarrassed. But still an old spice, she could calm herself and explain to us.


    "Black history!"


    Cyra whispered in my ear, then turned her head and asked Reed, "What do you think, nerd? What are your thoughts? Why are you so quiet?"


    "Insufficient information."


    Glancing at Cyra, Reed had no choice but to reply.


    "No way. After watching this ''movie'' for so long, you still think there''s insufficient information?"


    Nicola also came over and called out in disbelief.


    "Okay then, let me ask you, this Founder Liana, who is your previous life, is the angel ancestor, so why does she possess the wind element power? And why is she alone able to withstand the God of Light''s attacks?"


    Reed had no choice, so she casually asked.


    "This..."


    Nicola was dumbfounded when she heard this, and could only look to Elara for help.


    "Regarding this question, I can only make guesses."


    Elara said meaningfully and glanced at Nicola.


    "Legend has it that before the birth of the angel clan, there were four elemental angels in the world. They respectively corresponded to the four major elements of water, wind, earth and fire. The two ancestors Liana and Galadra were precisely the ''Wind Angel'' and ''Earth Angel''. "


    "Then that Michelle is very likely the ''Fire Angel'', right?"


    Cyra asked as if she understood.


    "It is said that the angel clan was created by the two ancestors in their image. Then who created the elemental angels?"


    Reed had no choice, so he casually asked.


    "I''m not very clear about this..."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Elara shook her head and replied.


    "Although the elemental angels may not be able to defeat the God of Light Beluto individually, they have absolute control over their respective elements. Nicola, as Liana''s reincarnation, you should have also inherited all her capabilities over the wind element, it''s just not fully awakened yet. It is said that ancestor Liana could even freely control time. In future, you will certainly be able to do the same!"


    "Time control..."


    Hearing this, everything suddenly became clear to me. Michelle was right, time control was indeed Liana''s innate talent and specialty.


    It wasn''t until now that the mysteries surrounding Nicola were finally unravelled.


    "Are you Immortal? Or Monster?"


    Cyra''s mouth was wide open. She didn''t know what else to say.


    "Too exaggerated! Nicola can control time?"


    "Simply controlling time alone isn''t that exaggerated. Among the rare, high-level human wind mages, with the assistance of magic arrays, some can barely achieve it. But due to limited talent, they are very restricted, mostly only able to do prophecy."


    Elara shook her head, taking it for granted.


    "Of course with the large human population, it can''t be ruled out that individual prodigies will appear. For example, the mysterious person you encountered when facing Michelle, could also manipulate time, right?"


    "Ah, wait! Could that mysterious person be..."


    As she spoke, Elara seemed to suddenly realize something. She looked at Nicola suspiciously. It was too much of a coincidence.


    "Could it be you can already do it now?"


    "Of course not! That was just using special methods. It''s a bit complicated, so let''s not mention it..."


    Having been found out, Nicola could only smile wryly and admit it.


    "Arbitrarily manipulating time already amounts to prying into the domain of God. So in some historical documents, regarding Liana as the ''God of Time'' also makes some sense."


    Seeing that Nicola didn''t want to talk about it, Elara didn''t pursue the matter further. She just showed a slightly amazed expression.


    "Although I don''t know what cryptic thing you''re talking about, should I congratulate you for successfully advancing from ancestor to ''Time God'' in one go?"


    Cyra said sourly to Nicola, seemingly a little jealous.


    "But even so, it certainly still can''t compare to the Lord''s omniscience and omnipotence. As for the so-called God of Light Beluto, there is even less to mention."


    "Speaking of which, what kind of existence is Yawee?"


    Reminded by her, I suddenly noticed something strange. After witnessing the true appearance of the gods in this world, the God worshiped by the True Church seemed very high-end, simply not on the same level.


    "I''m not very sure about this..."


    When Elara heard this, she answered hesitantly.


    "Although I did say earlier that I don''t believe such a god of the True Church exists. The angel clan has long suspected that Yawee might be the resurrection of the God of Light, as the True Church also worships light element, and there are many similarities between them."


    "Yawee is also the God of Light?"


    I immediately thought of the second memory scene, where Liana said to the summoned angel, she did mention the possibility of the God of Light being reborn again.


    "Impossible! Impossible!"


    Cyra''s face turned red as she objected. As a former priest of the Church, she naturally could not accept such statements.


    "The Lord is merciful! He absolutely cannot be that stupid and brutal God of Light we just saw!"


    "It''s just a suspicion..."


    I tried to appease her as much as possible. Suddenly I realized that after her carryings-on, the gods in this world immediately lost face in our eyes. The so-called God of Light didn''t seem so terrifying either.


    "Could it be that such an omniscient and omnipotent God doesn''t exist?"


    Seeing Cyra''s appearance, Nicola smiled wryly and asked, seeming equally disappointed.


    "I think there is..."


    Elara''s answer completely exceeded my expectations. I didn''t expect to get a positive answer from her.


    "Although I don''t believe in any God, after all, the light element is the only element that can communicate with the spirit and even the soul. At certain critical moments, as angels made up of the light element, we always hear a voice from the void. This voice can guide us in the right direction. I call it the ''Holy''!"

 Vol 3/ Chapter 109: Leaving

    "Huh?"


    Seeing Elara open her arms and wings, looking unusually mystical, I felt confused. This kind of statement seemed a bit too fantastical!


    "Could this be the oracle of the Lord..."


    Cyra then associated it with her faith, and got excited immediately. But her words were abruptly interrupted by Nicola.


    "I already said it''s not your Lord!"


    "How do you know for sure it''s not the Lord? Angels in the Church are originally servants of the Lord, it''s very normal for communication between them, totally makes sense!"


    When it comes to matters of faith, Cyra still insisted on arguing, and even cited a lot of religious texts to prove this point.


    "So you mean we are all servants of your Lord now? I''ll pass on being a scapegoat!"


    I couldn''t stand it anymore and jumped in. After all, Elara had already made it clear that the angels have nothing to do with the Lord of the True Church. Yet this girl was still nagging about it. As expected, the brains of True Church believers are not quite normal, no matter which world''s True Church!


    "Liana''s memories just clearly explained the origins of the angel clan, didn''t you see it?"


    "I..."


    Facing the joint attack from Nicola and me, Cyra simply couldn''t answer, and could only mutter dissatisfiedly to herself softly.


    "If it''s not the Lord, then who else could that ''Saint'' be?"


    "Thousands of years ago, before me, Elara the Second was a cruel ruler. At that time, all the angels in Edenmere suffered under her brutal oppression. It was under the guidance of the ''Saint'' that I determined to overthrow her."


    To support her claim, Elara also cited her personal experience. Seeing that we still didn''t quite believe it, she further explained:


    "Of course, I''m not insisting that you believe in this ''Saint'', I just want you - especially Nicola - to understand that there are higher powers beyond what we know. So don''t be arrogant!"


    "Based on my logical reasoning, this is more likely an auditory hallucination caused by subjective cognitive disorder, similar to Cyra''s situation."


    Reed dismissed it indifferently in a low voice, of course, the others couldn''t hear it.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    But from my understanding, it seemed like Elara was subtly jabbing at Nicola, deliberately fabricating a higher so-called "Saint" to remind her not to be too arrogant and restrain herself.


    After all, I felt that Nicola had become more and more arrogant recently, relying on her sharp Condensation Sword, almost dismissing everyone.


    Perhaps if it were the other two Elders, they might not have dared to do this, because Nicola was the reincarnation of the Founder Liana. But Elara was different. She was closer to us due to more interactions with us.


    "If Reilly is Liana''s soul transmigrating to Earth, what about the others? Could there be other big shots whose souls also ended up on Earth?"


    As we were flying back, Cyra suddenly thought of this question and shamelessly pointed at herself again.


    "Like me, can you tell? Might I also be a reincarnated angel?"


    "Since finding your Lord is hopeless, so you''ve started to give up?"


    I couldn''t stand it and mocked her.


    "Who said that? The Lord exists, I firmly believe!"


    As expected, Cyra loudly refuted me again. After speaking, she was still muttering to herself softly.


    "Because I''ve seen him with my own eyes, I must find him..."


    "Of the four elemental angels, only three have appeared so far. There are no records of any traces of the water angel..."


    Flying in front, Elara suddenly looked back at me meaningfully.


    "Remember I said before, Feliciana, that your wings once turned blue? What are your thoughts about your origins regarding this?"


    "Ah...me?"


    I pointed at myself, instantly stunned, even forgetting to fly, hovering in place.


    ...


    In the familiar practice field of the Tivi Palace, Aetina, Elara, Juliet, Gwen and other angels were seeing us off.


    "You guys have decided to go to the Sages Council?"


    Elara looked somewhat reluctant to part ways.


    "Of course! Although my situation is probably clear, Feliciana''s isn''t necessarily so."


    Nicola said matter-of-factly.


    "If she is the reincarnation of the water angel, her control over the water element seems too weak, which doesn''t quite make sense..."


    "That''s true. The Sages Council does have considerable research on souls after all, perhaps they can find out exactly what the reason is."


    Aetina nodded in agreement.


    "Well said. There are still many angels lying in bed after being hurt by the Nightmare. We can also ask those sages to come and help later."


    Elara also thought of this and immediately reminded us.


    "Every day at noon, I will regularly open the entrance and exit of Edenmere. Remember to contact me using the spiritual magic after you arrive at the Sages Council."


    "No problem!"


    I readily agreed. Elara had already personally taught us how to use the "Spiritual Convergence" magic, we just needed more practice.


    Speaking of which, this is an amazing spell. My first impression after learning it was a strong sense of familiarity because its functions are very similar to  Internet communication apps on Earth.


    For Internet communication apps on Earth, electric signals enable communication. In "Spiritual Convergence", it is the light elements pervading the air all over the world that enable communication. As long as the physical connection between light elements is unbroken, no matter how far, responses can be obtained instantly. After all, everyone understands the speed of light!


    Although it is the same magic, due to users having different roles, it can also be divided into "server-side" and "client-side".


    For example, when Elara uses this magic, it''s different from us. She needs to widely receive messages transmitted from other places. So the requirements for her mental power are very high. The more incoming transmission sources, the higher the requirements, with seemingly no upper limit.


    This is also why it''s said that only angels with eight wings or more can perfectly use this magic. Because only they can act as the "server-side"!

 Vol 3/ Chapter 110: Paying Respects

    Thinking about this, I suddenly understood - no wonder the commander of the angel legions has at least eight wings.


    As a "client", the spellcaster only needs to convey their thoughts in one direction. Of course, they can also have a private "conversation" between two people.


    However, although the requirements for spellcasting have greatly decreased for the "client", it still belongs to the difficulty level of intermediate magic. It''s easy enough for ordinary angels, they can do it effortlessly. But for humans it''s still very difficult, after all, what angels see as intermediate magic has been elevated by one level in the human world, completely belonging to the realm of advanced magic.


    My thoughts returned to the present.


    "Before this, you have to take me to the Astralrealm Kingdom first to treat my wings. Otherwise, just keep flying while carrying me!"


    Cyra was worried, afraid that I and Nicola would be in a hurry to travel and not bring her for wing treatment.


    "Don''t worry, we were planning to go back to Norvale first anyway."


    I rolled my eyes at her, suddenly feeling a little helpless.


    "It''s just a pity that Reed suddenly changed her mind and decided to stay in Edenmere longer. Otherwise, we could have travelled together..."


    "I''m also powerless regarding this matter. After all, everyone on the supreme angel council unanimously agreed that the ''Eye of Galadra'' must remain in Edenmere, to eliminate the risk of spatial intrusion again."


    Elara said. It was a matter of Edenmere''s safety, so caution must be exercised.


    "So if Reed wants to continue researching this celestial device, she can only stay for now."


    "Forget about her! She''ll come looking for us when she''s done with her research. With Mia as her bodyguard, there''s no need to worry about safety either."


    Nicola waved her hand unconcernedly, then grabbed Cyra and flew towards the teleportation array above with me.


    "Mia also needs to go out for wing treatment. They probably won''t stay for too long."


    Aetina smiled and waved vigorously at us. Her words made me think of the scene earlier when we returned to the cave, Reed''s petite body carrying the tall Mia as they flew out of the city. It did look a bit odd.


    "Oh right! Remember to keep an eye out for news about Aria. I must catch that girl with my own hands!"


    Nicola shouted while waving back. Looks like she still hasn''t forgotten about the humiliation by Aria before.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ...


    "Where is this place?"


    As soon as we poked our heads out of the Edenmere exit, we immediately tried to determine our location.


    Although Elara had already moved the exit to within the Astralrealm Kingdom''s territory, the kingdom''s range was still very large. If we flew in the wrong direction, we could end up farther from the royal capital. I didn''t want to relive the experience of getting lost while flying in the sky again.


    "There''s a forest down below, and what looks like a very big city over there!"


    Cyra said excitedly as she pointed into the distance. She had crossed over for so long, this was her first time coming to the main world.


    "Haha! I have finally returned gloriously!"


    "Huh? This place is..."


    Seeing the city she pointed out, I naturally recognized it at a glance. It was our destination, Norvale.


    And the forest below us happened to be on flat land, without any traces of mountains. It seemed to be the Elara Woodlands, the very first place we landed after coming to this world!


    "How convenient. Since we''re passing by, why don''t we go take a look at that place..."


    I suggested to Nicola. She paused for a moment before immediately catching my meaning and flew straight down with Cyra.


    "Good idea. We''ll go pick some flowers and you can go on ahead."


    That''s right, this was the very spot we first crossed over to this world, and where the other high school classmates lost their lives to the monster attack.


    Guided by memory, I landed among the remains of that battlefield again. There were no more traces of monsters around here.


    Recalling the minotaur we met here later, and the dangerous fight alongside Adrian and the others, I couldn''t help but feel emotional. Back then I knew nothing, even flying was something I learned by chance here.


    "Flowers are here!"


    Before long, Nicola landed behind me hugging Cyra. Cyra held a huge bouquet of colourful fresh flowers in her hands, obtained from who knows where, and so quickly!


    "Nicola said this is where we first crossed over, right?"


    Cyra had a thoughtful look on her face. Glancing around, apart from some mostly rotten monster corpses giving off a stench, there wasn''t much to see.


    After all, angels don''t leave bodies behind.


    "Uh, since we decided to come pay respects, shouldn''t we say something?"


    Neither I nor Nicola had experience in this area and didn''t know what would be appropriate.


    "Leave it to me, I''m an expert in this!"


    Cyra enthusiastically volunteered. She casually found a rock, gently placed the flower bouquet on it, then put her palms together and bowed her head to start reciting a prayer.


    "...I feel this might be going overboard?"


    Seeing Cyra''s back, Nicola couldn''t help twitching her mouth. She really couldn''t stomach the True Church''s practices.


    "Moreover, according to what Elara said, didn''t these schoolmates already get reincarnated? Is there still meaning in paying respects?"


    "Since we''re already here, might as well make a gesture?"


    I also suddenly felt it was a bit excessive, but this was my idea after all, so I had to see it through.


    "Well then, till we meet again, fellow schoolmates!"


    Nicola was straightforward, saluting boldly in half jest, then gestured to me.


    "Your turn."


    "Um..."


    Watching Cyra nearing the end of her prayer, I hesitated for a long time, unable to come up with suitable words.


    "This is new grass right?"


    I suddenly noticed a flash of green emerging from the muddy ground by my feet.


    I remembered on my previous visit, because of the battle and magic, there was almost no vegetation here. But now, fresh green sprouts could be seen everywhere among the battlefield ruins.


    "Farewell..."


    Feeling like I understood something, I looked at the empty surroundings, raising a hand, then letting it fall hesitantly.


    I didn''t know if I was saying this to all the deceased schoolmates, or just Quinn alone, or maybe I was the actual recipient.


    "Let''s go! I''ll show you the wonders of this world."


    I shook my head and stopped thinking about it. Smiling at Cyra, I held out my palm.


    "Be prepared, this is an exciting yet dangerous new world!"


    "I love thrills the most!"


    Cyra immediately smiled and enthusiastically stretched out her hand.


    Next stop - the royal capital Norvale!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 1 - VIP Treatment

    Right now I''m standing at the top plaza of Norvale royal city.


    Truthfully, I''ve been here more than once before, but those times were all in the dead of night when I snuck up here without anyone noticing.


    Today is different. Since it''s daytime, Nicola and I openly landed here for the first time. Of course, we weren''t the only ones in the sky. Behind us was a huge group of gryphon knights as well.


    They are the aerial forces that protect the royal city''s airspace. They noticed us when we flew in from outside the city.


    We actually expected that openly flying into the city in broad daylight might get us discovered. But Cyra''s wings were injured so she couldn''t hide them, so sneaking in through the city gates wouldn''t work either.


    No choice, the only option left was to barge right in.


    Luckily, because we are angel, the soldiers didn''t make us trouble. They just followed behind all the way until we landed.


    "I am the steward of the royal city. May I ask, honored angel ladies, why have you come here..."


    We had just landed when several lavishly dressed humans came out from a building at the edge of the plaza. When the one walking in front saw Cyra in my arms, he froze for a second.


    "My apologies, three honored angels!"


    "We''ve come seeking help. My friend''s wings are injured. I heard water magic is needed to heal them."


    Nicola pointed at Cyra''s half-missing wing and explained.


    "I see, a small matter!"


    After listening, the other party immediately understood. He shifted his body to one side, making an inviting gesture.


    "Please follow me inside. I will arrange for a royal mage to see you right away."


    "Elara was right after all. The Astralrealm Kingdom''s attitude toward angels really is very friendly..."


    I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat fortunate as I said to Nicola.


    "If we had known earlier, the first time we came to the city we could''ve openly revealed our identities. Maybe we wouldn''t have had to go through so much trouble."


    Nicola also marveled endlessly, recalling our "hard times" squeezing together in that rented room.


    As for Cyra, ever since entering the capital, she had been looking around nonstop the whole time. She didn''t even have time to pay attention to us.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "The human world really is so much more interesting! After my wings are healed, let''s go wander the downtown first. This place is way livelier than Edenmere!"


    Looks like she could barely restrain her excitement already.


    No wonder, being cooped up in Edenmere for over a month, it''s understandable.


    "Honored guests..."


    Just as we were about to go inside, we saw the steward whisper something to a maid beside him.


    "What perfect timing. A high level mage from the Astralrealm military happens to be visiting the city today. Her water magic skills are exceptional. Shall I arrange for her to treat you?"


    After listening, the steward immediately turned back to suggest this to us.


    "Uh, wouldn''t that be too much trouble for her..."


    A high level military mage coming to the capital must be busy with affairs. Asking her to come heal Cyra''s wings might be too much.


    "It would be our honor for the chance to treat an honored angel. Of course, if you do not prefer it, there are other royal mages you may choose from as well."


    The steward courteously replied.


    "Oh? We can choose whoever we want?"


    I was pleasantly surprised. We even got to pick our "doctor" freely! Their service really is too considerate!


    "Then let''s go with the military mage!"


    Cyra didn''t hesitate at all. Seeing me dragging my feet, she immediately chose for us.


    I knew she just wanted to hurry and get treated so she could go play in the city.


    "Please come inside!"


    Hearing this, the steward made another inviting gesture, looking so enthusiastic I wondered for a moment if we had wandered into some kind of "royal" service establishment by mistake.


    "Wow, angels get treated so nicely out here?"


    We sat in a lavish room, waiting for the high level mage to arrive. Not only were we on comfortable lounge chairs, the table was covered with snacks and treats, and there was a fancy large bed for us to rest on. The treatment was absolutely luxurious. As for Cyra, her mouth was already stuffed full of food, unable to speak clearly.


    "I figured we''d have to see the king first before they decided anything! Looks like this kind of thing has happened before already."


    Nicola and I also sampled some of the snacks. As expected of royal delicacies, the taste was great!


    Come to think of it, we hadn''t eaten anything in Edenmere for a long time. Now that we were back in the outside world, angels also needed food without replenishing light elements. This was a perfect chance to fill our stomachs.


    "Hey! I grabbed that first!"


    "So what if you grabbed it first? In this world, might makes right, so I get to eat it first!"


    Before long, the plate was licked clean. Cyra and Nicola actually fought over the last cookie. No need to guess, the clueless wingless angel unsurprisingly got pressed down on the bed again.


    "Sixth order water mage of the royal military, at your service!"


    Right at that moment, the room door was pushed open from outside, and a figure stood in the entrance announcing loudly.


    "Oh, sorry for disturbing! Please continue!"


    But seeing Nicola and Cyra tangled up rolling on the bed, the person seemed to misunderstand something. She immediately exited and closed the door again.


    "Huh, who was that just now?"


    I turned my head staring at the doorway, still not reacting, when I saw the door that had just closed get pushed open again a crack. A familiar girl''s head poked in through the gap.


    "Feliciana?"


    "Eleanora!"


    No wonder she looked so familiar! Turns out it was an acquaintance...


    With Eleanora''s help, I was very assured. Cyra''s half-missing wing regrew in less than five minutes under the powerful water magic. The results were immediate!


    "Congratulations, we haven''t seen each other for just months, yet you''ve already advanced to sixth order."


    With the urgent matter settled, we naturally chatted with Eleanora happily catching up.


    "Actually I was close to advancing already before this, so it wasn''t that fast."


    As always, Eleanora was somewhat modest. After speaking, she looked again at Cyra carefully inspecting her own wings, seemingly a bit wary.


    "Also, I''ve been wanting to ask for a while, who exactly is she?"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 2 - The King of Astralrealm

    "She''s my friend, Cyra!"


    I replied briskly.


    "Cyra? Isn''t that the Archangel of the True Church?"


    The other was even more confused when she heard this.


    "But why does she look exactly like Michelle?"


    "Well..."


    I didn''t know either! I just remembered that Eleanora was with us and had seen Michelle''s appearance with her own eyes.


    "We don''t understand the issue with her appearance either. We can only say it''s a coincidence."


    "A coincidence, of course a coincidence!"


    Cyra jumped in as soon as she heard her own name.


    "Let me make it clear first, I have no relationship with that so-called Archangel!"


    "But isn''t this a bit too much of a coincidence?"


    Eleanora said with a wry smile. Seeing that we didn''t look like we were lying, she could only accept this fact.


    "What happened after we returned to Edenmere?"


    I asked curiously. This was what I cared about most.


    "With the angel legions left behind to protect us, of course nothing dangerous happened afterward."


    Eleanora answered matter-of-factly.


    "Also, after we returned to the kingdom''s main military camp, the demon army didn''t launch another attack. It was probably related to what happened to their leader Michelle. A few days later, all the invaders retreated."


    "Not necessarily..."


    I said thoughtfully. This was probably around the time the Michelle from a year ago replaced her past self and regained control of the demon army. Except this time, instead of targeting humans, she aimed at Edenmere.


    Mentioning this, I didn''t want to hide it either, so I told Eleanora all the information I had obtained afterward.


    "I see, so Michelle actually went back to the past, and even Edenmere fell victim to her evil hands..."


    Eleanora had an incredulous expression after listening.


    "No wonder the joint forces of the kingdom and angels stationed there waited in vain for Michelle to reappear, and even inexplicably killed Blanche."


    "It really is strange! I don''t understand either why she would appear in a place like that..."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    My head hurt just thinking about Blanche. I was never good at puzzling out complicated matters.


    Glancing at Nicola lying idly on the bed, I had a feeling this matter was somehow related to her.


    "Is the war between the Astralrealm Kingdom and the demons still going on?"


    Just as I was thinking, Nicola suddenly turned her head and asked Eleanora with a cookie in her mouth. These were more cookies that Eleanora had her maid bring over again.


    "Of course not, the war ended long ago!"


    Eleanora''s face lit up with a smile.


    "Not only the demons that came through the teleportation in Tethys Town, but the northern border also completely settled down shortly after. Just a few days later, this national defense war was declared a complete victory. Other than the legions stationed in the ''Barren Lands'', many soldiers were demobilized, including Adrian and Brennan who returned from the frontline."


    "Then what are you doing here..."


    I was puzzled. I had thought she came to the royal city because of the war.


    "Just a few days ago I advanced to a sixth-order water mage. In the Astralrealm Kingdom, there is a rule that all citizens who reach sixth-order and above have to be received in audience by King Galahad. And Captain Alfreed said that I could also take this chance to get acquainted with nobles in the royal city, which would probably benefit my future. After all, the higher the rank, the more resources are needed for advancement..."


    Eleanora replied somewhat hesitantly.


    "Have you met the king, King Galahad? What does he look like?"


    Cyra leaned over curiously and asked.


    "Is he really bearded like the legends say?"


    I knew those weren''t actual legends. Mainly in anime works, many kings had that image, so Cyra automatically associated him with that.


    "I don''t know, this is my first audience with the king. Just now I was discussing the unrest on the eastern border with the Minister of Defense. Then I heard a maid announce that an angel from Edenmere was asking for me to provide healing, so I rushed over..."


    Speaking of this, Eleanora''s eyes suddenly lit up.


    "That''s right! Why don''t you come with me? Going alone makes me feel a bit uneasy."


    "Well..."


    I hesitated a little. We had entered the royal city just to heal Cyra''s wings. Having suddenly acquired this extra errand to go meet the king when our original business was done...


    But Eleanora had personally healed Cyra''s wings, so bluntly refusing her didn''t seem right either.


    "Let''s go, let''s go, Feliciana! We''ll go see what this King Galahad looks like, whether he matches the legendary bearded image."


    I thought Cyra would be eager to go shopping, and wouldn''t agree. Unexpectedly she was the one urging me first.


    "Fine then! Meeting him will be good too. Elara originally had some things she wanted us to pass on to the King of Astralrealm anyway."


    Nicola got up from the bed, brushing off food crumbs and said,


    "You guys..."


    These two were really bad teammates! Now what could I say? It didn''t look like I could refuse anymore.


    Actually, when I heard we were meeting King Galahad, I felt apprehensive too. What if I made a worse impression than Eleanora?


    Eleanora immediately called over a waiting maid and explained our intention. Soon the steward we had seen earlier appeared again, leading us along the passages within the royal city.


    "King Galahad has just woken up from his afternoon nap. He is very happy to be able to meet you three angel ladies."


    As the steward spoke, he pushed open a set of double doors. Behind them was a great hall with a carpeted path leading to steps at the end, upon which sat a throne. The layout was a little like the Sanctum in the Tivi Palace, clearly the king''s hall for receiving people.


    "Your Majesty, the newly advanced sixth-order mage Eleanora and the angel ladies have arrived..."


    I was still wondering about the proper etiquette for an audience with the king. But before the steward finished speaking, Galahad who was sitting on the throne immediately stood up and strode quickly towards us along the carpet.


    "Hallelujah!"


    As soon as he saw us, he came out with these shocking words. He took off his crown and handed it respectfully to the steward beside him, then bowed deeply to us.


    "Even the king is like this towards angels?"


    Seeing this, Nicola was a little stunned and whispered to me,


    "I don''t know..."


    I was also shocked speechless. In principle, as the rulers of some nations, King Galahad and Elara should have similar status. How could their attitudes be so completely reversed?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 3 - Assassination Attempt

    "Seeing how he''s acting, could he be..."


    Cyra realized something was off after seeing Galahad try to kiss Nicola''s hand after bowing.


    "That''s not necessary, thank you!"


    Nicola was caught off guard and shivered, quickly pulling her hand back and rubbing it behind her back.


    "Why?"


    King Galahad was dumbfounded when Nicola pulled away, not knowing what to do and just standing there stunned.


    "Your Majesty, is there something displeasing the Lord about me?"


    Okay, now I understand. Cyra was right, this guy is also a True Church follower!


    No wonder this country has a huge angel statue at the top when even the king has fallen.


    "Uh, not really..."


    Nicola also seemed to understand what was happening. She immediately explained the purpose of her visit in a serious tone, not giving him another chance to get close.


    "Some things have happened in Edenmere recently. I''m here as Queen Elara''s representative to discuss matters with you! There will be military and personnel changes in Edenmere soon..."


    "Of course, of course!"


    Galahad looked surprised then regained his composure.


    He straightened up, put his crown back on, and invited us to the front of the steps. He sat back on his throne, looking dignified again.


    "He almost kissed me, how disgusting! Elara only said he''d be stubborn and good at bargaining, not that he believed in Church! No wonder she didn''t want to come herself..."


    Seeing him finally keeping his distance, Nicola whispered her relief to me.


    "Let''s hide our wings, don''t want to provoke him more."


    "Who''d have thought he was a follower..."


    I was also helpless. Frankly, the king''s image was kind of unsavory. He had no beard like Cyra imagined, and his obese figure with that haircut made his earlier actions seem especially creepy.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Your Majesty, Sixth Order Mage Eleanora is here to see you!"


    Seeing everything was back to protocol, Eleanora finally found her place and introduced herself first.


    "Hmm..."


    Amazingly, Galahad was like a different person now, his attitude could even be described as arrogant.


    "Put your matters aside for now, wait outside. I''ll see you after finishing important business with the Edenmere envoys."


    Seeing Eleanora exit the hall respectfully per instructions, Galahad''s expression softened slightly. He then turned to us seriously, ready to continue the earlier discussion.


    "So, who will the esteemed Queen Elara grace Astralrealm with? I''m sure she''ll give me a wonderful surprise as the Lord wills, no?"


    "Of course, Edenmere has decided to increase angel troops guarding the mortal realm. More angels will be sent down over time..."


    Nicola handled him smoothly, having clearly discussed things with Elara beforehand.


    They debated the safety of young angels on missions. Edenmere wanted to protect angel lives, needing Astralrealm''s cooperation.


    After much back and forth with no agreement, Nicola fulfilled her role well.


    I listened for a while and understood - this King Galahad was crafty! Despite joining the True Church personally, he didn''t relinquish national interests just because angels were higher in the religion. He differentiated the two clearly.


    Like Cyra, he kept saying "Lord". It sounded like he wanted to use his status to gain from Edenmere.


    Elara should have publicly declared Edenmere''s separation from Church. So Galahad''s attitude was interesting.


    True Church followers didn''t believe Elara''s statement, insisting angels were God''s messengers. Did he really believe in Yawee?


    I didn''t understand again...


    "Regarding the Adventurers'' Guild, we just need to ensure the safety of angels on missions..."


    After almost ten more minutes, Nicola and Galahad finally reached a basic consensus. Just when I thought it was over, trouble struck!


    A figure crashed through the hall window, tumbling a few rolls before rushing at Galahad on his throne with a sword.


    "Watch out!"


    Nicola reacted quickly, immediately unfolding her wings to shield Galahad.


    "An angel?"


    Seeing that, the attacker froze, his weapon already kicked away by Nicola. Now unarmed, he could only retreat.


    "Long live Parristol!"


    But he wouldn''t leave quietly, yelling a slogan and pulling out a spell scroll from his pocket. He unrolled it and threw it forcefully at King Galahad.


    "Be careful, it could be a bomb! Shield yourselves!"


    I shouted loudly, quickly cocooning myself in light element with my wings.


    Sure enough, the scroll contained an explosive fire spell. The massive blast destroyed everything in the hall. The assassin had already jumped out the window he entered during our distraction.


    "Guards! Don''t let the assassin escape!"


    Shielded by Nicola, Galahad was unharmed. After the smoke cleared, he yelled loudly.


    "Aren''t you going after him?"


    Cyra looked out the window, not sure if she saw the attacker. She turned back hesitantly towards Nicola.


    "Don''t feel like it, let them handle it..."


    Nicola clicked her tongue dismissively, looking to the hall entrance.


    Hearing the commotion, Eleanora and the guards waiting outside had naturally rushed in.


    "Luckily Feliciana warned us, so we were prepared."


    Cyra looked down at her undamaged clothes and sighed in relief.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 4 - Parristol

    Although the explosion wouldn''t have harmed Nicola''s angelic body even without the light element shield, the clothes she was wearing weren''t explosion-proof! If she ended up naked in front of this creepy old king, it would be so embarrassing.


    "What is this Parristol thing the guy mentioned?"


    Cyra asked, puzzled.


    "That''s a border city in the eastern part of the Astralrealm Kingdom. Recently, some stubborn dissidents have been causing trouble there, trying to gain independence, and taking advantage of the demon invasion. That assassin must be a member of the ''Parristol Liberation Front''!"


    Galahad angrily explained, then pointed at the soldiers investigating the scene and started scolding loudly.


    "This is the top level of the royal castle. How did those useless Gryphon Knights let the assassin get in here!"


    Intimidated by his authority, the soldiers could only bow their heads and keep quiet.


    "If it wasn''t for the angel''s presence here, I probably would''ve been assassinated on the spot today! Can you useless men take responsibility for that?"


    This king was unbelievable. Despite being so fat, he had the energy to angrily scold people for a good few minutes. It made me frown to hear it.


    "Nicola shouldn''t have saved him either. Wouldn''t it have been better if he got blown up?"


    Cyra couldn''t take it anymore and whispered to me. Galahad was spewing all kinds of vulgar curses, with no consideration for us bystanders at all.


    "There''s no other way. Edenmere needs to increase the number of angels active in the outside world, and human help is indispensable. If he died, Nicola might have to explain everything again to the new king, and the kingdom would have a bunch of other troubles to deal with before we could move forward. It could be a long wait."


    I whispered back in the same volume.


    "Your Majesty, according to the perimeter guards'' reports, the assassin climbed up the outer castle wall!"


    After waiting a while, the castle steward finally entered with another group of soldiers.


    "Did you catch him then?"


    Galahad hurriedly asked.


    "The assassin jumped into the lake and disappeared without resurfacing..."


    The steward hesitated for a moment but answered truthfully.


    "Useless! You''re all useless!"Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Galahad immediately jumped up in anger, but there was nothing he could do. He forced a smile towards Nicola to thank her.


    "My deepest gratitude to the angel for saving my life. It seems negotiations can''t continue for now with things as they are. I have some matters to deal with. Shall we postpone this to another day? I assure you I will provide a satisfactory answer then."


    "No problem!"


    Nicola agreed without hesitation. She clearly couldn''t stand this guy either and just wanted to leave quickly.


    "You still haven''t prepared the best guest rooms for the angels!"


    "We''ll find our place to stay."


    I quickly declined his offer. I wanted to go home and see how my rented apartment was doing. I hadn''t been home in months already.


    "That''s right, we have some things to do in the downtown next, so no need to trouble yourself."


    Nicola chimed in agreement.


    "Then allow me to arrange for the angels to tour the city..."


    King Galahad was taken aback but didn''t say anything further. He nodded and had the steward lead us out first.


    As for Eleanora, she had to stay behind and wait for the king to summon her again.


    "It would draw too much attention if you angels flew directly from the castle roof into the city. I suggest I lead you out the main gate instead."


    As expected of the royal castle''s steward. His consideration was thorough.


    Next came the "ride the elevator". Like the collapsed Tivi Palace lift towers, the royal castle''s high-rise structure also had magic-powered elevators, though the speed was a bit slower.


    "Do you know why the city of Parristol wants independence?"


    Bored in the elevator, I casually asked the steward beside me.


    "Parristol huh..."


    The steward knew about the assassination attempt''s connection to Parristol. Hearing my question, his expression seemed somewhat sentimental.


    "Not long ago, that place was still an independent little country. Due to its location at the intersection of several great nations, it had struggled to survive in the cracks between them for thousands of years."


    "However, the city center houses an iconic ancient structure - the Chromos Tower, making it one of the rare tourist attractions on the continent. Supposedly the High Tower Sages'' League founding site was also located there."


    "Unfortunately, the Ruaun family that had ruled this little country declined over the past century, and 4 years ago, King Galahad seized the opportunity to annex them first. So ever since then, there have been quite a few resistance groups secretly active in this border city, some allegedly involving other nations'' covert participation..."


    "What a complicated situation!"


    Hearing this, I finally understood that this was a messy political problem! Not something I should be worrying about right now. So I shook my head and decided not to think about it further.


    After all, these resistance groups weren''t targeting us. Let this fat tyrant handle his headache!


    "The Sage League''s founding site huh..."


    Nicola seemed quite interested and asked another question.


    "So is this High Tower Sages'' League an organization or a country?"


    "In its early days, it was just a fellowship formed by a few like-minded mages. Its structure was similar to an association. Due to their principles and goals - seeking the world''s truths - it gained a response from many mages across the continent. Later it rapidly expanded in influence and gained importance. So these mages started calling themselves ''sages'' and established their base in the southern part of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion - the city of Mooncrescent."


    The steward effortlessly answered these common knowledge questions. After all, to be employed in the royal castle, he had to be somewhat learned.


    "What is this Cresthaven Papal Dominion?"


    Cyra suddenly asked, as if she had thought of something.


    "It''s the True Church''s headquarters, where the Holy Capital is located..."


    "The True Church here has even established its own country already? It expanded that quickly?"


    Cyra turned to me in surprise.


    "How would I know..."


    What was she asking me for? I normally don''t bother paying attention to stuff like this since I''m not a follower anyway. And a church setting up its own country isn''t that bizarre, right? The True Church on Earth has its tiny independent state too.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 5: The Multipurpose Holy Water

    "I heard that you angels have a subtle relationship with the True Church, so it''s understandable that you all don''t know much about the Cresthaven Papal Dominion..."


    The steward said with a smile, thinking that none of us were too fond of the True Church, not knowing that one of us was an exception, although he had joined a different world''s True Church.


    "We''re here!"


    With Nicola''s reminder, the lengthy descent finally ended. We stepped out of the elevator and saw the main entrance and exit of the royal castle right in front of us, not too far away.


    "We won''t trouble you anymore after this. We''ve been to Norvale downtown a few times before, so we''re quite familiar with it."


    The steward still wanted to continue serving as our guide according to the king''s orders, but Nicola and I firmly declined.


    "Then I bid the three angel guests farewell!"


    The steward didn''t insist. After leading us out of the main gate of the royal castle, he bowed deeply to us, then saw us off as we left.


    The main gate of the royal castle was usually quite crowded, with many commoners and officials entering the city to run errands.


    But now, the passageways in and out had been completely sealed off. It was clear that the assassination attempt had alarmed all the guards in the entire royal castle. There were also noticeably more soldiers standing guard than usual. If it wasn''t for the steward clearing the way for us, I reckon even the two of us would have had trouble getting out.


    "Let''s go home first!"


    Walking on the familiar streets, I finally felt a sense of relief, eager to return home.


    "I wonder if our rented apartment is still there, or we could go ask Adrian and the others about the situation?"


    "There are shops everywhere along the streets, it''s almost like cities on Earth!"


    Cyra didn''t seem to be listening to me at all. She curiously looked around at the city sights, casually asking:


    "Is there an area with concentrated eateries, like a food street?"


    "...Didn''t you just eat so many snacks?"


    I was exasperated by this girl. How could she eat so much? I decided to ignore her for now and turned to Nicola for advice instead.


    Just as I was pondering our next step, I caught from the corner of my eye that Cyra had suddenly disappeared.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "You gotta be kidding me. Where did she run off to? What if she gets lost?"


    Nicola and I were dumbfounded. We could only look around everywhere for her.


    "She was just asking about places to eat, she probably ran into some restaurant."


    "But she doesn''t have any money on her. "


    I anxiously looked around, but the pedestrian traffic on the streets was extremely dense. The carriages passing through the middle of the roads further obstructed visibility, making it difficult to spot our target.


    "Cyra!"


    I called out loudly as I walked, but this girl was so much trouble! She didn''t know the way to our home either, and we weren''t even sure where we would be staying tonight. What if we get separated again?


    "There!"


    Luckily Nicola had sharp eyes. Not long after, amidst the churning crowds, she spotted Cyra.


    Turns out she wasn''t in a restaurant but at a roadside stall selling religious items. We finally found her there, squatting and closely looking at the various goods being sold by the peddler, including crucifixes and holy water.


    "Can you pour some of this holy water out for me to take a look?"


    When we arrived behind her, Cyra was pointing to a small bottle on the mat and asking.


    "Of course! This is authentic holy water, wholesale from the Paddington Cathedral. Even the packaging is original from the True Church, absolute quality is guaranteed! Not the fake inferior products conjured up by second-rate light magicians."


    Upon hearing this, the peddler eagerly opened up the bottle cap and dripped some onto Cyra''s hand, shrewdly tempting her:


    "Young lady, seems like you''re not too familiar with this holy water, probably your first time coming across something like this right? Let me tell you, this holy water doesn''t just combat monsters, or get used in True Church rituals for baptisms. Just sprinkle a little bit on wounds out in the wild, and it can slow bleeding and reduce inflammation. And that''s not all, just add a little spice and it instantly becomes a strong beauty product, many noble ladies are my regular customers!"


    "So it''s that incredible?"


    Cyra lifted her palm to her nose and sniffed. She looked somewhat tempted.


    "Stop looking, you don''t have money to buy any! The cheapest bottle of holy water is at least a few hundred silvers!"


    Seeing this, I impatiently pulled her up from the ground, repeatedly reminding her:


    "This is the royal capital after all. Norvale is massive, if you keep wandering off like this, what if you get lost? You''re so much trouble!"


    "Tch, I''m not a kid, how could I get lost!"


    Cyra pouted as I dragged her away. She kept looking back longingly, seemingly reluctant to leave.


    "It''s because I don''t have money now! But I''m already here, earning some pocket money should be easy."


    "Dream on!"


    I was ready to toss this girl into the lake by the roadside. I remember when Nicola and I first arrived in this city, we worked from dawn to dusk taking adventure guild quests just to get by. Even so, our average daily income was only a few hundred silvers. We might not even have enough for a bottle of holy water! Let alone how easy she made it sound!


    Moreover, this was not Edenmere. Out in the main world, angels still needed to eat every day because of the day/night cycle. So that was another big expense!


    "Let''s just bring her back home first! It''s been some time since the rental due date, if the landlord cleared our stuff out we can just find an inn to squeeze into for a night or two. We''re only staying for 1-2 more days before setting off again anyway. Finding a temporary place to crash shouldn''t be too difficult."


    Nicola frowned, just wanting to get rid of this troublesome girl quickly. Once we found a place to stay, Cyra could wander the city however she wanted.


    "That works too!"


    I agreed after thinking about it. Our savings were on us anyway, staying at an inn for a few nights shouldn''t be a problem.


    Of course, there was an even cheaper option - crashing at Vivianne''s place. But that would be very inconsiderate of us, not something to resort to unless necessary.


    Moreover, we didn''t even know if Vivianne had returned safely. And it seemed like Nicola and Adrian''s relationship wasn''t great right now, just thinking about it gave me a headache.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 6 - The Bold Cyra

    "Walking is so tiring! We can''t fly in the human world because we need to keep a low profile. And I haven''t even tried using my wings after they just healed!"


    Since the rented room was about half a district away, we could only slowly walk there. But after just over half an hour, Cyra said she couldn''t take it anymore. After all, when she was in Edenmere, she flew almost everywhere. So it was pretty good that her legs hadn''t atrophied.


    "So much trouble. You''re always bragging about being a man, but after just a little walking you''re exhausted? And you didn''t complain at all when you ran off shopping just earlier. In that regard, you''re just like a woman!"


    Nicola mercilessly mocked her. Looking around, her eyes suddenly lit up as she stared at a storefront ahead.


    ""Samfield''s Entertainment! It''s been so long since I played! I''ll go in and take a look, you guys go back first!"


    "Hey! What''s wrong with you, running off to the game hall right after getting back..."


    I was speechless, unable to stop her. But Nicola completely ignored my shouts. She just strode into the store, leaving only a sentence behind.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t gamble again!"


    "Game hall? Gambling? I want to go see too..."


    Cyra''s eyes lit up when she heard it. She also tried to slip inside.


    "You come back here! That''s no place for you! I don''t have money to add credits for you!"


    I grabbed her collar and dragged her back. These two were too much trouble.


    But since we were already here, that meant we were close to our destination.


    I led Cyra around a few more turns, then went straight ahead a bit more. Soon I saw the familiar bookstore downstairs from our rented room.


    "Oh! The young miss upstairs is finally back! Long time no see!"


    As soon as we passed the entrance, the landlord and bookstore owner rushed out to greet us.


    "And you brought a guest? She looks new."


    "Ah... I haven''t been able to come back for months because of work..."


    I casually explained a bit. But from his attitude, it seemed like he hadn''t mentioned anything about the room. So I quickly asked:


    "About the rent..."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    After all, we had agreed on monthly payments. Logically, it should have been long past due by now.


    "Oh, you didn''t know? A few days ago a boy came by and paid it all off for you. He even paid three more months in advance!"


    "Three months?"


    I was shocked. Three months was at least over 2000 silvers! That was a huge amount. The boy he mentioned must be Adrian.


    I had thought Adrian might help us keep the room, but I didn''t expect he would pay so far in advance.


    I had to find a way to pay him back! Even if Nicola and I combined all our savings, it was far from enough.


    Why did Adrian have to spend so much? Now it would be hard for me to handle this. I''d have to find a chance to make things clear with him!


    "What kinds of books do you sell here?"


    Cyra was naturally uninterested in our talk about rent. Curiously poking her head in, she suddenly asked.


    "This young miss wants to see the books?"


    The landlord immediately perked up at that. He quickly changed the topic and started promoting all kinds of novels to her.


    "I have everything here! Including adventure, romance, knight, and more. Just the other day I got a new batch of romance novels from the Ilandra Dominion down south. I guarantee you''ll like them..."


    "Oh, is that so? Seems there''s quite a variety. Are there other categories too?"


    Cyra nodded, looking around as she entered the bookstore.


    "Look your fill, but don''t wander around. Our room is upstairs, come up soon."


    Since we were already downstairs, I was too lazy to watch her more. After give Cyra some remindings, I went alone into the back of the shop and climbed the stairs to our room.


    "I''m back..."


    Opening the door and seeing the familiar furnishings, I couldn''t help but sigh.


    Thinking back to when I left home last time, it was the morning after Nicola got drunk by the lake. I went through a lot of hardships in this time, even nearly dying out there. I was quite fortunate.


    Entering, I first looked around the whole room. The bare bed still looked the same as when I had left, with the sheets taken off to be washed so there was nothing on it!


    "Have to do housework again?"


    I suddenly felt a little discouraged. Thinking I might have to stay home another day or two before setting out, I''d have to tidy up the place.


    By comparison, Edenmere was better! At least in Tivi Palace, the rooms given to us were cleaned every day by attendants, just like staying in a hotel. Simply too comfortable.


    The transition from frugality to luxury is easy, but the shift from luxury to frugality is difficult...


    After I finished cleaning the whole place top to bottom, I suddenly heard urgent knocking at the door. It turned out to be Cyra, humming a song as she happily ran up.


    "Haha, look what I found! Who said there''s no erot*ca in this world?"


    The moment she came in, she excitedly showed me the indecent books she had dug up from downstairs.


    "Where did you get the money?"


    I quickly closed the door. She was too much, waving those things around and yelling without caring if others heard.


    "Of course the old man downstairs let me borrow them for free! I didn''t think life here was so rich..."


    Cyra dove onto the bed I had just made, engrossed in the book''s contents without even turning her head.


    "He just let you freely borrow and read those books?"


    I took a closer look. For the landlord to lend her those kinds of books for free, just seemed a bit inappropriate. After all, she was a girl right now.


    "What''s wrong with borrowing them? I''m a pure man, why can''t I read these books?"


    Cyra said matter-of-factly, still ceaselessly critiquing the book''s characters. I didn''t know what to tell her. Actually, in looks alone, she was far above the characters in the book. After all, she had Michelle''s face...


    "Well, keep reading them yourself. I''m going to the nearby market to buy some groceries. Don''t go out again later, stay home and house-sit."


    The sky was already nearing dusk. Although we had eaten a little in the royal city earlier, I was starting to feel hungry again now that the sun was setting.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 7: Fight

    Our original plan was to go out for dinner together, but since Nicola hadn''t come back yet, rather than just sitting around waiting for her, it would be better to make dinner ourselves. I could also let the newcomer Cyra try my cooking skills.


    "Buy groceries? Tsk tsk, I didn''t expect you to be so domestic..."


    Upon hearing this, Cyra glanced up at me meaningfully.


    "Get out! If I don''t buy groceries, you''ll only get an empty stomach! You think I want to cook?"


    I angrily pushed open the door and went out. As I passed the bookstore downstairs, I saw the landlord waving at me enthusiastically.


    "Going out again? Your friend earlier was quite...generous."


    "Heh, yes she''s very generous..."


    I smiled drily in response. What else could I say? That Cyra, she should be more careful about the impression she makes.


    Reading erotic books is one thing, but being so blatant about it - it really gives me a headache. I don''t know if she''s just shameless or simply doesn''t care about face.


    The process of buying groceries was no different than usual, just the vegetable sellers asking about my personal life. It had been a while since I came to the market after all...


    "Oh, you''re back already?"


    When I got home and opened the door, I found that Nicola was already inside. It seemed she had become more moderate, not out partying as late as she used to.


    "Where did you go?"


    Nicola didn''t look too happy though. Seeing me walk in, she asked in an unfriendly tone.


    "Groceries! Didn''t Cyra tell you? I thought you''d be back late, so I figured I''d just make dinner myself. That way we wouldn''t have to keep waiting and being hungry for you to get back before going out to eat..."


    I was rather puzzled. I held up the pile of fresh ingredients in my hand, was she blind or just acting oblivious?


    Moreover, the atmosphere with Cyra also seemed off. The two of them had sour faces, like they just had a fight.


    "Do you know? Cyra brought the landlord downstairs up to our room."


    Nicola interrupted me and explained.


    "Didn''t you tell her before you left? Don''t let irrelevant people into the room, especially men. Luckily I came back early..."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Aren''t you two the ones always calling yourselves men?"


    Hearing this, I suddenly felt a little amused and turned to ask Cyra.


    "Did the landlord really come up? What did you ask him here for?"


    After all, it was a rented house, so the landlord coming up to take a look seemed fairly normal right?


    "It''s not like I asked him to come up!"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra immediately argued defensively to clarify.


    "Not long after you left, the boss downstairs came up to ask me how I liked the book I borrowed earlier. He was also planning to recommend some other books to me, but then Nicola came in and saw him. She was like a ball of fire, chasing the landlord out in a few words, then closed the door and started scolding me..."


    "I did that for your own good! Don''t forget your current situation!"


    Hearing this, Nicola criticized in an unfriendly tone, very much like when she argued with me in the past.


    "Situation? You just can''t stand that I''m currently broke and can only live at your place, eating your food and using your things! Fine, I''ll just leave then. With my angel identity, I''m not afraid of sleeping on the streets!"


    Cyra also couldn''t hold back her anger. It looked like the two of them were about to really fight. I quickly stepped in between them to smooth things over.


    "Alright alright! We don''t care about a little money for food and lodging. Nicola just lost some money gambling and is in a bad mood, nothing else right? You should apologize."


    I surreptitiously nudged Nicola, hinting for her to say sorry.


    She had become like this ever since becoming an angel, seeming to dislike any man she saw. We had fought over Adrian last time, and now she was quarreling with Cyra over the landlord too. Really unnecessary!


    "What do you mean I lost money gambling?"


    But Nicola was completely unwilling to take the fall for me. She changed the subject and started arguing with me instead.


    "I already said I didn''t gamble anymore! I just played a few rounds and came back quickly!"


    "I..."


    I was at a loss for words. I was just trying to give Cyra a way to back down, afraid she might really leave and cause trouble. How could Nicola not get it...


    I suddenly felt so tired, not knowing what to do next. These two were like children, finding any petty thing to fight over.


    "Do what you want, I''m not getting involved anymore!"


    Seeing my flustered state, Nicola didn''t push it further either. Very displeased, she waved her hand and stubbornly refused to apologize.


    "Hmph, it''s because I just got here and am broke right? Fine, I''ll show you what I can do to earn money tomorrow!"


    Cyra wasn''t one to take a loss either. Thankfully she didn''t bring up leaving again, finally letting me relax a little.


    There were still meals to prepare, suddenly busy again. Because of the earlier quarrel, the two of them tacitly chose to eat in silence, not commenting at all on the taste of my new dish. I suddenly felt a sense of loss.


    The next morning, Nicola got up early and went out. According to her, it was of course to finalize the cooperation between Edenmere and Astralrealm as soon as possible.


    Since King Galahad was attacked yesterday, in order to see things through, she still had to go to the royal castle today, even if she didn''t like that king.


    "I have some errands to run today too. Just wander around the city, you can go anywhere you like. But don''t reveal your wings and angel identity. And remember to come back early tonight,"


    I instructed Cyra before leaving.


    My first stop was naturally Adrian and Vivianne''s house.


    I should have gone yesterday, to at least let them know we were back. But angel bodies tire easily at night, so after dinner none of us felt like going out anymore. I was lazy and put it off until today.


    Good thing too, this avoided any awkwardness between Nicola and Adrian, saving further troubles.


    However, when I arrived at the familiar weapon shop, the shop owner called out to me first before I could even go upstairs.


    "It''s the young lady from before! The upstairs tenants left a message for you."

 Vol 4/Chapter 8 - Chance Encounter with Hayden

    "Another message?"


    I couldn''t help but glance up at the windows on the second floor. Like last time, they were shut tight.


    "Don''t tell me they''re not in again?"


    "This time the message is from another guy. He told me if the friend who came looking for them last time comes again, remember to give her this letter."


    The owner of the weapon shop seemed quite old. He fumbled around for a while before finally finding a letter and handing it to me.


    "Writing letters this time?"


    I quickly took the envelope and skimmed through it.


    "Feliciana, if you''re reading this, it means you''ve returned to Norvale. I was planning to wait for your return, but today I finally got news of Vivianne. Something happened to her while she was out on a mission. The situation is very urgent! So Brennan and I must leave right away to go rescue her. This could take a long time. Don''t worry, we''ll be back as soon as possible!"


    "This is..."


    Sure enough, Murphy''s Law strikes again. I knew something would happen to Vivianne after she was gone for so long.


    When I saw this letter, I was quite anxious too. Unfortunately, whether intentionally or not, Adrian didn''t mention where Vivianne was. All I could do was pray that Vivianne would be fortunate.


    "Thank you!"


    Left with no choice, I put away the letter and thanked the weapon shop owner. Then I turned and left. How unlucky - two visits here and both times I missed them. Even the owner felt I had terrible luck.


    But I couldn''t keep waiting in Norvale for them to return. I had planned to set off in a couple days to find the Tower Sages Alliance. Now I would completely miss them.


    "Where should I go next...back home?"


    Walking along the lakeside avenue, I suddenly felt empty inside. If I didn''t go home for now, I could only go to the royal castle in the lake center to see Nicola, and check on her negotiations.


    Just then...


    "How did that quest you took yesterday go?"


    "Finished it ages ago! Low level quests are far too simple. But the guild receptionist told me this quest was very suitable for my rank. I probably need to get re-evaluated someday."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Some men and women walked towards me on the street. It was obvious they were adventurers.


    Ah! I''m probably much stronger than when I first came here right? Doesn''t that mean I could get re-tested for my rank?


    But the examiner said last time that re-tests are only allowed after three months. What a pity.


    I looked at my adventurer identity card and decided to go ask first. After all, the guild was just a few minutes away. Plus, angels had quite special status in this country. Maybe there were some hidden preferential policies.


    "I''m sorry, but the rules state that comprehensive ability tests can only be taken once every three months. Unless your previous test results were erroneous, and the examiner at that time agrees to let you retake the test..."


    However, the response from the receptionist dashed my hopes.


    "Alright then..."


    I took back my identity card, about to leave. Just then, a familiar face walked in through the door.


    "Hayden?"


    I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was mistaken. But after looking closely a few more times, it really was him.


    "Feliciana?"


    Hayden also saw me at the same time. His face showed pleasant surprise as he rushed over.


    "You''re finally back! What a coincidence meeting here!"


    Hayden still liked joking around. He immediately teased, "How was it staying in Edenmere? The other angels didn''t bully you right?"


    "Of course not..."


    I waved my hand, suddenly at a loss for words. I didn''t meet many bullying angels, but there were probably still some who plotted against me. Most of them were likely dead now though.


    Alfreed was right back then. There really were many internal power struggles among the angels, no less than human society.


    "You''re at the adventurer''s guild to take on quests now?"


    Next I briefly mentioned running into Eleanora in the royal castle. Since the war had ended, the northern border no longer needed so many troops. Other than Alfreed and Eleanora, Hayden, Adrian and Brennan were all part of the batch that had returned home after being discharged.


    "Of course! Although the kingdom''s army pays a salary, it''s still less than what you can earn at the adventurer''s guild. What about you, don''t tell me you''re here to do quests again?"


    Hayden probably saw my identity card and couldn''t help asking curiously.


    "You angels really are strange, always hiding your identities to work in the human world?"


    "Uh, I''m not here to do quests this time..."


    Since he said that, I didn''t hide it and explaining why I was here.


    "I see, your rank evaluation really is too low. No angel is only 3rd rank!"


    Hayden of course already knew about my rank, but he stared at my card for a long time, seeming to be thinking about something.


    "You should have 6 wings now right? I remember seeing with my own eyes when you ranked up in the Dark Lands. So at most you only had 4 wings during the initial test...that''s right! Who was your examiner?"


    "Huh? My examiner?"


    I didn''t know why he asked this, it had been so long I could hardly remember. I could only hazard a guess based on my vague impressions.


    "I think the name was something like Hus? Should be a 6th rank swordsman, seemed a bit old..."


    "Was it Wozwal Hus?"


    As soon as I said that, Hayden immediately filled in the name.


    "That''s right! That was the name! How did you know?"


    I asked in surprise. It seemed he was quite familiar with the adventurer''s guild.


    ==============================================================


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    Your generosity is appreciated, but entirely optional. Thank you for being a reader!

 Vol 4/Chapter 9 - Retest 1

    "I''ll tell you about that later. Since you want to retest, I can help ask if the examiner Wozwal Hus will allow you to take the test again!"


    Hayden gave me a mysterious smile and took my identity card. Without another word, he went straight to the Strength Assessment Department.


    "Huh? Can it really be done? Aren''t the examiners usually very busy?"


    At that moment, there was still a long queue at the Comprehensive Strength Testing entrance, just like last time. However, Hayden did not join the queue. He went straight to the staff at the entrance, whispered to them briefly, waved at me, then pushed open the door of the testing room and went inside.


    "So he has connections in the Adventurers'' Association?"


    Seeing this, I finally understood. Although Hayden was only fourth-tier, he had quite a bit of influence. It seems my retest has a good chance now.


    Sure enough, he came out of the testing room shortly after. He returned my identity card and said, "You''re in luck today. My dad is on duty, so he has agreed to let you retest. Go line up quickly!"


    "Wozwal Hus is your father?"


    I was stunned for a while after taking back my card. I had guessed he might be an employee of the Adventurers'' Association.


    "Of course. My full name is Hayden Bulwar. My father is Wozwal Hus Bulwar. Actually, the examiners announce their names before each test, but you probably forgot already."


    Hayden explained with a smile.


    "It''s also because of this connection that I''m familiar with the staff at the entrance. I''ve informed them just now to make a special exception to let you in later."


    "Thank you so much!"


    I said my thanks as I watched Hayden leave for the quest counter. I hurried over to join the queue.


    "You''re Feliciana the angel, right?"


    After a long wait, it was finally my turn. The staff at the entrance checked my identity card and looked up at me with a smile.


    "The examiner has approved your retest request. Make full use of this chance!"Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Thank you..."


    I didn''t expect the staff to encourage me too. Suddenly I felt tremendous pressure. It seems I have to give it my all this time!


    "I knew your name sounded familiar, especially since you''re an angel! Although I have to test hundreds of adventurers daily, I still remember a bit."


    As soon as I entered, I saw the familiar middle-aged uncle from last time standing before me. He stared at me for a long time before exclaiming.


    "Hayden told me all about your adventures with him in the Dark Continent after he came home from the war. Turns out the two angels he kept mentioning were tested by me and passed."


    "Uh..."


    What a coincidence.


    "Oh well! An angel who heavily injured the Arch Demon and indirectly saved my son, but only got a third-tier rating - that really doesn''t make sense. Even if you lose some score, I''ll take the blame! My boy mentions this to me every day anyway..."


    Wozwal Hus turned and took a longsword from the weapon rack.


    "Come! Let me see your true strength! This is the only chance to make up. Since it''s a retest, your actual ability should be higher than the third-tier I gave last time. So other than the five-minute time limit, there''s a new rule - you cannot leave this arena during the fight, or you fail! Understand?"


    "Understood!"


    I nodded firmly without hesitation. I went forward and also picked a longsword. Like during the previous test, I unfurled six wings and stood in the middle of the arena.


    This chance was hard-earned. If I still didn''t perform well enough, I could only wait three months for the next try.


    "Sorry in advance!"


    Seeing him in position, I made the first move - Angel Swordplay - thrusting at his throat.


    "Huh? You seem to have some sword skills compared to last time? That''s the Angel Legion''s swordplay, isn''t it?"


    Wozwal Hus immediately recognized my move. He easily dodged with a quick retreat.


    There''s more! Without a word, I closed in, my sword tip pointing at his right armpit where he held his sword.


    This was also part of Angel Swordplay for catching the opponent''s weakness. Usually very difficult to defend against.


    But I knew that as a sixth-tier swordsman, Wozwal Hus'' sword mastery far surpassed mine, perhaps even Aetina''s. So I didn''t expect it to be effective.


    "Tsk! Nice use of that move, perfect timing!"


    As expected, Wozwal Hus nodded approvingly, intending to dodge to the side. But suddenly he saw a flash of light and lost his vision briefly, forcing him to hastily retreat.


    Too late! Seizing the moment he was hit by Dazzling Light, my longsword cut into his arm. Although he reacted swiftly, my thrust wasn''t very deep. But at least I gained the advantage.


    My subsequent attacks were not as smooth. Although his vision hadn''t recovered, he managed to evade my longsword each time.


    As expected of a sixth-tier swordsman. Even without sight, he could predict my attacks from his senses, getting caught off guard only because he was unprepared initially.


    "That was magic just now? Moreover, magic without incantations!"


    Soon, Wozwal Hus'' vision gradually returned. But he realized his movements had slowed drastically.


    While he was blinded earlier, I had secretly cast Slow Spell. Although he could judge my sword strokes by hearing and touch, this silent, invisible spell was impossible to defend against without sight or sensing light elements.


    "Remember I couldn''t use magic last time? This time is different!"


    I admitted openly, pressing the attack while he was slowed. With his speed reduced so much by Slow Spell, I could see all his counterattacks coming. Easily reacting in time, while he could only follow my sword strokes consciously but not physically. In seconds, my longsword wounded him several more times.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 10 - Retest 2

    I also never expected that this magic is extremely effective for warriors!


    "Next I will counterattack!"


    Unfortunately, the effect of this "Slow Spell" is not long lasting. After more than 10 seconds, the magic effect on the opponent has gradually disappeared. Wozwal Hus immediately seized the opportunity and shouted loudly, trying to reverse the situation.


    "Oh no, don''t be so serious! My swordsmanship is not good, I have only practiced for a short while..."


    The "Slow Spell" I threw again was all dodged by the opponent. Under the opponent''s fierce attack, I felt it was very difficult to even defend, let alone to cast magic.


    Getting to this point, I suddenly regretted a bit, why did I have to use "Slow Spell"? If it was "Dazzling Light" instead, maybe I wouldn''t be so passive.


    Seeing that I was about to be forced to the edge of the arena, I had no choice but to spread my wings and fly up into the sky, escaping the opponent''s pursuit.


    "If you don''t come down again, I will jump up!"


    Seeing me lingering in the sky and not daring to come down, Wozwal Hus looked at me helplessly and said.


    "No way? You can jump so high?"


    I was shocked. This was a height of seven or eight meters. I couldn''t help but rise a little higher.


    Of course, since it was an outdoor martial arts field, theoretically I could fly infinitely higher, but it would be meaningless, then what would be the point of testing my strength? Besides, the opponent would not recognize this kind of result either.


    "If you keep doing this, we won''t be able to continue the normal test, I can only count it as you cheating!"


    Seeing my reaction, Wozwal Hus frowned and warned me immediately.


    "No! I''m just catching my breath, this isn''t cheating, right?"


    I really wanted to hide in the sky and bombard him with magic, but unfortunately I didn''t have many offensive light-based magic spells I could use at the moment.


    Apart from being especially effective against magical creatures, the same light-based offensive magic cast on humans or other ordinary animals has an negligible effect, almost nonexistent.


    Take for example the Purification that I love to use. It is quite lethal to magical creatures, but for humans it is a healing spell.


    The supportive magic spells I knew were limited, and after using them repeatedly, it had already caught the opponent''s attention, making them difficult to work anymore.


    "Don''t rest for too long!"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Seeing the situation, Wozwal Hus couldn''t help but urge me to come down quickly.


    "Coming!"


    One...


    I didn''t dare to delay any longer. Taking advantage of gravity, I fell directly from the sky towards the opponent''s position, and slashed out a sword strike with tremendous power. As expected, the opponent did not have the strength to resist, and quickly dodged to the side.


    Then...


    Two!


    "Lost Paradise ShockWave!" All in just two seconds!


    Wozwal Hus looked up at the huge pillar of light descending from the sky, his expression suddenly changing. Relying on his earlier evasive momentum, he rolled to the side in a somewhat undignified manner, barely avoiding my strike as he brushed past the edge of the light pillar.


    Such agile movements! If it was used against another magical creature, this strike probably wouldn''t have missed!


    "How can a light-based magic have such a high attack power?"


    Looking at the cracked ground next to him, Wozwal Hus gasped and asked in disbelief.


    "It''s normal you haven''t seen this move before, only angels can use it!"


    Of course he didn''t know. The "Lost Paradise ShockWave" is very difficult for even angels to learn. There is no way a human could know this move.


    However, although it is said to be the most powerful high-level light-based magic, for things other than magical creatures, the might is really weak. If it was a fire-based magic spell, even an ordinary high-level one in human eyes, the effect would be more than just cracking the ground. I guess the entire Adventurer''s Association building could be blown away instantly!


    "Then I definitely can''t let you use it again!"


    Wozwal Hus said and rushed towards me quickly. His speed was much faster than before, his figure almost invisible.


    It looked like he was getting serious!


    Fortunately, because of the sufficient distance and the test still ongoing, I had been wary of his every move. At the critical moment, this sword strike was still blocked by the "Light Shield".


    "How can you cast magic without chanting? Even for an angel isn''t this too much?"


    Wozwal Hus frowned, then fiercely kicked towards me with the Light Shield still between us.


    It''s not over yet!


    I was instantly kicked and sent flying. By instinct I inserted my long sword into the muddy ground, finally stopping my momentum, just barely not falling outside the arena.


    Looking at the broken sword hilt in my hand, I directly threw it aside, then quickly moved along the edge of the arena to flee in the other direction -


    Because at this time, above his head, another huge pillar of light had finished gathering.


    "Oh sh*t!"


    Following my gaze upwards, Wozwal Hus'' expression changed. With no room left to dodge in the center of the arena, he could only leap out of the martial arts field, barely escaping.


    "What a pity..."


    Although the test was considered over since someone had left the arena, my signature magic was evaded twice by the opponent, which made me quite regretful indeed.


    Using the "Lost Paradise ShockWave" twice took a heavy toll. The light elements stored in my body was completely depleted, I didn''t even have the strength left to stand up.


    I could only sit on the ground and rest slowly.


    "You''re trying to kill me! It''s just a test, is it worth fighting so desperately? From your state, your magic power should be exhausted too!"


    Wozwal Hus slammed his long sword down and didn''t care about my condition. He pointed at me and reprimanded in a loud voice.


    "Huh?"


    I lay on the ground gasping for breath, after a long time I barely squeezed out a sentence.


    "Isn''t... isn''t light magic very weak against humans? Just now it only... only cracked the ground right?"


    An ordinary person being hit by that might really die, but the opponent was a level 6 swordsman. It probably couldn''t even scratch him.


    "The damage light magic causes to humans is not just about the might! Moreover, it''s such a high-level spell..."


    Wozwal Hus stopped here for a moment, looking like he wanted to explain but didn''t know where to start. After all, he was just a swordsman and not a mage. He could only wave his hand in the end.


    "Forget it, just remember not to use this move during competitive matches anymore!"


    "Uh..."


    Could he be angry? What if he gives me a bad evaluation when he''s angry? How should I deal with it?


    I suddenly regretted a little. If I had known, I wouldn''t have used this magic, it was just a test after all.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 11: Jumping Three Ranks

    "This is your evaluation this time. It seems I really scored you too low last time..."


    Wozwal Hus sat back at his desk, thought carefully for a while, inputing my test results into my identity card.


    "What rank now?"


    I anxiously asked, feeling my strength slowly recovering after resting for a while. I hurriedly got up to pick up my identity card, looking at it again and again, simply unbelievable to my own eyes.


    "No...can''t be, really sixth rank? Did you score me wrongly?"


    "I would never make such a basic mistake! Although in my eyes you just barely reached the sixth rank standard, no doubt you have sixth rank!"


    Seeing how excited I was, he suddenly couldn''t help but laugh.


    "In any case, you forced me out of the arena. If this was a competition, then by the rules I have certainly lost. However, your swordsmanship is average and needs improvement. Your magic abilities are remarkably strong, leaving me in awe. This evaluation is completely fair."


    "So I''m not third rank anymore?"


    I held the card excitedly and asked. I couldn''t resist giving the "Rank" column a kiss.


    "Of course! Congratulations, from now on you are a high rank adventurer of the association. If I remember correctly, high rank adventurers can enjoy some privileges in the association. Go ask at the service counter!"


    Wozwal Hus smiled and waved me out of the testing room. I left without another word.


    "I heard a lot of noise inside just now. What were the results of your retest?"


    As soon as I walked out the door, I saw Hayden waiting there. He asked me with concern.


    "Huh? Weren''t you off on a quest just now?"


    I was a bit surprised to see him still here and asked.


    "I already finished the quest and came back! I happened to see you go in for a while, so I waited for you to see the results. It was only five minutes or so."


    He took the card and was also a bit surprised when he saw the rank.


    "Sixth rank! So you jumped three ranks in one go?"


    "I didn''t expect it either. I thought reaching fourth rank would have been enough."


    I said modestly.


    "You can''t look at it that way!"


    Hayden shook his head and gave the identity card back to me.


    "If it was only fourth rank it would still be too low. Don''t forget you already have six wings! You should at least have the level of fifth and a half rank."


    "You''re right..."


    After all, the abilities of eight-winged angels generally far exceeded the sixth rank. So for a six-winged angel, reaching six ranks was not actually that high of an evaluation.


    "But at least the rank column is back to a normal number. Now my rank is higher than Nicola''s."


    At least I''ve got one up on her! I''m easily satisfied. I figured I could brag about this sixth rank evaluation for a while.


    Naturally I wanted to do some quests to get a feel for it after getting the new rank! And being in the Adventurer''s Association, I could accept quests after just walking a few steps.


    Unfortunately Hayden had to leave for some other business, so we couldn''t form a team together.


    "Miss, your rank entitles you to special privileges in the Adventurer''s Association. Please follow me to the room on this side!"If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After a long wait, it was finally my turn to accept a quest. The clerk looked at my identity information and hurried out from behind the counter to lead me through a small side door.


    "Um...since I already waited in line, can''t you just give me a quest card directly?"


    I looked back at the long line and was suddenly at a loss. I didn''t expect it to be so troublesome. Another clerk immediately took over the spot at the service counter.


    But he didn''t answer my question right away. Only after entering this small room did I realize it was a cozy little waiting room.


    Comfortable sofa, private quest display board, and complimentary tea and snacks...


    "I checked your information just now and saw that you just advanced to six ranks today. So according to the rules, I will explain..."


    The clerk poured me a glass of water and cleared his throat before continuing.


    "This rank is valid across all human nations on the continent. You can enjoy three special privileges from the association:


    "First, you have access to the VIP room. You can now accept and turn in quests from this room, avoiding the queue, and with dedicated service staff.


    "Second, you can accept quests of mid-rank and below without depositing points, and only need to deposit half the points for high rank quests.


    "Third, you have free use of all transportation provided by the association, including but not limited to carriages, airships, dragon riding services, inter-city teleportation magic arrays, and more."


    "Isn''t that too luxurious?"


    I got excited all of a sudden and couldn''t help but ask more.


    "The first two privilege benefits are understandable, but what are the dragon riding service and inter-city teleportation magic arrays in the third one?"


    "The inter-city teleportation magic array is a dedicated transfer array set up in the Adventurer''s Association. It allows free travel between Adventurer''s Associations in other cities that also have teleportation arrays. Since this service was just launched recently, the number of connected cities is not high yet."


    He patiently explained in detail.


    "As for the dragon riding service, it uses a type of unintelligent lesser dragon as a mount. After years of domestication they can carry people for long flights. But for safety, riding training is usually recommended first. However, based on your information, you are an angel, so you probably wouldn''t need it..."


    "Have there been other registered angels who reached six ranks?"


    Hearing this, I tried asking the question I had wanted to ask for a long time.


    "Of course, our Adventurer''s Association has a history of nearly a thousand years on the continent. In that time, a few dozen angels registered as adventurers. But the highest rank reached was only six ranks."


    "So there were that many huh..."


    After the response from the clerk, I nodded thoughtfully. The number actually far exceeded my expectations. I figured even more angels would come register after Elara''s new policies were implemented.


    After that I didn''t have much else to ask. Although I could now accept mid-rank quests without depositing points, I still chose the low-rank quests I had looked at before. After all they were simple. I didn''t have the mindset for complex quests that might take too much time yet.


    Luckily the clerk didn''t show any anomaly at me choosing a low-rank quest despite being a high-rank adventurer. As he was leaving, he suddenly reminded:


    "Since you registered at this association, you should pay attention to your nationality and citizenship issues. The Kingdom of Astralrealm requires its residents who reach six ranks to be received by the king within three days, otherwise it is against the law."


    "Huh? As an angel shouldn''t my citizenship default to Edenmere?"


    I was a bit confused at this.


    "This is just a routine reminder, please disregard if you are not a registered resident of this country!"


    He quickly explained when he heard me.


    "It''s because there have been cases of angels marrying humans in the past and automatically obtaining the husband''s nationality..."


    "Of course I''m not married, so there is no such circumstance!"


    I quickly waved my hands to end this topic and left the VIP room.


    ...


    Overall the quest went pretty smoothly. After turning it in at the VIP room, it was already afternoon.


    "Time to head back and see, Cyra''s probably been out wandering long ago right? I wonder if she''s back home yet?"


    I walked out of the association hall excited to share my new results.


    But as I was passing through the square in front of the association, I happened to overhear a group of adventurers discussing holy water.


    "Hey did you guys hear? There''s a new vendor that opened today in the east district, selling holy water real cheap, just a few dozen silvers a bottle."


    "Really? Then I''ll go take a look too. It''s good to stock up on some, then later when facing monsters, the holy water boost will save a lot of effort."


    "Sold out already if you go now right? Must be some merchant clearing out old inventory. Wouldn''t have much stock."


    "You''re right, then no point rushing over. After all we just fought some monsters recently, probably won''t run into too many dark creatures in the short term...


    "You are wrong. The value of holy water isn''t just in fighting monsters, this stuff is also a particularly precious cosmetic, stocking up more can''t hurt!"


    ...


    This east city district is right where my rented room is located! Hearing these people praise holy water so highly, I suddenly found it a bit funny.


    The so-called holy water is just water infused with the light element, I personally confirmed this last time at Preston Cathedral. For angels, holy water is just a useless gimmick.


    Oh right! I remember trying to sell holy water myself, and discussing it with Nicola. It would be hugely profitable business! But after getting teleported to the Dark Continent, I forgot about it.


    Unfortunately we probably won''t stay in the city for too long now, otherwise I would definitely restart that money-making business.


    After all, earning money from True Church would be delightful!


    I was in a good mood today. Humming a tune as I walked back, when I got close to home, I discovered a crowd gathered below at the bookstore, seemingly scrambling to buy something.

 Vol 4/Chapter 12: Holy Water Sales

    "Huh? How come the landlord''s bookstore is so busy today?"


    I remember that small bookstore usually didn''t have customers. The landlord would just sit there reading books.


    Could it be that he took out some old unsold books and is selling them at a discount? But even so, there shouldn''t be this many people, even if he was giving them away for free.


    When I walked closer, I realized these people were not holding books, but bottles of holy water!


    "No way! Since when did the landlord change his business to selling holy water?"


    I squeezed through the crowd to take a look. There was a table in front of the bookstore with a basin on it. The landlord stood behind the table, taking money and bottles from customers. With one hand he took money, with the other he poured water into the bottles.


    The price was written clearly on a sign under the basin:


    "Good news! Holy water sold at cost price! Authentic, natural, pollution-free, high-quality holy water. Only 88 per bottle (Note: Standard bottle size only)! Check on the spot, money back guaranteed if not satisfied!"


    "This is..."


    Such a familiar sales pitch. Could it be the True Church expanding their business to the bookstore?


    I remembered the news I heard earlier in the Adventurers'' Guild square, turned out the so-called holy water sold at tens of dollars a bottle was right under my room!


    Seeing the landlord busily taking money with both hands, I didn''t want to bother him with questions. I could only leave the crowd and go upstairs to my rented room.


    "Cyra? What are you doing?"


    I opened the door but saw her sitting in the room with her wings spread out, hands in a bucket of water, seemingly releasing light elemental power continuously.


    "You''re just in time, come help me quick! The holy water downstairs is selling like crazy!"


    Seeing me enter, Cyra immediately called for help.


    "This is..."


    Seeing this scene, I immediately understood what was going on - this scoundrel took my idea again!


    "The holy water the landlord selling downstairs is made by you, right?"


    Considering the bustling scene at the bookstore entrance, I asked worriedly,


    "Could it be he knows your angel identity?"


    "No way! You''re overthinking it..."


    Cyra quickly shook her head and clarified,


    "Didn''t you guys already warn me to not reveal my identity in the human world, especially in cities? So I''ve always remembered that. The landlord only thinks I''m a light mage."


    "I see... but shouldn''t it be quite difficult for human light mage to make holy water? Otherwise it wouldn''t be so expensive. Didn''t he notice anything different?"


    Hearing her explanation I felt relieved. Although exposure wouldn''t lead to big trouble, since angels appear frequently in this country, it would still bring some inconvenience.


    "Don''t worry! Your landlord is just an ordinary person who can''t even use magic. How could he understand the difference?"


    Cyra waved her hand dismissively.


    "At first when he saw me selling holy water alone on the street corner from my storage ring, he thought I got my supply through special channels from the True Church. If not for the need to immediately make more after selling out, I might have just went with that excuse!"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "What are you standing around for? Come help me! Don''t worry, I''ll share some of the sales with you!"


    Seeing me standing motionless at the door, she urged impatiently.


    "Uh..."


    Hearing her explanation, I realized there was no big issue after all.


    Strictly speaking, the True Church always preached that holy water was normal water blessed by priests or bishops, bestowed with grace by the Lord. But in reality, most people knew clearly, this stuff was just water infused with light elemental power by light mage.


    It''s just that human light mages were so rare, and most gathered in the True Church, so the Church maintained a monopoly over the source.


    In fact, it was said that some freelance light mage outside the Church previously made and sold holy water themselves. But these people could only make limited quantities. The profits from selling a bit did not compare to joining the Church for legitimacy.


    As for angels, it was not a question of ability, but willingness and dignity to do such a thing.


    "How is holy water made? Just put your hand in the bucket and release light elemental power?"


    Thinking of this, I could only spread my wings and go over to follow her instructions, putting my hand into the bucket. Since Cyra already made such a big fuss over this, I shouldn''t oppose her, right?


    Moreover, getting money didn''t sound too bad! Judging by the sales downstairs, the day''s revenue should be quite substantial. I would probably get a good share.


    "That''s right! The steps are simple. Just release your light elemental power externally and let it fuse into the water."


    Under Cyra''s guidance, I quickly grasped the knack. But since my previous testing emptied my internal light elements, and it hadn''t fully recovered yet, I could only go slowly, not daring to release too quickly.


    Even so, my remaining light elements still exceeded Cyra''s by a lot. Soon I finished making a bucket of "freshly made" holy water.


    "With your help the speed increased so much. And the concentration of this bucket seems a bit too high..."


    Cyra examined the holy water in the bucket, then fetched a few more buckets, added some clean water, and started diluting.


    "Shameless profiteer!"


    I watched as she added at least five times the amount of clean water. The single bucket of holy water instantly turned into four or five buckets.


    "The concentration of the True Church''s holy water is diluted five times more than ours!"


    Cyra shrugged nonchalantly, then stored all the buckets of holy water into her storage ring.


    "This is called profit maximization, understand? Weren''t you complaining about me being poor? Now watch how I earn money!"


    "That ring you took from interrogating Yvonne, right?"


    I stared at the ring on her finger and asked, suddenly feeling that storage rings were so useful! Without it, carrying five buckets of holy water downstairs without revealing my wings would be very difficult.


    "This should be Yvonne''s. It''s usually empty and barely used. But it''s very helpful today."


    Cyra casually explained, then went downstairs with me to the bookstore entrance.


    "You''re finally here! Hurry and restock, my basin is empty! So many customers waiting!"


    Seeing us come down, the landlord called to us eagerly like seeing a lifeline.


    "Don''t rush everyone! Our holy water is guaranteed quality and quantity! Best price!"


    Cyra took out the five buckets of holy water from her ring, and had the landlord pour them into the basin while she announced loudly to the crowd:


    "Due to the excellent sales so far today, to thank all customers for your support, and ease the pressure on our staff, I''ve decided to expand sales channels and implement a win-win policy for all! - "


    "Starting now, customers only need to purchase eight bottles of holy water at one go to gain sales agent rights, joining our sales channel! Agents can spread this news to family and friends. Bring in a new customer and enjoy 15% rebate on the spot, the more the merrier, until all holy water is sold out!"


    "Oh - I want to sign up, I want to sign up..."


    This immediately caused a huge commotion. The surrounding crowd rushed over frantically, waving silvers wanting to buy ten bottles of holy water.


    "Don''t rush, there''s enough holy water for everyone!"


    The landlord was overjoyed and quickly calmed the crowd.


    "Still need to recruit two temporary workers to maintain order, and a temporary clerk to record the names of agents! Wages 100 silvers per hour. Those interested can sign up with me!"


    Seeing the situation, Cyra frowned slightly and announced a recruitment notice.


    This wage was pretty good, comparable or slightly higher than low rank adventurer quest rewards. To take missions from the Adventurer''s Guild required registration and tests. There was always danger. But ordinary people could handle this job safely with no risk of injury, so a long line formed on Cyra''s side as well.


    "You''re running a pyramid scheme!"


    Watching everything happen, I glared at Cyra and said helplessly,


    "Who said it''s a pyramid scheme?"


    Cyra randomly picked three people as temps before pulling me upstairs to start making more holy water. She retorted casually,


    "The biggest feature of pyramid schemes is no real product, only earning from recruitment fees. But I have hot-selling holy water as a foundation. At most this is direct marketing... No, maybe not even that!"


    "Direct marketing is not illegal! Moreover, even if it were a pyramid scheme, so what? There are no laws against it in this world!"


    Hearing her justify herself so unabashedly, I was left speechless. She was right that even if it really were a pyramid scheme, Earth''s laws don''t apply in this world.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 13: Disappearing again

    After that, we went back to the room and started making holy water again. With me joining in, the water tub downstairs was not enough very soon. The landlord somehow found two more water tubs. With three tubs going at the same time, there was plenty of supply which made the buyers very happy. The queue even went to the next street.


    I don''t know how long it took, but I saw that all three tubs were filled with holy water already. I clapped my hands and decided to stop production for the day.


    "Okay, this should be enough for your stock tomorrow! Also, I can''t keep making holy water with you all the time. I have other things to do!"


    I looked at the time again. It was night time already. I wondered why that fellow Nicola still hadn''t come back. I decided to go to the royal castle later to check out the situation.


    "Alright, after selling holy water the whole day, we already earned a lot. It''s indeed time to close shop and rest."


    While counting the silvers on the table, Cyra nodded and agreed. The sky was dark already. Although there were still some customers queuing outside the bookstore, the numbers were much lesser compared to before.


    "About how much did we earn?"


    Seeing the tall stack of silvers in front of her, I couldn''t help but ask curiously.


    "Less than 100,000 silvers. But I still need to pay the three temporary workers..."


    "That''s a lot already!"


    Although I was mentally prepared, hearing this number still shocked me a little. In less than half a day, they earned close to 100,000 silvers! The speed was quite terrifying.


    I guessed tomorrow''s sales would be lower. But no matter what, the share I could get was much more than doing quests for a month.


    "Is Feliciana coming with us later to celebrate over dinner?"


    At this moment, the landlord walked out from the bookstore and asked me.


    "dinner..."


    Earning so much money in one shot, it was reasonable to celebrate a little. I pondered for a while.


    "But Nicola still hasn''t come back. It doesn''t feel right to leave her out. You guys go ahead first. I''ll find her then we''ll come together."


    "Fine! Although that fellow argued with me earlier, I''ll graciously allow her to join us for a free meal!"


    Having earned money, Cyra was in a very good mood. She didn''t bother about their quarrel last night anymore.


    "Come over quick later. I booked a table at that ''Autumn Pavilion'' restaurant we passed by yesterday!"


    Before leaving, Cyra reminded me. They were packing up now. Of course, the three new temporary workers would join the celebration too.


    There was an advantage at night. I didn''t need to walk anymore. Like before, I just had to find a secluded spot, spread my wings, then swiftly fly towards the royal castle at the lake center.


    However, I met with an obstacle this time. Before I could get near my destination, I saw a row of hippogriff knights blocking my path.


    "Er, I''m going to the royal castle to find my friend Nicola. She came here early this morning to discuss some matters with King Galahad..."


    Probably because of the assassination attempt yesterday, security was greatly increased around the king''s castle. I had no choice but to honestly state my purpose.


    "Nicola is the name of the angel who protected His Majesty the King right? I remember she came to the castle together with her yesterday. There shouldn''t be any issues then!"


    One of the hippogriff knights recognised me. Upon hearing this, the others didn''t stop me anymore. After all, angels were considered friendly to the Astralrealm Kingdom. I easily passed through.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Miss Feliciana, may I ask what business brings you to the royal castle at night?"


    Like before, as soon as I landed on the square roof of the castle, the castle steward immediately came out from the building to formally ask. It seemed the hippogriff knights had immediately passed word of my arrival to the castle.


    "Nicola came here early this morning to discuss cooperation matters with the King. But she still hasn''t returned. So I came to inquery..."


    "Miss Nicola did come this morning. But she already left around noon."


    His reply was somewhat unexpected.


    Unexpectedly, Nicola had left so long ago! But why did she leave the castle so early without returning home? Could it be she went to the arcade again?


    "I see... I''ll go look for her elsewhere then..."


    Since he already said so, I didn''t insist on entering. This reminded me of when Nicola previously went missing. Could there be something wrong with her mentally again?


    Naturally, the next place to go was the entertainment lounge. The arcade owner welcomed me warmly like we were old friends. But the result was the same as before. There were no discoveries.


    Now I was totally confused. Could the same thing really happen a second time? Don''t tell me this fellow is drinking wine alone by the lakeside again!


    But when I went to the lakeside where she got drunk previously, the chair was already occupied by someone else.


    A pair of ducks...


    I could only quietly fly back up into the sky again. Now I didn''t know where else to look.


    Considering the wide area the lake covered, what if Nicola didn''t choose the same spot to drink alone this time? That would be more troublesome. I''d have to search the entire lakeside?


    Just as I was fretting over what to do, I suddenly sensed a huge cluster of light elements moving in the sky nearby. Although it was too dark to see clearly with my eyes at night, I judged from experience that it should be an angel flying over there.


    "Which angel is still flying around the sky so late at night? Could it be..."


    Without hesitation, I flew swiftly towards the light elements. The other party seemed to also notice my approach, turning around and moving closer to me.


    "Feliciana?"


    "Nicola?"


    After I could clearly see the other''s face, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Expectedly, it really was her. I finally found her.


    "Hey! Where exactly did you run off to? I searched so hard for you. I thought you hid somewhere drinking alone again!"


    "No way, I won''t do something so silly again!"


    Hearing me, she was a little embarrassed and quickly explained.


    "Actually, I went to Parristol earlier. Because that place is located at the eastern border of the kingdom, going there and back took quite some time. So I didn''t manage to get back before dark...I''m sorry."


    "Parristol? Why did you go there?"


    Hearing her, I felt confused. I didn''t understand at all why she ran to such a far away place.


    That was a border region of the Astralrealm Kingdom! Taking normal flight speed, it would take at least half a day to reach that place. Nicola probably used a high speed flying skill to accomplish a return trip within half a day.


    "Of course it was to scout the situation!"


    While replying, Nicola pulled me along slowly flying towards the rental house.


    "After finishing discussing cooperation matters with the King at the castle this morning, I was about to leave when I overheard some maidservants whispering among themselves about matters in Parristol. After all, the assassination bombing yesterday caused quite a big commotion. So I hid nearby and listened for a while..."


    "Anything special? Didn''t that castle steward already briefed us about Parristol yesterday?"


    I still didn''t really understand.


    "He didn''t say everything. But the maids'' conversation had some mysterious parts."


    Saying this, Nicola meaningfully glanced at the king''s castle standing in the lake center. She slowly asked.


    "In the past, the country Parristol didn''t have a very large land area. Just slightly bigger than a city area. But it was able to survive for thousands of years sandwiched between the three big nations - Astralrealm Kingdom, Ilandra Dominion to the south, and Cresthaven Papal Dominion to the east. Don''t you find this a bit amazing?"


    "Yeah..."


    Hearing her say this, I also felt something was amiss.


    Such a small country, its military strength should be very weak. Yet it was able to survive so many years without being annexed. It was difficult to explain this just by skilled diplomacy. It was impossible for every generation of the royal family to be diplomatic geniuses!


    Even considering the surrounding three big nations checked one another, good fortune couldn''t have lasted this long for thousands of years.


    Considering this world was different from Earth, with the existence of magic and such, individuals could become much more powerful. So there was only one possibility.


    "Could it be that in the past, this country had many big shots defending it? And the reason Astralrealm Kingdom could annex it was because these big shots had all died, or were no longer willing to defend the nation?"


    "No!"


    Unexpectedly, she shook her head and immediately denied my guess.


    "Perhaps there really were some so-called ''big shots'', but these ''big shots'' were definitely not what you imagine..."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    I was completely confused now, and could only roll my eyes to urge her.


    "Come on, stop beating around the bush and just say it directly!"


    "At that time, I heard an interesting matter from the maids in the king''s castle..."


    Nicola nodded and slowly shared the information she got with me.


    "You should still remember Chromos Tower, the iconic Parristol tourist attraction that the castle steward specifically mentioned before right... It''s said that the Raul royal family who ruled Parristol lived in this tower for thousands of years. They used it completely as their palace, never changing this over the millennia!"

 Vol 4/Chapter 14: Missing the Dinner

    "What does that have to do with being able to withstand invasions from big powers?" I asked, puzzled.


    "It has a lot to do with it!" she continued. "Legend has it that the Raul royal family had a special kind of power in this tower that allowed them to control heavenly punishment and punish their enemies. Specifically, one or more beams of light would come down from the sky at extremely high speed and instantly strike the target meant for punishment. Their power could blast a huge crater in the ground! And for thousands of years, all the surrounding countries had been unable to figure out what these so-called beams of light actually were. They could only make one conclusion after countless observations - these beams were not magic as they had no aura of any element! They seemed to have flown in from outer space..."


    "What exactly are these things? Could they really be some kind of heavenly punishment?" I was a bit stunned by this mystical tale! Could it be that some god in this world was playing tricks? But that didn''t make sense either - why would a god obey the Raul royal family''s commands?


    "Of course it''s not heavenly punishment! Parristol has already been conquered and occupied by the Astralrealm Kingdom for many years now, so that means the so-called heavenly punishment powers have already lost their effect. It probably doesn''t have much to do with any gods," Nicola seemed to understand my thoughts and shook her head to prompt me.


    "Or perhaps you still don''t quite understand. If I tell you that the maidservants also mentioned an important detail - later in the craters blasted out, they would often dig up some iron shards and other melted remnants. What might you think of then?"


    "Bombs? Grenades? Wait...if they flew down from the sky, then they must be...missiles?!" Drawing on my first impression, I quickly came up with an answer, then realized it was wrong and corrected myself.


    "That''s right, that''s what I thought at the time too!" Nicola nodded and continued, "Remember the chip-like structures and other artifacts that looked like technology we found in the ''Eye of Galadra''? So I suspected that the monsters'' technology might be related to this place! To prove this idea, after leaving the royal city, I flew straight to the Parristol site to investigate."


    "What was the result?" I asked eagerly, hovering in midair.


    "Unfortunately, I didn''t find anything unusual there..." Nicola spread her hands helplessly.


    "My main purpose was to examine the Chromos Tower, because according to some information I looked up later, the history of this building was quite ancient, dating back to before Parristol was founded, so at least a few thousand years old! And the way the royal family had occupied the tower as their palace over generations was also rather suspicious..."


    "So you guessed it might be some kind of high-tech building?" I rolled my eyes at her - I could guess what she was thinking without her saying it.


    Since the "Eye of Galadra" confiscated from Michelle was found to contain technological components mixed in, even though we had confirmed this wasn''t Earth, Nicola still thought there might have been some prehistoric technological civilization or something like that in the past.


    "But in reality, there was nothing particularly special about the style of this tower in this world. At best, it was just a slightly taller and thicker mage''s tower. And now no one lives in the tower anymore, it''s been cordoned off by the local government as a tourist attraction..." As expected, Nicola sounded a bit dejected as she said this.


    "I made a wasted trip! I even stubbornly went inside Chromos Tower and took a full tour, spending a whole hundred silvers on the entrance ticket! Yet I discovered the interior had been completely renovated in a palace style, with no traces of high technology at all. It felt like I had been tricked!" If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "That''s what you get for impulsively running so far away!" I sighed, recalling how she had made me worry for nothing again today.


    "Let''s not talk about Parristol anymore. Let''s go back! We''ve been starving all day, did you make any food?"


    "No!" I retorted grumpily. Seeing her patting her belly pitifully, I suddenly softened a little and told the truth, "Today Cyra made a lot of money selling holy water downstairs, so everyone decided to have a celebration party at a restaurant. They''ve already gone ahead, but I spent a long time looking for you, so they''ve probably started eating already..."


    "Selling holy water? You can make money off that stuff? And where did she get holy water from?" Nicola asked curiously.


    "Of course, haven''t you ever seen holy water before? She made it herself of course. So-called holy water was invented by the True Church people, it''s just regular water mixed with some light element. It might not be easy for humans to make, but it''s super simple for angels!" I briefly recounted what had happened outside the bookstore this afternoon. I suddenly felt I might be smarter than her in some ways! Even though my idea was stolen by Cyra, at least I had thought of it too!


    "I don''t go to places like the True Church, so of course I don''t know anything about their holy water..." Nicola scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed. She would probably be even more shocked if she knew Cyra had earned a hundred thousand silas in just half a day.


    ...


    "Sorry, we''re closed for the day. Please come back during business hours tomorrow!"


    However, when we arrived at the Autumn Pavilion Restaurant, we found that because we had spent so long looking for Nicola, the restaurant had already reached closing time and stopped operations.


    "Ah crap...doesn''t that mean we didn''t get to eat anything?" I was completely dumbfounded, looking at the empty restaurant hall. The magic lamps used for lighting had already been extinguished, leaving only one staff member staying behind to tidy up and lock the doors.


    "What about Cyra and the others?"


    "They must have gone back long ago!"


    Nicola had no choice but to drag me by the clothes back home.


    Our current state could be described as starving. On the way, I was wondering whether to just go hungry tonight, or try to make some food at home to fill our bellies before sleeping.


    But when we got back to the rented apartment and Nicola went upstairs to take out her key and open the door, I was suddenly reminded of an important issue I had neglected for a long time.


    "Crap! I didn''t give Cyra the door key, so she wouldn''t have been able to get in right?"


    "Who says she can''t get in? Cyra has wings now, at worst she could have flown in through the second floor window." Nicola said indifferently and pushed the door open, only to be proven wrong immediately. The room was pitch black, and the bed was empty even after turning on the magic lamps, with no trace of Cyra.


    "Where did she go so late..." I stood frozen in the doorway, at a loss over what to do. I suddenly felt a headache coming on - did both these girls have a habit of not coming home at night?


    "What should we do now, go out and look for her again?" Seeing the situation, Nicola was also a bit confused and could only ask me for suggestions.


    "But she''s only been in this city for a day, with no fixed places to go. How would we find her?" To be honest, I was exhausted and hungry right now, suddenly missing the comfortable living environment in Edenmere.


    But leaving Cyra alone also didn''t feel right - she was usually so absent-minded, I was worried about her not coming home and causing some incident.


    "Who did she go to the dinner with? Maybe we can ask them?" Sitting heavily on the bed, Nicola sighed, also seeming to feel the situation was tricky, and could only try to offer advice.


    "Of course the people who participated in selling the holy water this afternoon. There were quite a few, since we also hired three temporary workers as helpers..."


    Nicola suddenly interrupted me and asked aimlessly, "Male or female?"


    "Both! The one recording stuff was female, and of course the other two maintaining order were male!"


    I answered truthfully, then added, "As for the landlord downstairs, he probably went too. Though he wasn''t hired, he likely had some cooperative relationship with Cyra..."


    I suddenly lit up at this point.


    "That''s right! We can go ask the landlord. If Cyra couldn''t get in, she might be staying at his place!"


    "The landlord participated in the celebration too?" Hearing this, Nicola''s expression immediately turned ugly as she said in annoyance, "Didn''t I remind Cyra to be careful of her identity? How could she still get together with the landlord!"


    "Huh? What''s wrong with that?" I didn''t really understand. Was she still bothered about their earlier argument? They seemed to have made up completely and forgotten about last night''s unpleasantness.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 15 - Poor Cyra

    "Of course not right, sigh..."


    Nicola sighed anxiously and looked at me wanting to say something but held back. She could only push open the door and walk straight down the stairs.


    "Landlord! Cyra! Are you inside?"


    Downstairs, the bookstore door was tightly shut with no sound or light coming from inside.


    Since the landlord''s bookstore was simple, without fancy display windows like high-end shops, we couldn''t see inside just standing outside.


    With no choice, Nicola and I knocked on the door and shouted. But after waiting for five minutes, there was still no movement. Instead, some neighbors attracted by our shouts peeked out their windows.


    "Can''t keep shouting like this, doesn''t seem useful..."


    "Could the landlord not be home either? Where did they go, why haven''t they come back?"


    "No, they''re here!"


    Nicola shook her head and after sensing the surroundings for a while, suddenly said to me.


    "I can feel it, Cyra should be in a room on the first floor! I sense the aura of light element in that room!"


    "No way right? If Cyra doesn''t reveal her wings, even we can barely sense the light element in her, let alone through a wall..."


    At first I didn''t quite believe it, but soon realized she was right.


    With the house blocking, it was very hard to notice at first. But if you pay close attention, you can detect traces of light element leaking from the cracks of the bookstore door. In the night generally lacking light element, it stood out sharply.


    "Could she really have her wings out?"


    I was starting to get anxious. Logically, if not in danger, Cyra shouldn''t do this against our repeated warnings.


    "Cyra, are you inside? Landlord! Cyra! Open the door!"


    Nicola finally couldn''t hold back anymore. Disregarding the neighbors, she started banging hard on the shop door. But even so, there was still no response after a long time.


    "Looks like something happened, impossible they didn''t hear with all this noise!"


    I urgently said to Nicola.


    "Then I''ll break down the door by force, you follow quickly!"


    Hearing me, Nicola nodded. After checking the surroundings and seeing no one else around, she kicked open the bookstore''s big door with her six wings spread out.


    The huge sound startled me as Nicola and I rushed inside the shop. It was still arranged like daytime, stacked full of books for sale. The aura of light element did seem a bit stronger.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Huh? No one''s in the bookstore?"


    Turning on the magic lights in the shop, there were no people. Strange, where did the light elements come from?


    "There''s another door here, let''s check inside!"


    After circling the shop, Nicola pointed to a wooden door in the corner. Hidden behind shelves, it was not easily noticed. As expected, this door likely led to the living space where the landlord slept.


    "It''s locked!"


    I pushed but it didn''t budge at all. So there must be someone inside. And the light element seemed to be leaking from this room.


    "Let me do it, step back!......"


    Nicola pulled me behind her. With a loud crash after a hard kick, the entire wooden door flew off its hinges!


    "Cyra!"


    The magic lights inside were on. As the door fell, we could see an angel curled up on the bed, wrapped completely in her feathers.


    "What exactly happened...landlord?"


    I accidentally kicked something on the ground. Looking down, I saw the landlord lying unconscious by the wall near the door, with his pants still hanging off his knees.


    "This is..."


    Seeing this scene, I finally understood what happened but still couldn''t believe my eyes.


    "Cyra, don''t tell me you were really..."


    "What else could it be, just as you see! But whether he succeeded I don''t know..."


    It seemed Nicola already expected this. She kicked the landlord''s body again. He didn''t react at all, so she checked and he wasn''t dead. Just knocked out.


    "Tsk! This guy''s pretty lucky, he''s not dead yet! Just fainted."


    "But isn''t Cyra an angel? How did the landlord overpower her?"


    Why the landlord ended up like this was obvious. It must have been Cyra desperately fighting back with her wings out. But I still didn''t quite understand. In physical ability, the landlord was just an ordinary human, basically no different from an Earth human. Even if Cyra was petite and weak which attracted his lust when her wings were hidden, with her wings spread, how could this guy possibly overpower her?


    That''s why I always felt assured leaving Cyra alone. I never expected this to happen in the end.


    "I was drunk!"


    Curled up between her knees, Cyra finally spoke up. But her voice sounded wronged.


    "You guys were gone for so long tonight, so we started eating first. To liven things up, we ordered lots of drinks. I didn''t get to drink enough last time at the Edenmere restaurant, and the landlord kept pouring me more, so I gave in and had one too many cups. I didn''t expect my alcohol tolerance to be so low now. When I came to, this guy was already smiling wickedly while lying on top of me, kissing and biting...So in shock, I sent him flying..."


    "..."


    Hearing this, I was at a loss for words. I didn''t expect her angel identity to fall to alcohol in the end. No idea if the landlord planned this or took advantage of the situation.


    "You''re still too naive, already forgetting the lesson from my drinking last time..."


    Seeing my speechless expression, Nicola couldn''t hold back either and finally revealed the past truth.


    "This landlord has a history. When we lived before, he came up to harass me too. If not for worrying that killing him would impact our lives, I''d have slaughtered him long ago!"


    "Why didn''t you say so sooner!"


    I was shocked to hear even Nicola suffered under this guy. I never knew!


    "Strange, he never bothered me. If we knew his true nature early on, we''d have moved out immediately!"


    "Easier said than done! You were always out early and back late, so he never got a chance. He finally found an opening when we were alone. That day I happened to come home early, and his original target was you. But I unintentionally blocked the bullet for you! And also..."


    At this point, Nicola suddenly became a bit embarrassed.


    "With this kind of thing happening, how could I tell you! To move, we''d need to find a new rental and pay deposits, when we were saving for storage rings. So I could only secretly go drinking alone at night to drown my sorrows. And you saw the results...turns out my alcohol tolerance worsened too..."


    So that''s why she got dead drunk by the lake that day! I suddenly understood!


    Nicola and Cyra liked acting tough, but were too embarrassed to admit harassment. They could only bottle it up, having no one to turn to. I could relate to that.


    "So what do we do now? Should we call the city guards? No idea how sexual assault is treated here..."


    I looked at Cyra on the bed, then at Nicola, feeling conflicted. The clean bedsheets suggested the landlord didn''t succeed with Cyra in the end. After all, Astralrealm laws differed from Earth. Even if we called the guards and they saw this scene, we might get wrongly accused instead.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 16: Coming to the Door

    But I absolutely did not want to let him off so easily. This guy had to be taught a lesson!


    "Let''s just chop him up!"


    Nicola was filled with rage and wanted to go all the way.


    "Ah? Is that necessary to be so cruel..."


    I felt somewhat reluctant seeing this. Killing magical beasts was one thing, but killing a person, I didn''t quite dare to try. Besides, did the landlord really deserve to die?


    "What''s there to be afraid of? We definitely won''t continue staying in this rented place anyway. Also, angels have a special status in the Astralrealm Kingdom. Even if we kill this fellow, it probably won''t cause too huge of a problem."


    Unlike me, Nicola was the victim. She held much more resentment and didn''t heed my dissuasion, insisting on taking ruthless action.


    I didn''t forget that King Galahad was a follower of the True Church. For ordinary folk who dared blaspheme angels, this country definitely wouldn''t make a big deal out of it. So if the landlord was killed by Nicola, probably nothing would really happen.


    But just as Nicola was about to take action, ignoring me, we suddenly heard many voices speaking outside, including someone shouting.


    "Is the owner of this bookstore here? Anyone home?"


    "Crap! What do we do now? They must have been alerted by your loud kicking just now."


    Deep down, I actually felt relieved. After all, I didn''t want things to end so cruelly by our hands.


    "Let''s go out and see first!"


    Nicola stared at the landlord on the floor, her expression fluctuating. She hesitated for a long time before finally not making a move. Her original intention was to finish him off and immediately flee.


    "The landlord isn''t here, what''s the matter..."


    She signalled to me and had me go placate Cyra, while she herself responded loudly and walked out from the inner room. But she had barely gone out when her tone suddenly changed.


    "What, it''s you?"


    "Huh? Who could it be? Sounds like Nicola recognizes them."


    The commotion in the bookstore made me feel strange. I wanted to follow her out and take a look. But before I could, a scream came from outside!


    "Wah, Lady Nicola! Didn''t expect to meet you here. When did you come back? Why didn''t you let me know earlier!"


    "Selene?"


    Well, didn''t even need to see to recognize the voice. Way too familiar. But how did she get here?


    I walked out from the inner room with a puzzled look. Indeed! At the entrance stood two or three people dressed in True Church attire, with Selene as the leader.


    "Feliciana? You two are together!"


    Seeing me, Selene immediately waved happily. After all we had gone through a lot together in the Dark Continent, my relationship with her had unknowingly grown closer.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Looks like those mysterious holy waters must have been created by you two!"


    "Huh? Holy water?"


    Hearing this, I instantly understood. I really didn''t expect that they had come on behalf of the True Church for this matter.


    "That''s right! Why else do you think a bunch of us would run to a place like this in the middle of the night?"


    Selene promptly nodded and explained.


    "This evening, I received a report at the church saying someone was selling high quality holy water in the city at low prices, using very malicious means, and the quantity was extremely huge. It''s suspected to be an antagonistic force deliberately creating competition to disrupt the income of our church in this area!"


    "So the bishop sent us to investigate. We visited many families before finally hearing that the place selling holy water was here. For a moment I thought the bookstore owner was a hidden light element mage!"


    "Looks like the direct sales ruckus you made this afternoon was too big, attracting the main characters here..."


    Nicola gave me a wry smile, then explained to Selene.


    "Actually I''m not involved in this matter. It was something stirred up by Feliciana and another angel."


    "Another angel? Could there be another angel here?"


    Hearing this, Selene immediately perked up and glanced behind me, but didn''t see anything.


    "She''s inside! Speaking of which, we''re currently tangled up in some troublesome matters..."


    Thinking of Cyra''s current state, I couldn''t help sighing. Perhaps Selene had more experience with such situations and knew how to advise her.


    "Come with me, help us take a look at her condition..."


    But I had completely misunderstood!


    When we entered the inner room again, we saw a completely different scene.


    "That''s what you get for forcing yourself on me, you toad lusting after a swan! Who do you think you are? I spit on you!"


    I saw Cyra had already gotten off the bed and was continuously kicking the landlord''s tools with her feet. To avoid accidentally kicking him to death, she had specifically hidden her wings to enjoy the kicking more fully.


    And it seemed the pain had just woken the landlord at this time. He was covering his lower body with both hands, crying out and begging for mercy. The scene looked very inappropriate.


    "They are..."


    Selene was naturally dumbfounded coming in to see this situation. When her eyes caught sight of the landlord''s exposed lower body, her face turned even redder in shyness as she quickly turned her head away.


    "Fleciana! How can you do this? You couldn''t have intentionally wanted me to see that!"


    "No! You misunderstand, of course not!"


    I quickly positioned my body between her and the landlord, flustered by the misunderstanding. I had wanted to sell misery, how did it suddenly turn into reverse violence? How could I still play the sympathy card now?


    Alright, I admit I was overthinking things. How could someone like Cyra feel sad like an ordinary girl? Besides, the landlord hadn''t succeeded after all!


    "That girl should be the other angel you mentioned right? Why is she doing this?"


    Although her view was blocked, Selene could still see Cyra''s frenzied abuse behind me. As for angels hiding their wings, she had witnessed it several times already and could identify it skillfully in a glance.


    "She''s Cyra, an angel who came out from Edenmere like us. As for the man on the ground..."


    Nicola had no choice but to cut in and introduce for me. But before she could explain the context, we were interrupted by the True Church followers.


    "What did you say? She...she is Lady Cyra?"


    "The holy angel has finally descended!"


    Seeing Selene''s followers get extremely excited, I could only smack my forehead. I had totally forgotten! The name Cyra carried great weight in the True Church too, explaining would be very troublesome.


    Now this was good, the room was already chaotic enough from the landlord''s wails. And now add to that the clamor of the church members, it felt like a huge mess in an instant.


    "Calm down first, let me ask clearly before saying more!"


    In contrast, Selene remained unflustered. She turned and stopped her followers'' actions, then casually asked me.


    "She wouldn''t happen to be that angel with the same name mentioned by the angel legion commander before right?"


    As expected, Selene still remembered the conversation between us and Serena before going to Edenmere. She had gotten pointlessly excited once already after all.


    "That''s right, it''s her!"


    I nodded and took the chance to concisely explain what had happened here.


    "The man lying on the ground is the owner of this bookstore, as well as our landlord..."


    "I see. Although this Cyra isn''t the holy angel, any angel that intends indecent acts against an angel, such behavior is still unforgivable in the eyes of our True Church!"


    After hearing my account, Selene glanced behind me and said.


    "Since it''s inconvenient for you to deal with him, just let us handle it!"


    The surroundings finally quieted down again. Cyra had kicked tired and been pulled to sit on the bedside by Nicola. As for the landlord, he had curled up and fainted again.

 Vol 4/Chapter 17: Follow Up

    "Let me take care of him now! It will be quick and clean!" Nicola said as she tried to attack again, but I held her back.


    "Don''t be rash. Let True Church handle this properly since they are professionals!" I said.


    "But he..." Nicola looked at the landlord on the ground and hesitated before sighing reluctantly under my persuasion. She went back to sit next to Cyra.


    "Take this blasphemer back to the church!" Selene waved to her followers. Two of them came forward and dragged the landlord out of the room.


    The influence of True Church ran deep in Astralrealm Kingdom. With Selene''s command, the landlord''s fate was sealed.


    "What will you do next? You shouldn''t stay here anymore! Why not come stay at our Preston Cathedral for a few nights? As for the offender, I guarantee a satisfactory resolution tomorrow!" Selene said gently to the victims.


    "Preston Cathedral?" Cyra''s mood improved after letting off steam. She perked up at those words curiously.


    "Of course, it is the headquarters of True Church in the capital Norvale. You angels will be completely safe there and receive VIP treatment," Selene tempted.


    Given their status as victims, Selene spoke gently. But to us, her offer was completely unnecessary.


    "It''s fine, the landlord is gone. We can just sleep upstairs again. We''re leaving town in a couple of days anyway," Nicola declined with a shake of her head. She didn''t like churches much. Staying a night or two shouldn''t be an issue.


    "What, you''re leaving again?" Selene was surprised and glanced at me, seeming reluctant.


    "Yeah, we need to see the Sages'' Alliance for something..." I hesitated, unsure how to explain the complicated developments with my wings turning blue.


    Suddenly I felt Cyra''s elbow nudge me. She was interested in Selene''s offer.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "I don''t want to sleep upstairs anymore. Let''s go see what their True Church is like. We''ve been in the outside world for a while but haven''t seen it yet!"


    "Well..." I was conflicted about which side to take.


    Nicola had already rejected the offer, but Cyra seemed interested. I felt conflicted about which side to take.


    Although Cyra would be curious about such places eventually, it was very late into the night. Would it be appropriate to go so far away?


    "Just accept her offer!" Selene was excited that an angel wanted to visit their church. She quickly persuaded me too.


    "Our original purpose coming here was your cheap holy water sales. Without any witnesses, I can''t report back," she added.


    I rolled my eyes at her excuses. True Church just wanted to recruit angels. With me and Nicola uninterested, she was desperate for an opportunity.


    "Holy water? What''s that about?" Cyra asked, confused. Selene explained their mission again.


    "Fine, she probably misses her lord. Let''s accompany her this once. I don''t feel comfortable sleeping upstairs after what happened anyway. We''re leaving town in a few days," Nicola conceded, considering Cyra''s circumstances.


    "Upstairs?" I stared at the ceiling and realized our rented room was right above us. No wonder we couldn''t find Cyra earlier.


    "But don''t mention recruitment or I''d rather come back here!" Nicola stated her terms firmly.


    "No problem, absolutely won''t bring it up again!" Selene readily agreed. She was experienced at this. Her smile at Cyra said it all.


    Found a backup huh!


    We packed up simply and prepared to leave. One follower discovered the three huge covered water tanks in the backyard that held the leftover holy water from today.


    "Leave someone here to guard these. I''ll discuss the disposal with the angels and decide later," Selene instructed after thinking about it.


    "That''s my property, don''t you dare take it!" Cyra jumped in to claim ownership.


    "Don''t worry, True Church won''t shortchange you. We''ll come up with a plan satisfactory for all," Selene assured, amused by Cyra''s greed.


    "Even if you kept it all, you couldn''t handle that much holy water alone right?" I rolled my eyes again. Her shady dealings with the landlord caused this mess tonight.


    "I don''t care! Don''t forget you''re involved too. There''s at least a few hundred thousand silvers worth here!" Cyra shot back. Then she ignored me, spread her wings, and flew into the moonlit sky ahead of us.


    I stared up at the direction she flew off in. Surprisingly she was going the right way!


    "You know where Preston Cathedral is? Wait for me!" I said to Cyra before turning to the guard. "Listen, watch the holy water closely tonight. It''s very valuable and might attract thieves. You''ll be in big trouble if any goes missing!" I added seriously.


    "And no pilfering!" Can''t be too careful with the extra income from the landlord''s share.


    "Don''t worry, angel, not a drop will be lost..." The poor follower smiled wryly as I flew off after Cyra.


    Selene had Nicola carry her as they followed behind us.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 18 - Guessing the Origin of the Church

    Although I had been to Preston Cathedral once before, I didn''t expect Cyra to also know its location. But after flying over St. Mary Street, she just hovered there, not knowing what to do next.


    "I''ve only heard people who came to buy holy water mention that Preston Cathedral should be in the southern part of this city, but I don''t know exactly where..."


    "Isn''t it the largest group of buildings right below you!"


    I sighed and pointed downwards, pulling her along to descend.


    "The True Church here is the same as on Earth!"


    Although it was almost midnight now, and we could only vaguely see the outline of Preston Cathedral, Cyra couldn''t help but exclaim when she saw the iconic spire tower.


    "What are you standing idly at the entrance for? Let''s go in quickly!"


    Nicola and Selene landed behind us. As soon as Selene''s feet touched the ground, she impatiently urged us.


    With this, she had done a great deed - bringing three angels back to the church, one of whom had great potential.


    "Tsk tsk, the baptismal font here is also very grand..."


    Upon entering the front hall, the wall-mounted fountain with a statue also drew amazement from Cyra.


    "Of course! This is where we in the True Church usually store our holy water. The magically constructed circulating fountain system is not only beautiful but also ensures the absolute highest quality of the holy water!"


    Selene came over and enthusiastically explained, her attitude at least hundreds of times better than when she was with me.


    When we entered the main hall and saw the familiar scenery and layout, Cyra became even more excited. She immediately unfurled her wings and flew to the crucifix, eagerly kneeling to pray and confess.


    "This place is too weird, right? How is it so similar to churches on Earth..."


    Since it was Nicola''s first time here, she kept looking around, the corners of her mouth involuntarily twitching.


    "You''re asking me? I''m just as confused about this issue..."


    I gently shook my head. The last time I was here, I suspected there might be other crossers, but I never figured out who it was. I even suspected Bishop Rister of being a crosser for a time.


    "Is the decor and layout of your main hall unique to just this city, or are all the churches across the continent like this?"


    Nicola suddenly asked Selene, who was watching Cyra very happily.


    "Huh? Of course, all the churches across the continent are like this! It''s been this way for thousands of years!"


    Although Selene felt the question was a bit strange, she still answered very respectfully.


    "Does Lady Nicola have any doubts?"


    "No, just a little curious about this crucifix..."


    Nicola pointed at the "Jesus on the Cross" statue, hesitating over her words. Even this being the same made it hard for her to accept.


    "The crucifix? This story should be widely spread across the continent..."


    Thinking Nicola had developed an interest in these things, Selene enthusiastically explained it to us.


    "It''s said to depict how the Lord was betrayed by traitors back then, and later ambushed by monsters, eventually being captured and nailed to the cross. It''s to always remind us of the Lord''s love and gospel..."


    No way? Hearing this, I immediately felt a sense of familiarity with the plot and couldn''t help but exchange a surprised look with Nicola.


    It was far too similar...


    At this time, several True Church members in charge of guarding the church heard the commotion and walked into the main hall. Seeing Cyra kneeling in front of the crucifix with her wings spread out praying, they were so shocked their jaws dropped. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Selene could only slowly explain the situation to them.


    "What do you think?"


    Taking this chance, Nicola moved closer and whispered to me.


    "What can I think? Looking up, down, left, right, no matter how I look at it, I feel the founder of this True Church is very suspicious!"


    I rolled my eyes at her, then nudged my mouth in the direction of the crucifix.


    "It''s gotta be Cyra! The legendary Saint Cyra who shares her name is one of the founders of this world''s True Church. There must be something going on!"


    "You mean, could it be due to your manipulation of time, her future self returned to some point thousands of years ago and became the founder of the True Church?"


    I wildly guessed, having considered this possibility ever since learning of Nicola''s potential to control time.


    "Hmm... but hearing you say it like this, won''t I have to be extra careful about using time control abilities on her in the future? After all, I don''t like the True Church!"


    Nicola couldn''t help but frown at this. She didn''t seem to look favourably on my guess.


    "Besides, I don''t think Cyra has the ability now to create a church with thousands of years of history. Both her experience and seniority are still shallow..."


    She stared at the True Church members Selene was talking to, her eyes suddenly lighting up. Then she voiced her own opinion.


    "What do you think of the possibility that someone from this world unintentionally crossed over to Earth thousands of years ago, and brought their religious beliefs with them?"


    "Uh, that''s not impossible either..."


    For her take on this, I suddenly couldn''t find any holes in it! After all, the connection between this world and Earth wasn''t one-way. Liana''s soul somehow ending up on Earth was living proof! Unless...


    Thinking of this, I looked at Nicola in puzzlement and asked:


    "Speaking of which, do you just accept Elara''s claim that you''re the reincarnation of Liana''s soul, even back when you were Reilly? I remember you once hypothesized that you didn''t cross over at all..."


    "You mean that terrifying hypothesis?"


    Nicola seemed to remember it very clearly, but when it came to this topic, she looked somewhat confused.


    I recalled that back in Edenmere, Nicola had proposed four hypotheses in total. Looking at it now, the first "Elara is lying" and the second "Michelle mistook the person"had been ruled out.


    That left the third "Two souls coexisting in one body" and fourth "Liana''s soul overtook Reilly''s original memories" as possibilities that still had potential.


    The so-called terrifying hypothesis was the fourth one! If that assumption held true, it would mean she wasn''t the original Reilly at all, just someone else who had accidentally taken over Reilly''s memories.


    Even though Elara later insisted that everything about Nicola was caused by Liana''s soul crossing over to Earth and then back here, it didn''t completely eliminate the fourth hypothesis.


    "I don''t know either, but no matter how I think about it, Elara''s explanation sounds much better, doesn''t it? Besides, her theory has no plot holes. At least until everything comes to light, we simply can''t distinguish between the two, right?"


    Nicola said with a wry smile. She was thinking through her issues quite clearly. Just as she said, without critical evidence, all three options still had the potential to be the final answer. Only the third option I had always favoured was becoming less and less likely...


    "The two Lady Angels must be very tired. Please come with me to the guest rooms!"


    A church member came over. Selene had instructed her to lead us to our rooms to rest.


    "What about Cyra?"


    Hearing this, I looked in the direction of the crucifix and saw she still hadn''t finished her lengthy prayers, and could only helplessly shake my head.


    "The Bishop will come in person later and discuss the holy water situation with Lady Cyra then."


    The True Church member replied.


    "Let her slowly pray here for now. She probably insisted on coming for that reason anyway."


    Nicola surprisingly showed some consideration for Cyra''s feelings. Being fellow victims of the landlord probably made her sympathize.


    "Yes, it would be even better if she could reflect more here!"


    Thinking that this had happened just a few days after leaving Edenmere, I couldn''t help but sigh again. And looking back at Cyra''s previous actions - selling holy water, doing direct sales, chasing elf girls, chasing angel girls...


    I suddenly felt that what happened to her today was probably karma, if there was such a thing as God.


    As for how to deal with the holy water, leaving it to Cyra made me quite assured. Those two little foxes can slowly fight it out themselves, I''m actually looking forward to the outcome.


    Since we were tired to begin with, after returning to the guest rooms we simply washed up briefly, then went to bed to sleep.


    It was an uneventful night.


    "Feliciana, wake up!"


    The next morning at the crack of dawn, my room door was being knocked loudly by Cyra. As always, she was urging me to get up, giving me a feeling of being back in Edenmere.


    "What are you in such a hurry for? What time did you sleep last night?"


    I stretched lazily, looking at the fully bright sky outside the window. Left with no choice, I got up to open the door.


    "I don''t remember, probably very late? Because I was arguing skin with that bishop for a long time before finally reaching an agreement. Anyway, angels will naturally wake up at first light, sleeping less is no problem! So..."


    Cyra barged in nonchalantly, seemingly having already forgotten about last night''s unpleasantness. After the opening remarks, she suddenly gave me a mysterious smile, then took out a large stack of gold coins from her storage ring and put them on the table.


    "Ta-dah! Of course, I came to split the money!"


    "These are gold coins used all over the continent, each one is worth 10,000 silvers! Never seen them before right? It''s my first time seeing them too..."


    As she spoke, this fellow grabbed one of the gold coins and put it in her mouth to bite down. Her manner was simply like a newly rich person.


    "Wow! It is soft! Rich, so rich!"


    With so many gold coins, at least several dozen, that was...


    "Several hundred thousand silvers? So rich, so rich!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 19: Taking a Detour

    Staring at this huge pile of shiny gold coins, I feel my hands shaking. After transmigrating for so long, no, in my whole life, I''ve never seen so much money!


    "You''re so pathetic!"


    Seeing my reaction, Cyra is naturally very disdainful. She splits the coins in half and generously pushes half towards me.


    "These are all for you. We split it evenly!"


    "Where did you get so much money?"


    I suddenly realize a problem. I remember the silver we received from those customers yesterday were mostly not gold coins, and the amount was not right either. It should be less than 100,000 right?


    "Of course it''s from selling the remaining three vats of holy water to the True Church!"


    Cyra is in no hurry and slowly tells me about the negotiations between her and Bishop Rister last night.


    The True Church is very generous. For the sake of resolving conflicts peacefully and currying favor with Cyra, they purchased all the holy water we had made earlier at 60 silver per bottle.


    Roughly estimating, each vat can hold at least a few hundred bottles right? Three vats would be close to a thousand bottles!


    Additionally, both sides reached an supplementary agreement where the True Church paid an extra 200,000 silver as a one-time fee to acquire exclusive rights to sell holy water from me and Cyra in the city of Norvale!


    So from now on we cannot sell holy water privately anymore. Even if we produce more, we have to sell it to the True Church. As for the purchase price, it will be the same as our original selling price, 88 silver per bottle.


    "Why is the purchase price from the landlord so low? Are they unhappy with the leftover?"


    After listening, I find it a little strange. Actually 88 silver is already much cheaper compared to what the True Church sells their holy water for. But they only paying 60 silver to take these waters makes me feel a little taken advantage of.


    What''s weirder is the future purchase price is actually higher. This makes even less sense.


    "Don''t forget, we also introduced a distribution system for direct sales yesterday. If we directly sold all this holy water to the church, it would be equivalent to taking the money and running away. Our reputation could be greatly damaged..."


    Cyra waves her hand to remind me.


    "So most of last night''s negotiations were spent on the franchise transfer details. Bishop Rister finally agreed to take over our previous business. They will continue operating the stall downstairs today, selling at the original price of 88 silver per bottle. So the price of this batch can only be lowered a bit."


    "I see, didn''t expect you to care so much about reputation..."


    Suddenly I understand. Who asked her to engage in direct sales! Gotta pay back what you owe!


    Looking at it this way, the price given by the True Church seems to already be very friendly. They still have labor and other costs!


    "Credibility is critical for business, don''t lump me together with those crooked merchants! What''s more, you also participated in this..."


    Cyra points disapprovingly at the gold coins in front of me.


    "See, you already took half the money! Give it back if you''re unhappy!"


    "Uh... persuaded by your words, I suddenly realize this negotiation went very well. You really do have a business mind, huge bargain from the church!"


    Of course I can''t bear to return it to her. I hurriedly pull all the gold coins into my storage ring, while praising her.


    To tell the truth, it''s not entirely flattery. If we think about it carefully, we didn''t plan on doing this holy water business long-term to begin with. As a result of the True Church''s intervention, it''s like we earned an extra large sum.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Moreover, after the sales rights are bought over, if we''re ever short on money again - we just need to spend an afternoon to produce a large batch of holy water, and people will come pick it up. No need to worry about sales channels at all!


    "Can''t consider it that huge of a bargain..."


    Although she feels a little smug from my praises, Cyra still clarifies objectively.


    "To tell the truth the holy water market is actually massive. This money is insignificant! If we want to avoid losses, it needs to be built on the prerequisite that we will stop the holy water business in the future. The True Church sells their holy water for at least several hundred silvers on the market. So no matter what they are still earning big. This is a win-win situation."


    "Did they invite you to join the church?"


    After resolving the holy water issue, I recall another matter I''m more concerned about. Based on Selene''s behaviour last night, they definitely won''t let this opportunity slip away.


    "Of course!"


    As expected, Cyra nods to confirm my thoughts. However, what she says next surprises me a little.


    "But I haven''t agreed for now..."


    "Huh?"


    I feel like I misheard, I asked unbelievingly.


    "Why? You seem to already recognize this church, so why are you unwilling to join?"


    After all, you even prayed together. If she says this is two different churches, I absolutely won''t believe it.


    "It''s not that..."


    Her attitude seems a little hesitant. Only after hem-hawing for a long time does she start answering.


    "Personally I do hope to join, no need to elaborate on the reasons. The main issue is because of Lady Elara - before leaving Edenmere she repeatedly reminded me not to join the True Church, because she suspects ties with the God of Light, Beruto. So I also don''t feel good going against her wishes."


    "Uh..."


    Didn''t expect it to be of this reason. Looks like she values relationships more than I imagined.


    "What''s Selene''s response?"


    They''re probably very disappointed right? Like the duck flying away right as it enters the mouth.


    "They said it''s fine, let me consider more carefully. And they proposed a suggestion to me..."


    Speaking till here, Cyra suddenly stares at me mysteriously.


    "Know about the Pontiff? Rumor says he''s the only human who has lived over a thousand years. So unbelievable right? Aren''t you curious at all?"


    "Pontiff?"


    What human can live over a thousand years? Isn''t that like a demon? I admit I''m very interested in this Pontiff Cyra speaks of, but I don''t understand why she suddenly brings this up.


    "Feliciana, why don''t we go to the Holy Capital first? Bishop Rister and the rest proposed I check out the Holy Capital where the True Church''s Pontiff resides!"


    Indeed! Right as I''m wondering, she immediately exposes her intentions.


    "This... seems inappropriate right?"


    Seeing her plead at me expectantly with her eyes, I feel very awkward in bringing this up suddenly.


    "Didn''t we already plan to go to the Sage Alliance? Changing plans so rashly now seems a little rushed. Also, Nicola definitely won''t agree..."


    It''s not just probably. It''s definitely! Hearing we want to go to the True Church''s home base, Nicola will surely vote no!


    "It won''t delay too long!"


    Cyra doesn''t give up persuading me.


    "For example, do you know where Crescent City is? We still have to ask people on the fly! But Bishop Rister has already told me the location of the Holy Capital Eubus, plus I researched it a bit, and it doesn''t deviate much from the route..."


    Looks like she made preparations. She takes out a map again, spreads it on the table, and points while explaining.


    "Look, Crescent City is located in Astralrealm Kingdom''s southeast direction, while the Holy Capital in Cresthaven Papal Dominion lies northeast of the kingdom. Between them is an extremely tall mountain range with only the northeast and southeast sides having official roads."


    "If we want to go to the Sage Alliance in Crescent City, we first need to go through the border city Parristol in the southeast! You know right, that area is undergoing independence riots due to the recent demon invasion and war, so the public order there is very unsafe and unsuitable to travel through! Therefore, we can only detour from the northeast road, directly passing through the Holy Capital as we head south to our destination!"


    It''s explained very clearly, but I glance at Cyra and can''t help reminding:


    "We''re angels, so why do we need to follow these land routes? Can''t we just fly over these mountains directly? Also, what does Parristol''s independence have to do with us!"


    Moreover, Nicola already scouted the place out and didn''t say it was that unsafe!


    "These mountains have really high elevations, all snow capped mountains! Aren''t you afraid of the cold? Even if you''re not, I am! Moreover, air currents are turbulent at high altitudes, forcibly flying is very dangerous!"


    In order to persuade me, Cyra vividly described the perilous nature of those mountains, making it seem as if she had been there herself.


    "Don''t forget! You already accepted so many benefits from me! After all, the idea to sell holy water was thought up by me, yet I still split it evenly with you - you know why right?"


    Seeing I''m still unmoved, she then plays the threat and enticement card.


    "If you still don''t agree like this... humph!"


    She''s using all sorts of tactics, leaving me overwhelmed responding.


    "Alright alright, I''ll go discuss with Nicola, that should be fine right?"


    Pestered by Cyra with no way out, I can only surrender.


    To tell the truth, we aren''t in a rush on this trip to the Sage Alliance, so spending some time taking a detour isn''t a big deal. The main difficulty lies in convincing Nicola, which gives me a headache...


    Seeing Cyra''s smug and excited expression, I helplessly open the door to head out. But right after walking into Nicola''s room, I directly bump into Selene.


    "Why are you here?"


    I look at Nicola, then at Selene. Don''t tell me these two have some private secret?


    "Of course it''s to report the processing result of that criminal yesterday!"


    Selene answers matter-of-factly.


    "The landlord?"


    I react instantly. After getting pestered by Cyra for half the morning, I almost forgot about this proper matter.

 Vol 4/Chapter 20: Extreme Punishment

    "Last night, the religious court had urgently interrogated your landlord," Selene informed me again even though she had already told Nicola.


    "His name is Janot. I believe you must know this name... Actually, it''s not just you two angel ladies, according to his confession, Janot had also molested another young female tenant. However, that woman did not make a police report and only quietly moved away. That''s why it further emboldened him."


    "He had previous offenses?"


    I found it hard to believe. He looked so gentle and refined, only knowing to bury his head in books. I didn''t expect him to have done so many filthy things secretly.


    "The key is, didn''t you pay attention when you rented the house?"


    Selene couldn''t help frowning a little when she said this.


    "Just now I asked Miss Nicola, your rent seems to be a bit too cheap. I guess this was Janot''s deliberate move to attract victims. In Norvale, rents around this area are at least a thousand silver a month!"


    "This..."


    Nicola and I looked at each other, neither of us had expected this trickery. After all, when we were poorer previously, we could only focus on the rent amount when looking for a house, other factors were secondary considerations.


    "Forget it, anyway it''s all in the past, and we won''t be staying at that place anymore!"


    Nicola waved her hand, not wanting to linger on these things anymore, and instead asked:


    "So what''s the verdict? How do you plan to try him?"


    This was what we cared about the most.


    "Of course, severe punishment!"


    Selene answered without hesitation, seemingly also very disgusted with such landlords.


    "Originally, if it was only molesting and harassing human females, the religious court would not be able to intervene since those fall under the city defense''s jurisdiction. But this time, he was just unlucky. The victims were angels, making the nature completely different..."


    "Molesting angels can be seen as heresy! In the Astralrealm Kingdom, the True Church has the authority to privately dispose of heretics! So after the interrogation, we have already castrated Janot first..."


    "Castration?"


    I couldn''t help shuddering when I heard this. Although I felt this punishment was satisfactory enough, somehow I still felt a little uncomfortable.


    I guess this is expected of the religious court! Going all out from the start.


    "Just that?"


    However, Nicola seemed to have differing views from me. Clearly, she still wanted the landlord dead.


    "Of course not. As the victim with a special status, you can naturally increase the punishment to the maximum according to church code if you want!"


    Hearing this, Selene dared not slight Nicola and thought for a while before quickly adding:


    "How about this - the next steps would be parading the convict on the streets to the central lake. After circling the lake once, stop at the lakeside plaza to publicly announce his crimes, then impose death by burning at the stake! This is basically the highest punishment in the church already."


    "Okay! Now that''s more like it. Hurry up and do it then!"


    Finally satisfied, Nicola nodded and urged Selene to make it happen quickly.


    "We''ll go and watch it on site later!"


    "I''ll go and prepare now..."


    Selene nodded. With no trace of mercy on her face for someone who dared violate Nicola, she walked out the door after speaking.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Now, only Nicola and I were left in the room.


    "Isn''t this going overboard?"


    Both of us fell silent for a while before I couldn''t help speaking up first.


    "Although the landlord was very hateful, castration should be enough. Why must he be killed?"


    She had insisted on doing this back downstairs at the rented house. At that time, I reckoned it was due to seeing Cyra''s predicament that made her overly furious.


    But after a night, her temper was still so bad! That''s going overboard!


    "Why can''t he be killed?"


    Hearing me, Nicola immediately retorted.


    "Firstly, the landlord - Janot - actually laid hands on me. Not splitting him in half on the spot was merciful enough, what more him assaulting Cyra later... Didn''t you hear just now too? There was another previous victim! No matter how you see it, he deserves death!"


    "But he didn''t take any lives! Based solely on these offenses, it''s not enough for the death penalty, much less being burned alive!"


    Of course I was unwilling to back down and immediately refuted:


    "Selene lives in this world so perhaps has differing views that can''t be helped. But you''re a transmigrator, you should understand the difference clearly! Besides, after being castrated, I believe Janot won''t be able to commit the same crimes ever again. Wouldn''t it be better to give him a chance to repent and reform?"


    "Repent and reform?"


    Unexpectedly, not only was Nicola not reflective after hearing me, she even gave a cold laugh and looked at me disdainfully as she mocked:


    "Since when did you become so merciful? Don''t forget, we''re in another world now! Maybe by Earth''s laws, his actions don''t warrant the death penalty or even life imprisonment. But in this world, disrespecting angels is a capital offense in the church''s eyes. It completely conforms to laws and regulations!"


    "I''ve already gotten the church to handle it as you wished. What more do you want from me?"


    Her rebuttal could be said to be very just and confident. Looks like Nicola was determined not to listen to my advice this time.


    "It''s not being merciful..."


    I lowered my head, not knowing how else to persuade her. I felt Nicola''s temper was becoming more and more irritable unknowingly. After all, gaining all kinds of privileges on the way here, she was somewhat complacent. But even so, you can''t force someone to die just like that, what more being burned alive!


    "This is human nature! Compared to here, Earth''s laws are indeed much more lenient. But that is the best outcome achieved after thousands of years of accumulated experience and lessons! Not all criminal acts must be paid back with death. The fact that almost all cruel punishments have been abolished on Earth is the best proof of human nature gradually gaining the upper hand!"


    "Don''t tell me you forgot your humanity after pretending to be an angel for so long!"


    Suddenly raising my head, I glared fiercely at Nicola. Also not wanting to hear her say any more, I stormed out of the room directly.


    Crap... I actually argued with Nicola again!


    But I felt regretful immediately after leaving the room. Did I go overboard just now? What if Nicola gets so angry she directly breaks ties with me?


    Yet I don''t feel like I can go back and apologize either because I don''t think there''s anything wrong with what I said. After all, the landlord doesn''t deserve death. Castration is already fully sufficient to punish him.


    As the room door shut behind me, I looked up at the ceiling and suddenly felt a little tired, softly sighing as I walked out of the church.


    The street parade progressed very quickly...


    At this time, Selene somehow prepared a prisoner transport wagon outside the church doors and was directing some followers of the True Church to load the landlord Janot into the vehicle, getting ready to set off.


    "Selene, can you come over for a while?"


    I stood at the church entrance and waved at her, unable to help taking another look at the prisoner in the wagon.


    He was lying flat on the bottom, not knowing if it was because his wounds from the castration were not treated or because he was mentally unable to take it.


    "Feliciana?"


    Seeing my gesture, Selene immediately abandoned what was in her hands and ran to my side.


    "What do you need me for?"


    "Um..."


    After hesitating for a long time, I finally mustered my courage to speak:


    "About this street parade and burning at the stake punishment, why not just cancel it? I feel castration is enough already!"


    "Cancel it? Are you serious?"


    Selene was stunned to hear this. The preparations were almost complete, the prisoner loaded. Everything was ready, only missing the east wind! But now I was suddenly calling for a halt, making her find it hard to accept.


    "Does Miss Nicola agree to cancel it too?"


    "Uh... she doesn''t actually. It''s just my idea!"


    I told the truth and decided to try persuading her rationally again.


    "Listen to me. Janot''s offenses have not reached such a severe stage. I believe you know it too, so won''t giving him a chance be good?"


    "I understand what you mean..."


    As expected, Selene was also a reasonable person. She nodded and acknowledged what I said.


    "Indeed, if these offenses were brought to the city defense, at most he''d be jailed for a few years, or sent to the borders for a stint before being released..."


    "So you agree then?"


    I was instantly delighted and asked eagerly, but her reply dashed my hopes.


    "No!"


    I saw Selene shake her head and reject my request firmly.


    "The laws of the city defense are one thing, but the ones conducting the trial and verdict this time are not them, but our True Church''s religious court! So following the church''s code, the victim has the right to increase the punishment on the offender. Janot almost succeeded in raping an angel. It''s an unforgivable sin that fully meets the criteria for burning at the stake. So you have no right to ask for cancellation!"


    "Unless Miss Nicola personally comes and says she doesn''t want to pursue it, only then would the halt request be valid!"


    After saying all that, Selene turned and walked towards the prisoner wagon.


    "If you want to watch too, hurry up and get ready. The street parade is starting soon!"


    "Sigh..."


    Although I had predicted this outcome long ago, I still felt very discouraged.


    Walking back to my room, I saw Cyra staring at me widely with anticipation.


    "Ah¡ª"


    Crap! I opened my mouth wide and thought, this is bad!

 Vol 4/Chapter 21 Parade in the street

    I had completely forgotten! I originally went to see Nicola to discuss Cyra wanting to change her route to the Saint Capital, but I got distracted by the landlord''s punishment issue that I didn''t mention it at all!


    "Huh, what did she say?"


    Cyra asked suspiciously, then started complaining non-stop.


    "I''ve been waiting here for so long! You guys talked for so long, there must be some outcome right?"


    "We didn''t really discuss anything..."


    Feeling like I couldn''t get away with it, I had no choice but to explain awkwardly.


    "Sorry, I didn''t get a chance to bring it up."


    "You didn''t say it yet?"


    As expected, she was unhappy to hear that, but fortunately she didn''t get angry and held it in.


    "What were you guys talking about that took so long anyway?"


    "The landlord''s issues! The religious court of the True Church just decided on all his punishments... "


    I sighed, and suddenly thought of a key point - Cyra was also a victim, if she shared my opinion that the punishment was too harsh, maybe we could ask Selene to stop the torture.


    "Because he had molested other women before we moved in, the religious trial castrated him last night. Although I feel that''s enough already, they decided to parade him through the streets later..."


    "Castrating him is great! That''s the right punishment for despicable men like him!"


    But before I could get to the main point, Cyra slapped her thighs and cheered loudly.


    She looked like she wanted to tear the landlord''s flesh off and eat it.


    "Actually that was letting him off easy, if it were up to me to decide, I''d definitely give him slow slicing! Yes, slow slicing! Slowly slicing off pieces until only bones are left!"


    "Uh..."


    I didn''t dare say any more.


    It''s true, compared to her Nicola''s harm was relatively minor, so this reaction was probably normal.


    Oh well, it looked like the landlord was destined to die after all. I silently shook my head, nothing could be done since I already tried my best!


    "When are they starting the parade? I want to go watch too!"


    Cyra suddenly became spirited, her reaction was similar to Nicola''s.


    "The prisoner wagon holding him should be moving already, Selene told us to get ready, if you want to watch you need to hurry and catch up to them."


    I reminded her. Selene was probably going to inform her too, but obviously didn''t expect Cyra to stay with me this whole time and couldn''t find her.


    "What are we waiting for then?"


    Cyra darted out the door, not even bothering to discuss changing route to Saint Capital for now.


    "Slow down...do you know which route they''re taking?"


    I hurriedly chased after her. But then I realized, since it''s a public parade, there would be many onlookers along the way, so finding them shouldn''t be too difficult.


    ...


    "I heard this guy is a super pervert, a serial molester who forced himself on hundreds of innocent women, and finally got caught by the Church!"


    When we arrived at the parade, we found the atmosphere very lively. Non-stop onlookers jeered behind the wagon, while the crowds who didn''t know the truth naturally couldn''t resist pointing and gossiping about the prisoner Janot. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Of course, the sources of information were clearly unreliable.


    "Who told you that? That''s too exaggerated, how could one person do that! I heard he only molested some noblewoman in the Church, that''s why he got in big trouble."


    Another voice immediately jumped in to refute, also sounding certain, but the contents were equally inaccurate.


    "Why isn''t anyone throwing eggs or vegetables? That would make it so much more interesting!"


    Cyra glanced at the two people talking just now, then turned to me.


    "You think this is a TV show? Where are they going to get that many eggs and vegetables to throw..."


    I was exasperated by her. But speaking of which, the prison wagon was very tall, and with Janot lying at the bottom, at our height we basically couldn''t see anything, so her feeling bored was understandable.


    It wasn''t like nothing was being thrown at all, occasionally some female onlookers would pick up small rocks and toss at the wagon. Unfortunately their aim was poor, if they overshot the target, it would hit the crowds on the other side, causing even more disputes.


    So before long, the leader of the escort ordered his subordinates to forbid this behavior.


    But I didn''t see Selene among the escorts. Come to think of it, her status in the Church was probably quite senior, so it''s unsuitable for her to get involved in menial tasks like this.


    "Why don''t we head back? Nothing to see anyway..."


    I stretched my neck to look around, and saw they were about to reach the central lake area, so I suggested leaving.


    At first Cyra was able to muster some energy to follow the wagon, but as time passed she naturally became bored. Also, the fire punishment would happen soon, I really didn''t have the heart to keep watching.


    "No, no matter how boring I have to watch his humiliating parade through the city to make up for the mental trauma he caused me!"


    She stubbornly refused, and it so happened that Janot seemed to shift his body just then, looks like he had woken up, further cementing her determination to stay.


    "You despicable pervert!"


    Ignoring the ban, Cyra grabbed a small rock from the crowd and hurled it at the wagon, accurately hitting his body.


    "Who''s still throwing rocks over there? I said no throwing!"


    The escorts immediately scolded when they saw it, fortunately we were standing at the back, short in height, so they didn''t notice us.


    "Oh well, since you insist then do as you wish! They''ll carry out the burning soon you know! If you can bear to watch then I guess it doesn''t matter..."


    I said helplessly. With all the monsters I''ve killed, I still couldn''t remain indifferent watching a person burned alive.


    As for Cyra who just came out to the world, she probably couldn''t take it either. But as the victim, perhaps her hatred would make her react the same as Nicola.


    "Burning? They''re burning him to death after the parade?"


    Cyra was startled when she heard me, staring at Janot in the wagon, her expression suddenly uncertain as she complained to me.


    "Why didn''t you say so earlier..."


    "Wouldn''t the outcome be the same anyway? He''ll get burned to death sooner or later...can''t you bear to watch?"


    My heart stirred and I quickly tried probing. But then I realized, it was too late now. Even if Cyra wanted to appeal for cancelling the burning, Selene wasn''t here! Those escorting guards had no authority, bringing it up to them would be meaningless.


    "It''s not that I can''t bear it, it''s just..."


    In response to my question, Cyra hurriedly shook her head in denial. But she only spoke halfway before stopping.


    Perhaps she also realized the situation now. Nothing could be done, she gazed blankly at me as we slowly followed behind the wagon.


    We didn''t speak on the way, neither of us knew what to say. By the time the wagon circled the lake and stopped in the lakeside plaza, the escort leader ceremoniously took out a paper and started solemnly declaring the charges.


    "The criminal Janot is guilty of serial molestation, not only molesting ordinary human females, but deliberately forcing himself on an angel! This behavior blatantly disregards the Church''s authority, therefore in accordance with God''s will, he is sentenced to death by burning, to be carried out immediately!"


    The crowds erupted in commotion when they heard this.


    "What! He forced himself on an angel?"


    "I thought he only molested humans, didn''t expect he actually did it to an angel, no wonder the sentence is so harsh! If it were just humans, at most a few years of penal servitude right?"


    "Speaking of which, this guy is really daring to even force himself on an angel, impressive, impressive! He deserves to die!"


    "What''s impressive about that, I heard some even forced themselves on monsters! Now that''s truly amazing! Would you dare if given the chance?"


    "Well that depends on the monster! I wouldn''t say no to a dark elf or something..."


    "That said, even if he dies, this guy hit the jackpot. After all, she was an angel, how thrilling is that!"


    ...


    All kinds of discussions immediately arose around us, talking about all sorts of topics, naturally including various vulgar and irritating remarks. Cyra and I frowned.


    "I told you not to stubbornly tag along, now you''ve heard it all huh?"


    I couldn''t help grumbling softly, sighing deeply in my heart.


    I seemed to catch a glimpse of Nicola in the crowd earlier, she probably saw us too. But she didn''t take the initiative to come over, perhaps still sulking from our earlier argument, and keeping her distance.


    "The execution begins now!"


    Amidst the crowds'' discussions, the escorters had already dragged Janot out of the wagon and tied him to the cross prepared in the center of the plaza.


    The area below the cross was filled with hay and other flammable materials. A guard held up a torch, ready to ceremoniously ignite the pile in a ritualistic manner.


    "Stop!"


    Cyra suddenly shouted loudly. Ignoring my stunned gaze, she squeezed out from the crowd alone and rushed into the plaza.


    Hearing her voice, Janot tied to the cross lifted his head and looked over in surprise.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 22: Rescue From The Execution Scene

    "Stop! This is an execution ground ahead. Unrelated people cannot interfere!"


    The guards escorting him did not recognize her, so they naturally blocked her outside the safety line.


    "But his crime does not warrant death!"


    Cyra was clearly unwilling to give up. Unable to break through the blockade, she could only stand at the edge and continue shouting loudly.


    "I just heard that at most, the crime of rape would only be punished with a few years of military service, but you want to burn the person to death. This is too much!"


    "Young lady, this is a religious affair of our True Church and is not within the jurisdiction of the City Defense! The criminal has blasphemed our Lord by raping an angel. His crime is unforgivable! If you continue to make trouble, don''t blame us for being impolite!"


    Perhaps because of her good looks and her being a girl, the judge did not immediately take compulsory measures, but still issued a stern warning.


    "What Lord advocates is tolerance, not cruelty and ruthlessness. He would absolutely not agree with such a brutal practice!"


    Cyra shook her head. When it came to religious matters, she naturally spoke eloquently. Not only was she not deterred by this, but she even started educating the other party.


    "This girl..."


    I couldn''t help but sigh softly.


    She had indeed gotten confused, completely forgetting that the True Church in this world was still somewhat different, not to mention the True Church in medieval Europe on Earth, whose concepts were actually not that much different from this side either. How could trying to reason using modern religious notions be of any use!


    "What right do you have to represent the Lord with just a few words? You seem to be a follower of the Church too?"


    As expected, the judge sneered disdainfully upon hearing this.


    "Don''t even tell me you understand the Lord''s will better than the victim angel!"


    "Come on, take her away! Since she is a member of our church, then wait for the religious court to try her internally!"


    After speaking, he waved his hand to signal his men to hurry up and catch her as a warning to others.


    "What if I say I am the victim?"


    Cyra struggled with all her might, twisting and turning, just about to be controlled, when a flash of light flashed across her back, and the wings on her back appeared directly, finally revealing her true face.


    "An angel?"


    "Angel!"


    "She''s actually an angel?"


    ......


    With the wings to aid her, breaking free from the shackles of several low-level church followers was naturally easy. Cyra flapped her wings and flew into the air halfway, still chanting sentences that seemed to be from the Bible.


    "Forgive others their trespasses, and God will also forgive your trespasses..."


    "If you do not forgive others from your heart, God will treat you the same way..."


    "If you do not forgive others, God will not forgive your trespasses..."


    "Is it necessary to show off like this?"


    Although I had anticipated this might happen earlier, I still couldn''t bear to watch it directly and covered my eyes.


    But I had to admit, the effect was extremely good. At least in the eyes of the followers of the Church, she gave a sacred and loving feeling. In an instant, a large swath of people knelt down in the crowd, and prayers rang out one after another.


    This naturally included the few followers of the Church who had just spoken rudely on her on the square.


    At this moment, what they were chanting was no longer prayers, but words of repentance.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Why..."


    Janot raised his head to look at the sky, his expression somewhat complicated.


    "Don''t think I''ve forgiven you, I just don''t want to take a life!"


    Muttered to herself, Cyra looked down at the followers of the Church kneeling at her feet. She didn''t seem to know what to do, so she could only ignore them, descend directly from the sky onto the haystack, and release Janot from the cross with her own hands.


    "Besides, you didn''t get your way in the end, right? This kind of cruel and brutal punishment is absolutely unacceptable!"


    "Thank...thank you."


    Not knowing what to say, Janot could only stutter his thanks.


    No one dared to stop this. In fact, the moment Cyra revealed her wings, this result had already become a foregone conclusion.


    It was really a rare sight. Including everyone present, this was probably the first time the perpetrator had been personally rescued from the stake by the victim.


    Janot was seen slowly sliding down from the haystack with his legs together, walking in a very funny manner. It seemed that the castration last night had been crudely treated, but not completely healed.


    "Wait!"


    At this moment, Cyra suddenly folded her wings and jumped down from the haystack, blocking his path.


    "Huh? Is there anything else?"


    Janot was taken aback, not knowing what she meant.


    "Although the Lord has forgiven your capital crime, you can''t escape your living sin! As for how to punish, it''s fate that brought us together..."


    Looking at her cracking her knuckles, Janot panicked and kept waving his hands to explain.


    "Wait...wait! Last night I was already..."


    "That was done by the religious court. I didn''t feel anything, after all, compensation for mental damage has yet to be collected from you!"


    Cyra cut him off and kicked towards his crotch. Suddenly feeling something was wrong, she stopped her right foot mid-air and abruptly changed trajectory, kicking him directly in the abdomen instead.


    "Let me teach you a lesson for having sinister thoughts about me!"


    "Just because your name is Janot doesn''t mean you are really a playboy!"


    "I''ll beat you to death!"


    Looking at Cyra pressing Janot to the ground and beating him violently, not only me, but everyone present was dumbfounded. Just now she was still speaking nicely and helped lower him from the cross. But in the blink of an eye she started attacking him.


    "It was you who made her go up there and cause a ruckus, right?"


    Nicola''s voice rang out from behind me.


    Looking back, I saw her standing behind me with an unhappy expression, clearly annoyed. Selene was also following her.


    "Huh? No, this is entirely Cyra''s own idea!"


    I quickly shook my head to deny it, then glanced at Selene again.


    "Speaking of which, aren''t you here? Why didn''t you stop her?"


    Although I did have this idea initially, I absolutely did not want to see the situation escalate like this. If we could have discussed these matters privately earlier, things wouldn''t have gotten to this point.


    "I wanted to go up at first, but was stopped by Lady Nicola."


    Selene stuck out her tongue mischievously.


    "Going up would have been useless anyway. Could you override the angel''s voice on this matter?"


    Nicola sighed and explained, then expressed her own opinion.


    "Since this was Cyra''s intention, there''s nothing we can do. After all, she is the victim. I just hope there won''t be a next time!"


    Seemingly believing my words, Nicola took a look at Cyra who was still "fighting hard" in the square, then left with Selene without looking back.


    "What was that about?"


    Looking at their retreating figures, I felt somewhat baffled. If Nicola was unhappy, she could have confronted Cyra herself. After all, she is also an angel!


    However, I still didn''t think too highly of her chances. Just relying on reasoning, the trivial offense she suffered definitely could not compare to Cyra''s situation. It could be said that she did not have as much right to speak as Cyra.


    But before I could think much about it, Cyra had finished beating him up by now, and finally retreated from the scene.


    "That felt so good, I''m finally comfortable now! (¡¨''¨Œ''¡¨)"


    Stroking her reddened little fists, she was completely shameless, without any regard for her image in front of the surrounding crowd.


    Because we were the center of attention, an empty space had been cleared around us. I could feel many gazes passing over Cyra and landing on me. To be honest it was quite embarrassing.


    As for the square, apart from Janot who kept groaning on the ground, those church followers responsible for the execution still had not recovered from their shock.


    "Now that you''ve avenged yourself, let''s hurry back!"


    Dragging Cyra along, I made my way through the crowd and ran towards the church.


    It was really ostentatious. Revealing her wings so brazenly in broad daylight, I guessed it would be very difficult for us to get by in this city in the future. I even heard someone speculating that I was actually an angel too.


    "Hey, no rush. The weather today is so nice, let''s go visit the nearby market! I haven''t really walked around this city yet!"


    This girl did not know how to reflect at all. Instead, she actually wanted to wander around everywhere.


    "Do you know how ostentatious you were just now? Even I might have difficulty moving around now."


    Finding a quiet place with no one around, I stopped and scolded Cyra.


    "Then what better way do you have? Go on, say it."


    Cyra asked back impatiently.


    "Besides, aren''t we going to leave this city anyway? What does it matter if we cause a bigger ruckus?"


    "Well..."


    I was rendered speechless. Indeed there was no better way. I had given up long ago, but I didn''t expect she would actually succeed in saving the criminal.


    "Was it really worth it to do so much for someone who almost raped you?"


    I couldn''t help asking her.


    "There''s no worth or not worth it. After all, the Lord once said, to save one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda..."


    Upon hearing this, Cyra immediately started preaching eloquently again.


    "That wasn''t what your Lord said, right?"


    I retorted disdainfully.


    "Oh right..."


    Slapping her forehead, she immediately corrected herself.


    "If you have grievances with others, you must be tolerant and forgiving of one another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you forgive others..."


    "Don''t spout the Bible at me!"


    I kicked at her, suddenly feeling somewhat exasperated. Perhaps this was the holier-than-thou that Nicola spoke of?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 23 - Connection

    After the incident, I had originally planned to go straight back to the church. But Cyra strongly insisted that I take her to visit the nearby marketplace first.


    Looking around, it seemed no one was following us. We had successfully shaken off the crowd from the town square earlier. I had no choice but to agree to her request.


    The main reason was that I hadn''t eaten anything the whole day yesterday. Seeing the street food stalls made me hungry...


    It was almost noon now. After wandering the street with Cyra for a while, we found a secluded restaurant and sat down.


    "Take me to that game room later if you have time..."


    While looking at the menu and ordering food, Cyra suddenly told me.


    "Be careful not to lose all your money there!"


    I deliberately tried to scare her. Nicola had spent a lot of time in the game room, but I hadn''t seen her lose much money either. On the whole, she neither made nor lost money, just a waste of time.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? I''m rich now after making so much money! How can I not splurge a little?"


    Cyra confidently answered, completely disregarding my warning. She spoke while handing the order slip back to the server.


    "Mind if I join you guys?"


    Just as the server left, an attractive young girl briskly walked in from outside and plopped down next to us.


    "Why are you..."


    Caught off guard, Cyra and I were both stunned for a moment, unsure who she was.


    Although it was lunch time, the restaurant still had quite a few empty seats since it was in a remote location. Was she targeting Cyra?


    After all, many people in the town square had seen Cyra''s angel form. Maybe this girl was one of them.


    "You''re the famous Feliciana, right?"


    Unexpectedly, instead of talking to Cyra, the girl turned to me and started chatting.


    "You are..."


    I was confused. Only people in Edemmere would think I was famous. Sensing her body, I realized...


    "You''re an angel too?"


    If I guessed right, she had hidden wings just like us!


    "Did you come all the way from Edemmere to find us?"


    Cyra quickly caught on and lowered her voice to ask.


    "Is there some important news you need to tell us?"


    "You got it wrong! I''m Kina, I didn''t come here specifically looking for you..."


    The girl smiled and clarified, then briefly explained why she was here.


    "I happened to pass by Norvale while on a mission. I saw everything that happened in the square. From the conversation and subsequent investigation, you must be that rapist''s victim, right?"


    Saying so, she turned solemnly to Cyra for confirmation.


    "Yes!"


    Taken aback, Cyra could only nod reluctantly.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Then your name must be Cyra, right?"


    But the girl didn''t hurry to respond, pressing on with her questions instead.


    "That''s right!"


    Cyra was even more confused, unsure what Kina was getting at. She cautiously asked:


    "But what does it matter?"


    "He didn''t succeed!"


    Afraid she had gotten the wrong idea, I quickly clarified. Kina looked rather serious. I was worried the angels might have some bizarre rules, like the victim must kill her assailant or marry him...


    Alright, that was quite a stretch. But such plot twists did happen in novels.


    "It''s not a big deal. Since angels being violated by humans is quite rare, I took the chance to report the incident to Lady Elara in Edemmere through the spiritual network during lunch... "


    Seeing us look anxious, Kina had no choice but to explain with a smile.


    "Hearing Cyra''s account of the True Church and her leaving with a blue-haired companion, Lady Elara immediately guessed both your names. She asked me to pass on a message - tell you to log into the spiritual network with ''Spiritual Convergence'' right away, as she wishes to inquire about some matters personally."


    "Word of this reached Edemmere so quickly?"


    Upon hearing this, Cyra could only smile wryly.


    When we left Edemmere, Elara had reiterated she would open the external transmission channel at noon. But we hadn''t contacted her these past few days. Unexpectedly she had gotten wind of the incident first.


    "Alright, we''ll contact her now!"


    I, on the other hand, was relieved. I nodded in agreement. The server was just bringing dishes to our table, but that didn''t prevent us from using magic.


    For angels, "Spiritual Convergence" was quite simple as long as they weren''t actively receiving others'' messages. We could even use it while eating.


    "You seem to have ordered a lot of food..."


    Kina had passed on the message but didn''t want to leave just yet. She eyed the sumptuous food on the table longingly.


    "Why not stay and eat with us? We happened to order too much..."


    Seeing her expression, I couldn''t help smiling and moved some dishes in front of her. She seemed like she hadn''t eaten in a while. After coming into money, Cyra had ordered the most expensive set meals without considering whether we could finish them. What a waste!


    "That would be great, thanks!"


    Delighted, Kina immediately grabbed the utensils and forked a slice of steak into her mouth.


    "What meat is this? I''ve never had it before. It''s so delicious!"


    "I think it''s long-whiskered leopard meat..."


    I glanced at the menu, not too sure myself. Seeing her satisfied look, I didn''t elaborate and focused on casting "Spiritual Convergence" silently instead.


    "Feliciana, is that you?"


    As expected, Elara''s voice sounded in my mind. Although this wasn''t the first time using this magic, the whole process still felt incredible.


    Guided by the spell, the spiritual force carried by light elements was like a special sensory organ, perceiving light elements far beyond the body''s limits. It felt as if I was immersed in an "elemental sea" made up of light elements. Every distant "drop" in this sea could be sensed instantly, almost without passage of time.


    A huge magic circle composed purely of light elements was like an extremely noticeable beacon, guiding the spiritual force in the chaotic "sea" towards the right direction.


    "It''s me!"


    I casually responded in my mind. But suddenly heard Cyra''s voice.


    "Huh, was that Feliciana just now? My first time with a group call!"


    "I''ve arranged both your spiritual forces together, so everyone can communicate."


    Elara explained. As the conductor of this spiritual network, she could of course manage the spiritual forces connected to her. Although my eyes now saw the restaurant interior, part of my spirit had already reached her side in Edemmere along the light elements.


    "Let''s get to business. I''ve heard Kina''s report about what happened to Cyra. How could an angel be taken advantage of so easily by a human?"


    Managing a group "chat" expended a lot of effort for the conductor. Elara didn''t beat around the bush, cutting straight to the chase.


    "Also, you nearly got violated but recklessly saved the human who intended to assault you. Why?"


    "Because I was drunk..."


    Cyra''s voice promptly followed, starting her explanation. She gave a rough recount of what had happened the past two days and the context.


    "So did you really join the True Church or not?"


    Hearing we had even stayed in Patington Cathedral, Elara hurriedly asked. After all, the executioners who came for us did say Cyra was a member of their church.


    "No I didn''t! I still remember what you said - the True Church here might be connected to the God of Light. So I rejected them..."


    Cyra quickly clarified. In fact, when I first found out, I was also very surprised. Cyra''s main reason for refusing the church wasn''t due to anything else - it was because Elara had cautioned her before leaving.


    "Really? You actually refused them?"


    Elara clearly couldn''t believe it. She probably intended to scold us today, but got an unexpected surprise instead.


    "It''s true!"


    I chimed in to corroborate. Glancing at Cyra across the table, a question suddenly occurred to me.


    "Though on a whim, she insisted on going to visit the Saint Capital of the True Church. I''m not sure if that counts as getting involved..."


    "The Saint Capital? What business do you have going there?"


    I could feel Elara''s voice pause noticeably, seemingly very surprised.


    "Mainly sightseeing, nothing else! And to take a look at the Pope who''s lived for thousands of years, that''s all!"


    Cyra quickly clarified. In reality, I felt she kick me hard under the table, making me grit my teeth in pain. Kina, who was heartily tucking in beside us, was puzzled by my expression.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 24 - Professional Imagination

    "The Pope? You guys want to go to the Saint Capital to see the Pope? Does Nicola know about this?"


    Elara''s reaction was a bit strange. From her words, it seemed like she didn''t oppose Cyra''s decision that much.


    "She doesn''t know yet, but I think she probably won''t agree to taking a detour to the Saint Capital..."


    I answered truthfully, suddenly recalling that after Cyra had messed up today''s burning at the stake, this proposal would probably be even less acceptable to her now.


    "Actually, if you really want to go to the Saint Capital, it''s not impossible..."


    Elara rarely agreed with one of Cyra''s ideas. But she gave a suggestion in return.


    "But it would be best to persuade Nicola to come along too. That way safety can be ensured. I''d also feel more at ease with her there!"


    "Huh? Is the Saint Capital dangerous?"


    Hearing her say this, Cyra felt a bit surprised. I also didn''t understand - the headquarters of the True Church shouldn''t have any wars or dangers, right? I''d never heard of any perils in that place before.


    "And convincing Nicola might be a bit difficult for you guys..."


    I chimed in after Cyra. Of course, whether we went to the Saint Capital or not didn''t matter much to me. If Nicola insisted against taking a detour, I naturally wouldn''t abandon her to go with Cyra either. Looks like Cyra would just have to be a little disappointed.


    "It''s mainly because of that Pope..."


    Elara''s voice sounded a bit hesitant. It seemed like she didn''t want to elaborate too much over the network. After a moment of silence, she finally made a decision.


    "How about this - I have some urgent matters to deal with here. You two head back to Preston Cathedral first. I''ll send an angel over to discuss this face-to-face."


    "And Cyra, be more careful out there in the future. Don''t let humans take advantage of you again! Also, don''t try stunts like rescuing people at execution sites anymore. It''s fortunate that today''s was a True Church trial. If it had been a city defense force or another country, you might already be wanted by now!"


    "Don''t worry! I only dared to do it today because I knew those church followers revere angels greatly. If I wasn''t sure I could succeed, I wouldn''t have rushed up there to save anyone either!"


    In response to Elara''s earnest advice, Cyra quickly asserted.


    After saying her final words, I felt the mental connection severed. Cyra''s and my thoughts returned to the restaurant almost simultaneously.


    "Let''s hurry up and eat. We still need to rush back."


    I looked at the table full of untouched dishes besides Kina''s.


    Angels didn''t need to eat during the day, even if they felt peckish they couldn''t eat much.


    "How strange... Could this Pope be very special or something?"


    Cyra stared at the steak plate in front of her and murmured to herself, having suddenly lost her appetite.


    "The Pope? What about him?"


    Kina looked puzzledly at the two of us after hearing that, quickly swallowing her food. "Do you mean the Pope in Jethrobaines in the Saint Capital?


    "That''s the one. Do you know anything about him?"


    I grew interested at this. It seemed this Pope''s issues were not as simple as just having lived for thousands of years. It felt like there were many intrigues.


    "I''m not clear. We''re generally advised to avoid Cresthaven Papal Dominion if possible, let alone the Saint Capital there."


    Kina shook her head as she answered.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "But there are countless rumors, of course. The Pope''s age is practically common knowledge. Some say Jethrobaines is actually a nest of dark creatures, and the Pope is their monster leader. Though some also laughably claim the Pope is actually an angel, which is why he''s lived so long. That''s pretty funny - the Pope is male, and there''s never been any male angels in this world..."


    "Could he be cross-dressing?"


    Cyra suddenly conjectured.


    "What do you think this is, Mulan?"


    I retorted sarcastically.


    "Try impersonating the opposite gender for thousands of years without getting caught, if you think it''s so easy!"


    "Um, maybe if the Pope is really ugly..."


    Cyra lamely attempted to defend herself, knowing she was in the wrong. She could only turn her head the other way.


    "Do you know anything else about this Pope then?"


    I ignored her and continued questioning Kina.


    "Nothing else. Though even if you reached the Saint Capital, commoners usually can''t see the Pope in person anyway. But you may have a chance if you join the True Church..."


    Speaking to this point, Kina couldn''t help glancing at Cyra. She had seen with her own eyes how the True Church had mistaken Cyra for one of their own earlier.


    "She''s not a follower of the Church! Those churchgoers were mistaken!"


    I clarified once more. Then I suddenly recalled and asked Cyra,


    "In that case, you might not even get to see the Pope like you wished! So why are you still so adamant about rushing over there?"


    "Because I have a letter of introduction!"


    Cyra took out an envelope and waved it smugly in front of me.


    "It''s from Bishop Rister. Supposedly just having one of these introductions can basically get you an audience with the Pope. Also, going to the Saint Capital isn''t only about seeing the Pope. I''ve never been to the headquarters of the True Church before!"


    Even the Church on Earth, she probably hadn''t gone to their headquarters either. So this sentiment was understandable.


    After the meal, Kina bid us farewell on the spot. She continued on her mission, while we hurried back to Preston Cathedral.


    "Do you think there''ll be any issues with me brazenly barging in like this, after the mess I caused at the execution ground today? Might they try and settle scores afterwards?"


    At the main entrance of the cathedral, Cyra had gotten cold feet and hesitated to go in.


    "You can actually feel fear too? Then why didn''t you think things through before doing all that earlier?"


    I rolled my eyes. From Selene''s attitude, I wasn''t actually that worried about this. But she didn''t represent every person in the church either. What if Bishop Rister and the rest thought differently? That would be hard to say.


    "What''s there to fear? Don''t forget you''re an angel now. In the eyes of the churchgoers, almost anything you do makes sense - it''s God''s will after all!"


    Without overthinking it further, I went ahead and grabbed Cyra''s hand, forcibly pulling her inside.


    "Worst case, even if they don''t acknowledge your actions, it''s not like we can''t argue or fight our way through, right?"


    "Hallelujah! You''ve finally returned!"


    Our luck seemed a little bad. We had just walked into the great hall when we ran straight into Bishop Rister. But there didn''t seem to be any anger on his face. Rather, he looked extremely excited.


    "I''ve already heard about the earlier happenings from Selene. As expected of an angel! Your understanding of our Lord''s benevolence runs deeply. I can only sigh that I''m not your equal!"


    "You really think so?"


    Cyra was stunned by his bootlicking.


    "Of course. I heard you''re a newly born angel? Yet despite it being your first time descending, you''re so familiar with the Bible. The angels'' refusal to acknowledge ties with our Church must truly be the Lord testing us - so we don''t rely too heavily on you!"


    "You really think so?"


    I couldn''t help chiming in to ask too. I''d always found it odd how the Church followers insisted on seeing angels as servants of their God. Now the reason seemed simple - it was just their imagination running wild...


    "Naturally! While some may harbor doubts, Angel Cyra''s deeds today have deeply proven this point. What happened today is absolutely worth being sung across the entire continent!"


    "But out of so many angels, only Cyra seems to understand the Bible, right? I for one don''t!"


    Hearing the bishop''s words, I couldn''t help but twitch the corner of my mouth. Cyra''s imagination was already quite strong, but compared to this guy she was clearly out of her depth...


    "This is of course still the Lord testing us! As servants of God, he can freely modify your memories - naturally you wouldn''t recall him then. You simply don''t know it!"


    Bishop Rister said this while winking at me too, sending chills down my body.


    "Then what does that make me? An exception?"


    Cyra pointed at herself, forcing a smile as she asked.


    "No, this is also the Lord''s guidance. I suspect you were sent by Him specifically to resolve our doubts..."


    Bishop Rister respectfully replied, before taking out a small booklet.


    "Speaking of which, I have some parts of the Bible I don''t quite understand. I''d be grateful if the Angel could enlighten me on them..."


    "This is..."


    Cyra looked back at me helplessly.


    "Do as you please! We don''t have anything else to do right now anyway."


    I waved my hand, feeling amused as I randomly took a seat on one of the long benches in the hall.


    ...


    Not much time had passed when Cyra was still heatedly discussing issues with Bishop Rister. Suddenly, I saw several low-ranking church members rush in from outside.


    "Bishop, quick-"


    "Quick what? Don''t be so impatient, speak slowly! What if you startle the Angel!"


    Bishop Rister stopped their clamor and asked,


    "What exactly happened?"


    "Hurry out and see for yourself! Another angel has descended from the heavens. She''s waiting at the entrance now, asking for someone!"


    One of the churchgoers finally caught his breath and recounted what had happened.


    I couldn''t blame him - this was already the umpteenth angel to come to the cathedral today. Being shocked was a normal reaction.


    "She''s here for us. Where''s Nicola? Please call her out too!"


    I immediately stood up to clarify. Nicola should have already returned here with Selene earlier. But since we''d just quarreled, I also felt a little awkward running over to look for her right away.

 Vol 4/Chapter 25: The Mysterious Pope

    "Let''s leave the other questions for later..." Cyra paused her conversation with Bishop Rister.


    Upon entering the front hall, they saw a six-winged angel standing with his back to them. His shape looked very familiar.


    "Teacher Aetina!" Cyra happily rushed over as soon as she saw him.


    "So the angel Elara sent was you?" I was also quite happy to unexpectedly meet an old friend in this place.


    "It''s all because of Cyra! Elara scolded me badly, saying I didn''t teach you all well enough on how to protect yourselves, resulting in Cyra leaving Edenmere for just a few days and nearly being taken advantage of by a human male..."


    Seeing the smiles on our faces, Aetina glanced reproachfully at Cyra and complained, "I remember teaching you these basics back then, and you always insisted you understood and didn''t need more lessons. If I had known it would turn out like this, I would never have believed you!"


    "I was drunk! Otherwise I wouldn''t have let him take advantage so easily..." Cyra immediately defended herself.


    But just then, a voice spoke up, "Didn''t you already publicly forgive that guy? Why keep bringing it up?"


    It was Nicola, emerging alone from a corridor beside the grand hall.


    "Nicola!" Aetina smiled slightly and joked, "Here in this place, do I still have to address you as Inheritor?"


    Although unaware of Nicola''s true identity, she was quite familiar with us and didn''t stand on ceremony.


    "Of course not, just call me as before!" Nicola nodded, glancing over everyone present before directly asking, "Seems Feliciana contacted Edenmere already? Elara sending you specially must be for something important, right? Speaking of which, we''re leaving here tomorrow..."


    "Of course it''s important! Cyra wants to go to the Holy City regarding that pope. I have to explain clearly to you all, or she won''t give up..."


    "The Holy City? The pope?" At these words, Nicola''s face darkened. She immediately turned to Cyra and asked, "What other nonsense are you trying to stir up? Still not caused enough trouble today?"


    "It''s normal she wants to visit the Holy See, never having gone before. And that pope is also suspicious..." I quickly spoke up to help.


    But Aetina cut me off, reminding us, "Since you''re all here, let''s find another place to discuss properly! Don''t forget this is Church territory. Too many ears here. Bringing up this topic so openly isn''t wise."


    "What''s wrong with the pope?" Nicola looked at me, perplexed. But she agreed fully with Aetina''s suggestion. "You''re right, let''s take a spin outside the city, enjoy the scenery!"


    Without waiting for an answer, she headed out of the church first.


    "Those guys didn''t give you too hard a time, I hope?" Glancing back at the knights as we took off from the church, I asked. But once we left the city outskirts, they stopped following.


    "Of course not. The old Astralrealm Kingdom might have been different, but this king is quite influenced by the Church and is friendly to our angel kind. Not like some other countries that would stop and interrogate any angel accidentally straying into their airspace."


    Shaking her head, Aetina gazed thoughtfully at the open fields and villages below us outside the city. "It''s been several hundred years since I last visited the mortal world. Not as comfortable as Edenmere of course, but many of the landscapes here can''t be seen back home..."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Then come out more often! I think it''s way better out here than Edenmere!" Cyra naturally seized the chance to suggest, having earned so many silvers. Naturally she was reluctant to return to that relatively "impoverished" life.


    "If only it were that easy. Most angels only come out on assigned missions. You all are special cases..." Aetina glanced meaningfully at Nicola ahead but didn''t say more.


    After flying a stretch, we landed on an uninhabited hilltop, with nice scenery and a view of the distant city below. Completely private, no eavesdroppers.


    "Can you explain now, your purpose in coming and what''s the deal with this pope?" Nicola finally couldn''t restrain herself and took the lead in questioning.


    "As a human, how can this True Church pope have lived thousands of years? They claim it''s their god''s blessing that allows such longevity, but doesn''t it seem suspicious to us angels who don''t believe in Yawee?" Aetina immediately shot back a counter-question, as this wasn''t exactly secret and she naturally assumed the other party knew too.


    "Uh... he''s really that old?" Nicola was caught off guard, seemingly ignorant of Church affairs, quite understandably.


    "Can normal humans here live so long?" She turned to ask me instead.


    "No, humans generally only live 100-200 years. Mages attuned to the Light element do tend to be longer-lived, some over 300 years. But the pope''s age is too absurd, moreover he''s said to have never aged much! So to us angels not believing in Yawee, he certainly can''t be human!" I shook my head.


    "Could the pope really be a monster then?" Cyra gaped, unable to believe it. After visiting the Paddington Cathedral, she had rather accepted that church, so this revelation about the top leader shook her.


    "Shouldn''t be a monster either, they can''t live nearly that long!" I disagreed. I was quite clear on this.


    "Though Edenmere has always prohibited angels from entering the Holy City Jethrobaines, even warning us to avoid the Cresthaven Papal Dominion region, some curious angels still often sneak in to investigate..." Aetina slowly elaborated, not rushed.


    "And what did they find out?" Nicola impatiently pressed.


    "Of course some discoveries were made. Even if the pope isn''t so easily met, enough attempts and a few would chance upon him!


    "Once a little angel got lucky, happening to see the pope touring the city. She recognized him at a glance - full of light elements, just like us angels in form and composition, only with wings hidden!"


    "So the pope is actually an angel too? But aren''t those just rumors?" I was shocked. I hadn''t expected rumors to become truth!


    "And why male, when angels can only be female, right?"


    "I''m not sure either..." She shook her head, uncertain.


    "It''s hard to confirm if the pope is truly an angel. Edenmere has no records about his identity, and certainly no recorded cases of male angels being born. But the longstanding ban on entering the Holy City does date back to Elara the Second''s reign..."


    "Wait!" I suddenly realized a key point. In her wingless state, Michelle was practically indistinguishable from an angel. And Elara had also said no overt records were found about her! So the pope''s identity was likely...


    "Could the pope also be an Elemental Angel?" Nicola voiced the same conclusion simultaneously.


    Clearly the logical inference, though still unsure which element. But it nicely explained the pope not being female -


    The angel race was created by Liana and the earth angel Galadra, but no one knew the origins of Liana''s group. If so, male Elemental Angels were not impossible.


    "Elemental Angels? What are those?" Yet Aetina looked totally bemused at the term, seemingly ignorant of their existence.


    "Elara only briefed me about the Light God Beruto and related matters. What Elemental Angels are you talking about?"


    "The two founders of our race were said to be Elemental Angels..." Nicola openly shared, not hiding anything. Even if she let slip secrets, Elara wouldn''t dare be displeased given her status.


    "But going back, what''s the connection between the pope and the Light God?" Cyra raised the question.


    "Since Teacher specially brought this message from Elara, there must be some relation, right?"


    "That''s right. Edenmere has long suspected ties between the True Church and the Light God. So Elara does not acknowledge this pope as an angel!" Aetina nodded, finally revealing everything.


    "As an angel from that era, she naturally knows the reason for the original ban - she told me Elara the Second feared the pope could be an avatar of the Light God. Hence the strict order, since angels are utterly powerless in front of the Light God due to our nature."


    "Oh right..." I was instantly reminded of the "video" memories seen in the Cloud Palace. The giant the Light God controlled changed forms bizarrely and mysteriously, said to be composed purely of light element.


    Angels'' bodies are also made purely of light element, and the Light God can freely manipulate all light element. So angels fighting the Light God could only end in disaster, with virtually no chance of survival.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 26 - Changing Transportation

    "So is the Pope really an avatar of the God of Light or an Elemental Angel?"


    Thinking of the image of the God of Light from her memories, Nicola''s expression soured a little.


    "Haven''t the angels investigated this clearly over the years?"


    "Due to the ban, angels are generally not allowed to get close to the Holy City, so we don''t really understand the situation in the Holy City...," Aetina helplessly replied.


    "Also, considering various concerns, and still having to deal with the threat of monsters, Lady Elara didn''t pay much attention to this issue either. After all, over the years, although the True Church has grown quite a bit, it hasn''t caused any harm, right?"


    Indeed, not only did it not cause harm, it even joined forces with the angels to resist monsters. If I were her, I certainly wouldn''t have the heart to question the Pope''s origins either.


    "But hasn''t this Pope never left the Holy City all these years?"


    Cyra suddenly thought of a question.


    "As long as he leaves the Holy City, can''t we take the opportunity to get to the bottom of this? Whether he is an Elemental Angel or an avatar of the God of Light can be found out immediately with a test. After all, there are basically only these two possibilities."


    "But the reality is so bizarre...," Aetina replied with a wry smile.


    "For thousands of years, this Pope has actually always hid in the Holy City and never came out. Except for actively going to the Holy City, there is no opportunity to see him at all."


    "So, Lady Elara asked me to specifically tell you guys that if you really want to go there, you can take the opportunity to thoroughly investigate the Pope''s identity. I believe that with Nicola''s identity as the Inheritor of the Founder, you shouldn''t fear the power of an avatar of the God of Light and can minimize the danger."


    "Is she really letting us go so reassured?"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but wryly smile as well.


    Of course, Aetina might not know that Nicola''s actual situation is far from being an inheritor of the founder, but rather the reincarnation of the founder''s soul, or even the founder herself!


    However, even so, it''s hard to say whether she can protect herself with her still incompletely awakened power, let alone protect Cyra and me as well, if she faces an avatar of the God of Light!


    "In fact, I think you can try it. I feel that this Pope doesn''t seem to be so terrible...," Aetina said, giving us her own opinion and suggestion when she saw Nicola''s and my hesitant expressions.


    "Why are you so sure?"


    Hearing her say this, Nicola stared at her thoughtfully, and suddenly asked.


    "That little angel who sneaked into the Holy City saw the Pope, right? So what happened to her afterwards?"


    "Of course she was discovered. At the very moment the little angel saw the Pope, the Pope also turned his head towards her from the crowd at the same time. But he didn''t do anything dangerous, just smiled handsomely at her and walked away. In the end, that little angel returned safely to Edenmere..."


    When Aetina recalled it, her eyes seemed a little lost, and the corners of her mouth even showed a hint of...sweetness?


    "Don''t tell me that little angel was you yourself?"


    Even Cyra saw through it and couldn''t help but retort.


    "Ah... is it that obvious?"


    Hearing this, Aetina was stunned for a moment, not expecting that she would give herself away after just casually saying a few sentences.


    "Too obvious! If it was someone else, how could you describe it in such detail..."


    I couldn''t help but roll my eyes. Perhaps Elara sent her over precisely because of this factor.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Don''t tell me you''ve fallen for him?"


    "Not really..."


    Hearing this, her expression immediately became somewhat coy, but she still denied it.


    "We can only be considered as having a fleeting acquaintance. We didn''t even get to talk. But it can''t be denied that the impression he gave me was quite good. He should be a nice person. After all, over the years, the angels who secretly went to the Holy City have all returned safely. I haven''t seen him make things difficult for any angel."


    "......"


    What more could be said? Seeing this situation, we could only roll our eyes speechlessly. So angels can fall in love so easily too? This Pope''s charm really runs deep!


    Speaking of which, I''ve only seen this kind of cheesy love-at-first-sight cliche in TV dramas before.


    "Men really do much harm...," Cyra suddenly sighed, having just escaped from the clutches of the landlord, and seemed to have some feelings.


    "Don''t you often refer to yourself as a man?"


    I glanced at her. How dare she say something like this? Think about those two light elf girls, they''re still waiting for her! Looks like there''s no hope for that now.


    "That''s totally different! This young master will never casually disappoint any girl, let alone force them...," Cyra shamelessly insisted on clarifying.


    "Rest assured, even as an angel, I will never fall for a man!"


    "Tsk tsk, I''m not worried about you falling for a man...,"


    With Aetina here, I didn''t dare to be so blunt. For a shameless person like Cyra, turning into an angel just makes her even more shameless.


    "Don''t get so off-topic!"


    Nicola didn''t seem to want to talk about these topics for long, and stopped our bickering. She specifically asked for my opinion again.


    "What do you think, can we still go to the Holy City or not?"


    It seemed she was also unsure so she had to ask me like this.


    In fact, looking at it rationally, the Holy City was still somewhat dangerous. Despite the distance, he was still able to accurately sense the hidden wings of an angel through the crowd. This shows that even if the Pope is not an angel, his attainments in light magic are quite high!


    One must know that even if he is an avatar of the God of Light, it is not necessarily something we can resist right now!


    However, I also trust Aetina''s judgement quite a bit. She shouldn''t be too far off. Plus so many angels have returned safely from the Holy City, which means there shouldn''t be big problems, right?


    "...I trust Aetina''s intuition!"


    After looking at Cyra''s expectant gaze, thinking it over for a bit, I finally made the decision to gratify her. After all, After all, one shouldn''t disappoint others if you take their gifts...


    "Great! Feliciana, I knew you would consider our friendship! My money pay off!" Cyra said excitedly as she rushed over to hug me.


    "Get lost!"


    I kicked her away in irritation. I naturally scorn such plastic friendships.


    "What money?"


    Hearing this, Nicola''s expression darkened and she hurriedly asked,


    "Did you guys make some shady deal behind my back?"


    "Nothing much, just that she split half the money from selling holy water with me!"


    I quickly explained, afraid that she would get the wrong idea.


    "Holy water huh...," Aetina sighed with some feelings upon hearing this.


    "Back in the day, I also secretly made and sold quite a bit of holy water and earned the money to open my shop in Edenmere from that..."


    "Same idea!"


    Glancing at each other, Cyra and I indeed realized that even though few, there were still angels who thought like us.


    "Teacher, do you have any tips you can teach me? I found that the ratio of light element fused into the water doesn''t seem very high. For example, adding double the light element doesn''t achieve double the concentration effect..."


    Seizing the opportunity, Cyra hurriedly began to draw from her experience in a very eager manner.


    "Quite professional! To notice such subtle differences!"


    Facing Cyra, Aetina finally tasted the gratification of teaching, although the topic was a bit off track.


    "Actually, the absorption rate and concentration of light elements in water have a limit. If you don''t grasp it precisely, it can easily lead to overflow and waste of light elements, needlessly consuming production time! It took me a long time to figure this out!"


    As expected, like master, like disciple! Seeing the two of them enthusiastically discussing the topic of holy water production, Nicola''s and my mouths couldn''t help but twitch. We mourned in silence for the True Church of this world for a few seconds.


    Actually, fleecing does need some restraint. No matter how wealthy the church is, it probably can''t stand such ravaging...


    "Be careful! Especially after arriving at the Holy City, it''s best to contact Lady Elara every day, she''s also very worried about you guys!"


    After finishing the proper business, we accompanied Aetina wandering around in the wilderness for a while. When it was nearing dusk, she had to return to Edenmere. At our parting, she exhorted us again.


    "No problem, we''re well aware!"


    Nicola nodded and took the initiative to take on the task of contacting.


    "Why don''t we take a different mode of transportation to the Holy City!"


    Watching Aetina''s departing figure, I made a suggestion, mainly because I had obtained some


    "privileges" recently and was a little eager to try them out...


    "Oh, what transportation? You''re not saying we have to walk there right? That would be too tiring!"


    Hearing this, Cyra immediately showed great interest.


    "Wouldn''t flying over be good enough? Fast and convenient. I can make a round trip from here to the border in half a day...," Nicola frowned and said somewhat reluctantly.


    "Don''t worry! Trust me, it will definitely be faster than your top flying speed!"


    I winked confidently at her with a smile.


    However...


    "What!"


    I slammed the table, unable to help crying out loudly.


    "I''m sorry Miss, since this service is a new emerging project that has only been in trial use in recent years, the Adventurer''s Guild in Holy City does not have the relevant teleportation magic arrays established. So naturally, we also cannot teleport you there...,"


    In the VIP room, the Adventurer''s Guild service staff explained to me with an extremely apologetic expression. As for Nicola and Cyra, although they didn''t have the qualifications to enter, they could still be specially permitted due to being in my party.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 27: Setting Off

    "I''m sorry, the teleportation array is out. We can''t get to a place like the Holy City," the attendant said resignedly.


    I could only apologize to Cyra and Nicola after boasting to them earlier. I didn''t expect this at all and ended up losing face.


    "Excuse me, can we get free refills on the snacks and drinks here..." Cyra didn''t seem to care what I said at all. She had already stuffed herself with all the fruits and pastries in the VIP lounge and shamelessly asked for more drinks.


    Didn''t she just have lunch? How could this angel eat more than a human?


    "This VIP lounge looks pretty nice..." On the other hand, Nicola was more concerned with the comfort. She kept looking around at the luxurious decor and nodded in satisfaction.


    "When my three month re-evaluation period is up, I''ll have to get 6th tier access and enjoy this for myself. It shouldn''t be too long now, right?"


    "Hey...are you two listening to me?" I felt my expression go sour. Were these two ignoring me on purpose?


    "What''s the big deal if we can''t use the teleportation array? We can just fly there ourselves, what''s there to worry about?" Cyra responded nonchalantly. At that moment, the attendant brought over new snacks. Cyra immediately started rummaging for her favorite treats.


    "If you want to go to the Holy City, our Association does have many other transportation options available," the attendant said after seeing our membership cards. She knew we were angels and didn''t react strangely at all, instead recommending options diligently.


    "Oh? Tell us what other transportation is available then," Nicola seemed interested upon hearing this.


    "If flying is too tiring, you could take our Association''s scenic cruise airship line, specifically for sightseeing. It can take you along the eastern Astralrealm kingdom, enjoying mountain and snowy scenery, with the final destination being the Holy City itself!"


    As she spoke, the attendant professionally took out a brochure-sized booklet and handed it over. It detailed the airship''s route, stops along the way, cabin prices, free and paid dining/entertainment, and more.


    "Seems kind of like a cruise ship on Earth..." Nicola murmured as she eyed the menu.


    "Is that so? I''ve never been on a cruise, so you can use it for reference," I casually glanced over it as well. But then I noticed an issue.


    "Looks like I''d be the only one getting free passage, right? The two of them wouldn''t be included?"


    "That''s right! As a 6th tier member, you alone could get a free first class cabin ticket, but the other two would need to pay 30,000 silver each to board!"


    "30,000?!" Cyra looked up sharply, suddenly finding the snacks in her mouth not so tasty anymore.


    "Price gouging? Who can afford tickets at that price?"


    After all, the three of us combined had less than 100,000 silver total. Spending 60,000 just for an airship ride really wasn''t worth it.


    "Um, would you like to consider the mid-tier cabins instead? The balcony rooms are only about 10,000 silver..." The attendant looked awkward and quickly suggested an alternative.


    "Forget the airship!" Nicola closed the brochure and handed it back to the attendant, then turned to explain to us. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "There must be reasons for such high prices, and it''s first class after all, so the draw is definitely the high-end services too - a luxurious experience. But unfortunately, this route just doesn''t suit us..."


    "Didn''t you say the final destination is the Holy City?" I asked, confused. I was actually a little relieved that she said no - after all, she had been on cruises before since she was used to luxury. If she had insisted on taking the airship, Cyra and I might have had to pay up.


    "I looked it over - this is actually a sightseeing route," Nicola explained with a shake of her head. "The airship first flies south to Parristol, then loops back north along the mountain range towards the Holy City. It covers half the eastern border in a big circle. On top of the slow flying speed, with waiting time before departure, the whole trip would take over half a month. That''s way too much time wasted!"


    Nicola gestured in explanation, then asked the attendant, "Do you have any other routes here? Or other transportation options?"


    "No other airship routes pass by the Holy City. As for other transportation..." The attendant hesitated slightly, but had to ask anyway.


    "Do you have experience riding Mabushirian dragons?"


    "Riding dragons?" The three of us glanced at each other and sighed before leaving the VIP lounge.


    Forget not having experience, it''d be easier just flying ourselves!


    "That was a waste of time. If I knew, I''d have just gone back to the Church to pack," I said dejectedly as we walked out of the Association headquarters. The sky outside was already dark.


    "No worries, the snacks and drinks were pretty good..." Cyra patted her belly, looking very satisfied. Looks like she didn''t need dinner.


    "And we can just store our clothes and daily essentials in storage rings, so convenient that we don''t need to pack at all!" As Nicola spoke, a carriage slowly approached and stopped in front of us.


    "I''ll return the carriage to the back lot, hurry and turn in your quest before the deadline!" A man and woman got out, with another male adventurer still sitting inside. He urged the other two impatiently.


    "What do you think, would it be acceptable if it wasn''t an aerial vehicle?" Cyra watched the departing carriage thoughtfully.


    ...


    The next day was our day of departure.


    "Lady Nicola, I really want to go to the Holy City with you but the Archbishop has given me a new mission. I''m afraid we''ll have to part for now..."


    Selene came personally to the city gates to see us off.


    "Will you come back here again?"


    "That''s hard to say..." Nicola looked somewhat troubled.


    "We don''t even have a rented house here anymore. Who knows where we''ll end up or even back in Edenmere!"


    "Of course we''ll be back!" I disagreed. After all, not only Selene but Adrian, Vivianne, Brennan and more were here! Even if we did have to go back to Edenmere eventually, I''d definitely come back to visit them before that.


    Speaking of which, I wondered how Adrian and the others were doing with Vivianne''s rescue. I was quite worried but there was nothing I could do to help...


    "We can talk possibilities some other time when we have the chance!" Nicola glanced at me before turning to leave.


    "Are you really taking that to go to the Holy City?" Selene looked uncertainly at the carriage behind me.


    "Um..." I scratched my head awkwardly. "Since we''re not in a rush, might as well enjoy the scenery along the way. Gets tiring always flying overhead."


    Actually, the carriage was pretty cost-efficient. I alone could get a whole carriage for free, plus a driver since no one could steer it.


    If anyone else rented this setup, it''d easily cost over 1,000 silver a day!


    "Although you didn''t say it directly, I know this trip to the Sage Alliance is still about your lost memories... I can tell your memory hasn''t recovered even after returning to Edenmere..."


    Just as I was about to get on the carriage, Selene suddenly said sourly from behind, "Lady Nicola is so good to you, willing to go so far with you!"


    "Oh please, we don''t have any special relationship!" I wanted to roll my eyes - I''d almost forgotten about my amnesia until she brought it up! But she didn''t know about newborn angels or transmigration, so her assumptions were normal.


    "Though my memories didn''t return in Edenmere, my strength improved tremendously! Look!"


    Before getting on, I suddenly recalled my Adventurers'' Association membership card and flashed it before her eyes.


    "Tier 6! See that? You can''t call me weak anymore!"


    "No way, impossible!" Selene wiped her eyes and looked again and again, still refusing to believe it.


    "That''s definitely a fake certificate since your re-evaluation period isn''t up yet!"


    "Hahaha, jealous much? I''ve left you far behind now!" I finally got to gloat and laughed happily, leaving Selene stomping her feet in frustration behind me.


    "Feliciana, just you wait! One day I''ll get Tier 7 and show you!"


    "Is Tier 6 supposed to be impressive?" Inside the carriage, Cyra disdainfully wrinkled her nose.


    "That''s not even 8 wings. Super common in Edenmere."


    "Oh come on, we were just joking around!" I casually explained as I stuck my head out the window and looked back. Selene was still waving vigorously at us.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 28 - The "Curse" of the Prophet

    "Let''s set off then!"


    Nicola didn''t say much more, simply instructing the coachman to move forward.


    "Here I come, Holy City!" As the carriage began to move, Cyra also excitedly shrieked.


    "Keep it down, is that necessary?"


    I rubbed my ears, feeling a headache coming on from her voice.


    "I''ve never ridden in a carriage before, of course I have to enjoy the novelty!"


    Like a child, Cyra stuck her head and hands out the window, ceaselessly surveying the scenery along the way.


    "This is my first time riding in a carriage too. I''ve been on planes, ships, sports cars and limos, just never a carriage. It''s not bad to experience it occasionally..."


    Nicola also had a smile on her face. She had readily agreed when Cyra first suggested renting a carriage.


    It was quite ironic - we had wanted to use the fastest transportation to get to the Holy City in the shortest time, but ended up choosing the slowest option with a carriage.


    While not as lengthy as an airship, the entire journey would still take two to three days at the carriage''s speed. Annoying!


    "It''s not bad, just a bit boring and cramped!"


    When it was noon, we would naturally stop and rest for a while. Cyra stretched and got off the carriage.


    "You chose this carriage yourself! And you''re already complaining of boredom after such a short time?"


    I said irritably, also getting off the carriage for some fresh air.


    The inside of the carriage was actually much more spacious than a normal one, thanks to some "modifications".


    Though it was a carriage, the horses in this world were slightly different from Earth''s, seeming more excellent in speed and stamina. Magic had also been used to achieve a shock-absorbing effect. In terms of experience, it was close to a small sedan.


    But no matter how lovely the scenery, one would eventually tire of it. As for passing the time - naturally it was the forever unchanged playing cards!


    "Don''t worry, we survived that time in Edenmere when sleeping was prohibited, didn''t we? Besides, if it really becomes unbearable, we can just fly directly there!"


    Cyra nonchalantly answered. She had already thought of a solution.


    "Alright, I just hope you guys don''t change your minds at night..."


    I couldn''t help but glance at Carl, the coachman beside us. He looked rather old, a middle-aged man, and I wondered if he had heard our conversation.


    As a coachman hired by the association, his job was just to take us to our destination, nothing else. As for abandoning the carriage midway, that would likely affect his earnings paid daily, though who knew if he would complain.


    "Carl, how much distance have we covered? Will we pass any other cities along the way?"


    Just then, Nicola also got off the carriage and went straight to ask him. Currently we were surrounded by wilderness, without another soul in sight, and had no idea how far we''d come.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "We''re taking the main road, so we''ll definitely pass cities. Based on the plan, we should keep heading north, then turn east in the afternoon. If all goes smoothly, we should reach Makalan City by evening."


    Carl didn''t know we were angels, but answered respectfully out of professionalism.


    "There are several more cities ahead, big and small, mainly in the Cresthaven Papal Dominion area..."


    "Sounds pretty fast! Makalan is quite close to the border, so if we''re lucky, we may cross into Cresthaven tomorrow."


    After glancing at the map, Cyra suggested happily to me.


    "Let''s stay the night in Makalan City then!"


    "Huh? This place..."


    I leaned over for a look. Suddenly I noticed a familiar name northwest of Makalan City - the town of Tethys.


    That place had been the epicenter of the monster invasion. It was only recently that the allied forces had retreated from the hilly area between Makalan City and Tethys Town - the very spot we first met Michelle.


    "Makalan is just a small city with sparse population. Though near the war zone, I heard it only suffered minor harassment from monsters, quite fortunate! Don''t know the current situation though."


    Hearing we wanted to stop there, Carl introduced it very professionally.


    "Let''s go take a look then. With some luck we may even have dinner there!"


    I nodded. Although we had brought some food for emergencies, local specialties were still best sampled when traveling.


    However, reality was harsh. By the time we reached Makalan City, it was nearly midnight. The city gates were open but we were stopped by the guards.


    "From this evening to noon tomorrow, Makalan City will be under high security alert. No entry or exit of personnel and vehicles!"


    "What kind of stupid rule is this? Why the high alert?"


    Cyra couldn''t help but curse loudly. Thankfully the outside was noisy and the guards didn''t hear, only urging the coachman to quickly turn the carriage around.


    "Maybe something happened in the city?"


    But I sensed something amiss. Even under high alert, the gates would normally be shut this late. Yet not only were they wide open, we could see people and vehicles queued up inside waiting to leave.


    "Let me go find out..."


    Carl parked the carriage at the roadside, volunteering on his own initiative.


    We saw him stop someone who had just come out of the city. After chatting for a while, he rushed back and explained through the carriage window.


    "I finally got it - Makalan City has been cursed by a prophet! These people are residents afraid of being affected, now fleeing in panic overnight!"


    "A curse? What does that have to do with prophets?"


    Nicola was confused, just like me.


    "Prophets are those who predict the future! Don''t you know?"


    Carl looked at us strangely, wondering why we didn''t know such common sense. Still, he patiently explained:


    The so-called "curse" was just exaggerated phrasing. Since future predictions were highly accurate in this world, any misfortune foretold by prophets or astrologers was termed a "curse"!


    With such high accuracy, preventive measures were mostly futile. Just like for Makalan City - a prophet had predicted a disastrous fire tonight. Though the scale, cause, origin, and extent weren''t known, many residents had chosen to evacuate just to be safe.


    As for the authorities, they had given up trying to prevent it. The city guards were only tasked with stopping outsiders from entering.


    "If the prophets are so powerful, why not ask them to predict more details so the cause can be prevented?"


    Cyra still thought the future could be changed. Naturally she would ask this.


    "I already said preventive measures are useless. Prophets probably can''t continuously predict either."


    I pointed out the crux of the issue. I vaguely recalled learning about prophets in Edenmere - a wind mage specialization, if I remember right.


    But humans had limited magical talent, so it was difficult to clearly see the future through time. That probably explained the 80% accuracy.


    "True, prophets can only see a very fuzzy future through advanced wind magic, and cannot use it continuously. That makes it easy for the user to misinterpret things."


    Nicola nodded in agreement. As a wind element user, she had some knowledge of related fields, especially time-related jobs.


    "Astrologers are stronger at predicting, with accuracy near 90%! Combined with wind magic, they can precisely calculate an event''s cause and process. But sadly, astrologers seem to only exist in the Sage Alliance."


    I recalled the astrologer I''d met who promised a reading. Back then I thought it no big deal, but now it seemed quite rare.


    "Forget it, no point dwelling on such mystical things unrelated to us. Since we can''t enter the city, we need to consider where to spend the night!"


    Yawning, Cyra reminded us to focus on the present issue. Staying up any longer would turn into an all-nighter.


    "Any lodging options outside the city?"


    Left with no choice, I asked coachman Carl.


    "I''m not sure, this is my first time in Makalan too. But it''s a small city, so lodgings outside are probably limited..."


    Carl surveyed the surroundings and replied.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 29: Sneaking Into the City

    In big cities like Norvale, even the areas right outside the city gates have many inns and are just as prosperous as inside the city.


    But here on the outskirts of Makalan, it felt much quieter. We didn''t see many buildings, not even decent stone roads. Even if there were places to stay, the locals probably took them already after the city shut its gates.


    "Are we going to have to sleep outdoors?"


    It had been a while since I''d done that. Suddenly it felt a bit uncomfortable. The last time I slept outdoors was probably just after I got transported to this world!


    Luckily we had Carl who was experienced with this stuff. After some trouble, he found a normal house willing to let out a room to us for one night, for 1000 silver.


    That was clearly overcharging! But we had no choice. And it wasn''t like we lacked money, so we decided to stay there.


    "The three of us are going to squeeze in this little room?"


    Seeing the narrow single bed in the less-than-10-square-meter room, Cyra asked helplessly.


    "It''s late, let''s bear with it for one night! Still better than sleeping outdoors right? Look at poor Carl, he has nowhere to sleep but the carriage!"


    I sighed. Nothing could be done. Though, this room really was too small. Even if the other two slept on the floor, it would be hard to fit.


    "Feliciana, you can take the bed if you''re tired!"


    Nicola frowned and shook her head before walking out without another word.


    "Looks like she wants me to sleep on the floor?"


    Seeing that, Cyra was a bit unhappy.


    "Why should I? I paid for the room! The floor is so cold! And these people didn''t even give us any mattresses!"


    "Uh... Or you can take the bed? I don''t really mind."


    I quickly offered.


    "You''re willing to sleep on the floor?"


    Cyra looked at me suspiciously, then said generously,


    "Alright, though it''ll be a squeeze with two people on the bed, I''ll make an exception and let you share it with me. We might even get a chance to ''get closer''!"


    "Go away! Who wants to ''get closer'' with you!"


    I kicked her in annoyance.


    "More importantly, what about Nicola? She doesn''t seem to want to sleep here with us."


    "Then just ignore her! She''s so capable, she''ll figure something out. Let''s rest early. It must be past midnight already..."


    Yawning, Cyra got into bed without another word. She must be exhausted.


    But where could Nicola spend the night? Even if she slept in the carriage, the coachman would be there. Would she rather be with Carl?


    If it was the past, I might''ve thought she wouldn''t care. But after the landlord incident, though Nicola was only harassed a little, I could tell she was warier of men now.


    "I''ll go check on her and be right back..."


    Cyra didn''t respond, seemingly already asleep. I was worried and had to go after her. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Huh? Where is she?"


    When I got outside though, I didn''t see anyone. Carl was also tired and snoring away in the carriage. Nicola had mysteriously vanished without a trace!


    "Could she be..."


    I looked up at the sky. Though it was deep night and I could barely see anything except some faint starlight, I could vaguely sense a blob of light elements quickly flying toward Makalan.


    No choice but to spread my wings and chase after her.


    "Nicola, what are you doing?"


    Luckily she wasn''t too fast. I shouted after her.


    "What do you think? Going into the city to take a look of course!"


    Nicola''s voice came from ahead. She obviously sensed me already but didn''t turn back as she replied.


    "Many people fled the city, but plenty must still be inside. The inns are probably mostly vacant. Rather than squeeze in that small room, I''d rather find a room in the city!"


    "But isn''t the city going to have a huge fire? Aren''t you afraid of danger going in like this?"


    I anxiously retorted. What''s the point of getting that expensive room? If we wanted to go into the city, we wouldn''t have needed to.


    "Alone I''m not worried at all. Don''t you remember me from the future? No way I''d die from something like this!"


    To my surprise, she suddenly stopped midair and sighed at me.


    "So aren''t you just making trouble for yourself by following me? You should''ve stayed in the room with Cyra!"


    "It''s just one night! We could''ve squeezed a little! Why make things so complicated?"


    I also felt frustrated. She made such a big fuss just to sleep a little more comfortably. Going from thrift to luxury is easy, going back is hard!


    "I just can''t stand squeezing three adults in that little room!"


    Nicola pouted and said no more, descending straight to the ground.


    "If you insist on coming then do so. With a six-winged angel''s powers, there shouldn''t be big problems right..."


    We were now above the center of Makalan. Though it was late, many houses below still had magical lights on, including some inn signs.


    Landing on the streets, we didn''t see anyone around. Just as Nicola was about to push open an inn''s door, I quickly stopped her.


    "Wait! This city is pretty small. If we stayed up tonight watching, do you think we could change the prediction?"


    "That was at least 80% probability! You really don''t want to sleep?"


    Nicola rolled her eyes at me. Logically we should recover our energy by morning, but right now I was also dead tired, yawning nonstop and wishing I could just pass out on the ground.


    "I think it''s hard to say whether this world''s future can be changed. Best not to try casually!"


    After saying that, she shoved the door open. The large lobby only had one dim magical light left on. No one was behind the front desk either.


    "Anyone here? Need a room!"


    Nicola yelled loudly.


    "No way anyone would come for a room at this hour right?"


    Turns out I was wrong. Someone was still keeping watch¡ªa man''s head emerged from behind the counter, staring at us for a good while.


    "Didn''t they seal off the city already? Only exit, no entry. Where are you two from?"


    The owner looked puzzled as he asked.


    "You don''t need to worry about that!"


    Though she said that, Nicola still reluctantly "explained" a little to dispel his doubts.


    "We had some things to take care of in the city this afternoon, only finished up just now. But when we came out, we heard rumors everywhere about a coming great fire. Considering we might not find a place to stay after leaving, we decided to remain in the city!"


    "I see. Actually I have some guests who chose to remain for similar reasons..."


    Hearing that, it seemed he didn''t expect new guests after the lockdown. So he didn''t doubt us and immediately processed our check-in.


    "Just one room? I''ll put you on the first floor for easy escape! Also stay alert when sleeping, don''t sleep too deeply! I don''t really believe the fortune teller''s nonsense either, but if you notice anything wrong, leave the room immediately, even jumping out the window is fine! I don''t even dare lock the front door and am only sleeping at the entrance as precaution!"


    "Got it..."


    Facing his well-meaning reminders, I smiled and expressed thanks. Looked like even commoners didn''t really believe the fortune teller.


    After all, no matter how accurate the prediction, they were still just prediction. Real fortune tellers didn''t seem common.


    Notably, the room here were so cheap, only a few dozen silvers a night, and each room even came with complimentary tea and snacks.


    "Angie, we''ve got guests, hurry to serve them!"


    After we took the room keys, the owner pulled a rope hanging from the ceiling. A faint bell rang out from the depths of the house


    "No need, Room 102 right? We''ll head over ourselves!"


    Nicola waved her hand and pulled me along into the inn.


    "See? My idea''s not bad right? Much nicer than that rundown place outside!"


    As expected of a proper inn. Not only were the rates low, the facilities were great too! Seeing the spacious bed, I nodded in agreement.


    "Then why didn''t you say so earlier? We wouldn''t have wasted 1000 silver for nothing!"


    "I was forced to come up with this..."


    Nicola helplessly shrugged, then smiled smugly,


    "What''s there to fear? Cyra''s rich now anyway, let her pay 1000 silver for a room herself, it''s not undeserved!"


    Looks like she was still a little envious Cyra earned so much so quickly...


    "Room service, tea and snacks!"


    Just as we were talking, a knock came at the door as a girl''s voice called out from outside.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 30 - Stupor Tea

    "There''s actually tea and snacks? They even have 24-hour service in this strange situation, how thoughtful!"


    Because of the innkeeper''s earlier bell ringing, I was mentally prepared. So I hurriedly went over and opened the door.


    "Hello you two, this is our inn''s special tea and snacks..."


    A girl with her head lowered came in carrying a tray, placed it on the table, then turned around and left.


    "Don''t you feel like that server seems a bit familiar?"


    Maybe because she kept her head lowered, I had a nagging feeling of familiarity. Her voice and figure both seemed familiar, like I had seen her somewhere before. But I couldn''t remember where. So I asked Nicola, "What do you think?"


    "Impossible! You''re imagining things! We don''t know that server at all. And in a small place like this, why would we know anyone?"


    Since Nicola was sitting, her view was much lower than mine. She should have clearly seen the girl''s face, but still shook her head indicating she didn''t recognize her.


    "I see...then maybe I''m just being overly sensitive."


    I stared at the doorway, shook my head vigorously, but still felt like I was missing something important.


    "Is this red tea?"


    Nicola poured a cup, sniffed it first, took a small sip, then drank it all down.


    "It tastes a bit different from Earth''s, but still pretty good! Want to try some?"


    "We left Cyra alone outside the city. What if she wakes up tomorrow morning and can''t find us?"


    I was too worried to eat or drink now. Although we had checked into the inn smoothly, I felt uneasy ever since that server came in. Aside from the fire prophecy, the only issue was Cyra outside the city.


    "She''s not a kid, she can handle a small situation like this. Worst case we can go out and get her at dawn, the carriage couldn''t have gone far."


    Nicola yawned, looking exhausted as she climbed into bed and lay down comfortably.


    "Get some rest, it''s late after all that!"


    "Hey, did you forget about the fire? Don''t sleep so deeply!"


    But she completely ignored me, settling down facing the wall and soon falling asleep.


    I could only sigh and shake my head.


    Her carefree attitude was getting worse, relying on her status and not considering others'' feelings.


    "I should go back and sleep near Cyra..."


    After hesitating there for a while, I decided to leave the city. It didn''t feel right leaving Cyra outside alone. As for Nicola, like she said, with guarantee of the future Nicola, she should be fine.


    "Watch yourself, don''t let your butt catch fire while you''re sleeping!"


    "Mm..."


    In response to my parting words, Nicola mumbled softly before falling silent.


    "You''re such a pig!"


    Venting my frustration, I really wanted to sleep too, but had to stay awake a bit longer for Cyra''s safety...


    I opened the door to leave, but then realized the innkeeper waiting at the entrance would find it odd if I went out so late. So I re-locked the door and jumped out the window instead.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Outside the window was the inn''s backyard, a large pitch black courtyard barely visible in the dim starlight.


    "Bang!"


    Just as I was about to spread my wings, I suddenly heard a loud thud from a room across the yard.


    Could it be another guest making noise?


    I looked curiously toward the source, but didn''t see any lights turn on in that room. It didn''t seem to be a guest room either, since regular rooms had doors facing the interior hallway. But that room''s large door clearly faced the yard, and seemed to be improperly closed with a sliver of darkness showing.


    "Slap!"


    While I was wondering, another louder noise came from the room, like plates or dishes falling and shattering on the floor.


    "What''s going on over there? Is that the kitchen?"


    One sound could be accidental, but several continuous noises were suspicious. Normally I might blame mice or cats making trouble, but during this sensitive time of a fire prophecy, it could be someone trying to start a fire!


    To be safe, I decided to take a look before leaving. The door was open anyway, so just peeking in without entering couldn''t be considered trespassing right?


    "Anyone in there?"


    I slowly approached the cracked open door and softly called out. I suddenly felt odd, like I was the one sneaking around.


    "Mm...mmm...mmm!"


    Right after my question, frantic struggling sounds came from the room, along with noisy kicks and stomps.


    Sensing something wrong, I pushed the door open and threw a small illumination spell inside. I saw a girl tied up and lying on the floor, with a rag stuffed in her mouth.


    "Wait, you were kidnapped?"


    That was my first reaction seeing this. I stared blankly at the "hostage" on the floor, taking a long time to react and go help untie her. The earlier sounds of things falling were probably from her kicking table legs. Broken dish fragments were still scattered around the floor.


    "Someone knocked me out from behind. When I woke up I was tied like this..."


    As soon as I removed the rag from her mouth, the girl quickly explained to me.


    "What? So even you don''t know who did it?"


    I was confused, after all that I still didn''t know what happened. The kitchen wasn''t big, and aside from this girl there was no one else. It didn''t seem to be a simple kidnapping...


    "What''s going on here?"


    The innkeeper''s voice came in from outside, probably alerted by the earlier sounds of dishes breaking. He rushed into the kitchen, saw the girl on the floor, and cried out in surprise.


    "Angie? Why are you here? Didn''t I tell you to serve tea to the guests?"


    "This was the guest who just checked in right? You''re the one who found her?"


    I didn''t need to say much, the innkeeper could also see the ropes just untied on the floor. He immediately looked to me for confirmation.


    "Wait, did you say you asked her to serve us tea earlier?"


    I suddenly noticed something very wrong, and instead of answering his question I asked the innkeeper right back.


    "Of course, she''s the only staff working the night shift here tonight. Who else could it be?"


    "Then who was that server who brought us tea?"


    Aside from their completely different clothes, this girl didn''t give me the same familiar feeling as the previous server at all. Their figures and voices clearly weren''t the same person.


    "I didn''t get to serve it yet!"


    Hearing this, Angie seemed startled. She dusted herself off and stood up to explain.


    "The boss said we had new guests, so I came to prepare tea and snacks. But right as I was about to bring it out, someone knocked me unconscious..."


    "Why would someone impersonate you and serve us tea?"


    What a bizarre development was this? I carefully recalled the "server''s" behavior, nothing seemed off except...


    "Don''t tell me, did she really drug it? That''s too ridiculous..."


    That was the only explanation now. Although I didn''t know her motive, Nicola could be in danger!


    I quietly cried out, hurried back out of the kitchen, and rushed toward room 102 across the yard.


    But it was too late. Returning to the room, Nicola was already gone from the bed. The door was wide open, and rapid footsteps could still be faintly heard in the hallway.


    She couldn''t have gone far!


    I immediately gave chase, but at the end of the hallway I saw a girl''s figure carrying Nicola turn a corner and instantly disappear from view.


    From her outfit, it looked like the same fake "server" from before.


    "Stop right there!"


    Although I didn''t understand why she was targeting us, I obviously couldn''t just let her take Nicola.


    Judging by the direction she turned, the girl was headed toward the inn''s front lobby, likely trying to escape through the front entrance. Chasing from behind would be difficult, so I should try to cut her off instead -


    Not caring who might see, I spread my wings in the yard and flew up into the sky, circling around the roof to reach the entrance area overhead. Sure enough, I spotted my target sprinting madly down the street below shouldering Nicola.


    "Don''t run!"


    Even carrying someone, her speed was impressively fast. She clearly had martial arts skills. But that was no match for my flight!


    Just as I readied myself to speed after them, I suddenly sensed something wrong. A presence of dark elements was swiftly approaching from behind!


    "What the?"


    I initially thought it was some flying monsters, but when I turned to look, it was an exceptionally large lizard man leaping at me axe-first!


    He must have jumped from the roof, easily clearing five or six meters over my head and forcing me to descend quickly! My only option was to plunge down toward the roof below.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 31: "Old Friend" in a Foreign Land

    I heard a loud "Bang!"


    The roof of this inn was really not sturdy. It cracked open a big hole when I crashed down from the sky. Luckily no one was using the second floor at this moment, so I only fell into an empty room.


    But things were not over yet. I had just climbed up from the floor enduring the pain, when I saw the hole in the roof above me flash red. I immediately felt something was wrong and quickly covered my whole body with a layer of light element.


    "Hoo - !"


    A huge fireball dropped down from the sky in an instant. Bathed in the fierce firelight, I was secretly glad that I reacted in time, otherwise the wings on my back would probably be gone...


    "Where did this lizardman come from? He can even cultivate in both martial arts and magic!"


    I was totally puzzled. I just wanted to find a comfortable inn in the city, how did I get targeted by a monster! To be honest, I really didn''t expect that such a high-level monster, at least sixth-order, would be hiding in this inconspicuous inn.


    Previously, because I had folded my wings, my perception had also decreased. Later, although I spread my wings again, my attention was all on Nicola who had been taken away. If the opponent''s sneak attack had not been so close, I would probably have been in big trouble!


    I took out my weapon from the storage ring, and was about to fly up and rush out of the roof hole. But then I saw another fireball dropping down from the sky, forcing me back inside.


    ...There was no other way. Since going up was blocked, I could only find another way out!


    By now the room was already in a sea of flames. I charged out of the second floor through the window. Below in the courtyard I saw many people looking up at me.


    "Hey! Quickly help put out the fire!"


    I shouted loudly at them, but of course no one had any thoughts about fighting the fire. They all swarmed outside to escape.


    "The great fire in the prophecy is here! Everyone run!"


    "Wait wait, it''s just a few rooms on fire, no need to exaggerate it, we should still be able to save it..."


    Just as I tried to stop them, the lizardman standing on the roof suddenly threw another fireball at me.


    Clearly, this was a monster with intelligence. Its goal was to hold me back, and it had succeeded at least in that -


    When I dodged the fireball and flew back up into the sky, I had completely lost sight of Nicola in the vast night.


    "I''ll take care of you first!"


    Anger welled up in my heart. I threw a "Lost Paradise Shockwave" straight at the lizardman.


    "Che! Missed..."


    The white light pillar descended from the sky, but the opponent reacted quickly, barely avoiding it with a sideways leap. But his speed was still a little slow, and he was grazed by the residual light wave.


    Although it was just a tiny bit, under the powerful might of the "Lost Paradise Shockwave", the lizardman still suffered heavy injuries and stumbled kneeling on the roof.


    "Now''s my chance!"


    I flew over with my sword raised to deliver a slanted strike while he was weak. It looked like he had no strength left to resist, and was about to be killed with one hit, when he suddenly raised his head and asked me a question.


    "Have I seen you somewhere before?"


    "......"


    What kind of plot twist is this? My long sword was at his neck, and I didn''t know whether I should swing it down.


    "Do we know each other well?"


    I suddenly felt a little ridiculous. An angel and a monster fighting on a roof, but then suddenly trying to build rapport in the middle of it.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Although I wasn''t too surprised that this lizardman was intelligent, I didn''t expect him to say something like this to his enemy.


    To be honest, even though he asked me this, I really wasn''t sure if I had seen him somewhere before. To me, lizardmen basically all looked the same. If there weren''t any particularly distinctive markings, I generally couldn''t tell them apart.


    But since we could communicate, perhaps I could interrogate him about Nicola''s whereabouts instead of killing him?


    This made me feel a bit conflicted. Even though I knew he might just be stalling for time, I still had to take the risk and try.


    "The tavern in Val City, do you still remember it?"


    Upon hearing this, the lizardman immediately blurted out a key piece of information. When I heard this, I finally remembered.


    "Ah! You were the one from back then..."


    Although it had been a long time since I was transported to the Dark Continent, I still vaguely recalled being caught by a lizardman right outside the tavern when I first entered Val City. Luckily he was drunk then, so he mistook me and Selene for dark elves infected by the light elements...


    Although a lot of things happened afterward, this lizardman was quite righteous in some ways, so he left a rather deep impression on me.


    "That''s right, I''m Kurnel..."


    Seeing my reaction, he immediately reported his name, as expected.


    "So you''re trying to build rapport and beg for mercy?"


    Knowing his identity didn''t make me relax my guard. My sword was still held steadily against his neck.


    Just because we had some history didn''t mean we could become friends now. We were still enemies at the moment!


    "I guess so..."


    After hesitating for a bit, Kurnel gave a vague answer! I couldn''t help frowning slightly and started interrogating him.


    "Can you tell me where Nicola was taken just now? If you honestly confess, I''ll let you go!"


    "The other angel?"


    Upon hearing this, Kurnel glanced in the direction Nicola was taken and answered me very readily.


    "They should be at the Sildenga Bridge in this city right now. The tunnel under the bridge is our rendezvous point."


    "......"


    He confessed so quickly? I almost wondered if I had misheard. He didn''t seem like the type to fear death.


    Or was it because of our previous encounter, so he was giving me special treatment? But no matter how I looked at it, it seemed he was the one at a disadvantage last time?


    "How can I be sure you''re not lying to me? That place could be some kind of trap you guys set up!"


    I couldn''t help questioning him.


    "There''s really no trap, this was just an accidental situation!"


    Kurnel actually defended himself quite honestly.


    "My companion was staying at this inn and accidentally discovered you two angels, so she specifically called me over to help abduct you... "


    "Who exactly is your companion, and how did she see through our identities? I''m guessing she''s not a monster but a human, right?"


    I pressed for more details. If that "fake service girl" was also a monster, even if she hid it well, Nicola and I would have noticed right away.


    "I''m not clear on that either..."


    Whether intentionally holding back or not, Kurnel shook his head and replied.


    "I was just sent to assist her infiltration into the human kingdom. I don''t know her identity or purpose. Because I let you two escape last time when I was drunk, Camille reported and exposed me. This is a chance for me to make up for that mistake..."


    "How can I believe everything you said is true?"


    I pointed my sword at his head. My mind felt a little chaotic. If I didn''t believe Kurnel, then I would really lose Nicola. I didn''t even know what would happen if she fell into the monsters'' hands.


    But if I were to believe him, he was obviously a monster, so why was he cooperating with my interrogation so readily? His attitude was just too honest...


    "You''ll find out when you go to the meeting place I mentioned, right?"


    Kurnel raised his head to look at me fearlessly.


    "Fine, I''ll trust you this once!"


    I had no choice but to make this decision! By now the fire in the inn had spread to beneath my feet. I could already hear intermittent shouts for help with the fire.


    I was too anxious to save Nicola to care about the fire. Since I had promised to let Kurnel go, I didn''t want to break my word. I flew up into the sky, leaving him behind.


    "Where exactly is this Sildenga Bridge?"


    But after flying for a bit, I turned back to ask, since this was my first time in Makaran City and I wasn''t familiar with the place.


    "I''ll take you there..."


    To my surprise, Kurnel readily agreed to show me the way. Dragging his injured body, he slowly tried to jump down from the roof.


    "Nevermind, I''ll carry you there. You guide me from the sky!"


    I frowned slightly, really having no patience to wait for him to drag his feet like that. I grabbed him by the scruff and lifted him into the sky.


    By now because of the big fire, more and more people had gathered around the inn. The scene of me carrying a lizardman flying away was probably seen by quite a few people.


    The Sildenga Bridge stretched across a river in the northern part of the city. Following Kurnel''s guidance, we soon arrived in the airspace above it.


    "Put me down here..."


    Kurnel suggested below me, though I was already thinking of doing just that. Monster bodies were just too heavy! Especially big guys like lizardmen. Thankfully I was a six-winged angel, with three pairs of wings to provide lift. If I still only had two or four wings, I might not have been able to carry him at all!


    "I don''t expect you to help me, but don''t try to drag me down either!"


    I purposely dropped him off at a spot farther from the destination, casually warning him as I swiftly flew toward the Sildenga Bridge. To prevent any changes, resolving this quicker was naturally better!


    But a sudden change occurred once again. I had just flown halfway when a huge black shadow suddenly rose from under the Sildenga Bridge and fled north, flying out of the city at considerable speed...


    What was going on? Had she noticed my approach ahead of time?


    I was baffled. Wasn''t she just a human? How could she sense me coming? From her movement skills she didn''t seem like a light mage either?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 32: Back from the Deadth?

    Perhaps the meeting place Kurnel told me about was true. But it was more likely that he secretly sent out some signal to alert his companions when I wasn''t paying attention.


    I looked back again where I had left Kurnel, but there was no trace of the lizardman anymore.


    "Forget about that guy!"


    I gritted my teeth and decided to chase after the black shadow in the sky. They flew pretty fast and were already quite far ahead after my brief hesitation.


    The Sildenga Bridge was located near the edge of the city. Just beyond the city walls was practically wilderness, with scarce places to hide. I had to rely on the faint starlight and occasional illumination spells I cast to keep track of them.


    It was easy to lose sight of my target if I wasn''t careful, and then they''d be impossible to find again.


    "So there are other monsters involved?"


    I murmured to myself. In the brief flashes of light from my spells, I could vaguely make out that the figure ahead had a pair of wide wings and was carrying something in its claws. It looked like the legendary dragons, just smaller in size.


    After chasing like this for some distance, they must have realized it wasn''t working. The figure started descending, until it was about 10 meters above the ground. Then it suddenly split into two - the top half accelerated upwards and vanished into the night sky, while the lower half dropped to the ground.


    I had no choice but to land as well.


    "Who exactly are you?"


    Though I couldn''t see clearly due to the lack of light, the faint glow of light element coming from Nicola lying on the ground confirmed that the figure standing nearby was the fake waiter I had been trailing!


    It seems they had set Nicola down after realizing they couldn''t escape. Now this person was ready to face me directly.


    We had flown for so long I had no idea where we were. It seemed to be a vast basin among mountains, with no vegetation around. I cast another illumination spell into the air to get some light.


    "Hmph, angels sure have poor memory..."


    That familiar voice again.


    I had just launched the glowing orb when a gust of wind rushed at me. They had used this chance to attack me barehanded!


    "Whoa!"


    Caught off guard, I hastily dodged upwards into the sky.


    "Extreme Art: Tailwind!"


    The girl didn''t stop just because I flew up. She shouted and launched herself upward, matching my height instantly.


    So fast!


    Before I could react, she had flashed right up to me. With a kick she knocked me tumbling back to the ground, while using the momentum to flip back near the unconscious Nicola several meters away.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Luckily she didn''t have any weapons, so despite the solid hit, I didn''t take much damage and barely felt any pain. But the move did seem familiar, reminding me of Brennan.


    "You said I have amnesia...have we met before?"


    By now the glowing orb had floated above our heads, finally providing ample light. But when I looked up at her, I froze in shock.


    "Blanche?! How can it be you?"


    "Hmph, finally remembered huh!"


    She looked disdainful but made no move to attack me again.


    "Wait, didn''t you die already?"


    I was totally confused. If I recalled correctly, back in Elara''s office at Edenmere, the messenger reported that the joint forces had surrounded Michelle but only found a human corpse - the ID card on it belonged to Blanche!


    "Sorry to disappoint you, but although I had a miserable time in the Dark Continent, I didn''t die as you all thought!"


    Blanche said coldly. Clearly she knew we couldn''t be fooled anymore after her earlier betrayal.


    "So you''ve still fallen in with the monsters?"


    I couldn''t help feeling regretful. She had schemed so much exactly because she didn''t trust monsters, yet still ended up here.


    "What''s your purpose in tricking Nicola this time?"


    I asked, puzzled.


    "She''s really Nicola? I was just told to look for someone who''s usually with you. What a coincidence to run into her..."


    Her reaction was unexpected. It seemed she didn''t actually know Nicola''s identity. Glancing down, she replied.


    "Someone wanted me to use my status to sneak into the human kingdoms, bring you two back to the Dark Continent, and in exchange gain my freedom."


    "Michelle?"


    I had a guess and immediately said that name.


    "You''re quite familiar with the ''Flame God'' huh! I wouldn''t have imagined a third-ordered angel to be so valued by her..."


    Blanche glanced at me in surprise. Though I was six-winged now, to her I was still mysteriously important.


    "Well, I re-tested after returning and am sixth order now..."


    I felt I should display that I wasn''t so easily bullied, then asked again:


    "So how did you come back?"


    The Dark Continent was very far away. We had already seized the Galadra Eye and were studying it at Edenmere! Any other unknown transportation methods could be troublesome.


    "And why side with evil again when you''re already free?"


    "Although you betrayed us in Val City, if you sincerely repent, I believe Alfred and the others wouldn''t insist on killing you. That''s still better than staying by Michelle''s side right?"


    I said persuasively. Just now I seemed to have caught Nicola stirring slightly on the ground. She might wake up soon.


    "You think I had a choice? Don''t underestimate the Flame God! How could she not have surveillance?"


    Blanche sneered, then abruptly looked up at the sky behind me.


    "There are many ways to travel from the Dark Continent, but ours was more primitive - took a whole day and night of flying to reach Makalan..."


    "We?"


    I was shocked. Right, there was that monster she flew here with...


    A piercing shriek sounded as the dragon reappeared from the darkness, swooping at me from behind.


    I quickly dodged sideways, throwing out two Purify spheres.


    "Roar~!"


    One sphere hit the passing dragon while the other was completely dissolved by the intense flames it breathed out.


    Injured, the dragon flapped back up clumsily into the dark sky.


    "Not bad retaliation for a sixth-ordered!"


    Blanche clapped from the sidelines. In those few seconds, two more figures had appeared beside her - Kurnel, and another completely shrouded in a black cloak.


    "They came with that dragon huh?"


    I instantly realized this was bad. Dealing with just Kurnel was hard enough. Without Paradise Lost Shockwave, I didn''t know how to take him down quickly while also handling the other two.


    But I had just used Shockwave earlier. Despite the long time passed, I remembered this was still the real world, late at night! Light element recovery here was extremely slow. Using it again would completely drain me.


    "I suggest you surrender. Bringing you two back benefits everyone..."


    Blanche gave a sinister smile. But when she glanced down, her expression froze.


    "Where is she?"


    Nicola who had lain unconscious by her feet was gone.


    "Detecting high concentrations of alpha and type three energies rapidly approaching..."


    The mysterious figure reacted first, looking up at the sky. Kurnel also sensed something, lunging toward Blanche.


    "Dare drug me, die!"


    A white light descended from above as Nicola swung her Condensation Sword down at Blanche. Luckily Kurnel pulled Blanche away just in time, barely saving her from being killed.


    "Kurnel, I spared you earlier. Can''t you go easy?"


    I rebuked angrily, though also trying to sow discord.


    "This is my mission. Our deal didn''t include that!"


    Kurnel shielded Blanche, facing me seriously with axe in hand.


    The black-clad figure also moved, a longsword suddenly appearing in his grasp as he charged at Nicola.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 33: Mysterious Disappearance

    That strike was quite amazing. Even I couldn''t see the movement of the man in black clearly. In a blink of an eye, he had already rushed to Nicola''s front.


    "Damn, how did he move so fast?"


    Nicola was unable to dodge in time. Her arm was slashed, leaving behind a long gash. Cursing, she flew up into the sky to evade.


    "What''s going on? Why is the drug effect so weak? She drank so much, and it''s nighttime now. She should at least be asleep until dawn!"


    Only then did Blanche react, looking up at Nicola in the sky with surprise.


    "Girl, angels have much higher drug resistance compared to ordinary humans. Looks like you still don''t know enough about this!"


    Kurnel replied without turning his head back. His eyes were fixed intently on my every move, making me feel nervous as well. Don''t tell me he''s going to suddenly pounce on me?


    "Nicola, we''re at a disadvantage. Let''s just retreat for now!"


    I suggested loudly during this lull in the fighting. Our original purpose in chasing her was to rescue Nicola. Now that she''s awake and out of their control, there''s no need to completely wipe them out.


    Especially since that man in black looks quite skilled, seemingly even more difficult to deal with than Kurnel. If this drags on, it''ll be hard to predict the outcome.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? I just let my guard down earlier!"


    But Nicola completely ignored my advice, pausing in midair for a few seconds to recover. Seeing that the man in black was unable to touch her, she began fighting him again from high.


    "If you''re not going, then I''ll go first!"


    Seeing Kurnel hesitating to make a move, Blanche circled around him and pounced at me instead. Kurnel followed right after, immediately joining the fray as well.


    "Why must we fight to the death?"


    I casually threw two spheres of Purification at the lizardman, then suddenly set off a Flash spell, slashing out with my sword...


    Unfortunately, that flying dragon in the sky intervened again, disrupting my attack. Otherwise, with that sword strike, Blanche would have likely been dead or injured.


    "Go die!"


    I was finally provoked to anger, throwing four consecutive Purification spheres at the dragon as it flew over my head. Using Purification six times in a row instantly drained my body. I felt much weaker all of a sudden.


    But this risky gamble was quite effective. No matter how much the dragon breathed fire in the sky, it was futile. It only intercepted two of the Purification spheres. The remaining two struck it directly, making it cry out as it fell from the sky.


    "Let me handle this!"


    On Kurnel''s side, he had also dealt with the two pursuing Purification spheres. Dragging the newly blinded Blanche behind him, he raised his axe and chopped at me.


    But unexpectedly, his movement was suddenly interrupted. Because at that moment, something happened on Nicola''s side.


    The black-clad man''s weapon collided with Nicola''s Condensation Sword. It had no resistance at all and was sliced into two halves. Seizing the chance while her opponent was stunned, Nicola kicked him flying. The man tumbled through the air for several seconds before crashing into Kurnel.


    "Strange..."


    Still in the kicking pose, Nicola looked curiously at her own leg, seemingly very surprised by how that kick felt.


    As for Kurnel, he had no time to dodge now. He could only stop and deal with the man in black, blocking him in front. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Then another sudden change occurred. Seeing this, Blanche not only didn''t help, but directly kicked Kurnel in the back! The man in black was immediately crushed under Kurnel''s huge body.


    "Huh?"


    I was shocked speechless by this scene. What was happening? But I saw Blanche turn and flee in the opposite direction after kicking Kurnel down.


    "She''s trying to escape?"


    I yelled out, suddenly realizing what was going on!


    The man pinned under Kurnel abruptly erupted with incredible strength. He flung the lizardman aside without care, rushing straight at Blanche.


    In a flash, the man caught up to Blanche with unbelievable speed and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up.


    "Let me go! Keeping me brings you no benefit!"


    Blanche struggled fiercely while shouting.


    "I''ve already brought the two angels Nicola and Feliciana to you, why won''t you let me leave!"


    "I don''t have authority to do that! According to records, you voluntarily offered to bring the two angels to the Dark Continent. My duty is only to monitor your every action."


    The man in black responded very mechanically, sounding extremely rigid.


    "Release her! That woman is my prey. Don''t think you can snatch her away!"


    Seeing this, Nicola didn''t care whether they were infighting or not. She flew straight up from the ground, raising her sword to chop at the man''s hand.


    "Stop playing around! This guy is very strong!"


    Seeing the situation, I anxiously yelled out. We''re in such dire straits, yet Nicola still only thinks about revenge. Didn''t she see the man in black''s amazing feats earlier?


    Flipping Kurnel, instantly catching up to Blanche from behind, done in one smooth motion! His skills are definitely extraordinary. Isn''t letting them fight each other the best choice? Moreover, there''s still the lizardman Kurnel eyeing us greedily nearby!


    "This woman drugged me. I must kill her with my own hands!"


    Seeing Condensation Sword killing over, the man in black knew its power as he has already suffered once. With Blanche struggling nonstop in his hand, he could only temporarily withdraw.


    Seizing the opening, Nicola immediately turned and swung her sword at the retreating Blanche.


    I recognized this move. It was the killer move she had just developed during Edenmere''s tournament. What was it called again? Some really over-the-top name...


    "Ahhh!"


    Blanche was unable to dodge at all. Struck squarely in the chest, blood sprayed everywhere! Just as I thought she might be cut in two, I was shocked to see her entire body suddenly vanish. Only a pool of crimson blood remained.


    "This is..."


    Everyone present was dumbfounded, not just me. Even Kurnel who had just climbed up had a silly, confused look as he stared at the spot where Blanche disappeared.


    "Did she escape using a teleportation item?"


    Given Aria''s prior example, I could only uncertainly ask Nicola.


    "I don''t know. That sword strike gave me a strange feeling. Could it be time..."


    Nicola now stared at her own hands incredulously, seemingly indicating the truth wasn''t so simple based on her expression.


    "..."


    The man in black also froze and silently gazed at where Blanche had vanished for a few seconds. Then another longsword suddenly appeared in his hand. Taking advantage of Nicola''s distraction, he attacked her again.


    "Shing!"


    This time it was the right shoulder. Nicola was unable to evade at all and took a direct hit! Tiny white sparks and blood splatter flashed through the air as she reflexively flew back up to avoid further attacks.


    This wound was much more serious than before. Although she covered her shoulder with her left hand, blood still trickled out steadily through her fingers.


    Having succeeded in one strike, the man in black glanced up briefly at Nicola hovering overhead. Without hesitation, he abandoned chasing her and suddenly turned to rush at me instead.


    Crap! He''s coming for me now!


    Having already witnessed his formidable skills, I knew I was no match for him in direct combat. I could only ready my weapon in front of my chest.


    The man reached me first. In an instant he slashed his sword at my own.


    Such great force! Although my longsword wasn''t broken, the tremendous pushback knocked me over, not even giving me a chance to fly up.


    I''m in six-winged form right now. His power is easily on par with an eight-winged angel.


    "I''ll help you!"


    Seeing his side gain the advantage, Kurnel behind the man hurriedly joined in, raising his weapon as well. His axe strike was fast and fierce, though it seemed a bit off-target, not actually chopping at me.


    "Clang!"


    A huge metallic collision sounded out. Kurnel''s axe smashed the man''s back from behind, knocking him to the ground. Continuous sparks spewed from the wound.


    "Huh? What is this..."


    I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, staring at the fallen man. Various hints exposed from his back wound after hitting the ground indicated that what was concealed under the black cloak was actually a machine!


    "What the hell, a robot?"


    "This thing isn''t human, demon, or any living being for that matter!"


    Having succeeded in his sneak attack, Kurnel finally relaxed, walking to the still struggling machine on the ground and chopping its head off with another axe strike.


    Finally, the tightly wrapped cloak loosened, revealing the metallic head hidden underneath.


    "Now you understand why I agreed to cooperate with you so readily, right?"


    After the decapitation, the "man in black''s" body finally stopped moving. The scene reminded me of a certain sci-fi blockbuster I had watched before...


    "Just what exactly is going on here?"


    Seeing this, even Nicola in the sky had a dumbfounded look on her face. She quickly flew over, hovering above us to gaze at the robot wreckage on the ground.


    "Is this thing something you guys created in the Dark Continent?"


    Now she also realized this lizardman Kurnel was actually on our side. His prior hostile actions had all been an act.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 34 - Destined Calamity

    "I''m not sure about that..."


    Kurnel shook his head and replied.


    "It was brought back by Lady Michelle from somewhere, supposedly created by one of her allies! While some think this thing is very useful for the Dark Continent, I disagree. At the very least, I absolutely do not want to be subservient to this thing!"


    "Isn''t that too mystical?"


    I kicked the "corpse" on the ground, suddenly feeling a bit confused. This is a magical world, so why do all these strange technological products keep appearing?


    Like the previous "Eye of Galadra", and now robots, what''s next, Gundam?


    I thought to myself, could Michelle''s ally also be a transmigrator?


    From the available information, it seems these technological creations were likely secretly made. But even with that assumption, there are still many doubts. The level of technology is far higher than this world''s.


    And with just the abilities of a single transmigrator, no matter how super genius they were before, it''s hard to imagine achieving this.


    "So you were thinking of using us to get rid of this guy from the beginning?"


    Seeing Kurnel sit on the ground and start resting, seemingly with no wariness of me and Nicola, I couldn''t help but frown slightly.


    "Why do you trust us so much, just because we''ve interacted once before?"


    "That''s just one reason. Actually, I wasn''t too sure at first. But when I was at a disadvantage, you were still willing to stop and listen to me..."


    Kurnel lifted his head and thought for a bit before replying.


    "Based on my experiences, other angels would absolutely not do this! It was only then that I realized I could take this chance to utilize you..."


    "A lizard that can think this much?"


    Hearing this, Nicola seemed a bit incredulous. She then immediately turned to ask me,


    "What past interactions have you had? He might have some ulterior motives..."


    "Hey bird! What do you mean, am I easy to bully? I''m just temporarily lowering my stance to cooperate with you, don''t think I''ve surrendered! Otherwise do you want to fight again?"


    Hearing this, Kurnel was immediately unhappy. He jumped up from the ground angrily, axe in hand, shouting at Nicola in the sky.


    "Come on then! Let''s see who''s stronger!"


    Nicola was also fearless. Despite being heavily injured and continuously bleeding, she still looked unwilling to back down, intent on determining a victor.


    "Are you crazy? In this state you still want to compete? Although he''s a monster, we''re not enemies. Why make things so stiff?"


    I quickly flew up to use healing magic on Nicola''s wounds. The tempers of monsters are so volatile, Kurnel restraining from swinging his axe was already considered controlled.


    "And you don''t like attacking magic, fine, but why don''t you even learn some healing magic? What if you get injured? At least heal yourself a bit!"


    "It''s fine, I have you to treat me!"


    Hearing her casual reply, I was a bit speechless. I could only sternly point out,


    "What if I''m not around? Or if you''re alone, what would you do? Have you thought about how serious this is!"


    "Since things here are settled, I''ll get going first! Don''t worry, my mission is just to monitor and protect Blanche, not to catch you two!"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Ignoring Nicola''s reaction, Kurnel didn''t want to keep staying with us angels. He directly turned and prepared to leave. But then seemed to recall something and turned back to ask us,


    "You two teleported Blanche away earlier?"


    "Wasn''t it your escape tool that did it?"


    I was a bit stunned by the question and asked back. I suddenly felt something fishy about this. I couldn''t help but sneak another glance at Nicola beside me.


    "You wouldn''t understand this. Just consider her dead now!"


    Nicola thought for a bit and shook her head, replying.


    "Hmph!"


    Hearing this, Kurnel was very unhappy. He turned and left. But I called out to stop him again.


    "Wait! Returning like this, aren''t you afraid something might happen? Michelle won''t let you off easily right?"


    He was already in a precarious position, and had also failed this mission. Even if Michelle didn''t know he destroyed the robot, he probably couldn''t escape punishment.


    "I''m not that stupid! The Dark Continent is huge, and the Flame God hasn''t appeared for years. Her controlled regions are still insufficient for me to have nowhere to hide..."


    The lizard man arrogantly vanished into the darkness. Within the illumination range of the light spell, now only me and Nicola remained.


    "Seems not all monsters submit to Michelle. There are still many third party forces in the Dark Continent. We can perhaps utilize this..."


    Seeing this situation, Nicola couldn''t help but sigh.


    After some time, her wounds were finally healed with my help. She then descended to the ground, closely examining the robot''s corpse.


    "How was this thing made? With the low technological level of this world, where did the supporting industrial technologies come from..."


    "It was really you who did Blanche in right? Is she dead or not?"


    I had already thought about the robot problems, but couldn''t find suitable explanations. My main thoughts now were still on Blanche.


    "I guess so, but it wasn''t on purpose..."


    Hearing me, Nicola looked around. At some point, the sun had slowly risen, casting the sky in a red glow.


    "What a coincidence!"


    She suddenly gave a helpless laugh, and suddenly said to me,


    "Do you recognize this place?"


    "Here?"


    I was a bit stunned, and quickly looked around. With the chase earlier, plus the dark skies, I hadn''t paid attention to the surroundings at all. I only knew we were in some mountains. But now with the bright skies, I could see everything clearly.


    "This...isn''t this the first place we met Michelle after escaping from the Dark Continent?"


    Looking at the familiar surroundings, I couldn''t help but cry out. We had left here to go to Edenmere originally. But after a huge detour, we were back!


    "That''s right. Later the allied army of angels and Astralrealm Kingdom were also stationed here to surround and suppress Michelle. But they had long withdrawn already."


    Hearing Nicola say this, I suddenly understood.


    "Could it be Blanche was done in by you..."


    Previously when confirming the one who captured Nicola was Blanche, I had thought Edenmere''s messenger was wrong, or Blanche''s identity card was just taken by someone else. It seems I was too naive.


    "You learned time control?"


    "Not really, just unintentionally grasped a bit of it during the fight."


    Nicola shook her head, pondering for a bit before explaining.


    "But that said, at least I''ve experienced this feeling once! As long as I slowly comprehend it, I''ll fully master it eventually!"


    "That''s good then. At least with Blanche drugging you this time, it wasn''t without gains. I was kept up all night worrying!"


    With the sun now up and large amounts of light elements, I had recovered quite a bit of strength. This was also encouraging. If Nicola''s strength greatly increased, facing Michelle in the future would be less hopeless at least.


    "You''re thinking of time control too simply!"


    But to my surprise, Nicola just sighed at my words, reminding me,


    "For example, everything Blanche experienced this time shows that in this world, a destined future simply can''t be changed. So even with time control abilities, they probably won''t be of much use."


    "This is..."


    Hearing her say this, I also felt it was a bit bizarre. It was just like the ancient saying of predestined tribulations, and Blanche was the person bearing them!


    "Forget it, it''s already daylight. Let''s head back first! Cyra should be awake now right?"


    Not bothering with what I was thinking, Nicola stuffed the robot on the ground into her storage ring. She stood up.


    "Crap! She''s still at the family''s house we''re renting!"


    I was shocked, mentally crying out. I hurriedly flew up towards Makalan City.


    ...


    To conceal ourselves, after Nicola and I returned to the city outskirts, we specifically chose a nearby forest to land in. We then hid our wings and walked the rest of the way.


    But before even reaching the house, we could already see Cyra standing at the door. She stared at the both of us, a clear look of disdain on her face.


    "You two didn''t secretly sneak into the city last night right?"


    "This is..."


    I couldn''t help but feel awkward. Last night I had clearly said we were just going out to scout the situation. But then we didn''t return for the entire night. Only coming back now in the morning.


    "Isn''t it nice having a bed all to yourself? We were showing concern for you."


    Nicola answered unconcernedly, her skin thick as usual, not mentioning the dangerous experiences at all.


    "No matter how alone I am, can it be more comfortable than the inns and hotels in the city?"


    It seems Cyra had long guessed what Nicola was up to leaving last night. She twisted her lips, wanting to vent but unable to. After all, things were already over, no need to dwell on it further.


    "You three are up so early?"


    Driver Carl suddenly walked out from the carriage. He had probably just woken up, but saw us chatting outside the house. He froze up in surprise.


    "Are we setting off immediately?"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 35: Fire

    "Of course!"


    Nicola nodded and asked Cyra, "Have you got everything ready? If there''s no problem, let''s go to the city gate now to check out the situation!"


    "I didn''t have anything to prepare since I just crashed last night. But are you sure we can enter the city now?"


    Cyra shrugged and headed towards the carriage.


    "If we''re just going to try, there''s no harm in it..."


    According to our plan, if the gates of Makalan were still closed the next morning, we would have to bypass the city and take a longer detour.


    Although the guards at the gates said this situation would continue until noon, the specifics still depended on how things developed overnight. And after what happened late last night, the outcome was really hard to predict.


    Could there really have been a big fire?


    Recalling the situation when Kurnel and I left, only the inn had started burning, although the flames spread quickly. But it didn''t seem to have affected other buildings on the street. And there were already quite a lot of onlookers gathered, so there probably wouldn''t be too much more damage...right?


    Okay, honestly I wasn''t sure either. I could only guess. Of course I definitely hoped there wouldn''t be a big fire as the prophecy said, but after what happened with Blanche, if the predetermined future couldn''t be changed, then the predicted fire would be unavoidable too, unless the prophet who made the prediction wasn''t skillful enough and was wrong.


    But the odds of that were way too low. And the facts proved that was indeed the case...


    When the carriage returned to Makalan''s west gate, we found that a large number of people had already started queuing up to enter the city.


    "I heard that the big fire in the city last night happened as predicted. Some people saw it as the result of an angel fighting a monster, which caused nearly half of the buildings in the city to burn down. But fortunately, thanks to the early prophecy, everyone was extra vigilant, so casualties weren''t too serious."


    Carl came back after gathering information and suddenly looked deeply at us.


    "So the prophecy came true. The lockdown has been lifted early and we can pass through!"


    Could he have figured out our identities? I suddenly had this thought, but it probably wouldn''t matter much even if exposed. Angels were quite rare, but unlike monsters, at least they didn''t have negative reputations.


    Come to think of it, the three of us had been chatting freely with little restraint throughout the journey. Although the carriage was quite soundproof, it was inevitable that some words could be leaked.


    "So there really was a fire..."


    Hearing Carl''s words, Nicola raised her eyebrows at me. As for Cyra, she just looked confused, especially when she heard the word "angel", and glanced peculiarly at Nicola and me.


    "Come clean, was it related to you two? Which one of you ran into the monster?"


    "Well, it''s more complicated than that..."


    Facing her whispered questioning, I could only force a wry smile and briefly recounted what happened last night. Although Nicola was taken away by Blanche and didn''t know what happened afterwards, I had already told her on the flight back.


    "Is fate really so mystical?"


    After hearing about Blanche''s ending, Cyra sighed deeply even though she''d never met Blanche.


    "I still think it''s too far-fetched. You just didn''t know she would become like that. If you''d known what would happen earlier, it could definitely have been avoided!"


    "Don''t oversimplify things. If you deliberately try to change fate, you might inadvertently bring about the very outcome you wanted to avoid!"  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Seeing that she was still unconvinced, I couldn''t help reminding her.


    Think about what happened last night. When I heard the strange noise from the kitchen, I initially went to investigate with the intention of preventing the fire. But it ended up escalating into a battle with the monster. That was completely unexpected at the beginning.


    On the contrary, if I had flown away directly without checking out the kitchen, I wouldn''t have found out Nicola was taken away. Naturally Kurnel wouldn''t have shown up to intercept me either, and there wouldn''t have been a fire.


    Similar situations were kind of like that movie I watched before, what was it called... "Monkey" something? But it would be hard to say - without Kurnel''s fireballs, might there have been some other ignition source I simply couldn''t foresee?


    "You never know without trying, right?"


    But Cyra still refused to accept my view. After all, there were endless possibilities for how things could unfold. It would be hard for me to believe it too if I hadn''t personally experienced it.


    It was still early morning. After some wait, it was soon our turn to enter the city queue.


    Makalan wasn''t a big city. Not far from the gate area, we could already see the effects of the fire - the rows of houses lining the streets were blackened from smoke, many spots were burned to reveal the wooden frames, and some were even lightly smoking, clearly having just been put out not long ago.


    The deeper we went, the greater the fire damage. By the time the carriage reached the city center, most of the buildings along the streets had been reduced to piles of rubble.


    "How could it become like this..."


    Even though I was mentally prepared, looking at the scene before me, I still could hardly believe it. It hadn''t been that long, yet the whole of Makalan had changed. When we left last night, only the inn had caught fire!


    The carriage slowly moved along the city streets.


    Suddenly, through the window I noticed a familiar figure that I had seen just last night - the inn owner! He was currently sitting alone in the middle of a vacant lot, listlessly gazing around. I quickly opened the small window of the carriage and instructed the coachman:


    "Carl, please stop for a bit...yes, on the right side of the street there!"


    "This place..."


    Nicola also felt the surroundings were familiar. After thinking for a moment, she remembered.


    "Isn''t this where the inn was last night?"


    The carriage route happened to pass by the street in front of the inn. Except now, almost none of the buildings on the right side were intact. As for where the two-story inn building stood, only a pile of ruins remained, and would be hard to recognize without careful examination.


    "With it burned down like this, why are you still going down there?"


    "To take a look! After all, the fire started because of my fight with Kurnel. Although I didn''t set the fire, you and I were still involved. I want to check out the situation..."


    I rolled my eyes at her matter-of-fact.


    When I got out of the carriage, I realized the inn owner was sitting exactly where the backyard space was last night!


    Unfortunately, the surrounding structures that had blocked the view were now collapsed rubble and debris.


    "You...aren''t you guests from last night?"


    Seeing us, the inn owner froze for a second, but recognizing my and Nicola''s faces, he soon remembered.


    "No, wait! You''re that angel! This is all your fault! The fight with the monster left things in this state!"


    "Uh, sorry! I''ll do my best to compensate you, but I came specially to understand what happened..."


    Seeing his finger pointing at me furiously, I hurried to placate him.


    Luckily there weren''t many people around now, otherwise it could easily stir up another commotion.


    "Why did this happen? Shouldn''t it only have been the inn on fire? How did it spread to this extent?"


    Although she didn''t witness it herself, Nicola helped ask the questions I wanted to know.


    "What other reason could there be? If not for that damn prophecy!"


    The inn owner sighed and answered, though his attitude did soften slightly hearing that we were willing to pay damages.


    "Although some skeptical people like me didn''t believe the prophecy, most thought the fire was inevitable, so they didn''t want to get involved. Some even prevented others from helping, saying our firefighting efforts might unintentionally catalyze the spread, so no one was willing to help in the end."


    "This is..."


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help glancing back at Cyra. We had just discussed whether fate should be actively changed. But who could have imagined that it was those onlooking crowds'' pessimistic inaction, believing the prophecy, that allowed things to unfold as predicted?


    "That''s why I said you can''t just resign yourself to fate!"


    As expected, hearing this, Cyra immediately looked vindicated. The owner''s words did prove her argument.


    "It must be because you didn''t resist destiny firmly enough last night and weren''t careful enough in your actions, that''s why the prophecy came true! Have you seen Final Destination? Just because the main characters in it weren''t prudent enough, they all died in the end!"


    While she had a point, were things really that simple?


    I still believed future Nicola''s words over Cyra''s. At least according to her, the future couldn''t be changed without observers! But I still didn''t understand what these so-called observers were. I hadn''t heard anyone, human or angel, mention them at all.


    And if a similar situation happened again, should I still try to put out fires? I felt more and more confused...


    "Was this the origin site of the fire? It looks to have been an inn before..."


    While we were discussing compensation with the inn owner, several people suddenly walked over, murmuring to each other as they looked around the ruins.


    There were both men and women, dressed much more lavishly than ordinary people. One young girl among them was clearly visually impaired, a stick in hand tapping the ground.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 36: A New Prophecy

    "Which one of you owns this place?"


    Seeing us standing in the middle of the empty lot, one of the officially-dressed men suddenly asked.


    "And you are?"


    Hearing this, the innkeeper realized these people were likely important. He immediately left us and went over to greet them.


    "We''re from city''s law enforcement and disaster assessment office. We came here specifically to investigate the situation firsthand..."


    The official smoothly responded.


    "After all, we received reports that your inn was the origin of the recent big fire. Although a prophet''s predictions can''t be changed, to prevent future incidents we still need to look into what caused it."


    "There are rumors going around that this fire was started by an angel and demon fighting inside the inn. Can you confirm if this is true?"


    After he finished, a woman accompanying him also asked.


    "It was them!"


    Hearing this, the innkeeper could no longer hold back. He immediately turned and pointed at us, selling me out.


    "I don''t know about the other two, but that girl with blue hair over there is definitely an angel! It was her that inexplicably fought with a lizardman last night, causing the fire!"


    "This..."


    We three stood far away, completely stunned seeing this.


    We only came down to learn the situation, then out of human decency compensate the owner a bit of money. We didn''t expect to run into city officials investigating. This was a bit tricky! What if they decide I''m responsible and take unfavorable action against me? I could even go to jail...


    "See! I told you not to come down. Now there''s big trouble!"


    Seeing the situation, Nicola also felt it was thorny. She quietly complained next to me.


    "Will you face consequences?"


    As for Cyra, she was completely unsure of the situation. She could only suggest to me:


    "But I think as long as you explain clearly, there shouldn''t be a big problem. After all, it wasn''t you who started the fire. And here we''re still in the Astralrealm Kingdom''s territory, they won''t be too harsh on an angel!"


    Who knows? Although what she said made sense, the Astralrealm Kingdom''s friendly treatment of angels was mainly thanks to the True Church. But Makalan was just a border town. The church''s influence clearly wasn''t as strong as in the capital Norvale.


    In fact, many people here had never even seen an angel...


    "An angel? You''re saying she''s an angel?"


    Sure enough, after the innkeeper spoke, the crowd exploded.


    "But there aren''t any wings at all behind her back!"


    However, the official who first spoke couldn''t help but raise doubts.


    "That''s right, the portraits in churches, everyone''s seen them. Angels have at least several huge pairs of wings behind them! What''s more, many eyewitnesses said the angel had at least six wings. Are you trying to say we''ve never seen an angel before?"


    Another woman also joined in criticizing him.


    "We understand you''re very heartbroken to lose your inn business because of the fire. But you can''t falsely accuse this young lady. Be careful or she could sue you for slander!"


    "..."


    Nicola, Cyra and I exchanged glances. We could only remain silent.


    What could we say? Let them keep misunderstanding, it was pretty good. After all, this was a small town. It seemed like none of these people knew angel wings could be hidden. There probably wasn''t even a light mage here. Otherwise, like Selene, they would have noticed something different about us.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Just consider this money to help rebuild. Think of it as a token."


    I didn''t want to discuss compensation with the innkeeper further. I just wanted to hurry up and leave this place. So I directly took some gold coins from my storage ring and threw them to him.


    "One of these coins is worth 10,000 silvers. Here are three, so 30,000 silvers. That should be about enough!"


    Of course, for an inn this size, 30,000 silvers was definitely not enough to rebuild. But I wasn''t primarily responsible for the fire, so it was completely sufficient. If he wasn''t satisfied, he could try getting more out of the lizardman Kurnel! We''ll see if he can.


    "This is..."


    The innkeeper had clearly seen coins like these before. After confirming they were real, he immediately clutched the coins tightly in his hand. As for the rest of the money, because there was no evidence to support his claims, and the investigating officials had scolded him, he naturally didn''t dare ask us for more.


    "You actually compensated him?"


    Seeing this, Cyra was somewhat surprised.


    "If it were me, I wouldn''t have given him a single coin!"


    Nicola coldly snorted, muttering in my ear.


    "I still haven''t settled scores about that demon hiding here and capturing me!"


    "Forget it. The inn has become flat ground anyway. No need to kick him when he''s down! After all, you haven''t personally experienced this kind of thing. I saw the huge fire with my own eyes."


    I lightly sighed. The matter was settled. I briskly walked toward our carriage waiting at the roadside.


    "Please wait a moment!"


    However, just as we were passing the investigators, the blind girl suddenly turned towards Nicola and called out to stop her.


    "If I''m not mistaken, you are also a wind mage? From the moment you arrived, I sensed exceptionally strong wind elements coming from you. You must be an extremely powerful wind mage! May I ask your name?"


    "A wind mage?"


    Nicola frowned. This was still the first time someone called her that. Even if her identity had previously been exposed, it was only because of being an angel.


    "Call me Nicola."


    Even so, she graciously responded to the question.


    "Did you need me for something?"


    "That''s right! Haven''t you noticed? I''m actually a wind mage too!"


    The girl''s face showed the expression of finally meeting a kindred spirit. Very happily she said:


    "Of course my mastery isn''t as powerful as yours. With your level of skill, you''ve certainly managed to glimpse the secrets of time!"


    "Glimpse time? Wind mage?"


    Hearing this, I suddenly felt puzzled.


    "Could it be you are..."


    "This is the prophet who accurately predicted this Makalan City fire, Ms. Quintina!"


    A maid-looking woman standing next to her heard me and immediately clarified the identity.


    "A blind fortune teller?!"


    Cyra couldn''t help blurting out.


    "Slap!"


    I quickly slapped the back of her head. This girl''s mouth really made trouble out of nothing! In this kind of situation, she had to come out saying the woman was blind. Be careful or she''d get angry!


    "Stop talking nonsense!"


    "It''s fine. After all ''blind'' is just stating the facts, it just doesn''t sound very nice."


    Fortunately Quintina didn''t mind Cyra''s rudeness at all. She then explained to us:


    "Although I successfully prophesied this Makalan fire, my limited abilities restrict how far I can see into the future. I don''t even know exactly how the fire started. So out of curiosity, I specifically came along with the fire investigation team to find out."


    "So you were the one who prophesied it..."


    Nicola seemed to have a complex expression. Using common sense, if Quintina hadn''t prophesied this fire, there wouldn''t have been so much extra trouble - our current location was very far from the city gates. Arriving so late at night by carriage, we absolutely wouldn''t have stayed here and naturally Blanche wouldn''t have discovered us, subsequently kidnapping us.


    But the reality was nowhere near that simple. Nicola deeply knew fate was very hard to change, so she didn''t blame the other party too much.


    "Then why did you stop us? Was it just to indicate your identity?"


    "That was only part of the reason. After all, wind mages that have reached your degree of mastery are still quite rare in this world. I couldn''t bear to just pass up encountering you. But there was another, more important reason..."


    Quintina''s voice suddenly became heavy.


    "When you passed by me earlier, the intense wind elemental aura you emitted influenced me. It resonated with my wind elemental magic power, spontaneously activating my scrying time magic that I normally use for predictions..."


    "Scrying? But aren''t you unable to see?"


    Cyra didn''t really understand. She directly asked outright. Fortunately she was sensible enough this time to avoid using sensitive vocabulary.


    "Although Ms. Quintina''s eyes can''t see because of an accident, peering through time doesn''t use eyesight at all, but spiritual power! So you don''t need to worry about the authenticity of her predictions in the slightest!"


    Apparently, even if the lady herself didn''t mind Cyra''s rudeness, her maid didn''t think the same way. She retorted in annoyance:


    "Anyway, because my magic power was insufficient, the glimpsed future content was extremely limited. In fact it was just a flash..."


    Quintina raised a hand, stopping her attendant from speaking further, then continued recounting what she saw:


    "But through magic I saw Nicola grief-stricken over losing a companion. That''s why I hurriedly stopped all of you."


    "Losing a companion? Does that mean one of us few will die?"


    Hearing her words, I was suddenly shocked. I glanced at Nicola and immediately asked:


    "Also, when will that happen?"


    Nicola also quickly followed up with questions.


    "Based on calculations, it should occur within three days from this very moment. At that time one of your companions will die. But I can''t say for sure who..."


    The girl shook her head answering.


    "However, I also heard Nicola''s grieving words at that time, able to make out some syllables that she sorrowfully shouted - Feliciana!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 37 - Converging

    "Can we really escape the death omen by staying here?"


    I asked helplessly in the inn at Makalan City.


    Due to Quintina''s earlier prophecy, we had decided to stay in the city and not continue traveling until the three day later, after which we would decide our next steps.


    Although a big fire had just happened in the city, it had only affected one part after all. We later found another inn opening on the other end of the city and checked in.


    "I can''t be sure, but since the fortune teller said the future scene she ''saw'' seemed to happen outdoors, wouldn''t we be able to perfectly avoid it if we stay indoors in the city?"


    Cyra thought about it and replied. Her logic was quite simple - just do the opposite of how the prophecy would unfold.


    "But might some special circumstances come up midway, inducing or forcing us to leave the city?"


    Nicola asked with her head lowered. Although in her eyes, I might not escape the prophesied death so easily, she definitely could not just watch me die without doing anything, so she had no choice but to adopt Cyra''s suggestion.


    "It''s a pity the information we got is so little. If we could find out more about the future, maybe we could make better preparations."


    Since it was a matter of life and death, we had asked Quintina about every detail she knew, but the help we got from it was scarce.


    "After all, she''s just a disabled person..."


    I sighed. It couldn''t be helped since the fortuneteller''s predictive abilities were so limited. Pestering her further would be meaningless no matter how hard we tried.


    Currently, the information we knew was as follows:


    First, the person Quintina saw was indeed Nicola. Although she couldn''t see with her eyes and didn''t know what Nicola looked like in reality, she had also said that in situations like this where she wasn''t actively using magic to predict, she could generally only "see" things happening to the target of the prediction. Moreover, the described appearance was extremely similar to Nicola''s in terms of clothing, hairstyle and hair color, so it could be determined that the person was Nicola.


    Second, the location Nicola was in the prophecy seemed to be outdoors, but the exact spot was unknown. All that was known was the ground appeared to have many rocks and weeds, which was a very common terrain.


    Third, looking at the time, since Quintina described the scene as quite dark, and could even vaguely see flames in the background, it could be deduced that the event happened at night.


    Fourth, although the Nicola in the prophecy was calling my name and certainly mentioned I had died, she didn''t "see" any other people or related corpses, not even any leftover clothes.


    Fifth, one strange thing was that Quintina didn''t mention Nicola''s angel identity at all, which was very suspicious! Because from the subsequent conversation, we could see that she had always thought Nicola was just a wind mage. So the truth could only be one - the Nicola she saw did not have wings unfurled behind her!


    This was quite thought-provoking...


    "What circumstances could lead to my death while Nicola still hasn''t unfurled her wings?"


    I bowed my head in thought, vaguely feeling this might be a breakthrough.


    "That''s right, if it was battling magical creatures or robots I would definitely have unfurled my wings, this clearly doesn''t make sense..."


    Hearing my words, Nicola also started pondering.


    "Could it be some accident happened, causing all of us to be unable to react in time?"


    Cyra''s expression changed as she suddenly thought of a possibility.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "But what accident could it be..."


    Better safe than sorry. Accidents were the hardest thing to guard against. Reasoning to this point, it seemed we had completely hit a wall, as at least the few of us couldn''t think of what accident could possibly lead to my instant death...


    "Oh well, maybe we were just collectively acting at the time, and Nicola was only performing a scene where I died, the grasslands might even be props!"


    Since I couldn''t figure it out, I gave up and casually found a reason to gloss over it.


    "At least I don''t think Nicola would act out the tearful, extremely grief-stricken appearance Quintina depicted after seeing me die!"


    This reasoning did have some basis actually. I certainly hadn''t forgotten that she used to be a playboy, and basically never saw her cry except for that one time she was drunk.


    Even if our bond was solid as rock, it probably wouldn''t be an exception! To put it bluntly, after transmigrating I hadn''t heard her mention her parents even once, so even if her dad and mom died she probably wouldn''t react so dramatically!


    "Who said that! I''m just more introverted!"


    Once Nicola heard this, her face actually turned slightly red for once as she immediately retorted.


    "And I can''t act, there''s no way I could have learned in just one or two days..."


    "If you count as introverted, then I can say I''m introverted too!"


    Hearing her words, Cyra rolled her eyes.


    "Anyway, let''s check in first! For safety, we''ll all stay together, absolutely not letting Feliciana take a single step outside this city. I don''t believe there will be any unavoidable situations that could force us into the wilderness!"


    "It''s the only way..."


    I nodded. The only countermeasure we could think of now was this.


    Actually, for safety''s sake, Cyra had specifically asked us to change into a different set of clothes, because the clothing Quintina mentioned in the prophecy was exactly what Nicola had been wearing then - the adventurer''s suit she had bought at the adventurer''s guild.


    "You guys wait here, I''m going out now to burn these changed out clothes! I don''t believe, even if the clothes are gone, Nicola would still wear them like in the prophecy!"


    Probably influenced by our previous talks of various "destined calamities", although Cyra still didn''t believe fate could not be changed, she still showed proper caution.


    "I''ll go out with you! Anyway we''re in the city, it should be fine to walk around casually."


    I thought about it and said this - even if I wanted to avoid calamity, I didn''t need to be under house arrest! It wasn''t even noon yet, being locked up in the room all day would definitely be unbearable.


    "Since Feliciana wants to go out, then I definitely won''t stay behind alone. We can take the chance to stroll around the city, and might as well go to the marketplace to take a look, don''t know if that area was affected by the fire..."


    Nicola immediately voiced her stance as well. With the decision made, we left the room.


    "But where can we burn these clothes..."


    After leaving the inn, Cyra looked around hesitantly. Lighting a fire on the streetside felt much too eye-catching. Moreover, a fire had just happened in the city, so everyone was sensitive now. We could only find a more secluded spot to do it.


    "Why don''t we go take a look by the river?"


    I thought about it and suggested this. Here was the north side of the city, and the Sildenga Bridge I had passed through when chasing Blanche earlier wasn''t far from here. That bridge stretched across a river that ran through Makalan City.


    "Then lead the way!"


    Nicola nodded. As long as they didn''t have to leave the city, she naturally wouldn''t object.


    ...


    "Alright, now these clothes have all been burned up. I don''t believe they can turn back from this scorched condition!"


    Relying on memory, we quickly found our way to the riverside. Cyra took out a fire starter and lit the clothes, dusting off her hands as she spoke.


    "See, I said changing fate isn''t that hard!"


    "You guys... doesn''t this riverside scene look similar to the one in the prophecy?"


    Nicola gazed at the opposite shore with a thoughtful expression as she suddenly asked.


    Since it was a city in the magical world, not only was the water flowing through the city clear, even both sides of the river banks maintained a primitive natural appearance.


    Hearing her words, I also took a look at the embankment across the river. Apart from the scattered rocks and weeds everywhere, it did feel somewhat similar when she put it that way.


    "It''s still daytime now so we shouldn''t need to worry, but this fire..."


    Nicola lowered her head to stare at the fire on the ground, then looked back at our side of the shore, wanting to confirm if this was the location in the prophecy.


    "Ah! Nicola, watch out!"


    Cyra suddenly cried out, pointing at her lower body. Being too close to the fire, a gust of wind blew and the silk dress she had brought from Edenmere immediately caught fire.


    "Crap, hurry put out the fire!"


    I quickly took out cups and bowls from my storage ring, improvising with river water to douse the flames on her.


    "Oh no, these clothes can''t be worn anymore. Even my butt is exposed!"


    Although she was unharmed, Nicola''s current state meant she couldn''t be seen at all! Luckily there didn''t seem to be anyone else around the riverbank now, so she hadn''t lost too much face at least.


    "Do you guys have spare clothes? I don''t have a change of clothes anymore..."


    Nicola glanced at the empty space in her storage ring and pleaded for help from us.


    "My last one was lent to Cyra, and your size is too big to wear ours anyway!"


    Earlier, due to Cyra''s insistence for safety reasons, we had all changed into a new set of clothes, and they had all been burned together, so where could we find more to change into?


    Moreover, my and Cyra''s figures were both petite, so clothes we could wear clearly wouldn''t fit Nicola''s relatively taller build either.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 38: The Robbery

    "This is easy to fix. Let''s just buy something in the market..." Cyra suggested. Nicola''s clothes were too revealing now, so couldn''t be seen in public. The two of us had to cover for her as we awkwardly made our way back to the hotel.


    "Are you kidding me?" When Cyra and I returned from the market with two sets of clothes for Nicola, she could only stare at us in disbelief.


    "We had no choice. The fire last night also affected the market. We searched and asked so many clothes shops, but could only find these two types..." I exchanged a resigned look with Cyra. From her eyes, I saw the same deep helplessness.


    "But these are kids'' clothes! How could you even bring them back for me?" Nicola grabbed one set, took a look, and threw it on the ground in anger.


    "Hey, wait a minute..." Cyra reached out to stop her, hesitated, then put her hand back down.


    "If that''s the case, then you''ll just have to wear what''s left..."


    "An adventurer outfit?" Nicola''s expression turned even more ugly as she picked up the other set of clothes.


    Although this outfit had some small differences from the one she took off, overall the color and style were basically the same. Considering the discrepancies from Quintina''s account, it was still within the scope of the prophecy.


    "But the other one really can''t be worn..." After all, we had no choice but to try and see if Nicola could fit in the kids'' clothes earlier, which is why we brought them back. But now, after the actual comparison, we could rule it out.


    "Hearing you all say fate is unchangeable, I didn''t feel much at first, but now I''m starting to find it really creepy..." Cyra gave a wry smile and said to me, "I''m witnessing the power of ''worldline convergence'' now." Just as she finished speaking, she opened the door to run outside again.


    "Or I can ask around for other locals, maybe borrow or buy some used clothes from them?" She clearly wasn''t ready to give up yet, and seemed determined to find some clothes this time.


    "Wait, I''ll go with you!" Nicola must have felt uneasy. She took off the ruined clothes and changed into the new adventurer outfit, then left the room with Cyra.


    "Don''t leave me behind!" I quickly spoke up too. I didn''t actually have much hope for this endeavor, just didn''t want to be left alone in the room.


    And indeed, after leaving the hotel again, we encountered all kinds of unlikely events. For example, the people we found refused to lend us their old clothes, and many even thought our intentions were unsavory - they wouldn''t sell to us even when we offered high prices...


    "This is just ridiculous, completely defies common sense! They won''t make money even when we''re paying?" Cyra couldn''t help but curse. After asking two or three households, we kept getting the same results.


    "You shouldn''t have rushed up to them asking for unused clothes right away. It might''ve gone better if we were more natural about it?" I thought for a bit and offered a suggestion. Although I didn''t have any confidence myself, we still had to try our best.


    "Nicola, if it''s not women''s clothing, it should be fine for you, right?" Staring at the passersby on the street, Cyra suddenly asked thoughtfully.


    "Not women''s clothing?" Nicola also started pondering. This proposal did seem somewhat viable.


    The women we''d asked earlier clearly had conservative attitudes, and were unwilling to give their personal belongings to strangers. But with men''s clothing, those concerns wouldn''t be as serious...


    "But isn''t it too abrupt for us to go asking men for their clothes? It might give the wrong impression!" I still felt a little inappropriate. Of course, if absolutely necessary, we could swallow our pride and do it.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Don''t worry! Why do we have to ask others? In this emergency, there''s no need to be so polite..." Having been rejected a few times already, Cyra didn''t want to repeat the same mistakes. She and Nicola exchanged a knowing look and nodded.


    "Let''s pick that guy, he looks easy to bully..." The three of us hid in a street corner alley, observing the pedestrians walking by. When a weak looking young man passed in front of us, at Cyra''s signal, she and Nicola rushed out and dragged him into the alley.


    "Feliciana, don''t just stand there! Help hold him down!" With their wings hidden, it was hard for just the two of them to restrain him while also covering his mouth to stop him from yelling. Cyra could only ask for my help.


    "Quick, sit on his legs so he can''t struggle!"


    "Oh, okay!" I dared not slight her and reluctantly became an accomplice. I plopped down on the captive young man''s legs, finally immobilizing him.


    "This is a robbery! And don''t make any noise, or we''ll drag you to the river and chop you up!" Cyra took out some rope to tie him up good, then started intimidating him.


    "Don''t worry, we just want your clothes. And there''ll be a huge cash reward afterwards, so you won''t lose out!" Nicola also joined in coaxing him. She and Cyra played good cop, bad cop, and they were pretty convincing.


    "Of course, if you still resist or call for help, then there''s no other way..."


    "Mmm mmm...!" The young man stared at us with frightened eyes, and could only nod repeatedly. Only then did Nicola dare to tentatively remove her hand covering his mouth.


    "You''re female sex fiends? A group operation? I don''t really care what you do, but can you go one by one? I''m afraid I can''t handle it all together..."


    "..." We were a little embarrassed by the young man''s question and didn''t know how to respond.


    "Looks like you''re pretty perverted! Didn''t we already say we just want your clothes? What female sex fiends! Do you want to die?" Cyra gave him an annoyed kick, then urged Nicola and me, "What are you standing there gazing about for? Hurry up and take his clothes off!"


    "Yeah, hurry!" Hearing that, Nicola immediately regained her senses and started stripping the young man''s clothes with me.


    "But this feels kind of weird..." I pulled his pants down. Although with our experiences changing sex, we weren''t too bothered by this stuff, but honestly, even when I was a guy before I never did anything like this...


    "What''s there to be afraid of? Practice makes perfect. Don''t forget this is your ordeal, if even you aren''t proactive, who are we supposed to rely on?" Nicola had already stripped off the clothes and reminded me.


    "I know, but what do you mean by practice makes perfect, is there going to be a next time?" I rolled my eyes. Without waiting for her reply, I stood up and said to Cyra, "We''re done, let''s go!"


    "Let''s retreat! Ten thousand silvers, consider it your compensation!" Cyra nodded, tossing a gold coin to the man lying on the ground. Then she glanced down below him and suddenly chuckled.


    "Just that little thing, yet daring to boast about taking us one by one..."


    "..." Nicola and I felt a little embarrassed at Cyra''s twisted sense of humor, and quickly led the way out of the alley...


    "We really changed the prophecy? Even if just a part of it..." After getting back to the hotel, I still felt a little disbelief, but we did manage to obtain different clothes - that was a fact! Although it was men''s clothing, Nicola had it on now. As for the previous adventurer outfit, Cyra had taken it out separately to dispose of again, though not daring to burn it this time.


    "We''ll have to wait three more days to know for sure. It might not be so simple..." Nicola thought for a while but couldn''t draw a definite conclusion either.


    Going back and forth took up over half the day, leaving us all extremely exhausted. And these tense days would continue for another two to three days. We really didn''t know what to do next.


    But relatively speaking, the daytime was safer. We either stayed in the room or strolled around town, carefully avoiding the "dangerous" riverside area. Soon the first day ended.


    "Huh? I... This is... No way!" In a daze, I seemed to hear someone talking. I opened my bleary eyes and sat up to see Cyra sitting in front of the dressing mirror, looking at herself in surprise and murmuring.


    "...Cyra, what are you doing?" Glancing out at the pitch black night, it was clearly still the dead of night without a hint of dawn. And the time was...


    "It''s only just past midnight! Aren''t you going to sleep?"


    "Ah!" Cyra heard my question and seemed startled. She immediately jumped up from the stool.


    "I... You..."


    "??????" I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open. I had no idea what she was up to, and could only stare blankly as she rushed out of the room.


    "...What''s up with her running outside in the middle of the night?" It took me a good while to regain my senses. Looking at the open door, I hurriedly shook Nicola sleeping in the bed next to me.


    "Wake up quick! Something happened with Cyra, she suddenly ran out alone!" This was a triple room. Although this room wouldn''t be too fancy, we chose it because of the three beds - to ensure nothing happened to me at night!


    But who could''ve thought I wouldn''t be the one to have an accident, it was Cyra that something went wrong first.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 39: Sleepwalking

    "Hmm?"


    I pushed Nicola for a long time before she finally woke up, looking confused. She glanced back at Cyra''s empty bed and immediately realized something was wrong.


    "Should we go out and chase after her? It''s the middle of the night, I''m really quite worried!"


    I looked at the door anxiously and asked Nicola. But this was an extraordinary period, considering the threat of the prophecy. I didn''t dare act rashly in case I accidentally wandered out of the hotel and a series of coincidences led me outside the city.


    "But where do we look for her? It''s so dark at this hour we can barely see..."


    Nicola hesitated for quite a while, her expression stormy. But there was no other way. Eventually she had no choice but to put on her shoes and prepare to go out.


    "It would be easier if Cyra had her wings out..."


    After last night''s chase, I knew this very well too. Searching for someone in the darkness of night was extremely difficult. Even with the city lights to provide illumination, what if Cyra had run outside the city?


    "I''ll go look for her myself! You just stay in the room because of the extraordinary time!"


    Before leaving, Nicola kept reminding me.


    "I''ll be back soon. Remember, don''t leave the hotel an inch!"


    I nodded and saw Nicola off as she left the hotel.


    After all this commotion, I was much more awake now, the sleepiness fading away. But my doubts and questions only grew. I still hadn''t figured out Cyra''s strange reaction to me earlier.


    "It''s so weird. Why must she get up in the middle of the night to look in the mirror? Did she grow something on her face? But she looked the same from afar..."


    I mumbled to myself. With nothing to do stuck in the room, I could only boredly stick my head out the window, hoping to catch sight of Nicola or Cyra.


    "Huh?"


    But just then, a faint aura of light elements in the room caught my attention.


    Could Cyra have her wings out in the room?


    Logically, the amount of light elements in the night air was extremely scarce. But the concentration in the room was clearly higher by an order of magnitude. If her wings were out, wouldn''t the current amount be lower instead? This was quite thought-provoking...


    I sat anxiously on the bed, not knowing how much time had passed, when I suddenly heard a strange sound from the window. To my shock, Nicola flew in from outside with her wings spread, carrying someone in her hands¨DCyra!


    "What happened? Where did you find her?"


    I clearly saw Cyra run out by herself earlier. How did she become carried back now? Did Nicola knock her out?


    "I found her lying alone in the middle of the main street heading out of the city up north. Luckily there weren''t many people out at night, so I brought her straight back," Nicola replied. After thinking for a bit, she added:


    "But looking at where she was headed, it seems like she was walking towards the northern city gates..."


    "But we''re right by that main street! It only takes a few steps to get there. And Cyra could have easily flown out of the city at night. Why would she need to take the gates?"


    I still didn''t get it and raised doubts.


    "How would I know the answer? You might as well ask the person herself!"


    Nicola gave a wry smile. Then she gently patted Cyra''s cheeks to rouse her awake.


    "Mm..."


    Just like Nicola''s earlier reaction, it took Cyra a long while before she finally opened her eyes groggily. Seeing me and Nicola staring at her, she seemed rather baffled.


    "Why are you two looking at me like that? Is it morning already? Why does it feel so quick..."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "It''s not morning yet, but you''ve already gone out!"


    I rolled my eyes. Her attitude was rather strange, seemingly unaware that she had left once already.


    "No way? Wasn''t I sleeping?"


    Hearing this, Cyra instantly noticed her surroundings seemed a little off. She quickly got to her feet and looked around.


    "Weird, how did I end up sleeping on the floor..."


    "Not sleeping on the floor! You just went out earlier and I found you and carried you back from the main street!"


    Unable to stand it any longer, Nicola joined me in accusing Cyra''s actions.


    "But...but I was sleeping the whole time!"


    Cyra was dumbfounded, and grew anxious when she saw we didn''t believe her words.


    "I seemed to have a dream earlier where I turned back into my past male self and became the Emperor, living debauched nights! But just when I was happily continuing my dream, you guys woke me up!"


    "Could she be sleepwalking?"


    Seeing her manner unlike lying, Nicola no longer dared to be certain.


    After all, only Cyra could have such shameless dreams, completely fitting her style! But I kept feeling something suspicious, at least the way she ran out of the room appeared extremely agile and swift, completely unlike someone sleepwalking.


    Of course, I didn''t dare confirm what sleepwalking angels would look like. What if that was just how lively they were when sleepwalking!


    "I swear! I''m really not lying to you, I was truly sleeping!"


    Seeing the looks of doubt appear on our faces, Cyra hurriedly swore, raising her hand.


    "But you''re so restless in your sleep. What if you run out by yourself again later?"


    Nicola had no choice but to choose to believe her.


    "You have to know Feliciana is in an extraordinary period. If anything happens to her because of you, killing you won''t make up for it even if we do!"


    "Then...then can''t you guys tie me up while I sleep?"


    Taking out a rope from her storage ring, Cyra suggested with a tragic look on her face. It seemed like to prove her innocence, she had gone all out.


    Nicola wasted no time on niceties at all. Annoyed from being woken up by me for this nonsense in the middle of the night, she had a bellyful of anger to vent. Without further ado, she directly tied Cyra to the bed.


    "Sleep!"


    ...


    The rest of the night did go by peacefully and without incident.


    The next day, we idled around the city boredly for the morning. It wasn''t until after noon that grave bad news arrived from the east outside the city¨Dthe direction we originally planned to head towards...


    "Last night, a meteorite fell from the sky, crashing onto the highway leading towards Cresthaven Papal Dominion. This caused the merchant group camping by the roadside to perish instantly. At the scene was left a gigantic crater!"


    Cyra read out the official brief in her hands and exchanged solemn looks with me and Nicola.


    "Judging by the timing, the spot where this meteorite fell happened to block the path we would take next. Given our speed and timing if we traveled by carriage, we probably would have stopped to rest around that area at midnight. After all, I remember that merchant group entered the city with us just yesterday morning. So their progress in one day probably wouldn''t be much slower than us..."


    After pondering it over carefully for a while, Nicola finally spoke up with her opinion. If not for Cyra''s suggestion that I remain in Makalan City, I probably would have been smashed to death by that meteorite.


    Thinking it through carefully, this did seem rather aligned with Quintina''s prophecy¨Dwilderness, grasslands, debris, firelight, midnight meteorite strike, Nicola having no time to spread her wings to react etc...


    "So does this mean I''ve successfully dodged the death prophecy?"


    A thought arose within me. This seemed a little too easy right? I couldn''t help feeling somewhat unconvinced.


    "It''s too early to say! Quintina clearly told us your death would occur within three days. It''s only been slightly over a day so far. We can''t let our guard down for the time left!"


    As expected, Nicola shook her head, not agreeing with my viewpoint. While we seemed to have dodged this meteorite incident, that didn''t signify I had avoided the death prophecy. Although there was no evidence to support otherwise, staying vigilant could hardly be wrong.


    "You two really are quite stubborn..."


    Seeing our attitudes, Cyra couldn''t help but curl her lips in disdain. She felt that under her wise leadership, I had already successfully escaped misfortune.


    However, later in the evening, another bizarre incident happened.


    While eating dinner at the restaurant, the waiter accidentally spilled soup onto Nicola''s male attire. Still, the waiter''s attitude was decent enough. He promised compensation and to help clean the clothes.


    But when we saw the temporary replacement clothes he delivered, we were shocked...


    "Adventurer''s suite?!"


    Why was it this outfit again! I felt like I was seeing ghosts. Nicola also kept frowning when she saw it.


    "Where did you get this outfit from?"


    Cyra flipped through the clothes in the waiter''s hands and suddenly asked.


    "This loose thread on the left sleeve seems kind of familiar..."


    "Uh, actually I picked this up by the roadside yesterday..."


    The waiter''s face flushed slightly, answering very honestly.


    "I found these clothes perfectly intact but discarded by the roadside for some reason. It felt like such a waste to just throw them away, so I brought them back and washed them again. They just finished drying now!"


    "Don''t worry, this is just temporary replacement wear since the other clothes got dirty. Once they''re washed, they can be changed back!"


    Seeing our attitude, the waiter misunderstood and thought Nicola disliked wearing this kind of outfit. So he quickly explained.


    "No need for that! You don''t need to wash my clothes either. I won''t pursue this matter any further so don''t worry about it!"


    Feeling like goosebumps were crawling all over her, Nicola hurriedly rejected the waiter''s good intentions. She dragged me and Cyra along to hastily leave the restaurant, only leaving behind the waiter standing blankly in original spot, staring after us running off in a panic.


    "The danger of the prophecy obviously hasn''t passed yet. And now that it''s already nighttime, if I wear that outfit again the risk will be greater..."


    After leaving the restaurant, we were like a flock of startled birds, jogging all the way back to the safety of the hotel.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 40: Breaking the Deadlock

    Even though that adventurer outfit kept coming back to haunt us, at least Nicola didn''t end up wearing it in the end. But it still gave us quite a fright.


    "What are you going to do with those clothes? There''s soup and water spilled all over them, not to mention all the oil stains. Can you still wear them like that?" Cyra looked over the men''s clothes Nicola was wearing and suddenly felt a headache coming on.


    "It would be really uncomfortable to just leave them like this, especially since we still have to sleep tonight!" Nicola looked down at her clothes and sighed.


    "Why don''t we try the same trick as yesterday?"


    "...You want to do that whole thing again?" I was speechless when I heard her say that, but Cyra actually chimed in agreement.


    "Good idea! That guy yesterday was too wimpy, didn''t feel like much of a challenge! Why don''t we try a real macho man today?"


    "..." What could I say? Did these two think robbery was some kind of game? And they wanted to do it a second time?


    But to be fair, we did end up paying him in the end, so I guess it was more like forced bartering.


    "Feliciana, you should just stay here. It''s dark out already, it''ll be safer if you remain in the room!" Nicola said to me, then left with Cyra to go "look for sheep" in the streets.


    "Tsk, I''m used to it by now..." This wasn''t the first time I''d been left alone in the room. All I could do was roll my eyes as I watched them shut the door. Then I climbed back into bed and pulled out a book to flip through boredly.


    But not long after, the two came back together. Only this time, not through the front door but in through the window.


    "What...what happened to you two?"


    I saw that the men''s clothes Nicola had been wearing were sliced up in several places, basically unwearable now. And there were clear signs of Healing magic having recently been used on her body.


    As for Cyra, her situation was a little better, but her clothes also had several holes in them...


    "Bad luck, we ran into a tough one this time!" Nicola climbed in through the window and immediately took off her tattered clothes, then pulled out another set from her ring to change into.


    "Wait, don''t tell me you went out just to rob another adventurer outfit?!" Seeing the outfit Nicola had changed into, I nearly flipped my lid! They had specifically gone out to steal because her old clothes were dirty, only to end up back in this adventurer gear again?


    "It was because we were short one person. We were following the original plan, had our eyes on a prime target..." Cyra plopped down on the ground and explained helplessly.


    "But this time the mark refused to cooperate no matter what. With just the two of us, it was hard to restrain his movement while also keeping his mouth shut. In the end he started shouting for help, which attracted a female adventurer wearing adventurer''s outfits - not only was she an adventurer, but a master swordswoman too!"


    "She had to be at least 6th tier!" Nicola chimed in complainingly.


    "Cyra and I were no match for her skills with the sword. After just a few exchanges we ended up looking like this! With no other choice, we had to pin her down with our wings...We eventually managed to turn the tables, but our original target got away in the confusion."


    "So we could only strip this adventurer of her gear and fly back. That''s what happened. Otherwise we''d have had no clothes left to wear!" Cyra spread her hands helplessly.


    "But how is this any different from the start?"


    My jaws dropped. I couldn''t believe their little excursion had taken such a complicated turn, making all their previous efforts completely pointless. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    And these two had used their angel identities to go robbing! If Elara ever found out she''d probably be furious.


    "If Feliciana had come with us, having another person would have changed things." Cyra still seemed unsatisfied, grumbling angrily.


    "And that female adventurer wasn''t a magical beast, so Nicola was hesitant to use too much force even with the Condensation Sword. With no wings she was helpless against the woman."


    "Forget it! No more experiments with clothes. This just proves that all the attempts so far have been meaningless! I said from the start this wouldn''t be simple!" Nicola sighed and decided to declare defeat.


    "It may all seem like coincidence, but inevitable fate has yet to arrive. Until then, everything is probably predetermined already!"


    "What should I do then..." I panicked at once. If even the minor prophecy about clothes couldn''t be averted, didn''t that mean I was still in serious danger?


    "Don''t worry, as long as you stay put in this room, the surrounding circumstances shouldn''t match the prophecy! So Nicola and I discussed it, the main focus for now should still be on keeping you here..." Cyra said as she took out a rope from her storage ring, then came smiling towards me.


    "Hey hey hey, don''t come over here!"


    ...


    The next morning I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling, finally breathing a sigh of relief. At least I was still alive...though my body couldn''t move an inch!


    Cyra and Nicola had worked together last night to tie me to the bed, binding me tightly. Then Cyra got tied to her bed by Nicola to prevent sleepwalking - such extremely ridiculous measures!


    I did strongly object at first, on grounds that if anything happened we might not be able to react in time with everyone tied up. But Nicola didn''t see it that way. In her view, even if someone tried to abduct me, she alone would be enough to handle it with the bed hindering their movement.


    Perhaps it was for that reason I managed to survive another dangerous night.


    "How was last night''s bondage play?"


    Not long after, Cyra woke up too, turning her head from the other bed to ask me.


    "Piss off..." Still tied up, she had some nerve to say that! I refused to even look at her.


    Glancing out the window, the sky was just getting light out. To allow swift reaction, Nicola had left her wings unhidden all night while sleeping. Thus the room was filled with ambient light element, causing Cyra and I to wake a little earlier than usual.


    "You all awake in there?"


    Just then, a knock sounded at the door. It was probably the driver Carl, who had been staying at the same inn with us, of course with us footing the bill for his room.


    "Just a minute!"


    Nicola jumped in surprise at the interruption, immediately getting to her feet. She hurriedly freed me and Cyra from the bonds, checking carefully that there were no visible signs left before going to open the door.


    "What is it so early in the morning?"


    "Well, didn''t you say you''d be staying in Makalan City for three days? Today''s the third day, so I wanted to confirm if we can set off tomorrow?" Carl stood outside, peeking past Nicola to glance at me and Cyra before posing his question slowly.


    "What''s the rush? But about tomorrow..." Nicola also glanced back at me, pondering for a bit before answering.


    "Can''t say for sure yet. Keep waiting, we''ll notify you after getting through today! Don''t worry, accommodation fees are still on us no matter what!"


    "But it''s already been delayed so long, the schedule..." Carl looked a little awkward, though he didn''t keep talking.  "Alright, we''ll see when you all decide then."


    "Maybe he''s eager to get home. It does seem bad to keep dragging this on." After Nicola shut the door again, Cyra offered her opinion.


    "If anything really happens to Feliciana tonight, think you''ll still be in the mood to go to the Holy Capital?" Nicola glared at her, then reassured me.


    "Don''t worry, even if there''s only that less than 20% chance, a turning point can appear as long as there''s still hope!"


    "Actually I still have one final resort - contacting Elara around noon today and getting her to open a gateway near the city, then we can all return to Edenmere to hide out for the night. That would basically be pretty safe."


    "A final resort? You sure something like that will work?" I couldn''t help frowning slightly. Aside from this approach seeming rather complicated with lots of uncertainties, based on past experience, just managing to contact Elara successfully by noon today was questionable!


    But it turned out I guessed wrong again.


    "Already contacted Elara! She''s happy to help us out with this..." Nicola informed us suddenly at noon.


    "But preparing the teleportation array to shift the gateway will take a very long time, we''ll have to wait till at least midnight to go."


    "Isn''t returning to Edenmere after it gets dark a bit dangerous? Tonight''s probably the riskiest timeframe." I said worriedly.


    "Your final resort seems kinda unreliable. What if Feliciana drops dead by the time the gateway opens?!" Cyra shared my doubts, but she did propose one idea.


    "I think we overlooked something - Quintina only foresaw Nicola''s future situation, then heard about Feliciana''s death secondhand from her. Looking at it another way, why must we defy her prophecy? Might as well just go with the flow, for example - act it out!"


    "You mean..." Hearing her say this, my mind stirred as I suddenly recalled a certain famous anime plot from Earth.


    "Deceive the world?"


    Cyra''s solution was simple. Nicola just had to act out the situation Quintina saw, my actual life or death didn''t need to be witnessed firsthand by the fortune teller. As long as the prophesied story played out, it could basically count as "escaping calamity".

 Vol 4/ Chapter 41: Assassination Attempt

    "But the situation here is a bit different. In that anime, they clearly knew when and where the event would happen, which made the subsequent deceptions possible."


    Although not as familiar with the animes as Cyra, Nicola still knew which one she was referring to. But she shook her head.


    "We have no idea when or where the prophecy takes place. How can we replicate their plan? And I don''t think I''m a very good actress..."


    "Ah, you''re right,"Cyra was at a loss for words. She had only thought of the idea initially without considering the details.


    "It might work!"I thought of a different approach.


    "We don''t need to know the exact time if we just want to fulfill the prophecy! As long the nighttime setting is there..."


    "You''re right! Quintina only said it happens at night but didn''t specify the exact time. As long as it''s after dark, we can match the prophecy!"


    Cyra immediately understood my idea.


    "As for acting, it''s just a few lines and expressions, Nicola can practice this afternoon. We already have the costumes from last night so that''s not an issue!"


    "But what about location? Do you know where the prophecy takes place? The reason we''ve been hiding in our room is because we don''t know!"Nicola still felt it wouldn''t work.


    "How about the riverbank where your clothes got burned? What do you think?"I asked tentatively.


    ...


    "There''s still an obvious loophole!"


    We returned to the riverbank where Nicola''s clothes were burned. After surveying the area, she frowned and said,


    "What is it? Is there something off?"Cyra was puzzled. From the surroundings, it looked very similar to the prophecy''s description. And it was Nicola herself who first noticed!


    "Not off per say, but all our information is from Quintina''s words. Only she has seen the actual scene so it could be inaccurate..."Nicola explained after some thought.


    "For example, she told us the prophecy has lots of wild grass. Quintina wouldn''t know or differentiate the exact species, she would just describe it generally as ''lots of grass''. So while this riverbank also has plenty of grass, they may not be the same type as the prophecy."


    "In other words, the landscape looks similar enough but there''s still a chance this is not the actual place! Some subtle differences can''t be conveyed through words."


    Seeing Cyra''s confusion, I briefly reiterated Nicola''s point again. I had worried about this too but still didn''t object earlier since it''s a probability issue.


    "Even if not 100% accurate, ''deceiving the world'' should still help a lot more than just staying in our room doing nothing!"Cyra shared my viewpoint that it was still worth trying. Under our insistence, Nicola relented and started practicing her acting skills.


    The afternoon went by quickly. At dusk, they shooed me back to the inn to avoid accidents. But soon after, the two returned as well, apparently quite successful in their endeavor.   The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "It was pretty convincing, though Nicola was screaming too loudly I''m still buzzing..."That was Cyra''s review. She kept digging her ears.


    "You''re the one who told me to act devastated and in excruciating pain! What else could I do? The prophecy explicitly said I cried out!"Nicola argued, seemingly proud of her ''acting through shouting'' performance. But to fool a little girl like Quintina it should be enough...


    Tonight was the most critical juncture. If our efforts didn''t backfire, we would be safe! Perhaps due to completing all possible actions, we were less anxious than previous nights. We even played cards to kill time.


    "Feliciana, if you survive this, remember to treat me a meal! This ''deceiving the world'' idea was mine after all!"Cyra peeked at her cards and said.


    "Only you could think of such shady solutions. We don''t even know if it''ll work yet."I rolled my eyes. Did she want to jinx me? No way!


    "Treating is fine anytime. But staying alive through tonight is key. We better not sleep."Nicola was more cautious but I doubted her suggestion was realistic.


    "Have our guests turned in for the night?"


    Just then, a knock came from our door. It sounded like one of the inn staff.


    "Huh? Why so late?"Cyra muttered and got up to answer the door as she was closest.


    "We just received notice from the City Guards. According to the prophet, another fire may occur tonight. The scale wouldn''t be huge nor damage as disastrous as previous nights, but you can evacuate now if..."


    "What? Another fire?"


    We were shocked to hear the news. What''s going on with this Makalan City and all these fires? Don''t tell me some other monster is causing trouble again!


    "Don''t tell me this inn is harboring monsters too..."The last encounter still frightened me.


    "No way! It''s not that easy for monsters to hide in human cities!"Nicola didn''t think so.


    "Could this fire be related to Feliciana?"Cyra closed the door and suddenly asked while turning around.


    "The prophecy did say there were shadows of flames in the background. I made some when Nicola was acting just now as well!"


    "Don''t tell me it didn''t work? If so then..."I was dumbfounded. I actually had high hopes for the plan. Talk about getting instant karma...


    "There''s no point fretting over effectiveness now. It''s not like you can flee the city or something?"Nicola interjected my questioning and reminded,


    "Clearly staying in our room is safest. Just don''t leave no matter what!"


    She had a point. As angels, we could ignore damage from a huge blaze raging beneath us.  But with troubled thoughts, we lost interest in playing cards. Although Nicola suggested we stay up tonight, she was the first to yawn drowsily.


    Soon after, we fell asleep. I and Cyra avoided being tied to the bed per her vehement request.


    ...


    I don''t know how much time passed but a sudden loud avian cry jolted me awake abruptly. Opening my eyes, I saw a terrifying sight - a black clad masked assassin beside my bed stabbing down at me with a dagger!


    "Nicola, Cyra!"


    In that split second, all vestiges of sleep vanished. I desperately rolled off the bed, barely dodging the lethal blow.


    "Who are you?!"


    Apparently the earlier bird call had also woken Nicola. Without spreading her wings, she directly kicked the assassin onto the bed. I saw the dagger lodged deeply into the bed frame, only the hilt poking out.


    "still want to escape?"


    Seeing the situation turning against him, the assassin tried jumping out the window. But it was too late. I spread my wings and forcibly dragged him back in, slamming him to the floor.


    "Cyra, shut the windows!"Nicola commanded. She summoned her Condensation Sword and held it against his neck while I stepped forth to rip off his mask.


    However, seeing the assassin''s true appearance stunned Nicola and I speechless. We did not expect it to be him...


    "Carl?"


    Cyra peeked over after securing the windows and was equally shocked like us.


    "Why would it be you? Why do such a thing?"


    So this was my foretold "clamity"? If not for that strange bird call earlier, I would probably have been stabbed dead!


    But the location is clearly wrong! This is the interior of our inn room instead of the rubble-strewn wilderness described in the prophecy!


    Could it be that "deceiving the world"actually worked? Have we broken the prophecy?


    "Hmph! Seems like you''ve all forgotten!"


    Carl remained stubborn and turned his head away, unwilling to elaborate further.


    "Forgotten? Did we have some feud with him before?"


    Nicola and I exchanged baffled looks. We were completely clueless about what he meant.


    "Impossible!"I shook my head. If we really had some issue, we wouldn''t have hired him as our carriage driver.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 42: Perfect Timing

    "His outfit looks somehow familiar..."


    Nicola looked down at Carl and suddenly said thoughtfully.


    "Yeah, now that you mentioned it, it does ring a bell! Have we seen it in some TV show before?"


    Cyra tilted her head, seemingly trying hard to recall.


    "..."


    I was suddenly struck by some intuition, associating his attire with an incident that happened not long ago. We weren''t closely involved so it almost slipped my mind.


    "Were you the assassin who tried to kill the King?"


    "It''s him?"


    Hearing this, Nicola and Cyra reacted at once. A few days ago in the royal castle of Norvale when we met King Galahad, there was an assassination attempt by a member of the Parristol Resistance. Nicola happened to block the attack and saved the King.


    The assassin fled after his failed attempt. I remember he was wearing the exact same outfit.


    "Are you here for revenge?"


    Nicola''s expression darkened. She didn''t expect the driver they hired to be such a dangerous man.


    "I only protected the King by chance back then. And just for that you want to kill us all?"


    To be honest, we were quite sympathetic to the Parristol Resistance, given that their country was suddenly annexed by the Astralrealm Kingdom. We understood how they must have felt. But going after us like this was going too far. We wouldn''t tolerate it!


    "Hmph! I finally found a loophole to break into the royal castle defences. But you all ruined my plan. With tightened security afterwards, I knew I wouldn''t get such a good chance again! Years of plotting gone to waste because of you all! Why can''t I get my revenge?"


    Carl was silent for a few seconds before admitting Nicola was right.


    "You tailed us all the way here just for revenge?"


    I really didn''t know what to make of this situation. There was no deep hatred between us. We had simply unintentionally foiled one of his assassination attempts, and now he insisted on pursuing this vendetta. Was it really necessary?


    "So you had your eyes on us for a while already. When did you start tracking us? Did you have any accomplices?"


    Considering the timing of the assassination attempt, Nicola cautiously pressed him with her Condensation Sword pointed at him. Too many strange things had happened over the past few days. We couldn''t rule out the possibility that he had backup, since the Parristol Resistance had more members than just him.


    "There was no one else, I decided to take action on my own. And it was you all who conveniently showed up that day..."


    Under Nicola''s threat, although reluctant, Carl told the truth. With his failed attack and now being captured by us, it seemed he regretted things a little.


    "I didn''t actually know your whereabouts initially. But then you suddenly turned up at the Adventurers Guild where I worked wanting to rent a carriage. Such a heaven-sent opportunity, how could I let it slip..."


    "Then why did you wait until now to make your move? Are you planning something bigger?"


    Cyra immediately followed up with another question. It was suspicious that he chose to ambush us at such a sensitive time. It made us wonder if he had other motives.


    "Because I never got the chance!"  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Carl looked wronged.


    "I''m no match for angels in direct combat. My original plan was to get you all after passing Makalan City, when you camped out in the wilderness. But since you kept staying in this city, I got desperate..."


    "He''s a wind mage too, I noticed that long ago. Just didn''t see a need to point it out! And compared to Quintina, his skills are far inferior..."


    Finally Nicola sighed and explained.


    "His level is probably just enough to use Floating. He was trying to escape through the window with that spell earlier. Lucky you pulled him back in time. If we were outdoors, he might have slipped away under night cover!"


    I nodded. I saw clearly what Carl was attempting when he tried to flee out the window. Dual cultivation of magic and combat skills wasn''t uncommon among humans. And that likely enabled him to climb up the towering Norvale royal castle for the assassination. He simply assumed angels couldn''t detect his abilities.


    Since there was nothing else to ask, Nicola swiftly severed his neck with her sword. Blood sprayed out as we recoiled several steps with our hands up to shield ourselves! Cyra even scolded Nicola.


    "Boy, you''ve got no chivalry! We promised to spare him if he told the truth..."


    This was practically Nicola''s first time killing someone with her own hands unlike battling magical creatures. But her nonchalant demeanor surprised me a little.


    "What''s the point of keeping him alive? So he can keep seeking revenge and causing us more trouble?"


    Nicola glanced dismissively at Cyra and flicked the blood off her Condensation Sword while peering upwards.


    "Now the real question is, what the heck''s going on out there? It''s like some animal''s been howling nonstop. Annoying!"


    The shriek we woke up to earlier kept sounding every few minutes, seemingly a bird circling above the city refusing to leave. What bird would be active this late into the night?


    "Looks like there are fires everywhere. Has the fire prophecy come true?"


    Cyra unfurled her wings and flew straight out the window.


    "Whoa, come quick and check this out! It''s gorgeous..."


    "Huh?"


    Hearing Cyra''s excited shouts, Nicola and I didn''t dare delay. We flew out the window and a spectacular sight greeted us that I''ll never forget.


    A fiery red bird soared in the sky with beautiful, brilliant plumage trailing dazzling flames that tinted the heavens crimson.


    It looked majestic alright, but fluttering its wings scattered many feathers onto rooftops, posing immense fire hazards. Already countless wooden houses below had lit up, accompanied by people''s shouts to put out the fires.


    "So is this a phoenix or a Fungwong?"


    Cyra turned and asked us. Theoretically phoenixes and Fungwongs originated from different mythical systems so should be distinct species. But this bird before us exhibited defining traits of both, making it hard to classify!


    In this world though, people tended to refer to such a creature simply as the Fungwong or Phoenix, reputed to be a top-tier divine beast on par with dragons! Unfortunately, it fell far short of a dragon''s intellect and physique. So it could only qualify as a mythical beast...


    "Phoenix or Fungwong, can we really let it keep wreaking havoc like this?"


    Nicola shook her head and pointed skyward. By her rationale, even with the fire prophecy "supporting", damages from the blaze wouldn''t be too disastrous. But with fiery elements playing a key role in my death prophecy, we had to exercise caution.


    "Better safe than sorry, I''m taking it down. Feliciana, stay back! Let me test its strength first!"


    Without further ado, Nicola flew towards the phoenix clutching her Condensation Sword.


    Sensing the encroaching threat, the phoenix shrieked furiously then spewed a torrent of raging fire from its pointed beak at Nicola.


    But the flames posed no threat whatsoever to an angel. Not even a nuclear explosion could faze Nicola, why would she fear a mere fiery bird?


    In one swift motion, her sword sliced across its wing leaving a long gash. The phoenix let out a pained cry as it plunged from the heavens, its dripping blood mixed with fiery sparks falling to the ground.


    "That easy? Is it too weak or is Nicola too strong?"


    Expecting more of a challenge from the phoenix, Cyra began questioning her own eyes.


    "Obviously because Nicola is too strong..."


    I answered without hesitation. The outcome was already clear!


    Firstly, the phoenix''s fiery breath engulfed nearly half the sky overhead. Harmless to angels with light element shields, and probably not even that damaging without the protection. But for humans it would be a catastrophic. If released at on ground, who knows how much of the city it could raze.


    Secondly, initiating offense was a huge issue. Angels rely heavily on anti-monster magic, especially light-based spells, which were less effective against the phoenix''s fire affinity. It went down so quickly chiefly thanks to the Condensation Sword! If it were me battling instead, would be immune to its flames but unable to harm it with my magic...


    Coincidentally, the fallen phoenix landed right beside a river. Almost like the prophecy depicted, minimizing destruction.


    "Huh..."


    Following above Nicola, Cyra suddenly yelled down to her as we flew over the crash site.


    "Quick! Do it again! This is the perfect chance for that ''deception''!"


    "Huh?"


    Nicola paused briefly before she too noticed the opportunity. The riverside lit up by the raging fire aligned flawlessly with the prophecy. Unlike deliberately staged scenes, everything came together naturally this time, definitely worth another go!


    "Feliciana! You died so horribly!"


    With no others on site, Nicola promptly dismissed her sword and wings. She dropped to her knees shouting dramatically skyward, the fruits of their extensive rehearsing on full display. It really looked believable!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 43 - Meeting the Prophet Again

    "This is too ridiculous..."


    I couldn''t help but twitch my mouth. To any informed onlooker, this scene was simply unbearable to watch - the shamelessness was off the charts!


    I almost laughed out loud, but held it in for fear of upsetting Nicola. I could only cover my mouth and chuckle softly in the air.


    "Pfft...I told you she has good acting skills. To cry like that..."


    Cyra''s cheeks were also puffed up. Clearly she was in the same situation as me.


    We watched as the Phoenix lay collapsed on the ground, the flames around its body already extinguished. Many people had gathered from all directions.


    "But does this really count as avoiding the prophecy?"


    I still felt everything had been resolved too easily. But Cyra''s "deception" plan did seem theoretically sound, and I couldn''t find any loopholes.


    Upon careful thought, it was true that I had faced mortal danger once in the past three days, but strangely it was very different from what the prophecy foretold - the two situations did not match at all. Could it be that what Quintina originally prophesied was just Nicola''s performance?


    "Don''t forget the fire three days ago was caused by the fight between angels and demons. By now many would have seen us already. If you don''t want any more trouble, we should hurry back and hide!"


    Having finished her dramatics, Nicola flew over to urge us.


    After all, the sun had not risen yet. I could not say for sure that I had escaped the curse of the prophecy. It would be foolish to let my guard down even one bit.


    But upon returning to the room and seeing Carl''s corpse, we were troubled again. Left with no choice, Nicola made a special trip out of the city to dispose of his body. As for Cyra and I, we were responsible for cleaning up the room.


    "Forget it. The coachman is dead anyway and we can''t take the carriage. We''ll just fly directly to the Holy Capital after dawn! No need to explain anything to the inn, why bother with these messy affairs!"


    The blood stains were too difficult to clean up. Cyra plopped down on the bed and decided to give up.


    "You''re right..."


    I nodded in agreement and looked out at the brightening sky, finally relieved about my fate.


    "Nicola is quite ruthless! To just kill Carl with one stroke of her sword. Although that guy was up to no good, he was still a human after all. If it were me, I''m not sure I could do it!"


    Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, Cyra suddenly asked me.


    "Feliciana, If it were you, would you have done the same as her?"


    "Well..."


    I couldn''t help but hesitate. To be honest, Nicola didn''t do much wrong - leaving Carl alive would have been a hidden danger. But if I were in her shoes, I most likely wouldn''t have been so decisive.


    "Perhaps that is simply the rules of this world. Survival of the fittest, just like the martial arts world. "


    I sighed. Nicola clearly adapted very quickly. With such great power it is easy to stand above the law - this is also one of the flaws of the magical world.


    "Martial arts world..."


    Cyra blankly repeated my words, seemingly lost in thought.


    "Could the Supreme One really be in such a place?"


    Fate reversed - I had finally managed to survive until dawn in that room!If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    That morning, we hid our wings again and returned to the scene of the incident - where the Phoenix had crashed.


    The riverbank was now surrounded by layers of onlookers staring intently at the site. We barely squeezed our way to the front and saw the Phoenix still lying very weakly, its flames completely extinguished. Some water mages seemed to be healing its injuries.


    "I heard this Phoenix flew here from the Dona Mountain Range in the east, where there is a Phoenix nest. Makalan City occasionally sees Phoenixes every few decades during mating seasons - it''s considered an auspicious sign. "


    There was a din of chattering around us. A man''s voice suddenly rose up.


    "But this time was very abnormal! Because a Phoenix had just descended to mate a year ago, and they normally wouldn''t fly so low over a city. So some suspect it may have been frightened by something..."


    Nicola and I exchanged glances - this was an important clue!


    The Dona Mountain Range lies between Astralrealm and Cresthaven. If not for this Phoenix having been startled, who knows if we would have survived. We immediately pricked up our ears to listen more.


    "Could it be affected by that meteor strike a few days ago? Thankfully the angels helped otherwise the fire would have been as disastrous as the prophecy said. Speaking of which, wasn''t that fire also caused by angels and demons fighting? Could there have been angels hiding in this city all along?"Another male voice asked.


    "You clearly don''t know this!" Suddenly a girl''s voice cut in.


    "Actually angels can hide their wings. I personally saw two perverted angels two nights ago! They were stripping men''s clothes by the street. I went forward to stop them but they flashed their wings and flew off!"


    "Wow how scandalous! Tell us, what did those two angels look like? Were they the same ones who shot down the Phoenix last night...?"


    Well upon hearing such words, the three of us certainly couldn''t stay here any longer. We fled in fright.


    But I was an innocent victim...


    "Found it!" Just then, one of the church members tending to the Phoenix stood up holding an arrow.


    "It must have been this arrow that startled the Phoenix, causing it to fly down the mountain. It has light element attached so the Phoenix flames couldn''t purge it quickly!"


    "Isn''t that..."I stared at the arrow in his hand, and an image suddenly came to mind.


    ...


    We met Quintina again in the residence of the Makalan City Lord. Like us, she was just a passerby. But due to her identity as a prophet, she had been specially invited by the City Lord to stay as a guest.


    And our reason for being here was...we got exposed!


    It couldn''t be helped. Nicola and Cyra simply stood out too much. Attracted by the arrow in the Phoenix, we unfortunately missed the chance to escape. With one glance, that female adventurer recognized them, causing a huge stir. Now all the onlookers knew of these two perverted angels, and I became associated through guilt by association!


    Fortunately, thanks to the True Church''s guarantees and Nicola''s "heroic feats" last night, we weren''t treated too badly.


    But the matter still reached the City Lord. As one of the members who went to investigate the inn after the previous fire, upon learning of our identities he specially invited us to his residence as guests - after all, angels were a rare sight in such a small town.


    Of course, our main reason for accepting was that we heard Quintina was also staying here. There were too many mysteries surrounding the events of these past three days that had to be clarified with her.


    "Feliciana is still alive..."


    After hearing our story, Quintina fell silent for a long time before speaking in disbelief.


    "An unfulfilled prophecy is truly rare! Could this be because of the Fate Breaker or Star Breaker?"


    "Fate Breaker?"


    The three of us asked in unison, it was our first time hearing this term.


    "It is the general name for those who can change destiny in prophetic studies."


    She explained with closed eyes and a smile.


    "Star refers to astrology. Unlike me who can only make rough predictions, astrologers are the original source of authentic fortune-telling. By observing the positions of celestial bodies as well as various changes on earth, they can accurately calculate future details to a high degree of precision! And with the aid of wind magic, the accuracy increased even more..."


    "However, almost every determined future will still inexplicably fail to come to pass, concentrated among a tiny portion of people. They can alter established divinations, although not definitely - each choice probably only has a 50% chance, but accumulated over time that is enough to result in shocking reversals. So this type of person is collectively termed the Fate Breaker."


    Upon hearing this, I felt the concept of a Fate Breaker seemed vaguely familiar...


    "So you mean I or Feliciana am a Fate Breaker?"


    Nicola asked first. She didn''t seem to believe this reasoning very much.


    "Not necessarily! Even if you aren''t Fate Breakers, as long as you''ve interacted with one before and they made a prophecy-related choice, that could also influence the final result. So it''s hard to determine."


    Quintina shook her head and asked us.


    "Have you met many people in the past few days?"


    "Quite a lot actually..."


    I was suddenly troubled. How was I supposed to investigate this? It was simply impossible.


    "According to records, although destiny has changed there should still be traces. For instance, did anything related to the prophecy happen around you all recently?"


    "Ah! That meteor strike on the first night..."


    Hearing Quintina say this, I immediately recalled it. At that time the event left a deep impression on me, to the point I thought I had already escaped the curse of the prophecy.


    "And also Carl''s original assassination plan!"


    Nicola added. She was right! Thinking back, according to Carl, his original idea was to make his move after we left Makalan City, out in the open wilderness. If he had really succeeded under those camping conditions, it could well have played out like the prophecy said.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 44: The Truth of the Prophecy

    "But these are two different events! Which one is the real prophecy? And if one comes true, what about the other?" Cyra was stunned when she heard this.


    In fact, it would be quite difficult for a single event to create the kind of scene depicted in the prophecy. For example, even if Nicola had been with us when the meteorite fell on the first night, it would have been unlikely for her to be the sole survivor.


    The assassination attempt on Carl was similar - it could have happened, but the chances were still quite low!


    "Not necessarily! What if both things happened at the same time?" I suddenly realized there was a blind spot that had been overlooked all this time!


    "Picture this - we leave Makalan City on the first day as planned. We would definitely have to camp outdoors at night! And if Carl chose that moment to ambush us and we noticed him, he would definitely use his wind magic to escape. The only one capable of pursuing him would be Nicola, while Cyra and I would have to stay put. Then, what if the meteorite happened to fall just then? When Nicola came back, what would she see? How would she react?"


    "No way..." Cyra shuddered as the implications dawned on her. After analyzing it carefully, she realized that if events played out according to the original timeline, I might not be the only one dead. She herself might not make it either!


    "There is still one loophole - in the prophecy, my wings were concealed, but if I went after Carl, I would definitely have flown after him with my wings spread. That doesn''t match up!" Nicola shook her head and pointed out her observation. She glanced over at Quintina as she said it.


    "Unless you hid that information on purpose!"


    "It''s true I never mentioned you were angels, but that doesn''t mean I intentionally concealed it..." Quintina readily admitted this and went on to explain herself:


    "Earlier I did ''see'' your wings in my vision, but the impression you gave me in real life was that you were brimming with wind elements - completely unlike my idea of what angels were like. Moreover, all your companions also confirmed that you weren''t angels. So I myself wasn''t sure if you really were the angel I saw in my prophecy, which is why I didn''t explicitly say anything about it then. But based on the circumstances of how my prophecy magic worked, I should have only been able to see your future. It wasn''t until City Lord informed me of your true identities just now that I finally had confirmation."


    "..." We didn''t really have much to say to that. It was clear we had been misled! However, this was only a minor loophole and didn''t affect the decisions we made later.


    "While there are aspects of what happened to you that I don''t fully grasp or understand the reasons for, I could tell that the root of your shifted fates lies in your remaining in Makalan City. What was the reason behind that?" Quintina paused for a bit before asking us a critical question.


    "Could it have been you? Are you actually the Fate Breaker?" I immediately turned my eyes toward Cyra next to me. She was the one who had strongly insisted we stay in the city.


    "Me?" Cyra couldn''t help swallowing nervously as she pointed at herself, seemingly finding it hard to believe.


    "But I''m an angel right? Can angels even be Fate Breakers? And wasn''t it said the incidents might happen outdoors? Wouldn''t any normal person think to stay in the city?"


    "Just because it''s easy to think of doesn''t mean anyone would actually decide to do so..." I shook my head. The choice to remain in the city was mainly established under Cyra''s strong urging.


    The truth was, Nicola and I hadn''t felt nearly as strongly in the beginning that the prophecy would definitely occur outside the city. Later on, actively avoiding the outdoors was also largely due to Cyra''s influence - and that proved to be on point too, with the riverside location still inside the city limits being a prime example. Coupled with driver Carl''s urging for haste, without Cyra we likely would have chosen to leave Makalan City that day after all.


    "But something still doesn''t make sense..." Nicola thought for a bit before voicing her objection.  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "If the first day''s prophecy has already passed, how do you explain all the bizarre things that happened the next day? Not to mention last night''s assassination attempt?"


    To make sure Quintina understood, I specifically explained to her about the adventurer outfit mysteriously appearing as well as last night''s attack from driver Carl in our room.


    "That is probably just the inertia of fate..." After hearing my account, Quintina contemplated briefly before giving her explanation:


    "Although fate was altered, it would still operate within certain limits along the original trajectory - just that subsequent events would no longer have much to do with my earlier prophecy. So those clothes were merely an inertial manifestation, nothing to really worry about. The main danger lies with the deaths that were supposed to happen - just because you didn''t perish on that first night doesn''t mean there won''t be peril in the next few days, like what happened last night! Perhaps successfully evading this disaster also had Fate Breaker factors involved. Was it because Cyra did something that led to their failure?"


    "Um... did Carl''s failed assassination have anything to do with me?" Confused, Cyra pointed at herself and asked us. Having been extolled as the Fate Breaker, she wasn''t sure herself if she really was that miraculous.


    "Doesn''t seem so?" Nicola looked uncertainly at me, not daring to confirm either way.


    "Probably not?" I also couldn''t find any specific "contributions" from Cyra in the matter and had to truthfully relay that. Now that I think of it, that phoenix played the biggest role in finally turning peril into safety last night.


    "So are we still in danger? The way you describe it makes me feel so apprehensive! Does the three days limit even mean anything anymore?" More than the inexplicable Fate Breaker title, Cyra was more concerned about safety issues.


    "Don''t worry. Just now, after sensing the wind elemental aura from Nicola, I ''saw'' her future again - this time all of you appeared within Holy Capital, safe and sound. It seems the danger has completely passed!" Quintina smiled and gave an answer to reassure everyone.


    "That''s good then..." Cyra immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then seemed a little downcast for some reason.


    "Too bad my invented ''Deceiving the World'' technique didn''t get a chance to be used."


    "You have the nerve to bring that up! I wrongly believed you and wasted effort with that act, was that easy for me?" Nicola resentfully complained. She was still incredibly annoyed recalling that embarrassing charade from before. Now, looking back on it, it really was a dark history alright - thank goodness no one else witnessed it.


    "Umm... what''s this ''Deceiving the World'' technique?" Overhearing us mention it, Quintina was quite curious and couldn''t help asking.


    "Oh, it was just a desperate idea we came up with earlier, but because we didn''t know the prophecy''s specific timing and location, it didn''t achieve anything in the end..." I shared that anime-inspired brainwave with her.


    "How ingenious! I wouldn''t have imagined there could be such methods for circumventing fate either! While my prophecy may not be able to predict precise timing and locations, astrologers would definitely be capable of it! This could be a way to change fate without needing a Fate Breaker at all!" Quintina looked extremely excited after hearing it, suddenly calling for her personal handmaid.


    "Aisha! Quickly help me put this into writing so I can notify Teacher and the others in Crescent City about it."


    "Crescent City huh..." Now that was our eventual destination. Exchanging a glance with Nicola, we had basically covered all our questions. Not wanting to continue bothering Quintina, we took our leave.


    "So I really am that Fate Breaker?"


    Once we exited the City Lord Manor, Cyra was still agonizing over her identity issue.


    "Yet I don''t feel very amazing somehow. It still took that phoenix last night to save the day in the end."


    "You''re already incredible. In general, it''s quite difficult to change established fates. If not for you, Feliciana might be dead already, so you could say you performed an incredible deed this time!" Nicola comforted matter-of-factly.


    "But why would Cyra be the Fate Breaker?"


    I was still feeling somewhat puzzled. Other than being able to alter predestined fates, what else was so special about this Fate Breaker? From the sounds of it, they were extremely rare - the only exceptional traits Cyra had were being an angel and a transmigrator!


    Could transmigrators be Fate Breakers? But Nicola and I share the same transmigrator status too! Does that make us Fate Breakers as well? Somehow that doesn''t seem quite right either.


    "Even Quintina doesn''t know the reason, we shouldn''t keep agonizing over it!" Nicola waved her hand dismissively. Looking up at the clear sunny skies overhead, she spread her wings and took off.


    "No time to delay, let''s head directly for the Holy Capital!"


    "We can finally leave now? These three days really felt endless! Never coming to this place again..." I certainly echoed the sentiment wholeheartedly. These past days had me pent up as hell! That was still mainly due to the psychological pressure from the death prophecy. Thank goodness the huge weight has now disappeared without a trace. No more need to worry.


    "And I don''t ever want to ride a carriage again! Trying something new by taking a carriage, who knew it would kick up so much trouble! If only I knew flying was so much more convenient!" Cyra also sighed rather regretfully. She then looked towards Nicola.


    "What about you then? Don''t you have any special thoughts?"


    "Me? What thoughts could I have..." Upon hearing her words, Nicola pointed at herself. Her expression was somewhat strange as she pondered hard for a long while before answering:


    "But speaking of which, I really don''t want to wear this adventurer outfit ever again in the future!"

 Vol 4/Chapter 45: What a Scam!

    The holy city of Jethrobaines was a very large city, said to have been built by the Pope of the True Church himself. Compared to Norvale in the Astralrealm Kingdom, the scale of the city was much grander and its history much longer.


    The three of us flew non-stop, finally reaching our destination in the evening. We only rested twice along the way, mainly because of Cyra''s low rank and lack of stamina.


    "The name of this inn seems so familiar..."


    After entering the city, the first thing to do was of course to find a place to stay. Before long, Cyra set her eyes on this hotel in a bustling area. It looked quite luxurious, yet exuded a touch of rustic charm.


    "Old Arcania Hot Spring Hotel, drawing natural hot spring water from Dona Mountain Range, designated by His Holiness the Pope during his inspection tour, a necessary bridge to communicate with the Lord..."


    "What a scam! Jethrobaines is clearly located on a plain, where do they get mountain hot springs from?"


    I pointed to the large billboard at the entrance, raising a serious question, and pulled Nicola to leave.


    "Wait, let''s go in and have a look first. We''re not short of money anyway! Maybe the hot spring water is transported from the mountains? After all, there are convenient tools like storage rings!"


    Seeing this, Cyra hurriedly pulled us back, saying with a hopeful look on her face.


    "Besides, it''s said that this place is related to the Pope, isn''t that the purpose of our trip?"


    Actually, we all knew that what she valued most was the last line of text.


    "But the Pope is not on an inspection tour now, how much use can a place he once named and stayed at be for our investigation?"


    Nicola still shook her head, not buying it at all. Of course, the main reason was that the decor here looked too luxurious, and the price would definitely not be cheap.


    However, after Cyra played the "trump card" of providing accommodation fees, she shamefully agreed in the end.


    "Anyway, if we''re not comfortable staying here, we can always change tomorrow..."


    Faced with my contemptuous gaze, Nicola could only explain with embarrassment. A cent can stump a hero! The amount of savings she had at her disposal was not much anymore. Recently, she had been freeloading off my meals and accommodation fees. Who told her to miss the opportunity to make a fortune selling holy water?


    However, I expressed that I didn''t mind. After all, Nicola had helped me a lot when we were in Earth. Although I had once offered to split half of the holy water profits with her, she insisted on refusing and only borrowed ten thousand silver, promising to pay it back.


    This was probably the last bit of pride of a wealthy young master...


    "Welcome, our hotel has a long history of four thousand years and is the top thousand-year-old establishment in the holy city of Jethrobaines! Everything you see now can be called cultural relics. We believe you can spend a wonderful time here!"


    As expected of an old brand, the receptionist showed a very professional smile as soon as we entered, guiding us into the lobby to check in while introducing the history of this place.


    "Do you think this inn will suddenly collapse?"


    Cyra stared at the ceiling and asked with some concern. After all, with such a long history, it was really a bit worrying. But looking at the surrounding decor, it must have undergone countless renovations and maintenance, so it should be fine.


    "Is this really the hotel where the Pope personally stayed?"


    Nicola was more concerned about this question. She had been inquiring about related topics along the way. Of course, the most important reason was that there were too many "old shops" on Earth that used the excuse of "the Emperor touring" or "the Emperor in distress," making her have to be extra cautious.


    "Of course! His Holiness the Pope just came here last month and was quite fond of this place! He often chooses our hotel for six out of ten inspection tours, and you will definitely not be disappointed!"This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Of course, there might be some exaggeration in this, but the staff''s answer was still quite satisfactory to us. It''s just a pity that the timing was not good. Otherwise, we might have been able to see him in person without an audience.


    However, the room rates were relatively heart-wrenching.


    "Two thousand silver per night for just the lowest-grade double room, and it can''t even accommodate three people. It''s really high-end..."


    Looking at the price list handed to us by the front desk staff, Cyra and I instantly felt the pain. Although we were mentally prepared and could indeed afford it, it would be a lie to say there was no pressure...


    "You three must be visiting Jethrobaines for the first time, right?"


    Seeing our expressions, the staff sitting behind the counter suddenly handed over another form.


    "Our hotel is currently running a promotion. You just need to sign your names on this form and you can stay for one night for free."


    "Oh? There''s actually such a good deal!"


    Hearing this, we of course wouldn''t let it pass and quickly took the form to have a look...


    "True Church Membership Application Form"!


    "What a scam!"


    I hurriedly threw the application form back. This suffocating operation instantly reminded me of a certain anime! It was fine in Norvale, at least Bishop Rister of Preston Cathedral had some integrity. How come they started directly using this scheme at the True Church headquarters?


    "Wait a minute..."


    But Cyra and Nicola didn''t think much. They retrieved the application form and pulled me aside.


    "If we only agree to join superficially, or sign a fake name, wouldn''t we be profiting?"


    "Yeah, this is a matter of several thousand silver! Even if we have to sign our real names, what can the True Church do if they come to us and we don''t acknowledge them? At most, we can just quit immediately then! There''s absolutely no loss at all."


    Nicola chimed in as well.


    "But the question is, will the hotel let us off so easily? The holy city is the headquarters of the True Church. How could they let us take advantage of them for no reason?"


    I still had some doubts. They should have both watched this anime, as it was very famous. But they had never delved into the logic behind this kind of membership model. After all, reality is not anime. If you could benefit just by simply joining a religion, why wouldn''t people make money off it?


    Moreover, the True Church in this world didn''t seem to be the kind of cult that wouldn''t allow you to leave after joining, right?


    "Look, it''s written clearly here! The pen and ink used for signing are infused with magic and have a certain compulsory effect. And you must first present relevant identity documents to participate in this event¡ªit''s not a problem for Nicola and me, but Cyra doesn''t have an adventurer''s guild identity. She might not be eligible to participate unless she reveals her wings."


    I pointed to the terms on the application form and said after carefully studying it.


    "Then look here. After signing, you need to go to the local True Church within three days to complete the formal membership procedures. Otherwise, you will be pursued by the religious court throughout the continent!"


    "Excuse me, what exactly are the membership procedures? Can you explain it to us in detail?"


    Nicola immediately turned her head and asked the staff behind the counter.


    "Also, what kind of process is required if you want to leave the church?"


    Obviously, she hadn''t given up on the idea of quitting after joining.


    "Of course!"


    The staff smiled brightly and immediately answered us in a very professional manner.


    "After filling out the form, you can go to St. Cenin Cathedral in Jethrobaines within three days to complete the procedures. The process is very simple. You just need to register, pay the fee, receive the scriptures, then accept the priest''s baptism and take an oath. That''s it. I also joined the church this way!"


    "Fee? How much does it cost?"


    Cyra''s ears were very sharp, instantly grasping the key word.


    "The fee is not much, less than ten thousand silver! Only 9,998 silver is enough. Of course, if you don''t have enough money, the church also thoughtfully provides installment payment services. No interest, you just need to do volunteer work for the church to pay it off, with room and board provided!"


    The other party continued to answer very professionally, suddenly shifting the topic.


    "As for the process of leaving the church, it''s relatively more complicated. And the procedures for quitting are a bit different in each place. But if you join the church in the holy city of Jethrobaines, then you must also apply to quit here. Of course, if you haven''t paid off your debt, you can''t apply to quit¡ªfirst, you need to write a 100,000-word application for leaving the church, stating sufficient reasons, then submit it to the Religious Affairs Office in the east of the city. After stamping and signing, go to the Religious Personnel Bureau in the west of the city to apply for cancellation of church membership. Then there''s only one step left¡ªconduct a tour of all the churches in the city to give speeches about leaving the church. After that, you can be considered to have successfully quit..."


    "What a scam!"


    I couldn''t take it anymore. I hurriedly returned the application form to the staff and quickly paid all the fees. Only then did we receive the keys to two rooms. Nicola and I shared one room, while Cyra had a single king-size room to herself. Why? Because she was rich and generous!


    "Why does the membership promotion model in this holy city seem so much like a pyramid scheme?"


    Cyra commented with lingering fear. I thought she went too far with her direct sales in Norvale before, but I didn''t expect to encounter the authentic version so soon.


    "Yeah, I remember the last clause even said that if you successfully introduce others to join the church as a referrer, you can receive a reward of 2,500 silver."


    Nicola also sighed. The referrer on that application form just now was of course already filled in by the hotel, so they were working so hard to recommend the event to us. The wool always comes from the sheep in the end!


    But the good thing is, although this kind of event has no integrity, at least it didn''t turn into the situation in the anime where they pestered people to join the church. Even though we refused the event offered by the hotel, the staff''s attitude remained very respectful and polite, which was why we finally chose to stay.

 Vol 4/Chapter 46: Privileges

    "This is so comfortable, as expected of a high-end hotel with free tea and snacks! It''s definitely not comparable to those small inns in Makalan City!"


    Upon entering the room, Cyra immediately flopped onto the soft, big bed. After flying the whole day and the sky turning dark, even Nicola and I couldn''t help but feel a bit tired, not to mention this two-winged angel.


    "The hot springs here are open 24 hours, do you want to go try it out later?" I suggested, looking at the check-in handbook on the table.


    "No, I''m really too tired. You guys go ahead......" Cyra mumbled, lying on the bed without even lifting her head. Soon, there was no sound, it seemed she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.


    "Let her rest first!" Seeing this situation, Nicola and I got up and returned to our own room.


    Speaking of which, we haven''t eaten the whole day. The cities between Makalan City and the holy city Jethrobaines are basically concentrated on the Cresthaven Papal Dominion side, so in order to hurry, we didn''t spend time on this. Anyway, we won''t be hungry during the day. But once it''s night, it becomes very uncomfortable.


    "Why don''t we go out and have a look, and eat something along the way?" Although the hotel also provides main meals and other services, the price is relatively expensive, and we just arrived in this city, so naturally we have to go out for a stroll.


    "No problem!" Nicola, of course, wouldn''t object to my suggestion. Soon, we left the hotel and came to the street.


    Now it''s just the right time for dinner, and you can see that the streets are full of various restaurants, with people coming and going, presenting a lively scene.


    As a big city, the prosperity of the holy city is obviously not inferior to Norvale. And with more than 4,000 years of historical culture, it is said to be even older than the Astralrealm Kingdom!


    The St. Cenin Cathedral mentioned by the attendant earlier is located in the east of the city, in the oldest area, and is the largest church in the area, quite far from where we are. As for the Papal Palace where the Pope resides, it is located behind the St. Cenin Cathedral, heavily guarded and difficult for ordinary people to enter.


    After all, this is a country where politics and religion are combined.


    "It seems that even through regular channels, it''s not so easy to meet the Pope!" Along the way, Nicola stared at the tour map in her hand and said thoughtfully.


    "Let''s go to St. Cenin Cathedral tomorrow and have Cyra submit the letter of introduction. I don''t know how long we have to wait......"


    "It shouldn''t be too long. After all, with an angel willing to formally visit, the True Church will definitely pay more attention. I just hope that the Pope is not really related to the God of Light!"


    I nodded. Although I haven''t seen the letter of introduction, if it''s not unexpected, most of the content is probably related to entertaining Cyra for sightseeing and persuading her to join the religion. Maybe even the Pope himself will take action.


    If things really develop as I think, does that mean the Pope has no hostility towards angels at all? This also seems to corroborate Aetina''s point of view from the side.


    "Let''s eat here!" Unknowingly, we had walked a long distance. We randomly entered a small restaurant and found a seat.


    This place is located on the outskirts of the city, with residential areas everywhere. The residents nearby don''t seem to be particularly wealthy, so the restaurant we are in also appears to be relatively shabby.


    Of course, the main reason is that the buildings in the city are too old. Most of them are stone buildings, and you can see the ancient atmosphere everywhere.


    In fact, the history of human civilization in this world is quite long, at least more than 10,000 years. And the Cresthaven Papal Dominion has never had the ambition to expand, so there are very few wars. After all, with the Pope always stationed here, coupled with the absolute loyalty of the Star Glory Knights, the holy city has not encountered large-scale unrest for thousands of years, so many ancient buildings have been preserved.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "What''s with these prices?" Nicola picked up the menu and found that the prices marked on it were actually divided into two types, one of which was obviously much cheaper than the other, which made us a bit puzzled for a while.


    "This is the price exclusively for church members. According to the regulations, at least an 80% discount or more can be enjoyed! So are you church followers? If not, you can sign up on the spot. If you sign up today, you can also enjoy a special free meal......" The waiter glanced at the menu, took out a "True Church Membership Application Form" very calmly, and then walked away expressionless.


    "This......" Nicola and I looked at each other, feeling a little helpless. We quickly moved this form aside. In fact, even without the 80% discount, this price is completely affordable. We can only shake our heads and continue to order.


    "There seems to be such a practice in Norvale, but it''s basically concentrated on St. Mary Malia Street." I sighed and said. Only at this time did I realize that there are indeed many believers in the city! As expected of the holy city, the people at the surrounding tables all close their eyes and make the sign of the cross to pray before eating. In addition, there are quite a few people wearing church clothing, making the two of us seem a bit out of place.


    "But looking at this Jethrobaines, maybe the whole city is in this mode. Don''t people complain?"


    "How can there be no complaints? Isn''t that right over there......" Nicola pointed to the street across from the door. It was also a restaurant. A tourist who was obviously from out of town, similar to us, finally couldn''t help but break down. He slammed the table and stood up.


    "Too much, I''m really fed up with these privileges. This is religious discrimination! No...... this is non-religious discrimination. True Church members can enjoy various preferential policies everywhere. Even when queuing up for a meal, they can cut in front of me. Why should I, a tourist who has traveled thousands of miles to come here, suffer this indignity!"


    The table actually scattered with a slam. It was very obvious that this guy had some martial skills, but it seemed that his rank was not very high.


    From what he said, it seemed that the restaurant opposite was full, and dining required queuing up one by one to get a number. And True Church members enjoyed the privilege of priority queuing, which caused the dispute.


    Actually, I don''t care, because these rules have been clearly written outside. If you don''t like it, you can just not patronize it. Nicola and I chose this relatively quiet restaurant precisely because we didn''t want to line up.


    "Then why don''t you simply join the church! This way you can enjoy all kinds of privileged services!" Of course, the shop owner would not let it go when his property was damaged. Several burly men immediately rushed out from the house and surrounded this tourist.


    "If you join the church now, we will be lenient and not pursue the matter of you breaking the table. You know, casually destroying other people''s property and deliberately provoking trouble is not as simple as just compensation. You might even go to jail!"


    "It''s just breaking one of your tables, is it necessary......" Faced with the shop owner''s threats and inducements, the out-of-town tourist immediately started to soften when he saw the situation. But the other party had already taken out the "True Church Membership Application Form", obviously unwilling to let him go easily. One of the big men even grabbed his hand and forced him to sign it.


    "Do you want to go over and help?" I felt that I couldn''t stand watching it anymore. Although the out-of-town tourist was indeed wrong in the first place, the shop owner''s methods were also too disgraceful. Filling out the application form would bring in huge profits, and it would also give rise to certain security risks. There must be some people with ulterior motives who wanted to take this opportunity to make money.


    "It''s best not to meddle in other people''s business! Our main purpose in coming to Jethrobaines is to investigate the Pope. If we cause any trouble for such a small matter, it would be too unwise." Nicola shook her head. But even if we didn''t intervene, others couldn''t hold back anymore. They took the lead and stood up.


    Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a church believer......


    "Stop! Your act of forcing others to join the religion will not be approved by the Lord!" A young priest stood up from the queuing crowd and pointed at the group of big men, rebuking them angrily. He was wearing glasses and looked quite knowledgeable.


    "What does it have to do with you? This guy destroyed the property in our store, so of course we have the right to ask him for compensation!" A leading big man retorted aggressively, not showing a better attitude just because the other party was a clergyman.


    "You can directly ask him to pay for your losses, instead of forcing him to sign under the guise of introducing him to join and profiting from it!" With the priest''s weak physique, he was obviously at a disadvantage compared to the big men, but he had a righteous view of things and still argued on the basis of reason without fear of the strong, causing many of the surrounding church members and ordinary people to nod in agreement.


    "When His Holiness the Pope originally implemented this membership model, it was to attract more people with fate from all over the world. It also came with the condition that they must join voluntarily. Your behavior of deliberately distorting other people''s wishes is obviously against His Holiness'' original intention. If strictly investigated, you are completely qualified to be sent to the religious tribunal, and deliberately destroying the reputation of the church in the eyes of the world is a major crime!"


    "Hahaha, what a joke! How could the religious tribunal have the time to deal with such a small matter? Do you think you can scare us with a few words?" However, the few big men were not moved at all. It seemed that they were about to force the tourist to sign the application.


    "Wait!" At this time, another person actually rushed out from the store. He looked like the person in charge of the store, but he didn''t come to make trouble for the bespectacled priest. Instead, he walked to the side of the group of big men and whispered a few words in their ears.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 47: The Bespectacled Priest

    "Sorry...sorry, we were just a bit impatient. We definitely did not intend to force him to convert!" Hearing this, the few burly men looked a bit afraid and their attitude softened a lot. It seems this bespectacled priest is no ordinary person. I see them standing in a line with eyes fixed on the foreign tourist.


    "The table you broke is worth 100 silver. Pay up as compensation and we''ll let this matter rest!"


    The shop owner stretched out his palm.


    "At least your church still has some conscience!"


    Having no choice, the foreign tourist fished out some coins from his pocket and placed them on the other party''s hand before leaving the scene.


    "This holy city Jethrobaines is really a place of mixed company. And that Pope is also a character - to think cartoon attraction were his idea. He''s definitely not ordinary..."


    With that, the matter ended. I sat across the street and couldn''t help letting out a sigh. Our food orders also arrived at this time, so my attention was drawn to the meals.


    Compared to the Western fare popular in the Astralrealm Kingdom, Jethrobaines'' culinary culture focuses more on flour-based products. Of course, this brings it a step closer to our familiar cuisine.


    "Excuse me ladies, would you allow me to buy you lunch?"


    Just as Nicola and I were wolfing down the food, a shadow suddenly appeared before us. Turns out someone had sat down in the seat next to ours. Lifting my head for a look, it was actually the bespectacled priest!


    "You..."


    Nicola sized him up doubtfully. While we were appreciative of his chivalrous deed previously, it did not mean we were fine with a stranger joining our lunch.


    "You are a light mage, yes?"


    Sensing the light elemental aura from him explained his particular interest in us. After all, even if we had hidden our wings, those with apt experience would still easily recognize what we are.


    "We have our own money. No treats needed. What advice do you have?"


    Nicola frowned a little. Jethrobaines having light mages is totally expected, though we had been prepared our identities might be exposed, didn''t expect it to happen so fast. With so many people around, the odds were just too low.


    "Or are you representing the True Church to contact us now?"


    She and I both felt this priest had ulterior motives, plus his unordinary standing displayed earlier. It''s likely he specifically came for us.


    "Oh no, not at all! I merely sensed stronger light elemental aura from this side by chance and found two angels dining here. That''s extremely rare in this holy city, so I specially came by to visit."


    Hearing that, the bespectacled priest quickly clarified in a low voice.


    "Don''t worry, I know Edenmere normally doesn''t allow angels into the holy city. I definitely won''t expose your identities!"


    I see, so he mistook us for angels who had sneaked into the city to sightsee!


    Indeed, even if Edenmere did not explicitly show wariness against the holy city, over time True Church would surely notice something amiss - after all angels visit other nations frequently, just not their territory...


    "What are your impressions of our Church? Are you interested to find out more?"The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Seeing our silence, the priest forced out a laugh and continued his sales pitch, as expected.


    "Not interested!"


    Nicola wiped her mouth decisively. She clearly didn''t want to entertain him further and stood up to ask me:


    "Feliciana, are you done with your food? Let''s go!"


    "Huh? Leaving now?"


    I was taken aback. Since he''s part of True Church, I actually wanted to ask about meeting the Pope! But Nicola had voiced her stance so firmly, naturally I couldn''t stay on either.


    "If you have the chance, do visit the St. Cenin Cathedral where I''m based at. I can bring you around!"


    As we left, the bespectacled priest still wouldn''t give up and promoted himself.


    "My name is Eminem! Just quote me when you visit!"


    "That name sounds so familiar..."


    Glancing back at his waving arm, I felt I had heard this name somewhere before.


    "Probably the church staff in Preston Cathedral mentioned him. Since he works at Saint Cenin, he should be quite a senior figure too."


    Nicola brushed it off matter-of-factly. Clearly she was very annoyed by people actively striking up conversations, if not she wouldn''t have given up this chance to ask about meeting the Pope so easily.


    Back at the hotel, Nicola crashed onto bed and slept immediately while I decided to bathe first before turning in. After all it had been days since my last bath. The ominous prophecy at Makalan City had left me rather rattled, so a hot soak would do me good.


    Most importantly, it would be a waste of money not to use the bath since it''s included in the room rate...


    However, when I stepped into the changing room, it was empty with no one inside. Great! I''d feel more comfortable without many others around.


    Despite having gotten used to my body, my erstwhile male mindset still made me somewhat shy about nudity. Too much bare flesh would still make me bashful.


    "So this is what they look like on myself? What a strange structure...can''t be real right?"


    Suddenly, a crisp familiar voice rang out. Curious, I traced the voice behind the lockers and saw a topless Cyra muttering to herself while groping her chest.


    "What are you doing? Didn''t you say you won''t be bathing?"


    Feeling puzzled since she had not just transformed, I asked why she was still acting so agitated despite so much time had passed. Had she not seen her own breasts before?


    "You again?"


    Yet her reaction at seeing me was weird. She hurriedly put her clothes back on and looked around the changing room and outside warily, appearing very confused.


    "Strange, this looks exactly like the Arcania Hotel alright..."


    "Duh, seeing me disappoints you? Weren''t you the one who insisted to stay here?"


    I rolled my eyes, wondering what bug had bitten her now. I then took off my clothes and cautioned her:


    "I''m warning you first! If you insist on bathing with me, keep your distance! I don''t want to be taken advantage of by you and your roving hands."


    While we had not bathed together before, her lecherous side had long been exposed. She would often find excuses to act perverted under the pretence of waking me up in the mornings.


    From "We''re both girls, transformed or not still same gender, why so shy!"


    To  "Come come, let me check if your development is normal!"


    I bet no one would believe she''s not Playboy reborn!


    Even Nicola did not escape initially until she beat Cyra up and plucked out some feathers before she finally behaved. But that was only towards Nicola. To me, she remains a dangerous element, especially when we are both undressed like this!


    However, since I had come all the way, I was too lazy to head back to the room. If Cyra dared to try anything funny, I would give her a taste of her own medicine like Nicola!


    Yet contrary to expectations, instead of her usual nonchalant dismissal, Cyra looked serious upon hearing me and quickly defended herself:


    "That''s impossible! As clergy, I''ve been chaste all these years, devoting my body and soul entirely to the Lord. I absolutely won''t go near women!"


    "Since I''m done with my bath, please go ahead if you still wish to enter. I have other matters to attend to..."


    With that she hastily wrapped herself in the towel and left swiftly without even turning back, leaving me standing there totally astonished.


    "What''s going on?"


    Since when did she learn to spout nonsense so earnestly?


    And she says she avoids women? What about the two elf maidens back at the Light Elf Village? And Norma? Does she think I''ve forgotten?


    Despite Cyra''s dry hair and the towel draped on her belying the claim she had just bathed, I did not ponder too much over it. Upon entering the pools, I saw not a single soul inside, precisely what I hoped for.


    Unlike the large public bath houses I had been to previously, the hotel hot spring pools catered to high end patrons with smaller pools but more exquisite, elegant furnishing. There were also several pools opened at any one time. Although this room had no one inside, I could vaguely hear chatter from the pool beside. I heard some top tier rooms even had private pools - not that such lowly commoners like us staying in the 2000 silver rooms could do anything but envy.


    Returning from my bath to the room, I was surprised to find both beds empty with Nicola gone.


    Just as I was wondering about it, the room door opened and Nicola walked in. "Where did you go? Weren''t both of you going to sleep, how come running about instead?" I asked curiously.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 48: Strange Behavior

    "It''s all because of that bespectacled priest! He made me so hungry I couldn''t eat my fill! Just now my stomach was rumbling again, so I went out and bought some food to bring back," Nicola said, holding up the packaged food in her hand.


    Then, as if recalling something else, she continued, "Oh right, on my way back, I ran into Cyra. She was rushing out all excited. That rascal pretended not to recognize me and ignored me completely. But I grabbed her and asked what was going on. Guess what she said to me?"


    "What did she say?" I was puzzled to hear this. I had just seen Cyra in the changing room earlier and thought she had gone back to her room to sleep after her shower. I didn''t expect her to have gone out again.


    "She glared at me arrogantly and scolded, ''You''ve got the wrong person! I don''t know you, don''t disturb my sleep!'' Then she shook me off and rushed out of the hotel by herself."


    Nicola opened the packaging and guzzled down a mouthful of soup as she complained, "If you ask me, I think something''s wrong with her brain! If my hands weren''t full with food, I would have given her a good beating for being so darn annoying!"


    "She really said that?"


    I found it very strange too. Recalling Cyra''s earlier attitude towards me, things seemed even fishier now.


    "Could she be sleepwalking again?" I suddenly recalled the bizarre scene I had witnessed in Makalan City one night - Cyra staring intently at the mirror with strange behavior, also wandering out by herself, and ending up collapsed on the street. Nicola was the one who had carried her back. This current situation seemed quite similar. Moreover, Nicola and I had clearly seen Cyra fast asleep before she went out earlier.


    "Sleepwalking? She''s been sleeping quite normally the past few nights. Why would it start again all of a sudden?" Nicola clearly hadn''t considered this possibility before. My reminder made her seem rather skeptical.


    "Besides, do people even know they''re dreaming when sleepwalking? And didn''t she seem fully conscious and articulate just now? Are you sure you didn''t get something wrong?"


    "If it''s not sleepwalking, then what else could it be? Or could being an angel make her prone to sleep disorders like multiple personalities?" I was totally confused and started guessing wildly. There were definitely many puzzling things about this incident, but I couldn''t think of any other explanation besides sleepwalking.


    "I''m not very clear if that happens to angels, but I have seen a case of drastically different personalities before..." Nicola tapped her fingers on the table, seemingly deep in thought as she spoke.


    "Remember that incident where I fell into the water in the Dark Continent? Although you don''t remember it yourself, I witnessed everything from start to end - after you emerged from the water, your condition was clearly not normal!"


    "Oh right! I have zero recollection about what happened in that state. After I regained consciousness, I only remembered having an irrelevant dream. Didn''t the same thing happen to Cyra? What kind of dream did she have again?"


    It suddenly dawned upon me. How could I have missed this link!


    I could say I went on a rampage without inhibitions while in that unconscious state, becoming exceptionally formidable. I even leveled up after the incident! So could what''s happening to Cyra now be similar to my experience back then of reaching the threshold for leveling up?


    "Cyra''s dream was quite nonsensical...something about turning back into a man and living it up night after night..." At this point, Nicola hesitated and changed the subject.


    "While that may not be an issue, if we allow her to wander around aimlessly in such a state, won''t it cause problems?"


    "Let''s go find her and bring her back!" I couldn''t sit still anymore. Recalling the high death toll I had inflicted on magical creatures back then, anything could happen even with ordinary humans around if things got out of hand. This was no joking matter!


    Of course Nicola wouldn''t stay behind in the room by herself. She decided to come along with me.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Where could that rascal have gone?"


    Standing outside the hotel gazing at the streets lined with people coming and going, I felt a headache coming on. Ever since we left Edenmere, Cyra had done nothing but cause trouble for us. And now she was still making a ruckus even after arriving in the Holy City.


    According to the contingency plan we came up with, Nicola and I decided to split up to cover more ground searching for traces of Cyra in the vicinity.


    Apart from scouring the streets, I weaved in and out of the shops, eateries and various entertainment outlets like bars that were still open in the neighborhood. Even with lower human traffic at night, after combing through every alley, there was still no sign of Cyra after traversing the length and breadth of the city.


    "Any luck at your end?"


    About an hour later, I returned to the hotel entrance alone. One look at Nicola standing there by herself was enough to tell me the outcome even without asking.


    "Strange, she didn''t pass out in the streets this time?"


    Nicola spread her hands helplessly and glanced at the now deserted streets behind me, failing to stifle a yawn.


    "Let it go, no point searching anymore! Just now I circled overhead but didn''t hear of any mishaps happening. If Cyra has regained consciousness, she should be able to make her way back herself."


    I nodded. "Hopefully that''s the case..."


    I really couldn''t keep my eyes open any longer. Flying the whole day had already exhausted me. At this rate, I''d be the one ending up unconscious on the pavement first!


    "Hold on!"


    Just as I was about to enter my room after unlocking the door, it suddenly dawned on me to check on the room next door.


    "Could she have made it back on her own?"


    Not having a key to enter, Nicola and I flew in through the third floor window into Cyra''s room. Indeed, there she was out like a light on her large bed, in the exact same position we last saw when leaving the room earlier, almost as if nothing had happened at all.


    Except for a True Church membership application form lying on the table...


    "She really did go out after all! Don''t tell me she already signed her name on it?"


    Spotting traces of ink below the application form on the table, I hastily grabbed and scrutinized it, feeling my eyebrows knotting together.


    "What kind of bogus name is this?"


    "Cysper?" Nicola leaned over for a look and couldn''t help laughing.


    "Haha, could it be this rascal has finally decided to change her name? Cyrus - Cysper...they both start with ''Cy'' after all..."


    "Let''s not get sidetracked! Don''t you find this very strange?" I glared at her to refocus the issue.


    "Unlike last time, Cyra somehow made it back herself this round. Her condition seems different from mine! She doesn''t appear to have unfurled her wings even once, let alone changed their color. And despite two such episodes, we still haven''t seen her level up. Something is clearly amiss here, right?"


    "What if she already leveled up without us knowing?" Dying to turn in for the night, Nicola couldn''t muster any more enthusiasm to keep discussing this.


    "Why don''t we ask her tomorrow? I''m totally bushed now! It''s so late already..."


    "I guess so!" Feeling equally spent, I had to reluctantly shelve my doubts for the time being and wait till the next day to probe further.


    ...


    "Feliciana, Nicola, wake up! Let''s head into town together and submit the introductory letter to the church!"


    The next morning, we were jolted awake by Cyra banging loudly on our doors.


    "How rude!" Covering her ears, a very irritated Nicola crawled out of bed to yank the door open. Cyra barged in breezily like a gust of wind, waving the letter of introduction in her hand.


    "Why are you two so lazy, always waking up later than me? How can you ever accomplish anything great this way? Still need me to do the wake-up call..."


    Seeing us stare at her in unison, she promptly clammed up in embarrassment.


    "How did you sleep last night?" I asked with a smile. Beaming brightly as angels do in the day, she seemed quite spirited.


    "I guess...alright?" Puzzled by my intent, Cyra thought for a bit before replying vaguely.


    "Did you have any dreams?" Nicola chimed in with the questioning as planned to get to the bottom of things, since this rogue had delivered herself to our doorstep.


    "Huh? How did you know about that?!"


    Cyra was shocked to hear this, sizing us up suspiciously again. Clearly our demeanor signaled something was amiss. She could only laugh awkwardly while asking,


    "I didn''t...sleepwalk again, did I?"


    "At least you''re self-aware!" I rolled my eyes impatiently and explained,


    "But Nicola and I surmise you weren''t sleepwalking per se. Instead, it''s more like an alternate personality was in control roaming around."


    "Another persona? Did I do anything bad after falling asleep last night?"


    Now totally confused, Cyra glanced down at herself anxiously and asked.


    "Nothing terrible happened, but first show us your wings!"


    Seeing her response, Nicola decided to first confirm if this rascal had leveled up before deciding the next steps.


    Still two wings as expected!


    "Just what exactly is going on here?"


    With Cyra failing to advance in rank, I was utterly stumped. My own experience didn''t seem fully applicable to explain her case.


    "Hold on, leveling up may be more challenging for her! We can monitor for another night and draw conclusions later, or even actively engage her alternate personality!"


    Nicola still inclined towards her initial conjecture - that Cyra''s condition mirrored my leveling up process.


    "But her other persona may not necessarily surface at night while she''s asleep! The past two instances were already days apart!" I countered.


    "Can you two make some sense please! What exactly did I get up to last night?!"


    No longer able to curb her curiosity, Cyra indignantly interjected at high volume as she folded her wings back in.

 Vol 4/Chapter 49: unable of manhood

    "Well..."


    I glanced at Cyra, briefly recounted my experience with Nicola from last night.


    "But I don''t seem to have taken a bath!"


    Cyra immediately rolled up her sleeves, showing me a barely visible bloodstain on her arm.


    "This is a blood stain from Carl a few days ago. I scrubbed it for a long time but still couldn''t get it all off. I was planning to take a bath today! Did you mistake me for someone else?"


    "How could that be possible! You clearly recognized me too back then! There''s no way I''m mistaken!"


    I hurriedly defended myself. Come to think of it, it just means that the second persona "Cyra" from last night was tricking me? Although I was skeptical at the time, I didn''t take it seriously. But why would she do such a thing?


    "Do you still remember this signature?"


    An application form for joining the True Church appeared in front of Cyra. It was taken from her room. Nicola pointed at the word "Jasper" and asked.


    "Are you kidding? You mean I secretly joined the church while sleeping?"


    Cyra clearly didn''t quite believe what Nicola said. She took the application form, glanced at it, and immediately laughed.


    "Nonsense! That''s not even my name! Although the handwriting does seem a bit similar...but I''ve already made it clear that I won''t join any church in this world. Did you forget?"


    "Don''t you have any impression of this name at all?"


    Nicola still didn''t seem to believe it. Regardless of whether it was a case of multiple personalities, surely one should have some recollection of what they had written themselves.


    "It does seem vaguely familiar..."


    With this question, Cyra suddenly became uncertain. But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she still couldn''t figure it out.


    "Then what was the dream you had last night?"


    Even though Cyra had essentially denied all the evidence, I persisted in asking.


    "The dream..."


    Upon mentioning this topic, Cyra''s expression immediately fell, as if it brought back very unpleasant memories. She quickly changed the subject.


    "Why talk about that? It''s so boring! Let''s go do something important instead. How about getting breakfast for old times'' sake?"


    "Eat your head! You''ve become an angel, why would you still eat breakfast! Isn''t figuring out the sleepwalking situation important?"


    Having seen through her tricks long ago, Nicola gently tapped Cyra''s head, not falling for it at all.


    "Just confess, what dream did you have last night? Didn''t you say you turned back into the appearance of a man, an emperor even? Didn''t you have a great time every night?"


    "What emperor? I was actually the pope! And the plot in this dream was so boring. I had to review some documents that I couldn''t make any sense of at all. Not fun!"


    Cyra answered with a resigned expression. However, her saying that she dreamed of becoming the pope was quite unexpected to me, as our goal for this trip was precisely to meet the pope. Could it be a case of dreaming at night what one thinks about during the day? Or perhaps...


    A thought suddenly crossed my mind, but I immediately shook my head to deny it, for it was too far-fetched and unlikely.


    "Isn''t that great? You believe in God, so being the pope should be right up your alley!"


    Nicola clearly didn''t think as much as I did and insisted on interrogating Cyra about the details of her dream, seemingly determined to get to the bottom of it.


    "Of course I changed back! But the pope is different. The pope needs to devote their entire body and soul selflessly to the Lord. I''m not ready for that yet..."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Cyra said hesitantly, her face flushed.


    "And, to my dismay, I found that in the dream, although I changed back, down there...down there simply didn''t work at all. So what''s even the point!"


    "Haha, that''s nonsense! Don''t you look at yourself, can you even perform in your current state?"


    Upon hearing this, Nicola immediately burst into laughter, patting Cyra''s shoulders incessantly as she mocked her.


    "Come to think of it, this state might actually suit you perfectly. After all, you''ve become the pope! You have to devote your body and soul to your Lord, so it''s understandable that down there doesn''t work. What do you think, Cy-ra!"


    Deliberately enunciating the syllables of "Cyra" heavily, Nicola was clearly referring to the fact that the angel Cyra is the wife of the Lord.


    "I''ve told you, I have nothing to do with that Cyra!"


    Cyra glared at Nicola, her eyes full of grievance. She swatted away the hand patting her shoulder, unwilling to say anything more, and rushed out of the room.


    "That joke was a bit too much! She only had a dream. Why go that far?"


    Gazing at the open door, I reproached Nicola. Earlier, Cyra clearly didn''t want to talk about it, but we insisted on forcing her to recount the details of her dream. Then, after she told us, we ended up mocking her like that. If I were her, I would feel uncomfortable too.


    "Don''t worry, that''s just her personality. She''ll be fine after a while."


    Nicola shrugged indifferently, apparently not thinking she said anything wrong.


    "But...well, never mind..." I sighed and, seeing her attitude, swallowed the words I was about to say. Then I followed her out of the room.


    Although we didn''t completely figure out Cyra''s situation, the day had just begun, and there were still important matters to attend to.


    What had happened earlier were just minor conflicts. True to Nicola''s words, Cyra''s anger didn''t last long. We toured around until nearly noon when we walked to the great St. Cenin Cathedral.


    "No wonder this is the premier cathedral of the holy city, even its sheer size far surpasses Preston Cathedral!"


    Looking up at the massive structure before us, Cyra couldn''t help but exclaim in admiration.


    "Just hand the introduction letter to someone in charge. Who knows how long we''ll have to wait to meet the pope!"


    Nicola urged. We entered the cathedral and arrived at the familiar main hall. We stopped one of the passing believers to convey our intention to meet the head of the church here. Shortly after, however, a familiar face showed up.


    "Ladies, why didn''t you mention my name? You could have found me directly that way. Luckily, I happened to be passing by this area, or we might have missed each other..."


    The speaker was none other than the bespectacled priest we had met before¡ªEminem. This time, however, he was wearing a red priestly robe with a scarf, giving off a rather different vibe.


    "A cardinal?"


    Cyra scrutinized him from head to toe before whispering in my ear.


    "The guy you''ve acquainted with doesn''t seem like a good person..."


    "Why? Isn''t the status of a cardinal very high?"


    I didn''t quite understand. I thought Cyra would be extremely excited and reverent towards him.


    "I haven''t joined this world''s True Church, so what does his status matter to me?"


    Cyra snorted, though her words suggested otherwise, as one could tell she was somewhat envious.


    "Besides, narrow-eyed people are monsters. Not to mention he wears glasses too¡ªa double buff. Definitely unforgivable!"


    "You''ve been watching too many anime, haven''t you?"


    I couldn''t help but shake my head and chuckle at her reasoning.


    That said, I was quite surprised that the young Eminem was already a cardinal. From what I recalled, such positions were usually held by old geezers. He must be quite famous in the city of Jethrobaines. No wonder the restaurant owner cowered when he saw Eminem yesterday.


    "We''ve only come to deliver the letter of introduction this time. Our goal is to meet the pope!"


    Seeming not too fond of this young cardinal, Nicola frowned slightly and directly stated our purpose.


    "So you''ve come to the holy city for this reason. I thought there were only two angels, but now I see there are three..."


    Eminem paused momentarily upon hearing this, his expression immediately turning solemn as he accepted the envelope with both hands. Since this was a letter addressed to the pope, he couldn''t open and read it directly. He could only verbally confirm the situation with us.


    "It''s quite rare for angels from Edenmere to actively seek contact with our True Church¡ªa once-in-a-millennium opportunity!"


    "How long will it take for us to meet the pope?"


    Unfazed by his musing, Cyra cut straight to the point and asked about the outcome.


    "For ordinary people, the usual process takes at least a week. But since you''re angels with special status, His Holiness the Pope should actually receive you immediately. However, it seems he has gone out for an inspection tour again today. This letter likely won''t be seen until tomorrow..."


    At this point, Eminem pondered for a moment before making a suggestion.


    "How about I arrange temporary accommodations for you within the cathedral? That way, as soon as His Holiness returns, you can meet him right away! And during that time, I can also give you a tour of this cathedral..."


    "We can wait until tomorrow."


    Although Cyra seemed tempted, Nicola flatly rejected his offer. Actually, this timeframe was already quite fast, much smoother than we had anticipated. Fortunately, Eminem didn''t insist. After some small talk, the matter was settled.


    It was still early, so after leaving St. Cenin Cathedral, we decided to tour other parts of the city. Who knows, we might even run into our target on the streets!


    "It seems this pope really enjoys going out and about. According to what Eminem said, the pope resides outside for a few days every month to personally experience the people''s situation, under the pretext of an ''inspection tour,'' and then reports his governance to the Lord."


    Along the way, Cyra remarked somewhat wistfully. Clearly, she envied the pope''s lifestyle of having a grand residence while being able to "travel" everywhere. After all, the holy city was vast. Even without leaving this city, the pope could spend a month in a different place each time, essentially "wandering" indefinitely with such a variety.


    However, considering the pope''s age, things might not be as leisurely as we imagined...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 50 - The Guild in the Holy City

    Our next destination was the Adventurer''s Guild. As members, Nicola and I were naturally interested in visiting. After all, we had only been to the one in Norvale before.


    Moreover, it was very inconvenient for Cyra to not have an official identity in the human world. We deeply felt this during our travel, so we had long planned for her to get an identity card too.


    However, the sight before us was very disappointing.


    "This place is too small, isn''t it?"


    We had thought that for the scale of the holy city Jethrobaines, the Adventurer''s Guild building should be very grand. But when we arrived, it was much shabbier than we imagined.


    "Let''s go in and take a look!"


    Nicola entered the guild hall first. This seemed to be a street-front commercial unit that had been renovated to serve as the guild hall. Because of the small space, only one counter was open, although there was also a quest board displayed with magic. But the board''s size and number of quests were far less than the Adventurer''s Guild in Norvale.


    "Maybe it''s because the church has a strong presence in the holy city of Jethrobaines. Everyone is so busy with religious affairs that they have no time for adventuring," Cyra guessed, looking around at the sparse crowd.


    No wonder we couldn''t directly teleport here. Under these conditions, if I was in charge of the Adventurer''s Guild, I wouldn''t prioritize setting up a teleportation array here either!


    Since there was only one service window, despite the few people, we still had to queue up one by one. In this rundown guild space, there wasn''t even a VIP room. It seemed the entire guild only had one staff member - the person behind the counter. Okay, maybe also including the person in the backyard responsible for ability assessments...


    "But the lack of quests means not many people are seeking help from the Adventurer''s Guild. Could it be that people here rarely face difficulties? That can''t be right!"


    Nicola looked carefully at the quest board and saw that among the few quests listed, there was actually a high-rank one, which immediately piqued her interest.


    But the most important thing now was still to get Cyra registered as an adventurer. To be honest, I really regretted not thinking of registering Cyra when we were in Norvale. Now we had to come to this place with poor conditions, I didn''t know if the location would have any effect. The upside was that with few people, we probably didn''t need to spend too long time.


    "When you saw that high-rank quest, what came to mind?" Nicola asked me during the waiting period, pointing at the quest board.


    "A team had one member sneak into a phoenix''s nest to steal eggs half a month ago. He was discovered and surrounded by two phoenixes, getting trapped on Mount Dona. The other team members couldn''t do anything and had to go down the mountain for help..."


    "Steal phoenix eggs? It''s been so long, the person is probably long dead by now. Why is this quest still listed? It seems meaningless!"  I said puzzledly. I vaguely remembered when we first arrived in Norvale, Brennan kept insisting on going to steal phoenix eggs, but was firmly rejected by Adrian and Vivianne.


    Speaking of which, could it be that he snuck off to do it?


    But that didn''t seem right either! I shook my head, immediately dismissing the idea.


    Last month, although we didn''t actually see Brennan, we heard from Adrian and the others that this guy had been participating in the war against monsters in Astralrealm''s army. He couldn''t possibly have had time to go to Mount Dona Range.


    "Who knows, there may still be hope! You forgot about the phoenix that appeared in Makalan City, didn''t you?" Nicola hinted meaningfully.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "The enchanted arrow stuck in that phoenix could very well be related to this incident. It''s only been a bit over a day since then. And since the quest is still listed here, it means the requester hasn''t given up yet. As for the details, we can just ask directly at the counter."


    "So you mean you want to take on this high-rank quest?" I asked puzzledly. After all, we had witnessed the might of phoenixes. The last one that challenged Nicola was already lying defeated, it would take months to recover. Hence, it''s a easy quest for us.


    However, we currently had many other things to do. After investigating the Pope, we still had to visit the Sage Alliance located south of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion, with their capital Crescent City. When would we have time for quests?


    If the arrow lodged in the phoenix in Makalan City was related to this quest, I wouldn''t mind helping out, since that phoenix''s appearance helped us evade Carl''s assassination attempt. But currently there was no way to prove that connection.


    "Of course not! I was just saying. Plus, I don''t have enough credits to take this high-rank quest..." As expected, Nicola shook her head and denied my guess, earning an eye-roll from me.


    In truth, the reward for this quest was really low. For regular humans, the cost-benefit wasn''t high. Correspondingly, even if they failed, there was no penalty for failure. The requester probably lowered the requirements to seek more help. Although there was a credit deposit, as long as it was a normal failed rescue, all credits would be returned in the end. As a high-rank quest, the conditions were extremely lenient! You didn''t even need to return to this city to complete it.


    As we were discussing the quest, Cyra finally reached the front of the queue to register. From observing, the process seemed standard - fill out a form, register, get the ID card...


    However, an unexpected situation occurred. The staff member looked at the registration Cyra filled out and suddenly shouted loudly:


    "What? You''re an angel!"


    "..."


    I felt a bit speechless. Although angels were rare in the holy city, did they have to be so surprised? Where was the professionalism? When I registered in Norvale, I didn''t encounter anything like this!


    "What? An angel?"


    "An angel openly appearing in the holy city?"


    "But she doesn''t seem to have wings..."


    After the staff member''s outburst, quite a few people turned their attention to Cyra. She immediately became the focus of discussion from all sides.


    "This local guild is really troublesome and unprofessional!"


    Nicola shook her head with an exasperated look. We saw Cyra frequently glancing our way, prompting me to keep gesturing to her to hurry up and finish.


    But just as Cyra received her ID card and was about to walk over to us, a young girl suddenly approached her with a pleading look and said:


    "I heard from the staff that you''re an angel. Could you please help me and take on a quest..."


    "Huh? Me?"


    Cyra was caught off guard. She had just gotten her ID card and was already being asked to take a quest, without even an ability assessment!


    "What''s going on?"


    Seeing this, Nicola and I could no longer just stand by. We walked over to ask. This girl was probably also an Adventurer''s Guild member, looking quite young with a pretty appearance. She was holding a magic staff, dressed in standard mage robes.


    "I had previously posted a quest in the guild, hoping to gather people to rescue my companion. But the guild adjusted the quest to the highest rank, and in Jethrobaines, no one dares to take it! The other surviving teammates have already lost patience and left one by one. After so many days, I don''t even know my companion''s situation..."


    From what the girl said, she seemed to be the requester for that high-rank quest we saw earlier. Unable to find anyone to take it, she was desperately turning to Cyra for help.


    "My request isn''t high. I don''t necessarily need you to rescue the person, I just want to get accurate information - whether they are dead or alive. Even if my companion has died, as long as you can protect me to go to Mount Dona and investigate the result, I''ll consider the quest completed!"


    "Look, I only just registered. It''s not really appropriate for me to take a high-rank quest right away. Moreover, I only have two wings..."


    Cyra expressed her hesitation, then immediately threw us under the bus.


    "Why don''t you ask them instead? Their ranks are higher, one of them is even a high-rank adventurer, they may be able to help you! I''ll go do my ability assessment first!"


    Seeing my unhappy expression, she quickly ran off, leaving us to deal with the mess.


    "A two-winged angel! Facing phoenixes would indeed be a bit difficult..."


    After Cyra''s words, the girl seemed to pause, no longer insisting as her attention shifted to us.


    "I don''t know if you two can help me with this? You should be very high-ranking angels, right?"


    "Since you''ve already lowered your requirements, why not just explain the situation to the guild and ask them to reduce the quest rank? Why come to us?" Nicola replied noncommittally, somewhat acknowledging the girl''s guess.


    "I''ve already applied to the guild before, but they think that whether or not we need to fight phoenixes, facing such a sixth-rank or higher divine beast requires a high-rank quest difficulty level. So I could only turn to you."


    The girl thought for a moment, then continued stating her conditions.


    "Actually, I had almost given up earlier. But this morning I received news that a phoenix appeared on the other side of Mount Dona. It''s likely one of the two phoenixes that trapped my companion before. So you may only need to deal with the other one."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 51: Another "Cyra"

    "What a coincidence!"


    I gave Nicola a wry smile. To be honest, I was a bit swayed by what this girl said. But without her help, I didn''t have much confidence in doing this alone.


    "If you want to help, it''s up to you..."


    Considering the enchanted arrows on the phoenix in Makalan City were likely related to this girl''s trapped companion, Nicola thought about it and didn''t stop me. But she confirmed with the other party, "However, let me make it clear - we can''t set off for at least three days! And we''ll only escort you to Dona Mountain Range to check on your companion''s situation along the way. After that, we''ll keep heading south and won''t return to this city, so you''ll have to come back alone."


    Since we should be able to meet the Pope tomorrow, the investigation hopefully wouldn''t take too long if all went well, so three days should be enough time.


    "Well, I''ve already waited this long. As long as it''s not more than a week, it''s fine!" The girl responded readily. Since she finally found an angel willing to help, she naturally didn''t want to miss this chance.


    Because Nicola didn''t have enough credits to take this quest, I had to do it instead. Plus, I''m a high-rank adventurer, so I only need half the credit requirement for high-level quests. Although my credits were running low, I had just completed the quest to escort Selene, along with some small low-level quest rewards, so I barely had enough.


    However, when I took the quest, the guild staff was stunned to see my angelic identity again, not knowing why there were so many angels appearing today. Fortunately, with Cyra as a precedent, he was slightly prepared mentally, so there wasn''t too much of a commotion. This guy even took out a pen and paper to secretly ask me for an autograph...


    It seems the residents of the holy capital really don''t see angels very often. This was quite an interesting little episode...


    "Let''s regroup here in three days. We can discuss the details then!"


    We agreed on the next meetup time. Since the quest issuer had some important matters to handle, she hurriedly parted ways and left the guild. We learned from her that her name is Yulanda Debra, coincidentally also an adventurer party from the Astralrealm Kingdom.


    "How did your test go?" Nicola immediately asked Cyra, who had just finished her test and walked out.


    "Fourth rank!"Cyra readily showed her ID card.


    "Don''t underestimate this place just because the facilities look shabby. The test proctor was quite formidable! Caught me off guard, I couldn''t even cast most of my spells that required incantations..."


    "Not bad at least, you reached the average level, only one rank lower than Nicola back then!"


    I casually glanced at the card she handed over and felt a bit relieved. It''s a good thing I thought to update my rank beforehand. Otherwise, if I showed a mere third rank, I''d probably be the weakest of the three and get mocked for sure.


    "What about that girl earlier?"


    Seeing only the two of us standing there, Cyra asked in puzzlement, "Did you guys also refuse her request?"


    "What? Think she''s not bad looking, caught your interest?" Nicola''s expression soured, recalling how this guy had previously sold out his teammates.


    Fortunately, Yulanda herself was also aware that she needed our help, so it wasn''t appropriate to make too big of a fuss. So when talking to us, she deliberately chose a secluded corner with no one around, avoiding causing too much commotion. Otherwise, the few of us would probably become famous in this city.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "No, no! I just really admire her. The rest of her party gave up, but she''s the only one staying behind to find help. Not many people can do that..."


    Cyra scratched her head, seemingly a bit envious as she explained.


    Seeing her reaction, I suddenly realized - Cyra was also afraid we might abandon her in times of crisis! After all, her strength couldn''t match Nicola''s and mine. Since traversing to this world, she had experienced two crises - first when Edenmere was invaded, and then this recent assassination attempt by Carl. Though she made it through safely each time, it was mainly thanks to others'' help.


    No one can avoid getting their feet wet if they keep walking by the riverside. What''s more, we''ve now left Edenmere for the main world filled with all sorts of dangers. No matter how powerful Nicola and I are, there will always be situations beyond our capabilities. It''s understandable for Cyra to have such insecurities.


    "Don''t worry! We''ll never abandon you. After all, we''re all classmates who came through together. We can only make it to the end by helping each other."


    I gently reassured her. Perhaps I wouldn''t have dared to say such nice words when we first traversed here. But after we''ve all been through so much together and rebuilt our bonds, it''s only natural.


    "Is that so? Nicola!" I nudged the person beside me with my elbow, indicating for her to quickly express her stance too. But to my surprise, after a moment''s hesitation, she just turned and walked away, leaving only a few words behind.


    "Instead of relying on others, you''d be better off putting in that effort to improve your own strength. That''s the way to survive."


    "Tch! This guy''s strength comes from cheating, I''ve never seen her put in any real effort before. How dare she say that!"


    Cyra scoffed at Nicola''s back and snuck in a rude hand gesture. Of course, she didn''t dare say these words out loud and could only grumble to me privately.


    "Well..."


    My mouth couldn''t help but twitch. It seemed the situation had exceeded my expectations, with an invisible rift gradually expanding between us.


    ...


    Late at night, in a room at the Arcania Hot Spring Hotel.


    Lying on the bed in a completely awry sleeping position, Cyra''s body suddenly jolted as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the ornately decorated ceiling.


    "Strange, am I still in this hotel? But it seems like I''ve changed rooms..."


    She spaced out for a while, rubbing her eyes and feeling her chest and lower body before muttering to herself, "What should I do next? If I stay in one place, it''ll be so boring. I wonder if I can leave this city? But I also feel so tired, I don''t really want to move! Why is it always like this?"


    "Hi there!"


    Seeing "Cyra" finally turn her body toward me, I squatted down and waved with a smile, greeting her.


    "So it seems you really aren''t the real person! A separate personality then?"


    "You again!" "Cyra" shouted in shock as if she had seen a ghost, sitting up abruptly while pointing at me. But her eyes clearly showed a hint of fear.


    "And me too!" Nicola spoke up from the other side of the bed with a solemn expression. Now surrounded from both sides, there was no way for her to escape.


    "I remember you!" "Cyra" turned and rudely scolded Nicola, pointing at her. "You''re the one who randomly stopped me yesterday and asked what I was going to do!"


    "Which one? Why don''t you say my name!" Nicola''s face darkened further from being yelled at, nodding at me meaningfully.


    Sensing something was off, "Cyra" leapt off the bed and charged towards me, clearly intending to flee through the window behind me. To my surprise, she didn''t use any magic and just tried to physically force her way out. Although Cyra''s magical abilities weren''t great, she could still cast some basic light spells without incantations, though they wouldn''t have any effect on me...


    "Doesn''t seem like she''ll be much trouble. This one feels quite weak, nothing like what you guessed!"


    As she tried to escape, she didn''t even manifest her wings? I clicked my tongue and spread my own wings, grabbing the back of "Cyra''s" clothes and flying out with her dangling behind me. Nicola followed closely without a word.


    Actually, we didn''t originally expect the other personality to appear tonight. We just had her stay in the same room with us to keep an eye on her, just in case.


    Unexpectedly, our hunch was right - after Cyra fell asleep first, before Nicola and I could even lie down, a phenomenon occurred. A flash of white light imbued with light elemental aura flickered around Cyra''s body, followed by the situation we just witnessed.


    "Let me go! You''re actually angels! You haven''t given up hunting me after all? No, wait..."


    Dangling in mid-air by her clothes, "Cyra" still wouldn''t keep still, constantly struggling. Fortunately, with my six-wings'' greater strength, I didn''t let her fall from the sky.


    "Keep it down! If you alert the other people down there, it won''t just be violating and killing you!" Nicola mockingly warned from behind.


    Rattled by her threat, "Cyra" immediately shut her mouth and stayed quiet.


    After flying for a while to the outskirts of the city, we finally found a secluded spot to land.


    "Um...I don''t know how women do it, but can you just kill and not violate me?"


    The moment her feet touched the ground, "Cyra" clutched her arms shyly, actually trying to negotiate a compromise with us.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 52: Source Magic

    "Why are you blushing! There''s no such thing as only killing without violating!"


    Nicola couldn''t help but tease.


    "Never mind that for now, let''s discuss what we should do next!"


    I shook my head, then asked "Cyra":


    "You said you wanted to leave this city earlier, now that it''s done, how do you feel?"


    Actually, Nicola and I had already discussed this beforehand. If another personality appeared, we would take Cyra out of the city to test her abilities, to see if it was like my previous situation, mainly because we were afraid of causing too much commotion.


    However, after the earlier ruckus, I feel the possibility is not very high. At least, the situation with Cyra is not exactly the same as mine, and even if it is another personality, her abilities don''t seem that formidable.


    "Eh, really?"


    "Cyra" looked around, perhaps because of the earlier fright in the sky, she had not noticed until now that we were already outside the city limits.


    "Finally left Jethrobaines? I''m not dreaming after all!"


    Gazing at the towering city walls in the distance, "Cyra" seemed excited, muttering to herself, making Nicola and I feel a bit puzzled.


    "We know you''re not Cyra, so let''s get straight to the point - who are you exactly?"


    I thought for a moment, starting interrogating carefully. This question was also prepared beforehand. Regardless of the origin of this personality, even if Cyra developed split personality disorder, the split personalities would still have their own names.


    And knowing the other party''s name would help us further investigate the situation.


    "Of course I''m not Cyra, you can just call me Cysper!"


    "Cyra" answered matter-of-factly, after pondering for a moment, she spoke the familiar name.


    Sure enough, it seemed she was the one who signed the True Church membership application earlier!


    "From what you said earlier, it seems the angels are not very friendly to you. Is there some grudge between you and the angels?"


    Next, Nicola probed indirectly. This was also an important question. Originally we guessed that this might be another personality residing in Cyra, but it doesn''t seem to be developing in the direction we expected.


    "Well, not really......"


    Regarding this question, Cysper answered somewhat wistfully.


    "That was a long time ago. Earlier when you guys kidnapped me, I couldn''t help but recall those feelings, but now it seems your intentions are different from what I guessed."


    "So, do you know that you''re an angel yourself?"


    I reminded her. From her words, it seems the other party is unaware of this, and even has some wariness towards angels, which puzzles me.


    "Really? But I don''t have wings on my back!"


    Upon hearing this, she froze, quickly turning her head to look behind herself, seeming unconvinced.


    "Why don''t you try this method then?"


    Nicola immediately taught her how to manifest her wings using light elements. Soon, a pair of white wings appeared behind her.


    "No wonder I always felt this body was different from ordinary humans, it was because of this......"


    Gazing at the wings behind her, Cysper rubbed her eyes in amazement, then reached out to caress the feathers, seeming to really enjoy the feel.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "It seems this girl knows nothing, bringing her out secretly is simply wasted effort. How are we supposed to question her properly?"


    While she was entranced with the wings, Nicola leaned over and whispered to me. She has also realized that Cysper''s personality is completely different from my situation of losing consciousness before.


    "Why don''t we just observe her for now?"


    I was also uncertain. I had a nagging feeling that Cyra''s current state seemed familiar, like the legends of being possessed! But does this world have ghosts? Even if there are, how can we remove this influence?


    "As expected of an angel, magic prowess has improved tremendously!"


    We saw Cysper finish examining her wings and start trying out magic spells. To our surprise, even without being taught, she could use all sorts of light-based magic. Many spells didn''t even require incantations, her skill level was even higher than Cyra''s own.


    This confused me again - would an ordinary ghost have such magical abilities?


    "Do you know any more powerful light magic you can teach me? I only know some low-level spells, which aren''t satisfying enough. Angels should be able to use very high-level light magic, like the legendary celestial magic that''s even higher than advanced magic, right?"


    The so-called celestial magic is actually just high-level magic for angels. My frequently used "Lost Paradise Shockwave" is classified as such. However, since humans generally cannot use it, it is called celestial magic.


    Of course, it''s not absolutely impossible for humans to use. After all, humans are very clever! Through thousands of years of research, by using complex magic arrays to drastically increase the caster''s magic power, combined with multiple casters, it is still possible to barely manifest the spells under special circumstances.


    So, was this just the ghost of a human light mage after all? I guessed blindly. But then again, an ordinary human mage should find it very difficult to reach her level of magic proficiency. Just what was Cysper''s background previously?


    "Forget it! Under these conditions, there''s no way to teach you in a short time!"


    Nicola shook her head, rejecting her idea. She was already running out of patience. But what she said was somewhat reasonable.


    Intermediate (or what humans call advanced) and above spells cannot be learned immediately. Even if we gave her spell books, she may not be able to finish reading them in just a few hours. Very often it requires comprehension that cannot be conveyed through speech. Even for angels, personal research is still needed to successfully learn magic.


    "I see, is that so......"


    "Why don''t you try this then?"


    Seeing her disappointed look, I was struck by a thought and took out something I had kept for a long time in my storage ring, almost forgotten - the angel figurine!


    That''s right, it was the extra reward Elara had given me before. Although promoted as containing secrets of source magic, I had never managed to unravel its mystery.


    "Ah! This...this feels so familiar! What was it called again? Oh? I can''t seem to recall now!"


    Spotting the angel figurine in my palm, Cysper exclaimed, pointing at it.


    "Anyway, I feel a connection to this thing!"


    Her expression was like she had seen it somewhere before, causing Nicola and I to exchange glances.


    Strange! If she were human, how could she feel so familiar with the source magic angel figurine? Normally only angels should have seen this figurine, right?


    Alright, I''m completely lost now, is she human or angel?


    However, since she felt familiarity, that must mean there''s a chance. Although she couldn''t recall what this angel figurine was called, Cysper held it in her palm, caressing it a few times, then like finding inspiration, she waved her arm towards a distant large tree.


    A white light orb swiftly flew from her fingertips, its shape and size resembling a Purification orb, but with less light element contained within. However, just as this orb reached the tree trunk, a flash of white light emerged, and incredibly within a radius of nearly ten meters, all the light elements were absorbed onto the tree! The entire tree immediately glowed brilliantly, then gradually dimmed, the whole process looked quite beautiful.


    "This is......"


    Nicola and I gasped in astonishment. Clearly, this was the method to control external light elements. Cysper had used it so effortlessly!


    The reason the tree glowed was because of the massive gathering of light elements. After losing the constraining magic effects, the previously gathered light elements dispersed back into the surrounding air, hence the dimming we are now witnessing.


    And it''s currently deep night, when light elements in the air are most scarce, proving the power of this magic as the effects were so obvious - almost all the light elements in the surrounding air had been drained!


    Fortunately we were standing far from the tree, otherwise our very lives could have been in danger! After all, angel bodies are entirely composed of light elements...


    "Why did you give her something so dangerous! We still haven''t figured out her origins yet. What if she suddenly turns on us?"


    Nicola leaned over and whispered reproachfully. Actually, she had also underestimated the situation like me, seeing Cysper''s initially low level of magic, we had both let our guard down, thinking she posed no threat. Little did we know, as soon as Cysper got the angel figurine, she immediately learned such an insane magic from it!


    "Um...how did you do that?"


    This has gone too far. I swallowed hard, feeling a bit guilty, so I could only act like we''re still good friends and carefully probe Cysper''s intentions.


    "Why should I tell you?"


    Cysper turned around and smiled mischievously at me, making me break out in a cold sweat. Nicola was so tense she had even secretly summoned her Condensation Sword. But then she immediately changed her tune.


    "Alright, alright, I won''t play coy with you two! Actually it''s very simple, this figurine has an extremely intricate light element circuitry hidden within. You have to carefully focus to sense it. Just run your internal light elements according to the markings, and you can successfully manifest it."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 53: Cyrus, the Pope, Cysper

    "...Are you happy playing tricks?"


    She really gave me a fright. I took back the angel figurine she threw at me and examined it carefully. Soon enough, I found those so-called circuits on it. The next steps were quite simple. Since the flow of light elements inside the body is a basic magic principle, this figurine  was like someone demonstrating how magic works right in front of me. Except the light element path was extremely complex, no less intricate than the "Lost Paradise Shockwave" spell.


    As long as I had an example, I was quite skilled at copying! It didn''t take long before I successfully cast this spell, making a distant large tree glow with an even brighter "light".


    "Impressive! You learned it so quickly!" Cysper applauded from the side. After performing it successfully, I gained deeper insight into this magic. Depending on the caster''s skill level, the area of effect seemed to grow larger, and light element attraction would increase too. The light sphere I just released covered over a hundred meters already! Although I couldn''t rapid-fire it yet, I had truly mastered this spell. Judging from Cysper''s casting ability, that was probably the minimum power level.


    "You''re amazing too! If not for you, I wouldn''t have discovered this secret! Moreover, you can unleash such a high-level spell with just two wings, and your casting speed is no slower than mine!"


    I praised her wholeheartedly, realizing I had misjudged her earlier. I felt so embarrassed. It turned out her magical talent surpassed mine - I had totally underestimated her! It''s just a pity Cyra herself didn''t seem gifted in this aspect.


    "Actually about this...let''s call it the angel figurine for now! I was puzzled too, but it just felt very familiar, and I instantly grasped the trick. That''s why I said it had an affinity with me!"


    She still couldn''t recall the figurine''s name, Cysper replied shyly.


    "As for casting, I''ve studied it extensively..."


    Unfortunately, before she could finish, she suddenly lost balance and tumbled towards the ground.


    "Huh?"


    Nicola swiftly stepped forward and caught her body.


    "Did she just...disconnect?"


    Seeing her closed eyes, I was utterly baffled. I couldn''t find a better way to describe this situation than using gaming lingo.


    "Huh...why am I here? Wasn''t I just in the hotel?"


    After Nicola patted her awake, it was the real Cyra, not Cysper anymore. She opened her eyes in shock, asking us while pointing at the glowing tree, thinking she had discovered a new species...


    "Looks like this ''interrogation'' was fruitless - we didn''t get any useful information at all."


    On the way back to the hotel, I could only comment ruefully. We worked so hard, yet still knew nothing about Cysper''s origins.


    As for Cyra, although she said she had a dream too, she fell back asleep in the dream because she felt sleepy...


    Well, able to sleep within a dream - isn''t she such a pig?


    "You can''t say that, there were still gains! At least you uncovered the secret of the angel figurine, and confirmed Cysper means us no harm. It wasn''t a total waste!"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Nicola remained optimistic beside me, and she made fair points. Thanks to this opportunity, I did learn a powerful source magic spell. Thinking that way, I immediately cheered up.


    "Look, your other persona picked up source magic in just two tries. As the original host, you better work harder to be worthy of this body!"


    Thinking of this, I urged Cyra again.


    I had Cyra attempt source magic earlier too. Under my guidance, she could vaguely sense the flow of light elements, but had extreme difficulty circulating light elements along the pathways. After spending a long time with no results, we gave up.


    "I just started learning, I need time to get familiar with it! Those complicated pathways, how could I memorize them all at once!"


    Cyra argued stubbornly. In other words, don''t expect progress anytime soon.


    By the time we returned to the hotel with daybreak still some time away, we decided to rest more. Considering Cysper might appear again, Cyra didn''t go back to her own room, bunking with us for the night instead.


    Nothing happened overnight, and the room occupants didn''t decrease when the sun rose...


    "We should meet the Pope soon!"


    Cyra yawned and crawled out of bed. After all, she was the one who originally proposed this pilgrimage to the holy capital, with an audience with the Pope as a key event. Though many things happened along the way, she remained very interested in this.


    "What do you think the Pope looks like? Since he''s lived thousands of years, he can''t be an old man, right?"


    "Who knows? We''ll find out when we get there!"


    To be honest, I was quite curious too, but random guessing served no purpose. We could only wait until that moment arrived.


    "Ready? Let''s go!"


    Nicola came over from the next room, urging us. Our first stop was naturally St. Cenin Cathedral which we visited yesterday, though far away. Since we started early, a leisurely one to two hour stroll would suffice.


    However, just as we reached the hotel entrance, we bumped into an acquaintance.


    An extremely, even eerily, familiar person.


    "Good thing I made it in time..."


    This person walked straight into the hotel facing us, with that familiar slight smile.


    "My friends, what a coincidence running into you all here!"


    "Cyrus!!?"


    I thought I was seeing a ghost! The one greeting us as he entered was none other than the male version of Cyra I saw before traversing worlds! Though dressed casually, he looked exactly like the Cyrus from my memories before coming here.


    "No way, Cyrus already became..."


    Nicola was equally shocked, almost refusing to believe her eyes. She glanced at Cyra beside us again. If we hadn''t spent so much time with Cyra confirming her identity, we might truly mistake this male Cyrus as our real high school classmate.


    "You..."


    As for Cyra, she was very surprised initially too. After all, seeing someone looking exactly like your former self would stun anyone. But she seemed to recover quickly, her face lighting up excitedly as she abruptly knelt down, tears flowing.


    "My Lord! Have I finally found you?"


    "Huh? No way!"


    Nicola and I froze dumbfounded at this scene. What was going on? Who was this "Cyrus", and why did Cyra react like that?


    "The...no! Welcome Cysper, sir! An honor to have you here!"


    This "Cyrus''" appearance caused a commotion among the hotel staff, who rushed out from behind the counter beaming.


    "Our humble apologies! We had no idea you were arriving, nothing is prepared! If only someone had notified us in advance..."


    "Cysper?"


    I looked at this "Cyrus" again in disbelief. Could he be...


    "No matter, I came to discuss important matters with these ladies, so please arrange a room for our meeting!"


    Cysper responded with a faint smile, instructing the staff politely. As soon as he finished speaking, two guards emerged from behind and went with the staff deeper into the hotel, likely to select and inspect a room.


    "Welcome Lord Cysper, your presence graces our humble establishment, please come in!"


    Soon after, someone well-dressed who seemed to be the manager or owner also came running out eagerly.


    Watching the hotel lobby descend into chaos, I basically understood this Cysper''s other identity without needing to ask.


    "Looks like we don''t need to make a special trip anymore."


    Nicola''s voice sounded beside my ear as she gazed at the commotion, glancing at Cyra still kneeling on the floor before sighing.


    ...


    "Who knew? The Pope of True Church actually goes incognito..."


    Inside the most luxurious suite of Arcania Hot Spring Hotel, I remarked jokingly first. The room now only had me, Nicola, Cyra and Cysper - no need for pleasantries.


    It was obvious the situation was far more complicated than we imagined! The personality irregularities Cyra experienced recently weren''t from possession or a split personality disorder, but a soul swap - Cysper and Cyra had exchanged consciousness!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 54 - Cyras Past

    Actually, when I first heard Cyra say she had a dream about becoming the Pope, I was a bit skeptical too. But she also mentioned that in the dream, she had reverted back to her former male appearance, so I didn''t dwell on it further. After all, it was too absurd - how could the Pope possibly look like Cyra''s previous male self?


    But reality is indeed absurd! Looking at that "Cyrus" face before me, I couldn''t help but want to comment again!


    "Why do you look like that?"


    Okay, Nicola beat me to voicing that question. It seemed her doubts were no less than mine.


    "And I remember the Pope''s real name shouldn''t be Cysper, right?"


    The Pope''s name can be found in public records. Since we were investigating him, we had obviously done our homework beforehand. I vaguely recalled it was something plain like Garrick.


    "That question really puts me in a difficult spot...it''s not like I can control how I look!"


    Cysper casually sat on the sofa and, upon hearing this, spread his hands in a somewhat helpless gesture as he replied.


    "As for the name, if I need to move around the city privately, I''d obviously need an alias, right? Come to think of it, my real name was probably given to me by someone else too, so I actually prefer this alias name. You all can just call me Cysper."


    "If my memory serves, you''re already several thousand years old, right? Are you even human anymore?"


    I asked suspiciously, staring at him intently. From his appearance, you couldn''t tell at all! Back at the hotel lobby, we had already sensed that he was quite similar to the legends - his body seemed to be composed entirely of pure light elements, much like an angel''s body.


    Of course, to ordinary people unable to perceive light elements, the Pope would just look like a normal human.


    "As for the matter of my identity, I suggest you pay more attention to your companion first. It seems she''s more sensitive to such things..."


    Saying that, Cysper pointed at Cyra, who sat silently behind me.


    "Didn''t I just say? I''m not your ''Lord'', you''re mistaken! I''m merely the Lord''s proxy in this world. Addressing me like that is really inappropriate. In fact, I''m quite apprehensive - what if the ''Lord'' decides to punish me?"


    These words were directed at Cyra. Since entering the room, Cyra had gradually calmed down, but remained fixated on her so-called "Lord", her eyes never leaving Cysper.


    "I''m not mistaken! The Lord has manifested before, and I saw with my own eyes that he looked just like you back then! If you''re saying you''re not him, then what''s going on? It can''t be just a coincidence!"


    Cyra finally spoke up, but what she said only left me confused, as there seemed to be a big misunderstanding.


    "Hang on, don''t rush! Explain this slowly!"


    Nicola couldn''t hold back anymore either as she turned to Cyra inquiringly.


    "This ''Lord'' you''re referring to must be Yawee, right? When did he manifest? We''ve been with you this whole time and never saw it. It couldn''t have happened in Edenmere, could it?"


    Thinking back over the past half month or so, we had always been together with Cyra, familiar with her every move. If Yawee really did manifest, it could only have occurred before we arrived in Edenmere, but none of the other angels ever mentioned it!


    "It wasn''t in this world, it was on Earth before we traveled here! I saw the ''Lord'' with my own eyes on Earth, otherwise I would have never joined the True Church!"


    Cyra shook her head as she explained.


    "Earth..."


    Surprisingly, when Cysper heard the word "Earth", he actually furrowed his brow in thought, appearing as if he was recalling something.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    In theory, we probably shouldn''t have brought up the topic of traveling between worlds in front of the Pope whose background we didn''t fully understand yet. But given the Pope''s enigmatic identity, and that Cyra''s experience likely had some connection to him, Nicola and I didn''t stop Cyra from continuing.


    "You remember it, don''t you? It seems you indeed still recall that place, because you''ve actually been there before!"


    Noticing the change in the Pope''s expression, Cyra became rather excited and kept questioning him.


    "Unfortunately, I just find it a bit familiar, but that doesn''t mean I remember ever going to that place! So why don''t you continue with your story first?"


    However, Cysper denied her claim.


    "Yeah, it''s better if you finish recounting your experience first, then we can all analyze it together. That''s much better than you randomly recognizing a ''Lord'' on your own, isn''t it?"


    I quickly chimed in to advise as well. To be honest, hearing that this happened on Earth only raised more questions in my mind. After all, Cyra hadn''t transformed back then! Didn''t that imply she had once encountered someone exactly like her former self? That seemed too incredible.


    "It was something that happened back in college. You remember I mentioned to you before that I once had a girlfriend..."


    Over the next half hour or so, we gradually came to understand the crux of the matter based on Cyra''s account.


    Cyrus. Although his mother was indeed a believer in God and he was influenced from a young age. But in today''s society, it is very difficult for someone to spontaneously develop faith unless they have truly "seen God". Therefore, during high school, Cyrus was not a member of the True Church, nor did he believe in God at all.


    When it came time for the college he managed to get into a prestigious university around the same level as mine, or even slightly better. It just wasn''t in the same city, but rather a nearby one.


    It was at this university that he met his girlfriend, Daisy Yea.


    Though not his first love, she was at least his first real girlfriend, and it was a mutual relationship, so their romance heated up extremely quickly. Soon it progressed to the point of discussing marriage after graduation. Of course, back then he was only a sophomore, so it was a bit early to bring that up, but it was enough to prove their feelings were very deep.


    However, disaster struck in the second half of his sophomore year.


    One night, as Daisy Yea was walking home from her part-time job off-campus, she encountered some thugs harassing a passing female student on the street. Unable to simply ignore it, her sense of justice compelled Daisy Yea to step forward and intervene, resulting in an altercation between the two sides.


    Amidst the argument, one of the thugs shoved Daisy Yea with his palm, pushing her into the middle of the street. A truck just happened to be driving by at that moment, instantly killing Daisy Yea on the spot. A minor case of harassment suddenly turned into a fatal incident.


    "But the police didn''t care at all! They simply followed standard procedures for dealing with the truck driver, then announced to the public that it was a traffic accident caused by roughhousing between friends, and declared the case closed."


    As Cyra softly recounted this part, her fists unconsciously clenched tight.


    "One of those thugs was actually a student from our university named Liam Lin, the son of an official! Daisy Yea had never crossed paths with him, so how could it possibly be a traffic accident caused by roughhousing between friends?"


    After investigating, Cyrus had tracked down the female student who was harassed multiple times, finally learning the truth - it was Liam Lin who had accidentally shoved Daisy Yea into the street!


    Enraged, Cyrus went alone to confront Liam Lin and demand an explanation. Unsurprisingly, he ended up being beaten by Liam Lin and his gang. But the beating was not in vain, as Cyrus had secretly recorded their conversation as evidence, which he then uploaded to the internet...


    This recording quickly went viral online, causing an uproar for a period of time. I vaguely recall seeing related discussions about it on the internet back then, since the incident took place at a university in a neighboring city. I just never imagined that one of the involved parties was actually my high school classmate Cyrus.


    Soon, under pressure from public opinion, Liam Lin was finally expelled from Cyrus''s university. To mitigate the disharmonious impact, he was even sentenced to five years in prison for negligent homicide at the time.


    However, Liam Lin''s father still wielded significant influence. As a high-ranking official, he virtually had the situation under control in both Cyrus''s hometown (which was also my city) and the city where Cyrus attended university. Not helping his son initially was just waiting for the heat to die down.


    By Cyrus''s junior year, not even a full year into Liam Lin''s sentence, he was "released for medical parole" and returned home. At the same time, tragedy also befell Cyrus''s family in another city.


    Cyrus''s old home was a small residential building located at the boundary of urban and rural areas. Due to demolition and reconstruction, they had already signed an agreement with the government. But right before the demolition, a notice suddenly arrived - Cyrus''s home was declared an illegal construction that did not meet various procedural, documentation and size requirements stipulated. Therefore, all the previous agreement terms were nullified, and they could only receive thousands of bucks in compensation! Moreover, they were ordered to move out within three days.


    At this point, Cyrus''s father could no longer sit still and began inquiring everywhere about why this had happened. But all he received in response were sighs.


    Finally, on the day of the forced demolition, Cyrus''s father was accidentally struck and killed by an excavator for resisting it alone. In this situation, their family did not receive the compensation they were due. The government simply presented him and his mother with a document along with around thousands bucks, guaranteeing they would not pursue this incident further if they accepted this consolation money.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 55: The Urban Legend of Past

    "You didn''t sign, did you?"


    Hearing this, Nicola couldn''t help but ask. It was clear that the strange events happening in Cyra''s family were likely connected to Liam Lin.


    "I had no choice..."


    Gazing out the window, Cyra let out a long sigh, as if her thoughts drifted back to those days.


    "My family had already spent lots of money. If we kept fighting, my mom and I may have ended up homeless."


    I suddenly felt a pang of sadness. So her father had passed away, no wonder she never mentioned him after coming here, only ever talking about her mother.


    Actually, Cyra''s father had left quite an impression on me. His open-minded attitude, so different from my parents, had made me envy him for a long time. But who could have imagined that Cyra''s family would face such disaster after she went to university?


    Fate can really play cruel tricks...


    "Then what happened next?" Cysper suddenly chimed in, sounding like a eager gossiper wanting the juicy details.


    "You can understand this?" I gave him a surprised look. As the Pope of this world, he was listening intently to events that happened on Earth!


    "Why couldn''t I understand?" Cysper questioned me back. "Sure, I don''t know what things like trucks and excavators are after you talked about them. But the overall story is simple - just a conflict between officials and residents! As Pope for so many years, I''m familiar with these plots. The Ilandra Dominion down south always has dramas like this. Cyra''s case is common. Though I''ve never seen it myself, rumor has it that entire families being wiped out is not uncommon there...It''s a pity there are still many in this world who cannot bask in the Lord''s grace..."


    "But Cyra wasn''t an angel before! Doesn''t that seem strange to you?" Nicola chimed in with another question.


    "Looks like there are things even an angel like you doesn''t know," Cysper gave a mysterious smile. "Allow me to let you in on a secret I learned over my many years - there is reincarnation in this world! It''s a very obscure matter. So it''s not that strange for a former human like Cyra to be reborn as an angel. Most just don''t know about it. Cases like hers where past life memories are retained are rarer, but not unheard of."


    "..."


    Alright, so it was just a misunderstanding. Nicola and I decided not to point out the obvious.


    "This Liam Lin, was his father named Jason Lin, the boss of province?"


    Returning to the topic, Nicola seemed to recall something and suddenly asked Cyra.


    "I remember his eventual fate was..."


    "What happened to him?"


    I vaguely recalled the name Jason Lin too, but it had been so long ago and I may not have paid much attention then, leaving me feeling like I almost remembered but not quite.


    "Let''s not digress, I want to hear what happens next!" Cysper stopped our tangent, eager for more of the story''s plot.


    "What happened next can only be called a miracle," Cyra said quietly, looking at Cysper across from her.


    "After signing the agreement and taking that money, I went to a church alone. My mother had taken me a few times as a child, but this was my first time going of my own will."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "As I stood before the crucifix, cursing the supposed injustice of heaven and how the so-called God was neglecting his duties, a brilliant white light suddenly emanated from the cross. Then, someone looking exactly like me appeared out of nowhere before my eyes. He smiled and said, ''Don''t worry, the perpetrator will definitely receive his deserved punishment.''"


    "Huh? Are you sure you didn''t just imagine it? Or maybe you fell asleep and it was a dream?" I asked incredulously. That was Earth! How could such supernatural phenomena occur there?


    "Absolutely not! It was daytime, do you think I''m an idiot who can''t tell if I''m asleep or not?" Cyra vehemently refuted.


    "What happened after proves it was all real! That very night, Liam Lin''s family had their incident where they both became hopeless dementia patients! Completely incurable, they couldn''t even speak or walk without assistance!"


    "Ah yes, I''ve heard of this bizarre case," Nicola finally chimed in, seeming to recollect the details.


    "According to the police investigation, someone had broken into their home late at night. No one knows what torture or trauma Liam Lin and his father Jason Lin experienced to end up in that vegetative state. As the sole heirs of the Lin family fortune, it was essentially a complete wipeout! But strangely, the intruder didn''t seem to steal any valuables."


    "About half a month later, the police publicly announced their findings that Jason Lin had committed corruption, bribery, abuse of power, and threatening others! I was abroad at the time, but given the wide-ranging implications, it was a huge international scandal. Rumor has it someone had reported him, and there were even more sensational rumors that the whistleblowing evidence had mysteriously appeared on the bedside cabinet of the President - no one knows who put it there!"


    "Is that even possible? The President''s bedroom is not a place regular people could access, that''s too ridiculous to believe!" I naturally didn''t put much stock in such rumors that defied common sense.


    However, the mention of the Lin family''s "wipeout" case did jog my memory a bit. Since it happened in the same city as me, I had heard about it at the time, though I was too busy with exams to pay much attention.


    "Not necessarily, you may have forgotten. The media did report that the Lin family''s maid testified to seeing an angel appear when the wipeout occurred, so it wasn''t just some ''regular person''!" Nicola meaningfully reminded me.


    "Ah...now that you mention it, I do vaguely recall something like that!"


    I remembered there was gossip about it at our school, since urban legends were popular among students. But then someone dug up that the maid was actually a member of a doomsday cult, so she may have just had poor eyesight and was talking nonsense. Many cited scriptures claiming angels had no physical form, so the maid''s mention of wings was impossible! As a result, the rumor became a joke and was largely dismissed.


    However, the fact that the culprit behind the Lin family "wipeout" was never found did add an air of mystery to the whole incident.


    "So did an angel really appear on Earth?"


    This was the crux of the issue, and who could answer this perplexing question? Naturally, all our eyes turned towards Cysper.


    "It had absolutely nothing to do with me, I swear to the Lord!" Cysper raised his right hand again.


    "I''ve stayed in this city for thousands of years without leaving. Many can vouch for me. And how could I command angels? So there''s no way I could have suddenly gone to that place you call...what was it, Earth? Speaking of which, it sounds like a strange place with so many unfamiliar things - is it some small country in a remote corner of the continent?"


    "Of course not!" I rolled my eyes, not feeling like explaining further. For now, I could only tentatively believe Cysper''s words, though it only raised more puzzling questions.


    If it truly had nothing to do with the Pope, did that angel actually exist?


    Setting aside the possibility of the maid''s account being false, if Liam Lin and his father really were "eliminated" by an angel, was that angel the same type of being as our current state? If not, then there''s no way to investigate further.


    But if so, then it means creatures from this world had appeared on Earth before!


    That would be extremely intriguing. How did the angel get there? And by extension, if we found that channel, could we perhaps return to Earth too? Though it doesn''t matter much to me personally, Cyra''s wish to return home may be fulfilled.


    Moreover, the "god" that Cyra described looking exactly like her original self (Cyrus) - who was that? Was it really the so-called Yawee? No wonder she mistook Cysper for the "Lord" when she saw him. This whole matter is so bizarre...


    "You really don''t have any recollection at all?"


    With the discussion reaching this point and Cysper still not responding, Cyra finally seemed to realize he may not be the "Lord" she was seeking, and began seriously reconsidering if she had misidentified him.


    "I really am not this ''Lord'' you''re looking for! Didn''t I already swear to it just now?" Cysper answered seriously, declaring it so many times that he was almost losing patience.


    "So please don''t keep forcing that identity onto me, it''s highly taboo!"


    "This..."


    Cyra was truly dumbfounded now, turning her pleading eyes towards me.


    I was just as perplexed. If this being who looked exactly like Cyrus wasn''t her target, then who else could it be? Surely there couldn''t be a third Cyrus look-alike, the odds would be too low!

 Vol 4/Chapter 56: Investigating the Pope

    "But thinking another way, could this ''Cyrus'' be Cysper who traveled back in time from the future?"


    As soon as this possibility crossed my mind, I immediately looked at Nicola. When it came to time, she was probably involved in some way! After the previous Blanche incident, I had gained plenty of experience. It''s possible that the rumored angel was also related to us!


    "Why are you looking at me like that? I don''t know anything!"


    Feeling uneasy under my gaze, Nicola quickly clarified. This reaction was normal since nothing had happened yet!


    "Let''s not worry about Cyra for now. But you, why did you come so early today...?"


    As she spoke, she redirected the topic back to Cysper. Of course, this must have been the reason he actively contacted us.


    "When did you realize you and Cyra had switched bodies?"


    "What? You mean me and him...?"


    Cyra was really dense, only realizing now that the past few days weren''t just a dream.


    "Of course, last night!"


    Cysper didn''t hide anything and answered directly.


    "Actually, I received a report yesterday morning that two angels had rarely come to Jethrobaines. Based on the situation, it didn''t seem like they were just sightseeing out of curiosity. But at that time, like Cyra, I thought what had happened before was just a dream until I woke up again in this hotel last night and realized you two were angels. That''s when I started to suspect something. Of course, what happened after we left the city further confirmed my suspicions."


    "But why didn''t I have any impression when I switched over to your side last night? Or rather..."


    Cyra couldn''t help but ask.


    "I was very sleepy, like I woke up for a bit and then fell asleep again right away!"


    "Because I took sleeping pills! To prevent sleepwalking, you know!"


    Cysper smiled. Clearly, although he didn''t say it outright, I could guess that there must have been people who noticed his abnormal sleeping behavior these past few days.


    "That''s also why I almost overslept this morning. Thankfully, I didn''t miss meeting you all. If not for that reason, I would have come to find you immediately."


    "Now that you''ve found us, what are you going to do?"


    Nicola asked. Our original plan was to have an audience with the Pope first, then slowly investigate after seeing him in person. But his shocking revelation had completely disrupted our plan.


    Moreover, because of the unclear "intimate" relationship between Cysper and Cyra, our so-called secret investigation was impossible to carry out. Who knew when they might suddenly switch again?


    "Let me just say it. Our purpose in coming here is to investigate you!"


    So I decided not to beat around the bush and stated our intention directly.


    "That''s normal! The angels of Edenmere have never treated me well, and they even seem a little wary of me. I''m just surprised you all didn''t come sooner..."


    Cysper didn''t seem surprised at all as he leaned back on the sofa leisurely.


    "Let me be clear - a long time ago, there were angels who tried to assassinate me. But after I drove them away, it never happened again. Do you angels have a grudge against me or something?"


    "Not necessarily, it depends on the final investigation results..."


    Nicola frowned, seeing something illogical.


    "Does this mean you really hate angels?"


    I also felt something wasn''t adding up. Based on the True Church''s attitude towards angels, there was absolutely no such feeling. At least when facing us, Cysper showed no signs of it. But then again, the assassination attempt he mentioned probably happened during Elara II''s reign, so it had little to do with the current Elara.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Hate? Not really..."


    Cysper pondered for a moment before shaking his head.


    "After all, it happened too long ago, and it was just directed at me personally, so I''ve long forgotten about it. Moreover, according to the Bible, angels are servants of the Lord. Although it seems different from reality, we are ultimately from the same origins. With the threat of demonic forces from the north, shouldn''t we be united against a common enemy?"


    After speaking, he suddenly changed his tone, looking at me with interest.


    "Could it be that Elara III has suddenly taken an interest in our church, which is why she sent you all? If that''s really her intention, I''ll be sure to hold a grand initiation ceremony for her! After all, I''m very generous. All the past incidents can be forgiven, and I''ll even waive your membership fees!"


    "Thanks, but no need..."


    I gave him a wry look, rejecting his goodwill. He''s already quite old, yet still so immature.


    In the ensuing conversation, we indirectly inquired about his connection to the God of Light. Although the True Church publicly claims that the ancient God of Light is Yawee, who has been absent due to an ambush by dark forces, his words gave us the impression that he unilaterally assumed this relationship. His reasoning kept circling back to one sentence - the Lord brought light to the world, so the God of Light must be him!


    "According to the records, you suddenly appeared on this continent. Where were you before that?"


    Finally, Nicola didn''t hold back and directly took out some documents, questioning him based on the information.


    "Can I say I have no idea? My earliest memory is waking up naked in a corner of this city. Before that, I have no recollection at all, except for the thought of reviving the True Church. That''s why everyone calls me the ''Child of Divine Grace.''"


    Cysper shrugged, being quite good-natured and not refusing to answer. However, the truthfulness of his words was uncertain.


    "What about Yawee? You must have seen him in person, right? What kind of existence is he?"


    I couldn''t help but ask. Considering when the Pope appeared on this continent, the God of Light had been gone for over three thousand years at that point, and the demons had just emerged. Although humans had mostly forgotten, if Cysper claimed Yawee and the God of Light were the same god, then the situation he described should be similar to Beluto, whom we''ve seen.


    "I''ve never actually seen the Lord in person..."


    Unexpectedly, his answer was completely beyond our expectations. Even the Pope himself had never seen Yawee - what was going on?


    This seemed rather strange. Could it be that Yawee didn''t exist at all? Was the True Church of this world really just made-up a god, as the rumors claimed?


    "But I can communicate with the Lord! Although the Lord doesn''t respond to me often, at critical moments, I always hear his voice coming from the void. This voice can guide me towards the correct future direction!"


    Seeing our puzzled looks, Cysper quickly added.


    "You heard it too, so we must be fellow believers! Even if you''re not the Lord, you must be related to him!"


    Cyra immediately became excited, as if she had found a kindred spirit. I grabbed the back of her neck to remind her not to talk nonsense.


    "Including using lucrative conditions to lure people into signing up for your church?"


    Nicola couldn''t help but comment after hearing this argument. This kind of recruitment tactic resembling a pyramid scheme had emerged in the True Churches of other regions on the continent, though on a much smaller scale compared to the Holy City. But to attribute it as the Lord''s will seemed utterly ridiculous.


    "Oh, that''s not it!"


    Cysper quickly clarified.


    "That was actually a promotional method I came up with myself. I vaguely remember seeing it somewhere before, but I can''t recall the specifics. So I just copied it over based on the actual situation."


    This is really bizarre...


    After listening to his various statements, I felt there were all sorts of obscure shenanigans going on, but this guy couldn''t remember most of the important information, so I couldn''t pinpoint any key points.


    The only thing we could be sure of was that the Pope didn''t seem to have any enmity towards the angels, and even had intentions of befriending them like ordinary believers of the Lord. This put me and Nicola at ease for the time being. At least on the surface, we couldn''t see any direct connection between him and the avatar of the God of Light.


    "Well, have you finished your investigation? That''s good, saves me from having to explain further..."


    Seeing that we had temporarily fallen silent, Cysper smiled and stood up.


    "I don''t know how many days you all will be staying in Jethrobaines? If Edenmere is interested, the True Church is more than willing to immediately establish all kinds of alliances with you! And we also welcome other angels to come and tour the Holy City."


    "Probably two or three days. As for forming an alliance, we''ll have to inform Edenmere before making that decision..."


    Nicola hesitated before replying. We had basically asked everything we could, so we could only stop here. As for how things would develop after this, it wasn''t something we could worry about.


    "I still have some important matters to attend to, so I won''t disturb your sightseeing anymore. If you''re interested, you can even visit my Papal Palace! But on the day you leave, please be sure to notify me so I can see you off!"


    As the conversation ended and Cysper was about to leave the room, he suddenly turned back and smiled at me.


    "Oh, I finally remembered what your magical angel figurine is called!"


    "What''s it called?"


    I was a little taken aback, not expecting him to still be fixated on this.


    "It''s called a hand-carved figurine! How''s that? Isn''t that a good name? Haha!"


    Watching him leave smugly, leaving the three of us utterly dumbfounded.


    "...Does this world really have a term like ''hand-carved figurine''?"


    Cyra''s mouth was wide open, unable to close it for a long time.


    "Or could he have also traveled here from another world?"


    "It''s very possible. Looks like we need to keep observing..."


    Nicola rubbed her temples, and like me, she started to get a headache.

 Vol 4/Chapter 57: Cultivating Magic

    I thought there wouldn''t be anything more about Cysper after he left, at least for a little while. But who knew, we received an invitation letter right after noon.


    "For a special celebration ball welcoming us..."


    Cyra looked over the envelope holding the invitation, examining it over and over again.


    "It actually says I''m the main invited guest?"


    "It''s probably because of that introduction letter we submitted yesterday. After all, it only mentioned your name," I said after thinking it over. The Pope''s move seemed to be a response to Cyra''s request for an audience, but his real aim was to invite the three of us angels.


    "This isn''t a trap is it? That guy trying to catch all three of us at once?" Cyra guessed with ill intentions.


    "Then why didn''t you say that when you contacted Elara earlier?" I couldn''t help giving her a sideways glance. When Elara inquired, this girl kept insisting Cysper posed no threat, that he was just misunderstood by Edenmere. It felt like she had one foot in the church''s camp already. Though Nicola and I held similar views, we tended to be more conservative in our judgments.


    Unfortunately, the northern frontlines were heating up again with frequent demonic activity. Edenmere couldn''t spare any more effort to further engage the Pope for now. So it fell on just the three of us here to hold the line.


    "No, it''s not that. I just don''t really want to attend. An occasion like this will probably..."


    Since it was her own introduction letter, she couldn''t really refuse to go. Seeing Nicola''s and my questioning looks, Cyra''s expression suddenly became awkward. She waved her hand dismissively, no longer continuing.


    "Ah whatever! You guys wouldn''t understand anyway, you''ll see when we get there!"


    ...


    It was still the afternoon when we arrived at the Pope''s palace. Thinking to take the chance for some sightseeing, we arrived early for the appointed time.


    "Ah! I feel like I''ve been here before!" Cyra pointed down a hallway in front of us. What she meant by "been here before" was naturally referring to when she body-swapped with Cysper and came here "sleepwalking."


    "The Pope has already instructed that there is no need for any secrecy towards the angel ladies. Where we are now is the religious library that also doubles as a magical research institute. You can find almost all of the continent''s magical texts here, as well as some pioneering magical research..."


    Following the "tour guide", we visited the various facilities and buildings of the papal grounds, complete with "professional" explanations of course.


    "Magical texts? Are there any about water magic?"


    Something clicked in my mind, suddenly reminded of a topic nearly forgotten. Elara had once suggested I study water magic, but I could never find the corresponding materials in Edenmere. After leaving, with so many things happening one after another, I naturally didn''t have the mind for it anymore.


    "Of course there are!" The guide responded with absolute certainty.


    "Water magic is the magic discipline our True Church values most after light magic. It possesses life-saving and healing powers - truly a gospel blessing bestowed upon us by the Lord. He teaches us..."


    More praising words followed, but I had no patience to keep listening to her ramble on. I marched straight into the library.


    "Feliciana, since you like it here, go ahead and take your time researching. Cyra and I will go check out somewhere else."


    Nicola naturally had no interest in magic, while Cyra was engrossed in trying to find the locations from her "dream." So neither of them stayed with me.


    "Does the angel lady wish to browse texts about water magic? Please follow me!"


    A church staff member managing this place learned of my identity from the guide and immediately came over.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "No need for anything too advanced, some basic materials will do for now..." I said after a momentary hesitation. I had tried controlling external water elements under Reed''s supervision before, though the results were not very ideal. But that didn''t necessarily mean I couldn''t use water magic. Just to be safe though, it''s better to start simple.


    "No problem!"


    Upon hearing me, the staff member immediately guided me weaving through the rows of bookshelves. Compared to Edenmere''s library, these bookshelves looked much more normal. Along the way, I could see quite a few people sitting at the reading desks lining both sides. Some buried in studious reading, others constantly writing and drawing on paper what looked like magic array patterns from afar. As for outside the windows, there was a practice range for testing magic. Many practitioners were casting various elemental magics like earth, fire, water and wind at fixed targets.


    "Here we are. This whole section covers the basics of water magic. Feel free to browse anything you need. If you need any help or have questions, just ask me!"


    Gesturing at the surrounding ring of shelves, the staff member took a spot on the side to be at the ready.


    But which book to choose?


    Looking at the dense array of basic magical texts on the shelves, I suddenly realized a serious issue.


    While I could indeed sense water elements, a prerequisite for studying water magic, any magic required having the corresponding elements within one''s body. In common human terms, this could also be called "magical power."


    Light elemental power was naturally a given - by absorbing it through my wings, I could constantly replenish the light elements within me from the surrounding environment. No need to worry about that. But how was I to obtain water power?


    "Excuse me..."


    I had barely been standing there for five seconds before calling the staff member over again.


    "Pardon me, but how do humans typically obtain magical power?"


    "No need for the angel lady to be so courteous, this is a simple matter!" The staff replied respectfully. As a manager here, he was quite knowledgeable about such basics.


    "Magical power is typically cultivated through training exercises. The main principle is absorbing the corresponding elements from the environment. Of course, this pales in comparison to an angel''s wings in terms of speed. It''s also heavily impacted by one''s elemental affinity. The higher the affinity, the faster the absorption speed and the greater the upper limit of power that can be contained within the body. Naturally, that translates to more powerful spellcasting as well."


    "According to research published by the Sage Council, in theory, someone with 100% elemental affinity could absorb at up to 80% the speed of a two-winged angel. However, such extreme levels of affinity are essentially unheard of among humans, except perhaps for the Pope alone on the angel continent."


    "I see..."


    Hearing his explanation, it suddenly dawned on me why Cysper could fend off the angels'' pursuit.


    He lacks wings, so by rights his power should be about the same as ours when our wings are concealed. But the "assassins" sent by Elara the Second definitely wouldn''t be mere two-winged fledglings. They could easily be eight or even ten-winged elite angels! For a human to fight off higher angels, other than swarming them, the only way would be those adept at qi techniques!


    Yet like angels, the Pope absolutely could not cultivate qi techniques owing to his 100% light affinity. Now this riddle made sense - he must cultivate power like humans!


    Viewing the Pope as a human, he would be a "magical prodigy" with 100% light affinity. Through hundreds or even thousands of years of cultivation, compounding his absorption rate, he could easily reach an immense level of power rivaling higher angels.


    Put bluntly, even a pig would become an expert after that many years of cultivation. No wonder he could grasp primal magic so swiftly.


    In theory, angels could cultivate this way too. But with wings providing a more simple and rapid means of absorbing light elements, we naturally would never abandon that for the human method. For my current situation however, needing to learn water magic, this human cultivation could prove useful.


    "So how would I go about learning to cultivate water power?"


    I gave the staff member a slight smile and made my request.


    "Well about that..."


    He definitely wouldn''t dare teach me himself. But just because he couldn''t, didn''t mean others couldn''t. The staff''s gaze immediately went to an elderly man seated at a reading desk, engrossed in a book.


    "That is Vice Director Hurbert of our Magical Research Institute. Water magic is his specialty field, so he should certainly be able to answer your questions on these basics!"


    The staff went over and explained my request and identity to the old man, who looked up at me in surprise after putting his book down.


    "An angel appearing in this city is quite rare! But you probably can''t use water magic, can you? Are you sure you want to learn from me?"


    Hurbert''s attire was clearly different from the church staff around him. His demeanor and dress indicated he was not a believer of the True Church. Yet to hold such an important position here despite not being church staff proved his considerable capabilities.


    "Of course, whether I can succeed or not doesn''t matter. First teach me how to gather magical power!"


    I reaffirmed my request once more.


    "Simple, through meditation!"


    Hurbert didn''t beat around the bush and cut straight to the answer, truly taking a no-nonsense approach. After all, chances to instruct angels didn''t come around often. He then looked me over and suggested:


    "But as a beginner, I recommend finding a place rich in water elements to practice..."


    A place rich in water elements - taking what''s on hand, that would naturally be the pool in the library''s rear courtyard.


    "You mean just sitting there meditating continuously?"


    So-called meditation referred to sitting in a crossed-legged stance with eyes closed. Then focusing one''s mind to sense the corresponding elements around, using spiritual powers to gradually draw them in until gathering within one''s body. Though I was indeed helpless against larger volumes of water, these scattered water elements posed little difficulty. I quickly accumulated a decent amount within me.


    The only issue was...my legs were getting numb.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 58 The Evening Dance Party

    "Only by slowly getting used to and mastering this process, can you extract water element from the environment anytime, anywhere. This is extremely important for your future growth! It''s the foundation of foundations, the most crucial thing!"


    Hurbert strictly guided me through the process, not being polite at all just because I''m an angel.


    Alright, taking it slow is never wrong. I grimaced inwardly, having no choice but to obediently continue meditating.


    Though it felt rather pointless later on, at least the first step went smoothly. Next is just slowly accumulating experience and dealing with some technical issues.


    "What happened to you?"


    It wasn''t until evening that I was finally liberated. Dragging my numb legs, I met up with Nicola and the others, who naturally inquired about my condition.


    "Don''t ask! Let''s just go to the banquet quickly!"


    Having been thoroughly exhausted, I was in no mood to explain, hobbling away desperately. If I didn''t move around more, these legs might really become useless.


    However, just when we reached outside the banquet hall, another unpleasant matter arose.


    "Dear angel ladies, I assume you don''t have proper gowns. The Pope has specifically instructed us to assist in dressing you up..."


    Nicola and I finally understood what Cyra was worried about earlier. Seeing these maids and the piles of clothes in their hands, the three of us grimaced simultaneously.


    "Just let Cyra and Feliciana handle this, I''m perfectly fine in my current outfit."


    Donning an adventurer''s suit she took, Nicola was the first to try escaping.


    "You wait right there!"


    There was no way we''d let her off so easily! Cyra and I immediately grabbed and dragged her back.


    Are you kidding me! Although I''ve cross-dressed countless times, it''s one thing if no acquaintances know. But having to dress up in front of former schoolmates is akin to public execution! I absolutely cannot let Nicola be the sole exception!


    "You think that counts as formal attire?"


    Cyra eyed Nicola''s outfit up and down, sneering as she plopped a big hat on her head.


    "As a former overseas playboy, I''m sure you know the basic etiquette of attending dances. If you embarrass Edenmere in such an occasion, it''s no big deal for us few. But it might implicate all the other angels! The entire Holy Capital might think Edenmere''s angels love slovenly dress. As the ''ancestor'', don''t you have some responsibility?"


    "Can I just change into Edenmere''s uniform dress then?"


    Pressed by the word "responsibility", Nicola reluctantly took a step back.


    Come to think of it, this might be a decent compromise. Edenmere''s plain white uniform dress, while simple in style, counts as formal attire. That''s what I wore at Edenmere''s welcome party. And we three have seen each other in it for over half a month, so there''s nothing awkward about it. Very fitting to resolve this issue!


    The only trouble is...


    "But my uniform dress was burned!"


    After checking her storage ring, Nicola said dejectedly. Back in Makalan City, to avoid the clothing issue in the prophecy, we burned all our original casual clothes and changed into the uniform dresses. But Nicola''s later got burned by accident near the river, leaving her with no proper attire until we reached the Holy Capital Jethrobaines and acquired new clothes.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Why don''t you lend me yours then, Feliciana? You can wear the gowns provided by the Church, they might even be pretty!"


    Unable to find a good solution, Nicola could only shamelessly try to take mine.


    "No way!"


    There was no way I''d agree to embarrass myself alone! I flatly refused.


    "Back in Makalan City we already tried ¨C you simply can''t fit into my clothes! Otherwise you wouldn''t have been forced to take someone else''s! And why ask me? Cyra has one too!"


    "Obviously you can''t fit into mine either, no need to try!"


    Seeing me kick the ball to her, Cyra quickly covered her ring, afraid I''d snatch it on a whim.


    To be honest, I was quite looking forward to Nicola in a gown. With her tall stature, she should theoretically look much better than Cyra and I, the "shorties".


    "Have you ladies decided yet? The banquet is about to start..."


    Having waited for a while, one of the maids finally couldn''t hold back and inquired.


    "Hehehe, you two..."


    Having been rebuffed on both sides, Nicola laughed bitterly, suddenly turning to instruct the maids.


    "Of course, let''s start right away!"


    Since the three of us couldn''t resolve sharing the two Edenmere uniform dresses, the only solution was to treat everyone equally.


    As the saying goes, if we must die, die together as "good brothers". The same clearly applied to wearing gowns, specifically the women''s evening gowns...


    "Who would''ve thought you''d actually look quite good in that! Usually as vicious as a tiger, I guess it really comes down to the clothes!"


    Nicola was the last to exit the changing room. Glancing at her black suit ensemble, Cyra couldn''t help but praise her, though with an intentional mocking tone.


    For such a grand banquet occasion, angels naturally needed to reveal their signature wings. To accommodate the wings, the gowns provided by the maids were mostly off-shoulder, backless evening dresses, making it even more embarrassing.


    "Mother tiger, you say!"


    Nicola blushed, veins bulging on her forehead as she pointed at Cyra''s pure white gown and loudly accused,


    "Look who''s talking! Among us three, who''s the most beautiful? Hmph, a veritable fairy! Too bad about that personality of yours, tsk tsk..."


    This wasn''t an exaggeration. With her face identical to Michelle''s, even without the gown Cyra could easily stun at first sight yet remain a beauty to behold. Coupled with this white ensemble, she was simply dazzling.


    "You think I like this look? It''s not like I can control my appearance! And have you looked in the mirror lately - the textbook ice beauty! When I first saw you, I almost fell for your deception. Outward grace, inward dishevelment!"


    Cyra didn''t hold back, retorting fiercely. However, the few maids heard it differently, exchanging perplexed glances. They clearly didn''t understand what the pair was comparing - do angels actually enjoy competing to be uglier?


    As for me, I slipped out of the dressing room in a blue dress, using the chance to quietly escape.


    "Hey? Miss Angel, your makeup is incomplete!"


    But I was spotted by a maid chasing after me.


    "It''s fine, just some lipstick is enough!"


    Truth be told, even this simple lipstick felt bizarre, like having an oily layer on my lips that would likely make eating quite inconvenient. Being called out like that, I dared not linger and hurried towards the banquet hall in my high heels.


    Fortunately, angels have superb physical abilities. Coupled with wings for balance, I quickly got used to walking in the high heels. Though I did feel a slight wobble, likely from sitting cross-legged too long that afternoon...


    "Welcome, the beautiful Miss Feliciana! She is one of the angels from Edenmere, a high-ranking six-winged angel. With this interaction, the relationship between True Church and Edenmere shall deepen further!"


    The moment I pushed open the doors, I saw the massive banquet hall was packed full of people. Following the introduction, everyone stood up, with Cysper even walking down from the Pope''s main seat, smiling warmly as he approached me.


    Presently he donned an ornate white and gold Church formal robe, wearing a mitre and clutching a staff of authority. Overall, he exuded an unexpectedly dignified aura. To be honest, I couldn''t have imagined Cyrus''s face pulling off such an effect. But my attention was quickly drawn to the numerous gazes around me.


    Having that many eyes locked onto me really felt like needles pricking my back! I had thought this was just attending a banquet representing Edenmere, simply eating and drinking like before. But Cysper made it so formal and ceremonious - I should''ve listened to Cyra and not come!


    "Where are the other two? How come only you''re here?"


    As we walked side-by-side into the center of the hall, Cysper asked me in a low voice.


    "They''re right behind, should be here soon!"


    I replied just as softly. The distraction almost made me twist my ankle, luckily Cysper reacted quickly to support me, preventing an embarrassing fall.


    The subsequent proceedings were simpler - following the pre-arranged program, I curtsied to the crowd. Finally, I was seated with the butler''s guidance.


    "Looks like you angels aren''t used to attending such banquets!"


    A familiar voice came from behind. Turning back, it was Eminem from a couple days ago, enthusiastically waving at me. Still donning his red archbishop attire, he naturally wouldn''t miss such an important Church event as a high-ranking official.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 59 - Shaken Faith

    "Too many fussy rituals, all show but no substance. Really a pain!"


    I couldn''t help but complain, though of course I understood that the formalities had already been greatly simplified. After all, the True Church was very clear about the angel''s usual approach, let alone for an honored guest like us - they certainly couldn''t make things too difficult.


    "Can''t be helped, that''s just how the whole continent rolls. Our church is already one of the better ones..."


    My companion shrugged in explanation.


    Having someone to chat with was good, could help pass the time. Everyone present had been waiting quite a while when finally the last two main characters made their "fashionably late" appearance - Nicola and Cyra.


    Since the name Cyra was very special to the True Church, Cysper gave a special clarification when introducing her. The subsequent proceedings were more or less identical. Before long, these two ladies were seated beside me.


    "Looking quite pretty with the make-up on, eh? Makes all the difference!"


    I glanced at their faces and couldn''t resist a teasing remark. Usually these two were quite plain, though their beauty was somewhat obscured. But once properly made up, their looks leveled up considerably. As angels, compared to those idols on Earth, they were levels above!


    "Feliciana you sly thing, sneaking off early! No wonder we were arguing until we realized one was missing!"


    Cyra grumpily grabbed a chicken leg from the table and started gnawing on it, making Nicola and I shake our heads. What a pity! Truly a case of a brilliant exterior hiding an unpolished interior...


    According to banquet customs, the dance was held concurrently with the dining. Having likely realized we were inept at etiquette, Cysper didn''t give us a hard time. After a short speech, he announced that everyone could move about freely.


    The melodious music started up, and many Jethrobaines officials and church elders holding wine glasses soon came swarming over to us. Clearly, as the stars of this banquet, we three angels were their priority targets.


    "Miss Cyra, may I have this dance if you don''t mind?"


    Cysper came over and, as the Pope, couldn''t just do nothing on such an occasion. So he approached Cyra first with an outstretched hand.


    "I...I don''t know how..." Cyra stammered in response. She wanted to refuse but then caught sight of that face identical to her former self, and suddenly didn''t find it so off-putting. Come to think of it, they had even swapped bodies before, so what''s one little dance?


    From another perspective, had he invited me or Nicola instead, that would have been totally unacceptable. But as the banquet host, if the Pope couldn''t even get one angel to dance with him, where would his face be? So the best solution was to invite her.


    "No problem, I can teach you slowly!"


    Seeming to sense Cyra''s thoughts, Cysper took the initiative to grasp her hand and lead her to the center of the hall, immediately met with thunderous applause around them.


    Seeing this, the live band swiftly changed tunes, starting up a new melody from the top.


    "This True Church is quite secular eh? Putting on airs like royalty. I heard in medieval times on Earth, the True Church was very solemn, even dancing was seen as too open and unacceptable."


    Nicola casually grabbed an apple from the table and took a bite. Thanks to Cyra, etiquette required everyone to "observe" when the main guest was dancing. Our pressure was suddenly relieved and we could finally do some "real business".


    "Basically he is royalty! Just another form of united church and state, being both king and pope! And they''re even running pyramid schemes, can you expect much propriety?"


    I rolled my eyes, thinking of those membership application forms littering the streets outside and got a headache. Just who did Cysper learn this from?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "True, the popes of Earth''s True Church were all old men, they''d probably worry about breaking a hip if they danced!"


    Nicola nodded in agreement with my view. But then she stared at the two twirling on the dance floor, as if struck by a thought, and suddenly asked me, "What do you think if Cyra and the Pope got together?"


    "You mean marry himself?" I couldn''t help but scoff. After all, Cysper''s appearance made it too easy to draw that association. But I thought it was nonsense - don''t popes have to stay single? I wasn''t sure if that applied in this world too.


    "As long as they''re both interested, what''s there to be afraid of? And there''s no sign that Cysper has to be related to Cyrus! Just a pity about his...capabilities in that area, heh heh..."


    Nicola didn''t care about all that, her view was simple and blunt. Probably because Cyra had accepted his invitation to dance, so she assumed there were feelings between them.


    "Why don''t we dance one too then?"


    "we?"


    I was caught off guard when she suddenly came out with that, and couldn''t help giving her a glance.


    "Yeah, I actually know some basic social dances, if you don''t I can teach you."


    Angie looked all eager and encouraging.


    "Let''s not! Don''t forget we''re both women right now, that kind of behavior might be a bit too shocking!"


    Keep in mind this was a religious banquet! Though I didn''t know if this world''s church felt the same way, from what I knew the True Church was supposed to be very against same-sex intimacy. Even if Nicola and I were just dancing and it didn''t mean anything, who knows what misunderstandings it could cause for outsiders? Especially with all the rumors about angels in that regard...


    "Oh..."


    Nicola just let out an "oh" when she heard me, thankfully not saying anything more. I don''t know if it was my reminder that made her realize it was inappropriate, but she indicated dropping the idea. However, at that moment, Eminem came smiling towards us and extended his hand.


    "Miss Feliciana, may I have this dance?"


    "Me?" I was stunned, pointing at myself.


    Previously most of the attendees had issued invitations to Nicola, as she looked more mature, sexy and sophisticated. Whereas I was basically just a bystander keeping a low profile at the back. I never expected Eminem to come straight for me first - what excuse could I give to refuse? He was a man after all, this was getting troublesome.


    "I know you''re not good at dancing, but that''s no obstacle! And after all the effort I put in to help arrange Cyra''s audience with the Pope, you wouldn''t be so heartless as to refuse even one dance, would you?"


    As if he had foreseen my refusal, Eminem immediately laid out a pile of reasons to stop me dead.


    "Well..."


    I turned back helplessly to look at Nicola, but she had turned away, perhaps looking for food, and didn''t look my way. I was stumped.


    "But just one dance, agreed?"


    With no choice, I had to accept. After all, it was just a dance and didn''t mean anything - normal social interaction! And if even Cyra could do it, what was I afraid of?


    "Of course, and I actually have some things I''d like to ask Miss Feliciana about too!"


    Having agreed, Eminem very politely took my right hand and led me to the center of the floor.


    As a total beginner, it was inevitable that I would step on his feet while learning on the go. But to Eminem, these were just child''s play, not even making him frown. After a few rounds, I finally grasped the basics of the steps - it was just about body coordination and memorization, easy for an angel! Like Cyra beside us, now on her second dance, much better than the first.


    "Why did you have to pick me? Wouldn''t Nicola have been better?"


    Once I got a bit more used to it, I couldn''t help but complain, though I kept my head down, needing to watch my steps carefully...


    "Because you seem more approachable! Miss Nicola gives off quite a forceful vibe, so with only one opportunity, I naturally chose you."


    Eminem answered very directly without beating around the bush.


    "So what did you want to ask me about?"


    I was a bit puzzled. This guy''s aura was completely unreadable - always smiling, but no clue what he was really thinking inside.


    "Well for angels like you it''s probably no big deal, I''ve seen some angels elsewhere, but only from a distance and never spoken to them up close. So you three are the first angels I''ve been able to interact with closely..."


    After a slight pause, Eminem finally spoke up.


    "So what I wanted to ask is...does the Lord truly reside in Edenmere as the scriptures say?"


    "The Lord?"


    Hearing his question, I was stunned, never expecting he''d ask me something like that. How should I even answer?


    Should I tell him the truth - that there is no so-called Lord in Edenmere, just a bunch of angels whiling away their days playing games? Though lately our main focus has been on the rebuilding efforts...


    But if I actually said that, it would likely deal a huge blow to his faith, right? I felt it wasn''t a good idea.


    "Well about that, I believe us angels have made an official statement on such matters before?"


    So I neatly deflected the question back onto Elara far away in Edenmere. After all, Elara did explicitly say before that the True Church''s God has nothing to do with the angel race. Nothing to do with me!


    "But His Holiness the Pope explained that it was because Edenmere had a personal grudge against him, that''s why they refused to acknowledge it..."


    Eminem answered with a wry smile.


    "Is that how he saw it..."


    I was dumbfounded for a moment. But thinking about it, if even the Pope didn''t insist on it firmly, what reason did those scattered believers across the lands have to insist? However fervent the faith, among so many followers, there were bound to be some astute ones who would notice the inconsistencies, like Eminem here.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 60 - The Sudden Departure

    "Don''t worry too much about it. Even if Edenmere doesn''t have your Lord, it doesn''t mean he doesn''t exist. As long as you hold onto a faithful heart, it''s enough!"


    That was the best I could offer to console him. Isn''t the True Church on Earth in a similar situation? And their influence is quite widespread too. Furthermore, until now I can''t completely rule out the possibility of Yawee''s existence, at least the "self" that Cyrus encountered is still unexplained.


    "I suppose you''re right..." Eminem sighed in response, though it wasn''t clear if he took it to heart.


    "Any other questions?" I prompted, as the song was nearing its end.


    "Of course! As an angel, you must have an exceptionally long lifespan, Lady Feliciana?"  Eminem swiftly asked his second question, knowing time was short.


    "In your long life, have you encountered other forms of life?"


    "Other forms of life?" I was taken aback by his strange query. My first thought was of aliens - did he actually see aliens? But then again, even if they were aliens, their life forms may not necessarily differ from humans. Like if we traveled to another world, the "aliens" we met could just be humans too!


    To be precise, angels can be considered a different life form compared to ordinary humans. So I really couldn''t answer his question satisfactorily.


    "My apologies, I''m a newly born angel so I haven''t lived long enough to give you an answer." I shook my head regretfully. Of course I wouldn''t entertain a discussion about real aliens based on his broad description. Compared to aliens, robots seemed more fitting, though even the robot we encountered near Macarana City didn''t quite feel truly alive. From how it spoke, it seemed to merely follow orders without independent intelligence.


    "I see...Well, thank you for your response. May the Lord be with you!" Eminem bowed politely as the song ended and took his leave.


    I hope he wasn''t too disappointed. Looking at Eminem''s departing figure, I felt a bit awkward for not really answering either of his questions satisfactorily. Even if he wasn''t affected by the issue with Yawee, he must have felt let down.


    "You two looked like you were having fun chatting. What''s this? Taking an interest in that man again ah?"


    Nicola leaned against the table holding a glass of wine, watching me return.


    "Chey, it''s you who''s interested in men!" I shot her a look. This girl just loves making wild guesses. I haven''t forgotten about her possibly getting married in the future! But to prove my point, I simply recounted our conversation with Eminem.


    "This Eminem actually questioned if the God he believes in exists. Quite a smart fellow!"  Nicola glanced in Eminem''s direction and remarked earnestly.


    "But what did he mean by other life forms later on?"


    "Who knows? Maybe he really has seen aliens before!"


    Only Eminem himself would understand that question. Unfortunately, from his attitude, he didn''t seem too keen to share with us.


    Just then, Cyra finally came back.


    "So how was it, enjoying the treatment of the main heroine?" I teased her. Isn''t being the lead role what Cyra always wanted? Dancing with the host, that''s a privilege usually reserved for the main character. And they even danced two songs together.


    "You''re reading too much into it. It was just formality! I simply saw it as dancing with my former self, I felt absolutely nothing, and of course there couldn''t be any feelings!" Cyra declared solemnly, then patted Nicola''s shoulder, starting to claim credit. After all, our main purpose for attending was to represent Edenmere.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "See! I made such a huge sacrifice for your ''descendants'', you better repay the favor!"


    "Alright alright, I''ll give you credit this time. As long as I''m around, I''ll keep you safe!"


    Nicola promised impatiently.


    "Professional bodyguard service! Are you satisfied now?"


    By this point, the dance was reaching its climax. Many had found their partners and started dancing. Of course, some high-ranking church officials or local nobles mustered the courage to invite us to dance as well, but we politely declined them all.


    Another song ended.


    "From today onwards, the relationship between the True Church and Edenmere turns a new page. To celebrate this momentous occasion, His Holiness the Pope has decided to perform an impromptu piece."


    The host''s voice rang out again. Upon hearing the Pope himself would perform, the surrounding area fell completely silent as everyone returned to their seats in anticipation. At some point, a piano had appeared in the center of the hall.


    "This guy''s quite accomplished. I heard he can play any instrument."


    Nicola couldn''t help but click her tongue slightly. Earlier in the dressing room, the maids had casually mentioned the Pope''s versatile talents during our idle chats.


    "They may look alike, but the gap between them is so huge."


    I glanced at Cyra. Although she doesn''t look like that anymore, many of my impressions were still from their high school days. Back then, Cyrus basically had no special talents, aside from being rather chuunibyou and knowledgeable about anime...


    "Don''t forget, this guy is thousands of years old! With that much time to learn, is it any surprise to have such skills?"


    Cyra reminded unhappily in a low voice. Despite her words, she couldn''t help but shoot an envious gaze towards the piano.


    "This is a new piece I recently composed on inspiration. I hope you all enjoy..."


    Though holding the esteemed position of Pope, Cysper still humbly offered a brief introduction before beginning his performance.


    As his fingers danced across the keys, melliodic notes filled the air. However, this so-called new piece sounded uncannily familiar to our ears.


    "Ah, it''s ''Castle in the Sky''..."


    Nicola downed the remaining wine in her glass, her expression conflicted as she glanced at the Pope immersed in his performance.


    This famous anime piano piece was a classic on Earth. As former Earthlings, it would be strange if we hadn''t encountered it before! Just never expected to appreciate it again in another world. Though from Cysper''s situation, he may not have intentionally plagiarized it. But this alone was enough to suggest his connection to Earth.


    Can''t be helped, he did lose his memory after all. Or maybe he actually remembers everything, just feigning ignorance all along. But we have no proof of that, so we can''t do anything about it.


    The dance continued, accompanied by the soothing music. In contrast to the lively atmosphere indoors, the night outside felt eerily quiet, with only the gentle moonlight gracing the grounds - destined to be a sleepless night for many...


    The next morning.


    "How long is this situation with Cyra and Cysper going to continue? They keep pulling the same stunts every day!"


    I yawned as I crawled out of bed, feeling like I barely slept at all.


    It was all because those two swapped bodies again after falling asleep! Since we were staying at the Pope''s palace this time, the two ended up having an epic "reunion". Naturally, they caused all sorts of mischief again.


    "It''s probably due to the distance. This rarely happened when we were within the Astralrealm Kingdom, we never even encountered it in Norvale. But it suddenly became frequent after entering the Holy Capital, so distance is the only explanation."


    Nicola pondered and summarized the pattern, then suggested, "So in my opinion, it''s better we leave here sooner to avoid constantly mixing up who''s who. Their body-swapping role-play game is really too much, it almost drove me insane last night! Looks like we''ll need to set a code phrase from now on!"


    The Pope is no spring chicken, yet this ancient beast is still indulging Cyra''s antics. But you can tell their relationship seems much better than expected.


    "Don''t forget, we still have a task at the Advenctures Guild. Tomorrow we''re supposed to meet that Yulanda at the Guild entrance!"


    I nodded as a reminder. We probably couldn''t uncover anything more on the Pope anyway. If nothing unexpected happens, we would depart soon.


    However, the unexpected occurred just before noon, and it was a big deal.


    "What! You''re leaving alone for a while?"


    Cyra and I asked Nicola in unison.


    "Can''t be helped! You both heard Elara just now, the angel armies stationed at the edge of the ''Barren Lands'' to the north spotted traces of Aria. So I must go apprehend her personally!"


    Nicola hadn''t forgotten her hatred for Aria humiliating her before, holding an lingering grudge for revenge.


    "It''s been so long and you''re still not over it?"


    The newly acquired bodyguard service was gone just like that, so Cyra was understandably reluctant. But there was nothing we could do since Nicola insisted on leaving.


    "Then what about my task? This time I''m going up against a Divine Beast!"


    I frowned with worry.


    "I can''t guarantee being able to both handle the Phoenix while serving as Yulanda''s bodyguard!"


    We couldn''t count on the two-winged Cyra anyway. The original premise of taking this job was having Nicola, the "big shot", around. Not to mention the Condensation Swords alone would be enough to dominate. But now our main pillar was leaving midway, leaving just Cyra and I to handle things? On top of that, we were supposed to head south next, throwing all our plans into disarray!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 61: Change of Mission

    "Why don''t you just abandon this mission? It''s just some points after all."


    Nicola had made up her mind, and no matter what we said, she wasn''t willing to give up this opportunity.


    "As for the journey ahead, you don''t need to worry about me. You just go to Crescent City and wait for me. As long as everything goes smoothly here, I''ll quickly catch up to our destination and meet you!"


    Even so, just thinking about the two of us traveling alone, Cyra was still reluctant. After all, she had never been confident in my abilities, and even I myself lacked confidence. Most of my magic was only effective against dark creatures. If we encountered other types of opponents, my sloppy swordsmanship would be inadequate to deal with them.


    "Why don''t we have Elara open the entrance to Edenmere above our heads? We can go back to Edenmere from here and wait for you, how about that?"


    Saying this, Cyra suddenly thought she had a good idea.


    "Yeah, why do we need to travel ourselves? Can''t we just open an exit in Edenmere directly above Crescent City''s sky?"


    "You really are creative! Unfortunately, that is completely impossible. Didn''t you hear Elara''s complaints? The material stockpile for the formations is almost depleted!"


    I shook my head and said.


    The entrance and exit of Edenmere used to be fixed in one location, rarely changing positions. But recently, for various reasons, the entrance had been frequently relocated, most recently moved by Elara to the northern border. The formation materials needed to power the entrance were nearly depleted. If we wanted to return to Edenmere, we could only take the northern route, leaving no room for waste.


    Moreover, specifying the exact exit location required an angel at the destination to provide positioning through a spiritual link. Otherwise, the margin of error would be huge. Precisely because there were no angels left in the Sage Council, Cyra''s suggestion was simply impossible.


    "You don''t need to worry too much. From here, it will take at most one or two days of flying to reach Crescent City. The route isn''t desolate, so we basically won''t encounter any danger!"


    Nicola didn''t care about Cyra''s concerns at all. She simply packed her belongings and flew out the window. Since the journey was so far, she had to leave early, afraid of losing track of Aria again.


    "This girl, she just rushed off like that and abandoned us!"


    We saw the black speck in the sky wave at us, then quickly disappear northward. I could only sigh and persuade Cyra.


    "Accept reality! Don''t worry, you''re the main character now, so you probably won''t die! Besides, didn''t you used to rumbling about defeating monsters and leveling up? Now''s your chance, and the one who rushed ahead is gone. Aren''t you excited?"


    "I feel more shocked than excited. The world is really too dangerous!"


    Although Cyra said this, she seemed to think my words made some sense, so she changed her tune.


    "Then how about we find some low-level monsters to practice on along the way?"


    The so-called low-level monsters referred to the scattered lesser monsters roaming human lands. These monsters had various elemental attributes and were not necessarily all dark creatures. Compared to dark elementals, monsters of other elements were fewer in number and had tamer natures, not the type to attack humans unprovoked.


    However, they shared one common trait - a lack of intelligence. Nicola and I had killed quite a few of them while on missions in Norvale before. This had led Cyra to suspect that we had relied on these monsters to reach the six wings.


    Although it was later proven unlikely, Cyra clearly hadn''t given up on the idea.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Alright, even if it doesn''t help with level up, you can at least practice your combat skills and gain experience."


    It was rare for Cyra to take the initiative to improve herself, so of course I wouldn''t object.


    So it was decided that we would first go to the Adventurer''s Guild to cancel the mission.


    However, things did not go smoothly.


    "Miss, I''m sorry, but before that I must remind you..."


    After checking my ID card and records, the staff member contacted some other place for a long time through a magic communication device. Finally, he apologized and told me:


    "According to the Adventurer''s Guild''s rules, since the claims you previously submitted is currently under serious investigation by the headquarters, your account is now under review. During this period, not only can you not continue to take missions, but if you commit any act of bad credit, your account will be temporarily suspended, your identity level will be lowered, and you will be fined double points until the investigation results come out for further processing."


    "So strict?"


    I was instantly dumbfounded. The claims he mentioned naturally referred to the carriage rental incident.


    Previously in Makalan City, Nicola had killed the carriage driver Carl. She swiftly resolved her grievance, but I had to bear the consequences - because the carriage was rented for free under my name!


    Even though the actual situation was that Carl had attempted to assassinate us, so he brought it upon himself, the Adventurer''s Guild didn''t know this. From their perspective, Carl''s death was an unwarranted loss of an employee, so they naturally needed to conduct a thorough investigation.


    It was for this reason that the last time I took a mission here, I also submitted a claim detailing what happened, including burial site of Carl, Carl''s hidden identity, the grievance, and the carriage left behind in Makalan City. All of this needed time for verification.


    The Guild''s handling of the matter was understandable. It was just that it happened to coincide with my need to abandon the mission. Losing points was still okay, but if my account was really suspended and my level downgraded, that would be quite distressing for me.


    "Then let me think about it some more..."


    I answered worriedly left the counter. The high-end status hadn''t been enjoyed for long before being reverted, which I couldn''t bear. And to have my account suspended on top of that! But if I really continued with the mission, I lacked the confidence. If something happened to Yulanda without proper protection, the situation would become even more troublesome.


    As I wandered around the Guild, I unexpectedly ran into the very person herself.


    "Oh, what a coincidence. Didn''t you say you''d come here to regroup tomorrow?"


    Yulanda walked in from outside, almost bumping right into me. Upon seeing me, she happily said, "But it''s good timing. Since the situation has changed, I need to modify the mission information. If you''re here, then I don''t need to make another trip...But where are your other two companions?"


    Modifying the mission information was a lifesaver for me, as changes to the mission details would automatically void the previously accepted mission, naturally resolving my issue of bad credit.


    However, this was not the time to focus on such matters, because Yulanda did not come alone. With her was a red-haired young man who seemed very familiar. It wasn''t until he approached that I finally recognized the long-unseen Brennan!


    "Feliciana, it really is you! I thought Yulanda''s description of the blue-haired angel sounded so familiar!"


    Brennan had clearly also recognized me, his face full of surprise as he said, "By the way, where''s Nicola? I heard you gained another angel companion, so who is it?"


    "They''re not here. Actually, why are you in a place like this? How did you two become acquainted?"


    Cyra was still at the palace continuing her tour, with Cysper accompanying her. Those two had been getting along quite well recently. However, I wasn''t worried, because their relationship was surely just one of similar interests! As for the sort of situation Nicola was concerned about, that was completely impossible.


    Rather, on Brennan''s side, if he was here, then there should be someone else here too...


    "What about Adrian? Didn''t he leave Norvale with you? How come I don''t see him?"


    I recalled the note left for me previously said they had gone to rescue Vivianne. But now I encountered Brennan here, so what was Vivianne''s current situation?


    There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I struggled to find a suitable entry point.


    "It would be better if you two knew each other. We actually came here for this very matter!"


    Yulanda also didn''t rush to process the mission modification. Seeing how familiar I seemed with Brennan, she happily pulled me aside to a corner and began to slowly explain.


    "There''s good news and bad news. The good news is that we now have new information about the companion we previously asked you to rescue, and it''s very likely she''s still alive!"


    "What''s the bad news?" I quickly asked, a foreboding feeling arising in my heart.


    "The bad news is that another person who set out from the Astralrealm Kingdom to rescue her - that is, Brennan''s companion - has fallen into danger because of this. Moreover, the current situation is rather complex. Perhaps it''s not just a rescue, but may also involve exploring unknowns. The difficulties we face may not be limited to the Phoenix. It is precisely for this reason that I had to come to the Guild to modify the mission requirements..."


    "Brennan''s companion?"


    Upon hearing this, there was no way I couldn''t understand who Yulanda was referring to as the so-called "bird egg retriever."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 62 Complicated Connections

    It was Vivianne who started it all!


    Brennan did suggest going to steal phoenix eggs before, but his idea was rejected by Adrian and Vivianne at that time, and he never had a chance to carry out the plan later.


    However, Vivianne was different. When the war between the Astralrealm Kingdom and monsters just broke out, she had left the capital city with her companions for a mission - teaming up with Yulanda and others to join the large-scale monster clearing operation in the Dona Mountain Range, near the Sulide Volcano where phoenixes nested yearly.


    The original target was a nine-headed snake, a high-level monster that had recently appeared in the forest at the foot of Sulide Volcano. As it had destroyed a local village over a month ago, someone issued a high-paying mission to the Adventurers'' Guild. Considering the small scale of the nearby Jethrobaines branch and lack of talents there, as well as the difficulty of the mission, the Adventurers'' Guild had no choice but to release the same mission in the capital of the neighboring country Norvale as well.


    The process went quite smoothly, although it took nearly a week to reach the destination. Despite the nine-headed snake being a formidable water elemental monster of the sixth rank, it was no match for the large team.


    Reportedly, eight people were recruited for this operation to be on the safe side, forming a complete small squad! Unfortunately, with the fixed total reward, each person''s share became less.


    So shortly after completing the mission, Vivianne seized the chance to propose a new suggestion - going up the mountain to steal phoenix eggs.


    It was the phoenix egg-laying season on Sulide Volcano these few months. Usually, a female phoenix could lay three to four phoenix eggs, which were extremely expensive in the market, at least 50,000 silvers each, mainly because of demon tamers like Brennan who craved for them!


    If they could steal one or two eggs, even splitting the profit among eight people would be way more than the mission reward.


    Vivianne''s proposal immediately won most people''s approval. However, problems followed one after another, for phoenix eggs were not that easy to steal...


    Though both ranked at the sixth level like the nine-headed snake, there was a huge power gap within the sixth rank itself. The entry, middle and full sixth ranks were completely different concepts.


    For this reason, phoenixes, being at the same sixth rank, were much stronger than the nine-headed snake, which was why locals called them divine beasts.


    Plus, they could fly, so even with eight people cooperating, they might not be unharmed under a phoenix''s attacks. After all, the highest rank in the team was just at the entry sixth rank, with only one person.


    The only way was stealing, and whether they could succeed depended on their skills and prior arrangements.


    "So why did Vivianne insist on taking the field herself? For stealing, shouldn''t they let a thief or at least an archer do it instead of a lancer?"


    I really couldn''t understand. Just thinking about her job made me feel a headache. Wasn''t she raising a huge red flag for herself?


    "We had no choice. Although our team looked big in number, she was actually the most suitable one. Half of them were mages, and apart from the paladin and warrior for close protection, only Vivianne was the most agile."


    Yulanda explained helplessly.


    "Besides, it was her suggestion in the first place. So to boost morale and make everyone more confident, Vivianne volunteered to implement the plan herself, while the others would provide support from a distance. Of course, due to the high risk, the condition was that if they got multiple phoenix eggs in the end, she would take one for herself..."


    "Brennan, do you know why Vivianne did that?"


    Hearing this, I could no longer hold back and gave the redhead a hint. Obviously, the reason seemed to be what Yulanda said on the surface. But in reality, Vivianne took the field mainly for Brennan!Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Knowing her innermost feelings, her actions seemed so apparent to me. It''s just that this guy Brennan didn''t seem to know at all.


    Of course, it doesn''t mean that Brennan had to accept Vivianne''s affection just because she was willing to take risks for him. But I think it was still necessary to let him know this.


    "I know, Adrian told me later. I really didn''t expect her to..."


    Brennan answered with his head down, looking quite dejected.


    "But now even Adrian is in the same predicament, I really don''t know what to do!"


    Despite the meticulous arrangements they made, including a series of measures to lure the target away from the nest and then seize the chance to steal from home, an unexpected change happened that no one foresaw.


    First, the female phoenix was unwilling to leave the nest too far. Second, the phoenix nest was extremely difficult to approach, located on the cliffside inside the volcanic crater of Sulide Volcano. When Vivianne seized the chance to sneak towards the nest while the female phoenix was temporarily lured away, another male phoenix suddenly charged out from the volcanic crater, leading to the eventual failure of the plan.


    Usually after mating, phoenixes would separate again, with the male leaving the female to seek other mates elsewhere. The situation of them sticking together for months was very rare, but unfortunately, Vivianne encountered exactly this case.


    Soon, summoned by the male phoenix''s calls, the female phoenix rushed back too.


    This was bad. Who could withstand the attacks of two phoenixes at once? The plan was made only for dealing with a single phoenix. During the reconnaissance, they didn''t see the other one hiding inside the volcanic crater either!


    Chased by two phoenixes together, Vivianne couldn''t lure them towards her teammates, or it would lead to complete annihilation. So she fled alone towards the mountain foot, as going downhill was much faster. Eventually she was trapped in a forest area halfway down the mountain.


    This was deduced by her teammates from seeing the two phoenixes circling above that area. But they dared not approach, so the specifics were unknown. The preliminary judgment was that she might be hiding in a cave there, which Adrian and Brennan later confirmed upon arrival.


    "They were so unreasonable!"


    Mentioning her teammates, Yulanda became furious.


    "Not daring to rescue was one thing, but they even stole all the phoenix eggs from the nest when the two phoenixes left! It was only after I persuaded them that they agreed to seek help from the Adventurers'' Guild in the holy city nearby. But those guys waited less than a week before leaving impatiently, saying that after so long, Vivianne must have either starved to death or been burnt by the phoenixes, and they had done their utmost duty!"


    "But at least they informed Adrian and Brennan..."


    I said with a wry smile. These people went back to Norvale and naturally told Adrian and Brennan what happened, which did seem a bit like kicking someone who was already down but was still within the normal judgment.


    After all, except for Yulanda, none of them were permanent teammates, perhaps not even acquainted before. It was just a temporary team formed for the mission. Their self-interest surfaced at the critical moment.


    What happened next was on Brennan''s side...


    Adrian and he rushed over overnight. When they arrived at Sulide Volcano, those two phoenixes were still circling above halfway up the mountain, as if they would not stop until finding Vivianne''s corpse, probably angered by their nest being emptied.


    "After a short reconnaissance, we found the cave the phoenixes were guarding. To lure the two phoenixes away, Adrian had no choice but to use a light elemental magic arrow."


    Brennan described his experience, afraid I might not understand.


    "The effect was quite satisfactory. The male phoenix was hit and then struck by my Light Dragon, scaring it to flee westward towards the Astralrealm Kingdom. However, the female phoenix seized the chance to launch a fierce attack on Adrian, its fire breath burning down a large area of forest. With nowhere to hide, Adrian plunged into the cave. That phoenix has been blocking the entrance ever since. I''m the only one left unable to do anything, so I had to go downhill for reinforcements as planned, and meet up with Yulanda who stayed behind..."


    "Huh? Feliciana, why are you so surprised?"


    Yulanda called out to me, seeing my mouth agape in disbelief, and asked puzzledly.


    "Er..."


    I shook my head, not responding to her question for the moment, but instead checked with Brennan.


    "That arrow was really Adrian''s?"


    "Which arrow?"


    Brennan was stunned for a moment, not getting it at first, and explained distractedly.


    "Oh, you mean that light elemental enchanted arrow? Come to think of it, it was made by Selene for Adrian during our mission in the Elara Woodlands! Although its damage is not as good against phoenixes as against monsters, at least it won''t be easily burned, so its impact on the phoenix is still substantial."


    "It''s also for this reason that we might face less threat now, probably only one phoenix left! But the problem is that the cave seems rather suspicious. There might be no small danger inside, because judging from the size of the entrance, a phoenix can completely fly in. But for some reason it only dares to stay outside and not enter, which might indicate an even greater danger inside..."


    I basically didn''t listen much to what he said next. My mind was filled with thoughts about the phoenix that appeared in Makalan City and the arrow found on its body.


    I had always thought that arrow was related to Yulanda''s team, since there were many people and they might have recruited an archer. But I never expected it to be linked to Adrian in the end! So it turned out I was indirectly saved by Adrian again?


    This is way too unbelievable. Two completely unrelated incidents were connected through just one arrow! And based on the Prophet Quintina''s theory, could it be that Adrian is also...?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 63: Departure

    I had just returned to the Papal Palace from the Adventurer''s Guild when I rushed to the Church''s library. I had reserved a three-day water magic course here, but it seemed I had to cut it short today.


    However, I had barely started learning from Hurbert when Cyra excitedly came in from outside.


    "I knew you''d be here! How did your quest go, all settled? Cysper said he was going to take us to the busiest shopping street and park in Jethrobaines tomorrow!"


    "I''m afraid not! The situation has changed, the rescue mission must continue, and to save time, we have to leave tomorrow!"


    I shook my head and told her what happened when processing the quest at the guild. The quest was indeed canceled due to Yulanda''s request, but that didn''t matter anymore. Not only was Vivianne confirmed to possibly be alive, but Adrian was also involved. For emotional and moral reasons, I could not ignore it.


    Moreover, in terms of rescue difficulty and danger, having an extra hand increased our chances of success. At least with Brennan there, I didn''t have to worry so much about Yulanda. Even as a human, his combat experience and ability were more formidable than Cyra''s.


    "So you ran into those friends from before Edenmere..."


    Cyra seemed a little disappointed upon hearing this. It made sense - she and Cysper had gotten along well these past two days. But that was all the time they had before parting ways, even a day earlier than expected. Of course she''d be disappointed.


    "If you and Cysper hit it off so well, why don''t you stay here? After this is resolved, you can meet me at the designated spot, or I can just return to the Holy City..."


    Seeing her like that, I suggested. To be honest, even though Cyra''s strength was lacking, I still hoped she would come along as every bit of combat power increased our chances of success. But ultimately, Vivianne and Adrian had no relation to her, and they didn''t even know each other. She had no reason to take this risk for my sake.


    Originally, I had planned for us to fly there, as swift as the wind. The three-day journey on foot could perhaps be done in a day by air.


    But with two humans in our party, I would need Cyra''s help. The problem was her low rank might not allow extended flight while carrying people, and I definitely couldn''t support two passengers alone.


    Fortunately, Brennan said there was no need to rush. Adrian had foreseen the current situation before this operation and prepared ample survival and rescue supplies in advance. They could last ten days or even half a month in the cave with no issues.


    "That''s not necessary..."


    Contrary to my expectations, Cyra shook her head, rejecting my proposal.


    "It''s not good for me to stay alone either. Since you''re going on a rescue mission, as a follower of the Lord, I can''t just watch idly by."


    "But after we leave tomorrow, you may not get to see the Pope again for a long time!"


    I confirmed in surprise.


    "I already told you, we don''t have that kind of relationship. Why don''t you believe me! I''m a true man, we''re just good friends who get along well!"


    Cyra emphasized again, sounding a bit unhappy now. I didn''t dare say anything more. Even their bodies had been swapped - their relationship was really hard to describe.


    "Then how about we..."


    Since she agreed to come along, I wanted to try the flying idea again for our journey. But she cut me off midway.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "Let me say this first - I absolutely will not be a ''transport girl''!"


    "..."


    Alright! She saw that one coming. I shouldn''t have told her my idea from the start.


    With the blabber mouth Cyra around, news of our early departure quickly reached the Pope''s ears.


    The next morning, a group of high-ranking True Church officials enthusiastically saw us off from the city. Unexpectedly though, they were all dressed casually, seemingly not wanting to draw too much attention.


    "It feels really weird..."


    I glanced doubtfully at Cysper beside me. I was very satisfied with his low-key arrangements, but his appearance was too flamboyant for this city. Even in casual clothes, he was still recognized by some in the bustling streets, including True Church believers who knelt reverently to the ground. That completely defeated the purpose of hiding his identity! Fortunately, we later took a more secluded side path when we saw the situation was off, avoiding any further commotion.


    "Why don''t you just see us off here? It''s not far from the south gate anyway."


    The Sulide Volcano was in the Dona Mountain Range southwest of the Holy City Jethrobaines. We had already arranged to meet Brennan and the others at a small, secluded forest just outside the city gates.


    "It''s fine, if you''re in a hurry, we can just pick up the pace!"


    Cysper calmly replied, still insisting on "enthusiastically" seeing us off to the city outskirts. Thankfully, there wasn''t a huge flow of people coming and going during this period. Plus our group deliberately concealed ourselves, and even notified the city guards in advance. This allowed us to get through this stretch reasonably unnoticed.


    "We''ll have a chance to meet again in the future!"


    After leaving Jethrobaines, seeing them still not stopping, and barely anyone on the roads anymore, I quickly bid farewell while pulling Cyra along.


    No need to worry about being seen now, so we spread our wings and flew up, finally ending this bizarre sendoff.


    "Why were they so enthusiastic? It felt excessive, seeing us off such a long distance!"


    Cyra also found it puzzling as she looked back at the group still waving down below and asked me.


    "Who knows, you''re so close with the Pope, why are you asking me? Those church folks are just generally eccentric..."


    I shrugged and didn''t pay them any more mind, then turned and flew with Cyra towards the small forest. We had gone quite far already, as there were too many people seeing us off, so I didn''t want to lead them all the way to the meetup spot.


    "Great, you made it at last! Brennan did choose this remote spot expecting you to fly here, but..."


    As soon as we landed, Yulanda greeted us warmly, though her expression was a bit odd.


    "Why did you come from the south?"


    "Never mind..."


    I answered helplessly, not wanting to dwell on it any further. The redhead was there too, but he was clearly stunned by Cyra''s beauty. Although he had heard about my new angel companion, this was their first meeting!


    It was a good thing he hadn''t seen Michelle in person, otherwise I''d have to give another long-winded explanation about their relationship.


    "H-hello, I''m Brennan..."


    Even brawny young men can get shy when meeting a pretty girl, especially an angel. Facing his stammered greeting, Cyra had probably gotten used to it by now. She confidently stepped forward and patted Brennan''s shoulder.


    "Hello, just call me Cyra! I hear you''re quite capable, a fellow fourth-rank like me. You even know some ability I''ve never seen before. We''ll have to spar sometime! What was that ability called again..."


    She looked over at me.


    "Demonology!"


    I rolled my eyes. The guy was right in front of her and she still asked me. Her excessively deliberate self-introduction showed she felt pressured by his demeanor.


    Back in Norvale, a boy had once rushed up, forcibly giving Cyra a rose and letter before immediately running off. That incident left her flustered for a long time. Although it never happened again, it must have left quite an impression on her.


    "Shall we depart now?"


    After the introductions, Yulanda naturally didn''t want to delay any further to make up for lost time. A steep mountain path still awaited, likely taking a day or two.


    Though Brennan had just arrived in the Holy City yesterday, he was energetic after a day''s rest today. Moreover, with two angel assistants, his mission was accomplished.


    It was now confirmed that only one phoenix remained. Although my offense was lacking, I could probably stall the sixth-rank phoenix. The other three would be enough to rescue the people in the cave. The only concern was potential additional dangers inside, so the main uncertainties lay in what could happen after entering.


    So the safest approach was still to defeat the phoenix first, then enter the cave together. But arranging it this way, without Nicola''s Condensation Sword, success was unlikely. At the end of the day, we were still shorthanded...


    "Where''s that music coming from?"


    We had only just turned onto the mountain path when the melodious sounds of a familiar tune drifted over - the "Castle in the Sky" I had just heard a couple days ago! Of course, the timbre wasn''t from a piano this time.


    "Could it be..."


    Cyra and I exchanged a surprised look. Who else could play this piece? But it was hard to imagine the Pope following us all this way!


    "Over there!"


    Brennan''s sharp eyes quickly spotted someone leaning against a large tree up ahead, playing a lute in a rather flashy manner. No mistaking it, it was Cysper!

 Vol 4/Chapter 64: The Popes Strength

    "Garrick...His Holiness the Pope!"


    Yulanda was the first to recognize him. She had clearly seen the Pope before and called out Cysper''s real name. Luckily, Yulanda was from the Kingdom of Astralrealm, and not a follower of the True Church, otherwise we might have seen another scene of people kneeling and worshipping.


    "Everyone, since you''ve listened to a song, why don''t I join you on the journey to relieve the boredom?"


    As the music ended, Cysper put away his lute and asked us with a smile, as if very sure we would agree to have him join.


    "Are you really the Pope of the Holy City?"


    Brennan had never seen the Pope before, only learning his identity from Yulanda''s words. He looked at the man doubtfully, then turned to Cyra and me for our opinions.


    However, even Yulanda couldn''t quite believe her eyes, and asked:


    "I remember the Pope has never left the Holy City of Jethrobaines before. How could he appear in a place like this? Could it be an impersonator?"


    "No, it''s really him!"


    I said it with great certainty. Apart from the song ''City in the Air'', the light elemental aura on him could not be faked.


    "I have left the Holy City now, so please call me by my alias - Cysper..."


    Cysper shrugged and explained casually.


    "I''m tired of the Holy City after thousands of years. I''m going out to get some fresh air, so it shouldn''t be a problem, right?"


    The reason sounded plausible, but we all knew this so-called explanation was pure nonsense, not convincing at all.


    "I remember you asked about when we were leaving the first time we met..."


    I pointed at him, feeling confused, as if his appearance here was not a coincidence, but had been premeditated from the start. Like that overly ''enthusiastic'' sendoff earlier.


    "You''re not following us, are you?"


    There was clearly some mischief going on, and even Cyra noticed something amiss. But just following us didn''t explain all the questions. If he really was following, why would the Pope take action himself? The True Church had plenty of capable people who could do the job. And Cysper''s blatant following gave an inexplicable sense of dissonance.


    "Of course not, I really mean no harm!"


    Cysper shook his head and denied our suspicions, but did not explain the real reasons, only giving the reason for joining us.


    "I learned from Cyra that your goal is to go to the Sulide Volcano to rescue people. But if you face the Phoenix, your numbers might be too few, so I thought I could help..."


    "I don''t believe the Pope of the True Church would be so kind! Even if you really wanted to help, you wouldn''t need to take action yourself, right?"


    Naturally, Brennan scoffed at the Pope''s explanation. He never really liked the True Church much, so this reaction was understandable.


    "I can swear to the Lord!"


    Seeing we still looked doubtful, Cysper raised his hand earnestly.


    "I truly wish to help. Of course there are some other factors involved, but they have nothing to do with you..."


    "Don''t give him a hard time. I believe him. Having an extra person help isn''t so bad, right?"


    Cyra spoke up. As an angel, her words carried more weight. And since the Pope had sworn like that, he was quite credible. Brennan couldn''t really argue further.


    "Let''s just continue on our way for now..."


    I sighed, supporting Cyra''s view. I also noticed something - when Cysper was swearing earlier, he was clearly speaking to Brennan. It implied he had some connection to us two angels, but couldn''t say it openly because of Brennan and Yulanda being humans present.


    Moreover, on the surface it seemed only the Pope was here, but I could sense faint movement in the surrounding bushes. His guards were likely hiding there. Cysper''s main identity was the Pope, but he was also a sovereign ruler, so having bodyguards was normal no matter how strong he was.


    "His Holiness must be very powerful, right? I heard your lifespan is very long, comparable even to angels. With you here, we''ll definitely succeed in rescuing our companions."


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.Despite the Pope joining us due to mine and Cyra''s insistance, we couldn''t help but ask many questions along the way, like Yulanda''s words here. Unlike the skeptical Brennan, she was quite respectful towards the Pope despite not being a believer herself.


    "I wouldn''t say that. While I do have some attainments in light magic and martial arts, I lack real combat experience, so I dare not call myself powerful!"


    Not sure if he was being humble or telling the truth, Cysper laughed it off.


    "What if we encountered some Mountain Lizards?"


    As he finished speaking, Brennan pointed to a pool ahead where some sunbathing Mountain Lizards were resting lazily, his words carrying a probing tone.


    Though low-ranked, these lizards were incredibly tough in defense and strength. Ordinary fourth-tier adventurers would find it very difficult to defeat them head-on. Conversely, their weakness was also obvious - slow movement and simple attack method. They would actively attack humans on sight, so lower-ranked adventurers dared not provoke them, while higher ranks saw them as beneath notice.


    I had killed many in the past when doing missions, mostly by hovering in the air and stabbing them to death bit by bit with a long sword...Okay, maybe a little unsportsmanlike, but I also wanted to see how the famous Pope would deal with them.


    "These magical beasts, huh..."


    Cysper pondered for a moment looking at the targets ahead. He took out an exquisitely crafted dagger from his storage ring and slowly approached the Mountain Lizards.


    "Huh?"


    Seeing him going forth with just a dagger and no defenses, we all looked quite surprised. He should at least use a longer sword! Could his mastery of unarmed combat have surpassed the fourth tier?


    However, the situation defied our expectations again. Cysper had no intention of going head-to-head with the foes.


    As two lizards charged at him sensing the disturbance, a ball of light emerged from Cysper''s palm. Dodging their attacks with fluid moves, he precisely tapped the light ball onto the lizards'' heads, the ball instantly sinking inside...


    After that smooth sequence of evasion and tapping moves, the two lizards simply collapsed motionless on the ground, forcefully put into a slumber!


    "You can use sleep magic like that?"


    I could naturally see at a glance what method he used. Sleep magic is very simple for angels, but considered intermediate-level for humans, with very few able to cast it wordlessly. But he did it!


    Moreover, sleep magic usually just needs to hit the target''s body, and its effects typically aren''t as quick - the key was him directly striking the lizards'' brains.


    Dodging attacks while accurately landing magic strikes on the enemy''s brain, without any incantation. Combining these skills showed he was far from ordinary! At minimum sixth-tier in standard, something I couldn''t achieve! A true master of both magic and martial arts!


    Indeed, the Pope could not be viewed as an ordinary human. Normal humans can only specialize in magic or martial arts, rarely attaining mastery of both. Even if forcibly trained in both fields, their limited lifespan means they cannot reach such heights in both paths.


    "Can''t be helped, unlike you angels who can replenish light elements freely, gathering mana is very slow for me, so I have to conserve it..."


    The dagger sank into each lizard''s brain, Cysper swiftly ending their lives, then clearing out the entire pool in the same way - always striking vitals for one-hit kills. He strolled back without any wasted movements.


    "Impressive..."


    Brennan couldn''t help but praise. As a martial artist himself, he recognized Cysper''s formidable skills.


    "Actually in magic, Cysper is mainly limited by his mana reserves. If it were my body..."


    Perhaps feeling it was unwise to reveal the body-swapping secret in front of outsiders, Cyra stopped midway.


    Though Brennan and Yulanda didn''t quite understand, I knew what she meant. It seemed they had done quite a bit of research in this area.


    But come to think of it, since those two would likely continue swapping at night, could this secret really be kept?


    ...


    Even with five of us traveling together, our pace remained very fast. And for crossing the mountains, since Cyra and I were angels present, in places where we originally had to make a winding ascent, I carried one person in each hand while Cyra brought Cysper and we simply flew up, saving a lot of time.


    Though difficult to sustain for long periods, it was manageable for short bursts like this.


    By the time we set up camp to rest in the evening, we had covered over half the journey. We should reach our destination by noon tomorrow, much faster than expected.


    "We should actually be able to see Sulide Volcano from here, if only it wasn''t night..."


    Brennan turned around, gazing into the pitch black distance where nothing could be seen.


    "This time, you and Yulanda stay to start the fire and cook. Let us go hunting for meat, alright?"


    I pulled Cyra along and dragged the seated Cysper up from where he was about to start playing the lute again.


    "Don''t play the wandering bard. Come with us!"


    "Ah?"


    Looking bewildered, Cysper quickly got the idea and hurried after us.


    Truth be told, Brennan''s preparations were very thorough with ample food supplies. My real intention was to probe the Pope''s motives, making him reveal what he couldn''t say openly earlier in the day.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 65: Weakness

    "Hey, this so-called hunting is just an excuse, right? You don''t really believe it, do you?"


    Under the illumination spell, Cyra and I walked slowly, while Pope Cysper was restless. As a religious and national leader with a "high age" of thousands of years, he acted like a child, constantly running around us.


    Sometimes he curiously examined the roots and soil under trees with tools. Other times, he suddenly threw a light bolt into the distance, but hit nothing.


    "Of course I know! But even if it''s an excuse, we have to bring back some trophies when we return, or how can we explain to Yulanda and the others?"


    Seeing this, Cysper couldn''t help but click his tongue and casually replied. It''s unknown what prey he saw, but he didn''t seem satisfied with the previous attack. It was obvious that his efforts were futile, yet he refused to give up.


    "Besides, it''s rare to leave Jethrobaines. I''ve never seen the outside night before, let alone night hunting like this. Of course I can''t miss this opportunity!"


    "Is this really your first time leaving the holy city?"


    I couldn''t help but ask. I didn''t think he could catch anything. Although the Pope''s strength should be formidable, most animals have hidden away now, leaving few outside.


    "Remember when we swapped bodies, you warned me never to leave the city of Jethrobaines, saying it was life-threatening? But you didn''t mention the reason and told me not to casually reveal it. But now we''re so far away with no issues..."


    Like me, Cyra had bottled this up for a long time too, and could finally vent.


    "You''re not tricking me, are you?"


    "I indeed didn''t trick you. There are just some slight changes in the situation."


    Cysper shook his head and walked back from the darkness, surprisingly holding a rabbit! I didn''t expect he actually "got" prey.


    "Let me put it this way. As angels, you''ve probably noticed that I''m different from ordinary humans - my body is composed of light elements, just like you. But strangely, if I left a certain range of Jethrobaines before, the light elements forming my body would gradually dissipate, and my consciousness would fall into a coma and slowly die. So for thousands of years, I was trapped in the holy city and couldn''t figure out why."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Putting the trophy on the ground and not paying attention to us, Cysper briefly explained before diving back into the darkness to hunt again.


    "Body dissipating? How''s that possible! Then your current situation is..."


    Hearing this, I was shocked and sensed Cysper''s body again. It was exactly the same, with no signs of dissipating light elements, contrary to his words. It''s hard to believe this place was still within the holy city''s range. The only possibility is the "changes" he mentioned.


    "Could it be because we''re with you?"


    Though unclear on the reason, the only difference was our presence as angels. This also explains the bizarre attitude of the Pope''s entourage when seeing us off - perhaps they were testing if he could leave with us.


    However, Cysper''s voice came from the darkness to correct me.


    "Although I''m not sure, I think it has more to do with Cyra."


    "Me? No way!"


    Cyra opened her mouth in disbelief. But soon she reacted and tentatively asked, "Is it because we swapped?"


    "Those two things shouldn''t be related, right?"


    I glanced at her, unable to see how a soul swap relates to stopping the Pope''s body from mysteriously dissipating. But then again, the reason for their swap remains unknown, so it''s hard to discern any hidden factors.


    "That night when you took me outside Jethrobaines, I realized my inability to leave the holy city stemmed from my body, not soul. So I decided to take a risk. Actually, this trip was initially just an attempt - even I didn''t expect it to succeed!"


    Cysper emerged from the darkness again, this time empty-handed. It seems even the Pope couldn''t succeed on such a night with scarce prey.


    "No wonder you specifically asked when we''d leave after our first meeting. I thought you just wanted to see us off, but you had this intention too..."


    Connecting his series of actions, I finally understood the deeper motive behind it all.


    "But what''s really going on with your body? It''s too strange! What''s your background?"


    To be honest, I understand why Cysper hid this weakness from us initially. Since he''s willing to open up now, it shows his trust in us has deepened. At least we''re starting to understand each other, which can''t hurt. It may even help solve the mystery surrounding him.


    Cysper can''t recall his earliest memories, or if he even had any origins. His first impression was waking up in a corner of Jethrobaines city, with only the goal of reviving the True Church and some specific ideologies and methods in mind.


    Back then, Jethrobaines wasn''t as large as the current holy city, just a very small town - although still a place where the Church of Truth prevailed.


    Of course, Cysper wasn''t the Pope initially. But relying on his 100% light element affinity, he quickly gained many followers and began unifying the scattered True Church organizations across the continent. As he claimed, there were far fewer humans back then, most of whom believed in the True Church. As such, a unified religious nation - the Cresthaven Papal Dominion - was soon established.


    Although some other religious forces emerged over thousands of years, even attempting to challenge the True Church, under the mighty Star Glory Knights'' military might and with him, the "Child of God''s Favor" presiding, several religious wars later saw no other force capable of rivaling - they either perished or became heretical cults.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 66 - The Guardian Knights

    "Anyway, cannot completely remove the suspicion that this guy might be an incarnation of the God of Light..."


    After listening to Cysper''s explanation about his own origins again, I muttered to myself. Although I believed he did not lie to us, this inexplicable way of "descending" was really bizarre, inevitably making me link it to all sorts of deities and spirits.


    "So, can you fully trust me now? I have no ill intentions. It''s rare for me to finally come out to the world, so of course I don''t want to go back. Moreover, since this is related to you all, I naturally have to tag along! Besides, with my protection, this rescue mission will definitely be a breeze, right?"


    Cysper finished speaking and snapped his fingers in the air. Suddenly, two figures dropped down from a nearby tree - they were the Pope''s guards.


    "Unless there''s any mishap, you all must have noticed them. These two are my special guards. They have strength above the sixth rank, only slightly weaker than me. Dealing with a mere phoenix is child''s play!"


    "Fifth seat of the Star Glory Knight Guardian Squad - Ron Morse!"


    The two were both males, one old and one young. The young man who spoke was the source of the light element I had been sensing. He wore a church casual outfit, but the outer robe was draped over his shoulders instead of being worn properly. He had a blade of grass between his lips and his fringe was slicked back - he looked quite dashing. However, his nonchalant demeanor made it hard to tell he was a mage just from his appearance.


    "Be more serious! These two are Angel Ladies!"


    Cysper frowned and reprimanded him.


    "Uh...please forgive me, Ladies."


    Although Ron seemed a bit reluctant, he still spat out the grass blade and properly reintroduced himself.


    "Your subordinate sure has quite the personality..."


    Cyra teased, finding it rare to see a church member act this way towards angels. But the so-called personality didn''t just refer to his demeanor, but also his emerald green hair color.


    "Just for that hair color, I''ll forgive you naturally!"


    "Really? So Angel Lady like this color too!"


    To everyone''s surprise, Ron''s eyes lit up upon hearing this, as if he had received validation.


    "I just dyed it recently. The original golden color was too common, so I changed to a special color. But it seems the Pope doesn''t quite like it."


    He finished with a glance at Cysper.


    "No...haha, didn''t expect you to be so knowledgeable too!"


    Cyra laughed even harder, dramatically patting Cysper''s shoulder like good buddies, leaving the two guards gaping at their intimate interaction with an angel - probably a first.


    "First seat of the Star Glory Knight Guardian Squad - Mike Boyle!"


    The other guard looked much older, but was only in his middle ages compared to young Ron. I didn''t sense any light elements from him, so I wasn''t sure if he specialized in other magic or martial arts. But being the first seat, his strength must not be weaker than Ron''s.


    "Alright, now you two go do this for me: search the surrounding forests for some prey, or if you can''t find any, go buy some from the nearby towns and villages. We need to bring something back as proof."


    After their introductions, the Pope nodded and instructed them.  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Yes, Your Holiness!"


    The two responded and vanished from our sight, just like when they first appeared.


    "Not bad! Your subordinates really move like ninjas!"


    Cyra praised their suddenly appearing and disappearing techniques. But I was rather unfazed, since with my current strength I could barely do the same. It''s just a matter of stealth skills - if not mastered properly, it''s easy to make a blunder.


    "Ninjas? That term sounds familiar...does it mean being good at enduring? Well, come to think of it, it does seem to fit their situation. After all, I''ve made them hide and endure around me for almost a day..."


    Cysper''s eyes lit up as he stared in the direction they left, as if pondering something. It seemed he took the term quite seriously.


    "Too bad the Star Glory Knight Squad already exists. Looks like I''ll have to establish a new organization."


    "A ninja organization under the church?" I didn''t know how to react to his "brilliant idea". Fortunately he didn''t rename them on the spot, or I might have fainted.


    While waiting for the two guardian knights, Cyra took the opportunity to show me the results of her and the Pope''s research - body swap control.


    Previously, their swaps happened unexpectedly. The only pattern they could discern was that it must occur at night after both fell asleep. But after their repeated experiments, they could now actively enter the swapped state to some degree. This was really significant progress!


    "Actually, it doesn''t have to be nighttime, nor do we need to be asleep. As long as we both lose consciousness, the swap can potentially happen, though not with 100% success rate..."


    Cysper finished speaking and, without preamble, chopped at the back of Cyra''s head, startling me.


    "No choice, since angels are immune to hypnosis magic, I had to use this method."


    Cyra''s body swayed and finally collapsed to the ground unconscious, as Cysper explained apologetically.


    "Heh, you didn''t have to be so blunt, right? Couldn''t you have used hypnotic drugs instead?"


    I felt a twitch at the corner of my mouth, wondering if this was how they conducted their experiments - by knocking each other out?


    "Ah?"


    I didn''t know if he heard me, but Cysper suddenly shuddered all over, shaking his head, before speaking again with a slight change in tone.


    "Damn! Didn''t expect him to be so straightforward this time!"


    It was clearly Cyra speaking now, just in Cysper''s body as she responded to my question.


    "We did use hypnotic drugs in our previous experiments, and also a light element isolation device. But if only one person was asleep, the success rate was extremely low. So we usually took them together and waited for the swap."


    "...But he didn''t get knocked out just now, and the swap still happened?"


    I froze for a few seconds before realizing why Cysper didn''t use the drugs - the effects were too slow in this outdoor situation. As for the light element isolator, that was even more impossible.


    "Cases of just one side losing consciousness do occur, but with much lower success rates concentrated on Cyra''s side..."


    The "Cyra" on the ground also woke up, having not been out for very long. But when standing back up, someone else had taken over inside. Cysper rubbed the back of his head with clenched teeth as he explained.


    "That really hurt! Looks like I went overboard..."


    "Serves you right for pulling that stunt without warning! Now you have to bear the consequences!"


    Seeing his state, Cyra mocked him gleefully. This scene gave me a disorienting feeling - I couldn''t quite tell who was who for a moment.


    "How long does this swapped state last? How do you switch back?"


    Recalling their appearance the night before last, I rubbed my temples as well, though not the back of my head.


    On the surface, this swap seemed to enhance our combat strength since the light element expert Cysper in Cyra''s body could likely unleash more power. But on the flip side, Cyra was completely crippled - besides some light magic, she couldn''t do much else, let alone her half-baked swordsmanship! Currently possessing the Pope''s body might give her slightly better physical attributes, but otherwise she was about as capable as when her wings were concealed. One could say she lost all fighting ability, so it might even be better not to swap at all!


    "We haven''t completely figured out how to switch back, but it usually automatically reverts in a few hours, so no need to worry too much!"


    The "Cysper" who was actually Cyra replied nonchalantly, leaving me speechless again. A few hours...did that mean we had to "hunt" outside for that long? If it dragged on, Brennan and the others would definitely get anxious.


    "Your Holiness, we found a wild deer nearby. That should be enough, right?"


    At that moment, the two guardian knights returned carrying their "prey". A deer''s portion would be enough for us for several days. But my mind wasn''t on the food - Cysper and Cyra were still swapped, and one misstep could expose their unconventional behavior and arouse suspicion.


    Surely even Cysper himself wouldn''t want to reveal this body-swapping secret to his subordinates? I wondered how they would handle this situation.


    "Hmm, just leave it here and you''re dismissed. We''ll take it from here!"


    Unexpectedly, the "Pope" nodded calmly, giving the dead deer dropped by Ron an "authoritative" glance before casually instructing them.


    For a split second I thought they had swapped back. But I immediately realized it was Cyra deliberately acting as the Pope! It seemed they had put in quite some practice for situations like this.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 67: The Confused Switch

    "I understand..."


    Though the two guardian knights vaguely sensed something strange about the "Pope", they could never guess the truth behind it all. They simply gave Cyra a puzzled look before returning to the darkness.


    Of course, I knew they didn''t actually leave, but instead hid and lingered around us, continuing to secretly protect Cysper. I thought it wouldn''t matter if they revealed themselves since the Pope didn''t hide his identity anyway. But Cysper insisted on doing it this way, saying nicely that he didn''t want the journey''s excitement disrupted. So in the end, I could only let it be.


    After all, for someone who hadn''t traveled far for thousands of years, his obsession was quite strong.


    Since the two had practiced impersonating each other before, there was no need to wait until switching back to return to the camp.


    We had been gone for quite a while, so some preparations and simple food had already been made. Brennan and Yulanda were anxiously awaiting our return.


    However, the appearance of a deer had them excited again. After all, ingredients of that level were quite rare and best dealt with quickly. Unfortunately, the three of us had no experience in that area, so we could only sit and watch them work.


    "..."


    Seeing this, Cysper unexpectedly sighed, looking somewhat disappointedly at the ignored rabbit he had hunted himself. Disappointed, he could only pick up the lute he had tossed aside and begin playing his "Castle in the Sky" again.


    "Eh? Cyra, you can play the lute too?"


    Unable to resist the pleasing music, Yulanda turned her head, surprised to see it was not the Pope playing.


    "I think it sounds quite nice, the melody is beautiful. I''ve never heard this song before. Who would have thought angels could be so multi-talented!"


    Brennan hastily shared his opinion too.


    "You guys..."


    Hearing this, Cysper suddenly remembered he was currently Cyra and couldn''t help looking dumbfounded. But the redhead''s comment clearly irked him too. They had never commented when he played before, but switch bodies and suddenly someone was kissing up.


    "Well, angels do live very long, so learning an instrument probably isn''t that big a deal."


    Seeing this, Cyra hurriedly explained using Cysper''s body.


    "But didn''t she say last month that she was a newborn angel from that incident?"


    Brennan clearly didn''t believe the "Pope''s" words and immediately refuted them.


    "...Cyra has a great musical talent, in Edenmere we all fondly call her the Angel of Music!"


    I had no choice but to blatantly lie for them, not knowing if such lies would bring down lightning strikes upon me. Cyra was absolutely tone-deaf before; being tone-deaf doesn''t mean no musical sense at all, but she definitely had no special musical talent.


    "She''s just too perfect!"


    Yulanda gazed at the supposed "Cyra" and said. An angel, beautiful, and musically gifted! As a girl, she couldn''t help but envy her. Little did she know it was just a body swap - even the original guy was miles away from her imagination.


    This finally satisfied Brennan''s doubts. But the commotion had killed Cysper''s desire to keep playing. Cyra felt the same - after nearly exposing themselves, she didn''t dare act carelessly either. The two could only sit stiffly, awaiting the meal.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Let''s discuss tomorrow''s battle plan after eating! It looks like we''ll reach our destination in half a day at most. First, we need to deal with that phoenix. Without getting rid of it, we can''t enter the cave and those inside can''t come out."


    Brennan proposed, carrying his plate over.


    "Your Holiness, after helping us defeat the phoenix, will you join us in entering the cave? You''re not in a hurry to return to the holy capital, are you?"


    Yulanda was concerned about Cysper''s arrangements, certainly hoping for as much help as possible. The Pope was a formidable ally - even with Cyra and I as angels present, facing that phoenix-guarded cave made her feel a lack of confidence.


    "Of course! Of course I won''t leave so soon..."


    Seeing Yulanda''s gaze fixed on her, Cyra hesitated a moment before hurriedly answering for Cysper.


    "This trip will take me at least a few months, so I''ll definitely join you all in entering the cave!"


    This wasn''t a lie - Cysper had indeed told us this. His thinking was understandable; having finally escaped that "prison" he was trapped in for thousands of years, he certainly wanted to enjoy this freedom to the fullest. His previous attention to our departure stemmed from this too. As long as there was a glimmer of hope to leave, he would surely seize the opportunity and exhaust all means to try. If this happened to me, I believe I would be the same.


    "Are you sure you can neglect matters in the True Church and Cresthaven Papal Dominion for so long while away from the holy capital?"


    However, Brennan asked doubtfully. In his view, regardless of the Pope''s status, for a nation''s ruler to adventure with them and be away for so long seemed very strange.


    "No problem! The Pope has been running things in the holy capital for so many years, he surely has contingencies in place for when he''s away. A few short months will be no problem!"


    Seeing Cyra struggling to respond, Cysper hurriedly explained from an outsider''s perspective.


    "Yeah! I still have those cardinal subordinates, they can definitely handle things!"


    Hearing this, Cyra quickly agreed.


    "Oh..."


    During the meal, the two men had been sitting together, but Brennan carried his plate away with a look of disdain, sitting alone elsewhere. This puzzled me.


    "I never expected the Pope''s eating manners to be so effeminate, giving quite a delicate and feminine impression!"


    Yulanda whispered to me. Across from us, the supposed "Cysper" had unconsciously brushed aside his bangs several times, only for his current short hair to thwart the habit awkwardly.


    "Heh..."


    I felt the corner of my mouth twitch involuntarily, unsure how to react. If Cyra was just an ordinary girl it wouldn''t seem so strange. But the fact that she was in a different form made the situation bizarre.


    Then again, thinking further, it did seem normal. Having been here for months, her long hair often got in the way during meals, necessitating that motion - I did the same habitually without even noticing.


    Turning to the Cysper inhabiting Cyra''s body, the Pope''s noble upbringing gave him quite the elegant dining manner, even more refined than Cyra''s original self. Genteel and graceful, with the poise of a noble lady - giving me yet another sense of disorientation.


    I couldn''t help but bite down hard on a chunk of roasted venison. These two really needed to switch back soon, or I wouldn''t be able to take it!


    The next day at noon, we swiftly arrived at the cave entrance on Sulide Volcano''s mountainside where Adrian had entered. Covering the distance that normally took three days in just half the time was quite fast.


    Just as Brennan described, an immense phoenix lay resting before the cave mouth, as if napping. But we dared not approach recklessly, only observing cautiously from afar.


    Unlike the male phoenix Nicola had defeated in Makalan City, this female phoenix''s plumage lacked the male''s vibrant beauty, but her size was considerably larger, indicating greater strength. Moreover, the flames emanating from her body had charred all the surrounding vegetation, exposing a vast clearing that made sneaking in extremely difficult.


    "From this cave entrance, the interior space seems quite spacious, definitely able to accommodate a phoenix flying in. But it has only stayed outside all this time, unwilling to enter - it seems there really is an issue with this cave!"


    I scouted from the air above before reporting back to the others.


    My prolonged observation detected no signs of human activity within. I have no idea what situation Adrian and Vivianne encountered after entering. If all was well, they should have lingered near the entrance despite the phoenix''s presence.


    "So should we rashly charge in too, repeating their mistake? Or would it be wiser to make further preparations first, maybe even seek help from a nearby village?"


    Cyra suggested worriedly. She and Cysper had already switched back. The village she mentioned was the same one that issued the nine-headed serpent extermination quest to Vivianne''s group, located at the base of Sulide Volcano - likely the nearest village.


    "But if we do that, it will take too long. I''m afraid we''ll miss the chance to rescue Adrian and the others!"


    We had already come this far, it was unacceptable to just leave. Though I understood Cyra''s safety concerns had merit, I still shook my head, unwilling to give up so easily.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 68: Subduing the Phoenix

    "For now, we still have no leads on what''s happening inside the cave, so let''s not worry about that. Our immediate task is to deal with that phoenix!"


    After furrowing his brow in thought for a while, Brennan could only make this decision. He didn''t want to turn back and ask for more help, as that would waste several more days, by which time it might be too late.


    "But this phoenix is really stubborn! It''s been so long and it''s still guarding outside, with no intention of leaving," I said with a sigh of regret as I stared at the female phoenix in the distance.


    "I thought if it couldn''t stand it any longer and flew away, we could save some effort..."


    "I''m sorry, the previous teammates ransacked its nest, so the phoenix probably thought Vivianne did it, hence the deep resentment that makes it unwilling to leave," Yulanda answered apologetically. Although a divine beast, its lack of intelligence made it stubbornly single-minded. Of course, later when Adrian drove away the male phoenix and snuck back into the cave, successfully drawing more resentment, that was another important reason.


    "So it''s up to you now?" Cyra asked, turning her gaze to Cysper.


    With our current team''s strength, dealing with a phoenix shouldn''t be too difficult, not even requiring the two guardian knights secretly tasked with protection. But according to last night''s pre-battle meeting, Cysper, as the Pope and monarch of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion, naturally hoped to preserve the phoenix''s life as much as possible, making this rescue mission more challenging.


    There was no choice - we were currently in the Cresthaven Papal Dominion''s territory, and the phoenix was one of the rare divine beasts on the continent, considered an auspicious symbol by the residents of Makalan City. If a country could attract a phoenix to nest and settle in its territory, it would undoubtedly be something worth boasting about, its status far exceeding that of the giant pandas on Earth. So if the issue could be resolved through expulsion or appeasement rather than outright slaughter, that would be far better.


    "Feliciana, you just stay back and protect everyone!"


    No sooner had he spoken than Cysper took the lead and charged toward the phoenix. Since he had demanded not to kill it, it naturally fell to him to take on the main attack.


    "Tch, I''m an angel too, why wasn''t I mentioned?" Cyra muttered discontentedly, seeming unsatisfied with this arrangement.


    "Do you have any idea how capable you are?" I retorted. "At most, you''re about on par with Brennan right now." Cysper not mentioning her was already quite considerate.


    Still, I was equally curious - I had witnessed Cysper''s combat style against the mountain lizards before, but how would he deal with a higher-level opponent like the phoenix? Moreover, without wings and the ability to fly, the pressure must be immense.


    Sure enough, the phoenix lying on the ground noticed Cysper''s approach, immediately raising its head to glare at him with hostility and resentment, letting out shrill screeches.


    Then the battle began, as inevitable as can be.


    Not harming the phoenix''s life didn''t mean weapons couldn''t be used. Cysper still gripped his dagger, mainly to fend off the phoenix''s hard beak and claws. His speed was remarkable, his figure almost impossible to track.


    Most of the phoenix''s attacks missed their mark, whether diving from above or creating gales with its wings laced with searing flames - none could inflict any damage on him.


    After all, both their bodies were composed of light elements, granting them immunity to any energy attacks.


    From what I could tell, Cysper''s combat skills far surpassed the sixth rank, even exceeding Wozwal Hus who had tested me before!The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "So cool! I never expected the Pope, despite his lofty position for so many years, to possess such formidable skills!" Yulanda marveled from her hiding spot. "Considering he''s had virtually no records of battle, just being able to witness this is extremely fortunate!"


    According to intelligence, apart from being revered as the Pope of the True Church, Cysper also had a large female fan base across the continent due to his perpetually youthful appearance!


    "Of course, with that dashing and handsome face, how could he not be cool?" Cyra nodded vigorously in agreement upon hearing this.


    "Don''t tell me your angel friend has taken a liking to him too?" Brennan whispered to me. It was common knowledge that angels and the True Church didn''t get along, so Cyra''s evident good relationship with the Pope naturally raised questions.


    "You''re overthinking it..." I rolled my eyes, well aware of Cyra''s intentions. She was just being vain as usual! In my opinion, Cysper''s looks were at most elevated by his aristocratic bearing and lavish attire - nothing out of the ordinary.


    The battle raged on. After grappling with Cysper for a while and seeing none of its attacks were effective, the phoenix finally lost patience and unleashed its trump card - a breath of flames.


    "Oh crap!"


    Cyra cried out in alarm. Ill-timed, the phoenix''s breath was directed straight at us, and we had witnessed its range covering nearly half of Makalan City. At this short distance of a few dozen meters, there was no way to escape if unable to fly!


    Fortunately, I had prepared countermeasures, unleashing the advanced shielding spell I had practiced.


    Sanctuary of Light!


    Fortunately, I had prepared countermeasures long ago. The advanced spell I had practiced for some time could finally come in handy. Compared to the complex "Paradise Shockwave", this spell was relatively simple and barely drained my energy.


    The ferocious flames slammed against the light elemental barrier, erupting into a massive burst of dazzlingly bright sparks that forced everyone to raise their arms to shield their faces.


    "Whew, that was a close one. We almost got roasted..."


    This situation persisted for over ten seconds before gradually subsiding. After checking to confirm he had avoided accidental harm, Brennan stared at the overhead light dome with lingering trepidation and said to me.


    "That was a close one, we almost got roasted..." Brennan said with lingering dread after checking to ensure he wasn''t accidentally hit.


    "I''m impressed, that must be an incredibly powerful spell! You''ve improved a lot compared to before!"


    "Of course, I learned many useful things in Edenmere!" I replied with a smile, delighted that my studies had proven practical. Yulanda''s situation was similar, equally relieved to have survived unscathed.


    The power of the phoenix''s breath exceeded expectations - apart from our area and the space behind us, the surrounding fan-shaped region within nearly a thousand meters had been reduced to scorched earth. The sturdy trees didn''t even have a chance to burn, instantly carbonized into stunted stumps.


    Barring angels, who could withstand such might?


    Yet there was one exception...of course, referring to Cysper.


    Seizing the opportunity while the phoenix was exhaling, he had nimbly leapt onto its head, the surrounding flames unable to harm him in the slightest. Then, just like against the mountain lizards, he enveloped the phoenix''s head with the radiance of a sleep spell.


    It worked - the raging phoenix immediately calmed down, its eyes slowly closing as it collapsed to the ground while still posed mid-flight, the flames across its body gradually dissipating into nothingness.


    "Feliciana, quickly come cast a sleep spell too. My magic power alone can''t keep it asleep for long!"


    However, Cysper didn''t let his guard down, beckoning me over urgently. Without wings, no matter how many years he had trained, his magic reserves and potency ultimately couldn''t compare to an angel like me, even slightly inferior to Cyra''s two wings.


    "Oh, right, coming right away!"


    I flew over and cast another sleep spell on the phoenix. Only then did Cysper''s tension finally ease as he plopped down on the ground.


    "Whew, not easy at all. Fortunate that like you angels, I too have immunity powers. Otherwise, the outcome would be hard to say! Let me rest for a bit..."


    In truth, if he hadn''t insisted on sparing the phoenix''s life, this battle would have been quite simple, as there had been many opportunities to slay it.


    "Uh, before you rest, could you put some clothes on?"


    I glanced at him awkwardly. The phoenix''s fiery breath had completely incinerated his clothes, leaving the Pope practically naked before me.


    "...Sorry!"


    Alerted by my words, Cysper finally realized his state. Unfortunately, with no cover nearby, he could only turn around while covering his lower body, quickly retrieving a fresh set of clothes from his storage space.


    Well well, it didn''t seem that small after all! How could it possibly be as inadequate as Cyra claimed? Glimpsing his pale rear, I couldn''t help but shake my head in amusement.


    As an idol among the continent''s female population, Cysper''s physique was far more toned and proportioned than I had imagined, his muscles well-defined without being overly bulging. Completely different from the impression Cyrus had initially given me - clearly the result of arduous training!


    Alright, I was mainly concerned for the sake of Yulanda, who would be arriving soon. As a proper young lady, if she came across such a sight, she would undoubtedly be embarrassed. Besides, word getting out that the esteemed Pope of the True Church had been seen in the nude by a woman wouldn''t sound very good, would it?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 69: The Cage

    "Is it settled?"


    The others had been watching the events unfold here. Seeing Cysper get dressed, they immediately gathered around asking questions.


    "Don''t worry, in this situation, it will slumber for several days at least."


    I nodded in assurance. The hypnosis spell I used earlier consumed a lot of my light elemental power.


    "But what if it wakes up then, will it continue guarding this cave entrance? If we haven''t escaped by that time, won''t we have to fight it again?"


    Cyra asked with some concern.


    "No choice but to deal with it then. At least for now we have enough time for a rescue operation."


    Brennan shook his head.


    "If we''re lucky, maybe we can get Adrian and Vivianne out before it wakes up."


    He''s right, so what if we fight again? It would still be an easy victory. Now the priority is the rescue.


    Based on our earlier observations, this cave likely hides some unknown secret or even danger. Adrian and Vivianne may have encountered some mishap inside, otherwise with all the commotion we made out here, they should have come out to investigate.


    Of course, there could be another exit they escaped through, but that possibility is low.


    So even though we subdued the phoenix guarding the entrance, we can''t all rush inside blindly. That would be walking into a trap.


    Thus our next action was quickly decided - explore the cave!


    As for who would do the exploring...


    With Adrian and Vivianne being below 5th rank, their disappearances inside indicated that Yulanda and Brennan of similar strength would face the same fate if they went in. As the strongest in our group, this task naturally fell to Cysper and me.


    However, there was disagreement on how to proceed.


    "Why don''t I go in alone first? If both of us get stuck inside, then we''re completely out of chances. Plus with the phoenix lying there, it''s not very safe. Better to have a high-level fighter stay outside in case it wakes up."


    Cysper volunteered to take the lead, emboldened by his recent victory against the phoenix. But I immediately rejected his proposal.


    I insisted we enter together. I was confident about the phoenix''s state, but the situation inside was completely unknown. If we encountered formidable foes, we could support each other. Cysper''s strength was impressive, surpassing me in many areas, but he was not invincible yet.


    However, he remained adamant about going alone.


    "Why not have your two knight guards join too?"


    Seeing our argument drag on, Cyra couldn''t help butting in. Four people would make assigning roles easier, and the two knights were certainly qualified.


    "What knight guards?"


    Yulanda and Brennan were completely baffled, unaware of the two papal guards accompanying us! It was only after Cyra briefly explained that they understood.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Going by the light elemental aura, Mike and Ron were hiding in the nearby trees as ordered. During the earlier battle, they didn''t reveal themselves since Cysper wasn''t in danger.


    "No way! This rare vacation can''t be ruined by involving them."


    Here the arrogance of the long-reigning Pope resurfaced, as he rejected even Cyra''s suggestion.


    Ah I see now, Cysper simply wants to venture alone! The dangerously mysterious cave exploration holds immense allure for this ancient monster confined to the Holy City his whole life. Having company would vastly reduce the "thrill".


    "This isn''t child''s play, didn''t your long life teach you we only get one chance?"


    I massaged my temples. Has he wasted all those centuries? To not understand this simple wisdom! I thought he was wisely humble, but it seems he''s truly naive.


    "Even a short life holds value if one deems it worthwhile! Though I''ve lived long, it hasn''t been the blissful existence you imagine. Have you considered my feelings? To endure the same tedium day after day, no matter the lifespan, is utter torment!"


    Cysper insisted passionately, a rare melancholic look crossing his face.


    "At times I''ve wondered if I committed some grave sin that the Lord punishes me for with this existence...this vacation is a millennial opportunity to truly live..."


    In that moment, I felt thunderstruck - his words made profound sense.


    Perhaps we overlooked the Pope''s true feelings about being confined to Jethrobaines for thousands of years.


    Thousands of years! Not a short few decades one can fathom. Moreover, even if he can leave now, it''s temporary. Cysper must rely on Cyra or us angels to go anywhere, a situation that cannot last forever. Eventually we''ll part ways and he''ll return to the Holy City to remain its Pope indefinitely.


    Jethrobaines is his home, his base, yet also his eternal cage!


    Cyra clearly recognized this too, standing silently with a pained look.


    As for Brennan and Yulanda, unaware of the Pope''s past inability to leave the Holy City, they simply watched our exchange in confusion.


    "Uh..."


    Seeing everyone''s silence, the mood turned somber. Perhaps feeling he went too far, Cysper calmed down and backtracked awkwardly.


    "Maybe I overstated things. You raise fair points - even the phoenix feared entering this cave. Venturing in alone does carry risk."


    "How about this - have your two guards enter first to scout ahead. If it''s safe, then you can follow alone as the second wave. What do you think?"


    Though unclear on Cysper''s background, Yulanda understood his desire for solo adventure. As long as the serious risks were minimized, a compromise could be reached.


    "No problem!"


    This time Cysper agreed amiably. And so the dramatic plan was set.


    The rest was straightforward - the two knights readily accepted the scouting task.


    "May the Lord be with you! Stay safe, and if you return unharmed, don''t reveal what''s inside!"


    Before Mike and Ron entered the cave, Cysper specifically instructed them not to "spoil" anything. In a large cave system, there were likely forks, so they may not encounter the same "storyline".


    "Yes sir!"


    Just like before, Ron had a dog-tail grass blade in his mouth as he gave a simple reply. Then he and Mike headed into the cave.


    "Now we wait."


    Watching their figures disappear into the darkness, we had nothing to do but rest up and kill time outside.


    Having played too many card games recently, even Cyra was bored with poker. Out of boredom, she set her sights on the sleeping phoenix, actually wanting to pluck some feathers as souvenirs! This gave me quite a fright and I quickly stopped her mischief. The sleep spell wasn''t a stun - too much external stimulus risked disrupting its effects.


    Time trickled by slowly...


    "It''s been hours, why aren''t they back yet?"


    Brennan checked his portable magic clock, frowning at the tranquil cave entrance.


    "Don''t tell me something happened? Those two guards are 6th rank fighters..."


    Yulanda worriedly added.


    "What''s the actual level of your two guards compared to you?"


    I asked the resting Cysper. Though all 6th rank, there were sub-tiers - like my recent strength certification assessed me at the low 6th rank by examiner Wozwal Hus. Though far below me in magic ability, Cysper''s combat technique and physique were unmatched, placing him solidly in the mid-6th tier at least. Likewise, that phoenix, while weaker than him, was probably in this tier too.


    "Ron is a bit weaker than me, reaching 6th rank not long ago. But the brat is very clever at applying his skills. And his roguish attitude hides his absolute loyalty to me - in tricky situations, I always bring him along. As for Mike..."


    Cysper mused for a moment before elaborating candidly.


    "A year ago he was barely 3rd rank. But his faith in the Lord is unquestionable! Then in an accident he awakened his battle qi, so I specially promoted him to lead knight of the Star Glory Knights as a priority trainee. Now he should be mid-6th rank? Going all out, he''s perhaps a notch below me, but given time he''ll definitely surpass me and even have a slim chance at 7th rank. Though his age limits him to peaking there..."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 70: Entering the Cave

    "You mean Mike was only 3rd rank a year ago?"


    I was truly dumbfounded. What superhuman speed! For humans, strength growth is usually very slow, whether in magic or combat vocations - you have to start training the basics from a young age. For someone like Ron or Eleanora to reach 6th rank before even turning 20 makes them prodigies among prodigies. A country might see only around ten such cases per century.


    ""It''s normal for battle qi cultivation to progress that rapidly...But I never expected to actually witness an awakened one here - it''s truly an incredible rarity.""


    Yulanda pondered, not seeming too surprised, before explaining to us.


    Awakening battle qi is indeed miraculous! Once awakened, one''s strength invariably soars. Of course, depending on the awakened type, the growth rate varies. Mike''s rapid progression is still quite rare for his age.


    "He''s mainly using battle qi to reinforce himself, hence the quick growth. But compared to those using it directly for combat, his battle prowess may be a bit weaker."


    Cysper nodded in explanation.


    Battle qi is truly an amazing thing! Not limited to the forms depicted in earthly entertainment, it seems to have far broader applications in this world, able to accomplish almost anything!


    Alas, it''s hampered by the scarcity of those who awaken it. An awakened battle qi master is a strategic-level asset in any country, so research into it remains incomplete.


    Cysper and Yulanda enthusiastically discussed the topic at length. As complete novices, Cyra and I could barely follow, but still learned many fresh and useful things.


    In summary, without awakening battle qi, even the most talented magic-users or warriors can only reach the mid-6th rank at best. Historically, the highest unawakened human rank is just grazing the 6th tier''s threshold amidst much debate, let alone advancing to 7th rank or beyond.


    As for Cysper, his existence exceeding the mid-6th tier is already an anomaly. But being wholly light-attuned, he cannot awaken battle qi, leaving him stuck around that level. Who knows how many more years it will take to reach the higher 6th rank tiers, truly personifying Elara''s remark that "human peak strength relies wholly on battle qi."


    "I can''t wait any longer! It seems they''ve likely encountered some mishap inside, so we must proceed to the next plan!"


    After another hour, Brennan grew restless and stood up.


    "But if even the battle qi user Mike is stuck in there, wouldn''t us going in be walking into the same trap?"


    Cyra''s bravery had utterly deflated. Recalling her boldness leaving Edenmere, the numerous brushes with danger had made her increasingly cautious.


    "We can''t just abandon them in there!"


    Cysper shook his head insistently. Great, we''ve now lost two more elite fighters. The original rescue has become a mission to also rescue them, leaving me quite vexed.


    But I understood his feelings. The two Star Glory knights were valuable True Church assets, especially Mike the battle qi user - as Pope, he couldn''t abandon them.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Likewise, I wouldn''t leave Adrian and Vivianne either. So despite the confirmed dangers ahead, the rescue had to proceed, but with enhanced safety measures.


    It was strange, really. Ron and Mike were over 6th rank, considerably powerful. Even against formidable foes, for them to completely disappear without a trace seemed improbable.


    Take Mike for instance.


    With his inhuman physical abilities from battle qi, he could literally smash through and escape. For both to silently vanish was highly unlikely.


    After analyzing it, we concluded they were likely still alive, probably just hopelessly lost inside the complex passages. But to me, that reasoning felt flawed. With Adrian''s vast adventuring experience, how could he get so easily disoriented?


    "Looks like I''ll need to trouble you again..."


    After pacing at the cave entrance, I made up my mind and apologetically asked Cyra.


    "In this situation, just us few may not uncover what''s really going on inside. So we need more outside help. The village down the mountain is too small - we must return to Jethrobaines for reinforcements! And you''re the fastest, so I can only ask you."


    As True Church''s headquarters, even if the Adventurers'' Guild lacked manpower, the Church would not ignore this, especially with Cysper insisting on entering.


    While Cysper''s body may start dissipating by Cyra''s departure, I anticipate her swift return. Given the grave circumstances, we believe taking this risk is warranted.


    "What about you, are you going in too?"


    Cyra agreed readily but looked at me doubtfully.


    "Exactly! Cysper going alone is too risky, so I''ll join him to support each other."


    I nodded matter-of-factly. At this critical juncture, Cysper had abandoned his earlier notion of solo exploration. But just waiting around for reinforcements would seriously delay matters - a return trip alone would take over three days!


    So before help arrived, Cysper and I might as well venture inside again to investigate.


    "Wait! If Cyra returns to Jethrobaines, and you two enter the cave, what if something happens to you too? Won''t it just be us two left?"


    Brennan was dumbfounded by our arrangement. As barely 5th rank fighters, being left with a formerly rampaging phoenix for extended periods, even in slumber, would be immensely stressful.


    Now not even the angelic Cyra could "keep face" for them - the psychological burden was evident.


    "Idiot, if anything seems off you can just flee!"


    Cyra sighed, patting Brennan''s shoulder in exasperation before whispering something in his ear, glancing between Cysper, me and the sleeping phoenix mysteriously.


    "What are you two doing?"


    Brennan''s face immediately reddened as he nodded furiously, as if Cyra had struck a nerve, piquing my curiosity.


    "Nothing, just some advice you wouldn''t understand!"


    Cyra waved me off before spreading her wings to fly towards the Holy City for reinforcements.


    "Be careful, Edenmere likely can''t be counted on for a while, so don''t overdo it!"


    "Tch..."


    Watching her disappear into the distance, I couldn''t help clicking my tongue. Since the tight-lipped Brennan refused to explain, I instructed him instead.


    "Then let''s tie a rope around me first!"


    With the painful lessons from the two missing guards, as inconvenient as this precaution was, it became necessary to prioritize safety.


    Of course, the rope''s length only supported a few hundred meters. If exceeding that, other arrangements were needed. As for who it bound to, Cysper generously deferred to me.


    "If we run into any trouble, give three sharp tugs as a warning signal. Then you all outside can quickly pull me out! Likewise, if anything happens out here, use the same method to alert us to retreat!"


    Before entering, Cysper laid out the detailed plan.


    "Well I have wings, so I can evacuate quickly. Tying the rope to you is probably more practical..."


    I said sheepishly. With only one rope, if some unforeseeable incident trapped us inside, it seemed only I would get rescued while he remained behind.


    "No problem, the situation inside is unpredictable. What if the space gets too confined for your wings to work?"


    But Cysper shook his head, politely rejecting my offer to swap.


    "Besides, I could never explain it to the Lord if something befell an angel because of me."


    How vastly different he was from the former Cyrus despite the same face...


    The second exploratory mission began!


    This cave''s front section proved quite spacious at least.


    Just past the entrance tunnel opened into an expansive cavern. We weren''t on the bottom, but atop a sheer cliff midway up. Below was a deep, eerie blue pool, while the ceiling''s stalactites weren''t very long, indicating a relatively recent formation time.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 71: Initial Exploration

    "Tsk tsk, this is my first time inside a cave. No amount of descriptions or books can truly recreate this scenery!"


    Cysper excitedly looked around, levitating some magic light orbs. The sights before him were an eye-opening novelty that he couldn''t stop marveling at.


    "Our purpose is search and rescue, don''t let your guard down."


    I quickly reminded him. Though unique, these formations were still within normal bounds - I''d seen similar scenes on TV and videos back on Earth, of course.


    "Ah yes, of course!"


    Cysper snapped out of his reverie.


    "I sense an abnormal light elemental aura here. Logically, this sunless place should have very little light essence. There must be something amiss in this cave!"


    "You''re right, and it''s not just light essence..."


    Accounting for the pool below, the water elemental levels still seemed unusually high. I suspected other elemental anomalies we couldn''t detect lacking the respective affinities.


    If Nicola were here, she could have clarified the wind elemental situation.


    This space didn''t seem natural, with signs of artificial excavation - the suspiciously smooth rock walls alone were peculiar enough. But the circular stairway descending gently to the pool''s edge from where we stood was truly bizarre.


    Though heavily eroded, the stairs'' existence alone raised many questions.


    "Let''s proceed!"


    Cysper noticed too but didn''t comment, simply nodding before heading down the stairs to explore further.


    The cavern floor was littered with intricate footprints, confirming our predecessors had passed through here. For now, we seemed in relatively safe territory, though clearly not the final destination.


    "Perhaps Brennan and Yulanda could take shelter here if needed. Even if we also run into trouble, at least the phoenix won''t be a worry."


    I suggested thoughtfully.


    "Let''s explore further before deciding..."


    Cysper pondered briefly before pointing ahead without objecting.


    At the pool''s edge, we found another small opening - the only exit from this cavern besides the entrance tunnel.


    "From the looks of it, the path ahead isn''t complex. The others must have gone through here."


    Exchanging a glance, Cysper and I unhesitatingly entered, trailing the safety rope.


    The passage was better than expected - narrower than before but not treacherous. Aside from occasional water dripping on our necks, nothing was particularly uncomfortable so far, with our precautions proving unnecessary yet.


    However, the smooth going didn''t last long. Illuminated by our magic lights, we soon reached a fork where the rope also ended its stretch.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "With only two paths, how could they possibly get lost..."


    Staring down the branching tunnels, Cysper seemed perplexed, referring of course to Ron and Mike.


    From what we''d explored, the cave didn''t appear overly complex so far, making their unexplained disappearance all the more bizarre.


    "Mike! Ron! Can you hear me?"


    After hesitating, Cysper took a deep breath and shouted ahead. The deafening echoes reverberated slowly down both pitch-black tunnels, fading into silence.


    But as expected, we received no response.


    "Maybe we should turn back..."


    The eerie silence sent a chill down my spine. Being this deep underground with only two of us, surrounded by complete darkness but our illumination orbs - even as powerful as we were, a sense of vulnerability creeped in.


    Moreover, proceeding further exceeded the safety rope''s reach. With such precedents, I didn''t dare rashly advance. We needed to regroup first, especially to update Brennan and Yulanda on our findings so far.


    "Alright!"


    Cysper didn''t object, taking the lead back. But just as we turned around, I thought I heard some strange sound drift from somewhere - one moment like shifting sand, the next like branches rubbing in the wind.


    The noise came and went in an instant. But Cysper showed no reaction, likely not hearing it at all.


    Perhaps just my imagination?


    I silently wondered, shaking my head to catch up behind him.


    Thankfully, our return journey remained uneventful, contrary to my worries. As we exited the cave entrance, the waiting Brennan and Yulanda immediately approached.


    "That''s great! Did you find anything?"


    "Nothing special..."


    I shook my head and briefly recounted our findings inside. Upon hearing about the fork, Brennan deduced it was likely just the beginning - more branches probably lay ahead, explaining why the others couldn''t find their way out.


    "So what do we do next, give up?"


    I asked worriedly. With the safety rope exhausted, further exploration risked facing unknown perils. But abandoning our comrades potentially trapped and awaiting rescue was unacceptable.


    "Well it''s getting late, let''s rest and figure it out."


    Our safe return from the second foray renewed everyone''s confidence. Unable to devise a solution immediately, Yulanda suggested resting first.


    Since we confirmed the front cave section was relatively safe, we could camp inside instead of outside tonight.


    After dinner around the campfire, we sat in contemplative silence. Stalled by this seemingly mundane obstacle, nobody knew how to proceed while awaiting suggestions.


    The cave''s lack of overt strangeness was paradoxically more unsettling - it seemed too ordinary given the disappearances within. People don''t just vanish into thin air.


    The exhausted safety rope was also problematic. Though of limited use in an emergency, it provided a psychological safeguard. Without it, weren''t we as vulnerable as the missing Ron and Mike now?


    "There''s wind picking up..."


    Suddenly, Cysper seemed to notice something amidst the night mountain breeze. He immediately stood and headed into the cave entrance.


    "Huh?"


    Puzzled by his intent, I watched him go as Brennan and Yulanda hurriedly followed.


    The inky blackness inside remained unchanged from daytime. By the time we caught up, Cysper stood alone by the pool, eyes fixed on the inner tunnel mouth.


    "Did you find something?"


    I asked, his purpose evident.


    "There''s airflow in this cave, meaning another exit exists!"


    Cysper nodded, gesturing ahead.


    "Another exit? Impossible!"


    Brennan protested in disbelief. We had considered this scenario before - if so, Adrian and Vivianne should have escaped long ago. Why no word until now?


    But Cysper was right - though lacking wind affinity, I could still sense basic airflow. Unnoticeable earlier, it grew stronger now by the entrance with the outside winds, undoubtedly indicating an exterior exit deep within.


    "So Adrian and Vivianne noticed this too? They tried finding an alternate route after the phoenix blocked the entrance?"


    Yulanda excitedly deduced, her doubts assuaged.


    Our lingering question of why they ventured further despite the phoenix''s deterrence now had an elegant answer - they discovered another way out.


    "I say we don''t even need to wait for Cyra and the reinforcements! Just follow this airflow and we can reach the other exit to find them."


    Cysper rubbed his hands enthusiastically, about to charge inside.


    "Hey wait up, we''re doing this together remember?"


    I swiftly grabbed his arm. Letting him proceed alone seemed unwise, better we move as a pair.


    Truth be told, I agreed with Cysper''s reasoning. Even with support arriving in three days, the path revealed so far gave little advantage. Sending Cyra for reinforcement was an unavoidable contingency for a seemingly complex maze. But that no longer appeared necessary. We might as well venture ahead promptly!


    With this guiding airflow, we risked less chance of getting lost too - an opportunity not to waste.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 72: The Legendary Ghost Walls

    "No problem!"


    Of course Cysper would not refuse. Although the discovery after the wind boosted his confidence, the situation was still not optimistic enough for him to act alone, so he naturally would not oppose me joining him.


    And so the third exploration was decided on the spot!


    Brennan and Yulanda remained guarding the cave entrance, with everything the same as before except for the safety rope. Cysper and I once again entered the mysterious cave full of the unknown.


    Although this was a night operation, it made no difference inside the cave where there was no distinction between day and night. Any difficulties could be solved by a glowing magic light ball, or two if needed!


    "If this was man-made, who built it?"


    Along the way, I asked Cysper idly. The path before the fork was quite long, with almost identical scenery in the tunnels. To dispel the tension, I had to find some topics to chat about.


    "Not sure, I''ve never heard of such a place..."


    Although this place was near the border of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion and the Astralrealm Kingdom, it was still within the True Church''s sphere of influence. Yet it had existed for thousands of years undetected right under his nose - very unusual.


    "So even the Pope who''s lived thousands of years isn''t all-knowing, and even lost two Star Glory knights!"


    I couldn''t help teasing him.


    "If this gets out, it''ll definitely disappoint many fans and believers!"


    "Who says? We''re looking for them right now!"


    Cysper hurriedly defended himself.


    "Although I don''t know its origins, judging from the erosion level, this place may have existed much longer than I have. So it''s normal I don''t know about it!"


    I couldn''t help feeling amused. In a sense, the Pope and Cyra do share some personality similarities - both love to show off.


    However, all the chatting and joking didn''t make things develop in a good direction. The bizarre finally happened when we reached the previous fork. What greeted us was not the expected two paths, but four!


    "This...can''t be! How did two more suddenly appear? Did we miss them before?"


    I felt a chill rise from my feet that pierced through my entire body and head.


    "Impossible!"


    Cysper was also dumbfounded. The paths were so wide, we couldn''t have possibly missed them even if blind in one eye.


    "An illusion spell?"


    Since illusions usually work by distorting light, as an angel, I had the most authority on whether what we saw was an illusion.


    But I didn''t detect any abnormal activity of light elements, so...


    "Maybe we should head back and rethink this!"


    Feeling a chill down my spine, I hurriedly suggested.


    "Agreed!"


    He didn''t care about the details anymore and quickly pulled me to turn back.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    But the situation wasn''t as smooth as last time. After running back along the tunnel for a while, when we finally reached the front exit, it wasn''t the familiar lakeshore that greeted us, but another fork in the path.


    This time was different again - the path ahead split into three ways.


    "We''re doomed, this place must be haunted!"


    My legs almost went soft as I trembled, "Maybe this cave is some ancient tomb, and all those grave robber stories flashed through my mind."


    "What ghosts? An angel is afraid of ghosts?" Cysper looked calm, but his hand was gripping a lute out of nowhere.


    "What''s that for?"


    I rolled my eyes that he would take out a lute at a time like this.


    "To liven up the atmosphere of course!"


    He flashed an ugly grin and started playing the age-old ''Castle in the Sky'' without warning.


    Unfortunately, whether due to his shaky hands affecting the quality or not, in this enclosed cave environment the tune sounded distorted. Combined with the distant echoes, the music took on an eerie, scary vibe.


    "Stop playing!"


    I couldn''t stand it anymore and pressed his fingers down on the strings. As soon as the words left my mouth, that familiar


    "rustle rustle, swoosh swoosh"


    sound suddenly emerged from somewhere, adding an eerie feel to the silence that had just returned.


    "Did you hear that?"


    Goosebumps instantly covered my whole body. So the mysterious sound I thought I heard before really did exist.


    "Of course! My ears aren''t deaf, I definitely heard it..."


    Even Cysper, the "Child of Divine Grace" who had lived a thousand years, was starting to crack under this situation.


    "Maybe, maybe it''s just the wind blowing through the cave tunnels!"


    "Who knows whether it''s the wind..."


    His pallid excuse was naturally unconvincing to me. But there was indeed a light breeze blowing from the other end of the tunnel behind us, which tugged at my heart a little.


    Wasn''t the original reason for re-entering to find out if there was another exit? Although I didn''t understand what situation we were in, the direction of the airflow in the cave should remain unchanged. Perhaps this could be used to break through our current predicament?


    "The leftmost one!"


    Standing before the three forked paths, after some testing, Cysper quickly came to a conclusion.


    We didn''t dally any longer and immediately ventured into the leftmost tunnel. But we didn''t go far before hearing that bizarre sound again, as if it was following our movements.


    "Never mind it, let''s find a way out first!"


    Looking up at the ceiling but seeing nothing, Cysper could only steel himself and urge me to keep going. I don''t know if it was because we found the right path, but after passing through a few more forks the same way, the strange sound started appearing more and more frequently, and even seemed to change slightly.


    "Keep going! It''s been a while since we encountered any more forks, so this path may lead to the final exit!"


    Cysper said confidently, even starting to run towards the end. However, the summoned magic light ball followed my movements, so when he ran ahead, he disappeared into the darkness in front.


    "Hey, wait for me, don''t run so fast!"


    Seeing this, I didn''t dare lag behind and hurried to catch up. But at this moment, the bizarre surrounding sounds suddenly changed drastically again. At the same time, Cysper''s footsteps ahead abruptly vanished into thin air.


    "Cysper?"


    This can''t be, right? Sensing something was off, I quickly stopped and called out tentatively.


    "Pope?"


    "Garrick?"


    But there was no response, no matter how loudly I called out. It was like throwing a stone into the ocean - not the slightest reaction.


    "Don''t...don''t scare me!"


    Who could withstand this? In this ominous cave, the companion who was just walking ahead vanished without a trace, leaving only me alone in the creepy underground. The surroundings fell into an eerie silence, as if even a dropped pin could be heard.


    Admittedly, I was almost in tears. But no matter what, it wouldn''t change the reality. Even using the magic light balls to fully illuminate the controllable tunnel area, there was still no sign of Cysper.


    "I''m doomed!"


    Alright, I was truly alone now. After standing dazed for a long while, I finally had to face this fact. Mustering my courage, I could only continue forward to search for the exit.


    Although I didn''t know where Cysper went or if he was alive or dead, he had at least pointed me in the direction of escape. If nothing went wrong, this path should eventually lead to the exit, right?


    That''s all I could pray for now. Oddly enough, that eerie sound never emerged again after that, as if it had never existed.


    I walked alone along the tunnel, with only the light ball accompanying me. Fortunately, before disappearing, Cysper had more or less indicated the direction, so it didn''t take too long before a faint white light appeared at the end of the path, shining down from the tunnel''s exit above.


    I finally made it! But it seemed a bit strange...


    "Huh, is it daytime already?"


    Counting the time, it should only just be midnight, right? I suddenly recalled a detail I had almost overlooked. So this wasn''t actually sunlight?


    However, the increasingly strong elemental aura of light coming from ahead showed this was no illusion, and was even higher than usual daylight levels.


    In any case, having abundant light elements to replenish was undoubtedly good. Reinvigorated, I dashed towards the exit.


    The exit was above, meaning I had been traveling underground tunnels this whole time. Looking outside through the cave opening, I could clearly see the azure sky and shadows of tree leaves and grass.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 73 - Reunion

    No doubt about it! It was clear that no matter how you looked at it, the situation outside was much better than the cave I was in!


    What was I waiting for? I immediately spread my wings and flew out. But the moment I left the underground passage, for some reason, a very vague and strange feeling suddenly emerged in my mind.


    It was like everything around me had frozen, but in reality it was completely normal, as if it was just an illusion.


    However, at the same time, I heard that eerie sound again, but this time it was much clearer. It was so clear that for a moment I could understand a small part of the vague meaning contained in the sound.


    "...restart complete...login...successful! Jilllll! Due to...invasion...lockdown...increase rate..."


    Could this actually be a voice prompt? I suddenly realized.


    Unfortunately, the part I could hear clearly was still too little. Those few scattered words meant I couldn''t understand the specific meaning at all. Not that I could worry about that now anyway¡ª


    The sight in front of me made me completely shocked.


    Dense trees, green grass, I had unknowingly ended up in a forest! Was this the foot of Volcano Sulide?


    But it didn''t seem to be! There were no volcanoes around. Although there was indeed a mountain below, it would be more appropriate to call it a hill than a volcano.


    "????"


    So where exactly had I ended up? I hovered in the air, dumbfounded for a moment.


    And the time also seemed off!


    I took out my portable magic clock and looked at it over and over again. The hands were still stopped around midnight. For some reason, it shouldn''t be this bright if it was normal!


    I looked back at the cave entrance I had come from, but the terrain below was covered by dense branches and weeds, so I could no longer see where the entrance was.


    But it didn''t matter, I absolutely didn''t want to go back to that eerie mountain cave! Although the situation outside also made me feel confused, at least it wasn''t as creepy and terrible as before. At most, the plot was just like before - I had unknowingly been transferred to another place again. No problem, I''ll just fly back!


    I was used to this kind of thing!


    "Maybe I should figure out where I am first..."


    Grumbling to myself, I couldn''t help but feel a little anxious. Gazing into the distance, I talked to myself, only able to cheer up to resolve the predicament in front of me.


    To be honest, I still didn''t know what had happened to Cysper. The two of us entered the cave, but only one person came out. The passage in the cave became very narrow later on, so there was no way he could have secretly circled around to my back.


    If Cysper really did disappear in the passage as I suspected, I couldn''t imagine where he might have ended up. I just hope he''s okay.


    Turning back to the present, even though I didn''t know where this place was, that didn''t mean there was no solution. This forest wasn''t actually that big. Luckily, not far from the edge of the woods, I saw a small village. A village meant there had to be people living there! I just had to go ask.


    It didn''t take long to fly over to the target.


    This was a small village, but I didn''t dare just barge in and start asking questions. After all, with the experience of being mysteriously transported to the Dark Continent last time, who knows if this might also be a "monster village" where I could get surrounded and eaten.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    But in fact, my worries were unnecessary. Moreover, the surrounding lush vegetation was completely unlike the Dark Continent. After observing people active below from a high vantage point, I ended my observation, landed safely outside the village, retracted my wings and walked in on foot.


    "Excuse me, what is this place?"


    As I passed by a house, a woman came out, so I quickly stopped to ask her. However, she just gave me a blank look, completely ignoring me. She then lowered her head and went about her own business.


    "..."


    What was that about? Maybe the person was just cold by nature. I stood there for a while, but had to give up.


    There were other people in the village besides her anyway.


    In the open space at the center of the village, a few children were happily playing. I was about to approach and grab one of them to ask questions, but unexpectedly I saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the open area.


    "Vivianne?"


    No mistake, it really was her! Although it had been a long time, I recognized her at first glance.


    Vivianne was staring blankly at the children playing in the open area. Hearing me call out, she immediately turned her head, recognizing me with a very surprised look on her face!


    "Feliciana? How did you end up here?"


    "Of course I came to rescue you!"


    I answered happily. I had finally found her! Although this exploration took a long time and I experienced all kinds of dangers, at least nothing serious happened and the hard work wasn''t wasted.


    "Huh? Rescue me?"


    But her reaction was strange, as if she didn''t understand my rescue attempt.


    "How could that be!"


    "What? Weren''t you being hunted down by  a phoenix and that''s why you hid in that cave?"


    I felt confused. Could Yulanda have hidden something? Was there another story behind this?


    "That''s right..."


    Vivianne shook her head to clarify.


    "But how did you find out so quickly that I was here? It''s unbelievable!"


    "Quickly? I don''t think so!"


    Her response made me completely dumbfounded. It had been almost a month! How could she call that quick? Maybe something happy happened here, so she was not thinking straight with joy?


    I started imagining nonsensical things...


    "Never mind, do you know where this is? Based on past experience, maybe we were spatially transferred from that cave to somewhere very far from the original place!"


    Shaking my head hard, I decided not to worry about that for now. The top priority was to find everyone who entered the cave, then figure out a way for us all to go back together.


    "And have you seen Adrian?"


    If I ran into Vivianne here, then maybe Adrian also came to this area. It''s possible the two of them already met up. Of course, considering what happened to Cysper, it was hard to be sure if Adrian also disappeared into thin air in that cave or not.


    "Adrian? Why would you say that?"


    Vivianne stared at me strangely, as if trying to see through me.


    "You haven''t seen him? A few days ago he also entered that cave to try to rescue you..."


    Seeing her response, I couldn''t help but feel disappointed. Although it wasn''t an outright denial, the conclusion was already obvious.


    It shouldn''t be like this. Since even Vivianne could safely pass through the labyrinth in the cave and come to this place, with Adrian''s ability, he shouldn''t have had any major problems either.


    Of course, I couldn''t rule out the possibility that he went the wrong way, because without being able to fly and observe from above, he might not be able to immediately find this place. If that were the case, going the wrong way would make total sense.


    But if that was really the situation, finding him would be troublesome. What''s more, he and Cysper weren''t the only ones who had lost contact - that cave was too ominous!


    "Actually, besides Adrian, there were two others..."


    I pondered for a moment, then looked up and continued. But at that instant, I caught a glimpse of a metallic gleam suddenly coming at me. In the emergency, I quickly retreated, spreading my wings to dodge into the air.


    That was too close! Who was attacking me?


    I was scared out of my wits. Luckily I looked up half a second earlier. If I was any later, in my state with retracted wings, the opponent''s weapon would probably have pierced straight through my chest.


    But when I saw clearly who had attacked me from below, I could hardly believe my eyes.


    "Why?"


    It was none other than Vivianne who had thrust that strike at me! She was now holding up her long spear, saying in surprise:


    "Are you really an angel? How''s that possible! Or is it that recent disguise magic can even mimic flight now? But unfortunately for you, you overlooked one detail - Feliciana only has four wings, and she''s only at the third rank, there''s absolutely no way she could have dodged my strike that nimbly!"


    "What do you mean disguise magic..."


    I finally understood what was going on, feeling a bit helpless but also amused. So she thought I was an impersonator! But her comment about "third rank" really hurt! Didn''t she know people can grow and improve?


    Okay, while it''s true that I''m not human anymore, and this growth rate does seem a bit fast compared to other angels...


    "You''re mistaken, I really am Feliciana, not an impersonator, believe me!"


    Although I didn''t know why she was so convinced I was a fake, I still tried to reason with her from the air.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 74 - Time Difference

    "Nonsense! Feliciana should still be in the capital Norvale. Even if she could fly to catch up, there''s no way Adrian could have learned about me being trapped so quickly! Because the Astralrealm Kingdom is currently in the midst of a monster invasion war, he''s too occupied with the kingdom''s military to worry about me!"


    Unfortunately, Vivianne still didn''t believe me, firmly refuting my claims.


    "Moreover, I don''t think news of me being trapped could reach the Astralrealm Kingdom within just a day, so you must be an impersonator without a doubt! Although I don''t know why you''re doing this, I''ve seen too many of these tricks to be deceived!"


    "Huh? Wait! Did you misunderstand something?"


    After hearing her reasoning, I suddenly realized something seemed off! Even if Vivianne didn''t know I had already gone around the Dark Continent and even visited Edenmere after being trapped here; even if she didn''t know the monster invasion war was already over...how could news reach the Astralrealm Kingdom within "a day"?


    Not to mention anything else, it was at least half a month after her incident before the news was relayed to Adrian and Brennan by teammates returning to the capital. How could it be just a day?


    "Misunderstand? Hah! I was only driven into the cave by phoenix yesterday, and just arrived at this place today, then you show up saying you came to rescue me. There''s no way that''s not a lie!"


    Vivianne let out a cold laugh, then leapt at me without another word.


    "Spear - Blazing Like Hellfire!"


    I had seen this skill before when Vivianne used it against the Minotaur right after I was transported here. Its power was quite formidable.


    "Calm down! There may be some misunderstanding..."


    I saw her thrust her spear down at me from above. Although I had no intention of fighting back, I still had to draw my weapon to defend myself.


    Immediately, an immense force traveled through my sword. With my current six-winged physique, I could handle it just fine. Unfortunately, being airborne with no leverage, I was forced back to the ground by her sheer strength.


    "You still dare say you''re not an impersonator? Feliciana and Nicola are dirt poor, how could they afford storage rings so quickly?"


    Seeing the longsword in my hand, Vivianne let out a cold snort as she landed in the open area, startling the children playing there who immediately scattered and fled.


    "Er, could you not yell things like that so loudly?"


    I felt rather awkward. Luckily there weren''t many adults watching nearby. Before causing a commotion, I had to quickly end this pointless battle.


    "Besides, you almost endangered those innocent kids just now. If something happened, their parents would be furious with you!"


    "Hmph, maybe those folks just wouldn''t care!"


    To my surprise, she didn''t care at all, raising her spear as if to attack me again.


    "Spear - Swift As The Wind''s Wings!"


    This time it was a speed enhancement. Just like before, Vivianne''s movement speed instantly increased severalfold as she turned into a blur charging at me.


    *Ding*


    The raised sword didn''t feel any impact force, but inexplicably made a light metallic clang.


    Wondering what it was, everything suddenly went dark in front of me. It turned out someone had rushed in front of me to block that spear strike.


    "Lady Angel, if you don''t mind, would you accept the protection of Star Glory knights?"


    Another familiar voice came from behind me - of course, not from the one who had blocked the spear in front of me, but from someone else! Casual and laid-back, with a blade of grass in his mouth.


    "Ron!"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    No need to explain, they were naturally the two Guardian Knights who had entered the cave ahead of me. But when they saw it was actually me, they seemed perplexed.


    "So it was Lady Feliciana...you entered that cave too? Didn''t expect you to arrive here before us."


    "That''s not necessarily the case. We circled around the outskirts of this village several times, wasting a lot of time before getting here. Even so, your speed really was too fast. Could there have been a shortcut in that cave?"


    Mike, standing in front of me, corrected in a matter-of-fact tone. Though speaking, his gaze never left Vivianne.


    "Star Glory Knights?"


    Having heard our whole conversation, Vivianne looked at the two unexpected arrivals in astonishment. She clearly knew the background of the Star Glory Knights. In that brief clash, she had profoundly felt Mike''s power and speed exceeding the sixth rank, and didn''t dare act recklessly again.


    Unlike me - although I had been at the six-winged level for a while, in reality my overall abilities might not even reach the sixth rank apart from magic.


    "Hey, don''t hurt her! She''s my friend and one of the targets of this rescue mission!"


    The difference between them was too great. Afraid Mike might go overboard, I quickly intervened.


    "So you really are Feliciana?"


    Seeing this, Vivianne finally started doubting her own judgment. Even though Ron had mentioned my identity earlier, she still couldn''t fully believe her eyes.


    "It''s unbelievable, it shouldn''t be! And how did you get involved with the True Church''s Star Glory Knight?"


    "Let''s confirm things one by one!"


    Of course I understood why she had these concerns. After all that back-and-forth, plus the sudden appearance of the two Star Glory Guardian Knights and their strange reactions, she had vaguely grasped some key points.


    There were issues with both sides'' attitudes. They both consistently felt I had appeared too quickly, but that wasn''t actually the case.


    "First, Ron, do you know how long it''s been since you entered the cave?"


    "No more than an hour and a half, right?"


    Seeing me suddenly turn the question on him, Ron clearly felt perplexed.


    "An hour and a half..."


    Just as I expected, completely confirming my suspicion. After witnessing so many similar phenomena alongside Nicola, I quickly guessed what was going on.


    "So the key issue is, you''ve been thinking it was less than a day since you were driven into the cave by phoenix?"


    I then asked Vivianne.


    "How long could it be? Even if I lingered in the cave for a while before finding this exit to get here, I may have lost track of outside changes during that time, but it couldn''t possibly be several days, right?"


    Vivianne seemed uneasy as I kept bringing up the topic of time. Of course she noticed something from my insistence.


    "Not several days, it''s been a month..."


    With no choice, I sighed and just stated the truth. The problem most likely originated from that ominous cave labyrinth. After entering, perhaps it only felt like a short time from their own perspective, but from an outside view, it may have been several days already!


    "Because after you entered the cave, the flow of time on your bodies was far slower than around Volcano Sulide. It''s even possible I wasn''t an exception..."


    This also explained why my magic clock only showed midnight right after exiting the cave entrance. But in reality, it could have been over a full night outside, with daytime already arrived!


    Fortunately, we were out now. I and the Star Glory Knights probably didn''t linger too long in the cave. As for the outrageous time differential experienced by Vivianne, it could only be explained by her staying inside for too long.


    "A month?! How''s that possible...but what does slowing time flow mean?"


    Vivianne was instantly dumbfounded upon hearing this. From her reaction, it seemed difficult for her to comprehend what was going on in a short time. Not just her though, Ron and Mike also looked equally bewildered.


    I guess in this other world, people don''t encounter time-related topics very often, so their minds can''t make the leap right away.


    "In any case, our top priority should be figuring out exactly what time it is now! For all we know, it may have been more than just one night that passed."


    I said. If they couldn''t understand, they could take it slowly, but the situation had become rather pressing.  Who knows what state Brennan and Yulanda waiting at Mount Sulide were in now? Unless something unexpected happened, from their perspective, Cysper and I had surely been missing for a long time too.


    Plus, to go back, unless we returned the same way, the only method was to ask around and figure out where exactly this place was, then find the direction to return. Not to mention anything else, I didn''t even know which way was east, south, west or north.


    And what about Adrian and Cysper? Where were those two? Cysper could be set aside for now since he just disappeared out of nowhere. But there had been no word from Adrian at all - could he actually be somewhere in this village too? The worst case would be if he was still lost in that cave labyrinth, which would be really bad.


    "You mean ask the villagers around here?"


    Ron quickly understood what I meant, casually gesturing towards the children playing and scuffling with each other in the distance. These kids really had guts - they had just been startled into scattering by Vivianne''s antics, but returned to playing again shortly after like we were nobodies.


    "Better to find some adults, kids may not know the details..."


    After a moment''s thought, I replied. Considering this cave may have involved spatial transference, we could be far outside the borders of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion already. So we needed to ask someone more reliable.


    "If it were other people, there wouldn''t be a need, because we already tried many times!"


    Mike shook his head to explain.


    "The villagers here completely ignore outsiders like us, they''re very unfriendly and won''t speak to us at all."


    "Really?"


    I found that hard to believe. Of course I understood what being ignored meant - that woman I encountered earlier had the same attitude. But for the whole village to be like that seemed unbelievable. A local custom?


    "However..."


    I turned my gaze back towards those few children. I didn''t notice it before, but after Mike pointed it out, I suddenly realized their behavior did seem rather abnormal.

 Vol 4/Chapter 75 - Time Travel?

    "Vivianne, did you manage to find out any useful information in this village?"


    Thinking about her earlier attitude towards those children, I quickly checked.


    "Like, did you ask those kids?"


    "Isn''t it the same as what the Star Glory knights said, they completely ignored me!" Vivianne responded with some annoyance.


    "Alright..."


    If the adults were cold and dismissive, that was understandable. But there was no way children would act that way too!


    Not giving up, I wanted to try again. But as I approached those kids, I suddenly sensed something amiss. At some point, the concentration of light elements in the surrounding air had increased significantly.


    "Look out!"


    Not just Ron the light mage, but Mike and Vivianne also noticed it at the same time. Of course, not because they felt the light elements, but due to the changing brightness in the sky above.


    Dazzling rays of light surged over like fog from the distance, instantly enveloping the entire sky. Even the villagers on the ground looked up, sensing the abnormality.


    "What''s going on?"


    No one had ever seen such a phenomenon before. The children who were just playing in the open area immediately stopped, slowly turning to return to their homes.


    "No way?"


    But to my eyes, it wasn''t so unfamiliar, having gotten used to being enveloped by brilliant light already. Just not in the main world, but in Edenmere.


    Of course, I didn''t think this was Edenmere, because humans could never appear there, let alone human villages.


    But conversely, if this was the main world, why would this be happening?


    "Over there, what''s that!"


    Vivianne had sharp eyes. Following her voice, I saw a few dark specks flying towards us from the direction she pointed. Before long, they arrived above us.


    "Angels?"


    Mike and Ron looked at me in surprise. I never expected those dark specks to be angels! But they didn''t seem highly ranked, with only one having four wings while the rest just had two wings each.


    From their organized movements, it was clear these angels were likely dispatched from Edenmere on a mission. Although I didn''t know what was going on with the lights in the sky, if I could contact Edenmere through them, I should be able to confirm our location. Maybe there was even a chance to return to Volcano Sulide through Edenmere!


    However, things didn''t develop as I had imagined...


    "From now on, you must all submit to my lord and accept his rule, or else face merciless suppression!"


    The four-winged angel descended lower, hovering in mid-air to address the entire village.


    "Huh?"


    I was completely dumbfounded. What kind of twist was this? How could angels possibly make such an arrogant declaration? That was way too domineering!


    "Lord?"


    Hearing this, Vivianne glanced peculiarly at the two Star Glory knights, before shifting her gaze towards me.


    "What''s their relationship with the True Church?"


    It''s well known that the angel race usually doesn''t acknowledge the True Church''s related teachings about them, let alone refer to Yawee as "lord." This was something I confirmed after visiting Edenmere once before.


    Of course, during this period when we came to the holy city Jethrobaines and interacted with the Pope, relations between both sides had further improved. But it wasn''t publicized, and not many common folk were aware, let alone Vivianne who had been trapped in that cave.  Even if relations improved in the future, Edenmere would never easily convert to believing in God.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    So the attitude of these angels clearly made Vivianne wonder if this could be some True Church conspiracy plot, instantly implicating the two Star Glory Guardian Knights and me by association.


    The blame fell squarely on us from out of the blue, leaving me utterly bewildered...


    "Don''t tell me you''re in cahoots with them?"


    My so-called explanation about time slowing in the cave was just my own words. Vivianne hadn''t fully understood it. Now with this sudden development, she doubted my identity again.


    "You might not even be Feliciana at all. Maybe you and these two church knights have just been deceiving me the whole time!"


    "Wait, let me go ask them to clarify!"


    I was at a complete loss, quickly trying to placate her. I never expected this situation. I didn''t know these few angels. Even if we assumed they were some angels stranded in the main world who later joined the True Church, they shouldn''t be making such an excessive declaration, right?


    "Excuse my ignorance, but who exactly is this ''lord'' you speak of? I don''t recall the True Church ever accepting your kind!"


    Before I could fly over and communicate with those angels, Ron on the ground had already shouted out in questioning towards the four-winged lead angel. He clearly didn''t approve of their arrogant attitude, seizing on that key point in their words.


    "Insolence! You haven''t even heard of the God of Light Beluto? How dare you compare him to some heretic organization like the True Church!"


    Hearing this, the lead four-winged angel immediately turned her head towards us, harshly rebuking.


    "The great lord has graced this world, and all things shall become his possessions to command."


    Her words were quite pretentious, but what shocked me most were the word "Beluto" - their implications were self-evident.


    "Who are you? I''ve never seen you before."


    Since my wings were still visible, the four-winged angel quickly noticed my distinct existence as she approached, becoming puzzled.


    "Could you be another apostle summoned by the Holy Angel?"


    "Apostle?"


    I frowned slightly, quickly following up to ask, "Who is this ''Holy Angel'' you speak of?"


    "Why, it is Lady Cyra of course! As the consort anointed by my lord, she is his sole voice in this world, forever loyal to my lord. We are merely servants assisting her in shouldering worries."


    "What?!"


    Everyone exclaimed in disbelief. Except Vivianne, who looked utterly confused, glancing between us and the four-winged angels overhead. The only part she understood was the name Holy Angel Cyra, but she also sensed it differed from common knowledge.


    First, the so-called "lord" they referred to was not Yawee, but Beluto.


    Secondly, Cyra, the wife of Yawee in legend, had now become Beluto''s consort.


    And who was Beluto? The God of Light from nearly ten thousand years ago! Based on the situation, it was highly unlikely to just be a shared name and surname. Of course, since humanity had long forgotten that ancient history, apart from me, no one else understood the significance behind the name Beluto.


    So did I get it wrong again?


    It wasn''t actually a case of slowed time flow in that cave, but that we had "traveled" again!


    Except this time, it was a travel through time - we had passed through that cave back ten thousand years into the past!


    This was an extremely bold conjecture. There were still some unclear points and many logical gaps, not to mention the absence of Nicola who was always involved in time-related incidents. But everything happening before my eyes kept pointing to the high likelihood that this was indeed that long-forgotten era of history.


    In Edenmere''s Cloud Palace, Elara showed us glimpses of the past from the ancestral memories of Liana. But those were just fragmented memories. Although the psychic magic reconstruction felt immersive, it was still an artificially constructed scene. We never truly experienced everything palpable from that age.


    In theory, a world flooded with light elements must have a high concentration present in the environment. This aligned completely with my initial sensations after leaving the cave entrance, not to mention the changes preceding the appearance of these "apostle" angels.


    "I may not understand what''s going on, but insulting our Holy Angel is one thing. But to actually call the True Church a heresy? Unforgivable!"


    Mike angrily refuted. As someone Cysper described as devoutly faithful, he immediately drew out a pair of boxing gloves and put them on.


    "Since you call yourselves ''apostles'', then you have nothing to do with the servants of my lord. Please forgive this rash action..."


    Unexpectedly, he was also a martial fighter, the same profession as Blanche. A monk capable of battle qi - I couldn''t help but wonder what kind of level that would be? I found myself oddly looking forward to it...


    "So you wish to defy us?"


    The four-winged angel snorted coldly, drifting back. As her words trailed off, the other two-winged angels hovering above immediately descended in front of her on cue, forming an angelic barrier.


    "Just puny two-winged angels!"


    Mike naturally wouldn''t take them seriously. At best, two-winged angels could only reach the fifth rank, far below his sixth rank level. I saw him leap up from the ground, appearing in front of them in the blink of an eye to unleash a flurry of strikes. The angels were instantly pummeled to the ground, dissipating into light elements.


    "So powerful!"


    Although fellow angels, I felt no sympathy at all, openly praising instead.


    Befitting a sixth rank expert who enhanced his physical abilities through battle qi, unlike Cysper who lacked innate power and relied on magical trickery in combat. Mike''s approach was straightforward, completely dominating with overwhelming superior strength.


    As a fighter, this profession perfectly suited his forte, not overly reliant on weapons.


    I thought angels from ten thousand years ago would be impressive, but they didn''t seem that different from my perceptions. They were still just like that! Dealing with the remaining four-winged angel shouldn''t be too difficult then.


    Wait...didn''t the angel race not exist back then? Why did this feel a bit different from what I expected?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 76 - Danger

    Battle qi is an intricate topic. Cysper and Yulanda had discussed it extensively before, providing me with substantial knowledge. The manifestations of battle qi are diverse and ever-changing, with practical applications that are quite limited due to the rarity of humans who develop it.


    One main use is direct release against enemies for offense or defense, through techniques like qi blasts, sword qi, or barriers - immensely powerful but requiring long practice. Enhancing one''s physical body is another application, though less common. After awakening battle qi, users can contain and re-absorb it to rapidly enhance their constitution, but with low efficiency and significant wastage.


    The self-enhancing effect may be less than half as potent as the overwhelming external power release. However, those gains are permanent, trading burst power and range for vastly superior endurance. An inch of growth brings an inch of strength, but you can only engage in close combat while others unleash ranged magic instantly without defensive needs. Even with superior strength and toughness, it''s frustrating. Against another battle qi expert, if you can''t deplete their internal reserves, you have almost no chance of winning. This was Mike''s weakness.


    However, dealing with just a single four-winged angel was nowhere near enough to expose those weaknesses!


    Unexpectedly, the four-winged angel who had retreated to the rear showed no signs of panic. She clasped her hands together, appearing to pray.


    "Your lord is nothing but a false god. Praying to him is completely useless!"


    Mike roared, charging towards her. Since he couldn''t fly, after that bout of furious attacks, his body could only fall back down before using a rooftop for leverage to leap back into the air.


    But in that brief exchange, something disastrous occurred.


    "Watch your head..."


    For some reason, I could sense an immense concentration of light elements gathering above in the sky. Before I could finish speaking, I saw a slender beam of white light precisely strike Mike from above.


    The flash of brilliance seemed to have no particular effect at first glance. Mike, propelled by inertia towards the four-winged angel, did nothing as she casually shifted aside, allowing him to plummet straight down, unmoving after hitting the ground.


    "Impossible! His physical defenses can withstand high-tier blast spells without a scratch, let alone some light magic..."


    The blade of grass Ron had been chewing on slowly drifted to the ground. As a light mage, he could tell that white beam was the four-winged angel''s doing. Even if it was some divine angelic spell unknown to humans, it shouldn''t be able to instantly take down a battle qi-wielding sixth rank expert like Mike, right?


    Moreover, the angel only had four wings.


    "It''s not that simple, this may not be ordinary magic...it may not even be magic at all!"


    I shook my head, quickly rushing over with him towards where Mike had fallen.


    When it came to divine spells - high-tier magic from an angel''s perspective - I had some authority to speak on the matter. That beam of light seemed reminiscent of the "Lost Paradise Shockwave" attack at first glance, but the power and form differed greatly.


    The stronger a "Lost Paradise Shockwave", the thicker the descending pillar of light, with a wider area of effect. But this slender beam that appeared was extremely narrow, yet its force was many times more potent than a shockwave, even faintly surpassing the source magic I recently learned from Cysper!If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Moreover, that four-winged angel appeared to be praying the whole time, but she did indeed seem to be genuinely praying! At least I detected no light elemental activity within her related to casting a spell - it completely violated the conditions for spell release, even if no incantation was required.


    "Wait for me!"


    Vivianne also looked dumbfounded. The Star Glory Knights had always maintained an image of being highly mysterious and formidable in the eyes of ordinary people. Her earlier boldness in confronting us was largely due to feigning bravado. Now that other enemies appeared, and Mike was instantly struck down upon contact, she no longer dared linger alone, hurriedly following behind us.


    "His breathing has slowed tremendously, but maybe we can still save him!"


    Ron checked Mike''s condition, breathing a sigh of relief. It was exactly the same as I had seen with those trees struck by source magic before - Mike lay on the ground emanating a faint white glow. Although his body showed no wounds at all, he was completely motionless, appearing essentially dead.


    So this was the reaction to being struck by light elemental magic? Like a vegetative state...


    Seeing this situation, I suddenly had an epiphany, recalling Wozwal Hus'' warning to me during the rank advancement test. I felt a chill realizing how fortunate we were.


    This was someone capable of battle qi. It was only thanks to Mike''s tough physique that he survived. If it was anyone else, they might have died instantly.


    "This is divine punishment upon you!"


    While Ron''s attention was on Mike, the four-winged angel hovering above naturally wouldn''t just remain idle after taking down one of our strongest. She pointed a finger at us on the ground, sending another brilliant beam raining down.


    This was plagiarism!


    This time, I saw it clearly again. There were no traces of light elemental flow within her, yet she could unleash such a powerful technique. What was most unforgivable was that her hand gesture was exactly the same as when I used "Lost Paradise Shockwave"! A blatant copy, but without grasping the essence!


    "Get back, here it comes again!"


    Vivianne saw the beam aimed at Ron''s head and swiftly pulled him back by his clothes in a stroke of quick thinking. As a result, the attack struck Mike''s prone body directly instead.


    "Ugh..."


    That final blow was quite the unfortunate follow-up. The Chief Seat of the Star Glory Knight was likely beyond saving now.


    "Mike!"


    Ron''s eyes turned red as he let out an anguished roar.


    "You''re also an angel with even more wings than her. Think of something quickly!"


    Desperate, Vivianne no longer cared about my third-rank abilities as she shouted urgently at me.


    "I''m just as helpless!"


    Although my strength had increased greatly, facing an angelic opponent, I realized I was completely out of options. My magic was utterly useless against angels, leaving only swordsmanship as a possibility - which I had no confidence in whatsoever.


    To be honest, none of us expected the strongest among us, Mike, to fall so quickly in such a humiliating manner. It threw us all into a panic.


    "What about Nicola? Why isn''t she with you?"


    In this crisis, Vivianne finally remembered that other cheat character. It seemed she no longer doubted my identity. Nicola''s Condensation Sword had left a deep impression, so it wasn''t easily forgotten.


    "That girl went on a revenge quest, don''t count on her!"


    I gritted my teeth bitterly. If Nicola was here, we probably wouldn''t be in this predicament. Now only I could fly, and although Vivianne''s martial skills were decent, it was a stretch to challenge a four-winged angel - let alone one with such "hax" abilities.


    "Regardless, we have to try!"


    I drew my longsword and charged the angel above. I had only experienced using swordsmanship against angels when sparring with Cyra. Hopefully it would suffice.


    After all, the opponent was just a four-winged angel...


    "So you really are in league with them. But you betrayed my lord, and must receive divine punishment!"


    Strangely, she didn''t seem intimidated by me at all, maintaining an "absolutely righteous" demeanor. Despite having an extra pair of wings, I instilled no fear in her whatsoever.


    That brilliant beam''s source was bizarre, but it was essentially a light elemental energy attack. There was no way it could affect a fellow angel like me. Just to be safe, I still enveloped myself in a defensive sphere of light elementals to guard against any contingencies.


    "You''re dead!"


    In the blink of an eye, I had flown right in front of her, but she still hadn''t taken out any weapons to defend herself. Although it was a bit strange, I didn''t hesitate to raise the long sword in my hand and strike towards her neck.


    At that very moment, the layer of light elements covering my entire body suddenly scattered uncontrollably in all directions. In an instant, the magical defense layer I had set up disappeared without a trace.


    "Impossible....."


    The unbelievable events continued: not only the light elements covering me, but the light elements constituting my body also started a chain reaction. Watching my own hands turn into specks of white light dissipating into the air, like how angels look when they die, while accompanied by intense pain, it plunged me into extreme fear and wailing.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 77: Rescued Again

    "Waaahhhh¡ª¡ª"


    Even when facing Michelle, I had never encountered anything as bizarre as this. If I had to find a similar situation from the past, the only thing close would be when Claudia''s hand got injured by Nicola''s Condensation Sword.


    But the opponent didn''t even touch me!


    "Feliciana!"


    Vivianne naturally witnessed everything happening to me from below, but she was powerless and could only frantically call out my name.


    Just when I thought I was really about to die, an inconspicuous black shadow shot up from one of the buildings below, accurately piercing the four-winged angel''s back.


    The four-winged angel shuddered, staring at me in disbelief for a moment. Then an intense explosion ripped through her from the inside out, completely shattering her body.


    "Boom!"


    So many abnormal things were happening today! Logically, angels shouldn''t fear explosions. Even an explosion bursting from within their body shouldn''t produce such an exaggerated effect - at most some internal injuries.


    But thankfully, the blast didn''t affect me, only shattering the four-winged angel. The shredded flesh and blood from the explosion quickly turned into disappearing light elements.


    With the four-winged angel dead, the dissipation of light elements in my body immediately stopped. However, with one hand half gone, a large amount of blood still gushed from the wound.


    Luckily, these were minor issues. After falling to the ground, I immediately used a "Heal" spell to treat myself. Fortunately my wings weren''t damaged, otherwise I wouldn''t know what to do.


    "It was an arrow! Someone shot a cold arrow from behind that angel!"


    I had no time to ponder the specifics of what happened, but Vivianne and Ron saw it clearly from below. If asked who shot the arrow, the only suspect would be him.


    Sure enough, after confirming the enemy was defeated, a brown-haired boy jumped out from a window and appeared before us in the blink of an eye.


    "Adrian!"


    I smiled and greeted him through the pain. No wonder I couldn''t find him - he had been hiding inside the house all along.


    To be honest, while happy to see him again, I also felt a bit awkward. I thought my increased strength would let me show off in front of everyone, but in the end Adrian still had to rescue me. How many times has this happened now...


    "I thought you all were tricking me before, but you really did come here too!"


    Vivianne seemed surprised to encounter so many acquaintances in this cave. Anyone would probably comment on that.


    "Are you okay?"


    Unfortunately, Adrian didn''t look too pleased. He just sighed, ignoring Ron and Vivianne beside him, and came over to me. Seeing my hand wound slowly healing, he didn''t say much more, just a slight reproach.


    "How did you end up in a place like this alone? Thank goodness Vivianne called out your name earlier! Nicola didn''t come with you?"


    "Don''t even mention her, I obviously came to rescue you all!"


    Again with Nicola, I couldn''t help but give a wry smile. Of course Nicola''s formidable strength had earned everyone''s approval, which I understood. But this time she really couldn''t help, so we had to rely on ourselves.


    "You should know Vivianne was trapped in this cave for many days, and then you got into trouble too..."Stolen novel; please report.


    I briefly explained to him the situation I had mentioned to Vivianne earlier. Finally, all the people we were looking for were gathered. Although there were some twists and turns, and one casualty in Mike that Ron and Cysper would have trouble accepting, I felt relatively better about it.


    Come to think of it, for a 6th rank battle qi cultivator to be killed by a four-winged angel is unbelievable.


    This battle qi doesn''t seem that impressive after all...


    "So it was that bastard Brennan..."


    But upon hearing my account, Adrian looked angry, like a disappointed mentor.


    "You call this a rescue? You ended up trapped in here too! You knew that cave was bizarre but still rushed in headlong. I thought you accidentally ended up here! And those Apostle angels could all use that light beam attack from the sky. It''s lucky you took out those two-winged ones first, otherwise I couldn''t have saved you all!"


    "No problem, I still remember the approximate location of the entrance. Let''s go back through that cave right away!"


    Of course I understood why he was angry and could empathize. There was actually a lot I wanted to say, like about the phoenix that appeared in Makalan City, but now wasn''t the time to slowly bring up those things.


    Based on my previous guesses, this place was highly likely the world from 10,000 years ago when Beluto existed - it must be extremely dangerous. Although I hadn''t completely confirmed this, after that recent battle I was utterly terrified.


    Undeniably, my mentality had changed. That cave was indeed eerily horrifying, but after wandering through it I emerged relatively unscathed. But this world 10,000 years ago was different - seemingly peaceful on the surface yet harboring deadly threats. I almost lost my life!


    How could I dare stay here any longer to verify my guesses? The Light God was no joke.


    "It''s not that simple to go back..."


    Unexpectedly, Adrian was unwilling to take my suggestion. Waving his hand in vexation midway, he abruptly stopped speaking. Then suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked up sharply at the sky.


    Although those angels were dead, the brilliant light enveloping the sky above didn''t dissipate, even showing signs of intensifying.


    This situation seemed ominous, reminding me of something I''d seen before.


    "We''ll catch up later, follow me quickly!"


    He said no more, beckoning for us to follow as he took the lead, guiding everyone along the deserted street towards the village buildings.


    "Is he the last person we need to find?"


    Ron came up beside me, confused. "Since the target has appeared, why don''t we just leave this place?"


    "He must have his reasons for not rushing us. Let''s just follow and see!"


    I absolutely trusted Adrian. Plus the increasingly brilliant light overhead gave me an ominous feeling, so I naturally couldn''t just turn back to look for the exit.


    The village wasn''t big, but there were quite a few simple houses. Surprisingly, despite the angels'' appearance earlier, many villagers were still roaming outside instead of taking shelter indoors, completely oblivious to our group - very strange.


    When we arrived at a rare two-story building, the overhead light had intensified to an undeniable degree.


    "Quick!"


    Adrian quickened his pace, rushing ahead to open the house''s big door and urging everyone inside.


    "You''re back, what''s the situation out there? Have those so-called Apostles arrived?"


    Just as we entered, a middle-aged woman wearing thick glasses came downstairs, likely alerted by the door''s sound as she greeted Adrian.


    Who is this lady?


    "It''s fine, I found some companions who entered the cave and arrived here like us, but the ''Judgment'' is about to begin!"


    Adrian nodded casually in response.


    "Are your preparations done?"


    "Of course, I finished that ages ago! Is it coming?"


    The middle-aged woman immediately looked extremely excited upon hearing this, merely glancing at my six wings before losing interest, her attention fully drawn outside as she kept craning her neck to look out.


    "The brightness has indeed increased quite a bit since earlier. Looks like you were right again..."


    "What''s coming?"


    Ron couldn''t help but ask in confusion. Although he had just lost his superior, after a period of grief he had regained his spirit - befitting of a Star Glory knight with strong mental fortitude.


    "Whose house is this?"


    Vivianne frowned slightly, looking around at the cluttered interior.


    "You''ll find out soon..."


    Adrian glanced at the two of them but didn''t elaborate further. He seemed somewhat weary, but still patiently instructed:


    "Besides Feliciana, everyone must not go upstairs. And it''s best to cover these windows with some cloth!"


    He went into another room and came back holding a bedsheet, which he promptly started tearing and hanging over the windows.


    The windows already had basic curtains, but with an additional bedsheet layer, the room instantly became much darker.


    "Let me help you!"


    Though unclear on the situation, Vivianne could sense its importance from Adrian''s demeanor and joined in without hesitation.


    "What do you have upstairs?"


    There were only two windows, leaving no space for me to assist. However, having seen Liana''s memories, I could vaguely guess what he was referring to. As I went upstairs to look - sure enough, a thick layer of mud and sand covered the second floor.


    So what we were about to face was...


    Just as we finished covering the windows, the brightness outside suddenly intensified. Even through the bedsheet layer, the dazzling light was overwhelmingly radiant.


    "Is this a lethal dose of light elements? How exciting!"


    Though the blinding light didn''t allow her to open her eyes, the middle-aged woman exclaimed excitedly, sounding like a lunatic.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 78: Senior Researcher of the Sage Council

    Elara had mentioned that Beluto had a powerful attack that could expand into a world-encompassing beam of light. Unless hiding in buildings or underground, humans wouldn''t be able to survive it.


    However, for me, this attack was merely an inconvenient glare besides being overwhelmingly bright.


    But how did Adrian know this would happen?


    "Phew¡ª"


    The brilliant light lasted at least several minutes before gradually dissipating. Watching the illumination on the curtains slowly fade, Adrian finally exhaled in relief, plopping down on the floor.


    "I call this the ''Light Judgment''. Direct exposure is life-threatening, but there shouldn''t be any major danger for a while after this. Everyone can rest first!"


    "What was that just now?"


    Ron still hadn''t recovered from the shock - he had certainly never witnessed such a large-scale eruption of light elements. Vivianne, unable to sense light elements, didn''t react as strongly and just looked utterly bewildered.


    Yet for a moment, no one spoke.


    Having some idea of the situation, I had many questions, but couldn''t even begin to answer Ron''s. Once my vision finally recovered, I couldn''t help but voice the first inquiry.


    "Who is she?"


    I pointed at the bespectacled middle-aged woman.


    "She''s from the Sage Council. Before Vivianne, she mistakenly entered that cave too, apparently some high-ranking researcher..."


    Seeing this crazy woman discard the bedsheet, craning her neck outside with keen interest yet not daring to go out immediately, Adrian had no choice but to respond.


    "A high-ranking Sage Council researcher?"


    I couldn''t help feeling excited - wasn''t this our destination after leaving Edenmere for the Sage Council? Never expected to encounter an Council member here. Truly a case of inadvertently stumbling upon the solution.


    "What was your research field...?"


    If it involved souls, even better. She might be able to explain what happened to me.


    "Ahem...let me introduce myself first!"


    Seeing everyone''s gaze focused on her, the middle-aged woman finally looked back inwards. With a serious expression, she began speaking formally.


    "My name is Judith, from the magic research institute under the Crescent City Alliance. As for my research area, of course it''s the most important, most fundamental elemental theory!"


    "Elemental theory? What''s that?"


    I couldn''t help feeling a little disappointed upon hearing this. The so-called elemental theory probably couldn''t help much in understanding my soul. But there was nothing to be done - the present priority was figuring out how to escape this place, not dwelling on such matters.


    "Elements are the basis of all things! Our world is made up entirely of elements! So if we can deeply understand elements, it''s very meaningful for unraveling the mysteries of the universe and our own origins!"


    Broaching her specialty, Judith immediately began speaking at length, magically summoning a cup from the table.


    "Take this cup for example. Although it appears ceramic on the surface, you might assume from common sense that its elemental composition is earth. But in fact, ceramic is a mixture of multiple elements - the six elements of fire, water, earth, wind, light and darkness all contribute! The only difference from other substances is a slightly higher earth element content with relatively less of the other elements."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    This was quite fresh information. However, none of us listeners were really interested in her lecture at the moment. Who had the spare attention for elemental esoterica now?


    "May I ask your tier?"


    Ron couldn''t help but interject. That previous battle was too horrific. If not for Adrian''s surprise attack, we might all have perished here. So this Judith better be a powerful ally.


    "Third-tier earth mage!"


    "......"


    However, her answer left me dismayed. Was she being serious? It was understandable for a theoretical researcher to only reach the third tier, which was already quite decent. I used to be third tier myself.


    "Hehe...I''ve also done some magic array research, so I should still be useful."


    Seeing our silence, Judith added awkwardly.


    "That''s useless!"


    I was well aware of how powerful magic arrays could be. Reed used to create all sorts of troublesome ones that even caused me misfortune directly.


    But when potentially facing an enemy like Beluto, no magic array, no matter how sophisticated, would mean anything. I didn''t believe any array empowerment could allow her to instantly defeat the Light God!


    "What''s with that dismissive attitude towards magic arrays?"


    Noticing my expression, Judith immediately took offense.


    "I know the angel clan is gifted, especially in light magic. But you can''t underestimate magic arrays!"


    "You misunderstood!"


    I hurriedly smiled to placate her, but she remained unappeased, retorting:


    "Nevermind anything else, can you materialize light elements? You don''t even need to maintain it for long, just a brief instant is enough!"


    "Materialize? Impossible, right? You can do that?"


    I said doubtfully. She was really demanding the improbable. Not just humans, even in Edenmere few angels could accomplish that.


    According to Reed, elements were essentially energy that could be converted into matter, so naturally elements could also transform into physical form through materialization.


    Though it sounded like science fiction from an Earth technological perspective to convert energy into specific matter, in this magical world with the existence of magic arrays, anything became possible.


    Of course, even manipulating elements indirectly through arrays involved quite complex processes, especially in constructing the arrays - an extremely profound discipline few could wield freely.


    Angels were a special case. Despite lacking full mastery over magic arrays, their innate attunement to light elements compensated. By pooling their power with simple arrays, multiple angels could still achieve light element materialization, as the materialized form retained the element''s properties - potent against magical beasts, like Elara''s fancy longsword.


    So I didn''t think Judith could so easily accomplish this, but I was proven utterly wrong.


    "Why impossible? Adrian said our current environment is rich in light elements, perfect for a demonstration."


    She retrieved some pens from somewhere and swiftly drew an intricate magic array on the floor, taking no more than five minutes in total. This was my first time witnessing a human so versed in magic arrays that even Reed might not surpass her.


    Ultimately, most of Reed''s knowledge came from studying books written by humans in the first place.


    "Here it comes!"


    Only a trickle of mana was needed to activate the array. As elemental energy poured in, I could feel abundant light elements gathering within, quickly materializing into an exact replica of Judith''s cup from the array''s center.


    "Feel free to touch it. You can''t pick it up or take it out of this array, but it''s undoubtedly a solid physical form!"


    This woman was like a weaker but more knowledgeable version of Reed! The two cups did look perfectly identical outwardly. But the one from the magic array was composed of pure light elements, essentially the same as my body''s makeup.


    "Such a pure elemental physical form cannot occur naturally! Only through artificial intervention. And the more mature the materialization technique, the lower the elemental leakage, like how you can still faintly see my light cup glowing due to some leakage. Of course, angels possess the most flawless materialization ability themselves!"


    Admiring her handiwork, Judith launched into another habitual explanation.


    "Though also technically ceramic in material, its elemental composition is light, so my earth magic can''t control it at all..."


    "Enough of that, don''t you see what time it is?!"


    Vivianne, impatient, cut her off and turned to Adrian questioningly.


    "Where exactly are we? What was with those angels earlier? And Feliciana mentioned the strange time flow in that cave - do you understand all this?"


    Indeed, once Judith started chatting, the conversation had gone off track.


    From Adrian''s appearance and subsequent behavior, he seemed very familiar with the situation here and what would happen next. Vivianne''s barrage of questions struck at the heart of the matter as everyone focused their attention on Adrian.


    As for us being in the past 10,000 years, that was merely my personal guess which I hadn''t shared with everyone yet. But it didn''t prevent me from wanting to hear Adrian''s opinion.


    "More or less, yeah...you''ve basically got it..."


    But to my surprise, Adrian just sighed and dismissively acknowledged the question in a perfunctory manner. Then he stood up and went into another room.


    "Let me rest for a bit."


    What was this? This wasn''t Adrian''s usual demeanor! Had he suffered some blow?


    I looked at the closed room door in utter bewilderment. Turning around, I saw the others basically had the same lost expression.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 79: Adrians New Ability

    "So Judith, do you know anything? We must find a way to go back soon," said Ron impatiently. Mike had died here, he had to report back to the Pope quickly. Judith had spent more time with Adrian and was a senior researcher at the Sage Council, so perhaps she could answer our questions.


    However, I did not tell him that Cysper had mysteriously disappeared in the cave. I was unsure how Ron would react if he knew. He would probably search frantically in the cave.


    Initially, I thought the time flowed slower in the cave, causing Vivianne and the others to misperceive time. But later, realizing this might be Beluto''s world from 10,000 years ago, I thought I had guessed wrongly.


    If this was really the world where Beluto lived 10,000 years ago, we may have all been transported to the same time point. So there wouldn''t be an issue of slower time flow.


    Recalling when Cysper disappeared, I realized there were still many mysteries about that cave that remained unsolved. Returning the same way could still lead to trouble.


    Was the time flow slower in the cave, or were we all transported to the same time 10,000 years ago? I couldn''t be sure.


    "Adrian did mention earlier that this isn''t our original world, and that there is a real deity called Beluto, so it probably won''t be easy to go back..."


    Judith was still drawing on the ground, improving the previous magic circle. Hearing me, she sighed without looking up.


    "Who is this Beluto?"


    The angel who called himself an Apostle had also mentioned this name, which Vivianne and Ron were completely unaware of. Though I knew, I hadn''t gotten a chance to tell them.


    "The God of Light Beluto! Seems most humans have completely forgotten."


    Just as I was about to explain, Judith spoke up first.


    "According to historical records, a long time ago there was a real deity in this world who brought great disaster to humans. And those servants he created to serve under him were called Apostles!"


    "Servants? But those Apostles were clearly angels!"


    I was puzzled. From Liana''s memories, angels were supposedly created by the God of Light Beluto after his defeat, to reduce excess light elements in the environment. How did they become Beluto''s servants?


    "Are Apostles angels? I haven''t actually seen them, since I had to stay behind to prepare defenses against the Light Judgement..."


    Judith glanced at me in surprise, but seemed to accept it after a thought.


    "That''s certainly possible! According to years of research by the Sage Council, Apostles are believed to have no souls, more like bees and ants with a hive mind that can directly communicate with the God of Light. They can be seen as an extension of Beluto''s senses, strictly speaking a tool. While the angel race your angel ancestors later created has independent personalities. The two cannot be equated, your angels likely just took after the Apostles'' appearance!"


    "...So we really went back 10,000 years?"


    It dawned on me, and many of my doubts were answered. Like that powerful light beam that instantly killed Mike - I had always wondered how that four-winged Apostle could unleash such an attack without casting any spells. Now it seems it wasn''t her own power, but likely came from Beluto behind her.


    "10,000 years ago?"


    Vivianne and Ron exclaimed in unison. Unlike me who was mentally prepared, they just learned about this situation.


    Vivianne was dumbstruck - her understanding was still my earlier hypothesis about the slowed time flow in the cave, thinking this was somewhere near Sulide Volcano!


    Well, it''s not completely wrong, perhaps this is near Sulide Volcano 10,000 years ago...The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Can we go back to the future by going through the cave again?"


    Ron asked urgently.


    "That''s uncertain," she shook her head, giving an ambiguous answer.


    "Adrian didn''t say so, and while I proposed the time travel hypothesis, he disagreed that it''s that simple."


    "Why? Why do you trust Adrian so much?"


    I suddenly realized an issue - isn''t she a senior Sage Council researcher? Why does she believe an archer so much?


    "Because he has the power of foresight!"


    She shrugged nonchalantly, giving this shocking answer.


    "When I first entered this village, I saw Adrian waiting in the middle of the road for me. He called out my name, profession, background, and how I came through the cave. He explained that this was his foresight ability."


    "Foresight? But doesn''t that require an affinity for wind elements?"


    This was unexpected - Adrian could actually foresee the future? I had never heard of this, nor seen him use any wind magic!


    However, looking at how he had led us to take shelter in this house to avoid the Light Judgement, there were hints of foresight.  If not for his foresight to bring us here, perhaps only I would have survived the devastation.


    "Did you know about this?" I turned to ask Vivianne, who had spent the most time with Adrian.


    Vivianne shook her head. "No, when we got tested at the Adventurer''s Guild before, Adrian didn''t show any elemental affinity."


    "Exactly!" Judith exclaimed as if realizing something.


    "He did mention awakening his Battle Qi recently, it could be a special application of Battle Qi!"


    "Battle Qi?"


    I didn''t expect this to be related to Battle Qi. We had just lost a Battle Qi comrade, and here was a new one?


    "Battle Qi can foresee the future?"


    Ron, who had interacted with Mike for so long, clearly didn''t believe it either. After all, Mike''s Battle Qi was just used to enhance his physical abilities, never for foresight.


    "Why not? Battle Qi is the fusion of all elements, so it contains the characteristics of every element, including wind''s time aspect. Otherwise, how could Battle Qi have myriad applications? Theoretically, it''s totally possible!"


    Judith stated matter-of-factly, listing many bizarre theoretical Battle Qi manifestations, ranging from mind control to instant transmission to substitution techniques. To me, they just sounded like variations of manipulating thoughts, teleportation, clones and the like. Though not as specialized as single elements, Battle Qi made up for it with versatility and boundless possibilities.


    Well, if the expert is so convinced, I had no objections.


    "What did he foresee, just your name and details?"


    Even so, Vivianne remained somewhat skeptical.


    "Of course not just that! In front of me, Adrian accurately foresaw many things - the specific actions some villagers would take, the sky being covered in light, the appearance of Apostles, even the coming of the Light Judgement and so on. That''s why we came to take shelter in this house to prepare defenses in advance..."


    Judith explained with a shrug. But halfway through, the door suddenly opened and a woman carrying a basket came strolling in leisurely.


    Everyone froze in confusion. What was going on? Who was she?


    From her dress, she seemed to be a villager here. But this was supposed to be a temporary shelter Adrian found, why could she enter and exit freely?


    Wait! I recalled an overlooked question - whose house was this? Could she be the owner?


    "......"


    Yet bizarrely, despite us standing right before her, the woman walked past us as if she couldn''t see us at all. She took a bowl from the table and slowly made her way to the kitchen.


    An eerie silence fell...


    "What''s going on? How could she come in from outside?"


    Vivianne suddenly realized a terrifying fact as the woman''s figure disappeared into the kitchen.


    "If there were villagers still outside earlier, then the Light Judgement must have..."


    "This state...it''s like light pollution!"


    Before Judith could speak, Ron answered after pondering for a while. It seemed he had figured out what was happening to these villagers.


    "The light elemental level here is too high, especially after the sky was covered in radiance. This probably isn''t the first time something like this has happened. Just like dark pollution, humans living in environments with excessive light elements will also have issues. It''s fine for a short time, but prolonged exposure to light elements will make them become like these villagers - gradually dulled senses, indifferent to external stimuli, merely following ingrained habits and instincts mindlessly, eventually becoming catatonic vegetables, like Mike..."


    "So that''s why they completely ignore us, appearing so cold and indifferent."


    I could also see why humans cannot live in Edenmere. In fact, I only gradually came to understand these principles after leaving Edenmere. Speaking of which, when I had just crossed over, I was very curious about what would happen if humans were polluted by light after dark elves turned into light elves upon being polluted by light? The truth, however, is so cruel.


    The light element has a "dulling" effect on the human body, which can also be seen as slowing down human metabolism. Therefore, some lightweight light magic can have the effect of stabilizing injuries and stopping bleeding, which Selene often uses in this way, but using too much will similarly produce side effects.


    Of course, because there are too many light elements in the body after being polluted by light, they also have a certain element resistance like us angels. Therefore, being blasted by an excess of light elements will not cause them to become vegetables like Mike, but basically be equivalent to being killed. This is also the reason why that woman and other villagers were not greatly affected by the Light''s Judgement. However, even so, she is still beyond saving and can be considered a group of walking corpses.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 80: Long Time No See

    "If we stay here for too long, will we end up like them?"


    Vivianne finally realized this point.


    "For sure! The higher your rank, the longer you can last, but light mage should have some resistance. As for angels, no need to mention!"


    Judith giggled, her gaze unconsciously turning towards the window.


    "But if this place is really from 10,000 years ago, escaping may not be so simple..."


    "Why don''t we go back to that cave and take a look?"


    After considering it, I felt this might be the only way. The whole world should have looked like this 10,000 years ago, with nowhere else to hide. Even though that cave still seems a bit strange, if we all work together, we might be able to get through it since it''s the only way out.


    "But Adrian doesn''t seem to want to leave..."


    Vivianne glanced at the tightly closed room door and couldn''t help sighing with a hint of worry on her face.


    "Why don''t you go check on him, Feliciana? Ask him what''s really going on!"


    "Huh? Me?"


    Unexpectedly, she pushed the task onto me. To be honest, I''m also concerned about Adrian''s behavior. Under Vivianne''s insistent urging, I could only brace myself and walk over, gently knocking on the door.


    "Knock knock knock..."


    I knocked three times but there was no response. So I knocked three more times, but still no answer.


    Did something happen? Just as I was anxiously about to break down the door, I realized it wasn''t even locked. I opened it and went inside to see Adrian sitting on the bed, staring out the window with a clearly troubled look.


    "Feliciana?"


    As soon as I entered, he immediately stood up and reassured me.


    "Don''t worry! How could I not want to leave? I''ll definitely go back with all of you, no need to worry about that at all."


    "Um..."


    I opened my mouth but couldn''t get the words out that I had prepared. Well, he must have overheard my conversation with Vivianne outside.


    "Then let''s get going!"


    This preemptive tactic left me feeling helpless, but since he had made such a statement, my task was accomplished.


    Strangely though, even after a while Adrian showed no signs of actually moving to leave. Just as I was about to turn and exit first, I heard his voice from behind again.


    "...It''s been a long time, how have you been in Edenmere?"


    "Huh?"


    I was a bit confused why he suddenly brought this up. But come to think of it, it had indeed been a while since we last saw each other - not since we had just escaped back from the Dark Continent. After this journey to Edenmere, it seemed everyone had grown a lot.


    "Edenmere was pretty good actually, Elara treated us well! And I also learned quite a bit there, even saved money from buying magic books and storage rings!"


    Originally I had planned to catch up when returning to Norvale, but he wasn''t home. Finally reuniting in this strange place after so much had happened, even being rescued by him again.


    Thinking about it, I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed to see him. I wonder if he thinks I haven''t made any progress?


    "Did you get your memories back?"


    I had thought Adrian might ask about some things related to Edenmere, and I was hesitating whether to tell him about Michelle''s invasion. But instead he caught me completely off guard by asking about this.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "It''s...still fine I guess..."


    I was flustered - why was he still fixated on this? The lie I had made up to get by back then had been completely forgotten by me.


    "No, actually there were never any previous memories to begin with!"


    "Since I learned in Edenmere that I''m a newborn angel, it''s normal that I can''t remember anything from before."


    My palms were getting sweaty, so I quickly wiped them on my back. This is bad! Fortunately, the circumstances of what happened in Elara Woodlands had been completely figured out, so even if I told him the truth, it wouldn''t matter. After all, Adrian wouldn''t know anything about before my reincarnation.


    "I see, I''ve long heard that new angels are sometimes born through some kind of ritual. Is Nicola also a newborn angel? Though I don''t really think she looks like one..."


    Upon hearing this, Adrian pondered with a contemplative look, but still seemed a bit uncertain.


    "And usually you two are inseparable, yet she let you wander off to a place like this alone. Did you two have a falling out?"


    "Huh?"


    This was totally not the case! I didn''t expect him to misunderstand to this extent, so I quickly clarified.


    "There''s no falling out! Nicola just temporarily left to take care of something. Plus my strength has improved a lot recently, I even got certified as a 6th rank adventurer, so it''s no problem without her!"


    It seems in Adrian and the others'' view, I''m always attached to Nicola. This issue has been brought up several times now, which is quite frustrating.


    "Oh, is that how it is?"


    He looked a bit disappointed, but was still surprised when he heard I reached 6th rank.


    "I can''t believe you reached 6th rank in such a short time, you''ve left me far behind..."


    "But you''ve also awakened your Battle Qi and have foresight abilities, right? My 6th rank can''t compare to that!"


    I couldn''t help retorting sourly. Compared to the limited light elemental magic, Battle Qi seemed far more overpowered.


    Although the so-called foresight effect still seemed quite dubious to me, his rapidly increasing strength was undeniable. Adrian''s future accomplishments would surely be immense! Of course, that''s assuming we can escape alive from this era.


    "It''s not that exaggerated. I only just recently awakened and am at most 5th rank. Not to mention that foresight ability isn''t what you think..."


    Adrian scratched his head embarrassedly. But after hesitating for a while, he didn''t continue further.


    "Aren''t we going back? Then let''s get moving!"


    With that, he took the lead walking ahead of me.


    "Oh..."


    I had the feeling he was hiding something from me, but I couldn''t figure out what exactly, so I could only follow behind as we left the room.


    Leaving the village was mostly smooth sailing. Ron even specially brought Mike''s "corpse" along. Since he had been struck by the light beam summoned by the four-winged angel earlier, his body had accumulated an excess of light elements. After repeated scourging by the "Light''s Judgment", Mike had still not completely perished, but was practically no different from death.


    According to Judith, his physical issues were secondary - the main problem was his brain being severely "dulled". Even if they used special means to slowly strip the excess light elements from his body, he would still inevitably end up in a vegetative state.


    However, it wasn''t completely hopeless. For example, if he was placed in an environment saturated with dark elements like the Dark Continent, there was a slim chance he could recover. The trouble was that it would require an extremely long period and very precise calculations, with low odds of success.


    Of course, in this era 10,000 years ago filled with light elements, that was impossible. So the only option was to find a way to bring Mike back to the future first.


    ...


    "That can''t be right, it should be around here!"


    We returned to that small wooded area. Strangely, after searching through the bushes for a while, we couldn''t find any trace of the tunnel exit we had originally left through.


    "Are you sure it was an upwards exit on the surface?"


    Vivianne asked me doubtfully. According to her memory, when they first arrived here, it was through emerging from a cave entrance, not some hole in the ground. Ron and the others had similar experiences, but no matter how thoroughly we searched all the potential cliff faces and similar areas nearby, there were no discoveries.


    "Heheh, not normal, not normal at all!"


    As if she had discovered some huge secret, Judith shook her head and muttered to herself while scanning the surroundings.


    "The elemental aura of earth is way too high here, meaning some high-tier earth magic was likely used - no wait, in Beluto''s era where would earth magic come from? ...Thinking about it that way, isn''t this getting even more interesting!"


    "Earth elements?"


    I murmured to myself. Since I couldn''t sense them, I didn''t know if what she said was true.


    Here is a translation of that passage into simple English with a Southeast Asian flavor:


    Among the high-tier earth magic, there is a special category called spatial translocation. All spatial magic comes from this type. Although I can''t use earth magic myself, I do know some general knowledge about it.


    This made me think about how Cysper had suddenly disappeared in that cave - could it be related to this? What''s really strange is that after everyone shared their experiences, it turned out mine and the Pope''s encounters were the most bizarre.


    The others did not encounter randomly appearing forks in the path. They basically just followed one path straight through, quickly passing through the cave to arrive at this place. They also didn''t hear any weird sounds.


    This is really confusing. Could those forks in the path really have just been illusions?


    "What should we do if we can''t go back?"


    After the fruitless search, Vivianne became completely flustered.


    With the only way out blocked, does that mean we really have to stay in this era 10,000 years ago? Perhaps for an angel like me it may not have much special impact, but the others definitely won''t last long.


    Judith and Vivianne have the lowest ranks, so they will likely turn into those villager-like beings soon. As for Ron and Adrian, maybe they can last a year or two more.

 Vol 4/Chapter 81 - The Hunt

    I didn''t say it out, but there was actually another way! That was to go find Liana, the progenitor angel of Wind, who was Nicola''s past life incarnation. Surely she would know how to send us back. But the problem was, we didn''t know where to find her.


    After all, we still haven''t even confirmed if we are truly in the past 10,000 years ago. Everything is just speculation based on the current information. We haven''t even ventured far from that village. Who knows what we might find - it could be just in another continent, similar to when we got lost in the Dark Continent.


    "Don''t panic! How about we go check somewhere else?" said Ron as he kept digging up the ground, but still couldn''t find any cave. He still hadn''t given up.


    "Did your foresight also predict this situation happening?" I couldn''t help but say, glancing accusingly at Adrian, who was just sitting silently on a rock. It seemed like he had known from the start that our attempt to find an exit would be futile.


    Adrian let out a sigh and looked up at the sky. The sky had grown much dimmer, but due to the influence of the light element, it hadn''t fully turned to night like in Edenmere - as long as there was enough light, it would remain bright.


    "Look! What''s that?" Vivianne suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards the clouds. There, a magnificent palace had appeared out of nowhere, its golden glow shimmering in the sky.


    How can there be a palace in the sky? I just couldn''t believe it. Do they think this magical world is free from Newton''s laws?


    "It looks like there''s a mountain underneath, and the palace is built on top of it," said Ron after observing closely. Indeed, the shape of the mountain was somewhat obscured by the clouds and light.


    Phew... at least this world hasn''t completely defied the laws of physics.


    "But the construction was so fast, appearing just like that in an instant?" Vivianne commented, still skeptical. We all clearly remembered that the palace hadn''t existed before the angelic Apostles  showed up.


    But I didn''t think so. As I observed carefully, I could see many black dots like mosquitoes swarming around the palace. Of course, from this distance their size looked small, but they were surely those Apostles  we had encountered before.


    Based on this, the identity of the palace''s owner was obvious - there was no one else but Beluto, the God of Light, who could have done this.


    "I think we should leave this place quickly," Ron said anxiously, seeing the growing number of black dots heading towards the village we were in. "They''ll find us soon."


    Indeed, the distance between us and the village wasn''t that far. With so many Apostles, it was only a matter of time before they found us.


    "But where can we go?" Vivianne asked.


    This small forest was the only place that could hide us. Outside of it, there were just bare plains and hills. If only we had found that cave entrance earlier, we wouldn''t be in this predicament. But now it''s useless.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Vivianne and Ron even started arguing.


    "We should retreat in the opposite direction of the palace. Earlier, Feliciana saw the shadow of a town over there, maybe there are some survivors!" Vivianne suggested.


    She thought staying in this small forest was too risky, the Apostles could find them anytime.


    "But there might just be ruins, no human could have survived the light pollution!" Ron refuted.


    According to him, it would be wiser to stay here, at least the trees could hide them from the Apostles'' sight.


    Honestly, I thought they both had a point. Even in this forest, the chance of being discovered was still quite high, but the problem was they couldn''t agree, and precious time was slipping away.


    "There''s no time left!" Adrian cut off their argument. It turned out the swarm of Apostles had already reached the village, and some were now heading towards us.


    "Quickly, scatter and hide yourselves! Otherwise you''ll be surrounded," he warned.


    In the end, we had to follow Ron''s suggestion. Adrian grabbed my hand and dashed deeper into the forest.


    "I told you we should have run earlier, this is your fault!" Vivianne grumbled as she went in a different direction.


    Only Ron and Judith were left, standing there dumbfounded.


    As Adrian dragged me running through the forest, I felt something odd.


    "They won''t be able to hide, the Apostles will search the entire forest. At this rate, everyone will be captured, or be killed"


    What? Just a moment ago the situation seemed quite good, but now it''s suddenly turned into a desperate survival. In my opinion, those Apostles are unlikely to be certain that we are in this forest - they are probably just observing from above or passing by, the chance of them thoroughly searching the entire area is not that high.


    However, Adrian doesn''t think the same way. He led me to a pond at the back of the forest and took out a pipe, ordering me:


    "Jump in!"


    "Huh...?"


    The purpose of that pipe is obvious. But looking at this murky pond with bubbles on the surface, he wants me to hide underneath? Is he serious?


    "Hurry!"


    He urged me anxiously, even pushing me forcefully. But fortunately my physique is not that weak, so I didn''t get pushed in.


    "Wait, aren''t you going to jump in with me?"


    I was still a bit hesitant. I didn''t know the depth of the pond, and although it wasn''t very large, the fact that Adrian only brought out a single pipe made me feel like he might have another way out planned. If that was the case, I''d rather we exchange.


    At that moment, Judith''s voice suddenly came from behind, and we saw her running towards us frantically, chased by a flying Apostle wielding a long sword.


    It was clear Adrian was right - she had been discovered, though I didn''t expect it to happen this quickly!


    "That idiot, she''s dragged us into this!"


    There was no point in jumping into the pond with the Apostle right there. Adrian pulled me and we had to keep running, but more Apostles soon descended in front of us, blocking our path.


    "Traitor, this time you won''t escape!" one of the Apostles scolded me, then ordered the other three to start praying.


    Oh no, that deadly light beam again. I might be able to avoid it, but Adrian couldn''t. We had no choice but to run in another direction.


    But the outcome was beyond expectation - the light beam didn''t attack, but instead enveloped my body! Suddenly I found myself unable to move, as if a great force was pulling me upwards.


    "Rebels like you will get what you deserve! The Saint Angel is interested in you, so consider yourself fortunate that your life is being spared for now," the Apostle said, waving his hand.


    From afar, Judith''s scream echoed as she was slashed by the sword.


    "Adrian!" I cried desperately. I was hoping he could defeat those three Apostles and save me. But...


    Adrian instead took out his bow and arrow, aiming directly at me!


    "Hey, I''m on your side!" I protested. Did he think there was a rope pulling me? But his eyes clearly saw the magical effect. Unable to move, the only thing I could do was keep calling out to try to stop him.


    Yet Adrian ignored my call and firmly released the arrow.


    I felt a sharp pain, and...


    BOOM!


    I watched as my body was blown to pieces, head and limbs separated... Is this... the end for me?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 82 - Resetting

    Why did Adrian do that to me? Even as I was fading away, I still couldn''t understand it!


    He had no reason or motive to kill me, if he really meant me harm, he should have acted much earlier, or not even saved me in the first place! Waiting until the last moment when I was about to be captured was just bizarre.


    Was it to ensure I didn''t fall into the enemy''s hands?


    But that doesn''t make sense either, just outright killing me is such a strange move. Even if I was captured, it doesn''t mean I''d definitely die.


    Actually, I''m quite curious about this legendary "Saint Angel Cyra".


    But...


    Damn you, Adrian!!


    I was suddenly blinded by a searing bright light, instinctively raising my hand to shield my eyes.


    Huh, wasn''t I just blown to bits?


    When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to find myself still alive!


    Looking at my hands and checking my body, I was completely unharmed, nothing like what I''d seen before my "death".


    And strangely, everything had disappeared - the Apostles chasing us, Adrian, and the entire forest.


    Instead...


    "Where am I?"


    I found myself back at the entrance of the village, the endless light overhead now gone, revealing the bright blue sky and dazzling sun.


    "What''s going on?"


    Did the Apostles retreat, or has the God of Light already been killed? I couldn''t help but speculate wildly.


    Peering back at the forest that had "killed" me, there wasn''t a single enemy in sight. If I remembered correctly, there were many Apostles hovering above the village, but now they''ve all vanished!


    "..."


    Could it be that everything that just happened was just a dream? Or an illusion?


    But it felt so real! Being blown to bits is no joke, I don''t think even dreams can come up with such a ridiculous plot!


    Suddenly, I remembered a movie I once watched - "Final Destination", where the protagonist foresaw the impending danger and managed to avoid death.


    But "Final Destination" is not the only movie with such a plot, there are many similar works across different genres, with completely different mechanisms and presentations.


    So...


    An incredible hypothesis formed in my mind. I resisted the urge to go check the "death scene" in the forest and instead continued into the village.


    If nothing unexpected happens, the first thing I should see is-


    Walking past a familiar house, there should be a woman coming out. But now, I see a man emerge instead.


    This scene doesn''t quite match up! Did I go to the wrong house?


    Of course, I didn''t call out to him to ask where I am, as there''s no need for that now.


    However, through the open door, I can see the woman I remembered is inside, mechanically sweeping the floor. She doesn''t react at all to my presence, just continuing her repetitive motion.


    It seems I''ll have to speak loudly to get any response from them, but that''s about it. This does fit Ron''s description of the light pollution symptoms - insensitive to external stimuli.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Okay, the situation is a bit different from my memory, but that doesn''t completely negate my hypothesis, I need to observe further.


    A single counterexample doesn''t prove anything, so I quicken my pace towards the central square of the village.


    Sure enough, the familiar scene unfolds before me -


    The same children are still playing in the square. But something''s different - I don''t see Vivianne standing on the sidelines as she should be.


    "Huh... no way?"


    I''m dumbfounded. Two consecutive discrepancies, does that mean I''m actually mistaken? But what could be the reason then?


    In that case, I''ll just have to take it step by step and slowly figure it out.


    Although the plot isn''t exactly as I remembered, I haven''t completely given up. There''s still one place in the village I haven''t checked.


    "Excuse me, do you know where we are?"


    Just as I was about to head towards the small house where Adrian had led us to hide from the "God of Light", I heard a familiar voice behind me asking.


    "Vivianne?"


    Turning around, it was indeed her! Somehow, Vivianne had arrived a few minutes late, only coming to the square now.


    And why is she asking me that question?


    Glancing behind me and seeing no wings, I realized I hadn''t revealed my wings, still wearing the regular clothes I changed into in the Holy City of Jethrobaines.


    From the back, I could be mistaken for a villager.


    "Feliciana!"


    Vivianne exclaimed in surprise upon seeing my face, then quickly shook her head, apologizing awkwardly.


    "Sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else, there''s no way she''d be here! It''s just that you two look so alike, I didn''t expect..."


    "No need to apologize, I am Feliciana, you didn''t mistake me," I corrected her flatly, suddenly understanding why she was late.


    It''s because I didn''t linger outside the village for half a day to observe the situation like before! Rushing in to test my hypothesis, I arrived at the central square much sooner, leaving Vivianne behind.


    "You really are Feliciana?"


    Hearing my words, Vivianne''s mouth fell open. She still didn''t quite believe it, but I wasn''t surprised, as she had reacted the same way in my memory.


    "Listen to me, things are not as you think. It''s been over a month since you hid from the phoenix and entered the cave, I''ve come to rescue you on the invitation of your teammate Yulanda!"


    To avoid another "tragedy" of friends fighting each other, I quickly explained, also taking into account her mistaken belief that she had just arrived.


    "Nonsense! I just got here, how can it be a month? Do you take me for a fool? But you do know Yulanda''s name, so you''ve done your homework, I''ll give you that!"


    As expected, her mind was too rigid to believe me. In the middle of her speech, she even took out her long spear, though thankfully not lunging at me this time.


    "If you claim to be Feliciana, then show me your true form! Surely you know what position Feliciana holds?"


    "Wings, that''s it..." I shrugged. This shouldn''t be hard. But the moment I revealed my six wings, I started regretting it, as they didn''t match Vivianne''s impression of Feliciana''s four wings.


    "So you''re an impostor!"


    History really does have an uncanny resemblance, and perhaps this is the "inertia" the prophet Quintina spoke of. I still couldn''t avoid fighting Vivianne.


    "Great Angel, if you don''t mind, may the Star Glory Knights offer you our protection?"


    Just as I stepped back to avoid her thrust, a familiar voice rang out behind me.


    It was Ron, arriving right on cue with Mike, just as the script dictated.


    "So it is you, Lady Feliciana... You entered that cave as well? We didn''t expect you to arrive here before us."


    Seeing my appearance, Ron paused, then asked the expected question.


    "That''s not for certain, you know. We''ve been circling the outskirts of this village for quite a while, wasting time before getting here. But even so, her speed is surprisingly fast. Could there be a shortcut in that cave?"


    Mike, walking alongside Ron, corrected him in a measured tone. Since I wasn''t in "danger" this time, he didn''t come forward to defend me against Vivianne''s attack.


    "Star Glory Knights?"


    Not having engaged with Mike, Vivianne naturally didn''t know of his prowess. She crossed her spear, glaring at me accusingly.


    "So it was all a plot by the True Church! You dare to claim to be Feliciana? The Star Glory Knights are a order controlled by the True Church, but Feliciana has nothing to do with them!"


    "What plot?"


    Ron and Mike looked at each other in bewilderment, completely not understanding Vivianne''s words. Their puzzled gaze turned to me.


    "What plot? As for the real situation... it''s a bit complicated. If I said time has been reset, would you believe me?"


    Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, I couldn''t help but wryly smile. If it weren''t for my identity as a transmigrator, and my prior exposure to similar themes in TV shows and novels, I imagine their reactions would be about the same as mine.


    At this point, I can pretty much confirm the situation.


    While it''s difficult to determine whether it''s a true time reset or just a premonition like in "Final Destination", one thing is certain - everything is replaying according to the established history. And except for me, the others have no memory of the previous events.


    If my guess is correct, this situation may not be the first time it has occurred, it''s possible it has repeated many times before.


    This also explains why Vivianne and the others'' memories are stuck just shortly after entering the cave. Their memories have been repeatedly reset as well!


    There''s no such thing as time slowing down in the cave! I was completely misled. However, the possibility of them having traveled 10,000 years into the past can''t be completely ruled out yet, as the existence of the God of Light Beluto seems to be real, and the true nature of this world still needs further observation.


    Of course, not everyone has had their memories reset. There is one exception - Adrian!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 83 - Astonishing Similarities in History

    According to Judith''s description, she suspects Adrian has the ability to foresee the future. This is not just idle chatter - I''ve witnessed it with my own eyes. Although one could try to explain this prescience through the application of spiritual energy, it would be a bit of a stretch.


    If there is indeed a time reset along with preserved memories, then everything can be explained!


    I didn''t understand before why he suddenly turned against me and shot an arrow when I was captured, but now I think I get it - perhaps Adrian knew about the reset, so that''s why he did it. After all, everything can be redone, which is far better than the uncertain fate that awaited me.


    The key is, why didn''t he say anything earlier?


    I feel a bit troubled. Even though I understand his actions, I''m still apprehensive. It''s too risky - what if I hadn''t been reset, and just straight-up died?


    But it''s precisely Adrian''s suspicious behavior that made me realize I must be caught in a time loop.


    Of course, since this is the first time it''s happening, I can''t fully confirm it, but it''s most likely the case. Such themes are quite common on Earth too, just like the movie "Edge of Tomorrow" - it''s basically the same kind of setup as ours.


    Too bad, I still can''t figure out why this is happening. Traveling 10,000 years into the past, and also a time loop? What a coincidence!


    Unfortunately, I don''t have much time to dwell on this, as the issue with Vivianne hasn''t been fully resolved yet!


    "Time reset? Nonsense, do you take me for a fool?"


    Since I didn''t engage in combat with Mike this time, Vivianne''s trust in me has taken a big hit. She insists I''m deliberately deceiving her, as it''s simply unthinkable for an angel to be involved with the Star Glory Knights, an order directly under the Pope.


    After all, I haven''t actually flown in front of her yet, and she seems to doubt whether I''m even a real angel, let alone Feliciana.


    "Is she really our rescue target? She doesn''t seem too bright," Ron said impatiently, spitting out the grass blade in his mouth and getting ready to act.


    "What a hassle, let''s just knock her out and bring her back! Cysper has been waiting for us for a long time!"


    "No! Let me try one more time!"


    I quickly stopped Ron''s reckless actions, as there''s no Cysper waiting for us - they don''t know that going back is no longer an option.


    Maybe I should try flying to convince her I''m the real angel?


    But just then, a pivotal scene replayed.


    Blinding light swarmed in from the distance, enveloping the entire sky in an instant. Several Angelic Apostles came to hover above the village, just as before.


    "From now on, you all must submit to the glory of my Lord and accept His rule, or face merciless suppression!"


    "Lord?"


    Vivianne glanced oddly at the two Star Glory Knights, then shifted her gaze to me.


    Uh-oh, I thought with dread. Last time, Vivianne only expressed some suspicion towards me due to her relative trust, but this time it''s different.


    "So you''re all up to something! I don''t know why the angels has suddenly gotten mixed up with the True Church, but I won''t let you succeed."


    With that, Vivianne suddenly feinted an attack and ran away, right under our noses!The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Should we chase her?"


    Seeing her disappear around the corner, Ron looked at me bewilderedly, his face clearly conflicted. The Apostles'' proclamation had made him very uncomfortable, as he saw it as a usurpation of Yawee''s name.


    "This..."


    My mind was in a mess. Wasn''t the historical inertia supposed to hold? How did this unexpected event happen? I was torn between chasing or not.


    "If I may ask, who is this ''Lord'' you mentioned..."


    Before I could decide, the ever-loyal Mike couldn''t resist cutting in.


    "Oh no, you''re just handing yourself over!"


    I almost forgot about him! Quickly, I covered his mouth to shut him up.


    But it was too late - Mike''s loud voice caught the attention of the Apostles, who turned towards us.


    Seeing no other choice, I fled on my own, hiding in the shadows of the wall corner.


    "What else do you not understand about my Lord''s glory?" the four-winged Apostle asked, spotting the two Star Glory Knights still standing in the square.


    "Huh? Why are you afraid? They''re angels too, and only have four wings!"


    Seeing my cowardly behavior, Ron was puzzled. He should be just as curious about the angels'' declaration, but I, the six-winged angel, look even worse by directly running away.


    "Don''t expose me, just tell them you''ll submit, that you understand everything, okay?"


    I really don''t want to have my hands cut off again, it hurts terribly! Although I can''t see from my hiding spot, I can clearly sense the Apostles slowly approaching.


    But soon, the four-winged Apostle''s voice came from above.


    "I feel the presence of a comrade down there. And that human, I can sense a large amount of light element from you, but your physical state is different from normal humans - why is that?"


    Clearly, she was referring to me. Her words made me suddenly realize - the Apostles can detect my presence through the light element, as fellow light-based beings. Even light mages can''t escape their senses.


    The stronger one''s abilities, the keener their elemental perception. Elara''s, with her ten wings, would be far superior to mine. And if it''s the God of Light Beluto...


    No wonder hiding in the small forest outside the village won''t work. Unless I completely avoid their notice, there''s no escaping the God of Light''s surveillance in this world saturated with light element.


    Thinking about this, why bother hiding? I might as well just come out.


    "Who are you? I''ve never seen you before," the four-winged Apostle asked, puzzled by the six wings on my back.


    "Could you also be an Apostle summoned by Saint Angel? But why do you have six pairs of wings like her?"


    Giving an awkward smile, I had no choice but to shamelessly lie.


    "I''m actually a newly created Apostle, but don''t worry! I''m utterly loyal and will always support the Lord!"


    "This ''Saint Angel'' is..."


    Although finding my attitude strange, Mike picked up on some irregularities in the dialogue and quickly asked.


    "Of course it''s Lady Cyra! She is the Lord''s designated consort, His sole representative on this world, forever loyal to Him. And we are servants assisting her in easing His burdens."


    A rather formulaic response. But the four-winged Apostle kept glancing towards me, clearly suspicious of my identity.


    "Cyra!"


    The two Star Glory Knights were immediately excited, as this was not the Cyra who traveled with us, but the Saint Angel!


    "May I ask the Lord''s name? And when did you join the True Church?"


    "Insolent! Have you not even heard of the great God of Light, Beluto? How dare you compare us to that heretical organization, the True Church!"


    Speechless, we ended up back where we started, still unable to avoid a confrontation.


    Seeing the situation, I could only resign myself to reality.


    After finding out their "Lord" was not Yawee, Mike inevitably clashed with the Apostles again, and I couldn''t stop him.


    And unsurprisingly, I''m about to become a traitor once more.


    I''m starting to regret claiming to be a newly created Apostle. If I had said I''m Cyra''s manifestation, would they have believed me? Or would they just drag me straight to Beluto''s bed?


    ...Well, that''s just my wild imagination.


    But even accepting the inevitable battle, I absolutely won''t let the "hand-cutting" scene happen again.


    As Mike jumped into the air to engage the two-winged Apostles, I simultaneously drew my sword. I can''t let that light beam attack be unleashed! Mike''s powerful sixth-tier abilities will make evading the pursuit much easier with me.


    "So you''re one of them! You''ve betrayed the Lord!"


    Able to sense my charge, the four-winged Apostle stopped her prayer and opened her eyes, staring at me impassively.


    "Can you dodge this again?"


    I let out a loud shout and swung my sword down forcefully. She was unarmed, and even if she tried to pull a weapon, it would be too late. Besides, I don''t think she has a storage ring, that''s an invention of the future.


    Unfortunately, I failed again...


    "Cheating! Do you think you''re the Terminator?"


    Unbelievable! The four-winged Apostle''s right hand transformed into a long sword, stabbing through my abdomen before I could react - I was impaled and the pain twisted my face.


    "Hmph, trash!"


    With a casual flick of her arm, I was sent plummeting from the sky to the ground.


    Damn it, the Apostles can freely transform their bodies? How are we supposed to fight them then?


    Angels don''t have such divine privileges - the God of Light is truly overpowered!


    However, the comforting black shadow I had been anticipating appeared, shooting up from the building below just as I hit the ground and accurately piercing the four-winged Apostle''s back.


    History really does have astonishing similarities.

 Vol 4/Chapter 84 - "Compensation" Under "Judgment"

    "Feliciana!"


    The sky burst with Adrian''s call, and once again, I saw Adrian''s anxious face as I lay on the ground.


    "Why did you take so long to come..."


    I couldn''t help but complain, then immediately coughed up fresh blood. The dazzling light in front of my eyes made everything blurry, so I obediently closed my mouth and focused on using healing magic to treat my wounds.


    Adrian paused for a moment upon hearing my words, but soon realized that I was not in mortal danger, and he heaved a sigh of relief, looking up at the sky.


    Next up was the much-anticipated "Judgment of Light" segment. Of course, I knew that! If I didn''t have this injury, I would have loved to try being a "prophet" as well.


    "You two, come with me quickly!"


    Seeing the light above getting brighter and brighter, Adrian quickly picked me up in a princess carry and said to Ron and Mike.


    Hey, hey, hey! What''s going on, this is a princess carry!


    I felt a bit embarrassed, but since my abdominal injury had not yet fully healed, I couldn''t move, so I turned my head and pretended not to know anything, feeling my face getting a bit hot.


    Although I was severely injured this time as well, at least the outcome was slightly different. Mike''s life was saved, but the price was losing Vivianne''s trail.


    I hope she can survive safely under the "Judgment of Light"...


    On the way, Ron kept asking about various situations, and Adrian casually responded to him. Finally, we arrived at the familiar building.


    I was carried into the house, but I didn''t see anyone coming down the stairs.


    "Judith, is the preparation work done?"


    Seeing the white light outside getting brighter and brighter, Adrian called out to the upper floor.


    "It''s almost ready! You''ve only been gone for a while, how come you''re back so soon?"


    Judith''s voice came from the second floor.


    "The situation has changed, the ''Judgment of Light'' is slightly ahead of schedule!"


    Adrian answered while walking into the inner room and gently placing me on the bed.


    Indeed! Thinking back, this time we directly confronted the four-winged angels, while last time, before facing the four-winged apostles, we had experienced Mike being hit by the beam of light and checking on his injury, and so on, which caused the four-winged apostles'' death time to be slightly advanced.


    So is the activation time of the "Judgment of Light" judged based on the death of the four-winged angels? If that four-winged apostle hadn''t died, does that mean the "Judgment of Light" wouldn''t have occurred? I suddenly understood.


    "Ahead of schedule? Can the prophecy scenario also undergo changes?"


    Judith''s voice sounded clearly surprised. Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, she was coming down the stairs.


    "It''s done! The brightness has indeed increased a lot, looks like you were right again."


    "What does this ''Judgment of Light'' mean?"


    In the other room, Ron couldn''t help but ask curiously.


    "Strange, I feel like the aura of light elements in the air is still rising rapidly, even though it''s already far too much..."


    "And who are you?"


    This was Mike''s deep and steady voice, followed by introductions among the few of them.


    "You heal yourself first, I''ll go outside and help!"


    Adrian instructed me, then left the room.


    In fact, my injury has almost healed after some treatment. But I also know that he is eager to go and coordinate the covering of the windows, so I didn''t stop him.


    Surprisingly, Adrian didn''t forget that there is also a window in this room, and soon he came running in with a large tablecloth.


    "You don''t have to do this..."


    I said uncomfortably, feeling a bit flattered by his "thoughtfulness".


    "The Judgment of Light won''t actually cause any substantial damage to me, as long as I don''t stare at the sky."


    "It''s fine, it''s just really glaring, let me go see how they''re doing outside."


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.He smiled, then ran out the door. However, just as he was about to reach the door, his steps suddenly froze.


    "You... how did you know?"


    "Because you said it was the Judgment of Light yourself!"


    I couldn''t help but feel amused, and deliberately didn''t reveal it.


    "But I didn''t mention what the Judgment of Light would look like, how did you know it wouldn''t hurt you? And besides..."


    "Because the name has ''light'' in it! Since it''s the Judgment of Light, it must be related to light elements, and you know that any light element attacks are ineffective for me."


    I continued to argue. Of course, this reason was a bit far-fetched, but at least it was passable.


    "No! Even if you know it''s a light element attack, you couldn''t be so sure about what''s going to happen!"


    Adrian pointed at me, his voice starting to tremble.


    "And moreover, you asked earlier why I took so long to come, you couldn''t have said that for no reason..."


    "Okay, okay, you win!"


    I pursed my lips, of course a too clever guy like him wouldn''t be easy to fool. Actually, in the previous loop, even without him telling me, I had already realized what was about to happen, but the reasons behind it were rather complex, not suitable to be discussed now.


    "I originally wanted to settle the score with you, since you blasted me to pieces before, this grudge has to be repaid, right? But killing you would just result in you being revived again, so it seems a bit unsatisfactory..."


    Thinking for a bit, I decided it would be more fun to just scare him a little.


    "So how should the compensation be handled, comrade Adrian?"


    "I''m sorry, I had my reasons for that. But don''t worry..."


    Adrian lowered his head, his voice sounding a bit choked, then clenched his fists and slowly raised his head.


    "I''ll do my best to make sure you''re satisfied with the compensation!"


    At the same time, a violent flash of light suddenly appeared outside the window, and both Adrian and I instinctively raised our hands to shield our eyes. However, in that split second of raising my arm, I clearly saw a tear slip from the corner of his eye.


    He cried? I was a bit dumbfounded. The words I originally wanted to continue teasing him with could no longer be spoken.


    Unfortunately, due to the dazzling light outside, I couldn''t see him clearly, but repeatedly mulling over his just-made promise, I felt a sense of heaviness.


    "How many times have you reset?"


    The situation seemed to have exceeded my expectations, so I quickly asked.


    "Not that many, maybe dozens... or even hundreds? Not too many, really!"


    Without leaving any traces, he wiped his eyes, Adrian answered casually. But he didn''t notice that the area around his eyes was slightly reddened.


    "That''s not ''not many''!"


    I was shocked and directly sat up from the bed. Suddenly, I felt a cool breeze on my abdomen. Looking down, I realized the clothes that were pierced by the four-winged apostle were now leaking air.


    Helplessly, I sighed and waved at him.


    "Could you step out for a moment, I need to change my clothes..."


    "Oh, okay!"


    Adrian didn''t dare to delay, quickly walking out.


    "Hey, by the way, thank..."


    Suddenly remembering something, I quickly called out to him. But the words got stuck in my throat, feeling a bit inappropriate.


    I originally wanted to thank him a little, after all, Adrian had been helping me in the forest before, and if I hadn''t been afraid of getting dirty, I wouldn''t have ended up like that later. But then again, he killed me, so why do I still need to thank him? There''s no need for that, and I''ve already been merciful enough not to beat him up.


    "No, it should be me saying thank you! At least with you, I''m not so... alone in experiencing the resets!"


    Adrian seemed to have misunderstood, and he said that while facing away from me. Then he retreated out of the room and closed the door.


    "Lonely, huh..."


    Looking at the closed door, I suddenly felt a bit heartbroken. I had thought he had only repeated a few times, at most a dozen, but I didn''t expect it to be as tragic as the protagonist of a certain animation.


    Thinking about it carefully, it really must be lonely, right? Putting myself in his shoes, if I was the only one who knew the time had been reset, and it happened numerous times, I would be quite distressed as well.


    Fortunately, it''s not a problem, he can tell the others, right? It''s not like he can''t say it out loud, how come Adrian doesn''t know such a simple thing? Well, I guess his brain must have become a bit sluggish after so many loops.


    But in that case, the timeline doesn''t quite add up. Vivianne aside, Adrian entered the cave only about 4-5 days ago, how could he have looped so many times in between? From his reaction, I don''t think he''s lying, so the only explanation is that the overall time flow is different from the outside world.


    Of course, this is based on the assumption that we haven''t time-traveled ten thousand years into the past. If we factor in time travel as well... I''m getting a bit dizzy!


    After changing my clothes, I really couldn''t figure out the reasons, so I just opened the door and walked out.


    Adrian was explaining the details of the "Judgment of Light" to everyone. Probably because he found me as his "fellow", his mood seemed more positive than last time, and his explanation was also more detailed.


    "So where are we exactly, and why does Beluto, an ancient deity, exist here?"


    Although everyone had already roughly understood the Light God from the "Judgment of Light", there were still many unanswered questions, like the one Ron asked.


    "Hehe, there are basically two possibilities!"


    Judith, whose eyes were still observing the window, couldn''t help but answer first.


    "One, we''ve traveled through time, and arrived about ten thousand years in the past. Two, we''ve traveled through space, and been transported to a little-known place. The previously deceased Light God has revived and is hiding here, even colluding with the long-disappeared Saint Angel Cyra! Of course, I''m more inclined to the first option!"


    She already knows the Light God might have revived? This senior researcher of the Sage Council seems to be quite extraordinary...


    Just like last time, Judith turned her head to look at me when she heard the sound of me opening the door, but didn''t show any surprise. Clearly, she is quite familiar with angels and has seen them many times before.

 Vol 4/Chapter 85 - A Completely Different Direction

    "Why do you always have to find her first?"


    I quietly asked Adrian as I approached him. I understand that we came to this house in advance to prepare for the "Judgment of Light", but I find it rather curious that he always chooses the same person to help.


    "Because Judith is easier to talk to, she likes to look at things from a rational perspective. I just need to use the excuse of foresight to get her to temporarily believe me."


    Adrian did not hide it and whispered back close to me.


    "And the two Star Glory knights are more troublesome. Probably due to their profession, they are easily suspicious of strangers, so it''s hard for them to be willing to follow my words!"


    It seems that even though Ron and Mike entered the cave just a few hours earlier than me, they have already looped through this place quite a few times.


    "Then what about Vivianne? Vivianne is so familiar with us, why don''t you get her to help?"


    I''m still a bit puzzled. If Adrian was there, perhaps Vivianne wouldn''t have disappeared without a trace until now.


    "Because she''s even more troublesome!"


    Mentioning Vivianne, Adrian''s face couldn''t help but reveal a helpless expression.


    "Remember a few months ago, we did a mission together. We encountered a very troublesome light mage, who was skilled in illusion and had a bit of knowledge about reading memory. Vivianne suffered a major setback at the hands of that person, being tricked around. Since then, whenever she encounters such unreasonable situations, she will become rather neurotic and not dare to trust easily. I''ve had to fight with her a few times, wasting a lot of time in vain."


    "No wonder she would react that way..."


    I nodded in understanding. Suddenly I realized that it was not easy to establish trust with Vivianne from the very beginning, and it''s a pity that it has deteriorated after the reset.


    "If we really have traveled ten thousand years into the past, how can we go back? By returning the same way?"


    Since Judith thinks time travel is the most likely scenario, Mike suddenly became anxious. Their duty is to protect the Pope and solve problems for him, but they have unexpectedly ended up in this place, so naturally the first thing on their mind is how to get back.


    "We can''t go back!"


    Hearing this, I sighed and couldn''t help but speak up.


    "That exit is probably gone, we''ll just be wasting our time, it''s better to think of other ways."


    "Why are you so sure? The exit of the cave is not far from the village, we can just go try it out, right?"


    Of course, Ron didn''t understand, this tune was almost the same as mine before, and I suddenly felt a bit ironic.


    "Because I''ve tried it myself once!"


    Under Adrian''s slightly surprised gaze, I unreservedly recounted the experience of having died once and then being revived. As expected, the expressions on the two of them were as if they were listening to a fantasy story.


    "Time reset? And the rest of us don''t have memories other than you and Adrian?"


    Pushing up her glasses with two fingers, Judith''s gaze held a hint of excitement.


    "Hehe, interesting! If it''s true, that must mean it''s inseparable from..."


    "Feliciana''s words are indeed true, and I can prove it! And it''s not just reset once!"


    However, Adrian suddenly interrupted her.


    "If you want to say it''s ''inseparable from the influence of wind elements'', I''m sorry, I already know that. But that''s the limit, if you have any other guesses, feel free to share them."


    "Of course I have other guesses, I just need to further confirm them..."


    Judith answered a bit embarrassedly, with a meaningful glance at him.


    "So is this the truth behind your foresight ability? It seems you''ve already told me these things before, then what about Battle qi? Have you really awakened it?"


    "What do you think?"


    Stolen novel; please report.Adrian didn''t give a direct answer, but the answer was already self-evident.


    "What should we do now? If the original path back is not viable, is there any other way we can return?"


    Mike asked solemnly. They have seen my strange attitude towards those four-winged Apostles, and with Adrian''s support, they have more or less half-believed it.


    "Wait, if there really is a time loop, then what about Beluto? Judith just said we might have traveled ten thousand years into the past, right?"


    Although he didn''t think I was talking nonsense, Ron still discovered a very important issue.


    I''m also puzzled, time loop and time travel should have a certain contradiction, but we just happened to encounter both. It can''t be that everyone just happened to be in a loop segment of a time travel, right? That''s just too far-fetched!


    "Judith''s two guesses are both reasonable, but I''m actually more inclined towards her second inference."


    Adrian looked at me, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to continue.


    "This is also what I want to tell everyone next - the world we are seeing now may not be what you think it is!"


    ...


    Time passed quickly, and when the "Cloud Palace" appeared again, we had already left the village far behind and were heading in the opposite direction.


    "The palace really appeared, it seems you were right!"


    Although he had already learned this from us, seeing the distant mountain peak, Ron still had an expression of surprise on his face.


    "Hehe! This speed of construction is impossible to achieve with just magic and magic formations alone, I think it must be relying on the light element control power of the Light God Beluto."


    Judith gently pushed up her glasses, and since she was only a third-rank, she couldn''t keep up with the others'' speed, but luckily Mike''s strength was great, and he had no problem carrying her on his back as they ran.


    "This is not the time to be amazed, those Apostles may still catch up, we must quicken our pace!"


    Adrian urged without looking back. In fact, the running speed of everyone is already quite fast, even slightly exceeding my usual flying limit. This is mainly thanks to the effect of Adrian''s Battle qi.


    That''s right! Although the foresight ability is just a pretense, Adrian truly possesses Battle qi, he just has a rather special way of applying it, with a lot of variety. And the acceleration effect is one of its functions.


    To be honest, it''s really quite peculiar! If I hadn''t seen it with my own eyes, I couldn''t have imagined that Adrian''s Battle qi ability would be manifested in this way.


    If I had to describe it, it''s just a bit similar to "incantation".


    Probably because he didn''t receive systematic Battle qi guidance, Adrian hadn''t even had time to develop his own ability when he just awakened Battle qi and entered the cave. Later, through repeated time loops and Judith''s suggestions, he gradually explored a set of Battle qi application methods of his own.


    That is, attaching individual word to the arrows, giving them literal additional effects. The most typical example is the arrow that defeated the Apostle and blew me up before.


    By common sense, even if a general fire-type explosive magic explodes from the body of an angel, the damage effect would be far from so exaggerated. Because light elements will greatly reduce the energy generated by the explosion. But the arrows enhanced with Battle qi are completely different, with power much higher than ordinary six-element magic, able to achieve this.


    And the word Adrian attached to the arrow was naturally "explode". As for why this kind of magical effect would be produced, Judith did give a certain degree of explanation.


    "Battle qi is not one of the six elements, but is closely related to the six elements. Perhaps Adrian can convert it into a specific attribute through his own imagination of words, to achieve a specific effect. For example, the word ''explode'' can convert Battle qi into a fire attribute, but its essence is not just simple fire element, so the explosive power it produces can be strong enough to be immune even to light elements."


    In other words, the "speed" word that is currently increasing our running ability is converting Battle qi into a wind attribute.


    What a convenient ability...


    I can''t help but start to envy it a little, fortunately Adrian can only attach one word to the arrows, if it was a long sentence, what kind of invincible effect would it produce? Basically no one could keep up with him!


    However, Judith doesn''t think such a situation will occur, after all, Battle qi is essentially a form of energy, no matter how much it is converted through words, it cannot exceed the application range of energy.


    In any case, the fact that our team now has two Battle qi powerhouses is undeniable, and the plan we are about to carry out will naturally become much easier!


    On the way, we passed through a small town, and although most of the buildings there had already collapsed, we could still see some local residents standing dumbfounded in the rubble, their light pollution clearly more severe than the villagers.


    What a terrifying and hopeless world is this? As we rushed past them, all of us couldn''t help but let out a heavy sigh.


    "Have we shaken them off yet?"


    After running for a while, until we could no longer see the mountain peak supporting the palace, we finally stopped. Mike frowned and asked Adrian.


    "Are you sure we should keep going?"


    "It''s impossible to completely shake them off, we''ve only temporarily escaped Beluto''s attention for now, being discovered is just a matter of time! Unless we didn''t let him know about our existence from the very beginning..."


    Adrian shook his head, his gaze looking towards the vast horizon in front of us, where there were only endless mountain ranges.


    "If I remember correctly, it should take about one or two more hours to get to that place, and then the real challenge will begin."

 Vol 4/Chapter 86 - Abnormally Difficult Dungeon

    "Can we really escape this place by doing this?"


    I confirmed again, feeling that Adrian''s plan was a bit risky. Moreover, we haven''t even considered whether we can ultimately break through the challenge.


    "I can''t guarantee it, but this is the only way I''ve come up with after experiencing hundreds of loops."


    Adrian shook his head again and said to me.


    "And among these hundreds of times, aside from Ron and Mike, the only one who can bring any variables is you, so you are also my last hope!"


    "The way you put it..."


    I felt a bit embarrassed and turned my head away. Adrian didn''t even consider the actual situation, making me sound so powerful. Setting aside Ron, but Mike is definitely much stronger than me.


    However, his words also seem to imply a message, that Ron and Mike have actually reached this point before, but they all failed...


    I suddenly felt a bit uneasy, if they failed even with Mike, a sixth-rank battle qi cultivator participating, can I really make a difference by adding myself?


    "Hehe, you two seem to have a rather unusual relationship!"


    Judith, who was lurking on the sidelines, clicked her tongue and teased.


    "No, you misunderstood!"


    I quickly clarified, nervously glancing at Adrian. Fortunately, he was observing the surroundings and didn''t seem to have noticed Judith''s words.


    "Falling in love is so awkward!"


    Unexpectedly, Ron also joined in the fun, looking at Mike with an expression of eagerly watching the show.


    "I''d rather be killed by those Apostles than get involved in this kind of nonsense, it''s better to follow Cysper and serve the Lord for life!"


    "Didn''t you say you haven''t decided to accept the priesthood yet? How can you make such a judgment so quickly?"


    Mike helplessly reminded him, after all, this is a big decision in life, it can''t be made hastily.


    "Of course, I''m not interested in getting married and having children, women are so troublesome!"


    Ron nodded very firmly, as if he had already made up his mind.


    "You guys..."


    Seeing their reactions, I was completely dumbfounded, it''s truly beyond saving now.


    They don''t know the real situation, how could it be possible between me and Adrian! Absolutely impossible! Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely impossible!


    After a total of about three hours of intermittent running, we finally saw our destination.


    "We''re here!"


    Adrian pointed to the mountain peak in front of us and led us to take a temporary rest behind some rocks at the foot of the mountain.


    "It''s really true..."


    Although he already knew the result, Mike, looking at the peak shrouded in clouds above, still found it somewhat unbelievable.


    "We''ve come back around?"


    This is the truth of this world! And also the reason why Adrian was more inclined towards Judith''s second guess.


    He doesn''t think we''ve really traveled ten thousand years into the past, but rather to a place where the Light God Beluto and Saint Angel Cyra exist. And this place does not exist on the Eldoria Continent, it''s even very small, small enough to circle around in a few hours.


    The location we are in now is on the other side of the mountain peak that supports the "Cloud Palace"! In other words, while those Apostles are searching for us everywhere, we have already run to their back!


    "Hehehe¡ªhahaha¡ª"


    Judith suddenly laughed neurotically. As if she had discovered some horrifying secret.


    "Because this is a spatial distortion! And I''m a earth mage, I actually didn''t even notice such a large-scale spatial manipulation..."


    "You''ve done well, after all, you''re only third-rank, your elemental perception isn''t strong."


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.Adrian looked at her expressionlessly, then turned away.


    "So try to restrain yourself a bit, I''ve heard this laughter over a dozen times already..."


    "..."


    In other words, he has come here over a dozen times before? The group fell silent, suddenly having a certain understanding of what is about to happen.


    "Strange, by rights, at such a close distance, even if we weren''t noticed, the Light God should have discovered us long ago, but those Apostles seem to have completely failed to detect that we are right behind their home?"


    A gust of wind blew, sweeping away the clouds covering the peak, revealing the true appearance of the "Cloud Palace". A few Apostles on patrol can be vaguely seen outside the palace, but they did not show any vigilance towards us.


    "I''m not sure about that, they should not know, after all, I''ve tried many times to enter the palace, and I can confirm that the defense of the back is very empty."


    Looking up at the mountain top, Adrian shook his head and explained.


    "But the pressure will be completely different once you enter inside, the defense is very tight, everyone needs to be prepared to try again!"


    "Ugh, don''t say such despairing words!"


    Ron spat out the grass root in his mouth and angrily cursed.


    "We are the chief and fifth seated Star Glory knights, how could we be defeated by Cyra, a six-winged angel, and a bunch of two-winged Apostles! Moreover, we also have one here!"


    He pointed at me. The implication being that we already have a boss-level character on our side.


    Come on, can it be the same? Dude!


    I couldn''t help but roll my eyes. It was already so difficult to deal with a single four-winged Apostle, let alone a six-winged one. These Apostles all have the Light God''s blessing, you know?


    "Ron, don''t be so disrespectful to Saint Angel!"


    Hearing this, Mike immediately scolded him. Then he looked at me and continued.


    "Lady Cyra is a revered Saint Angel in our True Church, although I don''t know how she got involved with Beluto, but perhaps it''s just a misunderstanding. This time we came to inquire about the truth!


    "Of course, it''s more likely that the so-called Cyra is not the Saint Angel of our church, but a namesake like Feliciana''s friend."


    Where is there so much coincidence? He''s just deluding himself!


    I pursed my lips without pointing it out. After observing for a while, I can see that Mike''s personality is just like that, rigid-minded and unwilling to accept changes. I guess that''s why Cysper made him the top knight, to make managing the subordinates easier.


    Actually, in my opinion, because of the long history, they may have confused Yawee and Beluto in the True Church, perhaps the "Lord" they believed in ten thousand years ago was Beluto, but the name got misinterpreted over time.


    After all, history is written by those in power, falsifying history is a common practice, who knows, maybe it was done by this Pope Cysper!


    Okay, this guess is a bit irresponsible. But Ron did point out a fact, which is that our purpose here is to deal with Saint Angel Cyra.


    According to Adrian, it can be confirmed that Saint Angel Cyra is currently in that palace.


    He has looped and reset in this world over a hundred times, and he has tried every direction from the village - they all lead back to the starting point!


    Therefore, with the return path blocked, the only way to leave is to find an alternative route. That is to find the culprit behind the creation of this infinite loop of time and space. If we can strike at the source, perhaps the problem can be solved.


    But who is the culprit? The answer naturally falls on the most terrifying existence, the Light God Beluto. Only he in this world possesses the ability to do this, but we don''t expect to be able to just kill Beluto directly.


    However, there are many indirect methods, and it doesn''t have to be solved through combat. If we can''t beat them, we can try dialogue and negotiation, further understand the situation! Even if Beluto is not the mastermind, he should know some of the truth. If we can''t reach an agreement with him, we can just restart, so there''s no need to worry about the consequences.


    The only pity is that it''s not easy to see the Light God. The furthest Adrian has gone was just to the room where Saint Angel Cyra was, but he was completely wiped out without even seeing her.


    As for Beluto himself... We don''t need to consider that for now, we don''t even know where it is! The fact that our group can smoothly infiltrate the enemy''s main base from the back suggests that Beluto is most likely not in the palace, and we may only be able to see Saint Angel Cyra.


    Suddenly, I feel like this place is like a online game! We need to keep clearing a dungeon, and we are now stuck on the small boss Cyra. Only Adrian and I can accumulate experience, while the others are all back to noob status.


    Super abnormally difficult difficulty!


    After resting up, it''s time to go up the mountain. To be on the safe side, Adrian took out some arrows and attached the word "stealth" to them. As the name suggests, it can achieve an invisibility effect, truly a treasure for infiltration!


    Although stealth magic belongs to the light element, I really don''t know how to use it! Because my energy is limited, there are so many types of magic I haven''t learned yet. Besides, Adrian''s battle qi effect is much stronger than what I can achieve with magic, so why not just use his?


    The only trouble is that the qi stored in the words needs to be released by the arrow piercing the skin, which is just like "farting while taking off your pants"! I don''t mind, but Judith started hiding everywhere when she saw this.


    She''s afraid of pain...


    What a sight to behold, the senior researcher of the Tower Sage Council is afraid of pain? It would be laughable if told to others!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 87 - The Assault Plan

    "Hehe, this is normal! I, I usually just do theoretical research in Crescent City, I don''t often join battles, so I rarely get hurt! That''s why my rank is so low."


    Hiding behind a big rock, Judith kept making excuses and defending herself.


    Her low rank had somehow become her excuse for avoiding getting shots... uh, no - for avoiding getting hurt, even though it was just a minor injury!


    "Don''t waste time, we need to go up the mountain quickly, or else we might get spotted by those Apostles if we take too long!"


    Adrian didn''t have the patience to reason with her. The "speed" arrow he had shot at Judith earlier had let her avoid running on her own, but there was no way he''d let her off the hook so easily this time.


    "Wah - umph -"


    Without a word, Ron and I rushed forward, one covering her mouth and the other grabbing her limbs, quickly pinning Judith to the ground.


    "There we go!"


    Adrian gently pricked a small hole in her arm, and suddenly Judith disappeared completely, along with her clothes. Except for a slight disturbance in the nearby light elements, it was almost impossible to tell she was there!


    This was much more useful than regular invisibility magic. Invisibility spells still give off some light element, but this hid that completely.


    "Mmph mmph, I''m not pure anymore, Feliciana just touched my chest..."


    Though we couldn''t see anything, we heard muffled sobs from the ground.


    "Ah... sorry, that was an accident!"


    I panicked, not sure if she was telling the truth, so I quickly apologized.


    "She''s just making excuses. If it was real, she''d probably be feeling up her whole body by now."


    Without looking back, Adrian went to Mike and stabbed his arm with another battle qi-infused arrow.


    "As if I''m that kind of loose person..."


    Judith''s voice changed as soon as she heard that, but she was still invisible.


    "This battle qi is so fun! Even though it''s not from any element, it can still make you invisible like light magic. But now my wound is hidden, will I bleed a lot? Will I die from blood loss?"


    No one replied to her.


    Just as Adrian had said, the journey up the mountain went smoothly. Aside from the steep slopes, where it was hard to climb with our invisible legs, we didn''t run into any real danger.


    "That''s weird! Even if our bodies are hidden, Feliciana and Ron''s light element should still be detectable by the God of Light. So why haven''t any Apostles shown up?"


    An arrow floating in the air led the way, when suddenly I heard Judith''s voice next to me.


    "Hehe, maybe Beluto is really as the legends say - incomplete when he was born, so his abilities didn''t reach the theoretical level, which is why he hasn''t noticed us?"


    "Feliciana, you angels must have some records about this, right?"


    "Oh, I know about that. You mean Beluto''s abilities are incomplete, and he''s not very smart, right?"


    I''d heard that before - Liana''s memories showed the God of Light acting rather unintelligent, even getting mocked by Cyra.


    "But those Apostles don''t seem that stupid, do they?"You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    From another direction, Ron chimed in to argue.


    If the Apostles were soulless, directly controlled by the God of Light, they shouldn''t be that intelligent. But that wasn''t the case - at least the four-winged Apostle didn''t seem dumb, and I even felt she was a bit cunning.


    "Saint Angel Cyra should have normal intelligence, right? I notice the Apostles usually just mention the God of Light Beluto, but the actual orders come from Saint Angel. If the Apostles have an indirect subordinate relationship with Beluto, could that explain it?"


    Adrian, holding the arrow in front, suddenly asked. But no one could answer, since none of us had actually seen Saint Angel Cyra to know if she was unintelligent.


    Saint Angel Cyra and the God of Light Beluto were both legendary figures who had disappeared thousands of years ago.


    By the time we reached the mountain top, another two hours had passed.


    "From now on, everyone needs to be on high alert - every step from here may be dangerous!"


    On the quite spacious mountain top, in the farthest corner from the palace, Adrian gave a final deployment briefing.


    Although we couldn''t see it clearly before, now that we were at the mountain top, we realized the "Cloud Palace" was actually a massive architectural complex, not just a single building - it was a cluster of multiple grand palaces in classical Greek style.


    "This huge area, how are we supposed to find the target? We don''t even know which building she''s in!"


    Ron was stunned, starting to doubt the feasibility of the mission.


    "It''s probably in the largest one, right?"


    Mike guessed uncertainly. From a distance, that towering palace, hundreds of meters high, was the most prominent and majestic of the buildings.


    As expected, all the materials used were light element solidified - the stones, wood, and metals were all made of light. To achieve this scale, there was only one possible creator: Beluto.


    But luckily, these light-infused buildings provided some camouflage, allowing Ron and I to avoid being detected by the Apostles from afar.


    "Don''t worry about that, I''ve already mapped out the path! The main issue is the guards. Even if a large group of Apostles have gone down the mountain to attack us, there are still many left in the palace. Just being invisible won''t be enough to reach Cyra."


    Invisibility still relies on manipulating light, so if we get close enough, the Apostles would still notice.


    You could clearly see with the naked eye - there were at least dozens of Apostles left at the mountain top. Five of us charging them head-on would never stand a chance.


    "You guys said last time Feliciana almost got captured to see Saint Angel, but got cut off on the way. Why not just let them capture us, wouldn''t that be easier?"


    Ron shook his head, still thinking it was too risky.


    "You don''t understand. If we get captured, how can we negotiate? We have to force our way to their face with strength to have a chance!"


    Before I could say anything, Mike jumped in to educate him.


    "The reserved time is almost up, everyone follow the plan! If Mike and I get discovered..."


    Adrian waved his hand, not saying more. Turning towards the target palace, he gave the orders in a stern voice.


    "Then we launch the full-scale assault!"


    The plan was simple - Adrian and Mike, the battle qi users, would infiltrate the palace invisibly, hoping to reach Cyra directly if things went well.


    Meanwhile, the rest of us - me, Ron, and Judith - would create smoke bombs and distractions down below, trying to draw as many of the defenders away as possible to give them an opening.


    Of course, this was all based on the assumption that Cyra and Beluto wouldn''t join the battle. Saint Angel Cyra was uncertain, but if she was only at six wings level, she wouldn''t be too much of a threat. But if Beluto showed up, that would be dangerous.


    Fortunately, we didn''t sense any particularly powerful light elemental being in the palace complex, so Ron and I believed Beluto was likely not home at the moment. A deity like the God of Light would definitely be noticeable to us from this close.


    With the explosions starting down the mountain, the operation was underway!


    Adrian and Mike used the "stealth" arrows to become invisible and rushed towards the palace.


    Hopefully their infiltration wouldn''t turn into an all-out brawl in the "Celestial Palace".


    As for us three distractionists, we immediately turned and ran back down the mountain. But we didn''t need to go too far, since Judith had already set up several timed magic arrays along the way - everything from fireworks to loud noises, meant to draw as many Apostles as possible down to investigate.


    With the situation on the mountain top guaranteed to get chaotic, and our light element making us too easy to detect, Ron and I had to retreat and hide.


    Sitting in a small cave, I retracted my wings, feeling a bit restless and itchy. If those magic arrays weren''t enough, we might have to intervene personally. The waiting was so boring and nerve-wracking.


    "I saw seven or eight Apostles fly towards the explosion array."


    Soon, the lookout Ron reported in, and Judith also entered the cave.


    "There are five or six Apostles going to the fireworks."


    "So that''s at least ten or more Apostles drawn away already? Maybe I should go check the other decoy arrays..."


    Just as I was about to get up and leave, the two of them stopped me.


    "You can''t! Your angelic light element is too strong, you might get spotted easily. Just stay here and wait for news."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t spread my wings!"


    I argued, trying to insist. With my wings hidden, my light element was weaker than even Ron''s.


    "Hehe, without your wings you can''t fly. Your strength is even less than mine! You might slip and fall off the mountain if you go out."


    Judith firmly refused to let me leave.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 88 - Saint Angel

    "I..."


    I didn''t expect to be looked down on by Judith. I could only stay silent. She had a point - with no proper paths, just the raw mountain terrain, ordinary people could easily get into trouble.


    But this didn''t last long, as a huge explosion suddenly rang out from above. Ron and Judith quickly came to tell me the Apostles we had lured down were now flying back up.


    "They must have spotted Adrian and the others!"


    Was it time for the full-scale assault after all? I didn''t want the situation to escalate this quickly. Without a word, I spread my wings and grabbed the two of them, flying back up the mountain.


    "Hold it! Who are you intruders, daring to enter the sacred palace grounds!"


    As soon as we returned to the mountaintop, a two-winged Apostle guard confronted us.


    "It''s all up to you now..."


    Just a two-winged Apostle, hopefully not too hard to handle. But carrying these two heavy people, I felt quite tired from the flight up. I needed to rest a bit before the coming battle.


    "Haha, just a two-winged Apostle, no big deal!"


    Ron laughed loudly, pulling out a thick staff and swinging it straight at the Apostle. The staff had a thick end and a pointed end - his staff techniques actually looked quite practiced. Could this be some special "staff style"?


    So you''re the legendary melee mage! If you grew a long beard and wore a tall hat, you could be Gandalf.


    "Hehe, two wings is only about level four, maybe one person can handle it alone!"


    Judith''s fighting method was also unique - instead of directly engaging, she used a magic array on a scroll to summon a giant stone golem to be her proxy.


    A summoner, huh?


    Unfortunately, the effect wasn''t great. The stone fist strikes barely damaged the Apostle, no special effects. And the Apostle''s sword easily sliced off half the golem''s arm, reducing it to just a clumsy kicker without arms.


    But this was a 2v1, and the golem wasn''t doing much anyway, with Ron there. Though his light element magic was ineffective against the two-winged Apostle, his martial arts skills were decent. With constant pressure, the Apostle couldn''t even fire off a light beam before being struck down.


    "Tsk, you''re so violent!"


    I murmured in mild surprise. I finally realized, the two-winged Apostles'' base strength was actually not much different from ordinary two-winged angels. The real threat must be those light beam attacks derived from the God of Light. The four-winged Apostles were probably similar, just with more techniques.


    The key to victory was to resolve the battles quickly, not giving them a chance to unleash those abilities.


    "With not many Apostles left on the mountain top, let''s hurry inside and regroup with them."


    I could see Adrian''s signal flare from below the explosion - in front of the tallest palace. They had already gone in, and the three of us attacking from the rear could reduce the pressure on them if they were exposed.


    On the way, we only encountered a couple waves of Apostles, but they weren''t much of a threat. With everyone rushing them, we dealt with them effortlessly. I was grateful to have Ron, as I realized his strength was actually at the sixth rank.


    Not even ordinary six-winged angels necessarily reach that level!


    "I wonder how far they''ve advanced..."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Arriving in front of the grand, ornate palace, we didn''t dare linger. Glancing at the wide-open, undefended entrance, we charged in.


    Inside, the halls were still completely empty, not a single Apostle - surprising us.


    "Maybe Mike and the others have already cleared this area once!"


    With no bodies left after Apostles die, we couldn''t tell how fierce the previous battle had been. Aside from the open-air courtyard in the center, there were corridors branching off to the left and right. Ron looked around, then decisively pointed to the left.


    "This way, we have to hurry and help them."


    "How do you know? The other side has a path too!"


    I questioned him as we ran.


    "Because we agreed beforehand, if we encountered a fork, we default to the left path."


    Running even faster, Ron answered without looking back. His judgment was correct - soon we heard the sounds of fighting up ahead.


    There were over ten four-winged Apostles surrounding Adrian and Mike, with four in close combat using sword-like blades formed from their arms. The rest were circling outside, unable to get close since Mike''s punches could easily take down an Apostle. They had to keep rotating in to replace the ones he struck down.


    "Are all these Apostles using swords?"


    I silently mocked. Angels had such a variety of weapons, compared to this.


    "Intruders, accept the master''s punishment!"


    Seeing a four-winged Apostle chanting in the back, I quickly threw a "Sanctuary of Light" to block whatever divine retribution it was trying to unleash.


    Good thing we arrived just in time! Since it''s all light element, even divine punishment can be shielded.


    "Thanks!"


    Protected from the deadly attack, our sudden arrival distracted the enemies. Soon, Mike found an opening to strike, quickly taking down several.


    "Let them taste the power of numbers!"


    I shouted, drawing my sword and charging at the Apostles. Actually, our side''s numbers were still fewer...


    But the quality was completely different. With our addition, plus Mike and Adrian''s stellar performance, we swiftly eliminated all those four-winged Apostles.


    "This is the first time we all made it here alive. Last time, only me, Mike, and Vivianne reached this point - we couldn''t defend against those light beam sneak attacks from outside at all."


    Adrian sighed slightly. That was true - the Apostles'' light beam prayers were too overpowered, able to pierce through the roofs from the sky. Without "Sanctuary of Light", he and Mike would have likely suffered losses, and the remaining forces would have been picked off one by one.


    And through this battle, I also noticed a weakness in his battle qi. The "light shield" is a two-word technique, so he couldn''t fully apply it to his arrows. But a single-word "shield" without light attribute was useless.


    In the end, the traditional battle qi applications were still more practical, proven in actual combat. Look at Mike - even if he couldn''t tank the hits, his speed allowed him to dodge easily. Last time he got hit was just because he was unprepared.


    "Is the Saint Angel Cyra behind this door?"


    After pressing forward a bit, Ron pointed to a door ahead, asking.  With the four-winged Apostles down, no other enemies had rushed in yet, but that was only temporary - the reinforcements from below would arrive soon.


    "I''m not sure, I''ve never gotten this far before. I can only guess based on those four-winged Apostles'' words, but the chance is probably high..."


    Adrian hesitated slightly, then firmly pushed open the doors with both hands.


    "Since this is the most heavily guarded area, let me see the truth behind it!"


    The doors swung open, revealing not a room, but a vast open-air courtyard.


    "So you''ve finally come. I''ve been waiting a long time."


    A petite figure stood in the center, back facing us. In an elegant gown, with six pristine white wings - this had to be the one we sought, Saint Angel Cyra.


    "I heard there''s another angel with six white wings like me nearby. I was quite curious to see them..."


    So this was the legendary Cyra? Unlike the Cyra travelling with me, she was the true, original founding member of the True Church.


    Although I had once suspected the Saint Angel Cyra was actually the future Cyrus who had time-traveled, that was just an unsubstantiated guess. Now the truth would be revealed before our eyes.


    "I have a question - did you really know we were coming? Why wait for us here?"


    Adrian raised a point we had all overlooked. Why was Cyra waiting like a final boss, when she could have easily ambushed and killed us before we reached this point?


    "Because those Apostles are spiritually connected to me. They gained wisdom through me, so they could relay everything happening to me through the light element."


    "But I also know you didn''t come just for this question. You must be acting on someone''s behalf, right? But they didn''t dare face me directly!"


    She sounded a bit disappointed. Then her voice suddenly rose.


    "But I can forgive that. They must be resentful of my sudden betrayal! So I''ll give you a chance to explain yourselves. Whether you can bring the message back, that''s up to your abilities!"


    "????????"


    What was she talking about? We hadn''t accepted any commission from anyone! Don''t tell me the so-called employer was Yulanda?


    I was completely baffled, and the others seemed just as confused, exchanging perplexed looks.


    Who was this "they" she was referring to? And when did Saint Angel Cyra ever betray us?


    "Is she referring to the betrayal of our church?"


    Ron quietly confirmed with Mike.


    "Probably, but it sounds a bit strange..."


    Mike replied uncertainly, eyeing Cyra warily.


    "What about the God of Light Beluto? We want to talk to him, mainly about how to leave this place!"

 Vol 4/Chapter 89 - Reset Again

    "My husband will unify the entire world, he has no time for trivial matters like you. There''s no need for him to see you!"


    Cyra bluntly refused without hesitation.


    "But if you can hurt me, he''ll surely show up immediately!"


    In other words, to see the God of Light, we had to defeat her first. These villains really liked to make things difficult.


    "You dare challenge all of us alone, not afraid of being beaten up?"


    I raised my voice, warning her. Something was off - with the enemy forces closing in, her casual attitude made me uneasy.


    "Hehe, why should I be afraid?"


    Cyra suddenly laughed, slowly turning around to face us.


    "You kids think you can talk big? I said I''d give you a response, so now let me show you what that means!"


    "This..."


    "Sss¡ª"


    "Damn it!"


    "Huh?"


    Seeing the situation, all of us were dumbfounded, uttering strange sounds.


    But it wasn''t her words that shocked us, it was...her face!


    "Hehe, cross-dressing? I never expected the legendary Cyra to look like this, how thrilling!"


    Judith pushed up her glasses, looking quite excited.


    Something''s wrong with you!


    "Pope...Cysper? How can it be, why are you here too?"


    Mike and Ron exclaimed, pointing at Cyra in disbelief. But seeing her wings, they quickly realized their mistake.


    "No, you can''t be him!"


    They were right - the Cyra in front of us had Cyrus''s face! It felt like a herd of wild beasts were stampeding through our minds.


    "You know her?"


    Adrian quietly asked me, furrowing his brow.


    "Looks familiar, but so unsightly."


    After the initial shock, we could still make out some clues. At least the figure was female, so it was likely just the face that resembled him, the gender still...probably female.


    "She looks just like the True Church''s pope!"


    I couldn''t help rolling my eyes. After all this anticipation, the Saint Angel turned out to be this...I needed to wash my eyes with water magic, at last putting that skill to use!


    "Hmph! One last chance - if you''re willing to submit, I''ll reluctantly let my husband take the women as concubines, and give the men Apostles as rewards!"


    To our surprise, Cyra was even trying to persuade us at this point. If I hadn''t seen her face, I might have thought Beluto was a lecher, but now, seeing Cyra, I could only say "Respect, respect" to Beluto - this was on a whole other level of weirdness!


    "Spare the nonsense, I''ll take care of you, evil creature!"


    Judith pulled out a scroll, summoning the stone golem in front of her.


    "So you''re still not giving up, huh? All your efforts are futile in the end!"


    Seeing us all in battle stances, Cyra sneered, raising a finger and pointing it at us.


    "What''s this?"Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    I quickly looked up at the sky. A tremendous pressure was bearing down, so I hurriedly activated "Sanctuary of Light" to protect the others.


    "Everyone, get in here quick!"


    As soon as I spoke, a blinding white light rained down from the heavens. Very similar to "Judgment of Light", but the area of effect was just a circle around us, and the power was even stronger, though the duration was shorter. If I hadn''t noticed in time to set up the defense, everyone except me would have been done for, maybe even Ron.


    "Oh? How interesting, to emerge unscathed. This shield is quite remarkable!"


    Cyra didn''t seem surprised, almost as if she had anticipated it. She casually waved her finger to the side.


    "Then how about trying this?"


    Suddenly, dozens of swords made of solidified light elements appeared in the air around us, all pointed at each of us.


    "Magic can''t block these!"


    I was helpless against this technique, seeing the swords homing in on us. The only thing I could do was dodge around.


    How infuriating! What a terrifying ability!


    The swords didn''t even attack all at once - they divided into groups, locking onto one target at a time and striking in succession, giving us no time to react.


    Unable to hold out long, the lowest-ranked Judith was the first to fall, killed. I also got distracted for a moment and was swiftly impaled in the abdomen, collapsing to the ground.


    Ugh...


    Before losing consciousness, I glimpsed only Mike breaking out of the "sword array" and charging towards Cyra, but he was quickly blown away by a light element shockwave.


    "Wiped out?"


    Seeing the swords piercing me, I finally understood why Cyra was so confident taking us all on alone.


    Though, if given another chance, perhaps I could dodge those swords.


    I hoped so, because who knows what other monstrous techniques she had up her sleeve...


    When I came to, I was back at the entrance of the village again.


    "So it''s a reset?"


    I wasn''t surprised anymore. I knew this would happen.


    Even though it was only the second time, I already felt rather weary. It was like playing a long game, only to get thrown back to the beginning without the ability to save.


    Knowing what was about to happen next, I calmly walked into the village like before.


    The woman coming out of the house, the children playing in the central square - everything was exactly the same as last time. What was coming next would be...


    "Feliciana?"


    Vivianne, approaching from the other side of the square, paused and then shook her head.


    "Oh no, sorry...you must be one of the villagers. You look a lot like a friend of mine. Do you know where we are?"


    "..."


    Seeing Vivianne''s slightly apologetic expression, I suddenly felt resigned. The words I had wanted to speak didn''t come out.


    In the previous cycle, we had found Vivianne''s "body" in a yard after leaving the house. She hadn''t managed to survive the "Judgment of Light", left in a vegetative state like Mike. So we had no choice but to leave her behind.


    But this time, I couldn''t let that happen again.


    "Of course!"


    With that in mind, I quickly put on a smile.


    "You don''t look like you''re from around here. This place is called Newbie Village, on Sailful Island. Do you have any other questions?"


    "What strange names...how did I end up on an island? I don''t see the sea anywhere..."


    Vivianne muttered under her breath, but thankfully didn''t dwell on it, continuing to ask.


    "Do you know how I can get to the coast and leave this island? I want to go to the Eldoria Continent."


    "Lucky you, you asked the right person!"


    I nodded with a smile, pointing in a direction.


    "My friend over there runs a boat business, you can go talk to him."


    "Really? Thank you so much!"


    Hearing that, she gratefully bowed to me, then hurried towards the house I had pointed out.


    That, of course, was Adrian''s two-story "refuge" specifically prepared to withstand the "Judgment of Light". We had already agreed that if Vivianne came, he would be the one to explain the situation to her. If she still didn''t believe, he could use forceful means to keep her in the house, ensuring she survived the "Judgment".


    With the many "miracles" she''d witness later, even Vivianne''s skepticism would have to accept our true identities.


    As for why I didn''t go with her, it was mainly because I had to wait here for the other two.


    "Lady Feliciana? I didn''t expect you to be here in the cave ahead of us."


    Just as expected, the two Star Glory knights soon spotted my spread wings and approached me.


    "It''s a long story, you''d better be prepared..."


    Dealing with these two was much easier than Vivianne. As long as I avoided the potentially deadly paths in the upcoming "plot", I could gather all our forces and charge straight up the mountain.


    "You got here so fast?"


    However, when we stood at the door of the two-story house, Adrian looked at Mike and Ron behind me, his expression suddenly changing.


    "Those three Apostles who arrived first in the village must be killed. Otherwise, Beluto and Cyra won''t notice us, and the Apostles on the mountain top won''t be lured down. We have no chance of breaking through the defenses to see Cyra with just us!"


    "Ah..."


    I was dumbfounded. To prevent potential losses, I had simply brought the two Star Glory knights to the "refuge", not realizing it was crucial for the upcoming battle.


    "From now on, you must all submit to my master''s might and accept his rule, or face merciless suppression!"


    The shouts of the four-winged Apostles in the sky had already begun.


    "No time left, Mike! Come with me, and watch out for the light beam from that four-winged Apostle!"


    Adrian had no choice but to rush out of the house towards the three Apostles.


    "Huh, how do you know my name?"


    Though I had already explained on the way, Mike still looked surprised that the unfamiliar Adrian addressed him by name. But with my continued prompting, he hesitated briefly before agreeing.


    "...Okay!"


    After all, the appearance of those three Apostles further confirmed my previous statements.


    As for me and Ron, we didn''t need to join the fray. Through the open door, I saw Vivianne tied up on the floor, feeling a bit exasperated.


    This was a problem that needed treatment! Her psychological issues were way too severe.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 90 - The Start of the Final Battle

    After that, everything went as usual. Luckily, Adrian and the others managed to deal with those three Apostles before they left. The "Judgment of Light" arrived as expected.


    This time reset not only successfully saved all the members, but also helped us confirm another thing - the condition for the reset!


    The condition for the reset had never been fully clear. As expected, it should be death, right?


    But there is a contradiction - the time of everyone''s death is not the same. If I die first, after death, do the others continue their actions or do they all start over from the beginning?


    After exchanging information with Adrian, I got the answer - the reset only happens after the entire team is wiped out.


    Last time, in front of the Saint Angel Cyra, Adrian used his Battle qi to shrink himself down to the size of an ant, successfully evading the sword array. As a result, only he survived to the end.


    Unfortunately, this transformation didn''t last long, and he couldn''t hurt the enemy at all, not even able to escape very far. As soon as he returned to normal size, Cyra immediately killed him.


    On his side, he felt the reset happen immediately, and on my side, the reset also happened immediately, without any waiting period. This clearly indicates that the perceived time after death is completely stopped, until the total annihilation.


    The only regret is that knowing this does not provide any help for the upcoming battle for now.


    The only useful thing is the memories of me and Adrian, who won''t be reset. We can tell the others what Cyra might do at the start of the battle, what kind of moves she might use. We can only convey this through language and drawings, along with constant demonstrations and explanations.


    Call it a "strategy guide" if you will.


    After a series of familiar yet arduous battles, we all finally stood before the Saint Angel Cyra once again. We must defeat her to see the Light God Beluto, and Beluto is our only hope to leave this endless time loop.


    "No need for more talk, let me take care of this demonic beast!"


    Judith took out a scroll and unfurled it, summoning a giant stone golem in front of her. But this time, a strange expression suddenly appeared on her face.


    "... Huh, this line sounds strangely familiar, as if I''ve heard it somewhere before?"


    Of course, it''s what you said yourself!


    I couldn''t help but sigh. Seeing Cyra extend a finger towards us, I immediately realized what was about to happen.


    "Everyone, gather up! This is a powerful area-of-effect light elemental attack!"


    But this time, the newbie member Vivianne made a mistake, reacting too slowly and failing to enter the "Light Sanctuary" in time, getting left outside the protective barrier.


    However, the battle is not over yet, the remaining people can continue to fight.


    Next comes the sword array!


    Based on my memory, I kept jumping left and right, successfully avoiding the first few long swords, but ended up getting skewered by the last two.


    No matter, there''s always the next time!


    Suddenly, I realized that dying so many times has become somewhat familiar... This is such an unpleasant experience!


    Continue resetting.


    "Cyra, no need for more talk, let me take care of this demonic beast!"


    Reset again.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Gather up, it''s an area-of-effect fatal attack! And Vivianne, get over here!"


    Reset, reset, reset...


    "Wow, thanks Ron! If it weren''t for you, I would have been skewered to death!"


    "No problem, I also had Feliciana''s help."


    With my and Adrian''s assistance, after who knows how many resets, we finally managed to get past the sword array. Next up is...


    "The upcoming move Mike can''t handle, Feliciana, give him a protective shield so he can get close and keep Cyra occupied! The rest of you focus on long-range attacks!"


    Adrian has lived longer than me, so he naturally has a better understanding of the enemy''s upcoming attacks. Based on his memory, the next move should be a personal attack specifically targeting Mike. But to our surprise, Cyra, seeing that we were all still alive, narrowed her eyes and unleashed another large-scale light elemental bombardment, not sticking to the script at all.


    Fortunately, we''ve already seen this move, so it''s just a matter of dealing with it.


    Of course, the enemy''s moves are not limited to just a few types. Soon, new variations appeared, like physical light barriers and various deadly light beams, all sorts of strange and wondrous things, interweaving with each other. Getting close to Cyra is extremely difficult.


    To subdue Cyra, getting close is the only way, as her hand-to-hand combat doesn''t seem very strong. How to create the conditions for Mike to rush up to her is the only goal we need to focus on right now.


    It''s no wonder she''s the wife of the Light God. Every light elemental attack Cyra unleashes reaches or even exceeds the power of source magic. She''s tapping into the light elements in the environment, without any sign of using magic from within herself. In comparison, the source magic doll Elara gave me is practically child''s play.


    Fortunately, Cyra can only use light elemental area-of-effect attacks. Whenever I can''t dodge, I can rely on my "Light Sanctuary" to solve the problem. The trouble lies in the physical attacks formed by the materialized weapons, the margin for error is too low.


    Before long, I died again, as expected, but was revived quickly. However, these efforts are not in vain, the progress is visibly advancing, as everything will repeat.


    Now, the primary goal is no longer to defeat Cyra, but to observe all of her moves.


    "... Cyra, no need for more talk, let me take care of this demonic beast!"


    "... No need for more talk, let me take care of this demonic beast!"


    "... Let me take care of this demonic beast!"


    ...


    I don''t know how many times we tried, tens or even dozens. Finally, after sacrificing Judith and Ron, we managed to break through the enemy''s obstacles and successfully pin down the Saint Angel Cyra.


    "This time, can you tell us where Beluto is?"


    Due to the opponent''s attire being so dazzling, I could only tilt my head and use my sword to poke at Cyra''s neck, demanding an answer. To exert a threatening effect, the sword tip pierced her neck, drawing crimson blood.


    "Impossible! How can you perfectly evade every single one of my attacks!"


    Stunned by our various excellent maneuvers, Cyra seemed oblivious to the wound on her neck, asking in disbelief.


    "What''s there to ask? You should know, in our eyes, those were just small tricks."


    Of course I wouldn''t tell her the truth.


    However, Cyra''s response made me feel a little heavy-hearted. If she said that, does it mean she doesn''t know about the reset either? Does that mean we really have to face Beluto directly?


    "Hehe... I admit you''re quite impressive, but that''s as far as you can go. My husband has arrived, and he''ll be the one to take care of you."


    Cyra sighed, then suddenly looked up and smiled.


    "You wanted to see Beluto, didn''t you? I''ll fulfill that promise now!"


    "He''s here?"


    Adrian and the others also looked up, and we saw the sky, which was originally covered in radiance, suddenly became even brighter. But this was different from the "Judgment of Light", it was just the airspace above the "Cloud Palace".


    Then, those lights formed the shape of a human face, speaking to us.


    "How dare you harm my wife, I will not forgive you!"


    The voice sounded strange, as if the words were being directly transmitted into my mind, similar to the "Spiritual Convergence" magic used when Elara communicated with me from a distance.


    "Are you Beluto? I thought the Light God Beluto was incomplete, like lacking intelligence or something, but you don''t seem that way."


    Through the application of "Spiritual Convergence", I inquired directly with my mind, looking at Adrian and the others, and it seemed only Ron could hear Beluto''s voice.


    "How dare you harm my wife, I will not forgive you!"


    "How dare you harm my wife, I will not forgive you!"


    "How dare you harm my wife, I will not forgive you!"


    ...


    Okay, I take back what I said, it seems this guy''s intelligence is indeed quite low. He simply considers us enemies.


    "Honey, quickly destroy them all and avenge me!"


    Within Beluto''s established spiritual network, I heard Cyra''s urging voice. My heart instantly tightened.


    So we have to fight again? But this Light God is only showing a "face" in the sky, how are we supposed to attack? At least he should materialize a body on the ground!


    Cyra''s urging was shouted out simultaneously in the real world and the spiritual network. Hearing this, Adrian and the others, including Mike, immediately took up defensive positions, their attention focused on the sky above.


    "Are we sure we have to fight this ''face''?"


    Vivianne couldn''t help but make a snarky remark. As soon as she finished speaking, I suddenly felt a darkness engulf me, and I lost consciousness.


    ...


    ==============================================================


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 Vol 4/ Chapter 91 - The Obstacle Cant Be Overcome

    "Why you don''t wash this bowl properly? I teach you so many times already, why you still so stupid!"


    When I come back to my senses, I find myself actually back at my home on Earth. At this moment, my mother is scolding me while holding a bowl stained with oil.


    "Because the dishwashing liquid finish already..."


    I shrink my head and explain softly.


    "No dishwashing liquid means cannot wash bowl?  In the past, with no dishwashing liquid people also can remove oil stains. Anyone as stupid as you?"


    Unexpectedly, after hearing this, my mother does not forgive me. Instead she angrily scolds me.


    "You make me so disappointed! Look at other kids so sensible and capable. And see those kids on TV, they can earn money for their families already! You? Until now still let us keep spending money on you - all kinds of fees, food money, clothing expenses, all our money! Raising you not as good as raising a pig!"


    "But raising me is legal obligation..."


    A few days ago I watched a legal education program that mentioned this topic, so I softly rebut.


    "Heh heh...you actually know what is legal obligation?"


    The atmosphere falls silent for a moment. Seeing me say this, my mother seems even angrier and slaps me across the face.


    "Good, grown up also got hard mouth already! Dare to talk to me like that, who teach you? The law? Then you know the law states when we grow old you must fulfill responsibility to support your parents? If not for this reason, we won''t bother raising you! If had known earlier cannot abort, should just bury you in the ground, who would know. You can live until today all thanks to our kindness. In future when you work you better earn money properly to support us, if not you are an ungrateful wretch, scolded by everybody!"


    Seeing me raise my hand to block her slap, after some scuffling as she cannot overcome me and pull my arm away from my face, my mother gets furiously angry and shouts outside.


    "Tom, Flynn dares to hit me, you also don''t care!"


    "What! You dare to hit your mother!"


    Soon, my father rushes out from another room. He looks extremely angry and immediately slaps me hard across the face.


    So pain...


    Seeing stars, vaguely feeling like this is all an illusion, why so painful?


    "Yes! Hit him, hit harder, let him learn his lesson!"


    My mother kicks me down, and in pain I keep rolling around on the ground. Only then I realise I have returned to my high school days, still a boy, of course not an angel.


    This is a very profound scene etched in my memory. When the whips and attacks rain down on me, that long buried deep sense of fear within instantly erupts.


    "No! --"


    At this moment, all the figures suddenly disappear, including everything around.


    ......


    "That just now a dream? Here is..."


    When I open my eyes and catch my breath, the surroundings seem to have changed again. It seems I have come back to the outdoors of the Village.


    This is clearly the Village outskirts right, so reset again?


    But what happened just now, and how did I die?


    Remember I just defeated Cyra, then Beluto appeared. Just as we were about to battle, I suddenly saw that scene of my parents abusing me back on Earth, and ended up back here.


    What exactly happened? Adrian and the others should have reset too, maybe he knows something!You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    No point finding Vivianne now, I stride towards the "Shelter" instead, and the scenery along the way is still the same as before, the entire village lifeless.


    But after just turning a corner, I see someone coming towards me - it''s Adrian.


    "Feliciana!"


    Seeing me wave to him, Adrian''s face shows a hint of a smile, finally relieved as he replies.


    "Good you''re okay! I''m relieved at last."


    "What exactly happened at the end of the last round, why did I suddenly die?"


    To resolve the doubts in my mind, I grab his clothes and quickly ask.


    "...You really want to know?"


    Adrian looks at me, seeming hesitant about my question.


    "Of course, what cannot be said?"


    I nod firmly, urging him on.


    "Not sure if the God of Light or Cyra did something, but right after Vivianne finished speaking, you suddenly changed your stance, saying you decided to marry the Light God Beluto, never leaving this place again!"


    "Huh?!"


    I gape at him dumbfounded, feeling he''s simply talking nonsense - how could I possibly say such a thing!


    "You even attacked us, calling Cyra sister. I know you must have been unknowingly controlled by the Light God. But in that situation, we could not withstand the combined assault of you all, so we died and reset. I came looking for you immediately after that, luckily it seems there are no lingering issues."


    Adrian says with lingering fear, worried that after resetting I might still be in a controlled state, which would be very troublesome.


    "So what exactly is going on? Why would I be controlled, and why were the rest of you all fine? Vivianne is also a girl, she didn''t say she wanted to marry Beluto right?"


    Stunned for a while, I was so shocked by his words that my mouth couldn''t close.


    "No...the rest had no issues, only you alone!"


    Adrian shakes his head, looking at me with some concern.


    ......


    "Perhaps, this is some power of the Light God!"


    On the first floor of the "Shelter", Judith sitting on the ground explains.


    In order to find the answers, to prevent the same thing from happening again, we found Judith and directly brought her here.


    In any case, it must definitely be related to the Light God! As a senior researcher from the Sage Alliance studying elemental theory, she may be able to analyze and provide some useful intelligence.


    "The Light God having some power to directly make people marry her, that''s too ridiculous right?"


    Whether Adrian believes it or not, I certainly don''t. If Beluto doesn''t become a stud, it''s really a pity.


    "Hee hee, of course not what you''re imagining, but rather absolute control over the light element!"


    Upon hearing this, Judith immediately laughs, as if she finds my words silly.


    "Think about it, why were the other humans not controlled? What''s the difference between you and them?"


    "Wings? Humans don''t have wings right!"


    I answer doubtfully. When I hide my wings, basically there''s no difference from ordinary humans right?


    "Anything else, the fundamental difference?"


    She shakes her head and continues asking.


    "Er...a body purely made of light elements?"


    "Correct, you got it!"


    She claps her hands in praise.


    "Unlike ordinary beings, angels are not negatively affected by light elements. Your whole body is made of light elements, including your brain! And the Light God has absolute control over light elements, so he can manipulate your brain however he wants!"


    "Moreover, light elements can inherently communicate with the mind and soul. Don''t forget most psychic magic is light-based, so naturally it can further control your soul, making you suddenly change your attitude to say you want to marry him."


    "But I myself had no awareness at all, not the slightest memory of it!"


    I can''t help but be dumbfounded, this is too overpowered, then how to deal with the Light God!


    "The brain is the brain, the soul is the true self! Your body was controlled, Beluto can even read some residual memories in your brain, but it doesn''t mean the Light God can immediately control your soul."


    "The soul and all things in this world, including humans and living beings, are all formed by a combination of various elements - even an angel''s soul is no exception! So in theory the Light God should find it very difficult to fully control humans, and very difficult to fully control souls..."


    Judith grins at me mischievously, as if trying to see my experience at that time.


    "During that period, your soul must have been resisting in some form, or perhaps you weren''t completely unconscious then?"


    "..."


    I naturally know what she''s referring to - that memory of being abused by my parents. So was the Light God using my past to encroach on my soul?


    But why must it be in that situation! How to avoid that, completely got no clue...


    "If Feliciana''s soul successfully resist, then can she escape the Light God''s control in the end?"


    After hearing her say that, Adrian ponders for a while before voicing his question.


    "Absolutely impossible!"


    Unexpectedly, she directly refutes him.


    "Even if her soul can remain conscious, but her body still made of light elements, will ultimately be tightly controlled by the Light God, no chance at all to resist. Maybe at that time she will feel even more suffering, better to be fully controlled instead!"


    Judith laughs dismissively as she stands up from the ground.


    "So, if really want to challenge the Light God, as an angel you absolutely cannot participate. Just give up, why not enjoy life?"


    "Enjoy life?"


    I did not expect her to suddenly mention this, and am dumbfounded. Clearly trapped in this place with no idea how to leave, feeling vexed, yet she tells us to enjoy life?


    "Or have you all not thought about it? If time can really reset while still retaining memories, doesn''t that mean no matter what you do ultimately there will be no responsibility or consequences?"


    Judith smiles at me meaningfully, then looks out the window and walks outside.


    "Oh? Seems there''s a fight happening over there, are those the Apostles you mentioned earlier? Looks like only four wings, then I will go take a look! A world with the Light God existing may actually be quite interesting..."


    By this time, three Apostles have arrived above the village, clashing with Mike, Vivianne and the others.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 92 - I Want to Rest

    "Eh? Don''t! Why you go off already, we still haven''t..."


    After gaining her trust through foresight, we only told Judith the basic information about this world and our past experiences of challenging it. We didn''t get a chance to explain about the "Light''s Judgement" situation! Now the "Shelter" doesn''t even have any defensive preparations done, and she just walks out like that. What to do if the "Light''s Judgement" erupts later?


    "Nevermind, after all Judith is like the others, only willing to listen to our commands and eventually challenge the Light God when she feels her life is in danger. But now it''s too late to go out and stop her, the two Star Glory knights will definitely die at the hands of the four-winged Apostles. Vivianne also cannot escape the judgement in the end..."


    Seeing Judith has gone far, Adrian stops me and shakes his head. This time, we wasted too much time trying to understand why I was controlled. If the "Light''s Judgement" appears, we have no way to defend against it.


    "Why don''t we just directly kill ourselves and restart again?"


    "But can we really go back?"


    Looking at the battle scene on the distant rooftops outside, Mike has already been struck down by a beam of light. But my heart doesn''t stir at all. After all, with so many resets, I''ve seen the same scenes many times and feel completely numb. Suddenly I understand why Adrian  couldn''t even be bothered to explain to the others.


    It''s a feeling of despair.


    Beluto''s absolute mastery over light elements makes me feel true despair. Before this, I still harbored some hope when challenging, but the result was so devastating. If we cannot resolve this weakness of being controlled by the Light God, we can never achieve victory, and naturally cannot find a way to leave this place.


    What''s even more worrying is that the Saint Angel Cyra seems completely unaware of the time resets. This makes me doubt if even Beluto knows about it. If we cannot count on even the Light God for answers, then who else can provide them?


    "How about...if I rest for a while..."


    Facing Adrian''s puzzled gaze, I hesitate for a long while before voicing my thoughts. During this period of constantly resetting to tackle Cyra, we haven''t stopped at all. Suddenly I feel so weary - not just physically, but mentally as well.


    "Of course, you can rest as long as you want! Let''s go somewhere else..."


    Upon hearing this, he freezes for a moment, then a slight smile appears on his face. Without saying much more, he leads me directly out of this village in an unusual direction.


    The battle continues in the village center behind us. Although Mike is very powerful, without my and Adrian''s interference, he has already fallen into a vegetative state. The remaining Ron and Vivianne definitely cannot achieve victory, and as long as the four-winged Apostles do not die, the "Light''s Judgement" usually will not appear. Even if one is defeated, I have the "Light''s Sanctuary".


    It''s just that apart from Adrian, I can''t be bothered about the others anymore. This round, I have no mood to help them. In the end, everything can be reset, so whatever we do has no consequences!


    We return to that original small forest, but do not stay, directly passing through to a lake area behind it.


    "Is this the place? Didn''t expect you to actually know such a nice spot!"


    The surrounding scenery is excellent, very suitable for leisure and vacation. Looking around reinvigorates my spirits.


    "How about building a small hut by the lakeside? Those Apostles haven''t seen us before and don''t know of our existence, so they shouldn''t discover or pay attention to us."


    Adrian surveys the surroundings, stretching his limbs as he proposes.


    "Two! One for you, one for me!"


    I glare at him and remind him unhappily.


    "Haha, of course no problem!"


    Adrian scratches his head a bit embarrassed before turning to gather wood from the forest.


    If we don''t die, time will not continue forever either. Adrian confidently tells me the limit is one month - if there is no death after one month, a forced time reset will occur.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    This was something he accidentally discovered once.


    When he didn''t know initially, he didn''t lay gravel on the second floor. As a result, under insufficient "Light''s Judgement" exposure, Adrian was blasted into a delirious state between normal and vegetative, which only lifted after the forced reset one month later.


    Incredibly, he even remembers the various embarrassing incidents that happened while in that delirious state. No wonder the first thing he does after each reset is to find Judith at the "Shelter" to prepare defenses against the "Light''s Judgement".


    "Is this really built by me?"


    A few hours later, looking at the newly roofed lakeside cabin, it all feels rather unreal. For me, a major project I never dared imagine is so quickly completed.


    But as my strength increased, doing such things became quite simple. The thick tree trunks can be easily lifted, the whole process like assembling building blocks. Plus Adrian has relevant construction experience, so by following his guidance I''m not worried about not knowing how to build it.


    The only downside is the appearance looks a bit asymmetrical, slightly shabbier compared to the one Adrian built for himself. I can''t help feeling it could collapse anytime.


    "That''s why I said let me do it, yours...is all crooked. But the issue shouldn''t be too big hopefully!"


    Adrian stands beside me, glancing over from afar before commenting.


    "But since we won''t be staying long anyway, even if it really collapses it won''t hurt you."


    "The way you say that...makes it sound like you can''t bear to look at it?"


    I purse my lips, not wanting to argue further. After all, I insisted on doing it myself. For a first time building a house, achieving this level is already pretty good. Besides, I didn''t study civil engineering before, so expectations can''t be too high.


    Like this door, at least it can open. Though with forceful pulling it almost broke, but in the end it opened right?


    "Then maybe don''t close it again later. Otherwise if we repeat this a few more times, I''m afraid..."


    Seeing this situation, Adrian''s mouth twitches, holding back from saying more.


    "Can''t you give me some confidence?"


    I glance back at him and remind him helplessly. Just now I did feel the house shake a little, but it''s also because the force I used was too great. Maybe if I''m more gentle next time there won''t be an issue.


    Inside the house is of course completely empty for now. But with the storage ring carrying all sorts of living necessities, everything can be set up properly in no time.


    "You''re right, at least you''re way better than me when I first did this kind of work!"


    Hearing this, he immediately nods in praise. But his two legs remain planted at the doorway, unwilling to enter, eyes occasionally glancing up at the ceiling.


    What''s that supposed to mean? You think I can''t see it?


    "Don''t worry, after all I built it myself! Though the quality may not be that good, under normal circumstances it shouldn''t collapse!"


    Seeing this, I can only gently reassure him. Him not even willing to enter after I built it really hurts my pride. To put his mind at ease, I even demonstratively gave the walls a few light kicks.


    With some creaking sounds, the wooden hut swayed for a while before indeed not having any other issues, further proving my point.


    "Perhaps I''m just being too cautious..."


    Wiping the sweat from his brow, Adrian has no choice but to enter and help me set up the wooden beds. We had casually made these simple pieces of furniture outside earlier, now just need to retrieve them from storage ring.


    "By the way, have you done construction work before?"


    I always thought Adrian was a full-time adventurer, at most occasionally partiming as a mercenary. Never expected him to be so skilled at woodworking too, leaving me rather perplexed.


    We''re around the same age, so why is there such a big gap?


    "No, just exposed to it from young."


    He shakes his head, helping me adjust the various furniture pieces while casually recounting his background.


    Adrian''s homeland is located in the forests southeast of the Astralrealm Kingdom, very close to the Ilandra Dominion border - an obscure small frontier town.


    Supposedly his father fled there many years ago to escape political persecution abroad, their family holding some renown locally.


    It''s precisely because he grew up in such an environment that Adrian learned many livelihood skills from the local natives, including how to build houses and utilize bows for hunting.


    Funnily enough, Vivianne is actually from the same hometown as him, the two were childhood friends! But ultimately Vivianne developed feelings for Brennan, a guy from the neighboring town who went to the capital Norvale with her to make a living. The entanglements between them are really quite fascinating to imagine...


    "No way, so the two of you never had anything going on?"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but voice my doubts. Childhood friends? Even if the trend now is to prefer a love later in life, either way the two must have very likely harbored feelings for each other before!


    "What nonsense, don''t go guessing blindly!"


    Adrian immediately refuted vehemently upon hearing this.


    "Vivianne has been outgoing since young, the fire element inclined type like Brennan has always been her preferred kind of guy. As for me, after an elemental affinity assessment I was confirmed to have zero elemental affinities, so how could she possibly take an interest in me?"


    "But what about you, didn''t you have any thoughts about her at all?"


    I deliberately probed further, this was the crux of the matter. Vivianne isn''t even here, why would I care about her thoughts?


    "How could that be possible, we''re just ordinary friends!"


    Unexpectedly, he reacted even more flustered, hurriedly clarifying his stance. Seeing I didn''t really believe him, he paused for a moment before continuing to explain.


    "It''s true! Believe me, if I really have to give a reason...I can only say I don''t really like her blazing, reckless personality! Though being outgoing can bring better interpersonal relations for our adventuring party, it also gets us into plenty of trouble many times!"


    "Like that previous time in Elara Woodlands, she ignored our dissuasion and insisted on approaching you. In that unknown wilderness environment, it was an extremely dangerous thing to do! Luckily you meant no ill intent, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"


    Isn''t this referring to the scene of our first encounter?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 93 - Leisurely Rest Time

    "So you really had strong suspicions about me back then..."


    I purse my lips, confirming my initial speculation. But this is understandable, facing unknown situations in this world requires extreme caution. One careless mistake could cost your life at any time. For Adrian''s team to accept me, a total stranger, they had already taken an immense risk.


    "Don''t overthink it, after all we had just met then, I was mainly considering the interests of the team..."


    Hearing me say this, Adrian hurriedly explains.


    "Actually after that one night, when you didn''t show any threat, I had already completely let my guard down!"


    "It''s fine, how could I be so petty. I should be thanking you all instead!"


    I wave my hand, not dwelling further on this. My room is already mostly set up, next I need to go help out at Adrian''s self-built house - there''s still plenty of work remaining.


    Suddenly I realize, Adrian usually gives me the impression of being very calm and rational. This is the first time I''ve seen him so flustered. Quite rare, could this be a side of him unknown to others?


    The accommodation issue is quickly settled, following which we need to consider how to obtain food sources. As an angel, in an environment similar to Edenmere, I can certainly go for long periods without eating or drinking. But Adrian cannot - being human, he must ensure three meals a day.


    But food doesn''t fall from the sky. The supplies we carry at most last a few days to a week. We can''t keep stealing from the village forever right?


    Come to think of it, it was rather funny. During that embarrassing period when Adrian was rendered delirious, since he couldn''t access his storage ring, he could only go "mooching" meals by rotating through every villager''s home.


    Those villagers, affected by the light pollution, had extremely dull reactions to external stimuli and basically lost all intelligence, only repeating habitual living routines everyday. This allowed him to shamelessly steal a month''s worth of food from them.


    But this round, Adrian hasn''t been blasted into stupidity by the "Light''s Judgement". Since deciding to reside by this lake for a period, he quickly found a solution.


    "Let''s explore this lake! Maybe there are fish, that can solve our food problem!"


    Pointing at the shimmering lake before us, Adrian tells me.


    "Can fish even survive in an environment with such excessive light elements?"


    Recalling how we could hardly find any animals in the Edenmere wilds, I express strong doubts.


    "We''ll only know if we try? From the reactions of those villagers and the surrouding plants, this place shouldn''t have been light polluted for too long..."


    He shakes his head. However, before he could decide whether to directly go into the water or try fishing first, a loud crashing sound comes from behind, startling us.


    It turns out the cabin I was so proud of as my first attempt has finally collapsed.


    Seeing only half the roof and walls remaining, I suddenly feel despondent, even the various living necessities placed inside were destroyed along with it.


    "...Don''t be sad, I''ll help repair it for you."


    Adrian stands there stunned for a while before finally opening his mouth to console me.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Thus begins the leisurely "vacation" life we resigned ourselves to.


    Since deciding to rest, we should look the part. Though forced by circumstances never to truly experience it before, I finally get to live that lifestyle.


    After all, there''s nowhere else to go. Every day is just eating then sleeping, sleeping then eating, occasionally practicing some water magic...days pass so laidback...okay it''s practically like being a pig!


    As for the issue of falling asleep, although there''s no day-night cycle, under normal circumstances I simply cannot sleep. But luckily I have the light element isolator, an amazing tool!


    The storage ring seized from Jennette has ample space. To prepare for any possible circumstances, I casually brought one along when leaving Edenmere, and now it finally comes in handy!


    "Good morning! How was your sleep last night?"


    Walking out of the wooden hut, I see Adrian leisurely fishing by the lakeside and ask with a yawn.


    "It should be around noon already right?"


    Glancing up at the sky, yet unable to discern any change, Adrian can only respond vaguely with dark eye circles.


    "As you know, these few days I haven''t slept well. Mainly because there''s no night time, not having that darkness just feels unnatural..."


    "Why don''t you borrow my ''sleep tool'' for a period of time?"


    He''s right, though unlike me he doesn''t need external aid to fall asleep. Without night, Adrian''s biological clock is still thrown off. Continuing like this long-term is not ideal.


    "How can that work! If you lend it to me, what about you?"


    Upon hearing this, he immediately drops his fishing rod to stop me.


    "It''s fine, I can go without sleep no problem. But you can''t keep going like this!"


    I won''t take no for an answer, immediately returning to the hut to retrieve the light element isolator and pass it to him.


    "This..."


    Looking down at this "sleep tool" I renamed, Adrian still feels a bit awkward. But he''s suddenly startled by my cry of surprise.


    "Quick, fish...fish!"


    Turns out the fishing rod he propped by the shore finally has a bite. Seeing this, Adrian can no longer care about other matters, immediately dashing over to reel it in.


    This lake indeed has fish surviving in it, just as he said. But the actual situation has some differences.


    Although fish live here, and the lake water blocks out most light elements, the aquatic lifeforms are still affected to some degree by light pollution.


    Fortunately the duration of light pollution has not been too long, so apart from moving slower and eating less, these lake creatures don''t have major issues.


    But herein lies the trouble! Slower movement means they bite more slowly. Eating less means decreased biting frequency. This makes it very difficult for us to catch any fish.


    With no choice, Adrian eventually has to get in the water himself each time to grab them by hand. The problem is his swimming isn''t that great...


    Which is understandable - growing up in the forest, how good could his swimming really be? Being able to swim at all is already impressive. Of course we can''t expect him to catch fish every time in such a large lake.


    So apart from eating and sleeping, most of our time is spent fishing. Whiling away the idle hours chatting and telling tales is quite relaxing too.


    "Good you reminded me in time, otherwise it would have escaped!"


    Finally not missing this opportunity, Adrian pulls the fish out of the water, realizing its size is unexpectedly large - a rare big catch!


    "Not bad! Otherwise if it got away, maybe you''d have to go back to the village to mooch food again..."


    This is one of the scant successes over the past dozen days or so. Previous chances were so few, the few fish caught exceptionally tiny, not enough to fill a tooth gap. With our stored rations almost depleted, this is an invaluable hearty meal.


    "Since that''s the case, let me just cook you a pot of sour fish, it''ll definitely be delicious!"


    "sour fish?"


    Hearing this, Adrian can''t help looking at me doubtfully.


    "Didn''t expect an angel like yourself would know how to cook...did you buy all these seasonings and tools yourself?"


    "Of course! You didn''t expect it right, don''t forget I was a regular at the Norvale markets!"


    I proudly reply, then cast a low-tier water magic, spontaneously conjuring a pot of clean water to pour inside.


    Ever since learning water magic, though it has not yielded any combat applications, it has made life much more convenient. Like in this situation, there''s no need to fetch water separately. I just need to set it over a fire to directly boil, and don''t have to worry about water source contamination at all.


    "When did you learn water magic?"


    For this kind of act, Adrian is certainly no stranger - Selene did the same when camping outdoors back then. However, for a human to know multiple different schools of magic is not that rare. But even I, an angel, am "playing with water" - no matter how experienced he is, he cannot help but exclaim in surprise.


    "This is a rather complex story..."


    As I go about the various preparation tasks, I ponder before replying.


    "Remember that time in the Dark Continent when my wings turned blue?"


    "The time you instantly defeated Claudia? Did you find out the reason for that?"


    As expected of Adrian, his memory is excellent, immediately recalling that situation.


    "Not that, but based on that Elara deduced I may possess a water elemental affinity. So when we were in the holy capital Jethrobaines, I happened to learn it on the side. Unexpectedly, I actually picked it up!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 94: A New Take on Sour Fish Stew

    "Regular angels shouldn''t end up in situations like that, right?" Adrian asked with his mouth wide open, after listening to my explanation. It took him a while before he could get those words out.


    "Probably not..." I shook my head and paused for a moment before continuing. "But Nicola has an affinity for wind elements, and she''s quite skilled at controlling them too."


    I didn''t mention that Nicola was recognized as the reincarnation of Liana, the Wind Angel. In Edenmere, this was considered an extremely high-level secret, mainly to prevent unnecessary unrest and to keep people calm. Most angels only knew her as the inheritor of the ancestors. Revealing this to outsiders would be unwise, and I could face consequence for it!


    "So you two new angels really are quite peculiar, having affinities for wind and water. I''ve never seen anything like it..." Adrian fell silent for a long while, seeming deep in thought.


    "Elemental affinity is determined by the elemental composition of one''s body. If it''s not the light element, then your situation...no, wait, that doesn''t make sense either! Aside from the light element, an angel''s body can''t possibly contain other elements!"


    "What''s wrong? Do you think there''s something off about it?" I asked, puzzled. I paused my cooking to pose the question.


    It wasn''t until I met Judith that I finally understood the origins of elemental affinity, thanks to her explanations.


    The human body is composed of various elements in random proportions. When a particular element is present in a higher proportion, it manifests as an affinity for that element. The higher the proportion, the stronger the elemental affinity.


    That''s why angels with an affinity for water elements like me are extremely rare, because angelic bodies don''t contain any water elements. This was also the main reason why Elara suspected the issue lay with my soul - a soul''s attributes can influence elemental affinity to some degree.


    "No, it''s just..." Adrian looked at me, hesitating to continue. But under my expectant gaze, after wavering for a while, he eventually decided to voice his thoughts.


    "I have a rather bold guess, but don''t take it too seriously! What if...in that state when your wings turned blue, would you still be under the control of the light god Beluto?"


    "Uh..." His question left me stunned. I had never considered this possibility before, and being confronted with it so suddenly left me feeling dazed.


    "It''s just a random guess, you don''t have to read too much into it. I know that in that state, you had no consciousness at all. This is really putting you on the spot..." Seeing my reaction, Adrian quickly waved his hands in a placating manner, afraid that I might overthink it.


    After all, he was well aware that my wings had only turned blue after I had nearly drowned, and that I had been completely unconscious throughout the entire process. From my perspective, it was virtually no different from being controlled by the light god.


    So using that state to confront the light god was frankly unreliable. Who knew if my blue-winged mode wasn''t just another dangerous form of being controlled?


    Moreover, even if I were to take the risk, disregarding all the potential side effects and underlying issues, there was no way to replicate the process of making my wings blue when facing the threat of Beluto. It''s not like I could just drown myself in this lake first before challenging the light god!


    Or should I carry a bucket of water with me and publicly perform a drowning act in front of Beluto?


    "Beluto, today this angel dares to challenge you, so prepare to die! Glug glug glug glug¡ª"


    As I entertained this ridiculous idea, the corners of my mouth twitched involuntarily. Even if I did go through with it, there was no guarantee of success. The more I thought about it, the more implausible it seemed!


    "It''s okay, I don''t really think this method would work. Besides, even if my wings turned blue, my body should still be composed of light elements, right? There''s no way it could completely turn into water elements, no matter what."Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I waved my hand dismissively, not blaming him for voicing his opinion.


    In fact, the phenomenon of my wings changing color defied conventional logic. But it was an established fact that had already occurred, leaving no room for doubt on my part.


    I could only speculate that it might be related to the elemental composition of my wings. Although they typically appeared white, they weren''t composed purely of light elements - which was also the reason why the angelic healing spell "Healing" had no effect on them.


    And Reed had mentioned before that the blood vessels in our wings were connected to the magic circuitry, involving all sorts of principles that were far too complex for someone like me to fully explain.


    Come to think of it, if Judith were here, she might have been able to offer some insight...


    I suddenly regretted leaving that senior Sage Council researcher behind in the village. I had no idea if she had been discovered and eliminated by the four-winged Apostles.


    Well, no matter. In about ten days, there would be a forced reset anyway, so I could just ask her then.


    Who could have predicted that a casual conversation would lead to so many tangents and associations? Fortunately, it hadn''t delayed my cooking process too much. After an hour, a steaming pot of sour fish stew was finally ready.


    "It smells so good!" Adrian exclaimed, catching a whiff of the aroma from afar, even before the dish reached the table.


    "Really? Hehe, this is my first time trying it out!" I beamed with pride.


    Sour fish stew wasn''t particularly difficult; many people knew how to make it. But recreating the authentic flavors using the various exotic ingredients found in this other world was an entirely different challenge.


    It took me a long time to develop this recipe, which I had originally planned to surprise Reed with, since I had promised her back in Edenmere that I would cook for her to try. Little did I expect that Adrian would get to enjoy it first.


    "Hmm..." Adrian stared at the bowl in front of him, hesitating for quite a while before finally picking up his spoon and scooping up a bit of the broth.


    "Let me try it first. We''re supposed to drink the soup, right?"


    "Of course, you didn''t think this was some dark cuisine, did you?" I felt a little offended by his attitude. He had exclaimed how good it smelled, yet now he seemed reluctant to take a bite!


    "Dark cuisine?" Adrian blinked in confusion, but quickly realized what those two words implied and hurriedly denied it.


    "Of course not, it looks absolutely delicious!"


    With that, he forgoed the spoon and took a sip directly from the bowl.


    "How is it?" I asked nervously, having finally seen him taste it.


    To be honest, I had snuck a few bites while cooking, and thought the flavor was decent - otherwise, I wouldn''t have dared to serve it. But considering the potential differences in taste preferences with people from this other world, it was hard to say if he would find it palatable.


    Fortunately, his face didn''t turn any bizarre shades of purple. After savoring the taste for a moment, Adrian finally offered his evaluation.


    "It''s a bit sour..."


    "Huh?" Wasn''t that stating the obvious? Sour fish stew was named as such for a reason - it was supposed to have a sour taste. Did he find it unpalatable?


    "What''s causing that sourness?" Adrian wondered aloud after seeing my perplexed expression.


    "Lemon?" I guessed.


    "No way!" Adrian exclaimed, as if I had said something outrageous.


    "Why don''t you try it yourself?" he suggested, pushing the bowl toward me.


    "I already have, and there''s definitely no lemon flavor!" I still found it hard to believe, but seeing his insistent look, I finally gave in and took a sip from the bowl.


    "Whoa¡ªpah pah pah!" I nearly spat it out. At first, I didn''t notice anything unusual, but then an intense sour flavor assaulted my senses. Caught off guard, I nearly broke out in a cold sweat from the sourness.


    "Why is it so sour? It wasn''t like this earlier..."


    The sour taste in the sour fish stew typically came from pickled greens, but the authentic way of making those required a curing process. With my busy travels, I never had the patience to slowly pickle greens. Even back on Earth, I would just buy the ready-made ones from the supermarket!


    Now in this other world, there were no ready-made pickled greens available at the markets. My only option was to find a substitute.


    The replacement I found was an ingredient called "Romnian Sour Grass." Not only did it look similar to pickled greens, but the flavor was extremely close as well. So I decided to use it directly as the souring agent for my sour fish stew.


    "Romnian Sour Grass, huh..." Adrian seemed to recognize it when I mentioned the name.


    "I''ve heard that this grass has a strong phototropic nature. The more light elements around it, the more intense its sour taste becomes."


    "So it was a trap!" My heart sank as if a million wildebeests had stampeded through it. After all that effort developing the recipe, who would have thought it would change flavors in this unique environment! No wonder it didn''t taste as sour initially - it was because I had just taken it out of my storage ring, before the light elements could fully affect it.


    "However, the fish itself is quite nice," Adrian remarked, seemingly reluctant to give up. He speared a piece with his fork and took a bite, his face showing surprise.


    "Since it''s not as infused with the broth, when combined with the sour taste, it actually has a unique mellow quality."


    "Really?" I asked skeptically, worried he was just trying to placate me.


    "Of course, I''m not lying! Don''t believe me? You can try it for yourself." Adrian kept putting pieces of fish into his mouth, not appearing dishonest, which helped ease my mind a little.


    "It smells so good!" Another voice suddenly rang out, startling both Adrian and me as we sat eating by the doorway.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 95: The Diary

    "Judith?"


    Recognizing the newcomer, Adrian and I were surprised. We hadn''t expected it to be her! Speaking of the devil, we had just been talking about her, and here she was appearing before us soon after.


    "You''re still alive?" Adrian asked hesitantly after a long pause. Even though the four-winged Apostles hadn''t been defeated and the "Judgment of Light" hadn''t actually fallen, he had experienced resets multiple times and knew Judith''s fate when left unintervened - attempting to mediate between the two Star Glory knights and the Apostles, only to be caught in the chaos and lose her life.


    Then again, this round of events had played out differently. After all, we had warned Judith about the Apostle threat in advance. She must have heeded our advice and avoided that fate.


    "Heheh, I didn''t go provoking those Apostles you mentioned. I was just observing from afar. Why wouldn''t I be alive?" Judith adjusted her glasses smugly, but her eyes were shamelessly fixed on the sour fish stew on our table.


    "Looks like you''ve got some good grub there!" she exclaimed, eyeing us hungrily. "I haven''t eaten in days. The rations I carried are all gone, and the villagers'' stockpiles were meager with little flavor, so..."


    In other words, she wanted to mooch off our food. I didn''t mind, since the fish was large enough for several people. However, Adrian shook his head in refusal.


    "That wouldn''t be proper. We don''t have any spare utensils here. If you had shown up earlier, we could have made some extra from wood."


    His implication was clear - she couldn''t join us.


    "No worries, I''ve got my own utensils covered. I don''t need you to provide any. In fact, I can even share some with you!" This brazen woman promptly plopped herself down in front of us, producing a spoon from thin air.


    "What kind of stew is this? It looks quite substantial! I''ve never seen this cooking style before. Did Feliciana make it?"


    "Sour fish stew," I replied with an eye roll. Even the cook hadn''t had a proper taste yet, and another mouth had suddenly appeared to feed. These large lake fish didn''t seem to have too many small bones either. Hearing Adrian''s praise of the flavor, I couldn''t help but feel my own mouth watering.


    "I never imagined angels would cook! This is a first for me in all my years," Judith remarked shamelessly after devouring a few bites of fish. She scooped up a full bowl of the stew broth and downed it in one go, immediately revealing a satisfied expression.


    "Ahhh¡ªrefreshing! Excellent, angels really live up to their reputation. You even cook so deliciously!"


    "Heheh...glad you like it!" I chuckled awkwardly.


    That level of sourness, Adrian stood by dumbfounded, his facial muscles twitching involuntarily. But she didn''t seem fazed at all.


    Was it really not sour if you just chugged it? I doubted that. Pouring a small amount into my own bowl, I tossed it all into my mouth as well.


    "Hey, Feliciana, why are you squishing your eyes, nose, and mouth all together like that? Girls shouldn''t make those kinds of faces, it''s not cute at all!" Judith looked at me in surprise at my reaction.


    "Pah pah! You''ve got some nerve!" I retorted indignantly.


    She must have cheat codes enabled or her taste buds had completely malfunctioned.


    Not satisfied with one bowl, Judith helped herself to a second serving. Adrian glanced at her, seeming to have lost his own appetite due to her behavior. He finally spoke up to ask, "How did you find your way here?"


    "Well, I was hungry, so I came searching for food in these woods. Then I caught a whiff of that aroma and followed it here," Judith mumbled through mouthfuls of stew, clearly ravenous.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "So what were you up to in the days before this?" I asked curiously. Although excessively sour, the stew did have an underlying sweetness that lingered after the intense sourness, adding a unique flavor to the dish.


    This could be attributed to the Romnian Sour Grass. While overly sour, it couldn''t mask the other positive qualities - the complex blend of flavors not found in authentic pickled greens.


    "Investigating the village, of course!" Judith''s response left Adrian and me puzzled. The villagers had basically all become mentally incapacitated by the light pollution. How could any meaningful investigation take place?


    "Heheh, that''s what you don''t understand! Sure, you can''t get any useful information from those villagers directly. But you can freely enter their homes! Based on their personal belongings and everyday items, we can gather a lot of valuable intelligence!"


    Unfazed by our skeptical looks, Judith confidently took out a small notebook and a scroll, placing them on the table without further explanation as she continued devouring the sour fish stew.


    "This is..." I picked up the notebook and flipped through a few pages, realizing it was actually a diary, recording many firsthand experiences of its owner''s former life.


    Most of the content consisted of mundane daily events, nothing particularly noteworthy. There were even places where pages were missing or torn out. However, towards the end, I suddenly came across records related to the light god Beluto and the Saint angel Cyra, immediately capturing my full attention.


    "Year 25 of the Ouil Era, August 16th. It was an overcast day, and the gloomy weather seemed to match the feeling brought by the bad news from the central city. After multiple failures in testing the beta energy, the project was finally forced to be suspended a month ago. This means we may have to settle here permanently. Perhaps that wouldn''t be so bad..."


    "Year 25 of the Ouil Era, November 30th. We had an unexpected visitor at home today, and I couldn''t help but indulge in a few extra drinks. It had been over a year since Reginald and I parted ways in the central city, and he had not been in contact at all, so his visit truly surprised me. However, his demeanor suggested he was preoccupied with something. It wasn''t until the third round of drinks that he finally revealed the truth - there had been a major incident in the southern regions of the continent!"


    "Due to the impacts from the beta energy experiments, a series of unanticipated chain reactions occurred. Many areas affected by the beta energy testing sites suddenly experienced an unexplained phenomenon of collective decline in biological intelligence. The cause is unknown, and the situation is only worsening, progressing into irreversible outcomes like memofade and vegetative states. After several sleepless nights, the central research institute preliminarily suspects this may be an anomaly caused by the loss of control over the alpha energy accompanying the beta energy. They have issued a notice stating that rumors of ''people turning senile'' are merely hearsay, and the situation is completely under control. They''re urging everyone not to panic! Reginald, however, does not trust their attempts to downplay the severity and has decided to leave the central city. Fortunately, we''re quite far from there. Hopefully, as the central city claims, the situation really is under control!"


    "This alpha energy..." I couldn''t help but inquire. Based on the diary''s description of ''memofade ,'' it seemed to be referring to light elements. But it struck me as odd that I had never heard light elements referred to in such a way before, leaving me uncertain.


    "Heheh, of course it means light elements!" Judith guzzled down another mouthful of fish stew without even looking up.


    "It''s actually a very ancient term that''s rarely used nowadays. If even angels like you are unfamiliar with it, then the generational gap must be quite severe!"


    "According to legend, around ten thousand years ago during the ancient era, there was an extremely powerful civilization that spanned the entire Eldoria Continent. For unknown reasons, it suddenly went extinct, leaving behind only scant remnants that survive to this day..."


    Adrian had been examining the scroll, but my words immediately piqued his interest. He leaned in to join me in inspecting the diary.


    "So you''re saying the term ''alpha energy'' originated from that civilization?"


    "I''m impressed, you seem quite knowledgeable!" Judith nodded in affirmation.


    "You''re right, most of the details about that civilization have been lost to the ages, but one thing we can confirm is that it was likely destroyed by the light pollution at the hands of the Light God Beluto tens of thousands of years ago."


    "I see!" I immediately recalled that Elara had told me how humanity had nearly gone extinct from the light pollution back then. Under such circumstances, even the mightiest civilization would inevitably fall into ruin.


    This diary seemed to be an extremely rare historical artifact. Without further ado, I continued reading:


    "April 11th, Year 26 of the Ouil Era. An urgent evacuation notice came from a nearby town today, urging everyone in our village to swiftly evacuate the area within a short period of time. Excessive alpha energy has spread to within a few hundred kilometers of our location. Unfortunately, most people are unwilling to actively cooperate. After all, this is our home - how can we just pack up and leave? Moreover, excessive alpha energy isn''t immediately fatal. There are even rumors that high concentrations of it can actually slow human aging and promote longevity. Karina says we''ll be fine as long as we don''t linger in it for too long. Unable to dissuade her, I could only agree to stay for the time being, as such situations aren''t without precedent."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 96: A 10,000-Year-Old Map

    "April 18th, Year 26 of the Ouil Era. Early this morning, shocking news arrived from the southern regions where alpha energy had long been rampant. The high concentrations there had undergone bizarre, inexplicable changes, as if they had suddenly gained life of their own. the central city immediately dispatched numerous researchers to monitor and confirm the situation. But matters only worsened from there..."


    "Oh come on, it''s missing the critical part!"


    There were several torn-out pages in the middle of the diary, clearly ripped away, though not very cleanly - leaving behind partial phrases about "Type 1" and "Type 2" that only piqued one''s curiosity further without providing enough context.


    "Let''s see what comes after, shall we?" Adrian suggested calmly.


    "Alright..." I could only turn the page. The timeline had advanced over a month, with a significant gap in the missing content.


    "June 25th, Year 26 of the Ouil Era. The threat from Beluto grows increasingly severe. It''s said that during a routine inspection in the central city, the Saint Angel Cyra suddenly collapsed, throwing the entire True Church into a state of emergency. Even the priests here received the news and displayed utter panic for several days, fervently praying to their god without eating a single meal. ''It''s a good thing we''re not religious, or we might end up like them!'' Karina mocked, yet she secretly tore pages from my diary and ate them - that''s how I discovered her abnormal condition! Paper isn''t food, it''s not a biscuit. How could she have turned into this state? Could it be the ravages of the encroaching alpha energy? But it''s only been a few days..."


    "June 27th, Year 26 of the Ouil Era. Karina''s condition keeps worsening. Many in the village have successively shown symptoms of ''alpha energy syndrome,'' and even I can clearly feel my thinking becoming sluggish. Rumor has it that after Cyra suddenly announced her defection to Beluto''s side and proclaimed her intention to marry it, Beluto''s intelligence soared by several levels, and the spread of alpha energy rapidly accelerated. I can no longer wait - I''ve decided to leave this place with Karina tomorrow!"


    "June 28th, Year 26 of the Ouil Era. Early this morning, as I was writing these words, dazzlingly bright ''clouds'' suddenly drifted across the sky again. This phenomenon had occurred several times over the past few days, but they always dissipated after a while. I don''t know what these things are..."


    The diary ends there, with no further entries. Those "dazzlingly bright clouds" described seemed to refer to the sky being obscured by radiant light - not actual clouds, but merely the brilliance emitted by a massive concentration of light elements.


    "So we really have returned to the world of 10,000 years ago?" After perusing the full contents, Adrian pondered for a while before arriving at this conclusion.


    Of course, I knew there was an underlying implication to his words. To put it more accurately:


    Due to the near-infinite resets, although 10,000 years had passed in the outside world, this region warped by the dual distortions of time and space remained frozen at that ancient era. This explained why the diary, village, and other objects appeared intact and undamaged.


    From an ordinary human''s perspective, this diary recorded the origins of the light god''s birth. Although much was unclear, if proven accurate, it would undoubtedly serve as an excellent historical record.


    "But the advanced civilization 10,000 years ago used the common continental language - it hasn''t changed at all over such a vast timespan?"


    I still harbored doubts. The biggest issue was being able to comprehend writing from 10,000 years ago! Languages evolve rapidly; just look at Earth''s civilizations spanning thousands of years, where written scripts underwent multiple transformations. Ancient texts would likely be incomprehensible to most today after over a millennium.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Heheh! For that, you''d have to ask the Pope of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion - Garrick!" Judith replied with a burp after filling her stomach, lounging shamelessly as she pointed at the diary.


    "The common language and script of the Eldoria Continent are typically unified and published by the True Church. Thanks to the Church''s immense influence, even when various nations later emerged across the continent, they all had to accept the Church''s cultural guidance as per convention. Come to think of it, that diary did mention the True Church, so perhaps it has played this role since the ancient era."


    "That influential?" I had clearly underestimated the True Church''s power. Now that I thought about it, it made sense. With Cysper having lived for thousands of years while occupying the Papal seat, it was plausible for the language not to change much over that span.


    "But don''t forget, even if we truly went back 10,000 years, it still doesn''t explain why time keeps resetting here! Our ultimate goal is to escape this place and break free from the endless resets..." Adrian frowned, reminding us that we had circled back to this critical question.


    If we could unravel this mystery, we wouldn''t have to stubbornly challenge Cyra and Beluto. From the looks of it, those "newlyweds" might not even know what was going on themselves. Could this place be a "prison" specifically designed to confine them?


    The notion of a "prison" neatly explained why the phoenix avoided approaching. Animal instincts tended to be sharper. However, history did not record it that way. The light god was supposed to have been defeated; otherwise, the Wind Angel Liana and Earth Angel Galadria would not have created the angelic race to prevent its revival.


    Ah, yes! I suddenly realized an issue. Throughout that entire diary, there was no mention whatsoever of the elemental angels like Liana. It was as if they never existed. Logically, the heroes who had vanquished the light god Beluto and saved the world should not have been so obscure!


    They weren''t superhumans - how could figures of such renown have left no legacy? The only familiar name in that diary was the Saint Angel Cyra.


    "Since we can''t find any other clues from the diary, why don''t we examine the other items?" After pondering fruitlessly, I turned to Adrian.


    "Like that scroll you were looking at earlier - was it some kind of magic array?"


    "Not quite what you''re thinking. It''s actually a map!" Adrian retrieved the scroll from the table and unfurled it before me.


    "But rather uniquely, it seems to be a map from 10,000 years ago."


    "Heheh, a map of the Eldoria Continent from 10,000 years ago!" Judith chimed in, clearly having examined it previously, which explained why she had brought it along.


    "An incredibly rare historical artifact!"


    "A map, huh..." I couldn''t help feeling a tinge of disappointment. I had expected something far more impressive, but it was just an ordinary map.


    So what if it was 10,000 years old? I had only been in this world for a few months and hadn''t even fully familiarized myself with the current continental map, let alone an ancient one.


    "With this map, we can determine our current location. It might prove helpful for escaping!" Judith seemed unsurprised by my reaction as she casually pointed to a city icon in the center of the map.


    "This should be the central city frequently mentioned in that diary. And its coordinates are..."


    She was right. Next to that city icon were the unique geographic coordinates used on the Eldoria Continent:


    "345.1751, 175.4356"


    "Is there anything special about those coordinates?" I still felt utterly lost.


    "Nothing particularly special, it''s just the location..." Adrian hesitated before retrieving a modern map of the Eldoria Continent from his own storage ring.


    "Saint City!" The realization hit me instantly. The continental outlines on both maps were largely similar, albeit with some minor variations after 10,000 years of change. But more importantly, at that same central coordinate on the modern map stood the True Church''s headquarters - the capital city of Jethrobaines in the Cresthaven Papal Dominion, Saint City!


    "But wasn''t Saint City just a small town before? " I recalled Cysper, the Pope, telling us that when he first arrived on this continent, Saint City had been a mere small town - nothing like a major metropolis.


    "Heheh! That''s hard to say. After all, over the span of 10,000 years, even if a city was massive before, it being demolished and rebuilt is nothing new," Judith explained with a smile.


    "Moreover, amid that period they experienced the calamity of rampant light elements. It''s completely possible the central city was utterly destroyed."


    So that would mean Saint City and the central city didn''t actually have much relation! I pursed my lips skeptically, feeling it couldn''t be that simple.


    Following the location of the central city down and to the left, I spotted the icon of a volcano - undoubtedly the Sulide Volcano, the future nesting place of the phoenix.


    If we really were on the continent 10,000 years ago, then where would our location be on this map?


    The Sulide Volcano existed even 10,000 years prior. Assuming we didn''t spatially relocate after entering the mountain cavern, we should still be near the Sulide Volcanic Plateau. And the tallest peak in this vicinity was precisely where the "Palace in the Clouds" resided!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 97: The Long Journey

    Boy, the place the God of Light chose is awesome! It might be built right on top of a volcano!


    If we didn''t look at the map, we would never have realized this. Luckily, we seem to be in a time around 10,000 years ago, and that mountain doesn''t show any signs of erupting. From future records, the Sulide Volcano has erupted many times, but the scale was never too huge.


    "Looking at the location of this central city, if we are really near the Sulide Volcano now, maybe it''s within reachable range?"


    Adrian also thought of this, pointing at the old map and saying.


    "You want to go to the central city?"


    I immediately understood his intention. To be honest, I was quite curious about what cities looked like 10,000 years ago. But the problem is whether we can actually get there.


    After all, we are now trapped in this place where time and space keeps looping. The central city is likely outside of this "space-time barrier", which means going there would be a wasted trip.


    "Yes, I mainly want to verify a guess - whether the central city is also trapped in this space-time loop, constantly resetting together with the Light God and Saint Angel!"


    Seeing my thoughts, Adrian nodded at the map.


    "Ah...I understand what you mean!"


    With his prompting, I suddenly realized. This is a very important clue. Because in the real world 10,000 years later, at the same coordinates there is an actual holy capital Jethrobaines there. If the central city is also within the scope of the time reset effect, then how can the holy capital with no time reset exist? It shouldn''t exist at all!


    This directly relates to the nature of the "space-time barrier" - whether we are in the real world constantly entering time loops, or in another almost identical world.


    Just having one volcano can''t fully explain the issue. If this point is confirmed, it''s possible this world may not even be real...


    This can also explain why history recorded the God of Light was defeated and died, but another one jumped out on the mountain.


    "So you two are going on a long journey?"


    Hearing our conversation, Judith blinked her eyes a little disappointedly.


    "Hehe, I haven''t had enough of that Sour Fish Stew yet, I was planning to stay here a few more days to keep you company..."


    "Really sorry about that!"


    I glared at her. This girl really dares to say that out loud. Wants to stay and eat for free after freeloading? Even if we don''t leave, the fish won''t be that easy to catch.


    Actually, going to the central city doesn''t really count as a long journey. In this space-time looping distorted world, how far can we really go?


    "What are your plans next, still want to travel with us?"


    Adrian''s expression also looked a bit displeased. If not for considering that Judith had helped him a lot before, helping him avoid the "Judgement of Light" after each reset, he might have started kicking her out already.


    "Of course, I''ll continue investigating!"


    Judith shrugged and stood up, stretching lazily as she answered.


    "If we are really near Sulide Volcano, the map clearly shows there are quite a few small and medium towns around. We might be able to get more useful information from them."


    "Towns around here?"  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    We were certainly not unfamiliar with the towns she mentioned. When we took the detour behind the "Cloud Palace", we passed through such a place on the way. Hearing this, Adrian glanced at the map and kindly reminded,


    "Your time might not have much left, you''d better find a place not too far away. I think this small town to the southwest is not far from here..."


    Following his finger, we could see a symbol for a small town to the southwest of Sulide Volcano. Going further was the continuous Dona Mountain Range.


    However, there was a very prominent red X mark south of the Dona Mountains. When Adrian saw this mark, his expression froze for a moment and his finger twitched, but he quickly withdrew it without showing any further reaction.


    That red X mark looked very familiar, like I''ve seen it somewhere on the modern map...


    "So you guys did notice my situation after all?"


    Judith seemed a bit surprised, then waved her hand casually.


    "No worries, it''ll reset eventually anyway. When that happens, make me another bowl of Sour Fish Stew as consolation! Oh right, I probably won''t remember at that time. Feliciana, don''t take advantage and skip out on it!"


    "Don''t worry, after we escape, I''ll definitely make a huge pot for you to eat your fill!"


    I sighed and nodded in agreement.


    "As long as you don''t mind it being too sour..."


    Judith was only at the third rank. Although much stronger than an ordinary human, she had still been affected by light pollution over the past half month. Loss of taste was likely one of the most typical symptoms happening to her.


    Actually during meals, we could see some other signs too. Like her movements starting to become sluggish and inexplicably trembling. Fortunately she only had about 10 days left before the forced reset, so it shouldn''t develop to the same tragic state as those villagers.


    "Escape huh, hopefully so..."


    I don''t know if it was because she read the diary, but her reaction seemed a bit depressed. But she quickly livened up and bid farewell, heading southwest alone.


    "Well, I won''t disturb you two anymore. I''ll go first!"


    The way she said it could be misleading!


    Seeing her wave and drop that line before just running off, I opened my mouth but ultimately didn''t refute her.


    I turned back and looked at Adrian. He didn''t seem to have any particular reaction, just busying himself packing up the tableware and maps.


    "Thankfully we didn''t stay here long, so there''s not much to pack up. Let''s head out too!"


    That''s good then! Since we''re going on a trip, we naturally can''t continue staying here. After the reset, all the living supplies in the room will be returned to their original state in the storage ring, so we don''t need to waste effort packing them up.


    The distance from the central city to Sulide Volcano is the same as from the holy capital Jethrobaines to Sulide Volcano - not too far, probably just a few dozen kilometers at most.


    Previously when challenging Cyra, although taking the detour behind the "Cloud Palace" only took a few hours, that was with a few sixth-rank experts running at full speed assisted by energy acceleration, much faster than cars on Earth!


    For just the two of us traveling, we definitely don''t need to rush like that. Unfortunately, to avoid being noticed by those Apostles, we can''t fly with our wings the whole way. So my walking pace is basically the same as an ordinary person''s. Walking on foot will definitely take several days.


    "It seems that village really was near Sulide Volcano all along!"


    Along the way, we compared the scenery, terrain and town names to the map, and they almost completely match the markings. This made me feel a bit moved - we took the path from 10,000 years in the future to go to Sulide, but ended up taking the path from 10,000 years ago to return.


    With a map, we naturally had a sense of direction. On this journey, we didn''t even need to sleep outdoors. We planned out a perfect route to find lodging whenever we needed to rest.


    Originally I had a glimmer of hope that in this world suspended 10,000 years ago, we might find one or two surviving ancient humans by chance. But reality gave us a hard slap - the humans we encountered were exactly the same as the initial village, either demented or unresponsive, impossible to get any useful information from.


    Of course, Apostles were everywhere too. I just avoided drawing extra attention by hiding my wings. What was more surprising though, was that those "Cloud Palaces" weren''t the only ones!


    When we had only walked halfway, we discovered another palace almost identical, but not built on top of a volcano - it was right on the ground, blocking our path forward.


    "That place seems abandoned. There are very few Apostles inside the palace, probably only around 10 or so. But there are many human corpses left on the ground, likely right after a direct battle. Those Apostles were probably just left behind to clean up the battlefield."


    I hid in a nearby residence while Adrian secretly went to scout ahead for a while before returning to tell me this.


    "Fortunately for us, it''s not much of a threat. If needed, we can just go around the sides."


    "So not every palace has a Saint Angel like Cyra stationed in it?"


    I patted my chest in relief. When I saw that situation suddenly appear ahead, I thought the "husband and wife" duo had caught up to us!


    But thinking about it, that''s impossible. This round, we haven''t had any direct confrontations with the Apostles at all, so they don''t know of our existence completely.


    "This is probably just a place similar to a military base. The God of Light has full control over the light element, so casually building a few palaces like this is no big deal."


    Adrian nodded in response.


    Even if it really was as he said, it was still shocking enough. Using palaces as military bases, only a deviant like the God of Light would do such things!

 Vol 4/Chapter 98: The Incomplete Central City

    "Why did Cyra specifically go to a place like Sulide Volcano?"


    The "Cloud Palace" at Sulide Volcano appeared before our very eyes, indicating Cyra had just arrived there not long ago. I initially thought she came specifically for me, since we had killed a few Apostles in that village. Aside from Cyra, the highest ranked Apostles only had four wings, so a six-winged one would definitely catch her attention.


    But the facts proved otherwise. Since I didn''t reveal myself to any Apostles after that, yet the "Cloud Palace" still appeared as usual, it shows they went to Sulide Volcano for another purpose.


    "If you''re asking that question..."


    Adrian immediately recalled something, taking out a card and handing it to me.


    "I saw this thing slip out of a corpse''s pocket, so I picked it up. It seems to mention something related."


    "You''ve already seen it once?"


    However, as I took the card and examined it, I didn''t find any text written on it.


    The whole card was pitch black, only occupied by an unfamiliar crest insignia. The material didn''t seem to be metal, feeling very lightweight.


    But from this card, I could vaguely sense traces of light and dark elements - a very unusual phenomenon. Because unlike the four major fire, water, wind and earth elements, in an environment flooded with light elements, the dark element has almost no space to coexist. Yet they appeared simultaneously on this small, inconspicuous card.


    "You need to lightly press on the crest, I accidentally figured out how to use it on the way back..."


    Seeing my clueless look, Adrian quickly extended a finger to demonstrate.


    With a light "ding", a virtual screen suddenly appeared above the card, displaying something like a text box - looking extremely like some kind of messaging device.


    "Whoa..."


    Startled, I pointed at the scene speechless for a while.


    "What an advanced card!"


    However, this sci-fi-like scene was not the first time I''d seen it. The control terminal of the Eye of Galadra I saw in the Dark Continent was quite similar.


    Although the two had different visual styles, appearing simultaneously in a magical world already hinted at their origins being related.


    Could the "Eye of Galadra" be a masterpiece of the ancient civilization from 10,000 years ago?


    This thought suddenly popped into my mind. But could a "technological" product from 10,000 years ago really be preserved for so long? And shouldn''t the "Eye of Galadra" be more related to the Earth Angel Galadra''s abilities?


    "Actually, similar forms of magic-science technology also exist on the continents of the future world. Like in the Ilandra Dominion south of the Astralrealm Kingdom - they''ve always led the magic-science field. The products they develop just aren''t as advanced as this."


    Probably thinking I was shocked by the virtual display from the card, Adrian explained.


    "That advanced?"


    I was stunned for a moment. This Ilandra Dominion was quite familiar - I''d heard about it many times intentionally or unintentionally during my travels.


    "You may not have paid much attention, but in the capital there are quite a few shops that specialize in magical entertainment. The magical equipment inside is basically all imported from the Ilandra Dominion. As for research and development, that can''t be separated from the Sage Council''s involvement."


    "Oh right..."


    With his reminder, I immediately recalled "SummersField''s Entertainment" in Norvale - a typical magic-science game room. Thinking about how much time Nicola spent in there, I understood completely.


    Of course, it''s not just entertainment products. The adventurers'' guild''s magic bulletin board also can''t be separated from the magic-science realm. It''s just not as integrated into everyone''s hands like technology products on Earth.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Leaving aside sentiments for now, the main thing was to look at the content first.


    This text box contained something like a battlefield report, with the general idea being:


    "Since the ''Gana'' Battlefield Research Institute located southwest of the central city near Sulide Volcano has been exposed, to ensure the institute''s safety and the smooth progress of the ''Xuthus Project'', the central city''s defense forces had to adopt an offensive strategy to try and stall the Saint Angel Cyra and the large number of Apostles outside the central city. Unfortunately, due to factors like light pollution and strength differences, the city''s defense forces were no match for the enemy and suffered extremely heavy casualties. Even though Cyra went on a rampage killing many humans, they ultimately succeeded in stalling her footsteps and completing the mission."


    "So the Saint Angel Cyra had already been stationed here before, and she went to Sulide Volcano because of that ''Gana'' Battlefield Research Institute?"


    After reading it over and over, that was the only conclusion I could draw.


    "Should be correct. This stalling battle must have occurred some time before our reset began. The key is, what was so important that made Cyra rush over urgently?"


    Adrian nodded in agreement with my view.


    Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind - what exactly was this so-called "Xuthus Project"? Could its successful implementation have adverse effects on Beluto and Cyra, so Cyra had to hurry and stop it?


    But that didn''t seem right either. If there really was a way to defeat the God of Light, the city''s guards wouldn''t have died so tragically, right? It was just a battlefield research institute, not an ultimate weapon research institute. Plus, when we later fought at the "Cloud Palace", Cyra and the God of Light seemed fine?


    Unable to figure it out for the time being, I could only suppress my doubts and continue onwards.


    Fortunately, there were very few Apostles in the palace ahead, allowing Adrian and I to easily bypass it. Finally, on the third day, we reached an extremely massive city cluster.


    "This is the central city? Isn''t it a bit over the top!"


    Looking at the scene before me, despite some mental preparation, I still couldn''t quite believe the ancient human civilization could be so developed! Although I had seen similar scenes in movies, games, and other works on Earth, this was my first time experiencing it up close - the feeling was completely different.


    To be honest, the buildings on the outskirts still looked quite crude, with some even smaller in scale than ordinary residences in the capital Norvale. But the further in we went, the building density and heights kept soaring higher and higher.


    Spacious streets, magnificent stone palaces and plazas everywhere. The design of some individual buildings was cutting-edge feeling - streamlined exteriors, pointy rooftops with a metallic luster, reflecting the endless brilliance from above.


    Unfortunately, everywhere was completely deserted and deathly still. It wasn''t that there were no humans at all - occasionally we could spot one or two. But they were all severely light-polluted dementia patients with no value for questioning or investigating.


    "Just as expected, I''ve long heard that the ancient civilization 10,000 years ago was quite glorious, but I never imagined it reached this level. What''s more, what we''re seeing is not even its full appearance..."


    Adrian also looked quite pensive. The legend of ancient civilizations far surpassing modern times exists in virtually every world, like the pseudoscientific theories about Atlantis, Mu continent, and so on from Earth.


    However, as he said, this city was incomplete - it was essentially "cut off at the waist".


    The city area we could see should only be less than a quarter of the total area, because an extremely abrupt towering cliff blocked our path forward.


    "Looks like we''ve reached the end!"


    Of course, this meant we had reached the limit of how far we could go from Sulide Volcano. If I''m not mistaken, that mountain peak should be part of the "Karga Mountain Range" to the southwest of Sulide Volcano on the map, about a hundred kilometers or so from the central city. (The Karga Mountain Range is a range spanning the entire Astralrealm Kingdom in a southeast-northwest direction, connecting to the Dona Mountain Range where Sulide Volcano is located at the southeast end.) Some inexplicable force directly connected the space in front of us to the space of that mountain peak, forming an infinite looping barrier.


    "Even if we can''t see the full appearance, this is enough..."


    I nodded and said. Our main purpose in coming here was to verify whether another "holy capital" truly existed - and the facts proved it did. Although only half remained, it was already very telling.


    Since this half of the space was looping infinitely with us, it was obvious the holy capital Jethrobaines was not in the same space. This showed that this "space-time barrier" was completely independent from the main world where the Eldoria Continent existed. Just like the nature of Edenmere, it was either a sub-space subordinate to the main world, or a parallel world.


    However, since we had come here, there was no need to rush off. Even if only a small part of such an advanced city remained, it still had great value to explore. Inspired by Judith, we began randomly entering some houses to look for useful things.


    The decision proved to be absolutely correct. As soon as we entered the first house, we discovered a very unusual item.


    This should have been a residence. We chose this place mainly to see how the residents of the central city lived. At first glance after breaking in, we saw someone lying motionless on the bed.


    And that unusual item was a headset-like VR device worn on his head.


    "What is this?"


    Adrian had never seen such a headset before and curiously wanted to reach out and take it off.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 99: The Artificial Idiot

    "Wait!"


    I hurriedly stopped him, then checked the human''s body. Finding he was severely light-polluted and beyond saving, I signaled for Adrian to proceed.


    "Looks so strange, is it for blocking light to ensure good sleep? But why this design?"


    Staring at the "headset" for a while, we couldn''t find any special clues. The material was similar to the previous black card, and it also contained both light and dark elements in the same way.


    "Why don''t you try wearing it?"


    Adrian spoke and put the headset on just like the person on the bed. Caught off guard, I couldn''t stop him in time, my heart skipping a beat.


    "Such an amazing thing, is this a game device?"


    I saw him waving his hands around in the air, confirming my guess - it really was a VR headset! But it didn''t cause the whole body disconnect from reality seen in some animations when worn.


    "You try it too, seems like a magic toy. But doesn''t look to have any elemental connection cables eh?"


    The so-called elemental connection cables are similar to electrical wires, mainly designed to transmit specific types of elements. At "SummersField Entertainment", those gambling devices were all elemental-powered. Since they could interconnect between different machines, elemental cables were indispensable.


    Could this headset be using a wireless network? WiFi?


    This thought crossed my mind, though I had no phone to verify it. But the light element contained in the headset made me think of another possibility - the light element can similarly achieve long-distance disembodied spiritual communication. Maybe it worked on that principle?


    Anyway, might as well see the actual effect first. I thought about it and followed Adrian in wearing the headset.


    I instantly found myself in a spacious plaza, with a huge information prompt in front describing the device''s purpose in the common continental text.


    It was a virtual remote query device that could access this central city''s virtual municipal, news, entertainment and gaming facilities. But to actually use it normally required the user to present an ID card for verification login.


    Of course I didn''t have such a card, but immediately thought of the black card Adrian had picked up before. I had a flash of insight and tried "swiping" it on the headset according to the operation flow. This worked by chance, but I just received a prompt to patiently wait for verification, with no response after a long time.


    What, there''s "network" lag too?


    "Help!"


    Seeing this situation, I immediately shouted out loud towards the air.


    This was a voice operation method written in the information instructions, to get additional help when encountering difficulties using it - the equivalent of customer service on Earth.


    "Sorry, since we cannot contact the main body zero and the central city data storage, your operation cannot continue!"


    As the words fell, a girl with an extremely well-behaved appearance suddenly appeared in front of me, smiling as she spoke.


    "Whoa! So advanced? High-tech? An AI?"


    I gave her a long look up and down in amazement. But after some brief experimentation, I realized she didn''t seem very intelligent at all. She could only give specific answers to specific questions - her "intelligence" was very limited, essentially equivalent to an "artificial idiot".


    No wonder Adrian immediately thought it was a game device. Aside from that voice "AI idiot", the operation flow was basically no different from the gambling devices in Norvale: swipe card -> verify -> log in! The only differences were replacing the magic cards with this ancient magic-tech black card, and upgrading the "physical desktop display" to "3D immersive experience".This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Looks like just like Nicola, Adrian was also a die-hard fan of these entertainment rooms.


    "Seems to have no practical use, completely unable to operate at all..."


    After trying fruitlessly for a while, I could only say to Adrian while still wearing the headset. But I suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the virtual plaza.


    "Who are you? How dare you spy on my master! Are you human? Humans must submit to my master''s authority and accept my master''s rule, or face merciless suppression!"


    "Oh no!"


    Wasn''t that an Apostle talking? I quickly took off the headset and immediately understood what was happening.


    This virtual reality headset must be using the light element to communicate with the outside world. But in a world ruled by the God of Light, that purpose was completely corrupted. Beluto controlled all light elements, and his method of communicating with Cyra and the Apostles was precisely through light elements. This was similar to me using the "Spiritual Convergence" spell to "voice call" Elara in Edenmere - the exact same principle.


    Except the God of Light had higher authority and could monitor all spiritual messages transmitted through light elements. So using this headset was like an ordinary person tapping into the spiritual network, quickly getting discovered by the God of Light.


    "What happened?"


    Adrian asked in confusion.


    "Run, we may have been discovered!"


    I dropped the headset and pulled Adrian to flee. But it was too late. As soon as we opened the door, we saw a four-winged Apostle descend with a few two-winged ones, blocking our path.


    "Was it because of that headset?"


    Seeing this situation, would he still not understand? Adrian immediately drew his weapon without a second word.


    "You''re not human! Although your back has no wings and you look completely human, I sense an aura similar to us Apostles from you?"


    This was the four-winged Apostle questioning me. Based on experience, the two-winged ones likely had even lower intelligence.


    Since I was currently hiding my wings, they found my appearance very strange. After all, once they detected my light elemental aura, it was easy for them to tell I was different from ordinary humans.


    Looks like Apostles can''t hide their wings, unlike angels.


    The situation didn''t allow me to ponder more. Facing this complete emergency, Adrian wasted no words, shooting an arrow marked with the word "explode" into me.


    Well, the response was certainly that simple and direct...


    It''s not that we couldn''t defeat them. But we''d then face endless pursuit by countless Apostles, and we didn''t have much time left before the forced reset anyway. Rather than constantly fleeing those last few days, it was more worthwhile to just start over! This had been our agreed contingency plan.


    It''s just that the feeling of being completely blown apart was a bit indescribable.


    "Couldn''t Adrian come up with a way to die painlessly..."


    When I reappeared at the village entrance, shaking my head, I felt it was quite a headache. What single word could simply summarize the humane requirement of dying painlessly? I couldn''t think of one for the time being.


    But even after the reset, I didn''t plan to continue challenging the Saint Angel Cyra, since I still hadn''t found a feasible way to deal with Beluto.


    Challenging the Demon Lord...oh no, challenging the God of Light is impossible, absolutely impossible!


    I didn''t know if it was my mind also affected by light pollution, but I constantly felt I had become lazier. All this killing and bloodshed is so meaningless. It''s way more comfortable just staying home, sleeping and eating. Plus, after each reset the food is replenished, so no risk of going hungry - not that I''d ever go hungry personally anyway...


    So Adrian and I built another wooden hut by the lakeside, spending everyday fishing, playing cards and chatting. If we got bored, we''d take a trip to explore places we hadn''t been, going on hikes. This life was quite comfortable, and before I knew it several resets had passed in the blink of an eye, I couldn''t even count them clearly anymore.


    Then, it was another day nearing the forced reset.


    I opened the door, looking at the dazzling sky outside as I lazily stretched. I had used the light element insulator yesterday, so I had a good sleep. Glancing down, I noticed a bundle of fresh flowers placed by the door.


    Sighing, I could only quietly put them away, calling out to Adrian who was fishing in the distance.


    "How''s the haul today?"


    "Not bad, after so many resets, I''ve managed to figure out these fishes'' preferences!"


    Adrian nodded, pointing at the buckets behind him. They weren''t empty at all - there were two fish swimming around, one quite sizeable.


    "So what''s for lunch today, Sour Fish again?"


    I extended my hand to check the fish, asking.


    Mentioning Sour Fish made me think of Judith again. It had been a long time since I last saw her. Of course, the situation of her freeloading meals from us could never happen again, because she had "died"!


    These past few resets, because I was too lazy to "reconnect" with her, the memory-lost Judith went straight to her death, trying to mediate the "conflict between angels and the church". This caused Vivianne to sneak away alone, triggering the "Judgement of Light" to descend. I even had to use the "Light Sanctuary" to help Adrian withstand it.


    To be honest, every reset, watching Vivianne, Mike and others mechanically go to their deaths just like a script, my heart couldn''t help but feel a sense of guilt. But rationally, even if I saved them it wouldn''t be of much use. At most, the same scenario would repeat again a month later. If I couldn''t solve the fundamental problem, saving them any number of times would be meaningless.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 100: Help

    "I''ll eat whatever you make, I think it will all be delicious!"


    On the topic of what dish to have, Adrian just nodded without offering an opinion. This made me feel a bit awkward, as I was very clear about what that bundle of flowers left by the door represented.


    "That...the two of us...it''s actually impossible, you may not fully understand!"


    Looking at his back, I squatted down and finally squeezed out these words after hesitating for a long while.


    "Of course I understand! It''s indeed very difficult for an angel and human to be together, but there are precedents..."


    I didn''t know what he was thinking, but Adrian didn''t react for a long time while holding the fishing rod. After a bit, he turned back with a smile to reassure me.


    "So I''ll work really hard!"


    "Er..."


    Seems he misunderstood? Angel-human pairings are indeed extremely rare special cases. Generally speaking, only highly prestigious nobles and royals have that qualification, and it also depends on if the angel is willing.


    But that clearly wasn''t what I meant! However, I couldn''t bring myself to explain the real situation. Several times I swallowed back the words I wanted to say.


    After all, I came from another world through transformation. If he knew this fact, he definitely wouldn''t say such things! Even if I tried my best to hide this truth and never got exposed, how would Nicola and Cyra think if they found out? Especially Nicola...


    Thinking of this, my mind became a muddle and I felt flustered.


    Actually, this wasn''t the first time flowers were left at the door. It had happened several times before. But I absolutely couldn''t accept it! In the end, I could only quietly put the flowers away, burying my head in the sand and pretending I didn''t see anything. Today, being able to directly say these evasive words of rejection already took quite a lot of courage. But the result was a bit disappointing.


    After eating, it was time for idling around playing cards again. Although I don''t carry playing cards like Cyra, it''s totally feasible to make a set from materials like paper in the village - just not as exquisite in pattern and suit.


    "Playing with just two people really lacks fun. Why don''t we rescue Judith or Vivianne? With them, maybe we could even play some fun?"


    With just two people, there naturally weren''t many other games to play. I looked at my hand and made the suggestion. But then I thought about having to explain the whole situation again, teach all the rules and tricks, and immediately lost enthusiasm, quickly changing my mind.


    "Nevermind, maybe we''ll wait until the next reset..."


    "So you mean we''ll continue resting this next round?"


    However, when it was Adrian''s turn to play, he glanced at me somewhat intentionally.


    "...Of course!"


    I nodded heavily. Without finding a way to deal with the God of Light, everything was in vain. But the way he asked made it seem like he had some other intention. After pondering for a bit, I finally asked him.


    "Did you happen to find another way out of here?"


    "No, not at all..."


    Adrian hurriedly shook his head in response.


    "I just had some reflection. When we initially chased away that male phoenix and entered this cave, how could I have imagined spending so much time together with you in this ''small world''? All in all, it''s probably been over a year right?"


    "It''s really been a year?"


    I was stunned for a moment. Come to think of it, maybe it really had been that long. Although I died very frequently challenging Cyra initially, each reset cycle didn''t last too long back then. It was mainly these endless rest periods after that just seemed to fly by unknowingly.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "So you want to leave now?"


    I asked a bit guiltily, not wanting to admit I was completely content with the situation. Mainly, this lifestyle without any pressures or responsibilities was just too relaxing. But don''t forget, Adrian had already gone through over a hundred resets before I even entered, so he must be sick of it all by now.


    "Maybe a little..."


    Adrian didn''t hide it, nodding in response.


    "I''m a bit worried about the situation of those left outside, like Brennan."


    Speaking of which, I initially thought that after Cyra brought "reinforcements" from the holy capital Jethrobaines, some True Church rescuers might follow us into the cave. But that didn''t happen - after so long, there was still no movement from the outside at all. Could it be that Yulanda, Brennan and the others all died at the entrance?


    "The key now is, even if we ultimately defeat the God of Light, will we definitely be able to escape from this infinitely looping world?"


    I massaged my temples, feeling a bit of a headache. Adrian first proposed this idea, but based on the various information we gathered later, this possibility became increasingly slim. Beluto and Cyra seemed just as clueless as us - who could we ask for a way to escape?


    To find another path, after one reset we even snuck all the way to Sulide Volcano, the mountain where the "Cloud Palace" was located, and found the cave entrance we originally came through - of course, the entrance from 10,000 years ago.


    But we still found nothing - in fact there were no discoveries at all, because there was no maze whatsoever!


    After passing through a long tunnel, we reached an extremely spacious cavern, completely empty inside. But we could feel the surrounding environment was very hot, indicating we weren''t far from the volcanic magma.


    Adrian and I called it the "Blazing Cavern". This was already the end of the cave, with no path onwards. We didn''t dare linger inside and immediately retreated back the way we came.


    We even suspected at one point if the ancient civilization had intentionally leaked information to lure Cyra and the God of Light here, hoping a volcanic eruption would eliminate them.


    Okay, that was indeed a bit naive...


    "Actually about that cave, there''s one question I still haven''t resolved - where did the Pope who entered with you end up?"


    After pondering for a while, Adrian suddenly asked.


    "Or maybe we''re overthinking it - he could have just been wandering inside that maze the whole time, possibly even resetting together with us..."


    I also felt it was very strange, but could only spread my hands in resignation since I couldn''t think of an explanation.


    Even if Cysper was transported somewhere else, it likely wasn''t this looping world we''re in now. Because in the first few resets, Adrian and I had basically circled the entire world, covering all four directions - if Cysper followed us here, there''s no way there wouldn''t be any trace of him.


    "Moreover, there''s an even more crucial question!"


    But Adrian''s thoughts were more meticulous than mine. He felt things weren''t so simple, shaking his head and immediately adding:


    "Why are only you and I the ones retaining full memories, while everyone else doesn''t? When I first discovered you had also entered this cave, I never expected you would share the same retained memories from before the reset like me."


    "Well about that..."


    I was suddenly at a loss for words - he had hit the nail on the head. Why was that indeed?


    "Could it be because the two of us are special in some way?"


    I definitely didn''t believe it was due to some random factor. But if there really was something different, it would be that initial stretch entering the cave where Cysper and I had completely different experiences from the others.


    "...We encountered an extremely massive and complex maze. Cysper could only find the final exit by following the airflow, while you all took a single direct path to the end, just like that tunnel to the ''Blazing Cavern''. You also didn''t hear those strange sounds..."


    "Strange sounds?"


    Hearing this, Adrian suddenly stopped playing his hand, his expression turning odd.


    "Wait, don''t tell me you heard them too!"


    I was stunned. I remembered back then he clearly stated together with Vivianne, the Star Glory knights and others that they didn''t hear any "rustling" sounds.


    "If you''re referring to that ''rustling'' sound, I indeed didn''t hear it."


    He quickly clarified upon realizing.


    "But when leaving the tunnel, I did hear someone''s voice speaking..."


    "A speaking voice?"


    Come to think of it, I had heard it too back then. I was just distracted by the scenery outside the tunnel entrance, so I didn''t pay much attention and quickly forgot about it.


    "What did it say?"


    "Something about logging in, I think? It''s been too long, I can''t really remember clearly..."


    Staring at the sky overhead, Adrian pondered for a long time before blurting out those words.


    But after I heard them, the cards in my hand instantly scattered all over the floor...


    Why didn''t I think of this before?


    In this "world of ten thousand years ago" where time and space loop infinitely, there were indeed too many illogical things. I had suspected it many times before, but could never find evidence to support my ideas - the information I got could never fully corroborate my guesses.


    Later in this world, inspired by Judith, we found many clues about the God of Light from ten thousand years ago, and also witnessed the advanced magic technology of ancient lost civilizations. Although it was all fragmented information, it was enough to piece together a massive conjecture.


    The constant resets, the Sulide Volcano, the "Dona" War Research Institute, the Xuthus Project, the virtual reality headsets, the God of Light, and - artificial stupidity!


    Thinking of this, I gritted my teeth, lifted my head and shouted loudly into the air.


    "I need help!"


    ==============================================================


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 Vol 4/ Chapter 101: Trial Space

    "Help?"


    Sitting across from me, Adrian looked confused when he saw my action, not knowing what it meant at first. But he had also worn that virtual headset before, so he quickly made the connection and his expression changed instantly.


    "Could you be referring to..."


    However, things were a bit different from what I had imagined. The summoning voice went out for a long time, but there was no response from the surroundings, just dead silence.


    "Could it be wrong? How''s that possible!"


    Adrian gave me a puzzled look. In his eyes, this was still the real world, completely different from the virtual world in the headset. How could a guide like the one in the headset appear here?


    "Not necessarily..."


    I shook my head stubbornly, not giving up, and decided to try again. So I changed my phrasing.


    "Help!"


    "Assist!"


    "Guide!"


    "Customer service!"


    "Little Honey!"


    "Assistant!"


    At that moment, a little girl with the exact same appearance as the one in the headset appeared before us. With the same "professional" smile, she bowed politely to me and asked:


    "Greetings, Trial Participant Gisphrael! ''Dona'' War Research Institute Special Assistant No. 5 is pleased to serve you. How may I assist you? Since I cannot currently connect to the Main Zero or the Central City Data Storage, you can only use the local basic Q&A mode."


    It really came out! When the first summon failed, I thought maybe I had guessed wrong. But in the end, my efforts paid off!


    But what was that Gisphrael thing? As for Adrian, he stared at the virtual figure in front of him, his mouth agape for a long time, unable to say a word.


    "How did you know?"


    It wasn''t that Adrian''s brain was slower than mine. The main reason was that he hadn''t seen as many related TV shows and novels, so it wasn''t strange that he lacked this cognitive awareness.


    "Hold on!"


    At this critical juncture, I didn''t have time to give too many explanations. I forcibly gestured for him to be quiet. Then I took a deep breath and asked in as clear a tone as possible:


    "What is this place?"


    "This is the ''Dona'' War Research Institute under the Central *****Intelligence****, located specifically in the belly of the Sulid*** Mountain."


    For some reason, compared to the virtual image in the headset, Special Assistant No. 5''s figure looked very unstable, flickering on and off intermittently. Her voice in responding also became intermittent.


    "And the world we''re in now, what world is this?"


    Adrian frowned slightly, as her words didn''t clear up much of the confusion, so he probed further.


    "This world is the third ***Model Trial Space separated and copied from the real world according to the ''Xuthus Project''."


    The intelligence level was about the same as before. Probably due to the lack of that "Main Zero" and data storage, it could only answer our questions based on what we asked, without giving any additional explanations. But even so, her answer left us stunned for quite a while.


    "How do we get out of this...model trial space?"


    Putting other things aside for now, I went straight to the main topic - this was what Adrian and I cared about the most.


    "The remaining ******** can no longer open the space ****** for forced exit. The only way left is to pass through the entire trial. The primary objective: the Alpha energy derived lifeform Beluto..."


    After hearing this, Adrian and I immediately looked terrible. After all that excitement, everything came back to the starting point - we still had to defeat that Light God!Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "The Light God, oh no! Does Beluto have any weaknesses?"


    Adrian was quite calm though. He quickly recovered and asked carefully.


    "Retrieving historical records..."


    Special Assistant No. 5 paused for a few seconds with a flat expression before responding:


    "According to the records of the 352nd trial loop in Trial Space No. 1, Beluto was ***eliminated in the physical form."


    Physical form?


    So its weakness was physical form? But when we asked how to force Beluto into physical form and how to avoid mental control, Special Assistant No. 5 could only respond with "No records found", no matter how many times we repeated the questions.


    "Can you display all the historical records of this research institute and all the relevant information about this trial space in written text?"


    Adrian thought for a moment, feeling that this question-and-answer method was too time-consuming. We might as well read it ourselves - it would be faster and more complete.


    "Of course!"


    As soon as she finished speaking, several virtual document windows appeared before our eyes, containing most of the information we wanted to know. However, there was still a small portion that was permanently lost due to its antiquity, according to Special Assistant No. 5.


    In any case, after several hours of reading and researching, Adrian and I finally gained a general understanding of the situation we were in.


    As Special Assistant No. 5 had told us, this was an independent trial space separate from the main world. Its purpose was to constantly reset and challenge the Alpha energy derived lifeform, the Light God, to observe and find its weaknesses in order to deal with the crisis happening in the real world.


    Apart from the staff of the "Dona" War Research Institute, the creators of this space included a few very special names - the Wind Angel Liana, the Earth Angel Galadra, the Water Angel Gisphrael, and the Fire Angel Michelle.


    The four Elemental Angels were all here!


    The leading roles were played by the ancestors of the Angelic race, the Wind Angel Liana and the Earth Angel Galadra. They separated three identical miniature parallel worlds from the real world''s timeline, then forcibly reversed time and space to be used for trials.


    In other words, they created three constantly repeating trial worlds to fight monsters - similar to what I initially experienced!


    It also revealed an important piece of information - most of the situations appearing in this trial space had actually occurred in the real world, just with different plots and endings.


    "I can''t believe Michelle is on this list too!"


    When I saw this name, I was truly surprised. This person who had lived for ten thousand years and constantly opposed us was actually involved in the relevant research work.


    "But her main task was just to maintain the energy supply and conversion stability, so her role wasn''t that big..."


    Adrian nodded as he flipped through the documents.


    What was quite interesting was that the element sustaining this space for ten thousand years was not what we normally perceived, but geothermal energy! The geothermal energy from inside the Sulid Volcano! Probably chosen for its relatively stable supply, as proven to be very reliable. It was because maintaining this space and its connecting passages required constantly absorbing a large amount of energy from geothermal sources, which greatly reduced the intensity level of subsequent volcanic eruptions, thereby ensuring the safety of this research institute that stood firm for nearly ten thousand years.


    However, it was nearing its end now, precisely because of our unintentional intrusion as outsiders.


    Maintaining trial participants inside required more energy consumption, especially for protecting their soul memories. Of all the people who entered this trial space, only Adrian and I had login information recorded. As for the others, since their soul signatures could not be identified, they were not included in the trial participant list and were not provided with soul protection privileges. Therefore, after each reset, they lost all memories.


    The number of unidentifiable intruders over ten thousand years far exceeded our imagination, totaling several hundred! Only a handful had login information recorded, and they were mostly unfamiliar names.


    Before the last eruption of the Sulid Volcano, Trial Space No. 2 still had three remaining entry portals. Due to the volcanic eruption and facility aging, the space passages connecting to Trial Space No. 2 suffered severe damage. As a result, all the humans who had previously entered lost their space coordinates and could no longer be contacted. Afterwards, the last remaining backup Trial Space No. 3, which is where we are now, had to be activated with only one entry passage left.


    And the latest eruption of Sulid Volcano was 150 years ago. Although there weren''t too many records left, based on our understanding, the first person to arrive in Trial Space No. 3 should have been Judith, about 120 years ago!


    "Judith is that old?"


    Adrian and I looked at each other in shock, never imagining that Judith could be so old! She looked no more than thirty years old at most! If she were an angel, it would make sense, but Judith is a true human being!


    Fortunately, humans in this world tend to live longer than humans on Earth. Ordinary people can generally reach 100 years old, likely benefiting from the low concentration of light elements in the air.


    Of course, humans with high-rank strength can live even longer, especially light mage and those who have awakened their battle qi. If nothing goes wrong, they generally start from over 200 years old, but that''s still far behind angels.


    Our login information could also be found - Gisphrael and Albert!


    Leaving aside the unfamiliar name Albert, my login name Gisphrael implied many special meanings.


    "So you logged in with the identity of one of the creators of this space, the Water Angel?"


    Adrian specifically pointed this out, but his tone didn''t seem too surprised. After all, we had discussed at length before why I had an affinity for the water element, so he was somewhat mentally prepared.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 102: Challenge Again

    "About that...to be honest, I''m not too sure either!"


    I didn''t know where to start. The speculation about me being the Water Angel had already started when we left Edenmere, and it was just further confirmed here. But even so, it still felt somewhat unreal, as the experience of living on Earth was unforgettable.


    To be honest, I felt quite displeased! Even if we were all reincarnated from Elemental Angels, why could Nicola awaken so quickly and freely use her wind elemental abilities, while I could only rely on human magic cultivation methods to gradually try applying my water abilities? They''ve hardly had much effect so far, and almost all my skill points went into life skills!


    However, there was some information about the Water Angel Gisphrael. According to the historical records, she undertook a very important task in the creation of this space, but the specific content was just a long string of gibberish. Her job title seemed to be something like "Shaping **".


    "What exactly was this missing part about?"


    I racked my brain but couldn''t figure it out. Isn''t healing the most widespread use of the water element? It''s said that high-level water mages, combined with light magic, can even revive the dead - true resurrection magic!


    "Since this trial space has a much smaller spatial range compared to the real world, the total amount of light elements is insufficient to sustain Beluto''s unparalleled power. To achieve the intended trial effect, some degree of modification was needed to support Beluto''s power demands. The projected design could only reach half of the true Beluto''s strength. Now, due to the aging research facility, it has further decreased to less than a quarter!"


    However, after listening to Special Assistant No. 5''s explanation, I finally understood. The "Light God" we previously encountered only had less than a quarter of its true historical strength - it was basically an inferior counterfeit product!


    "The Beluto on the mountaintop only had that little power left?"


    Upon hearing this, Adrian was stunned for a moment. After thinking briefly, he said to me seriously:


    "Feliciana, maybe we really can defeat him!"


    After all, the main reason we failed against Beluto last time was because I was controlled and ended up betraying our team. No one had truly experienced the Light God''s real power.


    "No way? Even just a quarter of its power is still very strong!"


    However, I felt a bit hesitant. According to the information collected by the "Dona" War Research Institute, the Saint Angel Cyra''s strength was actually quite formidable, at least possessing half of Beluto''s power. And we had already practically "cleared" Cyra once. From this perspective, Beluto didn''t seem invincible either.


    But how could we resolve the issue of me being controlled? There was no way to avoid that, no matter how you looked at it!


    "If worst comes to worst, you can just leave before the final battle with Beluto. This time, with ample preparation, maybe the rest of us can defeat him!"


    "Really, no problem?"


    What he said did make some sense. The records showed that Beluto used basically the same skills as the Saint Angel Cyra, leading one to speculate that Cyra had actually shared some of the Light God''s power. A mere six-winged angel couldn''t possibly possess such terrifying strength.


    "Don''t worry! If it were the real Light God, I might not have this confidence. But against this counterfeit, I swear I''ll smash his skull! Last time was just our first encounter with this situation, so we weren''t prepared."


    Adrian clenched his fists tightly, asserting with certainty.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Trust me, I''ll make sure I get you out of here safely!"


    "...Alright then!"


    Since Adrian insisted, it meant he must feel quite confident. I could only push down my anxiety and nod in agreement. Moreover, continually hiding here wasn''t a solution either. Worst case, we could just defeat Cyra and run. As long as I didn''t join the final battle and avoided contact with Beluto, it might greatly reduce the pressure on everyone...


    The plan was set.


    It''s worth mentioning that in the abundant information provided by Special Assistant No. 5, we unexpectedly found clues about Pope Cysper!


    During the time when the Pope and I entered the cave, the fragmented defense system of the ''Dona'' War Research Institute detected a high-level threat intruder! Following emergency procedures, it forcibly transferred the target to a specially constructed maze facility within the institute to buy time. However, the internal defense maze had been severely damaged over the years, with most defensive functions lost. Unable to stop the intruding threat, they eventually had to transfer the target directly outside the laboratory.


    "So the Pope wasn''t actually in any danger, he just ended up back outside the cave. But why didn''t you go with him?"


    Since you were both transferred to the maze, why did only Cysper end up getting transferred out in the end? Adrian noticed many unclear points in this fragmented report.


    "Uh, we had gotten separated by quite a distance at that point..."


    As I recalled, Cysper had run extremely fast, and I almost couldn''t catch up to him. Perhaps that was why I was left behind alone. But why was he identified as a high-level threat?


    Cysper should have been entering this cave for the first time, right? Even counting from when he first appeared on this continent, it was after this research facility had been abandoned for thousands of years. But we couldn''t find any clues, as most of the security-related content was lost.


    Next came the forced reset day.


    Standing at the entrance of the "Starting Village", I gazed up at the azure expanse above. This time, instead of turning away, I took a long-awaited step forward.


    First trick Vivianne into going to the "Shelter", meet up with the two Star Glory knights, then challenge the "fashionably late" apostles, and remember to warn Mike about avoiding the light beams descending from above...


    Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, just routine operations I had experienced countless times before.


    Then all of us gathered again in the "Shelter" to face the impending "Light Judgment". But this time, there was no need for Judith to go upstairs and painstakingly lay out sand. With the experience from previous times, I could simply envelop everyone inside the "Light Sanctuary" to successfully avoid harm. However, the time saved wasn''t for leisure, as Judith was hurriedly crafting magic scrolls at Adrian''s urging.


    These magic scrolls were actually the same kind of magic arrays Reed had specially made for the eight-winged angel Phoebe to store high-level spells! Back then, Phoebe had inscribed the magic array on her own body based on her needs. Judith didn''t do that though, simply drawing them on scrolls.


    As for what spells were stored inside, of course it was the most crucial "Light Sanctuary".


    This was a special preparation made for dealing with the Light God, since I couldn''t participate in the final battle. After all, the high-level light spell "Light Sanctuary" was indispensable, almost perfectly defending against any of Cyra''s elemental attacks. After I left the battlefield, there would be no such support, so over ten instances of "Light Sanctuary" were pre-stored in the scrolls for Judith to use as needed.


    Then came the battle plan.


    Adrian first spent a while instructing Judith on using "Light Sanctuary", then found Ron and discussed with him privately for a long time. Just as I was about to eavesdrop on what they were saying, the discussion suddenly ended. Immediately after, Ron went to find Mike, and they both took out an exquisitely crafted set of armor from their storage spaces.


    That''s right, the full-body plate armor commonly seen in the Middle Ages! Apparently this armor was very heavy, imbued with quite a few spells to defend against physical damage. However, even powerful Star Glory knights were generally unwilling to wear it, only taking it out for major ceremonial occasions.


    But now, at Adrian''s request, they actually forcibly combined the two suits of armor together (due to the size difference, Ron''s set was much smaller) and had Mike wear them both!


    "Mobility is a bit inconvenient, but I can still move normally. I just hope I don''t have to use this until the very end..."


    That was Mike''s evaluation on using it. Ridiculous!


    For an ordinary person, or a low-ranking mage like Judith, they probably couldn''t even move in this thing. But for Mike, an awakened battle qi warrior with enhanced physical conditioning, it was just like wearing some extra thick layers of clothing.


    "Why are you making such heavy armor?" Vivianne asked, puzzled.


    "Cyra has a skill that allows the light element to take physical weapon form. This way we can successfully defend against those physical attacks. And I believe the Light God Beluto must have a similar technique."


    That was Adrian''s explanation. However, I couldn''t help feeling a bit puzzled. I had never seen him go through such time-consuming and laborious efforts before! Moreover, with only Mike able to use it, what about the others? But then again, Mike''s overall strength was the greatest among us all, so giving him sufficient protection was quite necessary.


    With all the preparations complete, we then proceeded to take on Cyra again following the established process!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 103 The Lost Boy

    "Cyra, I know you were probably being controlled by the God of Light, but I still want to say - he sure has a very special taste!"


    When we stood in that familiar square again, Judith summoned her giant stone statue and finally made a remark different from before.


    Could this Saint Angel Cyra and the Pope be the same person? Their bodies were both made of pure light elements, the only difference being the wings on their backs.


    Looking at her identical faces to Cysper''s, I couldn''t help falling into contemplation. Recalling the high-level threat Cysper was defined as in the trial space''s records, a thought suddenly popped into my mind.


    But their voices and physiques were completely different, as if something was off. Did I overlook some detail...?


    Also, where was the real-world Saint Angel? Edenmere still had some records of her, which meant that after the God of Light was destroyed, Cyra didn''t die but mysteriously disappeared.


    The battle resumed. Since we had experience defeating the enemy before, plus Mike had his indestructible armor on, we didn''t lose a single member this time. It didn''t take long for us to triumph over the opponent.


    "Why were you able to perfectly dodge every single one of my moves!"


    Stunned by our "super pro" moves, Cyra disregarded my arrow aimed at her neck and asked in disbelief.


    "Well...you don''t need to know that!"


    I stepped forward and without another word, stabbed her throat, finishing her off. Since I already knew the plot that would unfold, the Saint Angel Cyra had no value to interrogate anymore. Keeping her around would only bring harm to our later battles.


    "You just killed her like that?" Mike asked, dumbfounded while seeing the angel''s body dissipating into light particles. He lacked those memories, so he didn''t understand my intentions.


    "It''s better this way. Everyone, start following the plan!"


    Adrian nodded, then looked up at the sky with a grave expression. With Cyra''s death, the light above us instantly amplified several times brighter.


    "Feliciana, fly away quickly!"


    Unexpectedly, after killing Cyra, the God of Light arrived faster than anticipated. Adrian urged me to flee the battlefield in a hurried voice.


    "You killed my wife!"


    The God of Light Beluto''s voice reverberated in the sky, clearly angrier than our last encounter.


    "Then I''ll take my leave first. Good luck to you all!"


    Seeing this, there was no way I''d stay any longer. Having learned my lesson, I knew what would happen next, so I quickly spread my wings and flew away.


    "Oh no!"


    However, I found my airborne body suddenly immobilized. Even flapping my wings took tremendous effort, and I soon plummeted back to the ground.


    "Beluto, don''t forget we''re still here!"


    Seeing this, Adrian swiftly grabbed his bow and fired an arrow with all his might towards the "face" in the sky.


    But his all-out attempt had no desired effect. Soon after I fell to the ground, my vision went black as I lost consciousness.  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Feliciana, don''t forget what I said. Trust me!"


    In my final lucid moment, I seemed to hear Adrian''s urgent cry...


    *Crash!*


    The shattering sound of a plate hitting the floor jolted me out of my daze. Looking at the shattered pieces on the ground, I felt confused, unable to make sense of why I shouldn''t be standing there.


    But where else should I be if not washing the dishes after a meal? Was I just dozing off while standing?


    It was ridiculous, but I vaguely remembered having an extremely long dream where I was desperately fighting a huge boss. The difficulty was immense - I almost got instantly killed...


    I must have stayed up way too late studying these past few days to actually dream about a game I''ve never even played before.


    Suddenly, the room door swung open. My father entered with a gloomy expression, likely due to some unpleasant occurrence at work that typically put him in such a mood - a sign I needed to tread carefully.


    But most inconveniently, I had just dropped and shattered a plate at this very moment, doing something wrong before I could even clean up! My mother rushed over after hearing the commotion.


    "You''re grown up now but still so clumsy!"


    Mom scolded me, pointing at the mess on the floor.


    "Don''t you have hands? Or are you just senile?"


    Without a second word, Dad charged over and slapped me hard across the face.


    "It''s just a plate!"


    I held my stinging cheek, feeling wronged. The slap was so forceful I almost toppled over.


    "So what! You''re my child, how dare I not hit you? Besides, you messed up first!"


    Dad said self-assuredly, as if I were his personal possession, not a human being.


    "Well done! You''re over ten years old and can''t even hold a plate steady. People would laugh at us if word got out! How will you make a living in the future? Expect us to keep supporting you?"


    Mom chimed in approvingly, then grabbed my hand and suggested to Dad, "Quick, get the ''family discipline'' tool. We''ll beat his hands until he learns his lesson. We can''t afford to waste plates like this!"


    Hearing the words "family discipline", I was instantly gripped by dread. I struggled free from Mom''s grasp and bolted out the door, running for my life.


    "Running away again!"


    Dad''s furious voice trailed behind me. Likely due to frustrations at work, he''d reached his limit and gave chase, unwilling to let me escape.


    "I''ll break your legs today so you can never run away again!"


    Hearing that threat, I didn''t dare slow down, sprinting forward - down the stairs, out of the residential area...


    But Dad kept relentlessly pursuing, never falling behind. His stamina was incredible - how could an office worker move so fast?


    It all felt surreal, but overwhelmed by fear, I couldn''t think too deeply. I just had to keep running and hiding!


    When I was about to collapse from exhaustion, I turned a corner and suddenly noticed a brown-haired teenager walking aimlessly by the roadside, seemingly deep in thought.


    "Whoa, watch out!"


    We narrowly avoided crashing into each other. As we brushed past, I stole a glance at his face.


    Was that his natural hair color...?


    In this country dominated by black hair, his shade was extremely rare, especially for a male. Yet for some reason, his face felt strangely familiar, as if we''d known each other for ages.


    Before I could ponder further, my dwindling strength gave way. Unable to keep running, I had to find another way. Conveniently, there was an abandoned large cabinet lying by the roadside garbage collection. Without a second thought, I climbed in and shut the doors, leaving a crack to peek outside.


    "Did you see a boy run past here just now?"


    Dad soon turned the corner, and upon losing sight of me, asked the brown-haired teen for information.


    "Huh?"


    The teen seemed stunned by the question, likely too absorbed in thought to notice his surroundings. He looked up, unsure how to respond.


    "Oh, I think he ran that way..."


    As I anxiously wondered if he would give me away, the brown-haired teen paused briefly, then pointed down another road behind him.


    However, his gaze, whether intentionally or not, briefly glanced my way.


    "You little brat, I''ll break your legs today if you don''t come home!"


    Watching my father''s retreating back, I finally heaved a huge sigh of relief. I closed the cabinet door and slumped down inside. A strange illusion arose in my heart - this tiny cabinet space may be the safest place in the entire world. If I never left, would those terrifying things that happen after going home never occur again?


    Unfortunately, reality did not allow me to linger long. Suddenly, a blinding ray of light assaulted me - the cabinet door had been opened from the outside.


    "Was that your father just now?"


    It was the brown-haired teenager who opened the door. He stood at the entrance, smiling as he asked me.


    "Uh, you don''t need to worry about that!"


    Although grateful he had concealed my whereabouts, I still felt a bit embarrassed. After all, having my own father chase me through the streets was not something worth broadcasting. If word reached my classmates, I''d definitely become a laughingstock.


    However, this guy''s features seemed to bear some foreign influences, suggesting he was likely local. His clothes also differed from ordinary casual wear.


    "If it''s convenient, could you tell me what place this is?"


    Seeing my urgency to leave, the brown-haired teen quickly reached out to stop me, then politely inquired.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 104 The Search

    "What? You don''t even know what place this is?"


    I was dumbfounded - it was the first time I''d heard someone ask such a question. Even when asking for directions, that''s not how you''d phrase it. Judging by this guy''s youthful appearance, was he actually just a clueless vagrant? Wouldn''t that ruin his "sunny teenager" image? I originally had a favorable first impression of him...


    "This is obviously in Shang Metropolitan. If you don''t need anything else, I''ll get going!"


    Not wanting to dwell further, I casually brushed it off before turning to leave. Of course, I couldn''t forget basic courtesy.


    "Oh right, thanks for covering for me earlier!"


    "Shang Metropolitan? Could Edenmere really be that developed..."


    To my surprise, upon hearing this, he muttered contemplatively and once again blocked my path.


    "Wait a minute!"


    "What is it now?"


    I was getting impatient. This guy moved quickly! In the blink of an eye, he had circled around from behind me. Did I imagine that earlier?


    "You''re the first person willing to listen to me. Have you seen a girl named...Feliciana?"


    "Feliciana?"


    That name sounded so familiar! I froze, feeling like I''d heard it before somewhere but unable to recall. Rationally, it should be a foreign girl''s name having nothing to do with me.


    "Yes, Feliciana! Do you know anything about her? She''s an angel..."


    Noticing my hesitance, the brown-haired teen perked up excitedly, as if my reaction indicated a promising answer.


    "Sorry, never seen her!"


    I rolled my eyes and walked off without another word.


    An angel? Yeah right, and I''m a celestial being too! Looks like this was just some delusional guy dumped by a girl, his mind going haywire.


    Unfortunately, I didn''t get far before spotting that dreadful figure up ahead.


    Dad was gripping a wooden stick he must have picked up somewhere, furiously turning the corner not far from me.


    "You little brat, I''ll teach you a lesson!"


    "Parents can do as they please and hit their children?"


    Feeling wronged, I shouted out before turning to flee again.


    "Still running? Who else would I hit?"


    Enraged, Dad flung the stick straight at me. Just as it was about to strike, a hand suddenly extended from the side, firmly catching it.


    "And what''s wrong with what he said?"


    The brown-haired teen glared angrily, blocking me as he questioned in a deep voice.


    "You again? I haven''t settled that trick you pulled earlier! You must be in cahoots with Flynn''s wretched friends."


    Dad glared at the teen derisively, but constrained by his imposing manner, ultimately didn''t dare approach me.


    "He''s called Flynn? We don''t actually know each other..."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The teen paused, glancing back at me hiding behind him, as if noticing something amiss. An expression of dawning realization crossed his face.


    "No way! Strange, why do I get the feeling...it can''t be!"


    "This is a family matter. I''ll discipline my own child as I see fit - don''t you butt in, outsider!"


    Dad bellowed, seizing the chance to try grabbing my arm.


    "Stop! As a father, don''t you feel any shame?"


    Seeing this, the teen shouted as he gripped Dad''s wrist, restraining him.


    Miraculously, though just a teenager, this brown-haired youth possessed immense strength - effortlessly overpowering and single-handedly pinning my father, a man under forty, who could only cry out in pain.


    "Hey, don''t hurt him!"


    Even I was shocked. While surprised by the teen''s power, he was still my father after all. I couldn''t just watch him get injured.


    "You''re still defending him?"


    The annoyed teen glared at me, then sighed. Heeding my plea for mercy, he released Dad from his grip.


    "You''ll be coming home eventually. Your mom and I will deal with you later!"


    Unable to retaliate, Dad clutched his wrist, shooting me a furious glare from behind before storming off.


    "This is..."


    I too was shaken. Had I known this would happen, I may as well have gone home with Dad. At least I wouldn''t face such a grisly fate. Whatever punishment awaited me tonight made me shudder - I might not sleep a wink.


    "You''re too weak!"


    Once Dad was gone, the brown-haired teen surprisingly turned to berate me. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed to sense his inappropriateness and quickly explained.


    "Sorry, I got a bit too heated. It just felt like I''d seen this scene play out before..."


    "You don''t understand anything. You''re just a foreigner with some fighting skills!"


    I sighed dejectedly, shaking my head in remonstration.


    "This is our tradition - parents cannot be defied. Even now, many still uphold this view. When incidents like this happen, most would say: ''They''re doing it for your own good!'' In the end, everything returns to normal, or even escalates..."


    "Tradition? Foreigner?"


    The teen''s expression turned puzzled upon hearing this, but he resignedly clarified, "Actually, I didn''t mean for you to physically fight your father or defy your parents at every turn. I just want you to know that you''re an independent individual, a person with your own thoughts. You need to make this clear to them - that you''re not their possession to bully as they please!"


    "Have confidence to be truly self-reliant and no longer depend on them! Understand?"


    "Confidence? Does that really help?"


    It still sounded doubtful. Nice words, but I''d still be the one getting beaten in the end!


    "Uh..."


    The teen froze awkwardly before replying, "Well, it may not work immediately. But the key is believing you''re not their helpless subordinate. That''s the only way to fundamentally stop their cycle of abuse! This couldn''t have been the first time, right?"


    "How about this..."


    Seeing my skepticism, he glanced at the setting sun and tried persuading me again.


    "Let me come back with you. If it doesn''t work out, I''ll knock on your door the moment I hear your parents scolding you. Based on earlier, they shouldn''t dare go too far with an outsider present."


    "No use. Once you leave, won''t I just suffer worse?"


    I retorted dismissively. Dad had just been humiliated by him - he''d probably take it all out on me instead. The teen showing up would only fan the flames, thrusting me into the inferno.


    "Of course not just once. Any time there''s an issue inside, I''ll keep knocking. I''ll be standing outside your home''s premises, so they can''t do anything to me, right?"


    Seeing me shake my head, he swiftly added.


    "Forget it."


    Who has that kind of patience? I scoffed at his so-called plan. Even if he did loiter outside, what if my parents called the police? He''d have to leave either way...


    The plain truth was - no one could help with my family affairs. I may as well return after my parents fell asleep, when it would be safer.


    Ignoring his reaction, I decisively headed the opposite direction from home. It was still early, so I''d be wandering the streets alone for a while longer.


    After walking quite a distance, I suddenly turned around and noticed that brown-haired teen had been following along not far behind, unhurriedly keeping pace.


    "Aren''t you looking for your girlfriend, Feliciana was it? Why are you still following me?"


    It was so perplexing. If he had ill intentions, he clearly helped me earlier. But if not, relentlessly tailing me like this seemed highly suspicious. I just couldn''t understand what he wanted to do.


    "Feliciana and I don''t have that kind of relationship...yet."


    Hearing my shout, the teen scratched his head in the distance, looking a bit sheepish. He then quickened his pace to explain to me.


    "However, I think I may have a lead on her whereabouts. Right now, the priority is helping you resolve this situation! By the way, do you have a sister?"


    "A sister? Unfortunately, I''m an only child!"


    Was this guy dropped on his head as a baby? It was simply preposterous!


    However, just as I was about to run off, I noticed a man and woman walking across the street. Startled, I quickly ducked into the roadside bushes.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Seeing my reaction, the brown-haired teen followed me over.


    "Shhh, can''t you see?"


    Annoyed, I glared at him and whispered while pointing at the two people on the street.


    "Oh, your parents?"


    Of course he recognized them, having just met not long ago. The man was indeed my father! The woman was naturally my mother. Based on their direction, they must have just come out from home, likely for an after-dinner stroll.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 105 Your Name

    "Are you that afraid of them? They''re still your parents after all."


    The brown-haired teen glanced at me, seemingly puzzled.


    "Isn''t that stating the obvious? Didn''t you hear what my dad said earlier?"


    I glared at him, idly asking during our wait for my parents to pass.


    "What are your parents like then?"


    This guy lectured with such conviction - could he treat his own parents the same way?


    "My parents..." The teen seemed pensive upon hearing this. After a long silence gazing at the sky, he finally replied, "Of course, not every family is like yours. My mother is an extremely gentle yet strict person. Her sword skills are formidable - she once hoped I would inherit her legacy. But I only enjoyed archery, and after firmly insisting, she eventually agreed and even found me an excellent archery teacher."


    Sword skills? Archery?


    It sounded rather peculiar. Do people still study such things nowadays? Considering his impressive prowess though, and certain renowned martial arts families in some Asian countries, could he actually be a supposed descendant of warriors? Did I really chance upon one?


    "As for my father, he''s a complete workaholic!"


    The brown-haired teen continued reminiscing, unaware of my thoughts.


    "He''s rarely home due to work obligations requiring him to travel frequently. So every chance to reunite becomes incredibly precious to me. But I understand him - he doesn''t toil just for himself. It''s just a pity..."


    I couldn''t help feeling envious hearing about his seemingly blissful family life, subconsciously recalling Cyrus''s family.


    "So what happened to your father later?"


    Noticing his dejected expression, I quickly asked.


    "It''s nothing!"


    But instead of answering, he questioned me in return.


    "Have you decided how to face them? Or will you really keep wandering out here instead of going home?"


    "Of course not..."


    Watching my parents'' figures pass by, I suddenly had a bold idea! There didn''t seem to be anyone home now, right? If I snuck back while they were out, they might not even know! Usually when I run away, I only return late at night with nowhere else to go.


    Sleeping under the bed would be far better than aimlessly wandering outside all night. As for what happens after, I couldn''t dwell on that now.


    "You should go find your Feliciana!"


    No sooner had I thought it than done - I blurted those words before swiftly dashing towards home.


    But when I reached downstairs, panting hard under the familiar dim windows, I realized that guy had been tailing me the entire way, unhurriedly keeping pace as if not tired at all. His stamina was too good!


    "What do you want?"


    Following me right to my home''s doorstep was going too far. Did he really intend to stick to his idea of waiting outside to knock on the door?


    "It''s not that..."


    The brown-haired teen opened his mouth but seemed unsure what to say. Then we heard a sudden *grumble* - was that his stomach growling?


    "Since I helped shield you earlier, mind if I get something to eat?"


    "Are you doing this on purpose?"


    I glared at his shameless request in disdain. But eventually gave in with a reluctant nod. My parents likely wouldn''t return so soon, and we probably had leftovers.


    "I guess it''s fine, but you can''t stay inside too long. Just eat by the door then leave immediately!"


    "So this is your home?"


    As I unlocked the door, the bright lights illuminating the entrance prompted the teen to shade his eyes and ask.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."What sorcery is this?"


    I rolled my eyes without answering, heading to the kitchen to scoop out the leftover sour fish soup for him.


    "Just this little bit left, but there''s still meat so the food is decent, right?"


    To be honest, there was a bit too much vinegar, making it excessively sour. I was supposed to toss it after getting scolded by Mom. She likely wouldn''t notice if it got fully eaten.


    "This flavor..."


    But after one taste, the teen suddenly froze, then downed the entire bowl soup and all in one go.


    "Aren''t you gonna find it salty?"


    I blinked in surprise. I thought he might not stomach it, so I''d prepared to get some plain rice. Yet he drained it instantly - foreigners really have unique tastes!


    "Like I mentioned, I''m looking for someone."


    The brown-haired teen vigorously wiped his eyes with his arm, not answering my question as he bowed his head and said, "Turns out I already found her..."


    "That''s great then!"


    I paused, baffled. If he knew, why come scrounge food from me? Just as I wondered if he wanted another bowl, I inadvertently glimpsed two familiar figures outside - my parents had returned downstairs, leaving me drenched in cold sweat.


    "They''re coming back soon! No time, get out quick!"


    To my shock, my parents returned sooner than expected. Thankfully I saw them first. Panicking, I flipped off the lights, opened the door and shoved the teen out.


    "Your parents..."


    Glancing down the stairwell, he opened his mouth as if to say something but obediently retreated upstairs at my urging.


    Seemed he was smart enough to avoid descending into a disastrous encounter with my father!


    "Oh right, I forgot to ask - what''s your name again?"


    At that crucial moment, I only just realized I''d been addressing him impersonally without actually knowing his name. But before he could respond, I heard my parents'' familiar footsteps approaching from the stairwell and hastily shut the door.


    I couldn''t let them discover I''d been home! Within seconds, I wiped away all traces of our presence and hid in my room.


    Yet surprisingly, my precautions seemed ineffective. Unexpectedly, my parents immediately noticed someone had been in the apartment. Without a word, they charged straight to the kitchen - I soon heard pot lids being lifted.


    I silently cursed, wondering how they had found out so quickly.


    "You brought an outsider home? We haven''t settled the earlier matter yet!"


    Sure enough, Dad instantly rushed over, shoving open my unlocked door to bellow furiously at me.


    "I..."


    Caught red-handed, my first instinct was again to flee. But the brown-haired teen''s words echoed in my mind.


    "I''m grown up now, I don''t need this violent form of discipline!"


    Pondering this, I lifted my head defiantly and voiced my thoughts aloud.


    "Plus, I didn''t do anything wrong today - I just accidentally broke a plate. I can get a job to pay it back!"


    "You...you dare talk back!"


    Standing behind Dad, Mom trembled with rage at my words, charging forward to slap me. But I had anticipated this, preparing mentally before speaking up.


    "No! This isn''t talking back, it''s reason. I didn''t say anything wrong!"


    Firmly eating that slap, I refused to back down.


    "You..."


    Seeing my defiance, my parents reacted strangely, frozen as if stunned while staring at me uncertainly.


    At that moment, an uncannily eerie voice rang out from above.


    "Impossible, you never dared defy me. This scenario has played out thousands of times, yet you never rebelled! Why now?"


    "What was that voice? Who''s there?"


    I gazed upwards in horror, but saw nothing except the ceiling. Bizarrely, my parents seemed oblivious, still unmoving.


    "Feliciana!"


    At that moment, the steel door was forcefully burst open as the brown-haired teen charged in, heading straight for me.


    "It''s Beluto!"


    "This intruder must have taught you to defy us!"


    My father suddenly snapped back to his senses, grabbing a nearby table and hurling it at the intruder.


    What was going on?


    I was completely disoriented. Was I seeing things? How could they both display superhuman abilities?


    The brown-haired teen was one thing, but when did my father become strong enough to casually throw a table?


    "They''re not actually your parents! This is all an illusion created by Beluto to suppress your soul by preying on your inner fears!"


    The teen swiftly dodged the flying table and shouted at me.


    Beluto? Illusion? Soul?


    Amidst the chaos, I seemed to vaguely grasp some vital clue, but couldn''t quite put my finger on it - as if just one spark away from realization.


    "You''re utterly delusional! We''re definitely his parents. Flynn will always be our obedient ''son''!"


    Finally losing composure, my "mother" somehow produced a long sword, lunging straight at the brown-haired teen.


    "No!"


    Stunned, I tackled her arm to intervene, only to be backhanded away by my "father." As the sword neared the teen''s chest, I instinctively cried out a name both familiar yet strange.


    "Adrian!"


    In an instant, it felt like the entire world froze - everyone''s movements halted at the sound of my voice. Then an anguished roar echoed from all around, growing increasingly distant.


    "What''s...happening to me..."


    As the scene before me dissipated like smoke, I gradually regained my senses to find my surroundings had completely transformed - no longer the apartment interior, but a vast open plaza.


    With that boundless radiant sky overhead.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 106: The Second Phase Plan

    Everything came back to me! The release of a huge amount of memories made me recall all the previous events - when facing the God of Light Beluto, I was controlled by him...


    "Where''s Adrian?"


    Wait! As I was looking around for Adrian, I realized I had no abnormal movements at all! Even if my soul was fortunately freed from the God of Light''s control, my body should still be under his grip, right?


    I tried kicking my legs and stretching my arms, and there were no obstacles at all, everything was normal!


    However, I did notice something - my entire body was enveloped in a water element layer, it seemed this water layer had shielded me from the God of Light''s control, allowing me to regain my freedom.


    "Quick, look at Feliciana''s wings!"


    Suddenly Vivianne''s voice came from below. Following the sound, I saw Mike, Judith and the others gathering together, hiding in a light sphere and looking towards me. They seemed to be striving to protect something.


    That was my ''Light Sanctuary'', wasn''t it?


    I remembered Judith had prepared many such magic scroll arrays before, and they''ve been put into use now.


    But now was not the time to focus on these. With everyone''s constant reminders, I finally noticed that the six wings behind me had completely changed into another color.


    "These are my wings?"


    I could hardly believe my eyes - it was the rumored blue color! The same shade of blue as my hair color.


    Of course, this change didn''t just mean a color change. I could feel the water elements in the surrounding environment becoming extremely active, as if I could easily control them. The water elements replaced the light elements and flowed abundantly into my body, even overflowing to cover my entire body surface - that water layer came from this.


    It seems Adrian was right, in this state I could really escape the God of Light''s control, and this time it was achieved while my mind was clear!


    But where were the others?


    It wasn''t until I landed beside them that I realized everyone was actually protecting Adrian. I saw his eyes tightly closed, while Ron''s hand was emitting a dazzling white light, seemingly operating some magic on Adrian''s head.


    "What happened? What''s going on with Adrian......"


    "Don''t disturb them first! This is an advanced spiritual magic that can communicate with the soul. Adrian privately asked Ron to do this in order to help free you from Beluto''s control, and it seems he has succeeded!"


    Judith explained from the side. The effect of the previous "Light Sanctuary" coincidentally ended at the same time, and she quickly took a new scroll from Vivianne and immediately unrolled it.


    As an angel, I was of course aware of the magic Ron was using - it was "Soul Guidance". This is an intermediate light magic, but of course high-level for humans. However, generally no one is willing to use it because it is quite dangerous - the soul may never return.


    But this was not the time to nitpick about these things. Judith had just finished speaking when a dazzling ray of light fell from above. Fortunately, the buffs were applied in time, otherwise all of us would have suffered.


    The attack did not end there. Countless long swords then appeared in the air around us and shot towards us rapidly, but were blocked by Mike''s heavily armored body.


    "Have you all been resisting like this the whole time?"


    Seeing Mike''s battered armor full of wounds, I asked in surprise. These tactics were basically seen when facing Cyra before, but just defending without attacking would be quite strenuous.


    "No choice, ever since Beluto noticed the abnormal actions on this side, our pressure suddenly increased tremendously. Fortunately, we were well-prepared!"This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Vivianne couldn''t help but complain. Among everyone, she was the most idle, so she could only lend a hand from the sidelines.


    In theory, with the God of Light present, we should not have been able to use any light magic at all. But fortunately, when the opponent''s attention was focused on my soul, we managed to successfully cast the spells. Hence the God of Light had been trying to attack Adrian''s main body, but fortunately failed.


    "Alright!"


    Ron raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat away, and Adrian lying on the ground opened his eyes and "swoosh" got up from the ground.


    "Feliciana, are you okay?"


    My blue wings behind startled him briefly, but he quickly recovered and asked me.


    "Of course I''m fine, but you actually used such a dangerous magic, what if it failed..."


    I really didn''t want him to act so recklessly. Even if everything could ultimately be redone, I still didn''t wish for that. Moreover, thinking of those experiences in my mental world, I felt somewhat embarrassed to face him.


    "Actually, I mainly decided to do this after reading the records of the water angel Gisphrael and realizing your situation was quite similar. You know, if the water angel couldn''t resist the God of Light''s control back then, the trial would have been meaningless."


    Adrian calmly explained. It seemed he had anticipated that I might not be able to escape being controlled.


    "I just didn''t expect it to succeed in one try..."


    Wait! In my mental world, I was in a male state. Did he discover that?


    No! He must have discovered it, but the question is whether he thought those experiences were real or not?


    I suddenly felt a bit nervous. But looking at his demeanor, he didn''t seem to show any abnormal attitude, so I secretly heaved a sigh of relief. After all, in this world my identity is an angel, and angels have no parents! How could he possibly think I was transported here?


    "Hey, you two, don''t waste time chatting over there. Can''t you see I can barely hold on anymore?"


    Mike, constantly "intercepting swords" from the side, couldn''t stand it anymore and yelled at us loudly.


    "My armor is about to break!"


    "Hehe! If you don''t think of a solution soon, I''ll run out of scrolls too!"


    Judith joined in the fray.


    "Sorry!"


    I quickly apologized, taking out a long sword from my storage space. Suddenly I remembered an important thing.


    Since my wings had turned blue and my perception of water elements greatly increased, could I finally complete that long-awaited move?


    I had actually tried doing this for a long time, but was limited by lack of ability. Moreover, I had already mastered the production method, and now all the conditions were ready...


    No sooner thought than done! I gathered all the water elements in the surrounding air in my palms, then shaped it according to Nicola''s teaching. Soon, a long sword identical to Condensation Sword was hovering in my hands.


    "That sword of yours is not..."


    Adrian was astonished, never expecting that so soon after my wings turned blue, I would master the ability to create weapons out of thin air.


    What should I name it? Water Condensation Sword? That sounded too plain, almost like shamelessly copying. So I changed one of the words.


    "Let''s just call it the ''Water Abyss Sword''!"


    The Water Abyss Sword was of course a different color from Nicola''s Condensation Sword - it was formed from the materialization of water elements, the same color as my current wings. And it was said to have somewhat different functions from the Condensation Sword, supposedly... dehydration?


    But how to dehydrate the God of Light? Looking at the boss above without a physical form, I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed - wasn''t this just nonsense?


    "Unfortunately, I can only make this one for now..."


    It seemed with my current abilities, producing the Water Abyss Sword was very straining. I felt a slight dizziness, similar to when Nicola forcefully created the second Condensation Sword, but fortunately there were no major issues.


    "It''s okay, don''t rush it, take it one step at a time!"


    Adrian nodded, seeing I was fine, and didn''t say anything more. He then instructed Judith,


    "Let''s proceed with the second phase plan!"


    "There''s a second phase plan?"


    Aside from Judith, it seemed all the others present didn''t know about this so-called second phase plan, looking at them in unison.


    "The second phase plan is to switch from defense to offense, launching an attack on Beluto. Otherwise, how can we defeat him..."


    Adrian spread his hands in a simple explanation.


    "But we can''t even hit him at all, and without a physical form, how do we attack?"


    Vivianne seemed puzzled, and of course everyone including me did not understand. This was indeed a very serious problem. Even in the past successful challenge records, they only defeated Beluto after materializing him. But unfortunately, we had no idea how to materialize Beluto.


    "Hehe, how could we not have a trump card when challenging the God of Light!"


    However, it was Judith speaking. She took out an exceptionally large scroll from her ring and unrolled it on the ground.


    "This doesn''t seem to be the ''Light Sanctuary'', does it?"


    Although it was obvious this was not the kind of magic array used to store spells, the array patterns before me did look somewhat familiar, especially those etchings.


    "Do you remember the materialization array Judith demonstrated in the first round when you came?"


    Adrian whispered the spoiler to me.


    "Oh, absorbing light elements to materialize into a cup?"


    Of course others didn''t remember, but I was very clear about it. No need for further explanation from him, I instantly understood when he mentioned it.


    "That''s right, absorbing..."


    Essentially, the current God of Light is an energy form, with light elements as the medium. If we absorb a large amount of light elements using this array, forcibly converting them into physical form, wouldn''t that be an special subjugation method?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 107: The Final Battle

    "Actually, I didn''t really hope he would end up as a cup. No matter what form, it would still be composed of light elements and possibly controlled by Beluto. So I had Judith slightly modify the array..."


    Adrian sighed, glancing at the sky above, then nodded to Judith to signal she could begin.


    "Instead of materializing into a tea cup, we''ll use the absorbed light elements to enhance the array''s power. This should force Beluto to ''manifest'' physically!"


    Ah, so it''s a revamped version of the air compression array Reed used? I had personally witnessed the "disaster" caused by absorbing light elements back in Edenmere - how could I forget Reed''s trick?  The only difference is Reed used the absorbed light to aid in compressing hydrogen gas, while Judith is feedback looping it into the array. The principle is the same.


    "Hehe, this is the unrestricted, super large-scale magic array!"


    Judith seemed excited to be experimenting with this for the first time, pouring a small amount of mana into the array to activate.


    "......"


    But after waiting a while, it didn''t seem to show any reaction.


    Vivianne couldn''t help questioning first.


    "Can this really handle the God of Light? Has it started activating yet?"


    "What if it fails?"


    Mike also couldn''t help doubting.


    "Did I get the etchings wrong?"


    Judith wasn''t sure, about to check the etchings, but was stopped by Ron.


    "There shouldn''t be a problem, I can sense light elements flowing towards the array center..."


    "That''s right!"


    I nodded in agreement. Ron and I were the only ones present who could sense light elements, so we naturally knew what was happening.


    Free-roaming light elements are invisible and intangible to the naked eye, without even a breeze! Without the "reference object" of the teacup, no one could see any changes from the outside. But the magic array was indeed operating.


    Of course, this situation didn''t remain unchanged. As more and more light elements were absorbed, the array''s attraction became increasingly outrageous. Soon, a faint white glow emerged from the array center, and the non-physical "Light Sanctuary" protecting us above began to distort and destabilize.


    "Such powerful attraction force!"


    I could clearly sense the flow speed of the attracted light elements. This trial space originally had an extremely high light element level, so the attraction speed increased almost exponentially. The white light in the array center grew brighter, completely dissolving the "Light Sanctuary" into the array as well.


    "You despicable, shameless, cunning humans!"


    Beluto, far in the sky, finally noticed the abnormality here. His huge face constantly showed distorted, struggling expressions, but he was powerless against the array. Even the barrage of light element attacks he unleashed on us was useless - everything got absorbed into the array center in one go, eventually causing a sharp increase in the attraction force.


    It seems this gambit paid off! After all, most of the array materials were unrelated to light elements. And we were only facing a weakened God of Light with one-fourth of his original power. Moreover, even the original Beluto was supposedly incomplete, so he was truly helpless against us.


    Of course, physical weapon attacks would still be effective - the array couldn''t absorb materialized light element substances like my body. But those attacks could no longer pose a threat, all blocked by Mike''s body, never managing to harm the target.


    "Hehehe, Beluto, I advise you to just concede obediently!"


    Judith confidently made a taunting gesture towards the sky, looking smugly triumphant.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Seeing the light elements in the surrounding air about to be absorbed completely, even lower than the dark continent''s level, our anticipated event finally occurred. A dazzling ray of light descended from the sky. Unable to resist the attraction force, the massive light elements comprising Beluto had to materialize into a humanoid form and land on the ground.


    "He''s here?"


    Everyone''s spirits lifted, raising their weapons towards the target. But the enemy''s appearance was quite surprising.


    "So this is what Beluto looks like?"


    Extremely unexpected! After materialization, Beluto turned out to be remarkably short. Once the blinding light dissipated, a young boy with twelve white wings appeared before us, looking under ten years old. Everyone exchanged glances in puzzlement.


    "Well, considering the surrounding light elements were mostly absorbed, lacking ''materials'' to form the body, this result isn''t impossible..."


    This childlike form reminded me of a certain elder among the angel race - the formation principle should be similar, I suppose?


    However, since Beluto was born incomplete, his mental faculties were supposedly deficient to begin with. Even after Saint Angel Cyra supplemented him, his actual intelligence level probably wouldn''t be that high, so this appearance might not be too surprising.


    I think this form suits him perfectly!


    "Bastards! I''ll avenge my wife!"


    The chibi Beluto squeaked at us, pointing accusingly. To be honest, this scene was somewhat laughable, but everyone knew the level of monster they were facing, so they forcibly held it in.


    Except Judith, that is. "Hehe, you''re so young yet already thinking about a wife? Be careful she can''t stand it and cheats on you!"


    "Let''s all work together to spank this brat''s ass! Show him what real education means!"


    Come to think of it, it was quite unpleasant having my soul messed with by this guy, an unforgivable grievance!


    This is the final battle! I raised the "Water Abyss Sword" in my hand, pointing at the final boss as I loudly declared, charging forward first.


    If I still had the white wings, I might not have dared act this way. Moreover, the air was almost completely drained of light elements, so I wouldn''t have much power replenishment.


    But now I wasn''t afraid. With blue wings, I was guaranteed to be unaffected by any opponent''s influence. I swung my full strength at Beluto!


    However, the actual effect of using the Water Abyss Sword was somewhat beyond my expectations...


    I saw him raise his arm to block, like those apostles we encountered before. But the Water Abyss Sword went straight through at the connecting point of his "arm". It wasn''t completely without resistance, but felt very minimal, just like a water-based weapon.


    At first I thought it was due to extreme sharpness like the Condensation Sword. But after a while, his "arm" still didn''t fall off. Instead, the part that hadn''t transformed into a weapon began withering and shriveling - it seemed to be the rumored dehydration effect.


    "Impossible! Where did the moisture come from?"


    I was dazed for a moment, finding it hard to comprehend. His entire body should be composed of light elements, yet my weapon could still affect him? Even causing dehydration!


    "It''s not strange at all! Even angelic bodies contain moisture, like blood. Essentially, water formed from light elements is still water!"


    Judith offered a reminder from behind. She had to monitor and maintain the array''s operation, so couldn''t leave that spot. Fortunately, her own strength wasn''t that high anyway, so being absent from battle shouldn''t cause major issues.


    "Uh..."


    I vaguely understood. Even if the God of Light had absolute control over light elements, once materialized and extended into the absolute control domains of other elements, he would lose that absolute control. And my Water Abyss Sword likely had very high control over water, even exceeding my current control over water elements.


    So it seems pure water alone can''t fully represent water elements, which seem to encompass other meanings as well...


    "Ow--"


    Beluto finally seemed to feel the pain, involuntarily clutching his arm and crying out. But he didn''t even have time for that - Mike''s fists and Ron''s staff followed in quick succession, not to mention Vivianne''s spear thrust, leaving him flustered as he could only fly up to evade.


    It didn''t seem like he knew any martial arts, all his tactics relied solely on controlling light elements to bully others. But once we broke through his elemental attacks, Beluto''s physical offensive ability was simply not up to par, frankly weaker than even Saint Angel Cyra.


    At least Cyra could spar with us briefly, though Mike still pinned her down in a few moves. But she was still better than Beluto''s performance!


    This guy was simply all talk - either block stubbornly, or evade if he couldn''t block.


    "You think flying up will save you?"


    But don''t forget, I can fly too! The others were temporarily helpless against him, but I didn''t care, directly taking flight and thrusting my sword at him again. This time I aimed for Beluto''s chest - I don''t believe he could turn his heart into a weapon too!


    Unfortunately, I missed! He barely managed to dodge it in the nick of time. This guy with twelve wings was different - a few wings flapping wildly managed to strike my hand, which actually stung a bit...


    "What''s your relationship with Gisphrael?"


    Beluto shouted loudly at me, while simultaneously the sky began brightening, the light intensifying.


    "Is this light judgment?"


    While the magic array below was still operating, he actually dared release such a wide-ranged elemental attack. It was clear Beluto was desperate too. However, I wasn''t afraid, I was just worried the others below couldn''t withstand this move.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 108: Clearing the Trial

    Due to the influence of the "absorption" array below, the "Light Sanctuary" could no longer be sustained. And for a moment, the array couldn''t fully absorb all the light elements descending from the sky. Without any shielding, the situation didn''t look promising.


    Seeing Adrian calling everyone to retreat towards the indoor space we came from, I raised the Water Abyss Sword and swung with all my might at Beluto''s neck again.


    This time I finally landed a hit, but his neck didn''t show any signs of dehydration as expected...


    "Haha, did you fall for it? I''m not limited to just a human form - any part of my body can transform into any shape!"


    Was it really necessary to be so arrogant? I hadn''t even asked a question, yet he boastfully showed off to me. Talk about candid!


    Observing carefully, I noticed a faint metallic luster on Beluto''s neck. This guy actually transformed his entire neck area into a metallic texture - no wonder the Water Abyss Sword had no effect.


    That''s the downside of this sword - it has absolutely no physical attack power. Aside from rapidly dehydrating enemies, it seems to have no other uses...


    Fortunately, I wasn''t too surprised, having already seen the God of Light manipulating light elements into various physical forms in Liana''s memories - be it living flesh or inanimate objects.  And he didn''t gain an absolute advantage from this either - my attack may have failed, but his "light judgment" didn''t achieve the intended effect either.


    After a period of accumulation, the attraction force of the absorption array became too powerful! It formed a large "vacuum" area of light elements within a radius of dozens of meters in the lower airspace, even preventing the "light judgment" from penetrating through.


    The massive descending light elements hadn''t reached the ground yet, with the vast majority directly attracted towards the array center, forming a spectacular "light funnel" phenomenon in mid-air. Adrian and the others on the ground had a big scare, but emerged completely unharmed.


    "Can you really transform into anything?"


    Seeing this situation, I felt relieved and purposely questioned Beluto while pointing my sword at him.


    "Then can you turn your entire body into this kind of metallic, hard skin? Otherwise, as long as your body is composed of flesh, you can''t escape my Water Abyss Sword!"


    "Hmph, you think I can''t? Of course it''s no problem!"


    Beluto fell for the bait, coldly snorting to indicate it would be very easy. Soon after, his entire body surface emitted a faint yellowish metallic glow.


    This guy actually turned himself into a gold tycoon - how extravagant!


    Indeed, I definitely couldn''t cut through Beluto in this state, since a gold-composed body contains no moisture for the Water Abyss Sword to act on. But as expected, he should...


    "Wah--ahhhhhh!"


    Just deserts arrived! Beluto had barely gloated for a second before his body plummeted towards the ground like a wilted scallion.


    "Hehe, you think you can still fly like that? Dream on!"


    How could twelve wings support an actual solid gold body? Seeing him crash into the ground, forming a large crater and unable to get up for a long time, I could barely stifle my laughter up in the air. The God of Light''s intelligence really wasn''t too high - practically on par with a child''s.


    "Mike, it''s your turn now!"


    Adrian had been waiting below for a while. Seeing this, he immediately prompted. Mike didn''t dare neglect it, dashing over to Beluto''s side in the blink of an eye and digging him out.


    In the end, Beluto was about on par with Cyra. Aside from his excellent control over light elements, his physical offensive abilities were extremely poor, and he didn''t know any martial arts either. Once his light element abilities were breached and that advantage lost, his weaknesses were almost entirely exposed.  Stolen novel; please report.


    And this gold body he formed from light elements, aside from slightly more strength than an ordinary person, was virtually useless. Especially against a physical enhancement expert like Mike, it was simply a punching bag - an extravagant, luxurious one at that.


    "Impossible, how can a human possess such immense power!"


    Seeing himself completely unable to fight Mike head-on, getting pinned down the moment they engaged, Beluto could only curl up like a turtle, hugging his head and not daring to move. His entire defensive capability relied solely on that metallic hardness, and though he seemed to feel no pain, he kept wailing.


    "I am the God of Light of this world, you can''t go this far!"


    "So what if you''re the God of Light? Is this golden body really that hard? To me it''s just a lump of soft dough!"


    Mike didn''t hesitate to slam his fist straight down. Each swing of his arm left a deep imprint on Beluto''s body. Soon, Beluto was beaten into an unrecognizable pulp - truly a "lump of golden dough"! This guy even tried expanding his size midway to break free, but failed - with the surroundings so depleted of light elements and no external replenishment, just sustaining this form without dissipating was already quite difficult.


    "He''s still not dead?"


    I landed on the ground to find Mike had pummeled Beluto into a misshapen mess. Only a vaguely mouth-like part remained, continuously making noises.


    "Cunning humans, I need light elements... otherwise you... would never be my match!"


    "Mike, Feliciana, you''d better finish him off quickly, before something else happens!"


    One of Adrian''s explosive arrows shot over, shattering Beluto''s golden body into dust. But those "gold fragments" immediately changed their material composition, melting into a liquid that converged towards the center.


    "But how can we kill him?"


    I suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. This ability was just too overpowered. Essentially, whether that puddle or the previous gold form, it was just a vessel controlled by Beluto. But we had no means to directly exterminate his soul - no matter how many times we scattered him, he would just regenerate repeatedly.


    We could only watch helplessly as that puddle reconverged into one mass, growing larger and larger, eventually solidifying into an enormous spherical boulder.


    But this was way too huge - practically the size of a small mountain!


    The stone''s density was far lower than gold, hence the drastic expansion in volume. But I never expected Beluto to also start resorting to shameless tactics - he began as a humanoid, but now wasn''t even taking human form anymore, leaving Mike dumbfounded where he stood. No matter what, we never anticipated the opponent would employ such despicable methods.


    Unexpectedly, it didn''t roll over to crush Mike and me. Having taken enough abuse from Mike''s hands, it actually changed directions, rolling towards Vivianne on the other side instead!


    The mere fourth-tier Vivianne had never witnessed such a scene. Having never seen the God of Light''s abilities, she stood gaping at the massive boulder above, taking a long while to come to her senses.


    "Watch out!"


    Before I could attempt a rescue, a blur of movement flashed by - Ron darted out from the side like lightning, pushing Vivianne out of the boulder''s crushing range just in time, both of them rolling away in a tangle.


    Phew, that was a relief!


    But the boulder didn''t stop there, continuing to roll forward. A sense of foreboding rose within me.


    "It''s the absorption array! Quick, stop it - that''s Beluto''s real target!"


    Judith''s shrill voice came from in front of the boulder. Having stayed by the array, she jumped aside early after seeing the bad omen, shouting a warning to us.


    "Oh no!"


    Mike and I immediately gave chase. The absorption array had amassed a large amount of light elements - if Beluto made contact, the consequences would be unimaginable! The entire array could be utterly destroyed.


    But it was already too late. Beluto had rolled right up to the array''s vicinity, about to make contact with the light elements...


    Suddenly, an invisible barrier appeared in front of the boulder, halting its progress and leaving us all baffled for a moment. Where did this magic defense wall come from?


    "That''s..."


    Being closest, Judith soon noticed an arrow embedded in the ground beside the array - the answer was obvious.


    "I''ve used ''Wall'' to protect the absorption array. It can''t get any closer!"


    Here is the translation to English:


    Holding a bow and arrow in his hands, Adrian ran over and leapt up onto the top of a huge boulder, asking below.


    "Beluto, do you surrender? If we keep fighting, without the supplement of the light element, you will not be able to keep regenerating endlessly, right?"


    "......"


    After remaining silent for a long time, when we had grown impatient and thought we would have to keep fighting, finally a very faint and small voice resounded in everyone''s minds.


    "I surrender!"


    In an instant, the colors of the world changed, and everything around us suddenly disappeared, including the huge boulder under Adrian''s feet. I turned around and found myself back at the edge of the forest where we first entered this trial space.


    Of course, besides me, all the others had also gathered at this place.


    "What''s going on, weren''t we just fighting the God of Light Beluto in the palace on the mountaintop?"


    Vivianne called out in an astonished tone, looking around. Clearly she was unable to recognize this place. But for me and Adrian, it couldn''t be more familiar.


    "Could it be that Beluto couldn''t beat us, so he transported us all here?"


    Mike and Ron thought this was Beluto playing tricks.


    "Or perhaps, it''s not like that......"


    Realizing what had happened, I couldn''t help but laugh.


    "We won, we finally cleared it!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 109: Returning

    Suddenly, we saw a figure appear in the middle of our group. This "person''s" body outline was slightly transparent and kept flickering - it was Special Assistant No. 5.


    I really didn''t expect that in the end, there was no need to completely destroy Beluto. Merely making him surrender was enough. After all, this was actually a trial space. Adrian cleverly grasped this key point and directly asked the opponent if he surrendered, avoiding a lot of trouble.


    "Cleared it? You mean we can go back now?" Judith immediately understood. Of course, they had all heard Adrian and me explain the truth about this world before the battle, and had even witnessed us summon Special Assistant No. 5 (which they could not summon like us), so they naturally recognized the extra figure that appeared.


    "Congratulations on clearing! Returning soon..."


    Special Assistant No. 5 bowed plainly towards Adrian and me. After a pause, it reported, "The No. 3 **** trial space will disconnect from the main world in three minutes due to ** damage. The Xuthus Plan ** ends. Wish you can defeat the true God of Light Beluto in the main world and save..."


    Before it could finish speaking, it suddenly disappeared like the line was cut.


    "What did she mean? What''s this about a main world connection and the Xuthus Plan?" Vivianne asked in confusion after hearing the incomplete explanation.


    "That''s not important now, we need to consider..." I shook my head. Special Assistant No. 5''s sudden disappearance made me feel uneasy. Although it looked like it was about to run out of "power", it shouldn''t have just vanished before finishing speaking...It also didn''t explain how we leave this trial space...


    As soon as I finished speaking, our surroundings changed again!


    This time, all of us ended up in a huge cave, with an enormous unknown machine standing in the center connected by pipelines extending to the surrounding cave walls.


    "What is this place?" Ron wiped his brow, unable to bear the hot feeling washing over us, as if we were in a furnace.


    "This is...the ''Blazing Cavern''?" Adrian looked around and quickly recognized the environment. Of course, he wasn''t referring to the "Blazing Cavern" from the trial space, but the real "Blazing Cavern" in the main world that we had also entered during the trials, except it was empty with no huge machine back then.


    So it seemed we had left the trial space and were now in the true main world?


    I couldn''t help feeling apprehensive that our goal had been achieved so quickly and silently, making it feel unreal. As for the machine, maybe it was the main body of Special Assistant No. 5?


    However, we didn''t have a chance to study and observe the situation here, as before everyone could fully understand what happened, we soon heard Vivianne cry out in alarm.


    "Lava!"


    Bright red lava was slowly seeping in through the cave walls toward the interior, which explained the stifling heat.


    This "Blazing Cavern" itself was located inside the Sulide Volcano, able to exist for millennia by continuously absorbing geothermal energy. But now it could no longer withstand the erosion of time and the internal volcanic pressure. And the lava was breaching from more than one area, so this cavern would likely be submerged very soon.


    "Get out of here quick!" Mike yelled to us as he dashed first towards the only exit passage. We were familiar with this path, as we had passed through it in the trial space. Mike took the lead guiding us to move swiftly.


    Along the way, I noticed a rather inconspicuous fork in the dim light ¨C when entering from outside it was hard to see this path hidden in shadows, but leaving the opposite way made it obvious. Maybe it led to the labyrinth where Cysper and I almost got lost.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As everyone said, this path wasn''t too long. Soon, we successfully reached the original large underground lake where we first entered.


    When we came in earlier, it was clear this place showed signs of artificial construction, though its origins were unknown. But now we understood - it was likely the ''Dona'' Situation Research Institute of an ancient civilization! Unfortunately, it was now almost completely ruined, with only the core "Xuthus Plan" still running until it ultimately reached its end.


    "Who are you?" Some unfamiliar strangers were standing by the lake holding torches, staring bewildered into the cave we emerged from. But from their attire, they seemed to be followers of the True Church.


    "Isn''t that Lady Feliciana? You''ve finally come out of the labyrinth!"


    While they may not have recognized Adrian, Judith or the two Star Glory knights under the Pope''s direct command, they definitely knew me as an angel who had made public appearances in the holy capital Jethrobaines recently.


    "Uh, of course! You...Cys...where is the Pope?" I nodded after a momentary pause. Explaining would be too complicated, so I let them think we really got lost in the labyrinth.


    "The Pope is still waiting outside the cave. I''ll take you to see him right away!" One of the followers plucked up courage to reply, immediately leading the way out.


    "Why are people from the True Church here? And I thought the Pope couldn''t leave the holy capital?" Judith was puzzled by our exchange and couldn''t help questioning.


    "When did you angels get mixed up with them?"


    "Well..." I glanced back at her, suddenly remembering this woman was over a hundred "years old", giving me a headache - I didn''t feel like explaining right now.


    "Let''s go outside first. Even if we return here, it may not be very safe since the lava could spread this way!" Mike cautioned gravely. Due to my presence, he and Ron didn''t immediately reveal their identities. But driven by responsibility to protect the Pope, upon hearing Cysper was okay, their first move was naturally to go see him.


    In truth, we had traversed this path from the cave to the outside entrance many times before. Yet for me, it was a rather distant memory of about a year ago, subconsciously evoking a sense of revisiting an old place.


    But, I had returned at last!


    "Feliciana, is that you? I''m so glad you''re okay!" The moment I emerged from the cave into daylight, a figure immediately rushed over and hugged my shoulders tightly.


    It was Cyra! Of course, not the so-called Saint Angel Cyra, but my good friend and high school classmate.


    "Hey, hey, why are you suddenly so affectionate..." It took huge effort to get her off me - I felt overwhelmed.


    "This doesn''t seem like your usual demeanor at all!"


    "Nonsense! Of the few of us classmates left, if something happened to you too, was I supposed to rely on that jerk Nicola?" Cyra blushed and immediately explained awkwardly.


    "Besides, you know I only have two wings, so I''m basically useless in this world! But you...what''s with those wings?"


    She was pointing at my six blue feathered wings. It was only now that I realized I was still in "blue wing" form, unsure how to revert to my original appearance.


    Due to the dim cave lighting, no one had paid much attention. But emerging outside immediately drew the gaze of a large crowd.


    It really was a huge crowd! Dozens of tents were pitched on the clearing outside the cave entrance, easily accommodating dozens of True Church followers, most with tier 5 or above strength - these must have been the reinforcements Cyra brought from the holy capital.


    "That''s a long story, first tell me how long it''s been since I entered the cave?"


    I shook my head, not explaining for now. Seeing a follower rush towards one of the tents, I immediately asked Cyra beside me.


    Based on appearances, it seemed a long period had passed. But the still-sleeping phoenix suggested otherwise.


    "It''s been almost a week!" Cyra answered with some helplessness after thinking about it.


    "Actually, I didn''t go very far to get reinforcements. When I flew halfway up the mountain, I ran into a squad from the Star Glory Knights, the Pope''s personal guards. But under the Pope''s special orders, they didn''t dare get too close. So I told them the situation and they went to report it in the holy capital. Then I quickly came back here with everyone."


    "Although Cysper also later came out from inside, there was still no news of you and the others after several days passed.Since the labyrinth inside was so bizarre, even filled with lots of spatial transfer traps, Cysper strictly forbade anyone from entering. We waited until today when you finally..."


    Just less than a week?


    I pondered silently, not feeling too surprised. It seemed the flow of time in the trial space was indeed much faster than the outside world - this was an important piece of information I had found from Special Assistant No. 5.


    Actually, even before Cysper and I entered, the overall time flow in the trial space was a bit slower initially. But according to the security logs, since an enemy invasion was detected, not only was Cysper transferred out of the cave, but the time flow inside the trial space was also accelerated. So while Adrian and I "vacationed" and dawdled for over a year inside, less than a week had passed in the outside world.


    I suddenly had a feeling of scoring a windfall...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 110: Love affair

    "Feliciana? How did you get out of that labyrinth?"


    Receiving reports from his subordinates, Cysper emerged from the tent to greet me, his face showing surprise. But his gaze was quickly drawn to behind me.


    "And what''s with your wings?"


    "It''s not convenient to explain here, let''s find a place to discuss it slowly!"


    I nodded, not in a hurry. In truth, I didn''t really want to tell him about the experience in the trial space since we hadn''t spent that long together with this guy who forcibly joined our team midway. Most importantly was his unclear relationship with Saint Angel.


    From Cyra''s account, Cysper did suddenly appear outside the cave entrance. But not completely outside - to be precise, it was near the lake we first entered. Only Brennan and Yulanda were guarding there at the time, so they were the only two who actually witnessed it.


    But then again, if I didn''t tell him, the two Star Glory knights Ron and Mike wouldn''t hide it from their lord either. They started saluting as soon as they saw the Pope, since their identities were known, so it was better to just be upfront.


    "...Of course, no problem!"


    Cysper seemed stunned for a moment after hearing me, then nodded in realization. It seemed he had read some deeper meaning in my words, realizing there may have been some unmentionable experiences involved. He immediately led us towards the largest tent.


    "Vivianne, Adrian!"


    Along the way, Brennan and Yulanda also arrived after hearing the commotion. They excitedly rushed towards Adrian and the others behind me, peppering them with questions non-stop.


    "Looks like those two lovebirds'' affair has progressed quite fast these past few days!" Cyra, standing beside me, secretly winked and kept hinting.


    "Huh? Isn''t Brennan supposed to be with Vivianne?" I turned back in confusion, finding it hard to believe.


    As everyone chatted animatedly, I noticed Vivianne talking and smiling with Yulanda but seeming rather distracted. After a moment''s hesitation, she suddenly took out a large, oval, fiery red object.


    If I wasn''t mistaken, that was the cause of this whole incident - the phoenix egg! It looked quite big, needing both hands to hold.


    "Brennan..." Vivianne opened her mouth softly. But it was too soft for him to hear. So mustering her courage, she went up to Brennan and, face flushed, held the phoenix egg right before his eyes.


    "You wanted a phoenix, right? This way...your demon taming abilities can be enhanced!"


    "Vivianne, what''s this?" Brennan turned around in surprise from talking to Adrian, looking rather flustered by the unexpected gesture.


    This was practically an outright confession! Although she didn''t say those exact words, from what I knew, Vivianne had always harbored hidden feelings for Brennan that she never openly expressed. For her to make such a move must have taken immense internal struggle.


    Maybe the life-and-death battles against Saint Angel and the God of Light in the trial space made her have a change of perspective.


    "I..." Brennan hesitated, glancing back at Adrian beside him as if seeking help. But Adrian only gave him an encouraging nod, making him panic even more as his gaze unconsciously shifted to Yulanda behind Vivianne.


    "Sorry, I''ve really been oblivious! Only when Adrian told me did I realize you actually..." After faltering for a long while, with everyone present including the surrounding Church followers starting to murmur, Brennan finally had to respond - but unexpectedly with an apology.


    "But I''m still sorry, I can''t accept it!"If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Why?" Vivianne''s face fell, but maintaining her composure suggested she anticipated this might happen, only asking him desperately.


    "Sorry! I''ve always seen you as a sister, never had those kinds of thoughts, so I can''t accept the egg you risked your life to retrieve!"


    Brennan apologized loudly again, even bowing his head to his chest.


    "And...and I already like someone else!"


    "Her?" Following his gaze, Vivianne turned back to see Yulanda, her face instantly turning pale. Sensing everyone''s eyes on her, Yulanda looked extremely nervous as she hurriedly explained to Vivianne.


    "Sorry Vivianne, I''ve actually liked Brennan for a long time. I really didn''t mean it!"


    "Well well, isn''t this the legendary plastic sisterly rivalry? Fighting over a man, looks like this drama never gets old no matter what world we''re in!" Cyra''s mocking voice sounded beside me. Unlike the rest of us still figuring out the situation, she had probably foreseen this scene playing out.


    "It''s not quite the same though. At least I don''t think Yulanda really meant it, otherwise she wouldn''t have waited in the holy capital to help rescue Vivianne..."


    I clicked my tongue, voicing a different perspective to Cyra as Vivianne ran off feeling betrayed, Brennan chasing after her at Adrian''s urging.


    But I saw Cyra was busily munching on something.


    "Hey, what are you eating?"


    "Sunflower seeds! Got them in the holy capital. Want to try some? The taste is just so-so, but paired with this love triangle drama, it''s perfect!" She even offered me a handful.


    "Thanks, but no thanks!" I rolled my eyes. Truthfully I was worried about Vivianne, but with Brennan going after her, there was no need for us bystanders to fret too much. Besides, Cysper was still waiting for us to recount what happened in the cave.


    "Seems love can''t surpass our unlimited devotion to the Lord after all!" One of the Star Glory knights sighed from the side. Mike seemed to have gained some realization as he said to Ron.


    "Maybe..." Ron didn''t comment much, just staring in the direction Vivianne left, lost in thought, before turning to urge Mike.


    "Let''s go, the Pope is still waiting for us to report!"


    ...


    "So in summary, that''s what happened! We encountered the ruins of an ancient civilization in the cave and entered a training ground they had set up to defeat the God of Light Beluto."


    Inside the Pope''s private tent, I briefly recounted our repeating trial experiences to Cysper, with the two Star Glory knights also present along with Adrian, Judith and Cyra.


    "Saint Angel Cyra looked just like me?" Cysper stroked his chin in puzzlement after hearing the account, glancing at Cyra.


    "Are you sure you have no relation to Saint Angel? Especially your past -"


    "Heh, still have the nerve to ask others when you should be doubting yourself first!" Judith cut him off with a cold snort, stepping forward to accuse him relentlessly. Though unfinished, I knew Cysper was referring to Cyra''s past life - in his understanding, Cyra was an angel reincarnated with memories, whose previous appearance matched his own.


    "Her name may be similar, but this little angel girl looks completely different from Saint Angel! And she only has two wings. If anything, it''s you this Pope that our Sage Council has long suspected of having ties to the God of Light!"


    "Of course I have no relation to Beluto!" Cysper immediately refuted, but perhaps realizing he didn''t fully understand his own origins either, he changed his tone.


    "Uh, well! Even if there''s no proof...but you heard Feliciana say our True Church''s beliefs differ completely from the God of Light!"


    "Heh, then how do you explain being directly transported out of the cave? Feliciana said you were sent out because you triggered the trial space''s defense mechanisms. So what was an ancient civilization from millennia ago defending against? It''s obvious!"


    Judith was quite stubborn - even after Cysper stated his position, she still didn''t easily believe him. But it was understandable given she had seen Saint Angel Cyra''s identical face to Cysper, not to mention the Church''s unclear relationship with Saint Angel.


    "That''s slander! I''m doubting your origins too! Hmph! Judith, as a senior Sage Council researcher, don''t tell me you''re trying to claim that long-expired bounty..."


    Seeing Judith''s relentless pestering, Cysper was clearly in no mood either as they traded barbs. Looking at the Star Glory knights Ron and Mike beside them, they wore resigned expressions, unwilling to intervene between a former comrade-in-arms and their spiritual leader.


    "Enough arguing! We just went through a huge battle, everyone is tired. Let''s go rest first. Cysper, get us some tents!"


    I couldn''t stand it anymore. I grabbed Judith''s clothes and forcibly dragged her out. Even as I pulled her away, she kept ranting stubbornly.


    "Let me go! Today, I''m going to fight it out with this True Church crowd until the end!"


    ==============================================================


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    Your generosity is appreciated, but entirely optional. Thank you for being a reader!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 111 - Rebirth by Fire

    "Just give it up, with your measly third-tier power, which Church believer here isn''t stronger than you?"


    I snorted. Fortunately, Cysper has been the Pope for thousands of years and has enough tolerance, merely waving his hand dismissively without giving her too much trouble.


    "Will you all go to Crescent City as originally planned next?"


    Emerging from the tent, Adrian suddenly asked me after some thought.


    "That''s definitely the plan. Our original destination was the Sage Council anyway, and I promised to rendezvous with Nicola there..."


    I nodded without hesitation in response.


    "Go to Crescent City? Sounds good, we can travel together!"


    With her sharp ears, Judith immediately perked up at those words, her previous indignant look replaced by excitement at the suggestion.


    "I don''t mind, but weren''t you just ranting about absolutely not staying in the tents provided by the True Church, insisting to head down the mountain alone first?"


    I glanced at her coolly. Night has already fallen - I definitely didn''t want to descend in the dark, not when accommodation was available here. How foolish would that be?


    "Hehe, those were just words spoken in the heat of the moment, thanks to that Saint Angel Cyra almost killing me! Since we''re all going together, no need to rush anymore right?"


    Of course, Judith wasn''t dumb either. Hearing this, she immediately backtracked and shamelessly dragged Mike to personally pick her lodging.


    Mike hesitated with an awkward look before finally nodding in agreement. He then quietly instructed Ron to stay with us while he went ahead with Judith first.


    "What about you...?"


    I was about to ask Adrian his plans when Yulanda walked over, looking utterly distraught and lost.


    Everyone quickly asked about Vivianne''s situation. Due to her emotional entanglement with Brennan being exposed earlier, Yulanda hadn''t participated in our discussion with Cysper. But because of her position, she didn''t join Brennan in chasing after Vivianne either, wandering off alone.


    "Vivianne is fine, resting in a tent prepared for her. But Brennan stayed behind to keep her company..."


    Yulanda looked on the verge of tears as she responded. Hearing that, we understood immediately. But there was nothing to be done - this was the typical development in a love triangle plotline after all. It could only elicit sighs.


    That said, this was another world after all. Rumor had it that polygamy was permitted in the Astralrealm Kingdom. So could the three of them eventually...?


    Now that would be rather exciting!


    "Why fixate on one when the world is full of beauties? Just like this old guy here... Ouch!"


    Cyra suddenly chimed in with that inappropriate comment. Before she could finish, I immediately kicked her.


    "What was that for?!"


    "Will you die if you don''t speak?" I snapped back. She still dared to ask? Fortunately, Yulanda didn''t seem to catch her words, but Adrian did glance at Cyra with some surprise.


    "Your angel friend who shares the name ''Cyra'' has quite the peculiar way of referring to herself. Is she always like this?"Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Haha..."


    My heart skipped a beat as I hurriedly tried to explain.


    "She''s summoned newborn angel like me, so her inborn personality is rather unrestrained. Don''t mind her too much!"


    I deliberately stressed the words ''summoned newborn angel'' to remind him of our origins - we had no parents! In the past, I wouldn''t have felt so anxious. But ever since that incident where the God of Light invaded my soul''s memories, I''ve been apprehensive, worried Adrian might suspect my identity.


    After all, my form in my soul realm was that of a human boy. Wouldn''t he find that strange if he saw it? Yet he never reacted or asked me about it, even after leaving the mountain cave until now.


    Could it be that I''m just overthinking everything, and Adrian simply never made that connection? But that would be too ridiculous. Now I have no idea what his attitude toward me is or if he looks down on me...


    This uncertainty filled me with apprehension and inner turmoil.


    "Of course not, I was just curious."


    Fortunately, Adrian didn''t seem to think much of it, merely scratching his head contemplatively for a moment before dropping the subject.


    "Um...since Feliciana is here, those True Church people are preparing to leave and asked me to consult you!"


    Seeing me, Yulanda seemed to recall something and spoke up.


    "About that phoenix sleeping at the cave entrance, it hasn''t woken up at all. Do you know what happened?"


    "Really? But Feliciana said it would just sleep for two or three days, right?"


    Cyra immediately expressed her doubts before realizing, "Oh right, it''s definitely been way longer than three days..."


    "Shall we go take a look?"


    I inwardly felt bad, having witnessed the effects of light corruption on humans in the trial space. Of course I knew what the problem was.


    "What''s strange is that the light elements in this phoenix''s body isn''t excessive at all. So why hasn''t it woken up for so many days?"


    When we approached the female phoenix, Ron went ahead to examine its condition first before turning to me with a puzzled look.


    "Well, about that..."


    Unsure how to explain, I went over to the phoenix''s head to sense it again myself, feeling a chill run down my spine.


    "It''s probably because I used a high-level sleep spell directly on its head back then..."


    I had no choice but to admit sheepishly.


    Cysper''s fighting style involves using low-cost, low-level sleep spells to hypnotize and subdue enemies quickly. But his light element reserves couldn''t handle a phoenix''s massive body, so he called me for assistance.


    As a six-winged angel, I had no such limitations and directly used a high-cost, high-level hypnosis spell, recklessly pumping in three days'' worth of light element energy all at once.


    That amount was negligible for a phoenix''s overall size. But the problem was that like Cysper, I targeted its head too. The massive light influx converged there, resulting in brain death - rendering it effectively comatose.


    "So excessive light elements can have this effect?"


    This was Cyra''s first experience with the side effects. With great curiosity, she went over to examine the brain-dead phoenix - something none had witnessed before. It was still breathing but would never wake again.


    "The image of a female phoenix carries significant symbolism for the Cresthaven Papal Dominion. If it dies like this, the male phoenix may not stay either."


    A Church believer spoke up worriedly. He wanted to voice complaints but was deterred by my status.


    "Hey, Feliciana! There you are!"


    As we discussed what to do next - whether to leave the ''deceased'' phoenix here or transport it back to the Holy City first - Judith and Mike suddenly approached, probably having chosen their lodgings.


    "Judith, you''re just in time! This phoenix is done for, but I remember there''s a way to save it..."


    Adrian''s eyes lit up as he gestured for her to come over. But before he could finish, Judith excitedly rushed forward.


    "How did I miss such a huge phoenix just lying at the entrance earlier? Weren''t we at Sulide Volcanic to study and observe it in the first place?"


    "Do you know what to do then? Is some healing spell required?"


    I was out of ideas. Even if I used a mana absorption array to drain all the excess light from its brain, the damage was irreversible. I was considering trying a water-based healing spell, but only knew the most basic level, not knowing if it would work.


    "No need for all that trouble!"


    To my surprise, Judith dismissed my concerns and instructed the Church believers to start a massive bonfire nearby.


    "Heh, did you all forget the phoenix''s physiological trait? The legendary undying bird?"


    "Oh, rebirth by fire!"


    Not just me, even Cyra immediately understood, as we eagerly watched Judith''s process with great curiosity.


    Well, it wasn''t anything too fancy! In a rather straightforward manner, Judith had the group lift the phoenix and place it on the pyre to let it roast. Those unaware probably thought we were preparing phoenix barbecue for dinner!


    As the phoenix''s crimson feathers met the raging flames, they immediately ignited and rapidly spread across its body until it was fully engulfed.


    "If our wings encountered these flames, would the same happen to us?"


    Seeing the sight before her, Cyra seemed a bit unnerved. She glanced at my back but noticed nothing.


    "Eh? You retracted your wings?"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 112 - The Fight for the Phoenix Egg

    "Those blue wings were too eye-catching! Now it is not needed anyway."


    I rolled my eyes at her. Isn''t it obvious? On our way, so many Church believers kept staring and pointing at my blue wings. Had to keep them hidden to stay low-profile?


    "Then what color will they be if you show them again? Still blue?"


    Cyra kept probing curiously, really stumping me this time. Truth be told, I''ve never tried that before. Once the wings disappear, the water element shielding around me also dissipates. Now my situation is just like any regular angel with wings retracted - no difference at all.


    "About that..."


    Just as I was about to manifest my wings again, the sudden commotion from the crowd interrupted me. The phoenix flames burning on that pyre suddenly "WOOSH!"


    Flared up many times bigger, the intense blaze shooting up high into the air, lighting up the dark sky in a crimson red glow. Quite a few of the more timid Church believers hurriedly shielded their eyes and backed away in fright.


    "It''s coming ah, it''s coming! My first time seeing this rare phenomenon live too, don''t miss it, people!"


    Like a carnival barker, Judith shouted excitedly, repeatedly reminding us to pay attention.


    Following her voice, a loud phoenix cry then rang out from the pyre. That massive fireball actually levitated up, and as the brilliance gradually dimmed, the silhouette of a bird slowly emerged.


    "So this is how the phoenix is reborn from the flames! Almost exactly like the legends!"


    Looking up at the spectacle in the sky, Adrian couldn''t help but feel amazed. Phoenix sightings are already so rare, witnessing a phoenix''s rebirth is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. Everyone present was staring wide-eyed, not wanting to miss this historic moment.


    In theory, the phoenix can use this method to revive itself from the flames countless times. However, given their formidable power, they rarely face life-or-death crises, so the process remains shrouded in mystery.


    "So beautiful, just like magical fireworks!"


    The one speaking was actually Vivianne. She had stayed in the tent earlier, but coming out with Brennan when the commotion drew their curiosity. As the phoenix''s wings danced, a myriad of sparks rained down, dyeing the night sky in a dreamy, mesmerizing vista that drew cheers from the crowd.


    Of course, this wasn''t my first time seeing a phoenix taking flight, having witnessed similar scenes before. Plus this was just a regular female phoenix of average beauty. The crucial difference was that with all crises resolved, I could enjoy the view without any mental burdens this time around.


    Alas, the splendor didn''t last. As time passed, the phoenix circled overhead, shedding more and more sparks that eventually set one of the True Church''s tents ablaze, triggering pandemonium as people rushed to put out the fire.


    "Why won''t it just leave already?"


    After a while, Mike couldn''t help but frown and voice his confusion, seeing the phoenix''s stubborn refusal to depart. This couldn''t go on - the blaze would only grow more uncontrollable.


    "Do I have to beat it up before it returns to its nest?"


    "When we arrived, those two phoenixes had already been nesting at the cave entrance for a long time. Maybe it has something to do with their eggs?"


    Adrian pondered and guessed the reason. This female phoenix had been disciplined by Cysper and me before, learning our group wasn''t to be trifled with. But its obsession ran deep - having its entire clutch of eggs stolen, it wasn''t backing down so easily. Hence it hovered, unwilling to leave yet not daring to attack either.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "But we don''t have any phoenix eggs, do we? It can''t keep pestering us like this..."


    Suddenly Cysper''s voice rang out as he walked over with a grave expression. The phoenix was certainly important to the Cresthaven Papal Dominion, or he wouldn''t have resorted to mind control earlier. But as he said, this was practically a hopeless deadlock. They could hardly travel back to the Astralrealm Kingdom just to capture those egg thieves!


    There was only one way left, as everyone''s gazes turned towards Vivianne.


    "Well, I don''t really mind. It''s useless to me now anyway..."


    Vivianne sighed with a tinge of melancholy, but then her tone abruptly changed.


    "But the phoenix egg isn''t with me anymore. No point asking me!"


    "What? Where did it go then?"


    Everyone was stunned. Did Vivianne smash the egg in a fit of pique after her confession failed? This was a huge problem!


    Even Pope Cysper couldn''t help but frown upon hearing her words.


    "Someone else asked for it earlier, so I just gave it to her."


    Vivianne explained helplessly, glancing around as if searching for something, before finally pointing behind me.


    Don''t tell me...


    As everyone''s gazes turned towards me...no, behind me, realization dawned. Of course it had to be her.


    "Cyra!"


    The one who had been conspicuously missing for a while. There she was, huddled behind me while cradling the phoenix egg, not daring to show herself. But her white feathery wings protruding from behind gave away her presence instantly.


    "Didn''t expect you to move so fast!"


    I couldn''t help but feel exasperated. She must have planned this - Vivianne only arrived so recently, yet Cyra had already conned her out of the phoenix egg!


    "That''s too inconsiderate of you! That egg was something Vivianne risked her life to retrieve as a gift for Brennan. What right do you, an outsider, have to meddle?"


    She''s an angel! Yet she secretly schemed to snatch the phoenix egg. Exposed like this, how could I cover for her gracefully?


    "What does it matter? I didn''t steal the egg myself!"


    Seeing no point in hiding further, Cyra defiantly came out and defended herself.


    "Phoenix eggs are so rare. I just wanted to keep it as a pet, since the owner didn''t want it anymore!"


    "You''re just taking advantage of the situation!"


    I suddenly had a headache.


    "Okay, but that egg was still stolen property in the end. Even if it was given to you, possessing stolen goods isn''t exactly righteous, is it? The Pope is after this matter!"


    "I don''t care, I didn''t steal it myself!"


    This girl was adamant about not letting go. Everyone exchanged helpless looks, unsure how to persuade her. Even Pope Cysper was at a loss - angels held higher status than phoenixes in Church doctrine, so they couldn''t force the issue aggressively. Not to mention the murky relationship between these two.


    "Watch out!"


    However, while we were stuck, the phoenix in the sky had no such reservations. Seeing Cyra cradling its egg, it dove straight at her in a desperate attack.


    "Trying a sneak attack? No way!"


    Cyra wasn''t one to back down either. Despite only being at the fourth rank against a sixth-rank phoenix, she refused to relinquish the egg. Spreading her wings, she too took flight to evade its strikes.


    "Don''t forget I can fly too! I''m not scared of you!"


    Though outmatched in power, this female phoenix couldn''t do much to Cyra, who could fly just as swiftly. Protected by her light elemental shield, Cyra didn''t fear its fire breath either. So these two - an angel and a phoenix - ended up playing a ridiculous game of cat-and-mouse in the sky.


    "This is so embarrassing..."


    I covered my face on the ground, feeling too awkward to watch. Cyra seemed to be really getting into it, taunting the phoenix while flying ahead.


    "Come get me, granny! Looks like you can''t keep up anymore..."


    And other such mocking jeers, drawing strange looks from the crowd.


    "If anyone told me this girl was related to that Saint Angel, I wouldn''t believe it even if I was dying!"


    Judith couldn''t stand it anymore, leaning over to murmur to me in disbelief.


    "No one would believe that, okay?"


    I rolled my eyes at her, it was way too obvious. Even if the future''s Twelve-Winged Angelina suddenly manifested here, then teleported this vexing girl ten thousand years into the past right before our eyes, I wouldn''t believe the two Cyra were the same person!


    Fortunately, this ridiculous aerial pursuit didn''t last too long before things took an unexpected turn. No one knew if it was because the phoenix''s flames had scorched Cyra too much, but the phoenix egg she was cradling somehow cracked open a small hole. Everyone thought she had damaged the egg, feeling a sudden chill.


    "No, it seems to be hatching!"


    Someone noticed the signs first and called out. Indeed, something seemed to be struggling to break out from within the eggshell. Even the pursuing female phoenix noticed, immediately stopping at a distance without daring to approach further, only incessantly calling out towards the egg.


    "Hahaha, stunned aren''t you?"


    Seeing this, Cyra couldn''t help but gloat triumphantly, a smug look on her face as she jeered at the phoenix.


    "Supposedly birds imprint on the first living thing they see as their mother. Phoenixes are no exception, right? So this little phoenix can only end up belonging to me! Hahaha, jealous? Look at me finally getting that main character treatment - a divine beast as a pet! Or maybe I''m actually the main character myself?"


    "Hahahahaha..."


    She was gloating like a supervillain, completely carried away. As the little phoenix was about to hatch, Cyra''s laughter grew even more unrestrained. I felt so embarrassed on the ground that I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. Some of the Church believers witnessing an angel for the first time might think we all behaved this shamelessly!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 113 - Farewell

    "Be careful, don''t drop it!"


    Cyra was really causing trouble in her excitement, failing to grip the phoenix egg tightly enough as it suddenly slipped from her hands. Those like Vivianne on the ground immediately cried out in alarm upon seeing it.


    "It''s fine! How could I make such a low-level mistake!"


    Fortunately, angels had fast reflexes. Cyra swiftly reached out and caught the egg from below, ending up just a minor scare. Her fluid motions were seamless, but to the female phoenix watching, it was an extreme provocation. Infuriated yet powerless against Cyra, it could only voice angry screeches in protest.


    "Eh? Feels a lot lighter..."


    What no one expected was that when Cyra caught the egg, the cracked opening happened to be facing downwards. The little phoenix inside happened to have pecked through that area, promptly tumbling right out of the eggshell.


    "Are you kidding me?"


    Everyone was dumbstruck, helplessly watching the naked little phoenix plummet from the heights above. Although not terribly high up, if allowed to hit the ground, it would likely be severely injured, if not killed! The first to react were Cysper and I, repeatedly repositioning ourselves in hopes of catching it below.


    But none succeeded. After all that fuss, the landing spot proved unpredictable - the little phoenix aimed straight for the red-haired Brennan and simply fell into his outstretched hands.


    "Chirp--"


    Startled, the hatchling let out a shrill cry, barely opening its eyes to look at Brennan before instinctively snuggling into his embrace.


    "What the heck is this?"


    Witnessing it all from above, Cyra was dumbfounded, gaping as her supposed divine beast pet ended up belonging to someone else. All she could do was descend beside me with the empty eggshell.


    "Serves you right for getting carried away!"


    I shot her an irritated glance, but inwardly felt amused. If only she had gripped the egg tighter initially, this mishap wouldn''t have occurred.


    "Better just accept your fate. Don''t have a protagonist complex if you aren''t the protagonist!"


    "Tch, I was so close..."


    Cyra was extremely reluctant, but had no choice but to give up. Besides, Vivianne originally stole that phoenix egg for Brennan, so in a sense, it returned to its rightful owner.


    The female phoenix had now flown above Brennan, repeatedly calling out to the hatchling, only to be completely ignored as it nestled deeper into his arms. After circling overhead for a while, she could only fly off disappointedly towards the Sulide Volcanic Peak.


    "Vivianne, this...I..."


    Seeing her depart, Brennan''s expression didn''t ease at all. He had previously made clear his refusal, yet fate seemed to deliberately ''shove'' the phoenix into his hands, making him even more awkward facing Vivianne now.


    "I guess this must be fate. I hope you''ll take good care of it."


    She had already said her piece earlier. Vivianne shook her head, unwilling to dwell further. Glancing at Yulanda who remained hidden in the crowd, she sighed and returned to her tent alone.


    "Perhaps this counts as a happy ending for all..."


    Observing this entire commotion unfold, Adrian remarked with some wistfulness. Phoenixes can live for centuries and have multiple clutches, but the chances of hatchlings actually surviving to adulthood are extremely low. This is mainly because mother phoenixes only raise their young briefly until they can fly, after which the hatchlings are kicked out to fend for themselves.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    At that juvenile stage of poor abilities, some not even reaching third-rank, phoenixes have difficulty surviving in this monster-infested world. Many stolen and raised by humans fare better in comparison. So being adopted by Brennan may not be such a bad outcome.


    "If you really don''t want it, you could always donate it to the True Church."


    With the mother phoenix gone, Cysper was naturally satisfied and reminded Brennan with a smile.


    "Based on my observations, this little phoenix has quite the affinity with my Church!"


    "No, thank you!"


    Despite repeatedly refusing earlier, who could remain unmoved by a phoenix? Brennan had only declined out of romantic considerations previously. Since Vivianne had spoken, he naturally wouldn''t let it go now.


    "What a pity..."


    Cysper looked disappointed, about to leave before suddenly turning back.


    "If I recall, your profession was Beast Tamer, right? What''s your elemental affinity?"


    "I have an affinity for fire!"


    Brennan nodded and answered readily.


    "Ah, no wonder. This phoenix is indeed well-suited for you then!"


    Realization dawned on Cysper, who meaningfully left with those words before returning to his tent with the two Star Glory knights.


    "What''s different about a fire affinity, and how is it related to phoenixes?"


    Cyra looked puzzled as she asked.


    "Heh! Because phoenixes are also fire-elemental beings, with an extreme fire affinity! As a Beast Tamer''s contracted beast, it can greatly enhance the phoenix''s growth rate and power, doubling the effects."


    Judith happily explained the principles of Brennan''s Beast Taming abilities.


    Unlike regular summoning magic, contracted beasts in Beast Taming become elementalized and housed within the caster''s body after forming a pact. They then feed directly off the caster''s internal mana - their elemental reserves. As long as the caster stays alive, so do they.


    If the caster''s magic affinities match the contracted beast''s element, it greatly accelerates the beast''s growth rate, allowing it to be summoned at greater strength. This phoenix did indeed suit Brennan perfectly.


    "Beast Taming sounds interesting, but it was supposed to be my pet, not someone else''s contracted beast..."


    Still resentful, Cyra pouted enviously watching Brennan and Yulanda fawning over the little phoenix before storming off without a backwards glance.


    The next morning at first light.


    "Feliciana, are you in there?"


    Adrian''s voice woke me up from outside at the crack of dawn. I didn''t expect him to rise even earlier than me. But what could he possibly want, coming to my tent so early?


    "Just a moment!"


    I yawned and sat up, hastily putting on clothes with a sense of apprehension. This was Adrian''s first time actively seeking me out since leaving the cave. Could it be about my human form in my soul realm? Though he could have picked a better timing...


    "Coming, coming!"


    After ensuring my appearance was presentable, I reviewed the prepared responses in my mind one last time before opening the tent flaps.


    "Hm?"


    But outside, Adrian wasn''t alone. Two unfamiliar men stood some distance behind him, also looking my way. Their attire suggested they weren''t Church believers, though disguises couldn''t be ruled out. But judging from their attitude towards me, that seemed unlikely.


    "Who are they?"


    "They..."


    Glancing back at the two, Adrian pondered for a moment before replying.


    "You could say they''re my friends. They came looking for me last night. I''m here to bid you farewell..."


    "Last night? How did they find this place?"


    I was stunned that his friends had located the cave entrance so quickly after our departure. But more importantly, his subsequent words left me stunned.


    "Farewell? Where are you going?"


    Logically, for him to leave in such a hurry after barely a day implied an urgent matter. Yet I suddenly felt reluctant to part ways. We had only just reunited, and now we''d separate again, uncertain when next we''d meet.


    "Actually, I had already informed my friends of my whereabouts before arriving here, so it''s not strange they found this place. Previously, since we hadn''t emerged from the cave and this entrance had many Church believers gathered, they chose not to reveal themselves."


    Adrian explained calmly. Though departing so soon, the two friends behind him didn''t seem rushed at all, patiently waiting nearby as we finished conversing.


    "What about Vivianne and Brennan then? Are they leaving with you too?"


    I immediately thought of another issue - those three had been staying together. If Adrian left, what would happen to the other two?


    "They won''t be following me, as this is a private family matter unrelated to them. I''ll be acting alone this time."


    Adrian shook his head.


    "However, because of Brennan, Vivianne may head back to the capital Norvale on her own in a day or two after descending the mountain."


    "Ah, family matters for you then? Alright, take care on your journey!"


    I wasn''t surprised Vivianne would be leaving, and since Adrian said so, I had no reason to make him stay. As he bade farewell and the three were about to turn and descend, he suddenly stopped, looking back at me hesitatingly.


    "Feliciana...I..."


    "Is there something else?"


    I asked curiously, sensing something strange in his demeanor, as if we might never see each other again after this parting.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 114: Confession

    "Feliciana, I have some obligation I must fulfill, but before that I want to let you know....."


    After a long pause, Adrian, standing far away, suddenly shouted at me as if he had finally made up his mind.


    "I love you!"


    "Huh?"


    I thought I must have misheard, my mind went completely blank. I never expected him to suddenly bring this up - I was totally blindsided.


    "Hey hey hey, no way! You can''t do that, it''s a misunderstanding!"


    I waved my hands frantically, trying to clarify, but Adrian had already turned and run off after shouting that out, probably without even hearing me. But what''s worse, there was actually someone else walking over from behind me, who had clearly witnessed that whole scene.


    "Ron, that was all just Adrian''s misunderstanding, don''t read too much into it."


    Okay, now I felt like dying. That person was none other than Ron from the Star Glory Knights of the True Church.


    "Read too much into what? Good morning Lady Feliciana!"


    However, his attitude seemed a bit strange, as if his attention wasn''t really on me. When I greeted him, it was like he had just snapped out of it, giving me a respectful bow before hurrying past me and leaving the scene.


    "Uh..."


    What was he up to? When I woke up today, why did it feel like everyone''s attitude was so weird? I looked in the direction Ron had come from and saw that at some point, a plate of breakfast had appeared at the entrance of a certain tent, along with a bouquet of fresh flowers beside it.


    Wasn''t that Vivianne''s tent? Did Ron specially send those over? It seemed I caught a whiff of something unusual. I turned back to glance at Ron''s retreating figure and suddenly felt confused - my brain couldn''t process all this.


    I can''t even deal with my own issues, where would I find the energy to care about other people''s business!


    "Heh heh heh, I heard everything you said just now!"


    Just as I returned to my own tent, I heard a mocking laughter coming from behind me.


    "So what!" I snapped back irritably. This girl is always eavesdropping on gossip, and her tent is right next to mine so I couldn''t hope to hide anything from her.


    "Just go back to sleep. Or if you can''t sleep, hurry up and pack - we''re setting off soon!"


    "Yeah right, like I could sleep through such juicy drama!"


    Cyra stretched lazily as she came through the entrance, an amused look still on her face.


    "Since things have escalated this far, you''ve got to explain to me - what exactly is this ''misunderstanding'' you were talking about?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? You know very well I could never like a man!"


    I rolled my eyes at her and kept packing my things. The business at Sulide Volcano was settled, and we''d be heading down the mountain soon. Of course, Cyra and I wouldn''t be returning to the Holy Capital - we''d part ways with the True Church and continue south towards Crescent City.


    "Are you sure? To me, it seems like you have quite the crush on Adrian!"


    Cyra persisted, making it sound like there was something unusual about my relationship with Adrian. Well...okay, maybe it was a little unusual! She must have secretly seen the whole scene of Adrian coming to bid me farewell.


    "Come on, be honest - how far have you two gone?"


    "What do you mean ''how far''? I told you, it''s impossible between us!" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    This was ridiculous. This girl was relentless. I had to stop what I was doing and firmly declare:


    "You know my situation. Would you agree to it? Moreover, you and I have been travelling together this whole time - when could Adrian and I possibly develop any kind of...feelings!"


    "That''s not necessarily true! Back in Edenmere, Nicola mentioned that you two had already known each other. And Judith secretly told me that you and Adrian spent dozens of cycles together with your memories intact in the trial space - all in all it was about a year, right?"


    Cyra wasn''t so easily fooled - she immediately recounted all the details of my experience in the cave. That snitch Judith! She knew too much. It seemed in order to gain her trust initially, I had revealed more than I should have.


    "For all I know, you two could have been living together in there!"


    Cyra gave me a head-to-toe look with a dubious expression as she leaned in to ask, "Maybe you even...?"


    "Do you believe me?" I felt I was about to explode. My face darkened as I pointed to the exit, kicking her out. This was getting too ridiculous, I couldn''t take it anymore!


    "If you don''t shut up right now, I''ll let it slip that you and the Pope switched bodies! Out!"


    "Tsk, fine, I''m going..."


    Probably seeing that I was actually getting angry, Cyra finally quieted down, muttering as she retreated out of the tent looking rather disgruntled.


    "Phew!"


    Only after watching her leave did I heave a sigh of relief, feeling utterly drained. This was exactly the kind of misunderstanding I dreaded the most from my companions. Thankfully for now it was just Cyra, and she wasn''t the most difficult one to deal with.


    Actually, it might be for the best that Adrian left first. Maybe in a few days he''ll have calmed down? Putting everything else aside, from this world''s perspective, a human and an angel being together would still be too difficult.


    Since the True Church had been camped at the cave entrance for several days with many people and supplies, they couldn''t just immediately depart. So Cyra and I decided to head out first. Joining us would be Judith, Brennan, and Yulanda, as they needed to return to the capital as well, so we decided to travel together.


    "Then I''ll just return to Norvale myself. We''re currently in the Dona Mountain Range, so I can just cross over to get to the Astralrealm Kingdom faster!"


    Vivianne had initially planned to come with us, but as soon as she saw Brennan and the others in our group, she changed her mind and said she would travel alone.


    "But..."


    She was clearly sulking! I looked to Brennan with difficulty, unsure what to do.


    It hadn''t been long since they had their falling out, so having them travel together did seem rather awkward. However, Vivianne''s strength of around fourth rank, while not terrible, still seemed too risky for her to cross the Dona Mountain Range alone.  It was a very difficult decision.


    "No problem! How about this - I can have someone escort her back, that should take care of it."


    Cysper was very accommodating, offering a compromise solution upon seeing our concerns.


    "I''ll go!"


    Ron immediately stepped forward, volunteering himself.


    "I''ve never been to the Astralrealm Kingdom before anyway, so I can take this chance to see it."


    He was indeed a suitable candidate. As a sixth tier, Ron was exceptionally powerful. With him providing protection, there would be no need to worry about Vivianne''s safety.


    "Alright then!"


    After a moment''s thought, Cysper nodded in agreement, assuring Vivianne, "Ron is one of the True Church''s top Star Glory Knights. You can completely trust him to excellently complete this mission!"


    Having fought alongside Ron several times in the trial space before, Vivianne did trust him. She didn''t object as the two of them set off westward across the mountain range.


    "We''ll head southeast towards Nikaro City first."


    As for our journey, the plan had already been arranged. With those complications resolved, we could finally set out. Though with Judith''s group tagging along, our speed would be considerably slowed since we couldn''t fly with them around.


    Not to mention, after we had traveled some distance, we noticed another person trailing behind us.


    "Why aren''t you going back?"


    Clearly this was none other than Cysper! I was speechless - this guy had really gotten addicted to wandering outside. Wasn''t he supposed to be the Pope, with a whole nation''s affairs to handle every day? Yet he dared to carelessly leave it all behind.


    "What do you mean..."


    Lightly strumming his lute strings, Cysper replied matter-of-factly, "I have no choice, you know!"


    "You still haven''t given up after what happened in that cave?"


    I knew, of course I knew! His reasoning was that outside the Holy Capital, he had to stay by Cyra''s side or his body would dissipate. And I could understand that after being confined to the Holy Capital for so many years, he definitely didn''t want to easily return once he had the chance to get out. But sticking with our group was extremely vexing.


    Cysper''s identity as the Pope of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion was really too awkward - no matter how you looked at it, he was a hot potato that couldn''t be easily shaken off.


    "You think I''m the type to easily give up? A little setback like this couldn''t possibly deter me!"


    Strumming his beloved lute, Cysper seemed determined to tag along with us, looking as if he wouldn''t return until he had traveled the entire continent this time.


    "To put it simply, it''s just a special circumstance I''ve encountered. There are still countless amazing sights waiting for me to enjoy ahead!"


    "Alright then...Cyra, you deal with this yourself. If it becomes too much, then it''s your responsibility to drag him back!"


    I was at a loss for words, so I could only pass this trouble onto the relevant party. These two switching bodies was headache enough, I just hoped they didn''t cause any more problems. Thankfully we now had Judith from the Sage Council with us - she was quite knowledgeable about the elements, so perhaps she had some unique insights into this phenomenon.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 115: Descending the Mountain

    "Heh heh! This is quite a rare phenomenon!"


    After hearing my description, Judith adjusted her glasses, looking very interested, and offered her own insight.


    "Based on my years of experience, the root cause of the body swapping issue most likely lies with the Pope. But the exact reason still needs further examination to determine."


    "Why don''t you suggest to him that you two..."


    This was a rare breakthrough! Although I knew there might be some secret with the Pope, I had been at a loss on how to approach it. As an expert, Judith immediately pinpointed the crux of the issue with just a few words.


    "No way! I refuse to examine that undead tranny''s body. Besides, I''m not very skilled with light elements anyway!"


    But Judith flatly rejected my suggestion in a very rude manner. With her pointing it out, I suddenly recalled their relationship would indeed make implementation difficult. Come to think of it, ever since leaving the cave, she and Cysper hadn''t been on very good terms, never exchanging another word.


    In my view, Cysper just happened to look like the Saint Angel - he didn''t seem too closely connected otherwise. Was that really reason enough for such resentment?


    "It''s normal you don''t understand. The True Church Pope''s origins have always been unclear. There are rumors in the Sage Council that he may be related to the ancient Light God. This time, discovering he shares the same appearance as the Saint Angel Cyra is practically an earth-shattering revelation!"


    Judith revealed mysteriously. In fact, I was already vaguely aware of most of this - that''s precisely why I had made a detour to the Holy Capital in the first place! But after finding that Cysper didn''t seem to pose much threat, I had decided to deepen ties with him.


    "So why don''t you hurry up and study that guy?"


    I seized the opportunity to urge her. Putting everything else aside, Cyra and the Pope''s ambiguous relationship couldn''t be allowed to drag on indefinitely - leaving it unresolved would inevitably lead to big problems.


    "No interest! And the Pope may not agree to it either!"


    Judith remained adamantly refusing, then looked at me with an amused expression.


    "Besides, compared to that ageless geezer...heh heh, I''m more interested in why your wings turned blue!"


    "Heh! Angel lifespans are pretty long too, aren''t they?"


    I chuckled wryly in response, involuntarily shuddering as I suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.


    "And didn''t I already tell you, I suspect it has to do with the Water Angel Gisphrael? Isn''t that the whole reason we''re heading to Crescent City?"


    "Records left by the Water Angel are extremely rare. Before this, we didn''t even know her name. Even if we confirm you''re her reincarnation, the research value of an elemental angel is tremendously high! Why don''t I just pluck a few of those blue feathers for a look..."


    "No way!"


    I abruptly refused before she could finish. That would hurt so much! Well, well, I ended up being the lab rat after all, huh?


    But Judith persisted relentlessly. When plucking feathers didn''t work, she changed her demand to wanting to closely observe my blue wing form.


    This woman could really be a nag. Pestered to the point of exasperation, I had no choice but to reluctantly agree.


    "Observing is fine, but you can''t secretly try anything sneaky!"


    In an instant, six snow-white wings appeared behind me, blinding under the morning sun.


    "Why are they still white?"


    Since it wasn''t the wings she wanted to see, Judith immediately looked very disappointed.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "It''s easy to turn them blue, this is just the basic form..."


    I wasn''t surprised. I then focused my mind to manipulate all the water elements in the surrounding air, drawing them into my body. Unlike the passive way of attracting water elements to convert into magic power during meditation, this was an active control method. Ever since the battle with the Light God, my mental strength seemed to have taken a qualitative leap - I could now effortlessly manipulate larger amounts of external water elements simultaneously.


    Once the magic power contained in the water elements within my body surpassed that of the light elements, the wings behind me immediately began changing color. The blue hue rapidly spread from the roots to the tips as the water elements replaced light as the wings'' preferred source of absorbed energy from the environment. The absorption speed and capacity even far exceeded that of the light element absorption of the white feathers. Soon, the excess water element magic power brimmed over, manifesting on my body''s surface.


    This was the transformation method I had spent several hours painstakingly figuring out last night...well, it did feel a bit strange somehow!


    "Your strength should already be beyond the Sixth Tier now, right?"


    The commotion from the wings changing color naturally attracted the attention of the group chatting on the other side. Seeing this, Cyra suddenly made a sour remark while glaring at Brennan, who was holding the little phoenix, causing an awkward moment for the young couple.


    To be fair, Cyra was still stuck at two wings despite some strength growth, but the progress was excruciatingly slow. Who knew when she would reach four wings, let alone attain that highly coveted "powerful" pet that had been snatched from her grasp at the last moment...


    "Not necessarily."


    I tried my best to console her.


    "Even with my wings turning blue, it doesn''t seem to have much practical use."


    This wasn''t a lie - it was my genuine experience tinged with a hint of disappointment. I hadn''t really mastered any earth-shattering abilities. The main benefit was the Water Abyss Sword.


    But that sword was flawed in its own ways. It couldn''t cut people, but its dehydration effect was top-notch! I found that after doing laundry, I could use it to rapidly dry the clothes instead of air drying, which was much more convenient. I could also dehydrate and preserve perishable foods for longer storage...


    Wait, weren''t those just household skills? It was almost enough to make me cry.


    Oh well, maybe I''ll just open a laundromat someday to save time and effort.


    "Speaking of this wings changing color phenomenon..."


    It seemed Cysper had recalled something as he suddenly asked me,


    "I remember some time ago there was a big hubbub in the Astralrealm Kingdom about that ''Flame God'' - there were rumors that her true identity was actually a Twelve-Winged Angel, but she drew a lot of controversy because of her red wings. The whole thing never got definitively concluded. Could it be a similar situation to yours?"


    "Michelle?"


    Of course I could never forget that girl - we were practically archenemies at this point. As for the mysteries surrounding Michelle''s origins, I had mostly stopped investigating after learning she was actually the Fire Angel. But that didn''t mean all the questions around her had been fully answered, like the strange impressions she gave off without her wings out.


    More than once I had mistaken Michelle for an angel, including the very first time I saw her, as well as in Edenmere when Noma thought she was Cyra amidst the crowd before she suddenly attacked indiscriminately. I had distinctly sensed an intense light element aura from her on those occasions.


    It was an extremely bizarre phenomenon. If Michelle was the Fire Angel, why did she emanate a light element aura when her wings were retracted, appearing no different from an ordinary angel? However, after consciously experiencing the process of my wings changing color, I suddenly had an inkling - could it be that she was actually an angel too?


    But this conclusion ran into another contradiction - elemental angels existed long before the angel race emerged. The Fire Angel Michelle had even participated in the "Xuthus Project" to unite against Beluto. Meanwhile, the angel race was created by Liana and Galadra after the Light God''s destruction in order to restore elemental balance. If the first batch of angels was summoned through the Angel Descent Formation, how was Michelle born? It''s not like there was another elemental angel descent formation in the ancient civilization era!


    I recalled Reed mentioning something related to this issue back at Cloud Palace, but I didn''t pay much attention at the time. Now it seemed there were indeed many fishy elements!


    But what''s unknown remained unknown. No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn''t figure out the reason. The fruitless discussion eventually led us to refocus our efforts on the journey ahead.


    There''s no need to dwell on the descent - it was much quicker than the ascent. After a full day''s trek, we finally arrived at the nearest city to Sulide Volcano - Nikaro.


    In terms of straight-line distance, this city was even slightly closer than the Holy Capital Jethrobaines. However, its area wasn''t very large, around a medium scale. Its biggest downside was the lack of an Adventurer''s Guild, which is why Yulanda had opted for the farther Holy Capital when descending the mountain for help initially.


    "Heh heh, I feel like I passed through this place on my way up the mountain..."


    Looking at the city before us, Judith''s expression suddenly became puzzled.


    "Strange, I remember the size wasn''t this big though, it was more like a small town back then."


    "Maybe you''re misremembering?"


    Cyra didn''t think too much of it, continuously urging everyone to quicken their pace. After such a long journey, we could finally rest and relax properly.


    "You''re probably right, there are likely several small towns of similar scale in the southern regions of the Holy Capital. Perhaps Judith got them mixed up."


    Cysper also voiced his agreement. This was just a small hiccup - no one dwelled on it much as they excitedly rushed towards the city gates one by one. However, I was the only one who felt a slight chill, suddenly recalling an extremely tricky and troublesome matter.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 116: Situation Has Changed

    "Nikaro was clearly just a small town, could I really have gotten it wrong?"


    Walking down the city streets, Judith still couldn''t shake her doubts. She kept looking around, trying to find places that matched her memory, but to no avail.


    "This shop, I vaguely remember seeing it before..."


    When we stopped in front of a building, she seemed to finally notice something, pointing at the sign and exclaiming loudly:


    "The Grand Nikaro Hotel! It was clearly just a newly opened small inn back then, yet it had such a pompous grandiose name - I had a deep impression of it!"


    "But this is a century-old establishment! Its reputation is supposed to be stellar - the highest-class hotel in this city."


    Yulanda couldn''t help but express skepticism, even waving around a promotional flyer from a local resident. Not that she needed to say much - no one was taking Judith''s "nonsense" seriously. After all, the hotel''s facade and decor were extremely luxurious and grand, looking nothing like a new humble inn.


    "Well..."


    At this point, I could no longer stay silent and spoke up to correct her.


    "Actually, Judith isn''t wrong. To be precise, this is likely Nikaro City over a hundred years into her perceived future."


    "Huh?"


    Judith''s expression froze for a moment before she burst into laughter.


    "How could that be possible, you''re just joking!"


    "No, I''m telling the complete truth!"


    I shook my head, deciding to lay everything out once and for all.


    "Due to constant resets, you lost your memories, but you''ve actually spent a hundred and twenty years in the trial space without realizing it."


    "..."


    Well, that did it - everyone fell silent, even Cysper realizing the gravity of the situation and stopping in his tracks.


    The atmosphere became extremely quiet, no one snapping out of their daze for a while.


    "So you mean Judith is actually from over a hundred years ago?"


    Cyra leaned in discreetly to confirm with me. Having experienced various time travel stories herself, she was quick to accept it.


    "Why didn''t you tell her sooner?"


    "I didn''t want to either..."


    I let out a wry smile. The main reason was bad timing! Regarding the fact that Judith had entered the trial space over a hundred years ago, Adrian and I hadn''t revealed it immediately out of fear it would affect her ability to take on the Light God challenge.


    But after leaving the cave, one thing led to another with so many happenings. Everyone''s attention was drawn to Vivianne''s confession to Brennan, so I simply forgot about it...


    More ironically, since Judith had fallen out with the Pope and his True Church followers, she had zero interaction with them and remained completely unaware that so much time had passed in the outside world.


    From her perspective, it was like she had just entered the trial space, shortly met Adrian and me to learn its true nature, then immediately teamed up to challenge Beluto on the mountain before finally clearing it to return to the real world - the entire experience likely no more than a day.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Okay, that was pretty hard to accept. It was practically no different from time traveling to the future! An ordinary person in this situation would likely question their entire life - what happened to family, friends, colleagues who were either long dead or incredibly aged, the world''s landscape shifted significantly.


    But Judith wasn''t exactly ordinary.


    "Heh heh, so does that mean I randomly gained an extra hundred years of lifespan?"


    Lightly adjusting her glasses, her first reaction after the shock was shockingly this.


    "Haha what a total windfall!"


    "...I remember you were already married. Aren''t you worried about your family?"


    I couldn''t help but remind her. This personal information was directly told to me by her in the trial space, just not during the final reset cycle.


    "How did you know? Oh right..."


    Judith seemed a bit surprised at first, but quickly realized the reason, waving her hand in explanation.


    "No need to worry, my husband has already kicked the bucket anyway. Though I did leave behind a son - he probably isn''t dead yet based on the timeline!"


    "Okay..."


    I was speechless, not sure if I should call her thick-skinned or simply carefree. But she didn''t misspeak - lifespans in this world tended to be longer, and with high-tier strength, living past a hundred was easy.


    I just didn''t expect the thirty-something looking Judith to already have an adult son - you really couldn''t judge a book by its cover.


    "So what will you do next? A hundred years is no short time - by the time you return to Crescent City, hardly anyone may recognize you."


    Probably recognizing her unique status, Cysper finally frowned and spoke up.


    "I''ll just take it one step at a time. If all else fails, I can still depend on my son!"


    Maintaining her carefree attitude, Judith suddenly seemed to recall something delightful, actually cupping her face with a silly grin.


    "Oh right, after all this time he must have changed a lot! He was only around ten when I left, I wonder if he''s more handsome now?"


    I didn''t want to discourage her, but there was a thing called unnatural death. In this monster-infested world, even if her son grew up to be highly skilled, there were no guarantees he was still alive. Not to mention he would be over 120 years old by any calculation - could that really be called handsome?


    There was nothing more to say after that. As evening fell, we checked into this "Grand Nikaro Hotel". Since Nikaro City was located in Cresthaven Papal Dominion''s territory, Cysper magnanimously covered everyone''s room fees as a hospitable gesture.


    Though Judith didn''t want to accept the favor, the money she had was over a hundred years outdated and unusable, so she had no choice but to reluctantly agree.


    The night passed uneventfully until the next midday when I suddenly recalled an important matter.


    "Feliciana, you finally contacted me! Do you know how long you''ve been missing? Nicola almost flew back to look for you when she heard the news!"


    As I used the "Spiritual Convergence" spell to connect with Elara back in Edenmere, her hurried voice rang in my mind. I suddenly felt nostalgic - it had been so long since hearing this voice.


    "Sorry, sorry, I ran into some unexpected delays in that cave which set me back about a week..."


    I quickly apologized. Though I had subjectively experienced over a year, only one week had passed outside. That was still quite a long time though. Despite Cyra remaining out there, that airhead didn''t think to contact Edenmere until the day before I came out.


    I then briefly reported my trial space experiences to her, glossing over most of the time Adrian and I spent drifting aimlessly.


    "What a pity that ancient research facility was destroyed by the volcano''s lava. It seems I wasn''t mistaken - you and the Water Angel are indeed connected, and the Pope Garrick''s origins are highly suspicious too!"


    Elara''s voice sounded rather contemplative after hearing everything.


    "But regardless, I''m just glad you all managed to escape safely."


    "How is Nicola doing now? Was she successful in her revenge?"


    After some thought, I decided to inquire about the situation over there.


    "I''m not too clear on that. We can only communicate through magic now. From what I hear, she ventured deep into the Barren Lands in pursuit of her target, seeming to have wiped out an entire monster city along the way."


    That powerful? Though the northern Barren Lands had basically become monster territory, even with cities they paled in scale compared to Wal City. Regardless, it seemed Nicola''s strength had increased considerably.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 117: Changing Situation

    "Nicola is becoming more and more erratic...and Feliciana too..."


    A sour voice suddenly piped up from the spiritual network - Cyra had joined the conversation without me realizing.


    "How is anyone else supposed to keep up?"


    I didn''t find her reaction too strange. The real issue was that even I couldn''t fully comprehend how Nicola had accomplished that feat. The Condensation Sword couldn''t be that overwhelmingly powerful even it''s sharp, could it?


    Even now that I had mastered summoning the Water Abyss Sword, I still felt vastly inferior to Nicola. Putting everything else aside, destroying an entire city was definitely beyond my capabilities.


    "The founding ancestor Liana created us angels. Her power is unfathomable - even as a reincarnation, Nicola is no ordinary angel!"


    Elara stated matter-of-factly.


    "However, Nicola likely hasn''t found Aria yet, so she may take some time before returning..."


    She suddenly changed the topic. "Where are you all at now? Have you reached Crescent City?"


    "Well, not quite yet..."


    Finally asked this question, I felt a tinge of embarrassment. Just think - a journey that could be flown in less than a day, yet Cyra and I had dragged it out over a week without reaching our destination. It was hard to explain.


    "We have some traveling companions who can''t fly, like the Pope from the True Church. They need frequent rests, so our pace on foot is a bit...slow. We''re still at a hotel in Nikaro City..."


    Okay, even I couldn''t listen to those excuses anymore. We were basically just sightseeing and taking our time, all thanks to that lackadaisical Pope leading the pack.


    Could it be that Edenmere had already notified the Sage Council about our plans to go to Crescent City to facilitate a reception? If so, making them wait too long wasn''t very good.


    "I see, the Pope is still following you all? I heard he had never left Jethrobaines before, so that''s understandable..."


    Cyra must have mentioned this earlier, hence Elara''s unsurprised reaction. But her next words did catch me off guard.


    "Actually, it may be better to go slowly. I''ve heard the situation around Parristol is rather unstable lately - you all should be extremely cautious on your journey!"


    "Huh?"


    I was well aware of where Parristol was located, having mentioned it several times already. As for the Parristol Resistance, they had been openly defying the Astralrealm Kingdom for years, practically degenerating into a terrorist group. Recalling how Carl had secretly infiltrated our rooms for an assassination attempt still sent chills down my spine.


    "Don''t worry, we won''t be passing through there!"


    But I didn''t take it too seriously. After all, Nicola had specifically gone over there without encountering any danger.


    "Do not underestimate this!"


    But Elara immediately warned me gravely.


    "The independence movement in Parristol has been escalating rapidly. Just yesterday, several uprisings broke out within the city. If things spiral out of control, it could impact the stances of neighboring nations and may even trigger war!"


    "That fast?"


    I was quite surprised - I hadn''t expected the situation to deteriorate to such an extent, which explained Elara''s concerns. It was well known that the Parristol independence efforts were backed by many major powers, possibly even involving the Sage Council.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    But the troubles didn''t end there, as she dropped another bombshell.


    "According to our intelligence, there have been signs of high-tier monster activity spotted around the Parristol region lately. These uprisings may have monster involvement behind the scenes."


    "No way? If monsters are involved, won''t the other nations intervene?"


    Cyra asked incredulously, realizing this was no longer just a human conflict.


    "We can''t be certain about that aspect. However, the Astralrealm Kingdom''s stance is quite clear - King Galahad definitely won''t let the situation continue deteriorating. He has likely already dispatched more troops to the borders. But the Ilandra Dominion''s actions have been rather suspicious, still showing no response. Who knows what they''re plotting behind the scenes."


    The Cresthaven Papal Dominion was also a neighboring nation, but their leader had recently been neglecting duties to vacation with us at this very hotel! So we could ignore them for now.


    "So if you notice anything amiss, don''t take any risks! You may even want to just return to Edenmere for now!"


    Elara let out a deep sigh, clearly vexed by these tangled international affairs.


    "The key issue is Edenmere''s exit can no longer be relocated in the short term. If you must return, you may have to go to the northern Barren Lands in person...this could be a plot!"


    "But we''re so close to our destination already..."


    I was equally dumbfounded, suddenly feeling my brain couldn''t process it all. Was this some grand distraction ploy? But I was certainly unwilling to turn back, since open conflict hadn''t truly erupted yet. Plus, our destination was Crescent City, not Parristol, though their distance wasn''t too far...


    "The situation changes daily now, it''s hard to predict what surprises may occur. So please be extremely cautious!"


    Seeing my insistence on proceeding, Elara didn''t push further, as she was rushed to handle other matters anyway.


    Suddenly another voice piped up to report that Commander Serena was requesting an audience. Elara left those final words before hurriedly exiting the spiritual network.


    Back in reality, Cyra and I could only exchange glances. Neither of us expected things to become so complicated.


    "No worries, Lady Elara probably doesn''t know you can transform yet! Dealing with some high-tier monsters shouldn''t be too difficult, right?"


    Thinking it over, Cyra optimistically tried to reassure me. At this stage, the main threat seemed to be those monsters lurking in the shadows. It wasn''t as dire as Elara made it sound.


    "I suppose, if they''re just ordinary monsters..."


    Her so-called transformation referred to my wings turning blue. But who knew if Michelle was involved - I had the ominous feeling monsters were plotting something big, and I didn''t think I could currently overpower her head-on.


    "In any case, we should inform the others first. They probably don''t know about this yet!"


    Shaking my head to stop dwelling on it further, I remembered we weren''t the only ones traveling. We had planned a one-day stopover in Nikaro City before departing tomorrow, but it seemed that plan needed revising now.


    If Parristol was inaccessible, Brennan and Yulanda would likely be the most affected.


    Their intention in journeying with us was to head west through Parristol after reaching Crescent City to return to the capital. But that route was no longer viable.


    Excluding unconventional routes like Vivianne crossing the Dona Mountain Range, their only remaining option was to backtrack our path northward towards the capital - a massive detour wasting significant time.


    As for Cysper...well, though unspoken, I could already tell - he had left the capital solely to travel, but unable to stray far from Cyra, he would inevitably tag along with us. What a troublesome guy!


    As for the Parristol situation, based on Cysper''s laid-back attitude, I doubted the Cresthaven Papal Dominion was very involved.


    "Hey hey, good thing we ran into you here!"


    Not far from our rooms, we encountered Judith in the hallway of the Grand Nikaro Hotel, greeting us cheerily.


    "Looks like Brennan is about to perform a contract ritual. Want to go watch?"


    The contract ritual was when a Beast Tamer officially formed a pact with their beast companion. But I didn''t expect Brennan to be binding his newly-acquired little phoenix so soon.


    "Of course!" Cyra readily agreed - she wouldn''t miss such an opportunity. Though I had never witnessed it before, my mind was preoccupied with the Parristol issue, subconsciously feeling I had overlooked some crucial information.


    The ritual was held outdoors in the hotel''s rear courtyard. By the time we arrived, we could see Brennan crouched on the ground sketching an immense magic formation.


    "Didn''t expect you to know magic formations despite not being a mage yourself!"


    Yulanda and the others had already arrived, all equally amazed. Cyra asked curiously,


    Actually, this is the only one I know. It took me a long time to learn it by rote..."


    The redhead, upon hearing this, scratched his head embarrassedly, since, after all, this formation is part of his profession and he should know it.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 118: Contract Magic formation

    "Hee hee, the contract magic formation! I know about this one. It can turn a familiar''s body into elemental form and bind it to the master in a symbiotic relationship. They say it was invented by one of the founding members of our Sage Council!"


    Judith commented with great interest. Overall, beast tamer was a rather niche profession on the continent, as practitioners not only required decent elemental affinity, but also had to meet certain standards in martial arts and physical abilities.


    Don''t be fooled by Brennan mostly using fist and foot martial skills in combat - he was essentially a true dual cultivator of magic and martial arts. The beast tamer profession was naturally far less widespread than mainstream adventurer jobs like mages and warriors.


    "Turning the familiar''s body into elemental form - you mean materializing the actual elements?" I asked curiously. Whether it was Nicola''s Condensation Sword, my Water Abyss Sword, or Beluto and Saint Angel Cyra summoning weapons from thin air, those were typical examples of materializing pure, singular elements. But going the other way around and elementalizing an already existing physical body was new to me.


    "Correct. Only by becoming elemental can the familiar establish a symbiotic bond with the innate magic power within the tamer''s body," Judith elaborated knowledgeably. "Everything in this world is formed by the six great elemental substances, differing only in the varying composition ratios."


    "Since Brennan only has fire elemental affinity, his magic power is of the fire attribute. So when the familiar''s body is elementalized, out of the six great elements composing its body, only the fire element can resonate and connect with Brennan''s magic power on both spiritual and physical levels. The higher the fire element ratio, the deeper this connection - known as the compatibility."


    "Once the symbiotic relationship is established successfully, the familiar''s spirit will reside within the host, feeding off the host''s magic power and able to materialize for combat at the host''s will. A more compatible familiar can utilize the host''s magic power more efficiently, growing faster in strength. Moreover, as the tamer''s own magic power continues increasing, so will the familiar''s - potentially without limit."


    I understood now why Cysper thought the phoenix was so suitable for Brennan. As a highly fire-elemental being, its body would be composed of a very high fire element ratio, meaning extreme compatibility with Brennan''s fire affinity. Coupled with the innate skills and bonuses of a mythical beast, securing a phoenix was akin to finding a celestial weapon.


    Conversely, if a being had absolutely no fire element like angels or vampires, establishing a contract with Brennan would render it utterly stagnant regardless of power, being an utter burden due to zero compatibility.


    Of course, that''s an extreme scenario. Angels and vampires weren''t naturally occurring species anyway. Even in the natural world, creatures like fish had at least 10% fire elemental composition in their bodies.


    "It''s starting!"


    The contract process was simple. As the magic formation activated, Brennan stood in the center while the newly hatched phoenix chick was placed elsewhere within the formation.


    After a blinding blue flash, the chick vanished, while an intricate tiny formation pattern appeared on Brennan''s arm alongside two existing ones - meaning he now had three familiars bound to him.


    "For a long time, you won''t be able to contract any new magical beasts, or your body won''t be able to take it!" Yulanda walked over concernedly to remind Brennan. One could imagine having three familiars residing within would heavily tax his magic power reserves daily.


    "I know. With the phoenix''s help, I basically don''t need any more familiars anyway!" Brennan nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. Theoretically, the phoenix could be considered the ultimate, most powerful fire-elemental familiar for a tamer. Even if stronger beings existed in this world, none compared in value for cultivation.


    "Congratulations!" Just then, Cysper suddenly came from behind, clapping, with Mike the chief Star Glory Knights beside him. As the Pope''s guardian knight, with Ron away escorting Vivianne, Mike solely shouldered this duty.


    "Pity you''re late, the ritual''s over!" Cyra spread her hands, somewhat regretfully.


    "No matter, as a former Pope for so many years, what rituals haven''t I seen? Though rare on the continent, there are still some tamers in the Holy Capital."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Cysper''s goal wasn''t about the ritual itself. He approached Brennan and Yulanda. "If I''m not mistaken, you two were planning to return to the royal capital?"


    "Yes, is there a problem?" Brennan and Yulanda exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of his intent.


    "I just received a report that a rebellion has erupted in the southeastern border city of Parristol in the Astralrealm Kingdom these past few days. The border is completely sealed, so that route is likely impassable! Do you have any other plans?"


    "Ah?" The young couple was dumbstruck, never expecting such a huge change in circumstances.


    "What do we do then?"


    "As is well known..." Cysper sat leisurely on a nearby bench and reminded them.


    "According to the ''Continental Safety Guide'', safely crossing the Dona Mountain Range requires at least sixth-tier strength. Even with the newly contracted phoenix, you two lack the power to overcome that in the short term. But taking the northern route through the Holy Capital Jethrobaines back is also far too distant, costly and time-consuming..."


    "Could this old Pope just get to the point?" An impatient Judith rudely interjected.


    "Ahem!" Cysper coughed from the interruption before continuing. "If Brennan is willing to join our Church, not only can I have Mike escort you two back like Ron, I can also specially promote you to premium tenth-level membership - a million Silver salary annually..."


    Ah, so he''s just trying to recruit talent under the pretext of informing them!


    I was originally going to notify Brennan and the others, but this guy hijacked the conversation midway. These True Church folks are all so talented, with the leader Cysper being no exception! I really misjudged them earlier.


    However, what Cysper didn''t know was that Brennan had no good feelings towards True Church, dooming his ploy to fail.


    "No interest! As for getting home, we''ll find another way, no rush." As expected, Brennan''s face darkened as he promptly turned to leave with Yulanda in tow.


    "Heh heh, serves you right!" Judith looked utterly gratified at Cysper''s rebuffed expression, though her grievances with True Church remained unclear.


    "Then what about you? Though we share the same destination of Sage Council''s Crescent City, reports say it''s become quite unsafe there, with potential risks," I considered before asking her.


    "What do you mean? How is the Parristol unrest my concern?" Judith looked utterly bewildered. "Even if it''s the birthplace of the Sage Council under the Loren family''s rule, it''s still an independent nation. No matter how much infighting goes on within their own family, it has nothing to do with us!"


    An independent nation? That seemed a bit off...


    "Wait, I recall you''re from over a hundred years ago, right?" Cyra suddenly realized the root issue. Parristol had only been annexed by the Astralrealm Kingdom in recent years. Back in Judith''s era, it was an independent nation ruled by the local royal family. No wonder the discrepancy!


    "What? Parristol was annexed by Astralrealm?" Judith exclaimed in shock upon learning the truth. "That was a buffer zone between several major powers! If it just disappears like that, it could trigger war!"


    "That risk currently exists, though not instigated by any neighboring nations..." I rubbed my ears, her excitable nature getting to me.


    "It''s only been a few years, but the locals seem unwilling to accept Astralrealm''s rule."


    Cysper leisurely sat, unperturbed by Judith''s rudeness as he casually added, "I recall there''s an underground group called the ''Parristol Liberation Front'' with a complex background. Though their chances are slim, they frequently attempt assassinating King Galahad and his royal relatives, aiming to expand their influence across the continent. They want to pressure Astralrealm through public opinion while seeking international support for their resistance."


    He''s probably referring to Carl! Perhaps not just him alone - the Astralrealm Kingdom suffering repeated assassin attacks in recent years is an open secret. No matter how much the king orders secrecy, there are no walls that don''t leak information in this world. News always finds a way to slip out.


    "Galahad...isn''t he the young son of the Astralrealm king? I remember he was just born, only a few months old..."


    Judith''s mind was still stuck 120 years ago. For the current King Galahad from the royal family living in abundance, living over a hundred years was quite normal. I couldn''t help but recall that "extremely unfit" fat guy again.


    "What about the Loren family then, the former Parristol royals? Would the Council really just sit by while Astralrealm did something so excessive?"


    It was obvious to all of us now - Judith was absolutely partial towards Parristol and vehemently opposed Astralrealm''s actions.


    "Actually, after Parristol''s fall, the Sage Council truly made no substantial aid efforts, only verbally condemning and protesting."


    Cysper shrugged helplessly in explanation. "Perhaps circumstances didn''t permit it! A few years ago, the southern Ilandra Dominion Empire had just fallen into chaos itself, self-occupied with no thoughts to spare for other nations'' affairs. As for our Cresthaven Papal Dominion, you know as the center of the Church, we must remain neutral unless facing monsters!"


    Of course, there was an important reason Cysper didn''t state. Despite existing for several hundred years with dozens of cities under its control across the continent, the High Tower Sage Council was fundamentally still just an association of local mages organized together. If on Earth, its nature would be akin to a labor union, a far cry from a sovereign nation-state.


    Even as the Sage Council gradually gained immense influence and prestige over time in Crescent City and other regions, directly controlling those areas, strictly speaking it was not their sovereign territory. The area south of Cresthaven Papal Dominion, around Crescent City, ultimately fell under the empire''s sphere of influence. But due to their long amicable relationship with close cooperation, the Empire had always turned a blind eye without repercussions.


    So regarding the complex internal Parristol annexation strife between humans, if the Sage Council involved itself too much, it would actually struggle to take action, potentially not even possessing a true military force.

 Vol 4/Chapter 119: Two Unexpected Guests

    "But even so, you can''t just ignore it completely! Astralrealm signed the peace treaty back then!"


    Despite the Pope''s explanation, Judith still could not understand the Sage Council''s inaction. In her eyes, they should have intervened at all costs, legally and morally.


    "Moreover, that''s the birthplace of our Council! The Loren Family treated us well back then..."


    Judith sounded quite stubborn, but considering the Sage Council''s history, it made sense. Apart from other factors, there was mainly an issue of differing perspectives. In Judith''s era, the Sage Council''s establishment was at least half the time earlier than now. To her, it had only just been founded a couple hundred years ago, perhaps with some of the original founders still alive. So she likely had special feelings towards Parristol.


    Alas, times had changed over the hundred-plus intervening years. The first generation members had basically all passed away. The Council''s attitude towards Parristol naturally shifted, coupled with the declining local Parristol royals and internal Loren family strife allowing Astralrealm to seize the opportunity.


    However, the Sage Council did not completely ignore it either. Though not openly obstructing Astralrealm, they resorted to covert meddling. The underground "Parristol Liberation Front" organization may well have received their clandestine support...


    "Regardless, you should just accept reality now!"


    The warm afternoon sun felt comfortable. Cysper stretched lazily as he stood up, having explained sufficiently before intending to leave. But then he suddenly remembered something and remarked weirdly, "It just feels off that the Sage Council lot went completely silent during this rebellion. Shouldn''t they have at least voiced a stance?"


    Indeed, the Sage Council''s reaction to this incident reeked of foul play, including the unmentioned monster issue worrying Elara. Similarly, the southern Ilandra Dominion Empire''s internal strife had long ended, yet they made no statement either when they should not have stood idly by. The two major powers'' motives remained inscrutable.


    "Hey, what stance does your angel kind take on this matter?" After Cysper and Mike left, Judith immediately inquired.


    So she wanted to seek aid from Edenmere? She''s not even from Parristol but so enthusiastic about it!


    I gave her a sidelong glance. Though I understood her feelings, I dismissively replied, "Sorry, with our dwindling angel population, we have no spare attention for such petty human affairs, let alone when we''re constantly busy fending off monster invasions!"


    I spoke no lies! Most of Edenmere''s forces were currently tied up defending the northern barren lands'' frontlines, leaving Elara flustered with no capacity to care about some minor Parristol issue.


    Of course, from my personal perspective, I definitely had no desire to get involved either.


    "Oh right, isn''t that Carl guy from this ''Parristol Liberation Front?''" Cyra suddenly recalled during the assassination incident in Makalan City where we nearly lost our lives. The cause was Carl, an assassin from the Parristol resistance, being thwarted by Nicola while attempting to kill King Galahad, then disguising himself as our carriage driver to secretly retaliate.


    Perhaps that was just Carl venting personally. Parristol''s abrupt annexation by Astralrealm was indeed lamentable, but what did it have to do with us? Simply put, we were the innocent victims caught up in their resistance against the kingdom!This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Ah whatever, the culprit is dead anyway, no point dwelling on it further! However, I have zero goodwill towards the "Parristol Liberation Front" - not actively seeking trouble with them is merciful enough.


    Upon learning our plight, Judith had the decency not to continue raising the matter. Yet the Pope showed absolutely no inclination to leave and handle this massive border unrest engulfing his own nation, once again upending my worldview.


    "Aren''t you worried?" That evening, I finally confronted him.


    "What if Astralrealm takes advantage of suppressing the rebellion to invade your Cresthaven Papal Dominion? Should I have Cyra send you back? A nation cannot be without its ruler!"


    "I''m but a wandering bard now. Such trifles are handled by others left in the Holy Capital," Cysper lamented plaintively while strumming a lute.  "Besides, the Astralrealm King has been in my Church for many years. I don''t think he harbors such intentions..."


    "Don''t tell me you and Cyra are sick of me and want me gone?"


    "..." His insight was impeccable! Befitting a millennia-old "people-savant" Pope, he left me speechless yet I stubbornly refused to admit it.


    "Haha, of course not! I''m just concerned for your Church!"


    In the end, this was but a small matter - at most gaining an extra hanger-on. Especially without fully grasping the mysterious body-swap between Cyra and Cysper, from both Edenmere and True Church''s overarching relationship as well as personal interests, there was no need to burn bridges and strain relations.


    An arrogant Pope acting capricious occasionally was understandable...


    "Finally, the angel shows concern for the troubles of this world. Why not consider joining our Church while you''re at it? With your status, your treatment would definitely exceed Brennan''s!"


    "Join?...No interest!" This guy actually had the audacity! I stormed out of Cysper''s room indignantly, feeling the need to caution Cyra against falling for the Pope''s tricks.


    ...


    "We''ve discussed it - we''ll proceed to Parristol as originally planned!"  After a night''s consideration, Brennan and Yulanda finalized their next move.


    "I previously inquired with Mike. The kingdom''s Fifth Legion is among the troops being dispatched to suppress Parristol. With their captain present, we should be able to pass through the checkpoints!"


    The Fifth Legion...I almost forgot - that was the unit Adrian and Brennan had been assigned to during the previous monster invasion war! And the mentioned captain most likely referred to Alfreed!


    Unlike Hayden and the other demobilized soldiers who returned home after the war, Alfreed and Eleanora remained in the military, so their deployment to the border made perfect sense.


    "Still, we must remain extra cautious as the journey may be quite convoluted."


    I carefully considered the pros and cons. While faster than detouring through the Holy Capital, the safety was compromised. Parristol was probably already in complete chaos, who knew what dangers awaited traversing it.


    "Don''t worry, we''re adventurers! We''ve faced the mightiest monsters, what''s there to fear from some civilian unrest?"


    However, Brennan remained unfazed, understandably brimming with confidence after newly contracting the mythical beast. Even Yulanda the mage could not be too weak, fearlessly teaming up to challenge the nine-headed serpent and phoenix regardless of tier. How could they lack such simple courage?


    With all preparations complete, we were about to depart around noon when two unexpected guests arrived.


    "Feliciana, Cyra, you''re so easy to find! You''re both too slow - luckily Lady Elara forewarned us or we would''ve flown past!" An eight-winged angel suddenly appeared in the sky, calling out to us on the ground. This instantly caused a huge stir in the peaceful city as most locals had never witnessed such a spectacle, crowding towards Grand Nikaro Hotel to gawk.


    "Reed!" Catching sight of the two angels in the air, Cyra flinched before turning to flee, forcibly dragging me along.


    "Why are you running?"


    I was confused, but faintly recalled some unpleasant matter about Reed, though the details currently eluded me. With no choice, I followed her back indoors.


    "Miya, stop them!"


    Unsurprisingly, they would not allow our escape. At Reed''s command, the eight-winged Miya instantly descended, blocking our path by spreading her wings.


    "Hey, weren''t you also a victim? Stockholm syndrome much?" Cyra protested reluctantly! But no matter which angle she tried, Miya''s eight wings formed an impregnable barrier.


    "Feliciana, Cyra, if I recall, you two still owe me an assistant job, no?" Reed mercilessly shattered the pretense as she too descended emotionlessly. "Don''t tell me you want to back out now?"


    "Ah...so that''s what this is about, of course I remember!"


    I suddenly recalled, unable to suppress a smile. It was simply that too much time had passed - over a year - and I had nearly forgotten everything.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 120: Ilandra Dominion Empire

    Indeed, due to using up the oxygen collection sphere back then, I owed Reed a week''s worth of work, while Cyra owed three months! For me, this minor trouble was insignificant compared to reuniting with a long-unseen classmate.


    Truthfully, I was delighted to see her. It was unfortunate Reed had to remain in Edenmere researching the "Eyes of Galadra" instead of joining our departure. Now we had finally reunited!


    However, I wondered why she and Miya suddenly appeared here during Parristol''s chaotic rebellion. Based on her previous stance, would Elara allow them to leave?


    "They''re my friends, don''t be alarmed!" Seeing the surrounding crowd gaping at us, I quickly explained. Cyra''s fleeing raised too much suspicion, with the quick-handed Judith already gripping her weapon, everyone confused over the situation.


    "What rare guests!" Only Cysper cheerfully welcomed them, bowing elegantly before inquiring, "Have these two beautiful angel ladies specially come to tour our Cresthaven Papal Dominion?"


    As the Pope, he naturally took the lead in greeting angels due to the Church''s special connection through faith.


    "Cyrus?" Reed glanced at him, her initially calm expression subtly changing - she froze. But she quickly recovered, muttering, "Impossible, he must just resemble him..."


    The Pope''s identical appearance to Cyrus was bizarrely uncanny. Despite our prolonged interactions, we never uncovered the reason, so Reed, who knew the real Cyrus, was understandably shocked, likely unable to fathom the cause despite her intelligence.


    "Haha, you''re totally clueless! This is my unique clone magic!" Cyra suddenly grinned mischievously, her eyes rolling as she blatantly lied to Cysper. "Surprised and curious, huh?"


    "Clone magic? Impossible!" Yet the ploy actually worked! Reed was utterly dumbfounded, scrutinizing Cysper before shaking her head contemplatively.


    "I suppose it makes sense. Ordinary humans can''t possess light-elemental bodies like angels. Perhaps an advanced light golem application? But the independent consciousness...Don''t tell me that everything he just said was controlled by you in secret?"


    "You''re overthinking it. He''s a living, breathing person, not some light golem!" I nearly laughed at Reed''s far-fetched guess, probably the only one who would conceive such an illogical connection. Seeing no unrelated bystanders nearby, I quietly revealed, "He''s the Pope!"


    "Oh right! Lady Elara did mention Feliciana was with True Church''s Pope!"  Miya immediately recalled upon hearing me, quickly reminding Reed.


    "Plus, the relationship between the angels and True Church seemed to have improved a lot before we left Edenmere..."


    All thanks to our efforts. Otherwise, with the angels'' hereditary wariness towards the Pope, who knew when that would have changed?


    "Still, something feels off..." Reed stared intently at Cysper for a long while before retracting her gaze and asking, "No offense, but would you mind assisting me with some experiments?"


    "Haha...absolutely not!" Cysper''s smile looked strained, likely regretting provoking Reed as he brushed it off. "As you heard, I''m the Pope! Always busy with myriad affairs, barely any free time."


    This guy calling himself constantly occupied is just ridiculous! It really challenges my worldview.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Cyra, are you sure you''re not controlling him? He''s just as shameless!" Reed bluntly accused Cyra.


    Cysper''s expression was priceless - possibly the first time publicly called shameless, completely losing face as the Pope.


    "That''s just his unrestrained personality. Don''t take it personally!" I had to intervene and explain. Fortunately, having been Pope for millennia, Cysper could take it without getting into petty squabbles with a two-winged angel.


    That finally placated both sides. Though unable to conduct her experiments, Reed remained fixated on Cysper, constantly glancing over with indecipherable thoughts.


    This was probably Cyra''s ploy - diverting Reed''s attention to Cysper so she forgot about pursuing us, allowing us to temporarily escape this "calamity".


    "How long will she keep this up?" Unable to bear it, Cysper quietly asked me.


    "Hard to say," I shook my head, seizing the chance to reiterate my suggestion from last night. "If it really bothers you, why not return to the Holy Capital first? I can have Cyra escort you..."


    "Absolutely unnecessary!" He vehemently shook his head at my proposal to return, immediately quieting down and walking off, dropping the subject entirely.


    What a "constantly occupied" Pope! Unbelievable...


    "How did you two get here?" Seizing the chance while everyone caught up, I asked Miya about their recent situation. It turned out they had left Edenmere nearly a week ago before Parristol''s rebellion even began.


    Since Edenmere''s exit was currently located at the Barren Lands frontier, immobile for the time being, Reed had to travel southward from there to find us after concluding her "Eyes of Galadra" research.


    The Barren Lands covered a vast area, comprising nearly half the continent''s northern expanse. Legends spoke of an exceptionally brutal divine war erupting there long ago, even altering the entire continent''s climate and rendering it completely barren.


    Truthfully, after witnessing the ancient civilization''s remnants in the trial space, I partially believed such seemingly far-fetched tales.


    "Though the northern monsters frequently harassed the stationed allied troops there, their scale wasn''t large. After Commander Serena led the First Legion as reinforcements, they counterattacked hundreds of miles deep into the Barren Lands!"


    Miya proudly recounted events before their departure from Edenmere. But then her expression turned somewhat helpless.


    "However, Lady Elara ordered us not to advance further, saying it was to leave room for potential future negotiations. But those monsters clearly had no such intentions! We had barely retreated before they resumed their sneak attacks without learning anything!"


    "Surely they''re not that stupid..." Judith couldn''t help commenting. Even if most monsters lacked intelligence, there were still cunning higher-ups! Such brainless tactics were just suicidal - perhaps Serena hadn''t hurt them enough, which was why Nicola later razed an entire city when she arrived there.


    Calculating Nicola''s departure time, she likely just missed crossing paths with Reed and Miya.


    "After leaving Edenmere, our first task from Lady Elara was to request the Ilandra Dominion Empire to dispatch reinforcements to the northern frontlines..."


    Miya continued, "But Emperor Reid refused to receive us!"


    Jointly repelling the northern monster invasion was the shared responsibility of every human nation. But the Eldoria Continent was simply too vast. Apart from the familiar northern Astralrealm Kingdom and Cresthaven Papal Dominion, there existed several human nations in the south which tended to be lackadaisical, frequently making excuses to delay sending troops since they were far removed from the frontlines.


    The Ilandra Dominion Empire was one such nation, and numbered among the continent''s largest powers, its territory even exceeding the combined Astralrealm and Cresthaven. Formidable, yet useless - only dealing with internal conflicts effectively while being utterly unreliable externally. They could wage civil wars for years, but when bebing requested to resist northern monsters, they would plead helplessness and lack of forces.


    But with the empire''s internal strife long quelled, it was time for them to fulfill their responsibilities. Yet Reed and Miya faced outright rejection.


    "Outrageous, these southern nations are a disgrace to humanity!" Judith angrily condemned.


    "That''s just how humans are, what can you do?" Cysper merely shrugged nonchalantly, likely having seen it all from living too long, or perhaps due to light elemental influence never showing anger.


    ==============================================================


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 Vol 4/ Chapter 121: Keeping Promises

    Though there weren''t many nations in the north, their strength seemed a bit weaker. But don''t forget, they had plenty of high-level fighters! Probably because they often battled monsters, most of the top human martial artists on the continent were in the northern realms.


    The Sage Council couldn''t really be considered a true nation, and had no regular army. But its chairman Cael Adonis was at the peak seventh level, on par with Elara!


    Humans'' biggest advantage was their huge population, so bit by bit, a few exceptional talents would emerge. Though the angel race was small in number, their overall strength was quite high. Compared to the human average of below third level, being born at the fourth level was an envied racial advantage.


    Getting back to Reed and the others requesting reinforcements.


    It wasn''t very realistic to rely long-term on angelic reinforcements to relieve the pressure of frequent monster harassment. So Elara had them swing by the Ilandra Dominion to solve this issue, but they came back empty-handed.


    "Though the emperor didn''t receive us, we did hear some rumors. Ilandra has been quietly gathering forces lately, maybe preparing for another war, who knows..."


    At this point, Mia couldn''t help looking disdainful. In the past she''d likely have criticized humans'' endless infighting. But after Edenmere had just been through a rebellion, she didn''t feel she could judge.


    In any case, since the empire refused to send troops, the angels Mia and Reed could do nothing on their own. So after completing the mission, they finally set out to rendezvous with us at the Sage Council.


    Of course, at that time Cyra and I were still in the deep mountains of Cresthaven Papal Dominion, though they didn''t know, thinking we''d already reached Crescent City.


    "Fortunately, halfway there we contacted Elara through the spiritual network. Through her we learned you were still near Nikaro City, so we changed course to come here..."


    Mia finally finished recounting their journey. In their last contact, out of concern for the situation in Parristol, Elara had suggested they return north. But since they''d already flown this far, and Reed herself didn''t want to go back to Edenmere so soon, they stuck to the original plan to find Cyra and me.


    "Should I be especially touched?" Cyra blinked and asked after hearing their story.


    "Braving the dangers of war, overcoming obstacles to find me - it''s like an angelic version of the journey to find a husband! Don''t worry dear, I''ll cherish you well..."


    But before she could finish, she froze, then fell to the ground rolling around covering her eyes.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry!"


    "What''s wrong with you?" Yulanda, Judith and the others were startled. Even the ancient Cysper was caught off guard, rushing over with everyone to help Cyra up.


    "Did sand get in her eyes? But that''s no reason for such an overreaction!"


    Fortunately Cyra''s wailing didn''t last long, ending in less than ten seconds. But as everyone fussed over checking on her, I noticed Mia and Reed were completely unmoved, not a hint of concern on their faces.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Could it be..."


    I''d also started to go over, but seeing their reactions, I suddenly recalled Reed''s self-created Five Light Ten Color spell - it seemed Cyra had fallen victim to it. Though strangely, she was the only one affected, with no one else reacting.


    "I made some refinements to Five Light Ten Color. The light only travels in a straight line, letting me filter out rays in other directions to only hit the target, saving a lot of mana and avoiding friendly fire! The downside is it needs very precise control..."


    Reed produced a peach from somewhere, taking a bite with no expression. Glancing at Cyra, still covering her eyes, Reed turned away unconcerned.


    "So she had it coming!"


    "Alright then..."Once again left bemused, it seemed only Reed was Cyra''s natural weakness.


    Though the two angels'' sudden arrival caused quite a stir in Nikaro City, thankfully it didn''t impact our next steps. And since they had no firm destination, they simply decided to join us, with Crescent City as the goal.


    Actually, even without Reed saying it, I could guess she was likely as bored in Edenmere as Cyra, which is why she insisted on coming despite Elara''s advice.


    Following the road south, with the addition of the two angels, our party had swelled to eight or nine people - quite a boisterous and lively bunch!


    Cysper initially suggested hiring a couple of carriages due to our slow walking pace. But Cyra vehemently objected, adamantly refusing to ride in a carriage again. My feelings were similar after my brush with Carl''s ambush, leaving me distrustful of the drivers in front.


    Was this the legendary mindset of "There''s always treacherous officials plotting against me"?


    But walking was pretty good too! We could all chat together, and I''d already made my peace with it. What was a bit more time after spending a year in the trial space?


    By evening we''d reached a picturesque lakeside, and everyone decided to camp there for the night.


    "Oh my, the fish in this lake aren''t bad!"


    Cysper strolled along the lakeshore, casually reaching in to pull out a huge fish that clearly weighed at least ten pounds!


    "Looks like we can add a dish tonight, how about grilled fish?"


    "Feliciana, I recall you still owe me a meal..."


    Reed had been watching Cysper, but suddenly turned her gaze to remind me.


    "Of course I remember!"


    I nodded, not denying it. Actually, it wasn''t just Reed, there was someone else I owed a sour fish soup. Now was the perfect chance to keep both those promises.


    As for how to make it, I was already quite practiced. After some skilled preparation, I soon brought out two steaming pots of sour fish soup and set them on the table before everyone. The fish was just too big for one pot!


    "Angelic cooking?" This was an enticing selling point, and everyone immediately swarmed over, the sour fish soup disappearing in an instant! None of them had tasted my cooking before, except Judith who had completely forgotten.


    Of course, in Judith''s bowl I also purposely added an extra handful of Romnian sour grass.


    "Ack ack ack - too sour, is this even edible? Did you learn this from monsters?"


    But Judith was ungrateful, nearly spitting it out after one bite. I did it to test if she had truly lost her sense of taste in the trial space due to light elemental influence as I suspected. But still, calling it dark cooking was too much!


    "But I think it tastes pretty good. To be able to make even sour fish soup, I knew Feliciana was the most virtuous wife!"


    Cyra''s portion had the normal amount of seasoning, and she gobbled it up enthusiastically. But her mouth ran away as usual with the usual nonsense.


    "Looks like little Adrian will have good food when...OW!"


    I gave her a hard kick under the table to shut her up before she could continue her drivel.


    "Is this the kind of flavor Edenmere food has?"


    Brennan and Yulanda seemed to find it a bit hard to get used to, never having encountered Earth-style cuisine before, thinking this was how angels normally cooked.


    "Not really, I''ve never had a dish like this..."


    Mia frowned as she tasted a few bites, but then her eyes lit up as she kept shoveling in more fish. Yet her final evaluation was:


    "It''s just a bit too salty!"


    "Couldn''t you eat it with something else?" I couldn''t help a twitch at the corner of my mouth - where was I supposed to find accompaniments? But seeing Reed nod at me with a satisfied look, I felt it was quite worthwhile overall.


    Only Cysper kept grumbling about his grilled fish, stubbornly refusing to join us at the table.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 122: Research Results of Galadras Eye

    "How''s the research on ''Galadra''s Eye'' going, any progress?"


    Taking advantage of the meal, I casually inquired out of idle curiosity.


    "Galadra''s Eye?" Judith paused eating when she heard those words, looking over at us puzzled. "I remember Galadra was one of the four elemental archangels, the angel of earth, and an ancestor of you angels. What''s the connection?"


    "Indeed, it''s that very Galadra, but as for the connection..." Mia''s gaze couldn''t help turning towards us. After all, we were the ones who originally obtained that celestial weapon, so as Reed''s assistant she knew its origins. But she couldn''t bring herself to admit it was seized from monsters.


    It was hard to imagine their own ancestor being involved with monsters, though that wasn''t the only possible explanation.


    From my perspective, I highly suspected the "Galadra''s Eye" was likely a product of an ancient civilization. In the central city of the trial space, Adrian and I saw many items that seemed technology-related, though most were damaged and unusable. But there were some exceptions, like that "VR headset" using light elements for connectivity.


    "I couldn''t make much sense of the technological aspects of those machines..."


    Reed, who had been silently eating, finally spoke up.


    "Not even you could figure it out?" Cyra was stunned, hardly believing the ever capable Reed could be stumped.


    It wasn''t that strange really. No matter how intelligent Reed was, her knowledge only contained existing earthly theories. If the subject surpassed earthly knowledge, it would be odder if she could fully analyze it.


    "Galadra''s Eye doesn''t just have a teleportation function - it combines abilities like communication, positioning, surveillance and other military applications. Since the spatial exchange mainly uses earth elements, that part involving elements or magic is a bit easier to understand."


    Pausing, Reed suddenly produced a scroll and some black buttons, presenting them before us.


    "So while the other functions are unrepairable due to material issues, I''ve managed to isolate and replicate the spatial transfer portion, though not perfectly."


    Everyone curiously leaned in to look. I recognized those black buttons as devices to aid in positioning targets for Galadra''s Eye transfers.


    "These...these are components from the celestial weapon! You secretly took them out! If the High Council found out, that''s a punishable offense!" Mia was aghast, pointing at the black buttons.


    "There were so many location buttons on Galadra''s Eye, a few missing won''t matter. Elara definitely won''t pursue it," Reed remained perfectly calm, not concerned at all until Mia had vented enough.


    "If you kick up a fuss to the Council, you''ll be implicated too!"


    Well, Mia was already in the same boat, probably regretting taking on this assistant role where unorthodox research kept cropping up with no progress on the Angel Descent Formation.


    "So the transferred portal you isolated still needs those black buttons?"


    Galadra''s Eye was already damaged when we acquired it, so Reed repairing it wasn''t too surprising to me. But replicating and isolating that function likely relied on the celestial weapon itself, right?Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "So now we can teleport away from danger like those monsters did?"


    To be honest, I was quite excited - it was like directly utilizing the celestial weapon''s power. The spatial exchange was Galadra''s Eye''s most useful ability. If not for it, the angels may not have been forced back to their Edenmere stronghold. Considering the legendary life-saving feature, it was incredibly convenient.


    "Not exactly! Those buttons are just spares I brought in case of emergency..."


    But Reed shook her head, denying my guess as she unrolled the scroll to reveal an incredibly complex magic array.


    "This is the actual transfer array I created myself! Of course, it''s different from Galadra''s Eye''s spatial exchange, only having basic transfer capabilities..."


    "What? A transfer array!"


    Despite Reed''s many caveats, everyone still expressed disbelief.


    "Hahaha, mere delusions. Do you know how difficult spatial transfer is?"


    Cysper, who had been avoiding Reed, finally couldn''t sit still and rebuked her sternly.


    "First, you need to know the target''s precise spatial location, requiring many mages to scout and calculate in advance. Then you need rare materials to set up the array, only then led by an advanced earth mage can you hope to open a spatial gateway for transfer."


    Transfer magic was indeed extremely complex, classified under earth magic at the divine level, equivalent to high-level angelic magic. Humans could never directly teleport with their mana reserves, so relied on boosting with magic arrays.


    As for angels lacking any earth affinity, it was even more impossible. So for Reed to claim teleporting with just a small scroll, no wonder Cysper didn''t believe her.


    "Locating the target''s spatial position isn''t that difficult for us angels..."


    But Reed remained unfazed, already anticipating his reaction as she calmly countered.


    "Have you heard of ''Spiritual Convergence'', the angelic mind network?"


    "Could it be..." Cysper''s expression changed, of course he knew about that! As someone so versed in light magic, the usage threshold for ''Spiritual Convergence'' wasn''t that high, just lacking conditions to apply it normally.


    To use a simple example, Edenmere''s outbound transfer array was based on locating the exit position through the spiritual network. Logically, other angels would need to relay their location to Elara first, allowing her to shift Edenmere''s exit there.


    We currently had four angels present, including the eight-winged Mia who could establish a small spiritual network, already sufficient. Failing that, there were still those black buttons from the celestial weapon for positioning, just with a different principle that Reed couldn''t yet perfectly replicate.


    "Uh...okay, you win on that! But the array materials, you can''t skip those right?"


    Cysper switched to another point once he realized that.


    "Who says I can''t? Array materials just increase elemental efficiency and reduce conversion losses. There are many substitutes, like..."


    But Reed shattered his assumptions again, exchanging a look with Mia before rolling out the scroll for a live demonstration.


    "Like reducing unnecessary side-branches to cut waste, and prestoring enough earth elements!"


    As she spoke, two small spatial gateways opened between Reed and Mia, allowing them to directly bridge the distance - teleportation.


    "Wow, it really works?" Cyra and I had never witnessed this, totally different from the spatial exchange as we played catch through the portals.


    Unfortunately, the spatial opening didn''t last long, maybe half a minute before disappearing completely.


    "Heh, that''s about all it can do - such a short distance, short duration, tiny gateway only passable by one person. Child''s play!" Cysper immediately mocked, though with a hint of sourness.


    Directly using an array to cast magic was quite rare - usually for high-level large-scale spells, arrays boosted the caster''s abilities. Direct magic from arrays was typically only for low-level spell scrolls - the elemental losses were too high!


    But Reed had done it, even casting the divine-level transfer magic, with such a compact array fitting on a portable scroll! If looks could kill, Cysper''s face would be swollen by now.


    "Well, the earth elements I stored were converted from light, so the efficiency is quite low. I''ve only stored about 5% so far."


    For Cysper''s final jeer, Reed had to admit the limitation, explaining her earlier "not perfect" caveat.


    "Hehehe!"


    Suddenly, Judith''s trademark laugh rang out as she pushed up her glasses, sauntering over to feed earth mana into the array.


    "Don''t forget, I''m an earth mage. If your array can utilize even a low-rank mage''s power..."


    "Of course it can!" Reed glanced at the array, but shook her head.


    "But your skill is still too low. Factoring in rest breaks, it would likely take two to three days to meet the minimum activation requirement."

 Vol 4/Chapter 123: The Royalty of Parristol

    "What about this?"


    Perhaps to let Cysper eat humble pie, Judith finally decided to go all out. Gritting her teeth, she flipped open her palm to reveal a brownish-yellow pebble.


    "This is..."


    To outsiders like us, we naturally didn''t know what it was. But in Reed''s eyes, it was like seeing a treasure, immediately captivated.


    "The legendary Sage''s Stone?"


    "Hahaha, didn''t expect the angels to be such connoisseurs!" Judith laughed proudly, full of admiration for Reed.


    "Exactly, this is the Sage''s Stone. There are no more than three across the entire continent that can flawlessly convert different elements!"


    "Then we can use angelic light elements to power this array?"


    I was a bit surprised - angelic light mana was immense, resolving the fundamental flaw of Reed''s transfer array! If we contacted Elara through the Spiritual Network, we could immediately open a gateway back to Edenmere.


    "But why would you give me something so precious?"


    Reed hesitated, glancing at the Stone in Judith''s hand, not reaching out to take it. They weren''t that familiar, unsure of Judith''s motives.


    "Hehehe! My profession is elemental research too. Your insights into arrays are right up my alley, so giving this to you is no waste at all!"


    Judith laughed again, while Cysper looked sourer the more she grinned.


    "After hundreds of years it''s probably just an abandoned relic anyway. Making that immortal old fart unhappy is profit enough!"


    "Immortal old fart..."


    Mia''s face also soured, but thankfully she knew it wasn''t aimed at her, so stayed silent.


    "But why though?" I shook my head, sipping the now cold fish soup nonchalantly. At this point, anyone could see Judith''s grudge against Cysper went deeper than the surface, with shady motives. But strangely, even Cysper himself seemed oblivious to the reasons, as clueless as me.


    "Hehehe, I know why, I already looked into it secretly!"


    At that moment, the gossip lover popped out again, leaning over to smugly reveal to me:


    "Judith used to visit the Holy City too and met the Pope there. As for their relationship, just think of Teacher Aetna and you''ll understand. Too bad Cysper seems to have completely forgotten her now..."


    "Pfft¡ª" I nearly spat out my fish soup. What a cliched soap opera plot - I thought one Aetna was outrageous enough, now there was a human version with a fatal attraction. Looked like Cysper was more popular than expected!


    "But why are you so well-versed in this? The gossip just keeps coming."


    Seeing everyone''s eyes on me, I quickly wiped my mouth and whispered my question to Cyra.


    "What can I say, angels are so trusting. Just had to ask and they spilled everything..." Cyra shrugged helplessly, giving me an exaggerated wink that sent shivers down my spine. Alright, seemed she was really enjoying this.


    Cyrus always loved digging up inside scoops back in high school - exam dates, transfer student arrivals, this was his forte. Becoming Cyra only made that tendency worse.


    After the meal, everyone took a free break. Judith, Reed and Mia were busy studying how to integrate the Sage''s Stone into the transfer array. Cysper idly strummed his lute, still playing that age-old "City in the Sky." Brennan and Yulanda snuck off into the woods, who knows what they were up to.


    As for Cyra and me...


    "Want to go take a look?" Cyra tugged my clothes, trying to drag me over.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Are you crazy? You''d be better off practicing magic instead of that nonsense!" I pulled her back, scolding. Since Elara warned this trip could be dangerous, I had to urge this slacker on. Otherwise, when real danger struck, she''d regret not being prepared.


    "Did you master that source magic last time?"


    "Um...maybe...kinda..." Cyra stammered unconvincingly, clearly making excuses instead of practicing.


    "It''s just my light mana feels a bit lacking to keep up, not much I can do as a two-winger!"


    "Two-winger my foot!" Could she really fool me with that? The source magic used one''s innate light mana to resonate with external light elements for attacks, requiring little internal mana. In theory, a two-winger''s mana should be enough!


    Alright, maybe the two-wing mana level wasn''t ideal for triggering resonance and fully controlling external elements. But Cyra''s lack of progress left no choice!


    If she could ascend to four wings, the situation might improve dramatically.


    I sighed, wondering if I was asking too much. Haste makes waste - nobody rushed Reed despite her also being a two-winger.


    After resting overnight, everyone''s spirits had recovered nicely. But early the next morning just as we prepared to set out, we received major new intel.


    "The Parristol uprising succeeded - the Parristol Liberation Front has taken full control of the city!"


    The messenger was naturally Mike. We didn''t see him last night, as Cysper had specially sent him to gather information.


    This news was a bombshell for everyone - some surprised, some pleased, others at a loss.


    "How could this happen? What should we do?"


    Brennan and Yulanda were Astralrealm citizens, naturally hoping the kingdom''s suppression force would succeed. Otherwise, just passing through to get home would become far more troublesome, not to mention other complications.


    But it seemed unrealistic for them to head north now, with only about a day''s journey left to our original destination to seek Alfreed''s aid. Who could say if that plan was still viable?


    Those surprised were me, Cysper and the others. We all knew the kingdom''s military force sent to suppress the rebellion - a proper army able to confront monsters head-on. Yet they were defeated by residents of a small border town and an underground movement? It didn''t add up.


    "Hehehe, awesome, way to go Parristol!"


    The one clearly pleased was, of course, Judith. This troublemaker had taken the rebels'' side from the start. Luckily she wasn''t a kingdom citizen, so couldn''t be accused, though her loud cheering was rather disruptive.


    Come to think of it, our little group had quite complex political leanings...


    "What are the specifics, why did the kingdom''s suppression force fail?"


    Once everyone settled, Cysper voiced the question on everyone''s mind.


    "Well..." Mike looked troubled, glancing at the assembled crowd before finally relenting with the answer.


    "It''s mainly because Parristol''s ''Divine Punishment'' appeared again!"


    "Huh, Divine Punishment?"


    Those unfamiliar thought he meant actual divine retribution! Everyone turned towards Cysper, as the largest religion on this continent was the True Church, whose main deity was Yahweh.


    "You''re mistaken - that Divine Punishment probably refers to the ancestral power of Parristol''s royal family!"


    I ended up explaining for Cysper, having heard the legend from Nicola, and relaying it to the group.


    The legend went that Parristol''s ruling Loren family possessed a special divine power to manipulate the "Divine Punishment" through the city''s Chromos Tower, punishing and repelling their enemies. This manifested as one or more beams of light raining down at extreme speed to instantly strike the condemned target, blasting huge craters in the ground!


    For thousands of years, surrounding nations studied these light beams in vain, only observing that they showed no elemental aura and seemed to originate from beyond the sky.


    It was this "Divine Punishment" that initially prompted Nicola''s trip from the capital to the frontier, though she made no major discoveries before dropping the matter. Yet the legend had quickly reemerged!


    "I see...so if the Divine Punishment returned, it must mean there are surviving Lorens involved, right?"


    Cysper frowned in inquiry. As a Pope of thousands of years, he was well-versed in this legend about neighboring Parristol.  Though not openly shocked, it was clear this was no simple matter.


    The Loren dynasty originally declined and lost control of the Divine Punishment, which led to Astralrealm''s king Galahad ordering their extermination. But nobody expected that the royal family ordered exterminated by King Galahad would actually have survivors still living, and capable of regaining control of the Divine Punishment!


    This was an immense development. Having grasped the power of revenge, who knew what extreme actions Parristol might take.


    "Yes! The local resistance, now the Parristol government forces, have officially put forth their new king. By descent, he should be the direct descendant of the king two generations before the last Loren ruler, possessing a relatively legitimate bloodline. His name is..."


    Mike suddenly glanced over at me for some reason, before continuing with great deference:


    "His name is Adrian Loren!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 124: Social Death

    "Adrian?!"


    Upon hearing that name, everyone thought they must have misheard. But after Mike''s confirmation, they had to face reality.


    "Maybe it''s just a coincidence of the same name? I remember Adrian is from the same village as Brennan near the southern border. How could he suddenly become Parristol royalty?"


    Unable to make sense of the complex connection, Yulanda could only optimistically guess.


    "We can''t say that..." Brennan shook his head, clarifying with a wry smile.


    "Adrian and I aren''t actually from the same village. More accurately, he and Vivianne are from my neighboring village. But Adrian''s background seems quite unusual - his father was once a famous fallen noble in our area, supposedly migrating from somewhere decades ago. Only Vivianne was a true local!"


    "Plus Adrian''s family did have the Loren surname, but I never imagined it would relate to Parristol''s royalty, even trying to restore the kingdom..."


    "Damn, you''re telling me Adrian''s basically the Aegon Targaryen of our world!" Cyra couldn''t help quipping, glancing my way.


    "So that makes you..."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" I felt annoyed, wanting to kick her but the swirling confusion made me hold back, letting her off for now!


    "Aegon Targaryen? Who''s that?" Mia asked in puzzlement, but didn''t dwell on it, quickly pointing out a major discrepancy.


    "Wait, though I''ve never actually met Adrian, think about it - Parristol only fell a few years ago, but Brennan said Adrian''s family moved to the neighboring village decades earlier. That clearly doesn''t add up! The Loren name is quite common in Astralrealm and the northern lands, so it could just be a coincidence of names."


    Yeah! As she spoke, realization dawned - that was an irrefutable contradiction, maybe we really were mistaken.


    "Not necessarily! Don''t forget human royalty is quite unique - all sorts of ugliness can happen within those circles..."


    But Cysper disagreed, having experienced Parristol''s entire rise and fall, naturally insightful about the Loren dynasty''s history.


    "If I recall, Parristol''s king from two generations ago had over ten children. After the old king died, they fought viciously for the throne. The only survivor was the fourth prince, that ''good-for-nothing'' Morgan who couldn''t even control the Divine Punishment! During that power struggle, his many brothers and sisters either went missing or were executed. It''s quite possible Adrian''s father was one who fled to Astralrealm amid the chaos..."


    "Hehe, finally talking sense for once, Pope!" Judith chimed in predictably, needling him while voicing support for Adrian''s rebel forces as righteous resistance against Astralrealm''s tyranny, deserving solidarity.


    But then Mike doused everyone''s lively speculation with a cold hard fact, utterly deflating the mood.


    "It''s not that simple. According to reports from the kingdom''s forces, during recent clashes with the rebels, they were attacked multiple times by monsters. Not just low-level ones, but high-level monsters capable of wiping out entire squads single-handedly. This clearly indicates the uprising is tied to the monsters, and not as simple as restoring the kingdom!"


    ...


    Nobody spoke after that bombshell. No matter how just the cause, allying with monsters completely changed the situation. Adrian had practically become a public enemy, not to mention the unknown reprisals he might unleash after his victory.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I''d already heard these details about monster involvement from Elara, but it felt completely different with a familiar face like Adrian involved. Even Judith, his supposed "staunch supporter", fell silent except to ask Mike meekly:


    "What about Crescent City''s stance on this?"


    "Still nothing! Not just Crescent City, the Ilandra Dominion also hasn''t reacted at all, just like before. Their neutral stance seems rather strange, we suspect..."


    "But that''s not right!" Mia interrupted, reminding everyone:


    "Don''t forget, we investigated earlier - the Dominion has been amassing troops lately, probably because they got wind of Parristol''s plans and aim to directly attack them!"


    So the Dominion wanted a piece of the action too? With the monsters involved, attacking Parristol became justifiable. The situation grew increasingly messy - how could Adrian let things spiral like this?


    Allying with monsters was unwise. Just what was he thinking?


    As I racked my brain, Cysper raised another objection. He felt the Dominion''s moves might not be as straightforward as they seemed. Ever since the new emperor seized power amid last year''s unrest, rumors swirled about his shadowy monster connections, though lacking firm evidence.


    Even setting that aside, the Ilandra Dominion had a powerful foe in the south - the Crestvale Republic.


    This Crestvale Republic lay east of the Dominion and Crescent City, another vast human nation. Though distant from Parristol, the rebel forces likely had covert ties there too.


    One point stood out - after the new emperor took over, border clashes with Crestvale had flared up repeatedly. So Cysper felt it was unclear if the troop buildup targeted Parristol or elsewhere.


    "All this discussion is pointless busywork, it doesn''t matter what we say!"


    Cyra had seen through it all, drawing that unsatisfied conclusion.


    "You''re not wrong..." Cysper nodded wryly. Though he spoke impartially, his gaze remained fixed on me.


    "With the continent''s complex situation, Parristol at the crossroads of powers, it''s hard to discern the full picture from our limited intel..."


    "So let''s not overthink it. We''ll decide based on further developments!"


    "...Why is everyone looking at me?"


    After an awkward silence, I finally spoke up. Sure, Cyra was expected, but why were even Reed, Mia, Judith and Brennan glancing my way? Did I wear something wrong today?


    "It''s nothing...Cyra just told us about you and Adrian..." Brennan scratched his head sheepishly, until Yulanda blurted out the rest:


    "So we naturally thought about your connection! You know angels and monsters have always been sworn enemies..."


    Sworn enemies my foot! I wanted to charge over and rip that big mouth''s lips off. This gossipmonger was a total menace, her forte was spreading malicious rumors!


    Even the usually aloof bookworm Reed lifted her head in surprise, giving me a puzzled look before returning to her book, mercifully not prying further.


    Alright, I was basically socially dead now! Thanks to Cyra, my former classmates all thought I was messing around with some guy. She was to blame for this mess!


    "Hehe, what do you think about this Adrian situation? Why don''t we just head to Parristol and ask him directly?" Judith was clearly undeterred, seeing me as her "capable" angelic assistant.


    After our combat in the trial space, we''ve built up a level of trust. Compared to the newly-joined eight-winged Mia, Judith obviously found me more reliable.


    "I don''t think anything of it! You''re all mistaken, Adrian and I have no connection! Besides, I think it''s great if he achieved his goals by allying with monsters. Why be so narrow-minded?"


    I snapped back irritably. Staying would only make things worse, so I turned to storm off towards the lake for a breather. But not before shooting Cyra a piercing glare - this instigator was the real menace!


    The others were dumbstruck by my reaction, frozen in place uncertainly.


    This sudden development left us camped at the lakeside all morning without moving.


    Not just Brennan and Yulanda needing to return to Astralrealm, Parristol''s situation had massive ramifications that everyone debated without conclusion. Mike had already been dispatched by Cysper to gather more information.


    Time trickled by until noon arrived.


    After contacting Elara back in Edenmere, we received a shocking update. Simultaneously, Mike also returned with nearly identical news.


    "Parristol has declared war on the Astralrealm Kingdom!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 125: The Decision

    "Declare war?"


    This was a big deal. Little Parristol dared to directly declare war against the Astralrealm Kingdom? The speed was too fast, wasn''t it just independent for a few days? Just...


    However, after we inquired further, we realized it should be considered a warning, since it came with conditions.


    "Parristol has issued a statement that if the kingdom''s army does not order the Second Legion and Fourth Legion suppressing the locals to withdraw, then they will launch retaliatory strikes on Astralrealm Kingdom''s territories including the capital Norvale!"


    According to Mike, this was the original statement. It sounded like there was still a chance to resolve this. But Cysper didn''t think so, sighing as he explained.


    "Based on my understanding of King Galahad, he has never experienced the power of divine punishment and has never suffered greatly in his life, so he is unlikely to easily agree to this demand. This war is probably inevitable. The core issue now is - how far can Parristol''s divine punishment actually reach..."


    "It can''t really strike all the way to the capital Norvale, can it?"


    Brennan was startled. This was going too far! If the capital was hit, many would die.


    "I don''t think it''s possible, even forbidden spells don''t have that power!"


    But Cysper shook his head pensively.


    "From what I know, divine punishment could previously only affect Parristol''s city area and a limited range outside, never more than ten kilometers. But the problem is, with such a short range, how can it possibly threaten Astralrealm''s capital?"


    He turned his gaze to me, inquiring.


    "Based on everyone''s consistent view of Adrian, he shouldn''t be such an impulsive and unwise person, right? You know him best, can you offer a better perspective on this?"


    Actually, Brennan and the others knew Adrian better, didn''t they? I rolled my eyes and replied,


    "Regardless of whether it can hit the capital or not, I don''t think Adrian would have the heart to destroy Norvale, knowing his second home is there. He doesn''t seem that cold-blooded!"


    "Yeah!"


    Hearing me, Brennan also realized.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Adrian previously joined the kingdom''s army with me as special mercenaries to fight monsters. If he hated Astralrealm so much, he wouldn''t have done that!"


    "But in reality, this warning statement was indeed issued in the name of Parristol''s royal family. It''s impossible for Adrian, as king, to not know about it!"


    Mike sighed, reminding everyone reluctantly.


    "Unless it really wasn''t him, just someone with the same name. But that''s unlikely, so only the person involved may know the reason!"


    "What could the reason be? Could monsters really be behind this mischief?"


    Judith was puzzled. As supportive of Parristol as she was, she still disapproved of this move to escalate the situation. Moreover, if monsters were secretly causing trouble, humans on the continent could never tolerate it.


    Regardless of anything else, as one of the major northern nations defending against monsters, Astralrealm had made substantial contributions protecting humans. If it faced destruction just for this reason, no one could accept that or ignore it.


    "..."


    Actually, I did know - the new king of Parristol was 99% likely Adrian! Combining his previous descriptions of his family situation and Cysper''s evaluation of the Loren Family, it was easy to figure out the historical context. So I never doubted it.


    To be honest, since our last parting, I was a bit afraid to see Adrian again. Because he suddenly confessed to me, leaving me clueless about how to face him, terrified he might show up again asking if I could accept him...


    But unexpectedly, the plot didn''t develop as imagined - this guy actually went and became king of Parristol?! And not just king, but also allied with monsters! Okay, I can ignore the previous parts, but why did he have to take revenge on Astralrealm Kingdom? Leaving aside my situation, how could he do this to his friends Vivianne and Brennan?


    I did have some feelings for Astralrealm, the first kingdom I came to in this world, so I didn''t want to see it destroyed by war. I never believed Adrian would make such a decision, but Mike''s words shook me, because the facts were there. I felt I needed to get to the bottom of this!


    I cared about whether Adrian was still as I imagined, or the same as before, or if I had been deceived all along...


    "Judith, I may not be able to go to Crescent City with you for now!"


    Thinking it over carefully, I finally made up my mind.


    "Oh? You mean we''re going straight back to Edenmere?"


    Cyra was immediately shaken, but then showed a hint of puzzlement.


    "What about Adrian''s side, are you just ignoring it?"


    During our earlier spiritual conversation, due to Parristol''s extremely uncertain situation and the Sage Council''s continued silence, Elara had again requested we stay away from that troubled area. Especially with Reed also with us, if anyone carelessly got into trouble, the loss for Edenmere would be tremendous.


    "Of course not, why would I ignore it?"


    However, I didn''t want to obediently return just like that. Since I needed to investigate, not only was I not going back, I was going to...


    "I''m going to Parristol myself!"


    "Really? That''s great! With Feliciana with us, we don''t have to be so afraid!"


    Yulanda was the first to react, cheering when she heard I was going the same way. She and Brennan had already agreed to proceed as planned, putting aside the border transit issue for now. Their main reason was similar to mine - taking this chance to probe Adrian''s stance, since as roommates, Brennan and he naturally had a special relationship.


    But the main issue now was Reed''s side.


    My decision was quite risky, but Reed, Cyra and the others had no need to indulge my caprice, so we had to part ways here.


    "What? You''re actually going alone without me?"


    To my surprise, Cyra protested unhappily.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 126: The Severity of the Situation

    "Wait!"


    This wasn''t about playing around, I was instantly speechless.


    "Your attitude is strange! I remember you were afraid of danger, so why are you insisting on going towards the tiger''s mountain now?"


    It was truly vexing. Previously at Sulide Volcano, this guy Cyra was deathly afraid, not even daring to take a single step into that cave. Now despite Elara''s repeated warnings, she still wanted to go to Parristol with me. What was she really thinking?


    "If I was alone, of course I''d be scared! But it''s completely different if we''re all together..."


    Cyra spread her hands, gesturing behind her, clearly indicating the two-winged and eight-winged angel combination.


    "Reed just said she also wants to go to Parristol, so of course I have to go with you, or else I''ll be left alone!"


    "She wants to go too?"


    I looked at Reed in puzzlement. Her strength with two wings was about the same as Cyra''s, so why did she insist on wading into this mess?


    "You don''t need to worry about that, I have my own way to ensure my safety..."


    Unusually not reading a book, Reed seemed to be asking Cysper about the international relations of the countries around Parristol. Hearing my question, she turned and nodded.


    "Besides, there''s always Mia! She''s an eight-winged angel, more than enough to protect me!"


    Mia''s position was quite awkward too. Originally Elara wanted her to stay behind and gather information about Parristol''s situation nearby. But as Reed''s assistant, going so far away put her in a difficult position. She wanted to object to Reed''s decision but was immediately threatened with being dismissed as an assistant if she didn''t fulfill her protection duties. That instantly deflated her, completely cowed.


    But talking about it, with Mia around I was much more at ease. The strength of an eight-winged angel was indeed extraordinary - at least a sixth-tier starter, while Mia was said to be from the older generation, having maintained that rank for nearly a thousand years. Converted to human tiers, she was around seventh-tier! Apart from being too engrossed in research and neglecting training, she was basically the strongest among our group, far surpassing even Mike and Cysper.


    While Cyra and I didn''t find it strange for a two-winged angel to order an eight-winged one around, others found it very peculiar, completely overturning their conventional notions about angelic rank hierarchy. Brennan and the others kept sneaking over to ask me what their relationship was.


    "If that''s the case, then I definitely have to come too! With such a big incident in Parristol, how can I just watch from the sidelines?"


    Seeing this, Judith didn''t think it was too much trouble, immediately chiming in to join us. At this point, almost everyone was accounted for! The only ones who hadn''t voiced their stances were Cysper and Mike, but those two didn''t need to be asked - otherwise how could they be called hangers-on?


    "Is this really okay? So many people going to that place Parristol..."


    I couldn''t help feeling dazed. It was like a grand procession, but this wasn''t about sightseeing!


    Was this the legendary power of friendship? To be honest, I was a bit touched that everyone gave various reasons to accompany me, when the possibility was actually quite small. Most likely they were just worried about my safety and wanted to help me out.


    "Although that sour fish you made was somewhat satisfactory, I''m not just doing this to help you!"


    However, just as I was thinking that, Reed suddenly declared as if seeing through my thoughts:


    "The main reason is that divine punishment is really interesting. I just don''t want to miss this opportunity."


    Er...okay, I guess I was overthinking it! It wasn''t strange for Reed to have this mindset. The lure of the strange divine punishment attack was quite strong - not just for her, even Nicola had specifically gone there before, so I didn''t think there was any problem with her saying that.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    In fact, wasn''t I also curious about it? But I just didn''t have the mind for it right now.


    Since everyone had set their goal, there was no need for further discussion. Next, we began heading southwest. At this point, the distance to Parristol wasn''t too far - if we were fast enough, we could arrive in less than half a day.


    "You said you didn''t have any connection to that Adrian, but you''re going this far to find your..."


    Taking advantage of the travel break, Cyra suddenly came beside me with a sly look, taunting. Fortunately, seeing my raised fist, she quickly changed her tune sensibly.


    "...to look for him. You still call that nothing?"


    "There really is nothing. I just don''t understand what he''s trying to do, so I want to ask him in person! What, is that not allowed?"


    I defiantly asked back. I had figured out how to deal with this unscrupulous Cyra. I had to firmly deny it right away, never letting her grab any excuse to make something of it.


    "Tch, of course you can..."


    Cyra curled her lip, clearly still not buying what I said as she muttered to herself.


    "There''s really nothing special about it, why not just admit it?"


    "What do you mean admit it? I said there''s nothing, so there''s nothing!"


    I could feel my head about to burst. Even after my clarification, she still didn''t believe me! Just as I wanted to keep persuading her, I heard Reed suddenly speak up from behind, reminding everyone:


    "When we get to Parristol, let''s not try to directly enter the city. It''s easy to expose our tracks that way! It''s best to stay far away and send just a few people to observe the situation first!"


    "I see...okay!"


    Exchanging a look with Cysper, I nodded in agreement. Reed did make sense. Currently under the local rebel forces'' control, Parristol had imposed restrictions on all entry and exit points, so it would be very difficult to enter through normal channels.


    The top priority of this trip was ensuring safety, not just for Reed, but also a more important figure - the Pope of the True Church. We couldn''t afford any slip-ups. Yet he had followed all this way, I really didn''t know what he was thinking. If we were talking about the most hopeless one, it had to be Mike!


    But no matter how much I advised along the way, Cysper was unwilling to turn back. In his view, Parristol was just a small place - even if divine punishment rained down from the heavens, it couldn''t do anything to him. Since that was the case, what more was there to say...


    However, as night fell and we were nearing our destination, the situation''s development far exceeded everyone''s psychological expectations. Because along the way, we passed through a small village located near Parristol.


    This was a village devoid of any living people - to be precise, there were no survivors, as the ground was littered with corpses that seemed to have been recently attacked. The local villagers had died horrifically, some hung from rooftops, some torn in half, some bodies even eaten to the point of being scattered everywhere. The entire village was covered in a bloody red hue, simply heart-stopping.


    "What happened here?!"


    Cyra had never witnessed such a scene before, repeatedly ducking behind me, whispering:


    "No, this bloody smell...I want to vomit!"


    "Try to hold it in. You''ll see more scenes like this later, you''ll get used to it!"


    Though I also felt uncomfortable, I had at least seen it many times before, even traversing the Dark Continent, so I was much better than when I first arrived.


    Reed''s reaction was far better - though she frowned unable to bear looking at it, she simply turned away and closed her eyes, no problem. Her psychological quality was far superior to Cyra''s.


    "Monsters! And not just lone, mindless beasts. Their numbers were at least ten, and from the entry and exit tracks, they had strong organizational discipline - probably a regular monster military squad that infiltrated from the north into the inland!"


    After carefully examining the corpses and traces left on the ground, Mike reported back to Cysper.


    "What are the border troops doing? How could they allow this to happen?"


    Cysper was truly angered. It should be noted that this area was strictly still part of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion''s territory, right near the border. Yet such a severe monster attack had occurred.


    I couldn''t help interjecting that when Cysper got serious, he somehow came across as quite dashing - completely different from the vibe Cyrus gave me. It made me see him in a new light. As expected of a millennium-old pope, though he normally joked around without a care, his attitude changed in an instant when the situation called for severity.


    "Well...the border troops may not have been able to do anything..."


    After a moment''s hesitation, Mike finally mustered the courage to answer.


    "After Parristol declared independence, the central church issued orders for the border troops there to temporarily withdraw ten kilometers back to avoid unnecessary conflict and casualties. So they should still be behind us at the moment..."


    "Who gave that order?"


    Mike''s words didn''t seem to dispel Cysper''s anger as he immediately demanded further.


    "It was Eminem, the plenipotentiary you personally appointed..."


    Mike carefully replied. Hearing this, Cysper fell silent, only able to turn away from us and brood alone.


    Actually, thinking it over, I didn''t see too much of an issue with Eminem''s order - it may have just lacked comprehensive consideration. Moreover, this place wasn''t far from Parristol, and combined with the repeated incidents of reported monster interference, the root of the problem still seemed to stem from there.


    So it came back to the same question - what was Adrian up to? How could he allow such a situation to occur!


    I really wished I could fly straight to Parristol and drag him out to demand an explanation. However, now was not the time to be rash...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 127: Swap, Sneak in

    Close to midnight, we finally reached the peak of a mountain in the Dona Mountain Range.


    Although the area under foot was rugged and uneven terrain in the mountains, the scene before our eyes was completely different! Illuminated by the moonlight, we could see an extremely vast depression, forming a very standard basin compared to the surrounding elevation. Parristol was situated at the flat bottom of this basin.


    From my current position, I could overlook the entire city. I could clearly see that Parristol city was circular in shape, with an extremely tall city wall built around the outermost perimeter. The city scale wasn''t too large. However, the city area was pitch black at the moment, eerily silent, with only a few scattered lights visible and almost no buildings in sight.


    "Why is it so dead? Did everyone go to sleep?"


    Cyra yawned, unable to help wondering.


    "But it''s not even midnight yet, there should be more than just these few lights on, right?"


    "Indeed, it''s very abnormal. As a border intersection for several countries, Parristol is quite developed in commerce and trade. Entire streets are usually busy operating all night long, with a million lights shining! How could it become like this?"


    Gazing at the scene below, Brennan couldn''t help but immediately think of the worst possibility.


    "Could they all have been..."


    Involuntarily recalling the situation in the previous village, everyone''s expressions changed.


    "Don''t scare us! It''s not that exaggerated. Maybe due to declaring independence, facing imminent war with the kingdom, they specially imposed a curfew under that pressure?"


    Yulanda quickly spoke up to reassure them, but upon saying it, she shook her head, negating her own viewpoint.


    "No, that doesn''t seem right either...a curfew shouldn''t mean so few lights too!"


    "Why don''t we just proceed according to plan and check out the city? We can figure out the situation then."


    After some thought, since staying here guessing was pointless, I turned to Reed standing behind me with the suggestion.


    "Of course, but you all should retract your wings after entering the city area. Since there may be monsters present inside, it''s best to be cautious!"


    Reed naturally wouldn''t object, conducting reconnaissance under the night was her own proposal. But before departing, she reminded us to stay safe.


    As for the team members, with Parristol having a city wall as an obstacle, the task of sneaking into the city could only fall to us angels!


    After all, entering through irregular means was convenient if you could fly!


    However, for concealment and safety, we couldn''t have all four angels going together. The most reasonable arrangement was to move in pairs. But there was a small disagreement in deciding the members.


    Logically, Mia and I were the most suitable choices. However, Mia insisted on not leaving Reed''s side, her top priority being ensuring Reed''s safety in this dangerous place. She absolutely refused to be even a step away from Reed.


    But we couldn''t have her and Reed on the frontlines either...no matter how you looked at it, that wasn''t appropriate. Reed was a two-winged angel who had never fought before, so the responsibility fell to Cyra and me by default.


    I didn''t mind, but I was extremely uneasy about that Cyra. I was considering just going alone when Cysper volunteered, claiming he had a better solution!


    ...


    "That''s about right, it seems completely fine. We can depart now!"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Watching "Cyra" get up from the ground, dusting herself off, I still couldn''t accept their body-swapping routine. But this time was a bit more bearable since we had reached the deep night hours and Cyra was already exhausted, quickly lying down to sleep, sparing me that unpleasantness...


    To be honest, I never imagined they would apply body swapping to situations like this. I really wanted to comment - you''re finally using it for serious matters!


    "Be extra careful, stay safe!"


    After the swap, Cyra in Cysper''s body waved to us before directly crawling into the tent set up behind, continuing to snore loudly.


    "Haven''t you all found it strange? Why is it only Cyra and Cysper who have this peculiar body swapping phenomenon, while other angels don''t have it at all? I''ve never even heard of such a precedent."


    Gazing at "Cysper''s" - Cyra''s - back, Reed suddenly asked with interest.


    "How would I know? Aren''t you the one who''s been trying to research them these past few days? You still haven''t made any headway?"


    I couldn''t help asking back. Although Cysper had resisted Reed''s pestering, he soon got used to it over time. Precisely because of this, Reed had secretly conducted quite a few harmless little experiments on his body, like suddenly plucking a few strands of hair or taking a blood sample with his consent and such. But she couldn''t go too far, not just because Cysper was unwilling, but Mike as his guard would be the first to object.


    "It''s not that I have no clues at all. I keep feeling his physical state isn''t very stable. This condition doesn''t seem like a normal elemental embodiment, but more like magic..."


    Reed murmured, tilting her head, about to glance back at Cyra in the tent again but shaking her head in negation since that guy had already crawled in.


    "But an elemental body formed through magic can''t possibly last for too long, let alone a millennium for the Pope. So I feel like there''s something off! Am I overlooking some key point?"


    "It''s okay, this matter isn''t urgent. There will be plenty of time to research it slowly if you''re interested. You can come find me in the holy capital Jethrobaines in the future..."


    Of course Cysper also wanted to unravel the mystery of his own body, which was why he cooperated with Reed''s research to an extent. But now wasn''t the time to discuss this - we were about to depart! Finishing his words, he spread his wings and leapt off the nearby cliff!


    "Hey, can you actually fly?"


    I almost cried out in shock, but immediately realized I had asked a silly question. He and Cyra had already swapped bodies more than once, surely learning flying skills in the process. Otherwise, he wouldn''t dare make such a bold cliff jump no matter how brave.


    "How could I, as a Pope for thousands of years, not master something so simple? Don''t worry, it''ll be fine!"


    Sure enough, Cysper rapidly ascended from below the cliff with flapping wings. Seeing me also take off from the spot, he boastfully wouldn''t stop bragging midair. But he chose the wrong person - he hit my sore spot, so I simply ignored him and flew off directly.


    Even though it was just basic flight, recalling how long it took me to initially learn, some people really know how to rub it in!


    Finally, after a few minutes of short-distance flight, we silently descended inside Parristol''s northeast city wall without making a sound.


    In this world, due to the existence of powerful adventurers, cities either didn''t bother building walls at all, or if they did, constructed them extremely tall. But to save materials, they reduced the thickness while using large-scale magic formations for physical defense reinforcement. The only downside was that the top width became narrower, unable to accommodate too many patrolling guards. We took advantage of this gap to slip inside.


    Come to think of it, this wasn''t my first time sneaking into a city like this. But the previous occasion wasn''t on this continent, it was the Dark Continent.


    "Quick, conceal wings. Do you know how?"


    After retracting my wings, I suddenly remembered a serious issue and immediately asked Cysper beside me.


    "No problem, I learned from Cyra once..."


    Cysper agreed while recalling the method to conceal wings. Unlike us who had the technique directly imprinted through memory at the start, he took quite a while pondering before successfully completing this step.


    "So where are we heading now, the city center?"


    Fortunately without alerting anyone, Cysper stood at the base of the city wall, gazing towards Parristol''s center. By the moonlight, we could see a huge black pillar towering in that direction above the pitch-black city. The top of the pillar was currently emitting a bright magical light - if I wasn''t mistaken, that should be the famous landmark Chromos Tower.


    "If Adrian is currently the king of Parristol, he should be there..."


    I couldn''t help sighing. Considering the purpose of this special trip to Parristol, if I could directly find Adrian and get clarification, perhaps I could stop his further actions before the situation worsened.


    "So, the target is set then?"


    Seeing this, Cysper immediately started flexing and stretching, acting like a major battle was about to begin. Yet we actually hadn''t even seen a single person so far.


    "Let''s take it one step at a time, don''t get overconfident!"


    This guy had never been outside the holy capital, naturally clueless about the art of sneaking. As an experienced person, I immediately warned him.


    "Even though it''s just a small human city, haven''t you noticed the situation here is very eerie?"


    Just like the scene we saw from the mountaintop earlier, it seemed all the residential houses inside the city had no lights showing. Of course, including the houses around us now, it was pitch black everywhere, disturbingly silent like a haunted house.


    This was quite abnormal. Even if most people were asleep, it was impossible for not a single light to be on, right?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 128: The Empty City

    "Since you find it strange, why not just go inside and take a look to find out?"


    Cysper didn''t say much, casually finding a nearby house and slipping in.


    "Hey! You don''t have to be so direct! Don''t forget we''re infiltrating secretly..."


    Seeing his actions, I immediately recalled the "coffin houses" we encountered in Wal City in the Dark Continent, where Selene and I almost barged right in too.


    But luckily this wasn''t the Dark Continent, nor a monster''s den. The place we entered was just a very ordinary two-story wooden house. The building wasn''t tall - from the layout, it seemed to be a regular residential building.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? It''s deep night and quiet now. As long as we don''t make too much noise, we definitely won''t alert anyone."


    Cysper said unconcerned in a low voice. But unexpectedly, after entering the house, we found most room doors wide open, and from the state of the rooms, they were almost all empty, only discarded furniture and debris left behind. It was clear the previous residents had long since moved away.


    "Why is this? Could we have just walked into an abandoned building?"


    It was largely the same situation upstairs and downstairs. After checking around, I couldn''t help asking.


    "It seems the original residents left in a hurry, leaving behind quite a few large belongings they didn''t manage to take."


    Dusting a table surface beside him, seeing almost no dust on his fingers, Cysper shook his head in reply. This indicated the abandonment wasn''t too long ago, likely related to Parristol''s recent independence turmoil.


    "Why don''t we check some other houses too?"


    "No problem!"


    I naturally wouldn''t object, immediately leaving with Cysper to investigate several more houses nearby. The situation was exactly the same - completely empty, without any living residents...apart from rats and cockroaches, that is.


    "What''s going on here? Why did they leave?"


    I was utterly baffled. I had mentally prepared for the worst possibilities. I thought even if I saw the city full of human corpses slaughtered by monsters, I wouldn''t be too shocked. But reality defied expectations, truly blindsiding me.


    "Well...it''s hard to say! But based on Parristol''s population structure, most were outsiders like merchants and workers. The total population wasn''t that large either..."


    Staring at the still-lit Chromos Tower in the city center, Cysper seemed to roughly guess some reasons as he tentatively explained.


    "So could it be those outside residents fled in fear of being caught in the war?"


    "But they couldn''t have fled this completely, right? There were still quite a few local residents here. You mean they fled too?"


    I was dumbfounded. Almost the entire Parristol was pitch black with few lights, indicating the situation in other districts wasn''t much better either. Another tricky issue now was that it was deep night, normally sleeping hours, so it was hard to judge how many people were actually left in the city.


    After consulting Reed, Mia and the others still on the mountaintop, we ultimately decided to proceed as planned towards the city center.


    As an eight-winged angel, Mia could use the "Spiritual Convergence" spell to create a new spiritual network that Cyra, Cysper, Reed and I could all join, forming a small intelligence network. We could share the latest city exploration intel in real-time like when liaising with Elara, as well as discuss insights and plans.


    This city wasn''t very large to begin with, just a few kilometers radius within the walls. We estimated it wouldn''t take too long to reach there. If the newly-established local government''s command center was located in that area, we might possibly overhear some useful information.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    For this reason, we didn''t choose to directly fly over. One reason was that taking off from inside the city could be too conspicuous, easily spotted by the wall guards, not to mention any lying monsters alerted by the large elemental leakage from our wings. Another reason was that we wanted to continue checking along the way if there really were no residents.


    "What is Adrian doing, turning such a prosperous city into a ghost town?"


    Walking along the deserted streets, I really couldn''t understand it. Without street lamps, we had to constantly watch our footing to avoid tripping on anything. Fortunately, the moonlight overhead was quite bright, so we could still see the road ahead clearly.


    "Don''t jump to conclusions. I''ve seen this kind of plot too many times. Adrian probably only arrived here a few days ago after leaving us, right? He''s likely just a puppet king put forth by the resistance to make things look legitimate, not necessarily holding any real power."


    Cysper walked ahead of me, calmly reassuring. His words did make me feel better, but new doubts arose. If he knew he was just a puppet, why did Adrian insist on participating? Based on his state when leaving, he didn''t seem to be coerced. If I had to say he was deceived, I would find that even harder to believe - Adrian shouldn''t be that stupid.


    "There''s a heavy stench of blood ahead, better be careful!"


    After passing through several streets, following Cysper''s warning, we began seeing more and more corpses on the ground. Rounding a corner, we could see this street had even more densely packed corpses, like a small battlefield aftermath. From their attire, most seemed to be kingdom soldiers killed in previous suppression operations against the resistance. It''s worth noting that many soldiers died horrifically, quite similar to the village scene we witnessed outside the city.


    "By the way, weren''t there reports of monsters hiding in this city? Quite a number of them too? How come we haven''t seen a single one?"


    I was almost numb to the grisly scene before me, completely unfazed. But considering these corpses may not have been killed by humans, I felt puzzled. At most, ordinary national soldiers were just two to three tiers. These clearly seemed killed by monsters, yet not a single monster corpse remained on site, indicating extremely powerful enemies.


    "You angels really can''t get your minds off monsters, do you? Is seeing them that important? Aren''t things better if you can''t see them and avoid mutual killing?"


    Cysper shook his head amusedly as he squatted down, but his expression suddenly changed as he cocked his ear, seemingly detecting some movement.


    "Wait...do you hear that sound? Could we really have encountered monsters?"


    "Huh?"


    With him mentioning it, I also heard it quite clearly! However, it didn''t seem to be monster calls, but indistinct chatter and footsteps approaching our position from the end of the road.


    "That doesn''t seem right, those should be human voices!"


    If I wasn''t mistaken, I could make out words like "clearing" and "collecting corpses" in their chatter. If not unexpected, these could be locals assigned to cleanup duties.


    "Oh, they''re just humans? Then it''s fine!"


    Hearing this, he heaved a sigh of relief, about to continue examining the nearby corpses when he suddenly reacted, grabbing me to run.


    "How could it be fine? Quick, let''s scram!"


    The enemy wasn''t just those hidden monsters - the Parristol resistance was in control of this city. If they discovered us, it wouldn''t bode well either.


    "Look at you panicking. Have you no dignity as the Pope? It''s just a few humans, no need to be so flustered."


    I couldn''t help finding it amusing. They hadn''t discovered us yet, there was plenty of time to retreat. Cysper was indeed experienced from living so long, but he severely lacked experience in this area, so his overreaction wasn''t too strange.


    But when footsteps also appeared from the other end of the street, I finally started panicking too. This road had almost no other exits. To avoid being caught between them, we could only hide in a building by the roadside.


    However, those houses were just residential and shopfronts, all tightly shut. Forcefully breaking in would inevitably cause a huge ruckus, giving us away. Moreover, we still hadn''t completely confirmed if there really was no one inside...


    Did we really have to take the risk of being spotted by monsters to escape overhead?


    "Over here, quick!"


    Just as I was about to reluctantly unfurl my wings, I noticed a small door by the roadside quietly open, a hand extending to beckon us over before swiftly withdrawing.


    "Who''s that? Should we really go in?"


    Cysper and I exchanged glances, hardly believing our eyes. At this critical juncture, such a timely act of help is truly hard to come across.


    "Never mind that, let''s hide first!"


    There was no time to worry about such things now, as the footsteps from both sides were getting closer and closer. Before I had time to think it through, I took the lead and rushed into the doorway, only to find myself in pitch darkness, barely able to see anything.


    A soft "click" came from behind, the sound of Cysper closing the door. After we stood in the dark for quite a while, we finally noticed a staircase right in front of us. This seemed to be part of a street-side shop building, and the stairs could lead us up to the second floor facing the street.


    "I knew you would follow us here!"


    When we reached the second floor, we saw the silhouette of a young girl leaning against the window, speaking to us. Unfortunately, due to the backlighting, we could not make out her face clearly.


    "Two girls wandering the streets of Parristol in the dead of night, and even inspecting those corpses. Don''t tell me you were sent by another country to gather intelligence?"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 129: Spies?

    "Two girls?"


    Cysper muttered softly from behind after hearing that, then seemed to immediately realize he was currently using Cyra''s body, so he didn''t say anything more.


    "We''re from the Cresthaven Papal Dominion..."


    I glanced back at Cysper. Although he now had Cyra''s appearance, he was indeed the Pope. The Pope''s personal presence carries quite an impact! Unfortunately, I couldn''t directly reveal that to the other party, and I didn''t plan to disclose my own angel identity either. So I just gave an ambiguous answer, then asked in return, "Who are you?"


    Very little information could be guessed from the other party''s words, but it was certain that she was definitely not a local resident. The reason was simple - ordinary civilians wouldn''t have the audacity to act like this.


    "A spy sent by the True Church? Perhaps you could be of some help..."


    The mysterious girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.


    "Never mind who I am for now. If you truly want to investigate the situation here in Parristol, I can introduce a person for you to have a good chat with. Then you''ll find out whatever you need to know. However, if you want to know any other information, I can''t say too much. After all, the issues behind Parristol may not be something one or two countries can resolve..."


    The other party didn''t seem to doubt our identities but was still withholding something. However, judging from her words and demeanor, she didn''t seem like a member of the local rebel groups either. So the only possibility left was the kingdom - perhaps she was also a spy, but from the Astralrealm Kingdom.


    "This place isn''t suitable for a detailed discussion. We need to go somewhere else..."


    At this moment, the voices on the street were getting louder and louder. Those who had come to clear the corpses had already arrived downstairs nearby. The mysterious girl peeked down through the window, then led us towards the back of the house.


    This room seemed to be a street-side shop based on the layout. The first floor was the shopfront to attract customers, while the second floor was for living quarters, similar to the small room Nicola and I rented in the capital Norvale, though it was now also vacant.


    At the back of the house was a small courtyard, typically a leisure space for residents to socialize and hang laundry. The mysterious girl leapt directly from the second-floor window onto the adjacent roof next door and waited there for us.


    "What should we do? Should we really go with her?"


    Seeing Cysper unhesitatingly climb over the window to follow her, I hesitated for a while and immediately summarized the current situation to Mia and Reed through the Spiritual Network.


    "It should be fine! If there''s no unexpected situation, she''s likely a kingdom''s military personnel, just as you guessed earlier. You can follow along; there shouldn''t be any danger. But don''t be too careless either! If you notice any abnormal signs, report to us promptly!"


    Reed''s voice came through. But...


    This is the second floor! With the enemy''s identity still unclear, I naturally couldn''t casually reveal my angel identity either. But without wings, is it really appropriate to climb over walls and walk on rooftops? What if I lose my footing and fall down?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    For Cysper, it was no problem since the Pope''s former body never had wings anyway, so maneuvering rooftops was second nature. But for a newbie like me, the distant ground below was truly daunting.


    "Don''t dawdle! How can you not even dare to jump this little bit? Don''t tell me you haven''t even reached the first rank?"


    The mysterious girl looked at me standing on the windowsill for a long time without any further action, finally unable to resist muttering softly in surprise.


    "Who said that? I''m coming over now!"


    For a sixth-rank adventurer to be thought of as not even first rank - where could I put my face? Gritting my teeth, I climbed over and grabbed the windowsill, inching my way step-by-step until I finally made it onto the rooftop.


    "Looks like you really haven''t trained in martial arts. Don''t tell me you''re actually a mage?"


    The other party sized me up and down, clicking her tongue lightly before finally turning and starting to lead the way along the rooftops.


    "It''s not far from here, this is the local middle-class residential area. The resistance groups rarely patrol around here."


    Under the bright moonlight, I could vaguely make out that the other party looked very young, probably only in her late teens or early twenties. Her movements were also quite skilled, at least fourth or even fifth rank by my estimate.


    "Be careful, don''t slip!"


    Cysper didn''t say much more upon seeing this, only quietly reminding me from behind. Some rooftops were covered in slanted tiles, making it easy to slip. Even he couldn''t be too careless walking on them. After all, with Cyra''s body, the physical strength was far inferior to the Pope''s original body without wings.


    Walking on the rooftops avoids many detours, but our current route didn''t head straight towards the city center. Along the way, we could see that patrols were not lacking on the streets below, but since most rebels weren''t from formal military backgrounds, they lacked strict organizational discipline. Most of them huddled in corners slacking off, while some patrolling soldiers holding torches hadn''t moved positions for a long time, clearly goofing off.


    "Um...have you been to the Chromos Tower area? What''s the situation like over there now?"


    After hesitating for a while, I finally mustered the courage to ask this question.


    "Do you know where Parristol''s new king is located right now? Is he inside that tower?"


    I could actually see the Chromos Tower in the city center very clearly, but I didn''t dare charge over recklessly. Because apart from that tower, there were some extremely tall and magnificent buildings nearby, including one that looked very similar to a temple, with lighted lamps at the entrance and people clearly stationed there guarding it. This showed that the defensive forces around the central tower could not be underestimated.


    "The Chromos Tower has been the royal residence of the Loren Dynasty for generations. Of course the royal family can only reside there. As for that new king Adrian? I''ve actually caught a glimpse of him from afar. Age-wise he should be around my age, but unfortunately he''s clearly just a puppet figurehead put forth by the rebel groups in the end, with no real power!"


    The mysterious girl leading us couldn''t help but snort derisively upon hearing my words, then shook her head and sighed.


    "I just didn''t expect there were still living descendants of the Loren Dynasty. The forces behind Parristol are indeed not simple."


    I fell silent then, as the disdainful attitude in her words was obvious. In fact, regarding this issue, I haven''t figured it out myself until now, which is also one of the purposes of this journey.


    "We''re here!"


    After walking a bit further, we arrived at a spacious courtyard area, with mostly single-story houses around. The mysterious girl leapt straight down from the rooftop to the ground below, then turned and slipped into the house underneath.


    "......"


    Now on the rooftop, only Cysper and I were left. We looked at each other, suddenly at a loss for what to say or do.


    The reason was simple - we didn''t dare jump down!


    Without wings spread, angels basically have about the same physical abilities as ordinary humans. Even after rank increases that enhance physical qualities, it''s at most only a slight improvement over regular people. If we jumped down directly like she did, we might not die but would likely end up crippled.


    But if we revealed our wings to fly down, what if we couldn''t retract them in time and the other party saw us on the ground? After working so hard to conceal our identities until now, I felt reluctant to expose them so quickly.


    After all, we''re committed to this act, can''t half-ass it halfway through.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 130: Dispersal, Shelter

    "Don''t you angels usually train your physical bodies? You''re really too lazy! Over-relying on your wings like that is undesirable!"


    Finally unable to hold back anymore, Cysper started to criticize. He completely forgot that Cyra was just a newbie angel without years of martial arts training like him.


    "Look who''s talking! Having wings but not using them, that''s what''s really brainless!"


    I refuted defiantly. But even as I spoke, I couldn''t help wondering - if angelic physical abilities could be enhanced through human training methods, would our combat power multiply when our wings were spread?


    Unfortunately, no one could answer that question for me now. Seeing no ladder around to climb down, Cysper finally lost patience and was about to spread his wings to fly down. I hurriedly stopped him.


    "Wait, there''s a tree next to this eave. We can climb down from here."


    The tree was planted in the courtyard, conveniently right next to the house below us. The trunk looked smooth enough that I thought we could try sliding down.


    "Why bother with all that trouble? At most, the other party will just find out we''re angels, I don''t think there''s any problem!"


    Cysper seemed rather reluctant, probably because having the Pope climb a tree was a bit undignified. But I didn''t see it that way.


    "How could there be no problem? Don''t forget there may be monsters in this city. Our angel wings spreading would easily give us away, let''s avoid exposure if we can!"


    I immediately denied it verbally. There was another reason I didn''t voice - we four had defied Elara''s orders by coming to Parristol! If we exposed ourselves to humans too early, who knew if it might attract other undercover angels here on Edenmere''s intelligence gathering mission. If they tried to forcibly take us back, inadvertently causing a conflict would be bad.


    Of course, if we had no choice but to fight, exposure might be unavoidable. I just wanted to conceal it as much as possible, plus it could have the effect of lulling the enemy too.


    "You angels really overthink everything!"


    Although reluctant, Cysper couldn''t dwell on it further. After all, climbing a tree was very simple for him, no difficulty even using Cyra''s body. So in the end, he could only queue behind me to slide down the branches.


    "Why aren''t you coming in yet, so slow?"


    Unfortunately, just as I slid halfway down, the mysterious girl who had entered earlier suddenly came running back out, probably impatient from waiting too long. But upon seeing me clinging to the tree, she burst out laughing and gestured for someone inside.


    "Quick, come see! Those two mages I told you about are climbing a tree outside, just like the sloths down south!"


    Damn, we''re being mocked!


    Seeing this, I didn''t feel like continuing down and quickly leapt horizontally straight to the ground, nearly spraining my foot. Cysper above me was unusually red-faced as he sped down the slide too.


    "Why didn''t you just say so earlier? I could''ve brought you both down together!"


    "Valerie, don''t make fun of them. It''s normal for mages to have poor physiques. Or were you just looking to mock me too?"


    Just as the mysterious girl said that to us, another girl came running out from the room. Upon seeing me, her gaze froze as she pointed and exclaimed.


    "You...you''re Feliciana, aren''t you?"


    "Oh? Eleanora!"


    In that moment, I recognized her too, feeling utterly astounded. What a small world that we''d meet again so quickly, and in a place like this.


    But thinking about it, it was understandable. Eleanora was originally a regular member of the Astralrealm Kingdom''s military. Our previous encounter in the Norvale capital was just a routine audience with the king after her promotion to sixth rank. After that, she would naturally return to the military, so being dispatched here wasn''t too surprising.


    "Captain, guess who''s here!"Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Delighted to meet an old acquaintance in a foreign land, Eleanora immediately shouted into the house. If it was the captain she mentioned, then could it be...


    "How many times have I told you two not to make such a ruckus? Aren''t they supposed to be from the Church?"


    As expected, the voice came before the person! Alfreed''s voice came from inside the house. But before he even emerged, I had already entered first.


    "Feliciana! It really has been a while. How did you end up in this kind of place at such a critical time?"


    The moment we met, I almost bumped right into Alfreed coming out carrying a portable light. Seeing me, he immediately asked inquisitively.


    "Don''t even ask, I want to know about you guys too!"


    I couldn''t help reminiscing wryly about the events that had previously occurred in Wal City on the Dark Continent.


    Back then, Selene and I were also being chased by enemies when we found Alfreed and the others'' temporary base through Adrian''s guidance. Now in Parristol, the situation was quite similar, albeit with some minor differences, making me marvel at the parallels of fate once more.


    "What do you mean ''you guys''?"


    Alfreed was momentarily dazed upon hearing that, but quickly realized and helplessly gave a wry smile.


    "Well, it''s almost the same, except this time we infiltrated here intentionally. But you two, did you also end up in Parristol unintentionally?"


    He shifted his gaze towards Cysper, who had just climbed in after me from the tree, his mouth nearly gaping open.


    "Michelle?! What are you doing here?"


    "That''s not Michelle! She''s Feliciana''s friend, I remember her name is Cyra, right? A rather strange name, exactly the same as that Saint angel from the True Church."


    Eleanora had met Cyra back in the capital and had a similar reaction then, but this time she was already used to it and promptly clarified the misunderstanding for us.


    "Alright then! The True Church again..."


    Alfreed had really seen it all. After Eleanora''s explanation, he stared at Cysper for a long while before finally giving up with a dejected remark,


    "Don''t tell me she''s also some priest from the Church?"


    How ironic that he inadvertently guessed half right! This guy isn''t a priest though, but the Pope disguised as an angel!


    "Who told you I''m a priest? Listen up, I''m actually..."


    Seeing the situation, Cysper clearly understood what had happened and was about to reveal his Papal identity as he brushed off the dust. Fortunately, he caught himself in time. However, after a pause, unable to think of any other excuse, he could only dejectedly admit:


    "Okay, I''m a priest!"


    "Angels? You''re actually angels? But then why did you have to climb the tree..."


    At this moment, that Valerie suddenly clasped her hands over her mouth in surprise, as Eleanora had whispered my true identity to her from behind. Cysper immediately shot me an extremely displeased glare, conveying his great grievance at climbing the tree unnecessarily.


    "She''s not really a priest either. She''s actually a friend I brought from Edenmere. We came to Parristol together to investigate the situation here!"


    Quite embarrassed, I quickly introduced everyone. As for the Pope''s identity, I decided to conceal it for now. After all, the relationships were already complex enough without being able to fully explain it easily.


    "Is it about Adrian?"


    Upon hearing our purpose, Alfreed sighed and went straight to the core reason for my journey, the previously joyful atmosphere in the room instantly dimming.


    He and Eleanora had served in the same squad as Adrian before, living and working together, so their bond was hardly ordinary. Naturally, everyone felt uneasy about their former comrade suddenly becoming the top enemy.


    "...So you snuck in here to actually capture...or perhaps even eliminate him?"


    I fell silent for a while, finally mustering the courage to ask, feeling it difficult to voice outright. If they directly admitted it, I wouldn''t find it too surprising either. After all, they were still the kingdom''s soldiers who had to obey orders, setting aside personal friendships for now. Moreover, Adrian could hardly avoid being labeled a traitor.


    "It hasn''t reached that stage yet. The truth is, we''re also not very clear on Adrian''s exact situation!"


    Eleanora shook her head, temporarily dispelling my doubts.


    "Our main purpose this time is to investigate the enemy. After all, we previously suffered a major defeat, so we can''t act rashly again. And the capital is unable to send reinforcements, so we have to be extremely cautious. The captain and I are quite experienced in this area, so we were dispatched here..."


    "So have you uncovered any useful information?"


    Cysper immediately followed up after hearing that, but then quickly recalled another more important question.


    "Oh right, do you know what happened to the local Parristol residents? Why haven''t we seen a single local in this city?"


    "They were just dispersed by the rebel forces, don''t worry! But let''s go inside and discuss the details. You know we can''t keep the lights on for too long here without rousing suspicion..."


    After pondering briefly, Alfreed immediately ushered us all inside to sit down, then activated a light element isolation device before we exchanged intelligence. This time, our base had few people - apart from Cysper and myself, there were only the three of them, the elite among the kingdom''s military.


    Through a short discussion, we finally understood what had happened in Parristol over the past two days. In order to resist the kingdom''s suppression after the recent successful uprising, the Loren royal family had issued a notice to disperse non-local residents from the city a few days ago, ostensibly to prevent enemy spies from infiltrating.


    Although Parristol''s population was not large, with most being migrant workers, there were still a certain number of locals. Especially since these locals were very willing to support the uprising, the Loren royals could hardly abandon them. So yesterday, they moved and sheltered the remaining locals to buildings near the city center''s Chromos Tower.


    "That building is an ancient temple, supposedly dedicated to a ancient deity. Based on previous investigations, there was nothing particularly special about it..." Alfreed finished explaining before the girl called Valerie added.


    "But strangely enough, over a thousand people were moved inside, yet it managed to accommodate all of them with not a single sound! There''s no sign of anyone eating, drinking, or relieving themselves - only a few soldiers guarding the entrance."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 131 - Exchanging Intelligence

    "What we fear most now is that those local natives might have been secretly killed inside, right?"


    Alfreed said with a worried look. Although such things had happened in other worlds before, Cysper quickly disagreed with him.


    "Not likely. The Lord would not allow that to happen, moreover it goes against the rebels'' original intentions! So many people dying inside would mean transporting bodies out, there''s no way there wouldn''t be any blood trails outside."


    He turned to the others and asked, "Have you all noticed anything like that?"


    "It doesn''t seem so..." Valerie shook her head.


    "I''ve been watching outside the temple until evening, apart from a few humans going in and out, I haven''t seen any carts transporting supplies around. Not to mention supplies, there wasn''t even the slightest noise coming from inside - it''s like those over a thousand people who entered just disappeared soundlessly!"


    "That''s strange, could there be a secret passage inside the temple leading to an escape route outside the city?" Cysper proposed another possibility.


    "That scenario is also unlikely!" Alfreed disagreed again.


    "The Astralrealm Kingdom studied that temple to some extent during the occupation but found nothing special, no hidden paths leading outside the city. If they really disappeared, it''s more likely they used teleportation magic, like that Galadra''s Eye that invaded our kingdom before..."


    "Oh, you mean like Galadra''s Eye? Then it''s possible they were given similar celestial weapons!" I nodded in realization. Since the rebels were found associated with monsters, it wouldn''t be impossible for them to be loaned such tools. But this explanation still had doubts.


    "If it was an exchange, why weren''t any new monsters seen coming out? Or did they just teleport the people away?"


    However, no one could answer this question, as there were many possibilities before the truth was fully revealed.


    "Speaking of monsters...what progress have you made investigating them?" Cysper changed the subject to this important issue.


    "Not much progress!" Alfreed sighed reluctantly when talking about this topic.


    "Our Astralrealm Kingdom''s intelligence department has had reports showing the private interactions between the Parristol Resistance and monsters for a long time. But there were no obvious signs before, so it wasn''t taken seriously. Now it turns out they''ve become more and more extreme, even openly colluding!"


    "The monsters that attacked our kingdom''s army this time are no longer just one or two - it''s an entire monster battalion! Although the total number isn''t that high, probably just a few dozen, every single one is over the 5th tier, a formidable mid-rank monster. Not to mention some of them can fly!"


    "That many? Then why haven''t we seen a single one?" I was shocked, thinking there''d be just a few at most, not imagining so many monsters hiding in this human city!


    "Most of them are concentrated outside the south side near Moon Lake. They don''t move around much normally, occasionally wandering out at night, but it''s still quite rare to spot them. You can see their organization is very disciplined - not something regular troops could handle."


    Eleanora helped explain. Upon hearing they weren''t in the city, I felt much relieved.


    "No wonder we haven''t seen them inside. Then I don''t need to deliberately hide my wings anymore!"


    Moon Lake located in the mountains south of Parristol city, shaped like a crescent moon. Because no matter what season, the moon in the sky always reflect in center of the lake, that''s why it got this name. The scenery around the lakeside very beautiful, considered one of Parristol''s famous second-tier tourist spots.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Of course, opposite to it also got one Sun Lake, situated at the north side of the city, the three form a straight line. As the name suggests, it circular in shape. Unfortunately, about a hundred years ago, this Dona Mountain Range experienced a very big earthquake, causing not only the eruption of Sulide Volcano in the north, but also landslides in that area, burying half of Sun Lake under fallen rocks. Now at best can only call it Half-Sun Lake.


    "Perhaps to you angels, these 5th tier monsters alone no threat. But apart from them, there are also clearly some higher-ranked elite monsters lurking behind! Those fellows very difficult to deal with."


    Seeing I didn''t seem too concerned, Eleanora hurriedly reminded me.


    "Elite monsters, how elite are they?"


    Cysper''s interest was immediately piqued upon hearing this. I could tell with one look, he had been in the holy capital too long, rarely encountering these scarce elite monsters, so couldn''t help feeling excited. Moreover, currently inhabiting Cyra''s body, logically he should be even more powerful, naturally not fearing them like ordinary people.


    "At least 6th tier!"


    Alfreed gave a minimum estimate, thinking for a bit before adding:


    "As for the other few, since they haven''t taken action it''s unclear. But one of them is a red-haired demon you all must be very careful of! He''s extremely crazed, bloodthirsty by nature. The kingdom''s troops are usually only 2nd to 3rd tier, far outmatched by his strength. Yet he refused to spare even one, charging into the crowd massacring indiscriminately, inflicting severe casualties on our 5th legion!"


    "Then I hope we don''t encounter him!" I quickly stated. A madman like that, I definitely don''t want him targeting me.


    "Even if we don''t meet him, Parristol is still very dangerous now!" Valerie suddenly cut in.


    "Don''t forget there''s also the ''Divine Punishment'' raining from the sky, a devastating weapon. Those hit by the Divine Punishment almost never survive, even angels are not necessarily exceptions!"


    "Oh right, I almost forgot that! What''s the deal with this Divine Punishment? From what you said, it doesn''t sound like a normal explosion, very powerful?"


    I smacked my head and quickly asked.


    "Well..." Eleanora and Alfreed exchanged a glance, looking troubled.


    "Actually, the Divine Punishments we witnessed were just one or two falling down, not that many. And the landing spots were far away from any people. Though it caused huge explosions, no one was actually hurt."


    "Rather than an attack, it''s more appropriate to call it a warning. Quite a few soldiers lost morale and fled directly after witnessing the legendary Divine Punishment fall."


    Alfreed added in explanation.


    "Could that have been Adrian''s intention then, not wanting to harm you all?" I was moved and immediately pointed out. After all, the legends state only the Loren royals can control Divine Punishment. Perhaps out of lingering feelings, Adrian was unwilling to kill his former companions.


    "Seems to make some sense..." Alfreed looked at Eleanora, both nodding in agreement. But he continued:


    "However, there''s no evidence to confirm this. We can''t just assume Adrian currently poses no threat to us, unless we can truly meet him in person and get clarification!"


    "The key issue is we can''t easily approach Chromos Tower. As the royal palace of the Loren royals, it''s arguably the most tightly guarded place in all of Parristol, with almost 80% of the rebel forces stationed around the tower. We have absolutely no way to get close!"


    Valerie couldn''t help but complain. This made me feel somewhat dejected - if we couldn''t even enter Chromos Tower, how could we hope to see Adrian in person?


    "About this Divine Punishment, have you all wondered where it came from?"


    Cysper, who had been silent for a while, suddenly posed a question to us.


    "Isn''t it from the sky?" Alfreed couldn''t help looking puzzled, asking as if it were obvious.


    "But before entering the sky, it couldn''t have been circling up there since antiquity right?"


    Cysper immediately followed up, leaving everyone dumbfounded - it seemed they had never considered this question before.


    "The captain was commanding on the frontlines dealing with the monster attacks at the time, while I was providing healing support from the rear. Neither of us noticed any abnormal phenomena occur. It just felt like the Divine Punishment suddenly fell from the sky, without any warning..."


    After pondering for a long while, Eleanora could only recount her personal experience.


    "Perhaps the Divine Punishment is simply untraceable, otherwise why would everyone call it by that name?"


    Though she made sense, the moment Cysper raised that point, it immediately reminded me of Nicola''s "missile" hypothesis. However, there were still many inexplicable aspects. For instance, if it really was some kind of missile weapon, there should at least be some kind of launch silo right? From the descriptions, it didn''t seem like a long-range missile, since that would require a considerable flight time. But there were also no records of anyone witnessing a medium/short-range missile launch, which was truly baffling.


    After that there was nothing more to discuss. Once we finished exchanging intelligence, everyone gathered together and ate some of our provisions. Originally Alfreed''s group planned to rest a bit before returning outside the city at night. But after Cysper and I contacted Reed and Mia, we decided to explore that temple.


    Though it was already past midnight and we felt really tired, there was no other choice. After all, this kind of operation could only be carried out at night - the city center was almost all flat plazas and gardens, with nowhere to hide during the day.


    As for those monsters, we didn''t need to worry about them for now. Since they weren''t in the city, we could set them aside temporarily.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 132 - The Disappeared Residents

    "Just the two of you, are you sure there won''t be any issues? The guards around that temple seemed quite numerous."


    Since this mission prioritized stealth, only Cysper and I would go. Alfred''s group would not follow. Even though they now knew our angel identities, Valerie still didn''t quite believe we could successfully complete this task, as our previous clumsy actions left too deep an impression on her.


    "No worries, Feliciana and her friends can fly, more than capable of self-defense. Moreover, her friend''s strength definitely can''t be too weak either, they can watch out for each other."


    Eleanora expressed full confidence in us, smiling as she reassured the other. However, after saying that, she turned and pulled me aside to the corner, whispering:


    "Your angel friend seems rather peculiar! Not only does she constantly mention some ''Lord'', but also frequently draws a cross on her chest to pray. I heard your angel clan''s relations with the Jethrobaines church have improved recently, could she really want to join and become a priestess?"


    "Uh, probably not to that extent, just a personal hobby."  I thought it over and could only explain with a wry face. For the Pope, such behavior is quite normal! If he didn''t pray to her god regularly, how could he be considered diligent? We''ve just gotten used to it along our journey, plus the original Cyra acted similarly. So it didn''t seem strange to us, but to the uninformed like Eleanora, it appeared very odd.


    "Alright, there''s a lot about the angel clan I don''t understand anyway..."


    Though not fully convinced, Eleanora didn''t pry further, kindly reminding us again:


    "Still, you two should be extra careful this time. The temple area may not have major issues, but you absolutely must not alert Chromos Tower nearby. That tower is quite abnormal, there''s no telling if they possess some special defensive means like the Divine Punishment! The Astralrealm Kingdom did some research on it, finding Chromos Tower is constructed entirely from solid Mithril, exceptionally sturdy! Even intentional damage is very difficult!"


    "Mithril, what''s so impressive about that?"


    Hearing her words, I suddenly recalled the various rumors about Mithril, including from back on Earth and in this world. Things like Mithril being extremely powerful, obtaining it was equivalent to getting a celestial weapon. Or that weapons made of Mithril could unleash strength far beyond one''s innate abilities and so on...


    After delving deeper through books and explanations from senior angels, I realized all these claims grossly exaggerated Mithril''s effects.


    This world''s Mithril differs greatly from conventional silver people are familiar with. The only commonality is perhaps just the silvery-white metallic luster.


    Mithril is a magic alloy, supposedly requiring long-lost ancient techniques plus elemental blending to synthesize. Since moderns cannot replicate the production methods from scratch, the amount circulating remains limited, mostly taken from disassembled ancient artifacts or building materials.


    In this world, apart from being slightly sturdier and lighter than iron, Mithril''s main practical use seems to be its excellent elemental conductivity, widely employed as array materials for magic formations that can even be recycled! So despite the scarcity, demand isn''t particularly high either.


    Some do buy it at exorbitant prices to forge weapons after believing the hype, only to find the claims completely overblown with no combat enhancements! The sole advantage is making decent wands, but the continent has too many substitute materials, not really lacking Mithril. Hence in this world, Mithril is somewhat of an appendix - take it or leave it, makes little difference.


    "You must not underestimate Parristol''s history - Chromos Tower is undoubtedly the oldest structure in this entire city, unmatched! The kingdom''s army occupied Parristol for so many years, yet still hasn''t fully uncovered the tower''s secrets. Now that the Divine Punishment has resurfaced, who knows if the Loren royals possess any other hidden trump cards. I think the rebels have been acting quite abnormally since taking control of the city these past few days. You two must stay extra vigilant!"


    Alfred also chimed in at this point, seeing I didn''t seem too concerned about Eleanora''s warnings. He immediately followed up persuading:


    "Moreover, Adrian now as king surely resides inside. The protection around him must be extremely tight. Those high-tier monsters mentioned earlier could also be hiding in the tower - you may not be their match!"


    "Alright, we''ll be careful..."


    I nodded helplessly, not really intending to correct his notions. Though Alfred didn''t know I''d attained 6th tier certification, and Cysper using Cyra''s body was potentially even stronger than me, I still felt he made sense. After all, our purpose here was mainly investigation - best to avoid unnecessary incidents.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I just couldn''t help feeling a tinge of disappointment that Adrian didn''t seem so easily accessible these days. This guy''s really getting too arrogant...


    Not cool, not cool at all!


    "When you return, remember to tell Brennan that if they want to enter from the border, they can first head to the Astralrealm border outpost west of Parristol to find us. All the kingdom''s legions have withdrawn there. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we''ll be back there before dawn."


    Before leaving, Alfred finally remembered Brennan traveling with us, casually leaving these words.


    "Tsk tsk, you haven''t been an angel for very long, yet you''ve already got quite a few networks."


    It was only after we had spread our wings and traveled far into the city center that Cysper turned back to give me a meaningful look.


    "Those two young ones should have at least reached the 6th tier, though not that common in the Astralrealm Kingdom. And both being in the military, as long as they can survive on the battlefield, their prospects are certainly unlimited. The kingdom has indeed been infiltrated thoroughly by Edenmere''s influence..."


    I couldn''t help feeling indignant at his audacity to bring this up. I immediately countered, "How impertinent for you to say that! Don''t forget, even King Galahad himself has joined their church. What relationship do they have with your order?"


    "Well, it''s not like Galahad shows much devotion. Perhaps his joining was more for political interests, like making connections through the church to have sway over other nations'' leaders."


    True Church being the only orthodox faith across the continent, with its influence spreading to every corner through churches in every land, Cysper saying this wasn''t that unreasonable.


    "What should we do ahead? Should we fly over it?"


    Finally, as we gradually approached the city center and the route by rooftop came to an end, we could see a vast plaza stretching out between us and the temple, with few people but many of the rebel soldiers patrolling the edges illuminated by magic spotlights. Clearly not possible to charge through on foot.


    This was a circular plaza surrounding Chromos Tower. Within the plaza were also constructed some other buildings. Apart from the temple housing over a thousand local residents, there was also a massive library situated at the other end. Most of the illumination in the entire city came from this area, indicating just how tightly guarded it was.


    "Then let''s fly a bit higher!"


    Seeing many magic spotlights occasionally sweeping across the sky, I thought this plan through as the only option. The rebel forces had no means to field griffin or dragon mounts for aerial defense. Their air combat capabilities likely depended entirely on monster support. But those monsters were currently stationed at Moon Lake to the south, beyond effective range to pose a threat to us, so it was completely worth attempting!


    "I still feel this intentional exploit is somewhat risky...would the enemy really leave such a glaring hole?"


    Midway, Cysper cocked his head doubtfully.


    "Can you think of a better way then, invisibility?"


    I shot him a look. Confirmed the enemy lacked air forces, this approach was far superior to directly phasing through with invisibility spells, as we couldn''t be sure if those patrolling humans could sense light elements. If only Adrian were here, his "Stealth" arrows could perfectly circumvent this weakness. Unfortunately...


    Fortunately, events proved Cysper''s worries excessive. We quickly traversed the plaza successfully, descending onto the temple rooftop behind where patrols were slightly fewer, with a few idling in the shrubbery beside clearly slacking off.


    "Strange...there really isn''t a single person inside this building, just some burning torches!"


    With feet dangling off the eaves, Cysper poked his head through a window to scan inside before flying back up to me.


    "Where exactly were the local residents taken?"


    Having mentally prepared somewhat, I wasn''t too surprised, just unable to make sense of it. Could this really involve spatial teleportation? But where would those people be sent?


    "Forget it, since we''ve confirmed no one''s inside anymore, never mind the reasons. Our mission is accomplished, let''s head back and rest. We can figure it out after daybreak!"


    Stifling a yawn, Cysper found it even harder to stay up late inhabiting Cyra''s body. Seeing such lacklustre progress at the temple, he naturally lacked motivation to linger.


    "Hahaha, you think you can get away so easily? I''ve finally caught two big fish. How could I possibly let you swim off just like that!"


    At this moment, a booming maniacal laughter suddenly rang out from the pitch-black sky overhead! Before the voice faded, a dark silhouette reeking of an intense dark elemental aura plunged down rapidly towards our heads.


    "Who''s there?"


    The dark elemental aura was far too obvious. Before I could warn him, Cysper swiftly retreated to the side, evading. The temple roof was instantly smashed with a huge crater, the thunderous sound drawing the attention of nearby patrolling soldiers who swarmed over in a flurry encircling us.


    Fortunately, this temple was built exceedingly tall, so they couldn''t immediately climb up. They seemed aware someone was dealing with us too, so didn''t take further action - just standing below gawking up at us two.


    "Damn it, let''s escape first!"


    Judging from the intense dark elemental aura, the enemy was definitely a high-tier monster, ranking no lower than that vampire who injured me before. Before he could crawl out of the crater again, I reflexively tried pulling Cysper to flee.


    "No need, I was getting drowsy anyway. Such a great chance to battle a high-tier monster, I absolutely can''t miss it!"


    To my surprise, Cysper actually refused to leave now. He shrugged off my grasp on his clothes and shook his head excitedly.


    "Excellent, I love it!"


    At the same time, the monster finally emerged from the hole, with red short hair, pointed horns on the forehead, and a pair of bat-like wings on the back.


    "Didn''t expect the angel clan to still have gutsy fellows like you these days. Very well, keep this geezer entertained for a while!"


    Gripping a long sword wreathed in black flames, I heaved a sigh of relief sensing the massive dark elemental aura pouring off him - definitely not Michelle! Though too dim to make out facial features clearly, I could confirm this was unmistakably a male demon.


    Was this the crazy demon Alfred mentioned?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 133: Radiant Dawn Strike

    "Hey, hey, hey, are you sure about this? Don''t forget you only have two wings now, do you know how strong he is?"


    I completely disagreed with Cysper''s reckless actions. This red-haired demon''s strength definitely exceeded the sixth rank. As soon as he flew up to the rooftop, he swung his weapon at me in attack. Caught off guard, I didn''t even have time to draw my own weapon and could only hurriedly evade into the sky.


    "Hahaha, refreshing! It''s been a while since I fought angels. Your six-winged strength is not bad!"


    The opponent truly lived up to Alfreed''s crazy description, relentlessly chasing and fiercely attacking me with tremendous force. He refused to engage in any further conversation or negotiation. His weapon was also quite formidable. Even when I blocked it with my long sword, the trailing flames only had to lightly graze my hand to inflict searing pain that almost made me drop my sword.


    This was the powerful damaging effect of highly concentrated dark elements on an angel''s body.


    "Of course I know how strong he is, it looks like he''s high sixth rank or maybe even peak sixth rank?"


    Seeing me exchange a few blows in the air with the demon and get overwhelmed, Cysper the scoundrel didn''t seem concerned at all, casually waving his arm on the rooftop to assess, "But it''s okay, he probably hasn''t reached the seventh rank yet, so he can pass as a decent opponent..."


    "What do you mean okay?! You good-for-nothing!"


    After unleashing my ultimate "Lost Paradise Shockwave" to force the enemy back, I had used up even my last resort, only managing to catch a brief respite. Seeing the red-haired demon quickly evade the descending light pillars and charge at me again, Cysper finally floated over leisurely and said nonchalantly, "Switch out, you can go rest for now. The way you use elements is too wasteful, it''s a pity! Watch and learn, the Pope rarely gives a lesson in person!"


    "Huh? Wasn''t it that six-winged angel who wanted to fight me?"


    Finally pausing midair, the red-haired demon across from us looked at the two of us with an odd expression before asking in disbelief, "But aren''t you a bit too weak? A two-winged angel should still be clinging to Elara''s teat in Edenmere. I won''t go easy on you!"


    Damn it! So he thought I was the one who challenged him to fight earlier and just started attacking without clarifying?


    "Why don''t we team up? It''ll be safer that way!"


    Having no choice against such an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, although Cysper seemed confident, I didn''t dare let my guard down. I had already made my stance clear - even if we teamed up, I didn''t think we could definitely beat him. After all, in my eyes Cyra''s combat ability didn''t differ much from having none at all.


    The main reason I agreed for Cysper to come with me to investigate in Parristol was because of his fighting spirit and formidable skills, plus it solved the flying issue, making him more reliable than bringing Cyra herself. But no matter how strong he was, there was a limit! Their combined strength couldn''t possibly surpass Cysper''s own sixth rank level, right?


    The only chance was if my blue-winged transformation could pull off a one-hit finisher. Though the Water Abyss Sword had no effect on the God of Light, it would definitely work on a physical demon like the red-haired one. I just feared him discovering my weapon''s trick - he seemed faster and stronger than me, so if I couldn''t land a clean hit, it would spell big trouble.


    "No need, you''ll just get in the way and affect my performance!"


    Who knew this guy would be so stubborn! He shoved me aside and recklessly charged at the red-haired demon by himself.


    "Hey, don''t get Cyra''s body killed!"


    I scolded irritably, utterly exasperated by him. Unable to stop him, I could only standby to observe and be ready to provide backup at any time. I really didn''t know what would happen to Cyra if Cysper actually died - would she directly die, or would they switch back?Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Excellent, you''ve got spirit. Put that baby-feeding energy to use!"


    Seeing Cysper charge at him barehanded without even a weapon, the red-haired demon revealed a cruel smile and swung his sword directly at the fist.


    "Huh? This is..."


    Upon fist and blade colliding, a blinding flash of light burst forth unexpectedly. Although their figures were obscured by the radiance, making it hard for me to see clearly, I could sense from the elemental aura that it was surprisingly the dark element that got blasted away while the light element only retreated slightly.


    "How is that possible?!"


    Once the light dissipated, I could indeed see that Cysper remained largely in place while the red-haired demon had been forced far back, the black flame longsword in his hand now mysteriously shattered into two pieces. If I hadn''t witnessed it myself, I would never have believed it! Even taking over Cyra''s body, could Cysper really have increased his strength to this extent?


    "Where did you get so much power? You only have two wings!"


    "Do you know why, when fighting by harnessing light elements, angels with wings can gain physical attributes dozens or even hundreds of times greater than human mages?"


    Floating in the air, Cysper seemed slightly surprised by the power of his own punch as he casually asked me.


    "Isn''t it just the light element?"


    I couldn''t help feeling perplexed. It was common knowledge that spreading one''s wings allowed rapidly absorbing immense amounts of light elemental mana from the environment, but I didn''t see how that related to the reason he mentioned.


    "By infusing large quantities of light elemental mana into the muscles of various body parts and limbs, you can enhance the outputted physical strength, correspondingly increasing physical attributes. But sadly, since this is an angel instinct, you all never noticed..."


    Seeing the stunned red-haired demon across from us staring blankly at the broken sword, unable to attack again, Cysper continued his self-answering explanation.


    "So the more light elements fused, the greater the increase in strength?"


    I felt like my mind had been blown wide open, instantly understanding the implication behind his words. Just as Reed said, the essence of elements is energy, and the essence of physical strength is the release of muscular energy. When elements fuse into the muscles and bones, they are released alongside the energy expelled during muscle contraction. They can also substitute the physical body in withstanding external physical or pure energy impacts (physical impacts are also a form of energy release), indirectly enhancing physical strength and defense.


    Not only angels, humans are similarly affected. Whether physical warriors or mages, they all directly or indirectly utilize elements. Warriors passively absorb environmental elements during training, but the absorption rate is quite low so they can only slowly grow stronger over time.


    Mages actively absorb elements, but the absorbed elements are almost entirely condensed into mana stored within the body as reserves for spell casting. So the elements don''t fuse into their muscles and bones, leaving their physical attributes largely unchanged.


    As for angels, because of their wings they can innately absorb and fuse more light elements, giving them higher base physical attributes than regular humans. What Cysper did was a rather extreme "unorthodox technique" - forcibly infusing his body with excess light elemental mana to greatly increase his strength in a short period.


    However, this came with a downside -


    "Doesn''t that put a huge strain on your body though?"


    Thinking it over, I raised my doubt. With excessive elemental bombardment, the burden on muscles and other bodily tissues would increase, easily causing self-harm.


    "My approach differs from what you imagine. My original body didn''t have such immense light elemental reserves to fuse with, so after years of experimenting, I came up with a compromise..."


    Seeing the red-haired demon not giving up, discarding the remaining sword fragment to also attack barehanded, Cysper shook his head and raised his fists unhesitatingly to meet the charge.


    "I only concentrate a portion of the light elements into the specific body parts that need to be used. This conserves elemental consumption while reducing self-inflicted damage. I pondered long and hard before devising this technique - called the..."


    Another blinding flash erupted, but this time I saw it clearly in advance. The intensely concentrated light elements had almost fully gathered into his fists and arm muscles. When he threw that punch, he could also unleash a massive radial burst of light elements, simultaneously inflicting elemental and physical double damage on his opponent.


    "This is the Super Kaioken Fist!"


    "Cough...couldn''t you give it a different name? That one sounds so cringeworthy!"


    The familiar technique name was really immersion-breaking. I lightly coughed, forcibly holding back laughter. After tanking one of Cysper''s punches, the red-haired demon didn''t just have a shattered fist - his entire arm had been disintegrated by the massive light elemental force, causing him to let out an agonizing scream.


    "Uh, yeah I guess? Actually, I don''t really know why I ended up calling it that. The name just randomly popped into my head back then, so I went with it!"


    Hearing this, Cysper paused briefly before nodding at me to solicit my opinion. "So what do you think it should be called?"


    "How about the Radiant Dawn Strike? What do you think?"


    What a nice sounding name, so poetic! I almost wanted to give myself a pat on the back.


    Unfortunately, this technique is probably unusable for ordinary humans, only angels and popes. Whether swordsmen or light mages, it would be impossible for them! After all, the human body cannot withstand the side effects of light elements. This concentration of light elements would only bring catastrophic consequences no matter which part of the body it focused on.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 134: The Dragon Race

    There was nothing to worry about after this, victory was certain!


    Angels'' bodies are abundantly supplied with light elemental resources. Whether punching or kicking, Cysper could almost infinitely enhance his limb strength by infusing light elements. Though the principle sounded simple, I could clearly sense how Cysper maneuvered the light elements to rapidly circulate within his body and the whole fusion process into his muscles.


    If it were me, I would need repeated practice over years to barely accomplish it. There''s no way I could achieve such seamless control and free release in a short time, but Cysper handled it with masterful ease, showing how much effort he devoted to this technique.


    Having lost his right arm, no matter how wildly the red-haired demon counterattacked through the pain, the Radiant Dawn Strike could always reverse the situation, dominating with absolute advantage. Each of Cysper''s strikes came with a brilliant radiance, dealing the enemy double elemental and physical blows.


    "Damn it! How can you, with just two wings, unleash such formidable power?!"


    Unfortunately, the gap in their ranks was too vast for the red-haired demon to be definitively defeated even after persisting until now. His arrogant attitude from the start showed impressive skills and insight. He quickly noticed the trick behind Cysper''s strikes and tried to avoid direct clashes.


    It was useless! When it became a contest of techniques, their gap only widened. Martial arts had always been Cysper''s forte - his millennia of combat experience paid off. With the opponent down one arm, Cysper''s fist soon struck the red-haired demon''s chest again.


    "Hurry up, finish him off!"


    Seeing the enemy knocked onto the temple roof, I urgently called out to Cysper. Because at that moment, an intensely bright red light was swiftly approaching us from the southern city, and judging by its speed, it would arrive on the scene very soon.


    Unlike the red-haired demon''s initial sneak attack, this newcomer advanced openly without any stealth, clearly intending to provide backup. But one thing was very strange - I couldn''t sense any corresponding dark elemental aura approaching us. I didn''t know if it was due to the distance or if this one simply wasn''t a demon.


    Don''t tell me Michelle is back again? That pest is relentless. The thought made me even more anxious.


    "I''m already trying my best!"


    Cysper had noticed the newcomer''s presence too. Just as he intended to descend and finish the enemy off, an unexpected incident occurred - a ground-shaking, earth-shattering earthquake struck Parristol without any warning!


    It was an extremely terrifying, massive earthquake. Luckily I was airborne with my wings, so I remained unaffected, but that didn''t prevent me from perceiving its tremendous intensity.


    Clouds of dust suddenly billowed up from the ground. The temple beneath my feet began swaying, the shaking growing more and more violent until it reached unimaginable extremes. Even the gigantic temple itself rocked back and forth before crumbling like the surrounding dwellings into countless crumbled stones that buried the red-haired demon.


    The rebel soldiers previously gathered on the ground couldn''t keep their footing, tumbling onto the ground one after another. Soon after, numerous gaping fissures tore through the earth, spreading outwards from the city center. Some people couldn''t escape in time, haplessly swallowed into the bottomless chasms before they could even react.


    Fortunately, this earthquake only lasted a few dozen seconds before subsiding. Surveying the countless cracks in the ground and rebel troops fleeing outwards, almost all of Parristol lay in ruins except for the intact central Chromos Tower - the damage was catastrophic.


    However, I didn''t let my guard down. Taking advantage of our stunned state during the quake, that crimson light had charged right up to us from afar. The newcomer showed no signs of slowing down, catching the distracted Cysper with a sweeping kick that sent him crashing into a distant pile of rubble without a sound.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "No way!"


    Seeing this, I hurriedly gripped my longsword defensively, but the newcomer made no further moves against me, only laughing towards the ruined temple below.


    "Arick, you look pathetic! Actually getting beaten to this state by a measly two-winged angel. I warned you not to act on your own. If Lady Michelle finds out, she might just expel you from the Dark Council!"


    She wasn''t Michelle, but some other monster! With long horns and demon-like wings, I initially mistook her for another demon. But upon closer inspection, her wings were much broader than typical demons'', and her arms and legs were covered in fine scales.


    "A dragon?"


    The word instantly flashed across my mind - she was a draconic in humanoid form!


    As far as I knew, dragons were always considered a neutral race on the Eldorian Continent, rarely getting involved in human affairs. Their numbers were quite few too. The first time I learned about dragons was on the Adventurer''s Guild registration form, but I had never seen a live one until this unexpected encounter with the demonic faction.


    But are dragons considered monsters?


    We usually only use the narrow term "monster" to refer to creatures deeply influenced by dark elements originating from the Dark Continent. However, dark elements exist everywhere - the difference between the Eldorian Continent and Dark Continent is just their concentration levels.


    Generally, plants and animals subjected to prolonged exposure from minor dark elements combined with the four prime elements of earth, fire, water and wind also have a minuscule chance of evolving into monsters - this broader definition includes the likes of phoenixes, dragons, forest tree spirits and more. They can technically be classified as such "monsters", just not necessarily tied to the Dark Continent''s origins or dark elements.


    Hence, for beings like dragons, humans tend to refer to them directly by their race name instead of grouping them with monsters.


    But now it was completely different. Regardless of the typical human perspective on dragons, this dragon had undoubtedly sided with the demonic forces. Though I didn''t know which specific draconic form her true body took, I could sense an immense threat.


    For her to kick aside even a formidable expert like Cysper who decimated the red-haired demon, the element of surprise notwithstanding, proved just how incredibly powerful she was.


    "Please don''t tell Lady Michelle! Big Sis Mirium, I simply couldn''t adapt to that weirdo''s strange techniques! Just give me a bit more time and I''ll definitely be able to kill him!"


    Hearing this dragon called Mirium, the red-haired demon Arick immediately flew out from the rubble, using his remaining right hand to clutch his wounds as he pleaded with a battered face, showing her far more respect than his earlier arrogance.


    It seemed Cysper hadn''t finished him off when he had the chance to inflict fatal damage. But judging from Arick''s deferential attitude towards Mirium, in stark contrast to his previous overbearing persona, it confirmed my suspicion - this dragon was no simple foe. I estimated she was likely out of my league...


    "I don''t care about all that. Since Lady Michelle is occupied and unable to come personally, whether she finds out what happened here depends on your fortunes! The southern seal has been lifted, so you must hurry back to guard the target. The next phase of our plan will commence soon. Are your preparations on your end complete...?"


    Seeing them idly conversing in midair, not even regarding my six-winged self, I turned and cautiously flew towards the rubble pile where Cysper had crashed down.


    Discretion was advisable! I didn''t dare rashly attack her. But the opponent had only kicked him, so Cysper couldn''t have suffered too much harm, right? Yet he still hadn''t emerged from the rubble after so long, leaving me rather worried. I didn''t know if we could defeat a dragon and demon together.


    Extremely fortunately, they were too engrossed in their chat to impede me. When I dug Cysper out from the debris, I found him actually unconscious!


    Strange! There were no obvious external wounds. Could Mirium''s kick have been too powerful, inflicting internal injuries?


    "Wake up, wake up! Are you okay?"


    "Ugh..."


    After my frantic shaking and splashing water, this guy finally came to. Blinking his drowsy eyes at me for a while, he then stretched lazily and asked,


    "Feliciana? You''re back. How did your scouting go? Doesn''t seem like dawn yet. Hey, why am I rolled out of the tent?"


    "......"


    I expressionlessly pushed her back down to the ground, then turned and picked up a large rock, raising it over my head.


    "Hey! What are you trying to do?"


    Seeing my actions, Cyra instantly became fully alert, scrambling up from the ground to point at me and shout loudly.


    "You''re not Feliciana! What kind of disguise magic did you use? How could I not notice at all?"


    "Stay still, don''t squirm! An angel''s head is pretty hard, this brick shouldn''t outright kill you, just hurt a little!"


    I gently advised, but this guy was completely unreasonable! If I didn''t quickly switch Cysper''s soul back, the two of us might end up dead right here today.


    "You brazen liar! You''re an angel yourself, why don''t you hit your own head and try it!"


    Abruptly leaping back dozens of meters, Cyra cursed at me. Only then did she finally realize she wasn''t at their original campsite, but in the middle of a huge area of ruins.


    "Wait, where is this place? What exactly happened?"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 135: The Impact of the Earthquake

    "You got switched back, and now we''re under enemy attack!"


    I impatiently reminded her, tossing aside the rock. Cyra was already on alert, so knocking her out again seemed pointless. I didn''t know how to deal with those two monsters above us either.


    "Well, well, you''re awake. I must say, I''m impressed a two-winged angel could beat Arick that badly!"


    Mirium and the red-haired demon had finished their chat. Noticing our arguing down below, Mirium clapped in amusement.


    "Huh? Me? What just happened?"


    Hearing her words, Cyra looked utterly confused, turning her head between Mirium and me.


    "Who is she? Too far to see clearly, but she looks like a demon? Could she be that succubus you mentioned before?"


    "Neither! Just be prepared to flee at any moment!"


    I glared at her, suddenly recalling her resemblance to Michelle. Who knew how the enemy would react after getting a clear look at her face - it definitely wouldn''t bode well.


    "What?!"


    However, the situation took an unexpected turn after their hushed exchange. The red-haired demon Arick shouted incredulously at Mirium.


    "You want me to just leave these two angels and go back?"


    "Exactly, don''t forget our true mission here!"


    Mirium glanced our way, seemingly not regarding us at all, before continuing.


    "Guarding the Chromos Tower is the urgent priority we must focus on. These two angels are just small fry. Moreover, most of the angel forces are held up in the Northern Barren Lands, they can''t pose any real threat."


    "But that guy just beat me up like that, how can I not get payback? And furthermore..."


    Arick clearly felt aggrieved, pointing at Cyra as he tried to change Mirium''s mind.


    "That one looks almost identical to Lady Michelle. For her to reach such strength at just the two-winged rank, there must be some trick involved. Leaving her be will only cause future trouble!"


    Just as I feared, Cyra''s appearance ended up catching their eye. I thought we might have a slim chance to escape, but the red-haired demon''s words likely doomed us.


    "Oh? Are you sure you''re not lying?"


    Mirium suddenly seemed interested, flying closer to scrutinize Cyra from all angles before remarking with some disappointment:


    "They do look very alike! But I don''t see anything unusual besides her being a common angel. It''s probably just a coincidence..."


    "Feliciana, did I get targeted? She''s not going to do anything unspeakable to me, is she?"


    Cyra fearfully shrank behind me, anxiously asking.


    "Shouldn''t you be feeling happy instead? A dragon lady!"


    I couldn''t help giving her a wry smile. Who could say what would happen? Though Mirium looked quite meek on the surface, judging from her earlier conduct and Arick''s deference, her strength must be formidable. If she acted against Cyra, I really doubted I could fend her off.


    After all, dragons generally ranked sixth tier or above. Mirium was at least seventh tier baseline.


    But just then, several consecutive bell tolls suddenly rang out from the central Chromos Tower. Mirium, who had been focused on Cyra, startled at the sound before turning to leave with Arick.


    "No more delays, we must hurry to the Chromos Tower!"


    "But..."


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.Though Arick heard the bells too, he remained reluctant, glancing back at Cyra without moving.


    "I''ll let you off this time!"


    Seeing our dumbfounded expressions, Mirium seemed to reconsider and explained:


    "To be fair, my ancestor did have some history with your angel kind. Consider this returning a favor! But I also hope you''ll pass a message to Elara - don''t meddle further in Parristol''s affairs. This situation doesn''t really concern the angels. Otherwise, next time I won''t be so courteous."


    "The nerve, barging into our home then shamelessly telling us to butt out!"


    Cyra couldn''t help muttering sarcastic remarks from behind me.


    "Don''t say anything for now, we''ll discuss it later!"


    I hurriedly shushed her, afraid she might let something slip for the enemy to hear. Cyra did have a point though - humans and angels were allied partners. Logically and ethically, we couldn''t just ignore demonic interference in human kingdoms. Especially with the Parristol rebellion having suspicious elements, things changed the moment monsters got involved.


    However, now wasn''t the time to directly provoke trouble! Moreover, that wasn''t our original objective here.


    We watched Mirium and Arick''s departing figures until they entered the Chromos Tower, only then letting out a relieved breath at narrowly avoiding conflict.


    "You totally screwed me over. How did I end up switched back with Cysper again?"


    I couldn''t help but complain. We were originally winning decisively, but nearly got unexpectedly wrecked simply due to the enemy lacking killing intent.


    "Hey, I''m the biggest victim here! I was just sleeping soundly in my tent, only to wake up in this crazy place..."


    Cyra protested indignantly, glancing around before suddenly asking in bewilderment:


    "Wait, is this inside Parristol City? Why is everywhere reduced to ruins?"


    "There was a massive earthquake earlier, didn''t you feel it?"


    I impatiently answered, gazing at the rising morning sun. Thankfully the city folk weren''t home, otherwise the devastation could have been far worse!


    "I didn''t...wait, no! It was like I vaguely felt some shaking in a daze, but not this dramatic..."


    Cyra pondered and recalled her sensations before slowly explaining.


    So she didn''t feel much of the earthquake''s impact from outside the city? That shouldn''t be the case...


    This earthquake was quite bizarre, conveniently striking at such a critical juncture. Coupled with Mirium and Arick''s hurried departure, I couldn''t shake a nagging sense that something was amiss.


    "Reed contacted me. She wants us to return immediately. She mentioned some monsters suddenly appearing north of the city, around the mountain where we''re camped."


    I stuck my head curiously into one of the ground fissures, faintly detecting some glimmers of light from within. But before I could investigate further, Cyra alerted me.


    "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s retreat!"


    Indeed, Reed had Mia''s protection, and Cysper himself should be there too. For her to urgently summon us back, they must have encountered quite the emergency. Hearing this, I immediately spread my wings and flew towards our original path out of the city.


    "Hey, wait up!"


    Cyra flew after me. With the sun already halfway risen, we could survey the city''s devastation from above.


    "Damn, practically every building is destroyed, including the outer walls. Just unbelievable earthquake cracks everywhere! Only some low, sturdy houses withstood it. This earthquake must have ruined Parristol overnight. Rebuilding could take decades!"


    So Adrian''s rebel activities amounted to nothing in the end. Was it really worth it? But based on the demonic side''s reactions, the situation didn''t align with our assumptions. The rebel organization seemed undeterred by the earthquake, still operating according to some plan...


    "Let''s make a detour to check one place first!"


    Of course, I hadn''t forgotten about Alfreed''s group''s temporary hideout. But upon arriving, we found the place half-collapsed without any human trace, suggesting they had evacuated ahead of time.


    Relieved, I led Cyra back to our original mountain camp.


    To avoid being too conspicuous, the temporary tents had been taken down. Only Reed, Judith, Brennan and Yulanda remained to greet us.


    "What, where are the others?"


    Strangely, our strongest fighters were all missing. This immediately rekindled my anxieties after just letting my guard down. Nothing serious happened, right? No wonder Reed so urgently summoned us back.


    "Mia flew off on her own, some errand or something..."


    Yulanda trailed off uncertainly, glancing towards Reed.


    "I sent her to Crescent City to handle something. She won''t be back for a while," Reed answered without looking up from her book.


    "Crescent City? Even so, why not bring Judith along since you could just drop her off there?"


    What a baffling decision! I couldn''t help but be dumbfounded. Mia was our greatest combat asset! To dispatch a seventh-tier expert as a mere courier was an utter waste, wasn''t it? But Reed remained engrossed in her book, clearly uninterested in entertaining me. So I curiously leaned over to sneak a peek.


    "The History of Eldorian Civilization! When did you switch fields again?"


    I could scarcely believe it. Wasn''t she studying physics? Changing to magic was one thing, but now she was venturing into historical research too?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 136: The Seal

    "Understanding the history of this world is really necessary!" Reed said with some resignation as she raised her head to answer the question.


    "Don''t forget the true purpose of this journey. If we have to face their king directly, it may not be so easy! Thankfully, we''re not fighting alone. Understanding the historical roots between the countries on this continent will greatly aid our future actions."


    "As for Mia, her flying speed while carrying a human is too slow, it''s really a waste of time. Moreover, after leaving Crescent City, she still has more important matters that require long-distance travel, so Judith doesn''t need to go back for now. Besides, her staying here is also useful for us."


    "That''s right, I did say I''d come with you all, of course I won''t give up halfway. But the situation in Parristol..."


    Actually, Judith didn''t want to leave here in the first place, so she had no complaints. But after seeing the devastation of the city, her expression became even more grave.


    "Could this earthquake have been a plot by the monsters? We''re so close on this mountain, yet barely felt any shaking!"


    Recalling Mirium''s previous conversation with Arick, I too had some suspicions on our return journey, but was too focused on Reed''s safety at the time to dwell on it much.


    "But where did Cysper and Mike run off to?" Cyra asked impatiently as she looked around. Logically, Cysper should be here after exchanging back with her, but we saw no sign of them.


    "It seems they left too, and..." Yulanda hurriedly answered, glancing hesitantly at Reed.


    "What, they took off too? Where did all these issues come from!?" Cyra jumped up angrily. Her concern was understandable - apart from me, there was no one else above the 6th rank present in monster-infested Parristol, which was quite dangerous.


    However, everyone seemed to forget Cysper''s bizarre limitation of not being able to go too far from her.


    "It''s okay, maybe they just went to scout the nearby area and will be back soon!" I reassured them, turning to Reed. "Am I right? What did they actually go to do?"


    "Indeed, I sent them away, but it''s nothing major..." Reed didn''t hide it, but suddenly turned her body away from us as she replied.


    "Don''t forget Cysper''s identity as the Pope. Given Parristol''s complex situation now, I told him to return to the Holy Capital for a while."


    "What? How could you do that! That''s too much, you tricked all the experts away! And the Holy Capital is so far from here, how did you manage that?"


    Okay, Cyra was jumping even higher now, pointing at Reed in disbelief.


    "Of course it''s thanks to my Sage''s Stone! I finally managed to combine it with the teleportation array. Plus the spatial coordinates Mike provided us, so opening a teleportation channel from here to Jethrobaines was no big deal!"


    Judith butted in proudly, not seeing my sideways glare that almost wanted to strangle her. I was just considering whether we should storm Chromos Tower together on my way back, but now that plan was completely ruined.


    "The uprising in Parristol this time is no simple matter. Like that earthquake just now, didn''t you all find it rather strange?"


    Sighing with her back to us, Reed suddenly changed the topic to the earthquake, pointing to the ruined city in the distance.


    "We''re so close to the city here, yet barely affected at all. What does that suggest to you?"


    "A seal!" Judith blurted out the answer before I could respond.


    "After discussing it, we all agree there''s probably something huge sealed underground in Parristol, but it hasn''t been fully unlocked yet. No one knows exactly what it is, even that undying Pope has no clue. Let''s see if he can find any clues after rolling back to the library in the Holy Capital!"


    "You can''t be serious? Don''t scare me like that, if some ancient demon lord really emerges, we''re all doomed!"  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Cyra was stunned again. Truth be told, my mentality wasn''t much better, as I knew Judith wasn''t just fearmongering.


    During our encounter with Mirium in the city, she and Arick did mention the word "seal". At the time I didn''t pay much attention, but recalling the faint glow seeping from the cracks in the ground, my spine couldn''t help but shiver now.


    "Why don''t we tactically retreat for now? Avoid their forces until this demon lord is defeated, then we can counter-attack later!"


    This was Cyra''s suggestion, in line with her usual style. As if there really was a demon lord sealed beneath the city.


    "But..."


    Gazing at Chromos Tower still standing tall amid Parristol''s ruins, I felt rather reluctant to leave. We''d already come all this way, just one step away.


    "If you want to stop them, there''s still a chance," Reed glanced at me, pondering for a moment before speaking.


    "After Cysper and the others left, a group of monsters just passed through here earlier, heading towards Sun Lake behind us. There may be some secret related to the seal over there."


    That group was the reason Cyra and I rushed back here in such a hurry. But they had already left before we arrived, at most just passing through without detecting Reed''s well-hidden camp.


    As for Sun Lake, we had heard a brief introduction from Alfreed and the others during our time in Parristol City. It was one of Parristol''s famous scenic spots, corresponding to Moon Lake in the south. But unexpectedly, not only had Moon Lake become a monster haunt, Sun Lake hadn''t escaped their attention either?


    Wait! Was Reed implying those two lakes were actually the key to the seal?


    I suddenly realized it. The monsters had occupied Moon Lake, resulting in the big earthquake. Now monster traces appeared at Sun Lake too - seeing it this way, it was highly suspicious. No need to say more, we had to stop them!


    "Then the problem is simple! If we stop them from fully unlocking the seal, won''t that resolve everything?"


    Hearing this, Brennan immediately rubbed his fists eagerly, having wanted a fight ever since obtaining the phoenix, but either lacked the opportunity or the opponent wasn''t suitable.


    "Exactly! If we stop the seal, it might even solve the problems behind Parristol''s uprising at the same time!" Judith chimed in.


    It was obvious the monsters'' involvement in Parristol''s independence plot was likely centered around this seal. If we disrupted their plans, everything would become much easier.


    "Alright, alright, since we''ve already anticipated their actions, there shouldn''t be any major problems!"


    Seeing everyone''s fearless attitude, Cyra''s retreat suggestion was naturally no longer appropriate, though she still sidled over and whispered to me.


    "I''m making a huge sacrifice this time, you''d better protect me well! My rest life depends on you!"


    "Don''t exaggerate, don''t worry!" I couldn''t help but smile wryly. This girl was clearly aiming to slack off legitimately, but of course I wouldn''t actually let her fight those monsters, so I hurriedly nodded in agreement.


    Based on our earlier observations, the monsters heading to Sun Lake didn''t seem too powerful, mostly just grunt-types. It was just unfortunate that the heavy-hitters like Mia, Cysper and Mike weren''t here. If they joined the battle, I might even be able to rest on the sidelines.


    Sun Lake wasn''t too far from our location, in fact it was quite close. Just take off and you could see an elliptical large lake emerging from behind the mountain peaks in the distance.


    Apparently Sun Lake used to be perfectly circular, but a later earthquake caused a landslide that buried part of the lake, leaving only about half the area remaining now.


    "It seems those monsters are gathering by the lakeshore, not too many in number!"


    We could vaguely make out campfires on the shore from afar, though their exact types were unclear. Those fellows were actually just sitting around roasting food, so brazen!


    "I''ll go check out the situation, you all hide in the nearby forest and prepare for a surprise attack!"


    Brennan volunteered for the scouting mission. Reed and I nodded in agreement - monsters could sense light elementals, so using a light elemental concealer every time was impractical. It woul be much easier for a human.


    However, when it came to assigning roles, I suddenly realized my options were limited. Looking at the remaining few, apart from the two two-winged angels, Yulanda and Judith''s ranks were not that high either, Judith was even only at the 3rd rank...I immediately felt a wave of helplessness.


    How did our dream team turn into this novice setup? This wasn''t a training ground - if they forcibly took the field and something went wrong, it could truly be fatal!


    "You all just cheer from the back, Brennan and I should be enough," I finally had to shake my head and make this decision.


    That guy Reed couldn''t even be bothered to give me a word of encouragement, immediately burying her head in a book without a sound.


    "Do your best, if it doesn''t work out just retreat. We can always teleport away!" Judith, you call that encouragement? I was at the 6th rank at least, and had mastered the Water Abyss Sword - a few 5th rank monsters shouldn''t be an issue, right?


    "Um...Feliciana, you must keep an eye on Brennan! He''s quite reckless, I''m worried..."


    Yulanda hesitated for a long while only to say that? Hearing this, I couldn''t help but roll my eyes.


    "He has the phoenix beast by his side. Even if not at the 6th rank, his strength far surpasses the 5th!"


    That said, we were fortunate that the troublesome foes Mirium and Arick were unlikely to appear by the Sun Lake, otherwise I wouldn''t have dared to rashly charge forward like this.


    "Luck is on our side! There are only six monsters by the lake, and they don''t seem to be on guard at all!" Brennan excitedly urged after completing his scouting from the forest.


    "Their ranks should be around the 5th as reported. With Feliciana here, it''ll be easy!"


    "Let''s go! I''ll take the lead, you follow right behind!"


    Hearing this, I nodded without hesitation and took the first step flying towards Sun Lake.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 137: Clearing the Scene

    Various monsters had gathered by the Sun Lake shore, including flightless minotaurs, lizard-men, vampires, and some winged demons and dimwitted drakes whose names I couldn''t place.


    Though from different races, they were likely the elites of their respective groups, exceptionally powerful.


    We saw less than ten of them presently, probably just a small portion secretly entering Parristol. According to intel, they were mostly 5th rank and above - a gathering of elites with sinister intentions.


    Some patrolled around the lake, others sat around a campfire roasting some animal carcasses. Clearly on little guard, providing ideal conditions for my strike.


    A minotaur raised its skewer, sniffed the meat, then took a few bites before spitting it all out.


    "Yuck! The meat on this continent is so distasteful, with that numbing flavor. Probably only humans can stomach it!"


    "You''ll just have to make do!" A lizard-man opposite him waved helplessly with a sigh.


    "After all, this isn''t the Dark Continent. We''ve been lurking around Parristol over a month now, depleting all our rations with no other food source. I don''t know why Lady Michelle insisted on sending us to this godforsaken place, having to pilfer scraps in humiliation day after day. Fortunately, these bitter days are finally ending soon."


    "Haha, that''s right! Lady Mirium told us we can return home and marry after finishing this last job!"


    The minotaur laughed heartily, then half-jokingly warned his companion:


    "But don''t let her hear you saying that now, or she might punish me too by assigning extra missions - that''d be disastrous!"


    "Hmph, to use Kurnel''s words, you''re just ''singing a rotten tree song''. Be careful it doesn''t become a curse!"


    The lizard-man chugged his bottle, belched, then furrowed his brow curiously.


    "Speaking of extra missions, I heard a few days ago Kurnel''s entire squad went missing during an assignment. The Dark Council has issued investigation orders on our end - you think he''s dead?"


    "Who cares about him! That short-sighted fool could mistake angels and humans. He probably barged into some True Church''s nest!"


    The minotaur waved dismissively, raising the bottle in a boisterous cheer:


    "To victory!"


    "You''re right, to vict-"


    The lizard-man echoed the boisterous motion, but his eyes bulged in disbelief when he saw his companion.


    The minotaur opposite him had been cleaved cleanly in half from head to toe, blood spurting out in a shower.


    "Damn it, who''s attacking by stealth! Could it be..."


    Smashing his bottle down, the lizard-man leapt up, realizing something was amiss as he glared upwards at me.


    "I already took one down before you noticed me?"


    I couldn''t help but chuckle - these drunken monsters seemed to have severely dulled senses, not even detecting me flying overhead immediately. Without hesitation, I dropped down with the force of my sword cleaving towards him.


    "An angel! Everyone, prepare to engage!" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The lizard-man bellowed a warning to his companions while dodging sideways from my descending blade.


    Of course I anticipated his evasion, not panicking when my strike missed. My left hand immediately flung three prepared purification orbs at him.


    At such close range, he couldn''t react in time as all three orbs struck home, instantly paralyzing him on the ground. I swiftly followed up with a fatal strike.


    "Purification is still so effective!"


    I muttered with some wistfulness. Having never encountered dark creatures in the trial space, this classic skill had gone unused for so long. I worried it may have gotten rusty, but incredibly it worked perfectly on the first try.


    After all, angels did possess the decisive advantage against monsters, superior in both skills and physical attributes. This was precisely why I hadn''t transformed into my blue winged form from the start - light element alone sufficed.


    As for the other monsters...


    Seeing two demons escorting some drakes charge over, I smiled faintly, casually extending my finger forward.


    A pillar of light instantly engulfed them, leaving only two corpses on the ground.


    "Damn, could she be a high-rank angel? But she only has six wings..."


    The two remaining monsters, having witnessed Lost Paradise Shockwave, dared not approach and tried fleeing to the surrounding forest. But a piercing screech rang out, as a phoenix wreathed in crimson flames emerged to block their path.


    "A phoenix! How could such a creature be in a place like this?"


    Though the phoenix seemed rather small and immature, not even half an adult''s size, the vampire among them decided not to linger given potential reinforcements. Transforming into a bat, it simply flew away overhead. The werewolf lacked any ability to fly, glancing between me closing in and the phoenix before gritting its fangs to pounce.


    "Come forth, Fire Claw!"


    At that moment, Brennan suddenly leapt down from a tree behind, catching it in a pincer attack. The werewolf quickly collapsed into a bloody heap, finally incinerated by the phoenix''s scorching flames into ashes.


    "Got them! Not bad teamwork with my new partner, eh?" Brennan dusted his hands proudly, turning to show off. He tried patting the phoenix''s head, but yanked his singed finger back sheepishly, recalling it into his body.


    "Did you give it steroids? How did it grow so fast!"


    Rather than answering, I flew over wearing an astonished look.


    This wasn''t just talk - though only born days ago, the little phoenix had grown tremendously in the short time I was away. Even participating in battle already, was this due to its divine beast bloodline?


    "Steroids? What''s that?" Brennan asked bewildered, before explaining nonchalantly:


    "It''s demoncraft - as long as the compatibility is high enough, you can use your own magic to provide contracted demons with ample nourishment. What would take decades in nature for a phoenix to mature only needs a few years to reach peak combat form."


    "Look at you bragging, yet one still got away!"


    I couldn''t help but roll my eyes sourly. Truthfully, I was rather jealous. But I had no mind to dwell on it now. That escaped vampire concerned me - could it have flown back to report to Mirium in Parristol? If so, we couldn''t linger here and would need to retreat after investigating.


    But...


    Surveying the surroundings, Sun Lake covered quite an open area, everything visible at a glance. The monsters occupying here had all been cleared out by the two of us, not even a shadow insight. Where should this investigation even begin?


    "You two are so sluggish, can''t even stop a single monster from escaping. Looks like I have to handle this myself!"


    Just as I was stumped, Reed''s voice came from behind as she, Judith, Yulanda and the others strolled casually out of the forest. Cyra was cradling something the size of a soccer ball resembling a gas containment orb, excitedly rushing over to boast.


    "Feliciana, let me tell you how awesome Reed was! She tossed this gas orb skyward, and boom - just like an Immortal''s treasure gourd, instantly trapping that fleeing bat!"


    She shook the "soccer ball" energetically, muttering strangely:


    "It''s probably melted into a bloody pulp by now...huh? Why is it still making that sound?"


    "Where''s this bloody pulp nonsense? It''s just an array modified from a light elemental isolation device. Didn''t you get bored playing with those ages ago?" Reed cut her "performance" short with an exasperated clarification.


    "Though as a dark creature, that vampire won''t last long in a light elemental cage."


    "Of course I know! I''ve heard of it but never actually seen you use it to trap monsters before, so it feels rather novel!"  Cyra scratched her head with a foolish grin. Hearing their exchange, I immediately realized - this was the famed "magic prison"!


    This magic prison wasn''t too complicated, probably just a gas containment orb stripped of its continuous energy absorption function. But its power was extraordinarily dominating!


    When Edenmere was invaded by monsters back then, Reed used this very device to imprison a large group of angelic rebels, providing immense aid to Elara in quelling the uprising. Those rebels even included two high-ranking ten-winged angels.


    Thinking that even ten-winged angels of that caliber could be confined within, trapping a measly 5th rank vampire would be child''s play. In that instant, I felt I had embraced a sturdy pillar - with Reed''s existence defying the heavens, an adversary like Mirium may not be so formidable after all.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 138: The Sub-Spatial Seal

    "Sorry, this is my last one. These gas containment orbs are one-time use - can''t be reused after trapping something inside. To make a new one, I''d need to gather materials again."


    As if reading my mind, Reed glanced at me with a reminder, then casually flipped her palm out expressionless before me.


    "Your oversight let that one slip through, costing me dearly. Pay up - 10,000 silvers!"


    "Woah, that''s way too steep!" I was taken aback, practically extortion! 10,000 silvers for a containment orb was "cheap" in a sense, but still painfully pricey for me.


    More disappointingly, it dashed my hopes! Without Reed''s magic prison, who knew if she had another way to subdue that dragon. Proceeding without involving her would be difficult.


    "There are such arrangements? Then I''ll cover it for her, plus another 30,000 -"


    However, Cyra saw it differently, as if discovering a new continent now that Reed''s losses could be bought off. She moved to pay before I could retrieve the coins, even throwing in extra.


    "Here''s the money from that nuke deal earlier. All settled, so you can''t keep dragging me around for your ''assistant services''!"


    "Fair enough..."


    Eyeing the shiny gold and orange heap, Reed nodded satisfied before turning back to me.


    "What about yours?"


    "Why didn''t I think of this sooner! I heard Reed was dirt poor as a student, relying solely on scholarships. Seeing all this money, she''s bound to go soft!"


    Cyra covertly leaned over, revealing Reed''s supposed weakness and urging me to buy my way out of trouble.


    "Of course, here you go!"


    This could be considered an investment in her research. After leaving Edenmere, many experimental materials required actual funds, unlike simply saying "ask Lady Elara" to meet most needs back then.


    So the current scene seemed rather comical. Reed the two-winged angel was like a rent collector, individually demanding exorbitant sums from Cyra and me, puzzling the others.


    "Are angels so wealthy these days? Has Edenmere''s living standard risen that much?" Judith asked skeptically.


    A century ago, 10,000 silvers was far more valuable than now. Yet Cyra and I readily produced such large denomination coins, startling her.


    "Let''s get back on topic - have we successfully prevented the seal from being unlocked?" Yulanda asked Judith wearily, shaking her head at our transactions.


    "Heh, how would I know?" Judith glanced awkwardly at Reed, who was preoccupied counting coins, before pondering.


    "Did you happen to disrupt any of their ritual arrays or anything?"


    "Ritual arrays? Didn''t see any, just some roasting meat..." I was stumped, pointing to the still-burning campfires by the lake.


    From start to finish, we only saw monsters eating, chatting and relaxing. Their behavior seemed more fitting for a picnic outing than unlocking any seal.


    "Impossible! For any major seal, there must be empowering arrays at the critical points. Otherwise, element-formed magic effects cannot be sustainably maintained. You must have missed something!" Reed cut in after collecting payment.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "But we scoured this whole area around the lake! Where could there be any arrays?" Brennan said, puzzled as he surveyed our surroundings, finally locking onto the tranquil lake surface.


    "Could it be...underwater?"


    Sun Lake wasn''t very large in area, but quite deep. Viewing it from above, it seemed an impenetrably dark green expanse without any visible bottom. As Brennan suggested, the seal being hidden underwater was plausible. But that also meant expanding our search range beneath the surface - problematic.


    My swimming ability was average at best. The thought of my wings and clothes getting soaked instantly made me quite uncomfortable.


    "Since those monsters are all dead, we don''t really need to go into the water, right? They probably never even found the seal - whether underwater or not, no one''s disturbing it, so isn''t that good enough?"


    No one seemed eager to dive in. Yulanda stuck her head out to glimpse the surface before losing motivation.


    "Exactly, pack it up! I fly in the skies - if you insist on going in, deal with it yourselves!"


    Cyra shared my view, immediately raising both hands in agreement.


    "Wait, it may not be that simple!"


    But Judith disagreed, quickly striding to the lakeshore before we could retreat.


    "I sense the earth elemental flows around here are highly abnormal, possibly related to the seal!"


    She placed a palm on the ground and closed her eyes, as if sensing something. But the others found her action rather bewildering.


    "Earth? Shouldn''t it be water elementals?" Brennan asked doubtfully, echoing my perceptions.


    Due to the lake, there were abundant free-flowing water elementals in the area - normal anywhere with bodies of water. But in terms of earth, having no corresponding affinity, I felt nothing unusual.


    "Be careful everyone, the winds are picking up!"


    Finally, Reed spoke up, though her warning didn''t sound promising. Following her words, the lake surface did indeed start forming expanding ripples. But strangely, the trees around showed no sign of swaying - as if the wind wasn''t blowing in from elsewhere.


    "What''s going on? Don''t tell me there are wind elementals involved too!"


    The whirlpool at the lake''s center grew increasingly turbulent, even its rapid churning vortex slowly expanding outwards as the air currents intensified enough to buffet us on shore. Cyra finally grew anxious, frantically looking around.


    Without a word, Reed pulled Judith back to our group, unfurling a scroll to release a pre-prepared "Light''s Sanctuary" enveloping us all.


    "Why go to such extremes? And waste supplies on that spell too!"


    Though the situation was bizarre, I felt no direct threat to question Reed''s wasteful overreaction. I was about to tell her I could simply cast the spell without using scrolls when a bright flash made me squint - a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the clear sky accompanied by deafening thunder, but without a single cloud in sight.


    Before we could react, another anomaly happened - a dazzling pillar of white light erupted from the lake''s swirling vortex, blinding us all.


    "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?!" I furiously blinked away the droplets splashing my face.


    The white column kicked up massive amounts of lake water raining down in a dense mist, instantly drenching everyone as the "Light''s Sanctuary" can not guard against physical attacks.


    "I can''t be certain, but this seems to be a ''sub-spatial seal''..." Judith had to shout over the chaos.


    "But that''s a legendary earth seal said to belong to the ''Divine Realm'' beyond human capabilities!"


    The so-called "Divine Realm" referred to the most supremely difficult "divine-tier" magics theorized by humans according to elemental principles, but unreachable by them even with arrays or group casting.


    Just as high-tier angelic magics were "divine" to humans, all elemental categories had theoretical divine-tier spells accumulated over millennia that surpassed the human ceiling.


    Unable to manifest them with their own strength, at least for now if not permanently, these magics were called divinely exclusive - the "Divine Realm".


    Though divine light spells could be learned by angels transcending human limits, the other elemental divine tiers remained unrealized, lacking sufficiently powerful beings to actualize the theories. This "sub-spatial seal" likely belonged to the earth divine realm.


    "Then what''s sealed? What''s being sealed?!" Brennan shouted, echoing my question.


    If this light pillar was the seal itself, where was the entity being contained? Surely not just the beam of light?


    "If I''m not mistaken, it''s most likely over there!" Judith pointed her drenched hand forward.


    I thought she''d indicate the vortex beneath the lake, but to my surprise, she was gesturing directly at the white light''s epicenter hovering above the surface.


    Indeed, as the blinding glare dissipated, we soon noticed a black spherical object floating unsupported in midair over the waters, utterly still and silent without any reflection or sound, yet profoundly eerie and inexplicable...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 139: Unseal

    "What is that, don''t tell me it is a seal?"


    After waiting for a while with no reaction, Cyra looked confused and finally couldn''t help but ask.


    "Heheh, that''s no thing, that''s the entrance to a sub-space!"


    Staring at the distant black sphere, Judith actually had an excited smile on her face, as if very interested in what was happening. But at the same time, a drop of sweat trickled down from her temple. It was clear the situation wasn''t good.


    "This is a sub-space seal. If the entrance is opened, whatever is sealed inside could be released at any time."


    "So it''s just a space portal? So that''s what they look like..."


    Though she said that, upon hearing the seal could be undone, Cyra muttered and stepped back two paces. As wondrous as this sight was, nothing was more important than her life. Who knew what might come bursting out next?


    This black sphere was similar to Edenmere''s entrance, of the same type. Only Edenmere''s entrance was normally hidden by magic, so its true form couldn''t be seen. For regular folks, space entrances seem like holes, but seeing it in person revealed it was actually a sphere.


    "What does it matter what it is? If we destroy this thing, the seal can''t be undone, right?"


    Brennan, on the other hand, was bold and impatient. Rather than just waiting, he decided to take action. Without a word, he raised his hand and attacked the sub-space entrance.


    "Come forth, Phoenix!"


    As he spoke, the little phoenix appeared with a shrill cry, spewing flames as it charged the black "sphere". Though we didn''t know if this would work, we all hoped fervently that it would.


    "In theory, the fire element is way more powerful than others, so it might actually disrupt it!"


    Even Reed stared intently ahead, as if victory hung on this move!


    But just as the flames were about to hit, a huge tortoise suddenly emerged from the sphere''s surface! In an instant, it blocked the attack with its hard shell a half-meter away.


    "What the... It''s got defenses too? What is this thing?"


    We all watched dumbfounded as Cyra nearly cursed out loud in frustration.


    "No, that''s not the seal''s inherent defense, it''s likely a temporary spell added on. And the caster is nearby..."


    But Judith shook her head, gaze shifting down to the huge whirlpool still raging in the lake''s center.


    "Down there!"


    Huh? Was there something in the lake? As I wondered, a black figure suddenly shot out from the massive whirlpool, hovering steadily in mid-air.


    It was a human male!


    I''m not certain he was human, just judging by his appearance and muscular build, and that he wasn''t emanating an overly dense dark elemental aura.


    But from another perspective, his current state was more shocking than what species he was.


    Because he could fly!


    Unlike angels using wings, he had nothing on his back. Yet he hovered steadily over the lake, arms folded arrogantly, obstructing the black sphere from us. Clearly defending the sub-space entrance to stop our attacks.


    Perhaps some unknown flight magic, with wind and earth elemental spells rumored to have such abilities, though requiring immense magical power and not freely used. But his overly burly frame seemed more like a warrior class, contradicting the frail physiques of high-level mages.


    Could someone in this world achieve mastery of both magic and martial arts? Wouldn''t they be famous if so? I''d never heard of it.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Who are you?"


    Brennan demanded gruffly, taking a combat stance. The man''s slick defense clearly made him wary.


    "..."


    But he gave no answer, not even deigning to address the redhead. Only glancing back at me and the other angels behind, he suddenly raised an arm toward us.


    "Dark Devouring Dragon!"


    "Watch out, move!"


    Shockingly, he attacked without a word! As a massive three-headed black dragon appeared charging us, I quickly pulled Reed and Cyra into the air to evade. I heard a soft "crack" as the three heads snapped shut just below our ankles, making my legs go numb.


    But he didn''t let up, the dragon turning to chase our retreat.


    So he thought we were pushovers!


    Enraged, I unleashed my ultimate "Paradise Shockwave". The massive beam of light elicited an anguished roar as the three-headed dragon dissipated into black mist.


    "Huh?"


    I expected a corpse, but it just vanished? Then I saw Brennan roar "Fire Claws", flinging five crimson claw-shaped blasts at the mysterious man, going on the offensive rather than helping us - the right move.


    But the opponent was terrifyingly strong. The man sneered, and a jet-black serpentine creature appeared, spewing lightning at Brennan.


    "Argh¡ª"


    As the redhead convulsed, stunned, the man flashed in front of him and delivered a single punch. Brennan''s anguished cry cut off as he spiraled into the lake, not resurfacing.


    The whole sequence took less than a second...


    "Brennan!"


    Alarmed, Yulanda leapt into the water to rescue him. But the airborne man ignored her, his focus still on us three.


    He seemed to have a beef with angels, his gaze never leaving us.


    "Didn''t expect Dark Devouring Dragon to be so feeble. You six-winged angels are tougher than I thought. No wonder my underlings died to you..."


    Finally, he spoke! But then launched another assault without letting us respond.


    "Then try this - Nightmare!"


    With a gesture, an intensely thick dark elemental miasma surged toward us. What was this?


    The miasma took a ribbon-like form, appearing as black smoky tendrils to the eye, with no direct offensive power. But bizarrely, it coiled tighter and tighter around us until we were engulfed in pitch darkness, blind.


    I was like a headless fly, my eyes useless. The dark element contacted my body but light deflected it from harming me for now. But no matter how I flew erratically, the smoke clung, as if attached.


    "Aah!"


    Cyra''s scream rang out from somewhere nearby as she seemed to be struck down. Then Judith warned us,


    "Feliciana, be careful! While you''re blinded, he''s attacking from outside the smoke!"


    Damn, so underhanded? If not for his lack of significant dark or light elemental aura, I wouldn''t have been caught so off-guard, relying just on eyesight. But darkness was no obstacle for angels - I just had to use light to negate it.


    Before I could act, Reed released a light spell, dispelling the smoke around us within seconds.


    But those seconds were enough...For the man to pummel us into defenselessness. Luckily, he didn''t follow up, his attention drawn elsewhere, along with Judith''s as she dragged the unconscious Brennan to shore.


    "Look, at the sub-space entrance!"


    Judith pointed to the black sphere above the lake. So focused on fighting, we hadn''t noticed the changes happening there. A golden rod-like object was slowly emerging from the sphere''s surface. If you didn''t know it was a spatial gateway, it looked like something had been forcibly inserted, bulging out as the sphere was too small to contain it.


    The mysterious man had halted his attacks on us, entranced by this strange phenomenon. Of course I wasn''t foolish enough to strike from behind while he was distracted. I was more worried about the golden object emerging - was this the sealed entity itself?


    ...But why did it resemble a cross?


    Indeed, it was a cross! As it fully emerged, a golden cross with a circle in the middle hovered before us, giving an eerily familiar impression. The man swiftly flew over and caught it.


    "Hmph! Half of Lake Sun was ruined before I could expend great effort to retrieve this!"


    "That''s the Celt Cross!"


    Cyra recognized it, as a True Church devotee. Though seldom used in churches now, historically it symbolized prohibition and sealing.


    Sealing? Wait!


    Realizing this, I sensed something amiss. But the man just sneered and crushed the cross with one grip!


    "Rumble rumble..."


    As the Cross shattered, the black sphere vanished without a trace. At the same time, I could feel the ground beneath my feet start to tremble lightly, like the prelude to a massive earthquake.


    "The seal has been undone!"


    Reed sighed beside me, glancing at the mysterious man as she warned, "In that case, we shouldn''t linger here. It''s best we leave soon!"


    "But will he let us go so easily?"


    This battle wasn''t over yet. Even if we didn''t want to fight, who knew what he intended? Moreover, from the recent skirmish, it seemed our side was at a disadvantage.


    "Dong¡ª¡ª¡ª"


    As I wavered, a distant bell tolled from behind us - from the direction of Parristol City!


    I immediately recalled that Mirium and the red-haired demon Arick had left the city center after hearing a similar bell. Could it be...?


    "I have other important matters to attend to. Consider yourselves lucky! You''d better pray we never cross paths again - scram while you can!"


    Sure enough, upon hearing the bell, the mysterious man lost all interest in continuing the fight. Waving dismissively, he instantly vanished from our sight.


    "Cocky bastard, teleporting?"


    By now Brennan had regained consciousness thanks to Yulanda''s aid. Struggling up, he glared resentfully at the man''s departure point.


    "It might actually be teleportation..."


    Judith turned with a wry smile. Outmatched, she hadn''t dared attack him at all. Luckily he paid her no mind either, making her the only one to witness the entire battle.


    "Because I sensed an intense release of earth elemental energy just now."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 140: The True Parristol

    "According to Judith, that mysterious man likely did teleport away. But teleportation magic usually only high-level mages can accomplish. Plus, we didn''t see him cast any spells."


    "Even the most elite earth mages would find it difficult to reach that level of mastery!"


    Yulanda expressed some skepticism.


    "...Not only is he skilled in magic, but his physical prowess equals high-ranking warriors too. Is he really human?"


    Though he appeared human, his other abilities seemed distinctly inhuman.


    "Actually, it''s more than just magic. Don''t forget those moves he used against Feliciana''s group - they gave me a strong sense of deja vu! As if..."


    With Yulanda''s support, Brennan added uncertainly,


    "As if he were like me!"


    "Demon Taming, right? So you noticed too! That Dark Devouring Dragon was no weaker than the Phoenix - a rare sixth-tier dark elemental monster even in the Dark Continent. His ability to command such beasts already proves the point, only..."


    Judith immediately revealed the truth, but her expression showed some helplessness and confusion.


    "Though I didn''t witness it myself, that man gave me a sense I''ve heard of him somewhere before..."


    "Who is he?"


    Could he really be human? I was stunned. If so, he must be an extremely powerful Battle Qi expert. But such experts supposedly can''t use magic, so how did he teleport?


    Since the "Eye of Galadra" was confiscated by Edenmere, I couldn''t think of any way he could have silently fled the battlefield, unless the monsters got new equipment.


    "Reed, can you still contact Mia?"


    But rather than answer me, Judith suddenly changed the subject after a moment''s thought.


    "Of course, we agreed to get in touch once she reached Crescent City. Judging by the time, it shouldn''t be long now."


    Reed nodded confidently after some calculation.


    "That''s great, I may need her help researching some materials in the archives. Could you relay that for me?"


    Judith breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Unable to use the "Spiritual Convergence" spell, she had to resort to this roundabout method. Fortunately, their recent collaboration on refining the teleportation circle had built up some rapport between them, so Reed readily agreed without hesitation.


    "What''s this about? Does it have to do with that guy earlier?"


    The ever-curious Cyra sidled over. Still recovering from being pummeled into the ground earlier, she continuously cast healing spells.


    "Yes, I do suspect..."


    Just as Judith was about to explain, the trembling ground suddenly intensified!


    A deafening "rumble" ensued as trees violently shook and boulders rained down cliffs, a scene of apocalypse. Caught off guard, we nearly lost our footing.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "What''s happening? Why is the quake growing so intense? Didn''t they say it would only affect the Parristol area?"


    I flapped my wings frantically to stabilize myself, shouting in alarm.


    "You misunderstood! There''s no proof of that claim. Even the earlier quake had faint tremors outside the city. And don''t forget, the seal has been undone!"


    Reed corrected me, taking to the air like me as standing grew too difficult.


    "Think about it the other way - if the tremors are this severe here, you can imagine Parristol..."


    "Adrian..."


    I thought of the Chromos Tower still standing in Parristol''s center. Unless something happened, Adrian should be there now.


    Not that I worried for his safety in this quake. But as Parristol''s new king cooperating with monsters, Adrian must know the consequences of that mysterious man breaking the seal!


    Wasn''t Parristol the Loren Family''s legacy spanning thousands of years? Why would he allow its destruction? I feared even the Chromos Tower, Parristol''s last landmark, might not survive such severe quaking.


    "Is the Demon God going to appear? What should we do next, flee?"


    Cyra hovered, looking bewildered as she asked Yulanda. With the increasing instability and boulders raining from peaks into Lake Ditaam, the ground grew too hazardous. So we angels decided to evacuate everyone into the air for now, each carrying one human - still manageable for the moment.


    "But these sounds seem off. The rumblings from Parristol are getting louder!"


    Judith shook her head doubtfully. As she said, the situation here at Lake Sun was relatively better - most of the rumbling came from the Parristol area south of the peaks. Completely unlike normal quake noises.


    From my perspective, it sounded like dozens of excavators operating at high capacity right next to my ears - deafening, as if mayhem had erupted over there.


    "Could some Demon God really be trying to dig its way out?"


    I naturally didn''t believe Cyra''s nonsense. But these noises clearly fell outside normal quake parameters. Plus, this was lasting abnormally long!


    The best way to satisfy our curiosity was to fly over and see for ourselves. It wasn''t far, and I wanted to understand what Adrian and the monsters were up to anyway.


    Without further ado, I dragged Brennan and flew straight toward our previous path. But the sight that greeted us left me stunned, doubting my own eyes.


    The sunken basin holding Parristol City had risen from the center! As if some massive domed object was trying to emerge from underground. The original city structures and foundations had been utterly demolished, with barely any intact ground surface remaining. Rubble continuously slid down the slopes to the outskirts, piling up like mountains - a devastating scene!


    Only the Chromos Tower stubbornly remained standing at the center, seemingly the focal point of this upheaval.


    "No way? Could I have been right? It really looks like something is struggling to crawl out from underground!"


    Catching up, Cyra gasped at the sight, turning to Reed and Judith behind.


    "What kind of monster was sealed under Parristol?"


    "No, it doesn''t seem like any monster!"


    Staring at the scene, a flash of insight seemed to strike me as key details gradually emerged through the crevices above - it looked like...


    Finally, with the Chromos Tower''s last peal, the massive buried object shed its final restraints, bursting fully into view -


    It was a massive city! Filled with towering skyscrapers, lakes, parks - stunningly beautiful and grand. It sat atop an immense circular base roughly matching this basin''s area. Above it arched a translucent hemispherical barrier gradually rising with thunderous rumbling into the sky.


    "No...way...A sky city?"


    We all gaped open-mouthed in disbelief at this revelation none could have foreseen. The city''s tallest central structure reflected the morning sun from its spire in a blinding glare -


    The Chromos Tower! What we''d seen in Parristol was merely its upper third jutting out, with the vast remainder buried underground until now fully revealed.


    "So...magnificent! Is this the real Parristol? Likely an ancient ruin, but incredibly well-preserved to still function! No...the architecture suggests a later era..."


    Judith stammered out her impressions. Indeed, many structures resembled the central city we saw in the trial space, yet with notable differences. Beyond just ancient origins, I spotted architectural flourishes reminiscent of Edenmere too - perhaps a human creation after angelkind''s emergence.


    Its remarkable preservation was surely thanks to that barrier. As for whether civic amenities and other urban functions remained operational - who knew?


    None of us imagined millennia-old Parristol concealed such a behemoth underground. We stood dumbfounded for a long while before the quaking finally ceased as the city rose into the sky.


    We landed on our previous campsite, now littered with debris but still viable shelter. The city''s departure left a massive "bottomless" pit where the basin used to be.


    A chilly wind blew through, filling us with profound awe...

 Vol 4/Chapter 141: The Rapidly Changing International Situation

    "Astralrealm Kingdom occupied Parristol for so many years, but they never figured out what was hidden underneath?" Brennan shouted loudly as soon as they landed, running to the cliff''s edge.


    Of everyone present, he and Yulanda reacted most extremely. As citizens of the kingdom, witnessing a sky city emerge from underground beneath a small town that originally belonged to their country - this fantastical plotline would be hard for anyone to believe if told.


    As for me and Cyra, we remained relatively calm, since sky cities weren''t that novel to us. Even happening in reality, the shock faded quickly and we returned to normal. Personally, I even felt more of a dawning realization, as the city''s rise answered many lingering questions in my mind.


    Not just about the seal - why the city''s residents were evacuated early, why the locals vanished from the temple, etc. I had strong guesses swimming in my mind now.


    "Just as I expected, but I didn''t think it could actually fly...not that it matters much," said Reed impassively, gazing at the real Parristol floating overhead, as if she anticipated this all along. She then nonchalantly took out a book and started reading, acting as if it were just a balloon rather than a sky city.


    "How can it not matter? It''s a city flying in the sky!" Brennan clearly disagreed with Reed''s attitude, countering animatedly, "If it can move anywhere, invading the capital Norvale may be possible too!"


    "How did you guess this? Did you already know Parristol was hiding something underground?" I asked Reed, surprised. Given the city''s depth underground and protective barriers, it made sense Astralrealm didn''t discover its existence. But how did Reed know ahead of time?


    "Simple, I read about it," she replied, holding up a book from Edenmere''s library titled A History of Eldorian Civilization. "Angel historical records are the most comprehensive and accurate - far better reference material than the human histories, which may be censored or destroyed for various reasons."


    "For example, the records clearly state that during the early period of angel activity, there existed a human fortress in the Dona Mountain Range constructed using magical technology. However, it mysteriously vanished without a trace, gradually fading from human memory. It was precisely because of that strange earthquake before, as well as the various bizarre phenomena you described happening here, that I connected it to this disappeared human fortress. Unfortunately, it remained mere speculation, as I couldn''t find any corresponding evidence to confirm..."


    Judith chimed in to explain further, "After the Pope awoke, we specifically asked him about this information. That old guy has lived the longest, so he might know some insider details! But the stubborn fossil pleaded ignorance, only saying Jethrobaines'' library might have some related clues, since the holy capital existed long before him and is fairly close by with well-preserved historical records. So we sent him back there to handle some other matters too, but arrived a step too late unfortunately."


    "So even if we had proof, it wouldn''t matter - that''s not something a single nation could stand against," I remarked wryly. The sky city''s existence revealed Loren''s profound legacy, undoubtedly with monster involvement too. Considering Michelle''s role, her awareness of this place''s secrets made sense.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    While the city''s remaining defenses after millennia were unclear, its ability to fly spoke volumes - perhaps the ''divine punishment'' was among them. Not to mention the presence of Parristol''s rebel forces and monster guardians above. Already formidable on the ground, the aerial battleground put the kingdom''s forces at greater disadvantage.


    Distantly, kingdom gryphon knights were appearing, alerted by the commotion here and taking defensive stances. But their limited numbers could only gaze upwards helplessly alongside the rest of the grounded troops.


    I started to understand - no wonder the monsters went to great lengths to divert Edenmere''s angel armies to the northern frontier. With their aid, Parristol could face a serious threat.


    "Looks like meeting Adrian will only get harder from here," Cyra remarked meaningfully. "Of course, if you revealed your identity, as king he might grant you an audience..."


    "Shut up!" I snapped, kicking her. If I intended that, I would''ve done it long ago - why wait until now? Although...why hadn''t I just flown to Chromos Tower''s gates and requested to see Adrian before? Given our relationship, he surely wouldn''t refuse me as king.


    Yet I felt deeply averse to that option. Despite being here now, not too far from Chromos Tower, I felt afraid to face him - mainly due to his sudden confession before.


    I feared Adrian asking if I could accept him when we met, pressing me for a response. But how could I...


    "You really are indecisive - a textbook case of chronic procrastination!" Cyra sighed, patting my shoulder. "Don''t forget, you''re Feliciana now - if you like him, just boldly rush over and smother him with kisses!"


    "Why don''t you do that to Cysper?" I angrily retorted. Her relationship with the pope wasn''t as breezy as she made it sound - she insisted just recently it wasn''t what we imagined. Now she''s playing life coach?


    "It''s different, okay! I''ve been there, done that - I''m past that stage," Cyra replied, flustered. She shook her head and clarified condescendingly, "Besides, the Pope and I only just met recently. It''s completely different from your situation, so it''s all just a misunderstanding!"


    But how could such an excuse fool me? She just got into a relationship early, what makes her so special? Infuriated, I chased after Cyra, raining blows until she begged for mercy.


    In any case, just us few would be unwise to brazenly approach the sky city by day, having lost our elite forces. Considering the extremely formidable foes lurking inside, we decided to first regroup westward with Alfreed''s unit before planning further.


    The 5th Royal Army had fallen back a few kilometers west with Parristol''s city garrison, monitoring the situation. As we approached, they spotted us and sent a greeting party led by Alfreed himself.


    "You''re back at last! I worried this scouting trip to the temple might go awry. Eleanora''s been fretting that you all got swept up to the sky too," he joked, then eyed Reed and Judith curiously. "And who are these two?"


    After introductions, Reed didn''t raise much reaction. But revealing Judith''s Sage Council identity caused a stir among the kingdom troops.


    "Didn''t the Sage Council clearly state they wouldn''t get involved in Parristol? So why is a senior researcher suddenly showing up with angels - what game are they playing?"


    "Who knows, maybe it''s just a public stance while they secretly negotiate with us. With the Empire''s forces and monsters involved too, neutrality is impossible."


    "Who cares? Even if the Sage Council joins, it won''t make much difference. Don''t forget they lack an actual military to stand up to the Empire''s arcane bomber fleet!"


    Overhearing the murmurs, I felt lost. "What exactly happened?"


    Gazing up at the floating city, Alfreed explained with a heavy sigh, "You may not know yet... Around when this sky city emerged, the Ilandra Dominion Empire issued stern notice to Astralrealm, declaring support for Parristol''s independence - even threatening war. At the same time, the Sage Council quickly followed with their own statement...but not in our favor. By a slim majority, they voted not to intervene in Parristol''s affairs, essentially siding with the Empire."


    He shook his head wearily. "They likely foresaw this eventuality long ago. It seems only Astralrealm was caught off-guard!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 142: The Unfavorable Situation

    At the 5th Army''s camp, we met the overall commander - General Douglas of the 5th Army Corps. Alfreed was supposed to take over this position soon, so he remained a vice-corps commander for now. Of course, with Eleanora''s recent promotion to 6th tier, her military standing would rise accordingly.


    Unlike other encounters with kingdom officials, General Douglas showed little enthusiasm towards our angel visitors, not even greeting us personally. But we understood - the situation severely challenged Astralrealm, beset by threats on all sides. Even the capital Norvale might not escape the coming conflict. The general''s responsibilities weighed heavily.


    In summary, the angel armies in the far north could no longer be relied upon. To prepare for the worst, King Galahad ordered nearly every deployable force to the Parristol frontier to confront this new crisis.


    However, reinforcements would take at least a day to arrive...


    They just needed to stall the enemy here until then. For now, the new Parristol city seemed stationary in the sky with no movements. Perhaps it couldn''t move at all, or intended to eliminate the grounded kingdom forces first before any maneuvers? Or maybe some mishap occurred?


    Standing at the command tent''s entrance, I gazed up wistfully. Having left the mountains for the kingdom''s plains, the sky city appeared even higher and farther now. Surrounded by misty white clouds, it looked increasingly ethereal and dreamlike - like a fabled celestial realm.


    "Beautiful, isn''t it? Magnificent! We''re probably among the first humans to witness such a sight..." Eleanora remarked beside me, gazing skyward too.


    "We''ve been calling it ''New Parristol,'' but never imagined this former kingdom city could transform into such a grave threat."


    "To be fair, it hardly relates to the original Parristol anymore..." I sighed, shaking my head before retreating into the tent.


    If not for Astralrealm''s invasive oppression of Parristol, things may never have escalated to this point. But Eleanora was a kingdom citizen holding a key military medical position, so I couldn''t speak that aloud.


    Due to her sensitive affiliation, Judith wasn''t allowed into the command tent despite our angel status, staying outside. The rest of us entered to find Alfreed being reprimanded.


    "His Majesty only approved the 3rd and 1st Army Corps, with a pitiful ratio of gryphon knights! The original Parristol garrison force is now just a ragtag bunch. Even combined, we''re no match for that city!"


    Outside, nearly every soldier celebrated the newly-arrived reinforcements - including Vice-Commander Alfreed. But inside, General Douglas the commander thought otherwise, dousing Alfreed''s hopes with a cold rebuke.


    "Your experience is too shallow - don''t forget we face the united Empire, monster, and Parristol rebel forces! So naive!"


    Astralrealm''s military paled compared to the southern Ilandra Dominion Empire''s might. Alfreed fell silent, repeatedly nodding acceptance under his superior''s harsh dressing-down.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    For just a 5th-tier mage, Douglas showed no mercy criticizing even stronger subordinates - full "kick-down" arrogance.


    "Isn''t that exaggerating?" Brennan objected as we entered, trying to defend Alfreed. "If the enemy can call for aid, why can''t we? Cresthaven''s Pope is an ally - just bring them aboard too. Don''t forget monsters are involved - even as neutrals, the Church can''t ignore this."


    Originally ignoring Brennan, Douglas scoffed and glared at the redhead.


    "You''re that mercenary Brennan from the monster invasion war, right? Do you know how long it takes to get from the holy capital to here? Not to mention needing to send an envoy to request the Pope''s involvement first - time is critically short now. Who knows when that city might fly over the royal capital?"


    "Er..."  Brennan fell silent, admitting the logic. Parristol''s "divine punishment" was no joke - although Cysper claimed its range wouldn''t extend far from the city, lifting the entire city over the target was an unforeseen tactic. Not to mention Cysper''s return to the holy capital made direct contact difficult.


    But persisting this way led nowhere. Simply put, Astralrealm alone couldn''t handle the new Parristol as it stood, let alone with the Empire''s aid.


    "Doesn''t the Empire have other enemies though? How bold to march forces right to our borders - aren''t they afraid of other nations exploiting the opportunity?" Alfreed proposed an alternative.


    The classic strategy of diverting the enemy''s attention! The vast Ilandra Empire surely made many enemies that could harass them from behind during this distraction, potentially easing the situation.


    Though simpler than Spiritual Convergence, human geo-magic enabled a fixed-point "telephone" communication magic. While too late for troop deployments, coordinating with other nations might work wonders.


    "You mean having Crestvale Republic attack from behind to force the Empire''s retreat?" Douglas quickly grasped Alfreed''s meaning but shook his head.


    "The Empire has indeed made many enemies over the years. Crestvale in the southeast frequently clashes with them in small border conflicts, harboring deep resentment after repeated losses. They''d likely answer the call swiftly. But I doubt it would make any real difference! Don''t forget the Empire''s vast territory - this invasion force may be large but didn''t abandon border defense. Harassment from a single nation couldn''t impact the bigger picture!"


    No one objected further - it was nearly a dead end! Astralrealm now faced isolation with no aid in sight. Unless King Galahad immediately backed down, I doubted New Parristol would simply agree. How would Adrian respond, I wondered?


    "My apologies for the delay - do you bring any good news from the angel armies?" Douglas finally addressed us angels, his expression shifting to a polite smile.


    "No, we''re just passing through to assess the situation..." I replied, his face instantly falling again, though he remained courteous.


    "As you can see, the kingdom faces dire straits. Please accurately inform Lady Elara - any assistance, however small, would help!"


    Thinking I was from Edenmere and aware the angel armies were stuck on the northern front, he could only politely request aid through me before instructing Alfreed to see us to quarters.


    "Don''t keep our angel guests waiting - show them to accommodations!"


    "Well, well, did you find out why the Sage Council chose neutrality?" Judith rushed over, tailed by "bodyguards," as soon as we exited.


    "About that..."


    Truthfully, with monsters so clearly involved, the Council''s neutrality defied common sense. Yet Douglas never touched on that angle despite his lengthy briefing, leaving me conflicted on how to respond.


    "It''s probably the territorial disputes," Alfreed spoke up, not turning around. "According to kingdom spies in Crescent City, the Empire pressured the Council tremendously, offering to recognize the Council''s vast lands in northeastern Imperial territory. The Council likely couldn''t refuse such terms."


    "Territory, huh..." Judith fell silent, unable to argue further.


    The Council''s establishment of Crescent City on Imperial lands was undisputed - though back when relations were cordial centuries ago, neither side minded the nascent Council''s modest beginnings and lack of national ambitions.


    But times changed, and so did leadership. This formerly ambiguous issue became the Council''s biggest liability now that covert Empire-monster ties soured relations. It often resurfaced as a bargaining chip. Some said the Council''s non-intervention when Parristol was annexed also stemmed from such considerations.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 143: Conflicted Feelings

    Though the Sage Council lacked official military forces, their guard corps consisted mostly of mages who also commanded quite a few airships. Against the aerial threat of New Parristol, they could provide considerable support in an aerial assault operation.


    Unfortunately, Judith was just a minor researcher without the power to sway the entire Council''s decisions, something the kingdom forces never counted on her for.


    "Think of it this way - the Sage Council is inching closer to becoming a real nation. That''s not so bad!"


    With no better option, I could only encourage Judith to see the positive. But Alfreed overheard and turned back quizzically.


    "Judith, wasn''t it? That name seems familiar somehow..."


    He stared at her intently for a while, but couldn''t seem to recall where from.


    "Heh heh, well, I was quite the standout at the research institute back then - making a bit of a name for myself isn''t impossible!" Judith replied, her worried expression transforming into self-satisfied pride as she adjusted her glasses.


    "Never mind then..." Alfreed gave up, perplexed by her attitude since he didn''t know her true origins or what she referred to.


    He then turned his questioning gaze to me. "And Feliciana, do you need help contacting Edenmere for reinforcements? I heard there''s still an angel lingering in the capital who could perhaps..."


    "Definitely not!" I waved my hands frantically. I''d snuck here against Elara''s wishes - how could I reveal myself so quickly? My purposes here weren''t fulfilled yet.


    "Then why are you here? Don''t tell me it''s because of Adrian..."


    Alfreed exchanged a glance with Eleanora, but didn''t finish as he looked up at New Parristol overhead, shaking his head worriedly.


    "I really don''t understand what he''s thinking. Does he truly intend to fight the kingdom to the bitter end?"


    During this meeting, we''d analyzed the sky city''s current state. Parristol''s "divine punishment" seemed to originate from it. If Adrian as Loren royalty could control divine punishment, he likely commanded this city too.


    So Adrian had essentially become the crux of all these issues. Subsequent events and how the situation developed may hinge entirely on his intentions.


    Not just me, no one could fathom it based on our prior experience - Adrian never seemed the type to cooperate with monsters. Yet with the facts before us, anything was possible now, regardless of whether he was being controlled. The kingdom faced imminent peril.


    "Maybe Adrian was deliberately hiding his true self all along!"


    "No! I believe he must have his reasons. Don''t think the worst of him - Adrian isn''t like that..."


    I rushed to defend him, but my words tapered off feebly as I realized I lacked evidence to support my stance - the very reason I came here seeking proof.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    In contrast, we hadn''t actually seen him since parting ways at Sulide Volcano.


    "I can''t believe you still trust him so much..." Eleanora gave me a meaningful look, as if implying something more.


    Before I could respond, Cyra''s sharp ears picked it up as she bounded over excitedly. "Trust who? Does Feliciana have a thing for Adrian? You noticed it too?"


    Damn her, always sticking her nose where it didn''t belong and stirring up trouble!


    Luckily, Eleanora recognized Cyra from previous encounters, seeing her as a kindred spirit rather than an intruder. They exchanged a conspiratorial look and nod.


    "It''s so obvious, yet Feliciana insists on playing dumb like we can''t tell..."


    "Exactly, you''d have to be an idiot not to see it!"


    "The key is, a certain someone is just as much of an idiot pretending others are like her..."


    Although they whispered, I overheard every word - likely their intention to provoke me.


    "What do you mean I have a thing for Adrian? I''m not hiding anything, absolutely not!" I stamped my feet vehemently in denial. Rehashing this again was bad enough, but with Adrian now the kingdom''s prime enemy, where did that leave me?


    "Ah, young love..." Judith sighed wistfully, acting centuries older than her actual age. Infuriating me further by implying I was lovestruck in the kingdom military camp - wasn''t that slanderous?


    Yet no one took my denials seriously, waving me off dismissively as if accustomed to such protests already.


    Alfreed then dutifully found us separate tents to rest per the commander''s instructions, though we angels had no need. As a high-ranking six-winged angel, I received a spacious tent with soldier guards - lavish accommodations fit for General Douglas himself.


    However, I had no desire to lie down, yet didn''t want to draw more attention outside. Restless and vexed, I could only sit before the tent''s entrance, gazing up at New Parristol in thought.


    Did Adrian truly like me? Or did I actually like him, as others claimed?


    But I once...


    I shook my head firmly, refusing to dwell on that thought any further and considered other matters instead. The rest could wait until facing him again - if that was even possible now.


    Truthfully, I felt disheartened. I thought reaching 6th tier meant fearing fewer monsters, but a string of new, stronger foes kept shattering my limits. Leaving the dragon Mirium aside as seemingly unbeatable for me, that "mysterious man" emerged even more formidable - casually dominating us with his demon taming arts until we narrowly escaped.


    Though outwardly human-like, from the moment he appeared, that nameless man exuded an overwhelming pressure far exceeding Mirium''s draconic presence. If I wasn''t mistaken, Mirium surpassed 7th tier - so what unfathomable level did he represent?


    The thought made my head spin. The road ahead seemed increasingly arduous. I almost regretted not just charging into Chromos Tower while in the city earlier. Even if I flew up to the sky city now, those two monstrous foes would likely obstruct me before reaching Adrian. As key operators of the entire city, they wouldn''t simply let me meet him directly. And after Mirium spared Cyra and I before, she certainly wouldn''t hold back next time.


    Still, no matter the danger, I didn''t want to give up! Discovering Adrian''s motivations mattered deeply to me. I believed he had reasons, but wanted proof validating that belief. From an outside perspective, this reasoning seemed dubious. Yet strangely, no matter how dubious, I still yearned to prove it true.


    As I fretted restlessly, music from the adjacent tent caught my ear - the melody of "City in the Sky" played on a lute!


    Could it be Cysper?


    I initially assumed so, but after a couple more clumsy, error-filled segments, it clearly didn''t match Cysper''s skilled playing. Indicating the performer was someone else entirely.


    Following the music curiously, I discovered Cyra sitting outside the neighboring tent, intently playing a small lute while drawing a crowd of spectators, though she paid them no mind.


    "It''s you? Why are you suddenly playing that, and where did you learn?" I asked in surprise, sitting beside her. Observing closer, I realized it was actually Cysper''s lute in her hands - explaining the source.


    "From Cysper, of course! I asked him to teach me since he plays so well. Don''t you think this song fits the moment perfectly?" Cyra answered, her usual playful demeanor replaced by wistful reflection as she gestured towards New Parristol overhead, a hint of homesickness on her face.


    I knew she still yearned for her sole surviving parent back on Earth. But given our circumstances, returning seemed impossible now. So I gently consoled her, "If this is how it must be, your mother can persevere without you..."

 Vol 4/ Chapter 144 - Enlightenment

    I''m not sure if it''s appropriate to say this, it feels a bit too direct. But from her attitude, it seems I''m just overthinking things.


    "Don''t worry, I know what you''re saying. The main thing is I feel so useless, maybe it''s hard for me to adapt to life in this world..."


    Cyra answered me with a rare worried expression, quite different from her usual silly carefree look.


    I suddenly understood...No matter how blindly confident, after going through so many adventures, she must have realized it''s not easy to level up. In every battle, she could only hide at the back to watch, although excused for safety reasons, it must be very frustrating for her personality.


    In terms of growth speed, Cyra is not that slow - she should have reached mid-tier four, almost catching up with Vivianne and Yulanda''s level, but still far behind Nicola and me.


    But there''s nothing that can be done. For normal angels during their two-winged phase, most would just slowly develop in Edenmere, waiting years or decades before joining the angel corps with four wings to come out here. But someone like Cyra has no patience to wait like that.


    So two-winged angels like her who ran out with us almost never exist. At tier four, it''s too common in the human world, even leaving the city for the wild isn''t absolutely safe, often relying on Nicola and me for protection.


    As fellow transmigraters but with such a gap despite starting together, she must feel a lot of pressure, just like how I felt when I first met Nicola. But our situations are a bit different from her and Reed''s, so it''s hard to help them except by giving time, with no other good methods.


    Thinking of this, I could only remain silent, unsure how to console her.


    "It''s okay, angels have long lifespans anyway, you could say we hit the jackpot. Maybe decades later when I reach the higher tiers, I can beat you all up!"


    True to her optimistic nature, though Cyra seemed gloomy earlier, she quickly bounced back after stretching, staring at me with a carefree look, her eyes gleaming mischievously.


    "But you...came specially to console me, yet you don''t seem as unruffled as you claim!"


    "What do you mean not unruffled? I''ve never wanted to go home!"


    I protested indignantly. But thinking carefully, our family situations were completely different, so not really comparable.


    "I''m not talking about that, I mean your love life. You obviously like Adrian so much, why won''t you just admit it?"


    Cyra shook her head, mercilessly changing the subject to hit my weakness.


    Why bring this up again? She''s really gossipy to the core! Hearing this, I felt a bit unhappy and turned away curtly.


    "What makes you so sure I like Adrian? Don''t forget, you know about my previous identity - why keep egging me on?"


    "Okay okay! So you''re still sticking to identifying as a guy..."


    Seeing the crowd dispersed by the guards, and my stubborn denial, Cyra shrugged, then suddenly threw me a "coquettish look", leaning over in a flirtatious manner and cooing suggestively.


    "Well what about me then? I don''t really care about those hang-ups you''re so conscious of. I''m open to anything, all genders welcome! Why don''t we give it a try?"


    "Get lost, do you have to be so disgusting!"


    Her face was almost touching mine with that kiss-me pose. Seeing that, I was utterly revolted, my hair standing on end as I quickly stood up and kicked her away with one foot.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    That kick wasn''t very hard, but it still took Cyra a while to struggle up from the ground, grumbling unhappily.


    "Geez...did you have to be so vicious? Don''t forget how strong you are now!"


    "Why did you suddenly do that?"


    I demanded angrily. Didn''t she prefer women? And the True Church she believes in doesn''t really approve of that kind of behavior either, right? Was she just testing me?


    "Calling yourself a man, yet react like that to a gorgeous girl like me, unforgivable..."


    I have to admit Cyra''s skin is pretty thick to say such narcissistic things out loud. But in my eyes, while she''s not bad looking, Michelle''s mental trauma on me was too deep. Plus I''ve never seen Cyra as a girl, so I don''t feel the need to treat her delicately.


    "I was just trying to enlighten you..."


    Cyra brushed off the dust and mellowed out quickly, back to her usual cheeky self as she slung an arm around my shoulders.


    "Oh well, we''re siblings after all...uh, sisters! I''ll let you off this time, just go easier with those kicks next time, angel bodies can''t take that kind of abuse!"


    "So do you actually prefer guys or girls?"


    I was confused by her constant wavering, so I scrutinized Cyra doubtfully. If she likes girls, why was she so ambiguous with Cysper? But if she prefers guys, there''s no evidence for that either. Could she really swing both ways?


    "Argh! That doesn''t matter, does it? We''re talking about you here - why are you so hung up on it? I don''t care at all!"


    To my question, she answered in typical blunt fashion, then turned to me.


    "Let me ask you again, do you currently see yourself as a man or woman?"


    "A...a woman, I guess..."


    To be honest, I''ve accepted reality already. Although there''s still some reluctance, I have to admit it.


    Thinking deeper about how I really feel towards Adrian, it''s impossible that I''m completely clueless by now. Originally, besides Nicola, the one who cared most was this girl, afraid she and our old classmates would mock me if they found out. But unexpectedly, Cyra actually came to counsel me herself, really an ironic twist.


    "There, it''s settled then! If you like someone, just go for it!"


    Hearing this, Cyra immediately thumped her chest declaring confidently.


    "Don''t worry, Reed and I fully support you. Adrian seems like a really great guy! Many say he''s very reliable, we won''t make fun of you, so don''t worry about what others think!"


    Though put crudely, there is some simple logic to it. I felt the beliefs I once firmly held start to waver slightly.


    Of course, only just a tiny bit! Don''t forget Adrian is currently opposed to Astralrealm and colluding with monsters, so discussing this has no real meaning. Moreover, I can''t bear to admit any interest in another man in front of my former classmates!


    No matter how much she eggs me on - "Just admit it, everyone already knows anyway, it''s no big deal!" - there''s no way I''ll fully believe her words! She might spread it around, and before long it really will be public knowledge.


    "Don''t worry, leave Nicola to me! Why don''t you just shout out loud to that city in the sky ''I love you Adrian!'' Maybe he''ll hear you!"


    Seeing me still stubbornly refusing to open up, Cyra even started whispering encouragement into my ear.


    "No way I''m shouting that, go shout to your Cysper instead!"


    I didn''t know what was driving her, but I finally couldn''t stand it anymore and kicked her away again.


    "Ugh..."


    Looking up at New Parristol again, I felt an inexplicable vexation and shook my head as I left without a backwards glance.


    ...


    We can''t wander around in the camp, and as an angel this identity is quite eye-catching, so I followed some guards patrolling nearby. I didn''t see Reed anywhere, while the others were resting, so I returned to my own tent.


    But not long after I came back, I heard commotion outside. Poking my head out, I saw everyone craning their necks skyward - the sky city had inexplicably moved much closer in our direction. If it came any nearer, it would almost be right overhead.


    Strangely though, it had stopped moving, hovering motionlessly like when we first saw it, just in a different position.


    "What''s going on?"


    I curiously asked a guard at the entrance.


    "Why did that city start moving, and why did it stop?"


    "We''re not too sure either. According to the scouting griffon riders, New Parristol was originally heading this way, but halfway through, thick black smoke suddenly started billowing out from under the base of the central Chromos Tower. We suspect there may have been some kind of fire or explosion, and then the whole city just stopped..."


    The guard answered a bit embarrassedly, then quickly explained.


    "Since our commander instructed us not to get too close, we couldn''t really see clearly what exactly happened."


    A fire? An explosion?


    My first thought was that someone sent saboteurs to cause damage, and the prime suspect would naturally be the Kingdom''s forces. But if even they didn''t know about it, then who was up there?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 145 - The Battle Begins

    Regarding this issue, the best solution was to ask someone with more authority. Thinking this, I went straight towards Douglas'' tent, but unexpectedly met Alfreed on the way.


    "So it''s really not related to your kingdom''s army?"


    After some simple questioning, Alfreed firmly denied that the situation involved the kingdom''s secret operations. At least he was completely unaware, otherwise he wouldn''t be rushing to discuss the situation with the commander.


    "This is a very favorable sudden incident for us. At least it proves that the resistance and monsters are not entirely united. Even if other countries'' spies are involved, it also means we may be able to get assistance from other countries..."


    On the way, Alfreed casually expressed a few of his own views. However, when we reached the entrance of Douglas'' tent, we almost bumped into an acquaintance.


    "Reed?"


    We got lucky! I had been looking for her everywhere before but couldn''t find her. I thought she might be reading alone in some corner! Who would have expected to unexpectedly meet her here?


    Speaking of which, what was she doing? Seeing her coming out from inside, Alfreed and I couldn''t help but give her a puzzled look.


    "You''ve always wanted to find Adrian, right? I took this opportunity to help you out!"


    Reed looked up at the new Parristol in the sky, then glanced at me and left without turning back after saying that.


    "Huh? You..."


    What did that mean? I stared blankly with my mouth open, completely baffled. I looked at Alfreed, pointed at Reed''s back, but couldn''t get the rest of the words out.


    "Is it related to the new situation in the city?"


    Alfreed was just as clueless as me. But recalling the supposed "fire" that had just occurred at the new Parristol city, he suggested that this might be Reed''s doing.


    However, for Reed to sneak into the sky city and cause destruction by herself should be impossible without being detected. What riddle was she talking about?


    I even suspected whether Mia had returned and the commotion in the city was her masterpiece. But after careful thought, I felt this possibility was small. Crescent City is not too far from here, but after leaving Crescent City, Mia seemed to have some other matters to attend to. She couldn''t have rushed back so quickly, let alone have time to go cause trouble in the sky city.


    In the end, I could only enter the Fifth Legion commander''s tent with Alfreed, feeling even more puzzled.


    We saw Douglas pacing back and forth in the tent, as if he had just made a difficult decision. Seeing Alfreed enter, he immediately pulled him over and instructed:


    "You''re just in time. Quickly pass down the order - we''re going to launch an all-out offensive immediately!"


    "Wait, why the rush?"


    Douglas'' words were shocking. Alfreed was so startled that he could only react after a while, quickly stepping forward to dissuade him.


    "It''s only been half a day. Even if we wait until tomorrow morning, we may not be able to gather everyone. Not to mention the enemy still has the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s assistance. It may not be a good idea for us to rashly attack, right?"


    We had only joined up with the kingdom''s army this morning. It was just past noon now, still early before the agreed time for reinforcements to arrive. No wonder Alfreed couldn''t accept this order to fight alone.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? Haven''t you seen the infighting on the enemy''s side? Now is the perfect opportunity! Otherwise, once they finish mobilizing the city, we can only chase after them. Besides, we have new allies now..."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Douglas waved his hand nonchalantly and resolutely issued the attack order. But halfway through, he seemed to notice me and respectfully greeted me.


    "Excuse me, honorable angel lady. We''re about to discuss troop deployments and pre-battle preparations. Could you please step aside for now? Of course, this isn''t because we don''t trust you. It''s just that since you''re not a member of the angel legion, you''re not a military ally of the Astralrealm Kingdom. Based on the kingdom''s military regulations..."


    "Uh, then I..."


    What was this development? I was still trying to make sense of the situation when Douglas politely asked me to leave, citing regulations! Even though he seemed apologetic about it, he was still kicking me out!


    "Alright!"


    Never mind, since I am an outsider, it''s not proper for me to stand by and watch them deploy troops. I didn''t want to get kicked out in the end! Even though I had a belly full of questions, now was not the time to figure it out. Seeing Alfreed take out a terrain map of Parristol''s surroundings and spread it on the ground, he had no time to attend to me. I could only purse my lips, turn around and reluctantly leave that place.


    Why not go ask Reed again?


    As I came out of the tent, I immediately had a new lead. After all, Reed had just come out from there when we arrived, so Douglas'' sudden decision might be related to her! I didn''t know what the two of them had said inside earlier, and what exactly were these "new allies" they mentioned?


    "Where''s Reed?"


    But when I came to Cyra''s tent, I didn''t see her around. Since they were both two-winged angels with limited resources in the camp, Alfreed had assigned Cyra and Reed to stay together during the allocation.


    As for Cyra, she was still there, but this girl was actually sitting at the table by herself, holding a chicken drumstick and gnawing on it greasily.


    "What kind of lunch is an angel eating?!"


    I didn''t expect such good food in a military camp. It was probably prepared specially for Cyra, as ordinary soldiers wouldn''t eat so well.


    "Wow, delicious!"


    "Take it easy, this isn''t lunch, it''s my afternoon tea! Haven''t you seen it before? Don''t snatch it all!"


    Seeing me stuffing food into my mouth, Cyra hurriedly spit out the bone in her mouth and kept tugging at my clothes with her greasy hand. However, her little movements couldn''t stop me at all. Soon, I had devoured everything.


    "Not bad taste, you''ve got some skills, I''ll give you that!"


    I grabbed a napkin, wiped my mouth, and gave my satisfied final review. Only then did I remember the purpose of my visit and hurriedly asked again.


    "Oh right...haven''t you seen Reed? She didn''t come back just now?"


    "How rude! Don''t you know we haven''t had decent food for days?"


    Looking at the leftover scraps in front of her, Cyra was a bit resentful, but since she couldn''t beat me, she had no choice.


    "Reed hasn''t come back, but just now I saw her and Judith leaving the camp together. They looked like they had some important matter to attend to, but I don''t know exactly where they went."


    Huh, what kind of plot development was this? I was completely dumbfounded. Reed actually went AWOL? And she even brought the weaker Judith with her?


    Don''t forget this is a combat zone! It''s a dangerous period right now, and the battle will begin very soon. For their strength, going out alone is extremely dangerous!


    "Why didn''t you stop them?"


    I couldn''t help feeling anxious and blaming Cyra. Whether it was Reed or Judith, I couldn''t afford to lose either of them. What should I do if something happened to them!


    "I wanted to, but I''m no match for them! Don''t forget, my combat strength is actually not much different from Reed''s. Moreover, she has all sorts of tricks - she can fling magic scrolls around like they''re free. I''ve never been able to beat her!"


    Cyra spread her hands in helplessness, not seeming worried at all. In fact, she tried to reassure me instead.


    "Don''t worry, you know how formidable Reed is. Just her ''Five Light Ten Color'' technique alone is enough to subdue most enemies!"


    "Well...but..."


    What she said was true, but I still felt uneasy. Previously whenever Reed went out, Mia the ten-winged angel would accompany her for the most meticulous protection. But now that bodyguard wasn''t around, it was really unsettling for Reed to run around alone in such a dangerous place.


    I turned to look at Cyra again, but saw that she finally couldn''t hold back anymore, gulping down the remaining soup nonstop. Suddenly remembering this girl was also a hopeless case, I could only shake my head and temporarily leave by myself, flying up into the sky to gaze outside the camp.


    A desolate scene filled my view.


    The area surrounding Parristol was all desert, especially on this side within the Astralrealm Kingdom''s borders. Due to the persistent lack of water and drought, as far as the eye could see, the ground was covered with rocks of all sizes and short trees. In such a short time, it was impossible to see clearly where Reed and Judith had run off to.


    What important matter did they have to attend to at this moment?


    I really couldn''t understand it. At the same time, a resounding horn suddenly blared. The soldiers in the camp below all came out of their tents and looked in the same direction - towards the sentry platform in front of the camp. It seemed Douglas and Alfreed had finished their preparations, and the attack was about to begin.


    "What''s going on? I just heard the guard at the entrance say we''re about to go to war?"


    Cyra seemed clueless! When I descended from the sky, seeing the soldiers running back and forth outside the tents, she hurriedly pulled me aside to ask.

 Vol 4/Chapter 146: The Confrontation

    "Don''t panic first, this is an offensive launched by the Astralrealm Kingdom''s army. We can observe the situation for now!"


    I pulled Cyra back as she was foolishly trying to go to the assembly point. Since Douglas excluded us angels from the start, there was no need for us to join the fray.


    Indeed, I was very concerned about how the battle between the kingdom''s army and the sky city would unfold. But Reed and Judith''s whereabouts were even more worrying. Why did they run off at such a critical moment? What were they up to?


    I pondered whether it would be better to go search further away first. Otherwise, once the battling sides clashed, the vicinity would become even more chaotic.


    As for where to search...


    Judith couldn''t fly, so as a two-winged angel, Reed couldn''t have gone too far with her even by air. If they teamed up, it was likely research-related. The biggest target, of course, would be...


    "Could Reed have snuck into the city?"


    The thought made me anxious. That den of tigers was a place even I dared not approach recklessly. Would a two-winged angel really dare to barge in, bringing along someone at only the third tier?


    "Impossible! Reed''s not stupid! Don''t forget there''s still a barrier around the city! It''s not that easy..."


    Cyra immediately shook her head rejecting my guess. Pointing at the sky city above, her face froze.


    "Huh? Where''s the barrier? It''s gone?"


    "What???"


    That stunned me too. I quickly looked up - indeed, the faint yellow physical barrier that had enveloped Parristol had mysteriously vanished. Who knows when it started, could it be related to the earlier commotion and smoke inside the city?


    In another direction, the gathered kingdom soldiers soon discovered the enemy''s situation too. Immediately, the entire camp erupted in cheers of celebration, voices calling for counterattack and revenge arising everywhere.


    "Could it really be Reed''s doing? But how''s that possible, how did they manage it? That''s too fast..."


    Cyra was dumbfounded, the pace of this development was just too rapid for her to keep up.


    I felt the same way. Rather than guessing blindly, it was better to go verify in person. But I dared not bring Cyra along, so I had to risk it alone.


    "You stay here, or try looking for Reed on the ground. But whatever you do, don''t approach the sky city or join the kingdom''s army on the battlefield, understand?"


    "You''re really going up there? Maybe I was wrong, Reed wouldn''t be that reckless..."


    Worried for my safety, Cyra calmed down and tried to dissuade me after a moment.


    "Instead of foolishly running into that deathtrap, I think it''s more likely they returned to that pit where the new Parristol first took off. The barrier disappearing probably had another reason!"


    It seemed she and I had similar initial judgments. Even with the "Five Light Ten Color" defensive technique, Reed might not be unscathed facing several above 7th tier monsters .


    "But we still need to confirm, in case they really are up there causing trouble so we can assist!"


    I shook my head, still not reassured. Fortunately, having mastered high-speed flight, even if I couldn''t win, escaping shouldn''t be a problem, right?


    After reminding the equally worrisome Cyra again, I quickly took flight back into the sky, heading straight for the sky city.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    To be honest, this action was truly risky. This was my first time approaching this dream-like city since the new Parristol took to the skies. Unlike the distant view, up close the entire city looked even more magnificent - towering skyscrapers glittering with gold and jade, greenery spanning everywhere, the streets as clean as polished jade. At first glance it seemed like a futuristic sci-fi world, nothing like the typical medieval architecture of this era.


    "Halt! You''re approaching the absolute airspace of the Parristol Kingdom. If you come any closer, we''ll have to attack!"


    Before I could fly too near, still a few hundred meters from the city''s edge, suddenly a "large ship" appeared from behind a tall building, its crew amplifying their voices magically to loudly warn me.


    What the heck? The ship was flying! And its shape really resembled an ordinary ship, with sails and masts! A strange emblem I''d never seen before was painted on the huge mainsail... Well, actually I felt like I might have glimpsed it somewhere before but hadn''t paid much attention.


    "Who are you?"


    They could probably hear me talking, but I didn''t want to force my way through. So I temporarily stopped and questioned back instead. With the numbers of Parristol''s rebel forces, there was absolutely no way they could have mustered such "fantasy" equipment in a short time. And if this was the city''s own defensive force, it seemed too crude, completely out of place with the surrounding sleek architectural style.


    After careful observation, I quickly noticed gray magic circle patterns emerging on the ship''s hull - the secret to its levitation probably lay in this formation! If I wasn''t mistaken, it should belong to the legendary airships. But notably, the bow was equipped with a huge black main cannon - the barrel looked enormously powerful, making me quite intimidated.


    The might of arcane technology looked formidable indeed. Besides that main cannon, there were other lower-level defensive weapons surrounding it, such as massive crossbows, small "cannons", and mages with archers lining the gunwales.


    These were the first firearm-related weapons I''d seen since coming to this world. Although I didn''t know if that massive cannon was truly gunpowder-driven, being targeted by it wasn''t pleasant, making me even more hesitant to move recklessly.


    So I quickly retreated a few hundred meters back. Who knows if angels are cannonproof...


    "We''re the Second Airship Squadron of the Ilandra Dominion Empire, invited by the Parristol Kingdom to assist in defending the city! If you''ve strayed in here by mistake, please leave promptly!"


    As expected, they soon introduced themselves. Fortunately, they were somewhat polite seeing my angelic status.


    Only then did I unintentionally notice that amidst the surrounding skyscrapers, many were actually concealing people - I couldn''t tell if they were local rebel groups or foreign aid forces. But practically every window had a soldier aiming a bow, crossbow or staff at me. With such overwhelming force, who could withstand it?


    "My apologies, I came to..."


    I wanted to say I came looking for someone, but considering this defensive might, Reed and Judith probably couldn''t have slipped in either. So I quickly changed my words.


    "Well, I was just passing by and got curious seeing this city could actually fly into the sky, so I came to take a look. I''ll leave right away, really!"


    No shame in conceding. Staying alive was most important! It seemed they didn''t even remember me from the previous disturbance, so I''d better scram!


    But before I could get a reply, my path was suddenly "cut off" from behind.


    It wasn''t by others, but because the Astralrealm Kingdom forces chose that precise moment to launch their attack! Alfreed, riding a griffon, was leading a swarm of soldiers flying over in droves. The black mass below gave me goosebumps.


    "Feliciana? Why did you come up here alone? A six-winged angel can''t possibly match them - that''s the empire''s renowned Airship Squadron!"


    Surprisingly, Alfreed could actually ride griffons. Seeing me confronting the new Parristol, he flew at the front looking astonished as he questioned me.


    "Airship Squadron? But there''s only one over there..."


    I instinctively pointed towards the enemy. Even one was more than I could handle. But as soon as I spoke, a huge batch of identical airships suddenly emerged from behind the city''s skyscrapers - at least tens of them in tightly packed formation.


    "........."


    I was instantly speechless. How were we supposed to deal with this? It felt like the two sides weren''t even in the same level. Of course, the kingdom''s specialty griffon knights might be more agile and harder to hit, but they still couldn''t withstand the airships'' sheer firepower! Moreover, they were also outnumbered. Even if there was another large ground force preparing to lend anti-air magic support from below, at this altitude of several thousand meters, even high-level spells would lose much of their power.


    "Hahahahaha, so the Astralrealm Kingdom has finally started to panic and act foolishly? Sending this tiny chicken-like army to launch an attack, you can''t even wait for reinforcements?"


    It was the same airship that spoke earlier. Seeing Alfreed leading the griffon knights to the outskirts of the city, they immediately let out a merciless mocking laughter.


    "I''ll give you a stern warning! You''ve already crossed the border line. You can say you''ve completely invaded Astralrealm''s airspace. If you don''t retreat now, it''s an outright violation of the Continental Pact. Plus, collaborating with monsters, you''ll risk becoming the enemy of all humans and face united aggression from every nation!"


    Under their powerful threat, Alfreed remained composed, temporarily ignoring me to fearlessly retort.

 Vol 4/Chapter 147: Reinforcements Arrive

    "Hah, you dare mention the Continental Pact!"


    The opposing side let out a loud mocking laughter, as if hearing a ridiculous joke, before countering sharply.


    "Don''t forget the Pact clearly states that regardless of the country, within a 10-kilometer radius of the capital is considered an absolute occupation zone. This clause is undisputed. By that logic, you''re the ones invading!"


    The words caused an uproar, instantly triggering hushed discussions among the griffon knights behind.


    "That''s right! I do recall such a clause..."


    "But aren''t we defending our country? How did we become the invaders?"


    "This is practically cheating! Who could have foreseen a country''s capital being mobile? Wherever this city flies becomes its absolute territory...no, airspace according to the Pact!"


    "The enemy is just too cunning!"


    ...


    All sorts of voices arose, seeming to deal a considerable blow to morale. Seeing this, Alfreed quickly shouted "Stop!" to halt the heated debate.


    "How brainless can you be! Our country hasn''t recognized Parristol''s independence yet! This city should still be considered Astralrealm''s territory. At most, they''re just gathering foreign hostile forces to rebel!"


    Although it sounded somewhat shameless, it made a certain sense, instantly calming everyone down. But the enemy was naturally displeased, letting out a cold snort of dissatisfaction.


    "Hmph, you dare say such things! It was you who took advantage of Parristol''s plight to occupy it in the first place, how shameless! But our empire won''t give you that chance again. Even without the barrier, your puny numbers can''t defeat our airship fleet. You''d better surrender obediently!"


    With that, almost all the airships started closing in menacingly.


    "What should we do? Can you defeat them?"


    Seeing the black main cannons aimed at us, I couldn''t help feeling flustered and quickly turned to Alfreed for confirmation. The griffon knights'' combat prowess was still unknown to me - maybe they were unexpectedly formidable?


    "Of course not!"


    But Alfreed gave this answer without hesitation, much to my astonishment. So why did they come up here, to die? However, he didn''t seem too anxious, giving me a mysterious smile before revealing:


    "Fortunately, we have reinforcements..."


    Before he could finish, at that very moment, another familiar voice came from below, also amplified magically to draw everyone''s attention.


    "Then what about our country''s forces, what are the odds?"


    Another airship was seen slowly rising to our altitude. This one had a different style from the Ilandra Dominion''s ships - slightly smaller, with contrasting sail and emblem designs. Plus it lacked high-end weapons like the "great cannons", only equipped with massive crossbows and mages serving as offensive means - a simplified version of the empire''s ships.


    But I instantly recognized the emblem on the mainsail. After being in this world for so long, how could I possibly forget - it was the crest of the True Church!


    "Cysper! Why are you here?"


    Seeing the figure at the ship''s bow, I couldn''t help calling out. Didn''t Reed send him back to the holy capital? Why did he suddenly appear here?


    "My apologies, it seems I''m a bit late..."This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Cysper had an utterly serious expression, completely lacking his usual casual air. But hearing my question, he pretended not to understand and corrected me.


    "Who is Cysper? I am Pope Garrick of the Cresthaven Papal Dominion. Ah angel lady, I believe we''ve met before? Have you forgotten me so quickly?"


    "......"


    Okay, so he was playing dumb! I glared hard at Cysper. I could understand not wanting others to know his alias "Cysper", especially in such a public setting. But the name "Garrick" felt so unfamiliar after getting used to calling him Cysper.


    "Gar...Garrick...Your Holiness, how did you get here? The holy capital is at least several hundred kilometers away!"


    "Why, it''s all thanks to the angel lady providing precise spatial coordinates for guidance. Only then could we teleport smoothly here from the holy capital. Otherwise, we wouldn''t have had time to gather the troops stationed at the borders for reinforcement."


    The one speaking wasn''t Cysper, but Cardinal Eminem beside the pope. I didn''t expect him to be here too! Watching the small and large airships rapidly approaching from the eastern mountains, all bearing the unified Church cross emblem, I suddenly understood but still had lingering doubts.


    Like what exactly were the "spatial coordinates" he mentioned? I hadn''t done anything like that.


    "Although the Church prioritizes light magic users, it''s not hard to find one or two earth talents capable of spatial teleportation. Don''t forget I can also use the ''Spiritual Convergence'' spell!"


    As if seeing my thoughts, Cysper smiled slightly, glancing down at the airship below as if reminding me of something.


    "Ah......"


    I instantly realized and quickly joined Mia''s telepathic network.


    Ever since Mia was dispatched to Crescent City by Reed, I hadn''t used the "Spiritual Convergence" spell anymore. Since I could talk face-to-face with Reed and the others, this remote communication was naturally unnecessary. But I never expected the pope to still be connected after returning to the holy capital, continuing until now...


    "Reed, are you there? What''s going on? Was Cysper brought here by you?"


    As soon as I joined, I broadcasted my questions on the network. But the first to answer wasn''t Reed, Cysper or even Mia, but Cyra.


    "Feliciana, you''ve finally joined! Come over here quickly! I''ve found them at last!"


    "Where are you? How did you find them?"


    I was stunned. The "them" she referred to must be Reed and Judith, who had abruptly left the camp earlier leaving me frantic searching everywhere without a trace. Yet Cyra had easily located them.


    "By joining this ''group'' of course! After you left, I suddenly thought of this. Mia''s ''temporary discussion group'' she created before was never disbanded. Reed and Cysper are still in it, so I just asked and found out where they were!"


    Cyra replied triumphantly. She always liked using smartphone app analogies for the "Spiritual Convergence" effect, though personally I felt the actual experience differed quite a bit...


    "Where are you all? Reed, why aren''t you saying anything?"


    Hearing this, I immediately asked anxiously.


    "Right under the city..."


    Finally, after much prompting, Reed''s reluctant voice responded. But after a pause, she added,


    "But you don''t have to come over. It makes no difference with or without you here! Just focus on the situation over there..."


    What did she mean it made no difference if I was there or not? It felt like they were up to something shady! But Reed''s words did remind me to observe the surrounding situation again. The Church airship formation had already fully surrounded us during my distracted moment, forming a standoff with the sky city''s defensive forces.


    Adding Alfreed''s griffon knight squad from the Astralrealm Kingdom, our side''s numbers were likely not inferior. But the actual combat strength was still a bit lacking...


    "How unexpected..."


    After Cysper''s appearance, the Ilandra Dominion Empire airships had remained silent for a while. Finally, they spoke with some contemplation, though there was more scorn and disdain than urgency despite the surprise.


    "The Church homebody has actually left the holy capital at last. It''s probably been thousands of years, no? We in the empire thought His Holiness was completely unable to take a single step outside!"


    You could tell they didn''t take this unexpected reinforcement seriously. Although much better than the Astralrealm Kingdom''s lone force initially, the Church airships were no match for the Ilandra Dominion''s superior equipment. Not to mention the local resistance likely hiding in the new Parristol''s buildings in unknown numbers. Even if they fought, our side probably wouldn''t have much advantage.


    "If my information is correct, you should be the renowned General Frank commanding the empire''s airship fleet? The stories of your bear-like courage and formidable arcane cannons are indeed well-deserved!"


    Of course, Cysper didn''t get angry. With his usual excellent demeanor, he first identified the other side, complimenting them habitually before his tone abruptly changed.


    "But at the same time, we can see the empire has had ulterior motives regarding Parristol all along! Don''t forget the Church has never shied from the frontlines against monsters! In terms of combat experience and strength, we are definitely not inferior to you nations indulging yourselves behind human lines. Moreover, colluding with monsters is an intolerable act!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 148 - The Battle Rages

    "Hahaha! You all are just bluffing. You ragbag bunch, you think you can survive the cannons of the magic artillery? I want to see if it''s really as miraculous as you claim!"


    Hearing Cysper''s words, the enemy immediately laughed disdainfully! Then without warning, they suddenly opened fire while still speaking.


    The imperial flagship airship at the front let out a thunderous "BOOM!" A dazzling red blaze spewed from the cannon muzzle, heading straight for the Pope''s position.


    "Watch out! Hold the defensive formation!"


    The church airships reacted swiftly. In the instant the cannon fire came raging in, a yellow-white shimmering shield suddenly appeared around the hulls, solidly blocking the attack. I could sense the shield contained a huge amount of light elemental energy - parts of it resembled a "Light''s Sanctuary", but the brownish glow suggested it also mixed some kind of earth magic array I didn''t recognize.


    The human specialty is combining different elemental magics to enhance the overall effect. Angels can only use light magic, which though specialized, is too limited to handle all battlefield needs.


    In any case, this cannon strike was indeed blocked by the powerful magic array. But it didn''t emerge unscathed - the blast''s massive impact pushed the Pope''s airship back dozens of meters, nearly capsizing it several times before finally stabilizing.


    Thankfully it didn''t crash to the ground...


    I wiped the sweat from my brow, relieved. That was a ferocious strike - if every volley had that effect, we couldn''t withstand it even if not killed outright. Luckily Cysper and the others seemed unhurt, with only a few church soldiers accidentally knocked overboard but quickly caught by griffin knights below.


    "The Kingdom Army will fight to the death to defend our homeland! We will not retreat!"


    Seeing the enemy fire first, Alfreed drew his longsword and shouted defiantly.


    "All forces attack! We cannot let New Parristol invade further into the kingdom! If we don''t stop it here, the consequences will be unimaginable!"


    "For the Kingdom!"


    Choruses of roars responded as the battle was joined! The scene descended into utter chaos, cannons thundering and spells flying wildly as screams rang out.


    The Kingdom''s agile griffin knights were too quick for most airship cannons to hit. But arrows and magic volleys from the shipboard crews and city buildings found their marks, already downing several knights in under a minute.


    Conversely, the church airships'' powerful shielding deflected most regular arrows and spells. But their lack of mobility proved crippling - the Empire''s big cannons scored constant hits! Though the shielding saved them from outright destruction, the impacts terribly battered and injured the crews.


    Our attacks seemed feeble - just arrows and spells besides the griffin knights'' risky strafing runs. Against the Empire''s shielded airships, most offensives barely scratched them. And those skyborne city buildings seemed even tougher, some blasted but not even marked by our explosive spells - I wondered what incredibly sturdy materials they used.


    The hidden monsters hadn''t even appeared yet, and the battle already looked dire! I ducked and weaved through enemy cannon fire, wondering if even my Water Abyss Sword could make a difference in this melee. But doing nothing wasn''t my style either! Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    I was about to charge the enemy flagship and try capturing that General Frank when Reed suddenly blocked me through the psychic network.


    "You''d best not join this battle. Those airship''s magic shields are very hard to penetrate by normal means. Just wait a bit longer, reinforcements are coming!"


    "What do you mean? What reinforcements?"


    I was dumbfounded - where were these supposed second wave reinforcements coming from? Alfreed and Cysper didn''t seem aware of any, or they wouldn''t have engaged already! The church side couldn''t possibly have more help coming, and even the Sage Council clearly stated they wouldn''t intervene. Reed''s claim baffled me.


    "You''ll see soon enough!"


    However, Reed didn''t elaborate on my question, merely giving that curt reminder.


    "Don''t forget, you came here to meet Adrian, not waste effort joining the Kingdom''s battle! Better save your strength for the critical moment - there will be plenty of chances for you to take action later!"


    "Wait, I''m not trying to show off..."


    I couldn''t help feeling exasperated - where was her mind going? My main reason for helping Alfreed was to weaken New Parristol''s defenses, otherwise infiltrating the city alone to meet Adrian would be nearly impossible.


    But Reed didn''t respond further, lapsing into silence. I gritted my teeth, surveying the situation. Though the tide was turning against us, neither the Kingdom nor church airfleets had clearly lost yet.


    With the Pope and other VIPs withdrawn to the rear, and Douglas'' anti-air magic barrage from the ground, they shouldn''t be defeated outright just yet. So leaving the aerial battle aside, I turned and flew down towards the ground.


    Below New Parristol''s underside, amid the barren wasteland, stood a huge jutting rock formation starkly visible against the flat sandy terrain. Hovering above it, following Cyra''s guidance, I finally spotted Reed and the others hiding behind its shadow.


    "What are you all doing here, sneaking around like this?"


    No sooner had I landed than I blurted out my doubts. Not only was there an intense battle raging overhead, but the scene below gave me an even bigger fright.


    "Wait...I recognize that magic array! What was it called again?"


    Etched onto the flat ground was an immense magic circle spanning several meters wide. Its coloring blended with the terrain, making it hard to discern at first glance.


    "Isn''t this the one you used to make that hydrogen bomb?"


    Finally recalling, this was the circle Reed had employed in Edenmere''s library to drain all the light elemental energy, causing a huge uproar that even forced changing venues for the second Edenmere tournament! She had to relocate her experiments outside the city after that fiasco.


    "Don''t tell me you and Judith are sneaking around here trying to make another hydrogen bomb???"


    A terrifying thought crossed my mind - could Reed be planning to just nuke New Parristol flat? That was way too extreme, I couldn''t let her do that! With a war raging overhead, if she really detonated a bomb, the death toll would be horrific beyond words!


    "Where did that idea come from? Even if I managed to test one before, making another isn''t so easy now, we''re lacking a lot of necessary conditions..."


    Glaring sternly at me, Reed seemed to deny my guess, as Judith hurriedly cut in to explain.


    "Actually this array is mainly for absorbing elemental energy and converting it into a power source! It has nothing to do with that...ham? What ham are you talking about, is it delicious?"


    "Never tried it..."


    Reed gave an exasperated look, brushing it off. Then she turned to me with a reminder.


    "Don''t forget what I said - my aim is helping you meet Adrian smoothly, not blowing him up. Just stand aside and watch what happens next!"


    "But..."


    I still couldn''t fathom what they intended by absorbing elemental energy from the air. Previously when Reed drained Edenmere''s light energy, it was to convert into compressed hydrogen fuel. But she had just denied that purpose, so what was the real plan?


    "I only just got here too, I''m completely in the dark about what they''re doing."


    Noticing my gaze, Cyra just shrugged helplessly. But then she seemed to recall something and asked me.


    "Oh right, did you see Cysper and the others arrive by airship through that spatial transfer gate? They rushed up into the sky so quickly - weren''t they awesome? The ships in this world can fly!"


    "You sure are interested in him!"


    I couldn''t resist teasing her, before glancing upwards. But our side''s disadvantage only worsened - many church airships had already been destroyed or downed after repeated bombardment, vastly depleting their numbers.


    The Kingdom forces fared little better, taking horrendous casualties. Intimidated by the firepower, the griffin knights dared not approach the city buildings or enemy ships too closely. Their main weapons being melee arms, keeping this standoff range negated their combat ability.


    The situation looked increasingly grim, on the verge of defeat. Turning back to Reed, I urgently asked,


    "But you said reinforcements were coming - where are they? I don''t see any at all!"

 Vol 4/Chapter 149 - The "Celestial Weapon" Returns

    "Don''t rush me, the reinforcements you wanted are coming right now!"


    Reed waved her hand impatiently, then nodded at Judith before saying something strange.


    "The other side is ready, you can open the portal now to bring the goods over."


    Goods? What "other side" was she referring to? I stood dumbfounded, but Judith immediately unfurled a scroll she had prepared, laying it out on the ground.


    I recognized this - it was the "DIY transfer array" Reed had shown us recently! Supposedly used to send Cysper back to the holy capital, while their return relied on the church''s own portal.


    But what use was taking it out now? Surely she didn''t expect reinforcements to come through this small array? Its limited size and duration could at most allow a few people through, nowhere near enough to transfer whole armies.


    However, what happened next completely blindsided me. When the scroll activated, what emerged from the other side wasn''t any "people", but a rather large and very familiar object.


    "The Eye of Galadra!?"


    Cyra and I exclaimed in unison, neither expecting to see this. If the Eye of Galadra was here, then logically the other side of the spatial gate must be...


    Realizing something, I quickly used Spiritual Convergence magic to verify my hunch...


    Sure enough! Though not high noon, I could still access Elara''s spiritual network. No sooner had I entered than I overheard her conversing with Reed.


    "I''ve sent the ''Eye of Galadra'' over as you requested, but it took overriding many objectors in the council to make this happen. You must return it promptly after using it! Letting it remain outside risks far too much..."


    "Rest assured, I''ll give it back shortly. Actually, my plan is safer than deploying angel troops unnecessarily which would cause casualties. Plus Edenmere can''t muster enough forces in such short time, and we can''t even contact Nicola deep in the Arid Lands, so this may be the best option!"


    Then Reed''s voice, apparently having discussed this arrangement with Edenmere beforehand. Transporting the Eye of Galadra seemed just one part of her plan.


    "I hope so! That''s probably the only reason the council approved this resolution. What worries me more is how obsessed Nicola has become with Aria - I''m not sure revealing Aria''s trail to her back then was wise. She''s led two legions charging recklessly into enemy territory, even skipping our routine noon calls now. This Aria..."


    Elara sighed, but seemed to sense something and suddenly shouted.


    "Feliciana! Still eavesdropping shamelessly? Didn''t I tell you to take Cyra back to Edenmere urgently? If not for your foolishness, I wouldn''t have to juggle two concerns like this!"


    Dang, busted already! Yet it was Elara''s domain, it made sense she detected me fast.


    I shrank back without responding. Returning to reality, I saw Cyra tugging my sleeve urgently, pointing upwards.


    "Look at that, what is it?"


    The aerial battle had completely overturned - the griffin knights and church airships, unable to withstand the allied assault, had started falling back step-by-step. But the Ilandra Dominion Empire ships refused to relent, pursuing them beyond the city limits. Just as the Kingdom-Church alliance seemed unable to hold out, a brilliant light ball flashed into existence high above New Parristol''s altitude, plummeting at blistering speed to the empty space between the forces before detonating in a tremendous blast.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The shockwave was earth-shattering, far louder than any Ilandra airship''s cannons - utterly cataclysmic and terrifying! Even I on the ground instinctively shielded my eyes from the searing flare.


    Though too far to see the combatants'' specific reactions, both Kingdom and Empire forces immediately ceased firing, indicating they were significantly affected. One nearby Ilandra airship was even blasted out of the sky, only regaining altitude perilously close to crashing.


    This dramatic shift finally brought a lull, with both sides reverting to their previous standoff positions.


    "So that''s the legendary ''Divine Punishment'' huh? Quite the apt name!"


    Cyra remarked in awe, before frowning in puzzlement.


    "But it''s really weird...for New Parristol, the Kingdom-Church alliance should be the enemy, so why did this attack seem to be helping them instead?"


    She made a fair point - the Dominion Empire had already gained the upper hand, with no apparent need for this sudden bombardment. Unless they really missed their target?


    "Yeah, it doesn''t make much sense!"


    Judith quickly agreed.


    "I''ve heard Parristol''s ''Divine Punishment'' has limits - though immensely powerful, at most one or two blasts can appear each time. So they''re usually reserved for critical moments to turn the tide, wasting one like this is pretty rare."


    "It must be because of Adrian! He probably didn''t want the Kingdom forces taking too many losses, so he intervened with Divine Punishment. I told you he had a reason for doing this!"


    A flash of insight hit me and I excitedly explained to everyone. Every Divine Punishment so far avoided causing casualties, Adrian must be deliberately holding back.


    "But don''t get too optimistic, this whole situation still arose because of him in the first place! Even if that''s the reason, not many would believe it said out loud. Rather than that, I''m more curious why Divine Punishment didn''t come from inside the city, but from much higher up..."


    Reed glanced up at the skyborne city, apparently too preoccupied to dwell on that point now. Muttering to herself, she turned and placed the newly transported Eye of Galadra at the center of the array on the ground, beginning the activation process.


    I was quite familiar with this magic circle''s effects - absorbing surrounding elemental energies to power it. But surprisingly, I sensed not just the expected light elements being rapidly drained, but water elemental traces as well, who knew over what vast area it drew from?


    "Considering the low light concentration here compared to Edenmere, we made some adjustments so all elemental types could be absorbed to charge the Celestial Weapon."


    Noticing my confusion, Judith pointed to the sage stone mounted on the massive Eye''s mainframe with some awe.


    "Though Reed described this Celestial Weapon extensively, actually seeing it in person is still hard to believe. I wish we could keep studying it for a few more days!"


    Most of the Eye''s functions ran on earth elemental power, something we learned when first acquiring it - but back then it had suffered major damage, already completely drained. I never imagined Reed spent all that time in Edenmere successfully restoring part of its capabilities!


    Though the expected holographic screens didn''t manifest, the low rumbling from the Eye indicated it had started operating, which excited those of us present.


    "Research will be impossible, I promised to return it to Edenmere immediately after using it, so... maybe not next time either..."


    Reed absently responded to Judith as she crouched adjusting the array. Then within about half a minute, she stood and approached the artifact.


    "That should be enough elemental mass! A one-off regional exchange doesn''t need too much earth energy anyway...as for the radius..."


    She surveyed the surroundings including overhead, pondering for a while before deciding.


    "Maybe 1000 meters or so, this height is still distant from the city..."


    Watching her operate the control buttons, I suddenly realized I had forgotten to ask the most crucial question - I knew the Celestial Weapon''s purpose well enough, but what exactly did Reed intend by going through so much trouble to transport it here? An exchange? Exchanging with where?


    Could there really be reinforcements coming? Until now, I remained completely clueless about Reed''s supposed plan and supposed reinforcements. Simultaneously within Mia''s spiritual network, her voice finally piped up after a long absence.


    "Everything is ready on my side, just waiting for you to begin over there."


    "Wait, wait..."


    I called out in utter bewilderment, feeling overwhelmed. But before I could finish speaking, I noticed the sky overhead had drastically changed - the previously clear blue suddenly overcasted with dark rain clouds. And the skyborne New Parristol city had vanished without a trace.

 Vol 4/Chapter 150: Entering the City

    "Where are we?"


    Cyra asked curiously. Both she and I, having deeply experienced the effects of the "Eye of Galadra," were sure we had been transported somewhere. This place was definitely not Parristol.


    But where exactly were we, and why did Reed bring us here? Above, there was nothing but dark clouds. Looking farther, I could see several water gun-shaped objects floating in the sky. They were much smaller compared to the gigantic Sky City.


    "What are those?"


    I asked, puzzled. They were clearly man-made but looked nothing like the airships used by the church or the empire. These water gun shapes had no sails or anything resembling a ship. The top part was oval, decorated like an old-fashioned hot air balloon with sharp, dragon-head-like decorations. The bottom part was simpler, a long, vertical structure like a pistol grip, forming a T-shape with the "dragon head." They looked magical and intimidating.


    "Those are Crestvale Republic''s Dragon-class airships that didn''t get caught in the exchange. Their combat power is pretty good, but you can ignore them," Reed said nonchalantly, glancing at them. Then he walked quickly to the center of the magic absorption array and put the "Eye of Galadra" into his storage ring.


    "Crestvale Republic?"


    I was stunned. Crestvale Republic was a human nation in the southeast, always at odds with the Ilandra Dominion Empire. It was far from here, so I hadn''t paid much attention to it. But why were their airships here?


    "So, the Crestvale Republic''s Dragon fleet that was originally here has been swapped to the new Parristol with Mia? That''s incredible!" Judith exclaimed. Even though she knew this would happen, experiencing it was still unbelievable. The distance from the republic to Parristol was nearly a thousand kilometers, taking days on foot. Transporting so many troops over such a distance in one go was impossible with ordinary magic.


    In other words, we were on Crestvale Republic''s territory now. Mia had come here first with the "Eye of Galadra" locator.


    Reed had mentioned that Mia was sent to Crescent City, home of the Sage Council, and wouldn''t return immediately but had another destination. Unexpectedly, she came to Crestvale Republic!


    After asking Reed, Cyra, and I learned that Reed had suspected the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s troop movements. When she discovered a large seal beneath Parristol, it confirmed her suspicions.


    "The empire secretly colludes with monsters, which is well-known. The monsters clearly knew about the Sky City under Parristol. They wouldn''t miss this ¡®fat sheep'' and would help Parristol''s resistance against the kingdom''s army," Reed explained. This made sense to me. Crestvale Republic, the empire''s enemy, wouldn''t sit by. When Mia, an angel from Edenmere, asked them to support the Astralrealm kingdom, they couldn''t refuse.


    The combined forces of the empire, Parristol, and monsters were too much for Astralrealm alone. Cysper was sent to the holy capital to gather troops, but it was just a delay tactic. The real decisive force was the republic''s Dragon fleet!Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    However, there was a problem. The reinforcements had gone, but we were transported to the southwest of the continent, to Crestvale Republic. Waiting for the battle to end to return would take too long.


    "Damn! Why didn''t you say earlier? We could have stayed far from the ''Eye of Galadra'' to avoid coming here!" Cyra complained. I nodded in agreement. From the analysis, new Parristol''s Sky City faced not only the kingdom''s army but also its ¡°allies,¡± who were watching closely. Adrian''s collaboration with monsters was troubling. Instead of reaching the Sky City, we were transported far away, making me anxious.


    "Don''t worry. I wouldn''t bring you here without considering a way back. Using the ''Eye of Galadra'' to swap back now is impossible, but I charged several teleport scrolls using the magic absorption array..." Reed said, showing us a scroll.


    So...


    I realized Reed knew the coordinates of new Parristol, so we could use her small teleportation array to return.


    Sure enough, a spherical teleportation portal appeared before us. Reed signaled us to enter quickly.


    "Cysper used this to return to the holy capital. It won''t teleport me into a wall, right? Maybe I''ll fly back slowly. I''m not in a hurry..." Cyra hesitated, being her first time using such a small teleportation array.


    "Of course not! I''ve calculated all the coordinates. Are you going or not?" Reed replied impatiently. "Don''t forget, Cysper can''t stay far from you for long. If you delay, he might dissipate into light elements!"


    "Ah! I almost forgot!" Cyra exclaimed and quickly entered the portal, disappearing instantly.


    "Haha, I''m not afraid of this! I''ve experienced teleportation magic several times," Judith said confidently. As she moved to enter, Reed stopped her, handing her another scroll.


    "This is the last resort. If you encounter danger there, activate it to stay safe."


    "Huh? Are you not coming back?" I asked, surprised.


    "I need to return the ''Eye of Galadra'' to Edenmere, so I won''t join you," Reed explained. Seeing I wanted to argue, she gestured for me to stop. "The other side of the portal is your destination. I, a two-winged angel, can''t help much. Also, I have no more teleport scrolls. The fastest way is to use the magic absorption array to make another one, so I have to stay here."


    "...Alright. But be careful. This place is unfamiliar," I cautioned. Reed''s abilities were useful, especially her "Five Light Ten Color" magic. But since she insisted, I didn''t push further, just reminded her to be safe.


    Watching Judith enter the portal, I hesitated, then followed. Suddenly, I had a question and turned to Reed.


    "Why are you helping me so much? Adrian isn''t related to you, right? You haven''t even met him. Do you believe what Cyra says? You know I used to be..."


    "Of course, I believe!" Reed interrupted me. "Don''t you? Dwelling too much on your past identity isn''t good. Cyra is more carefree than you. If you don''t like Adrian, why go to Parristol? Why must you see him? Ask yourself, you should know better than me!"


    She smiled slightly, the first time I''d seen her smile.


    "As for why I''m helping you, it''s to thank you for the sour fish dish you made!"


    Alright...


    I was speechless. The so-called "Three No''s Girl" wasn''t what she seemed! She could even joke.


    Thinking of Adrian, I sighed. I knew my feelings for him were deep. He was my closest companion during that year in the trial space. Parting ways suddenly on Sulide Volcano was hard.


    At first, I worried about Cyra and Nicola''s opinions, but now the main issue was Adrian. I didn''t understand his thoughts. He had confessed to me once but then became Parristol''s king, collaborating with monsters, making my stance difficult. He also saw me as a boy, which made me uneasy.


    I wanted to understand why he did this. Other factors didn''t matter anymore after Cyra and Reed''s guidance.


    With this resolve, I stepped into the portal.


    After a series of dazzling effects, I found myself in a lush, vibrant place, not the previous desert. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and tall buildings and neat streets surrounded a shimmering lake.


    "Where is this...?"


    Looking at the distant buildings, I realized Reed had sent me directly to the Sky City!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 151 - The Lantine Oasis

    This sky city seemed to have existed for a very long time, but the buildings and greenery were extremely well-preserved. Judith thought there could only be two explanations - either it had something to do with being sealed away, or it was because of the protective barrier.


    However, now that the seal was completely broken and the protective barrier that used to cover the city had also disappeared, no one could say for sure what the reason was.


    "In any case, even though we''re in the enemy''s home turf, we should actually be relatively safe!"


    Cyra looked around and saw a flat main road not far ahead with no one in sight. However, the sounds of artillery and magic explosions between the various airships overhead kept erupting non-stop. Soon she was proven wrong.


    A dragon-class airship with a smoking tail plummeted down in this direction. Its exterior decorations looked like a ferocious dragon, extremely terrifying. It soon crashed into a tall building not far from them, causing not only a huge explosion but also kicking up extremely dense clouds of dust that blotted out the sky! Stone fragments flew everywhere like the apocalypse, forcing me to quickly lie down to avoid getting hit.


    After the commotion to finally subside. I stood up coughing and couldn''t help but look back at the accident site. That building hadn''t completely collapsed - it was really sturdy! However, the airship had smashed a huge hole into the building''s surface and was now stuck there without falling further. At first glance, the scene had a touch of comedy to it.


    "Cough cough, this place is too dangerous! We''d better find somewhere further away from the combat zone, otherwise we might randomly lose our lives!"


    Judith crawled out from the rubble covered in dust complaining. It seemed the Crestvale Republic''s airship fleet had just engaged the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s forces after being exchanged over, and as the main forces, the skies were basically filled with just the two sides fighting each other.


    There were a huge number of dragon-class airships that had been exchanged over this time. Although one had just fallen, and their individual combat power was indeed somewhat inferior to the Empire''s airships, they were very different when fighting as a group.


    As expected of the Republic''s fleet that frequently clashed with the Ilandra Dominion, their attack methods were quite special, mainly in terms of mobility and weapons. The dragon-class airships had powerful rear thrusters, allowing for extreme speed, which could completely offset the impact force of the Empire''s main cannons. Before their onboard shields failed, taking advantage of numerical superiority, most were able to charge right up to the enemy! Then the "dragon head" front of the airship would spew raging flames to erode the enemy''s shields. Before long, many of the Empire''s airships didn''t even get a chance to fire their second main cannon before being burnt to ashes.


    In contrast, the Church''s small airships and the Kingdom''s griffon knights had been marginalized, only able to play a supporting role. In the chaos, I also caught glimpses of various flying monsters.


    "So the monsters have also been forced to mobilize en masse?"


    Overall, the combined forces of the Republic, Kingdom, and Church seemed to be gaining the upper hand in this tug-of-war battle. This was a good thing, indicating the scales of victory were slowly starting to tilt in our favor. However, Cyra suddenly asked a stupid question.


    "Why hasn''t Adrian used ''Divine Punishment'' yet? Even the Crestvale Republic''s airships couldn''t withstand the power of Divine Punishment, right?"


    "Isn''t that obvious? Divine Punishment has such a huge blast radius, do you want to hit our allies?"


    I answered irritably. Of course, I really didn''t want Adrian to use that ability. As for the Republic''s battle strategy, they must have considered this issue. Their airships either operated in small groups around each Empire airship for group attacks, or kept weaving between the tall buildings for mobility and evasion. They would never gather exposed in open areas, so even if the enemy wanted to use Divine Punishment, they had to hesitate.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Looking back at the tallest building in the city center - the Chromos Tower, its slender spire soaring into the clouds could easily be seen from every corner of the city. I gritted my teeth and finally made my next decision.


    "Let''s slowly approach the target, but be careful not to be discovered by the enemy!"


    To be honest, even until now I still hadn''t figured out how to sneak into the Chromos Tower. I could only take it one step at a time. A frontal assault would definitely be unwise. Leaving aside the other monsters, just Mirium the dragon and that mysterious "man" we had fought before already seemed extremely formidable.


    I didn''t know why Reed was so confident sending me with two novices to challenge such difficult enemies. Setting aside Cyra the two-winged angel, the remaining Judith...was simply a letdown!


    "Can''t you help me out for Reed''s sake?"


    In the spiritual network, I kept pleading for Mia''s aid, but unfortunately Reed wasn''t present. Instead, Mia flatly refused without hesitation.


    "No way! I have to hurry to Lady Reed''s side right now. My job is only to protect her. Besides, your situation there doesn''t seem too bad..."


    I didn''t know if she was on her way to Crestvale Republic or returning to Edenmere. After a pause, Mia suddenly reminded me,


    "If I remember correctly, Lady Reed should have prepared an insurance plan for you in advance. You should have more than enough combat power!"


    After saying that, I was directly kicked out of the spiritual network...Alright, so I was being a nuisance, huh? I''ll remember this grudge!


    Ignoring the battle raging overhead for now, after slowly advancing for a while, we finally arrived at a "villa district".


    The reason it was called a villa district was because there were standalone buildings everywhere in a consistent style, interspersed with various greenery - so it was clearly a residential villa area.


    To be honest, compared to those towering skyscrapers, these low-rise standalone buildings felt a bit more reassuring. Just a moment ago, as we passed under a high-rise, we actually heard human shouting coming from inside, followed soon after by flying monsters appearing from behind another building. Luckily we avoided being discovered - all three of us were scared out of our wits, afraid of carelessly turning a corner and running into "trouble".


    "Don''t think you can relax just because we''re in a place like this. Don''t you dare reveal your wings, got it?"


    I rushed into a random house, closed the door, and turned back to warn Cyra with apprehension. Unbelievable, earlier she had actually wanted to take the chance to strike down a demon straggler behind us. Luckily I stopped her in time - we can''t risk exposing ourselves now, otherwise who knows if we''ll even make it to the Chromos Tower!


    "I know already, you''ve nagged about it so many times on the way here!"


    Cyra plopped down impatiently on a chair inside. This was a single-story house divided into several rooms, and we were currently in what seemed to be the entrance living room area. Even with the light coming in through the windows, the interior furnishings were in disarray, clearly left in a hurry when it was abandoned.


    "Well, let''s take a break for now..."


    On the way here, we''d already encountered several enemy patrols, either monsters or members of the human Parristol Resistance. Feeling rather tired, I also sat down on the sofa and absentmindedly glanced at a paper left on the coffee table in front of me.


    "Lantine Oasis Municipal Government Notice: Due to the unexplained spreading epidemic of intelligence degenerative disease, the Central Laboratory''s Project Beta Energy Extraction has been temporarily suspended. The sky city of Lantine Oasis will return tomorrow to land and discuss countermeasures. Simultaneously, Outer Districts 10 to 18 will be completely sealed off. All research personnel will immediately relocate to the central districts for housing, while non-research staff will be concentrated in the Interim Districts 5 to 9 for management. Emergency Protocol 5 is now in effect..."


    Seeing this, I was momentarily stunned, easily able to associate the contents with a certain incident. Based on our location, we should be in the outer districts, so this house must have been abandoned at that time.


    Looking further down at the signature:


    "Acting Mayor of Lantine Oasis Sky Research City: Thorolope Loren, Date: 25th of the 11th month, Year 25 of the Wyvern Era."


    In an instant, I seemed to realize something. Seeing my actions, Judith came over curiously and glanced at it, unable to help feeling surprised.


    "This ''Beta Energy''...if I remember correctly, that''s actually an very ancient term. It should be referring to Dark Element!"


    "Dark Element?" Cyra immediately came over after hearing this, and then extended the thought.


    "If Beta Energy refers to the Dark Element, then what do they call Light Element?"


    "Alpha!" I couldn''t help giving her a look. Didn''t this girl listen at all when I recounted my experiences in the Trial Space? Her attention was completely focused on trivial side information. Though to be fair, Judith had mentioned this content before too, she had just completely forgotten.


    However, that wasn''t the most crucial point. From the contents of the paper, this sky city we were in actually had quite an impressive background! I never expected Parristol''s origins to be related to the birth of the Light God...


    Cyra and Judith simultaneously realized this point as well, and both gasped in astonishment.


    I started wildly speculating - did the Empire and monster side also know this? If they did, then what was their motive for participating in this incident?


    And the Church, and Adrian...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 152: Unexpected Visitor

    I didn''t really think anyone would actually want to revive the God of Light, but undeniably, everything this city was shocking and advanced. Not to mention whether the warring sides knew of New Parristol''s history as the Lantine Oasis Sky Research City - just the ability to fly alone would make every nation green with envy.


    "The Astralrealm Kingdom and Church are one thing, but if the Empire or monsters got hold of this city, that would be disastrous. We have to find a way to stop them..."


    I stated my view directly. For a nation like the Ilandra Dominion Empire with such advanced magic technology, my first impression was that they were up to no good! It was only natural they would set their sights on New Parristol. As for the monsters, it was obvious to everyone that their help in defending Parristol against the Kingdom''s forces had an ulterior motive. Well, truth be told, I didn''t fully trust the Astralrealm Kingdom either, but we couldn''t worry about that now.


    Moreover, regarding this so-called new King Adrian of Parristol, I really couldn''t gauge what he was thinking. Perhaps he was just blinded by his eagerness to restore the nation, or maybe he had other plans...


    "Tch, you say that so easily. Don''t forget Judith and I are very weak! What if we encounter those formidable monsters again?"


    Cyra scoffed in dissatisfaction. She wasn''t too afraid of dealing with small fry, sometimes even vying to take the lead. But unfortunately, the threats we faced weren''t just those. Bringing this up, she started having second thoughts and complaints.


    "Damn, the waters run deep here. Reed has really gotten us into a mess - will we actually die in this place?"


    In fact, she had always been very displeased that Reed had "deserted" us by not coming along. But even more frustrating was that from the very start, we had been directly teleported into this city, at least several thousand meters above the safe ground areas. Cyra had no other choice - she didn''t even have a chance to safely escape the battlefield.


    Just randomly dragging down a few combatant soldiers from the sky could very well find existences more powerful than them. Compared to braving the artillery barrage to flee back to the ground, staying in this city with me was naturally a bit safer.


    But then again, the pressure on me was immense too...


    I couldn''t even guarantee I wouldn''t suddenly fail in this chaotic situation, let alone divide my attention to protect the novice Level 3-4 Cyra and Judith.


    If Cysper was with us, the situation would be better - at least his strength could provide some help. Unfortunately, from my observations, although most of the Church''s airships were still engaged in combat, the Pope as an important figure had likely already retreated to a safe rear position. It was impossible to count on him!


    "Just where did Reed get the confidence that we could successfully infiltrate the Chromos Tower in this situation?"


    Suddenly remembering something, as Cyra spoke, her eyes glanced over me before finally settling on Judith.


    "Oh right, what exactly is this trump card she gave you? It couldn''t actually be a nuclear bomb, could it?"


    To be honest! Since arriving at the sky city, I hadn''t had a chance to carefully consider this question, so Cyra suddenly bringing it up did pique my curiosity.


    "Of course it''s not something to eat. Actually, I''m not clear what use it has either!"


    Judith waved her hand with a wry smile, taking out the scroll to show us the magic circle inscribed on it.


    "Hehehe, we can confirm this is probably a teleportation scroll, exactly the same as the one that brought us here! The only difference is the destination has already been preset, but I''m not too sure where exactly it leads..."


    We had indeed seen this kind of scroll many times before - the patterns and runes were recognizable at a glance. But the problem immediately followed - what use could a mere teleportation scroll serve? Don''t tell me Reed''s so-called trump card was just for us to run if we couldn''t win?


    That''s too ridiculous, isn''t it? Whether others believe it or not, I certainly don''t! As for Cyra, she was absolutely convinced there must be more to it, jumping to the presumptuous guess:The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Since the destination has been preset, that means the other side definitely has something that can turn the tides for us...Oh yeah!"


    Her eyes lit up as if she had found the answer, excitedly saying:


    "Reed must have arranged for someone to deliver us powerful weapons through that portal. It could even be a machine gun!"


    "Pfft--" I nearly spat out the water I was drinking. Wasn''t that going too far? She''s supposed to be religious, yet she stated that outlandish conjecture so seriously. For some reason, an image flashed through my mind of Cyra dressed as a male priest wielding a machine gun, wildly spraying at a monster horde. It was utterly ridiculous...


    "What, you don''t believe me? Don''t forget that woman could even make a nuclear bomb - what''s a machine gun to her?"


    Seeing my reaction, Cyra was a bit displeased, insisting on her reasoning.


    "Even if not a machine gun, regular firearms and ammo are still possible, right? I believe with Reed''s abilities, she could definitely manage it. Just think, if we had an AK-47 in our hands, haha! We''d be able to walk all over this city!"


    Looking at her manner, if I didn''t know for a fact this girl had never even touched a gun before, I might have actually believed her!


    To be honest, I was rather skeptical whether firearms could really have their expected effect in this world. After all, with higher levels, the reflexes and speed were beyond ordinary humans. Moreover, I didn''t think Reed could directly manufacture firearms in the time since we left Edenmere - the principles behind them were completely different from nuclear weapons.


    Now looking back, there were quite a few makeshift modifications and luck factors involved in that nuclear bomb''s successful detonation. Just using Michelle''s flames as the ignition source, I thought it would be difficult to replicate.


    "In any case, blindly guessing here is completely pointless. Why don''t we just open the teleportation portal and see what''s what?"


    Seeing I still didn''t really believe her, Cyra started demanding Judith unroll the scroll.


    "That might not be a good idea? Reed said to only open it at a moment of crisis we couldn''t handle, but right now..."


    Judith looked around hesitantly, then at me, very unsure as she asked, "Is this really appropriate?"


    Now I was the one in a difficult spot! To be honest, if talking about timing, I felt our current predicament was already quite dangerous. Who knew if the next second some powerful enemy might suddenly appear before us? But as Judith said, Reed''s words clearly didn''t seem to be referring to right now.


    To be honest, Cyra''s earlier ramblings had piqued my curiosity too - I really wanted to know what this so-called "trump card" was...Unable to decide, I simply turned away, pretending not to see anything.


    "Do whatever you want, I won''t intervene!"


    "Did you hear that? Hurry up and open it - she said it doesn''t matter!"


    Well, this was great. Despite my neutral stance, Cyra treated it like a divine decree, urging Judith into action.


    "Uh, alright then..."


    Finally unable to deter this troublemaker, Judith could only nod in agreement. From her expression, I could tell she was curious too. The two quickly cleared a large open space in the small room, unrolling the teleportation scroll on the floor to begin channeling magic power for activation.


    As an observer, I sat on the sofa, pouring myself another cup of tea to comfortably watch them work.


    The activation process was simple, and since Judith was an earth mage, it was even easier. Before long, a spherical spatial teleportation portal appeared before us as expected. Everyone unconsciously held their breath, standing at a distance waiting for that miraculous moment.


    "It''s so slow...do we actually have to go through first?"


    Strangely, after waiting around ten seconds with no movement, Cyra became impatient.


    "But then wouldn''t we not be able to return?"


    I was just as perplexed. That couldn''t be right, could it? Don''t tell me Reed really prepared this for us to escape? The thought made me chug another mouthful of tea in vexation.


    "Don''t worry, the elemental capacity stored in this scroll can maintain the portal for about a minute. There''s still time..."


    Judith remained relatively calm, casually explaining. However, before she could finish her sentence, we immediately saw something rapidly emerging from the center of the spherical portal - the scene almost identical to when the Celt Cross materialized as the sub-space seal was broken.


    "It''s coming! My machine gun! Machine gun!"


    Cyra excitedly drew our attention. But events did not unfold as she wished. The object that came through quickly revealed its true form, far larger than the size of any gun! Okay, to be precise, it wasn''t a weapon at all - it was a human!


    The visitor appeared to be a middle-aged man of around fifty years old, with a rather rugged countenance, a slight stubble, coupled with his tall, lean physique suddenly manifesting before us. Everyone present couldn''t help but be stunned.


    Who was this old man? What relation did he have to Reed''s supposed trump card?


    I was completely dumbfounded. And not just me - Cyra and Judith wore the same bewildered expressions. Even the man himself seemed utterly confused, as if he didn''t know where he was.


    "Where is this place...?"


    The middle-aged man first nervously surveyed his surroundings. But there was nothing remarkable about the room to see. His attention soon focused on the three of us, his gaze passing over me and Cyra before finally settling on Judith.


    When he clearly made out Judith''s appearance, I could obviously see his body violently jolt, then in an expression of disbelief, he swiftly rushed up to her, voice trembling as he asked,


    "Mom, is that really you? I''m not dreaming, am I?"


    "Pffft----cough cough cough..."


    This time, not only the tea in my mouth, I almost coughed up a lung.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 153 Judiths Son

    Of course, Cyra and I both knew about Judith''s special identity of being from a hundred years ago. We had even heard that she once had a son. However, I didn''t really know the details about this so-called son. I only vaguely heard that when Judith left the Sage Council to study the phoenix at the Sulide Volcano, he had just become an adult. Apparently, he didn''t have any special magical talents and was just an ordinary young man.


    So the whole thing became very bizarre. Think about it, Judith is over a hundred years old. If her son could really live until now, his apparent age would actually be on the younger side.


    And don''t forget, we are now using Reed''s trump card! We didn''t see any sign of the expected weapons. Instead, a middle-aged man suddenly showed up claiming to be her son. No matter how you look at it, it doesn''t seem right. Could his identity actually be reinforcements?


    But it doesn''t really seem that way either...You have to know that only this one person came out of the teleportation channel. I watched as the spherical space entrance gradually lost its elemental supply and then completely disappeared. This made me even more astonished.


    "No way...could it be..."


    As for Judith herself, although the other party''s action did make her dazed for a while, after slowly coming back to her senses, she seemed to have discovered some clues. She widened her eyes and stared intently at the face of the visitor, as if trying hard to verify his claim.


    "He does look a bit like...could you really be Adonis? But it''s a bit..."


    In the end, this mother couldn''t completely confirm, but she didn''t completely deny it either. She looked at the other party with mixed feelings while seeking our help from Cyra and me.


    "What do you think?"


    It''s not that I couldn''t understand. You have to know that Judith''s actual age is only around thirty, but this  "son" standing in front of her is much older than her. Anyone wouldn''t dare to admit it rashly. But by the same logic, we two outsiders couldn''t give any constructive opinions either! We could only shake our heads in response. Let the parties involved worry about this awkward plot themselves!


    "Of course it''s me, I am Adonis Cael. I have evidence!"


    Seeing the "mother''s" reaction, the middle-aged man didn''t panic. It seemed that he had been prepared for this scene. He immediately took out a pocket watch with a woman''s portrait from his neck and handed it to Judith. At the same time, he rolled up his sleeves to show her a red birthmark on his arm.


    "This is a birthmark, and this is the pocket watch you gave me, though it''s been broken for a long time...Oh yeah! And this...this..."


    He hurriedly took out a few rather old pieces of paper and handed them to her, explaining repeatedly.


    "These are the missing person bounties I issued at the Adventurer''s Association when you first went missing. Unfortunately, the bounty amount wasn''t that big at the time. So after I became a Councilor, I raised the bounty amount again, which caused quite a stir. But even so, there was still no definite information about you. So all these years, I thought you were dead until an angel flew over this morning and told me..."


    "An angel? Flew over this morning?"


    I immediately became suspicious and caught the key point in his words. Reed was with us today, so it''s unlikely that he used flight to go far away. But the other angel definitely had that time possibility as she was passing through Crescent City on her way to the Crestal Republic.


    "Was that angel named Mia?"


    By now, even Cyra had guessed who it was. Now the truth was revealed - Mia had gone to Crescent City for this reason back then.


    "If I''m not mistaken, you must be the angel companions the other party mentioned. The angel who came to find me did indeed seem to be this name. Although she only mentioned it once, I can confirm that she is an eight-winged angel without a doubt! After all, only angels of this rank can pass the guards of Crescent City unhindered and fly directly to my office balcony..."


    Adonis nodded at us and answered casually while describing what happened at that time, taking advantage of Judith''s excitement in verifying the family items.


    "Actually, no matter how high or low their rank and status, it''s rare for angels from Edenmere to use this method to seek an audience. In general, they go through official diplomatic processes. So at first, I thought she might be here to negotiate on some urgent matter from Parristol. Little did I know that as soon as she came in, she asked me directly: ''Do you want to reunite with your mother? She''s not actually dead, I can let you two reunite!''"


    "......"


    Hearing this, Cyra and I couldn''t help but look at each other. When did Mia become so cunning? She had known who Judith''s son was but didn''t say it earlier. She doesn''t seem like someone with that kind of deviousness and intelligence, right? So the only explanation is that Reed told her to do it. Of course, Adonis soon told us the purpose of doing this.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "That''s right, our mother-son reunion had an additional condition! That angel kindly introduced my mother''s current situation and ordeal, and then gave the only condition for the exchange - that I patiently wait in the room for the teleportation channel to open, at most one or two days. My task then would be to go help defeat the enemy threatening my mother and her companions."


    "But strangely, I haven''t seen any enemies threatening your safety here..."


    After Adonis finished speaking, he looked around in confusion and then turned to Judith in surprise.


    "Of course, more than that, I''m more curious about how that teleportation magic array that sent me here worked. If I remember correctly, you''re an earth mage, mother. Could it be you who..."


    "Of course not!"


    Judith cut him off directly. After looking through the various items, her face quickly showed an extremely excited expression. She rushed over and hugged Adonis, unexpectedly bursting into tears.


    "None of that matters. I''m sorry I didn''t recognize you right away...I knew you had to be alive!"


    "It''s okay, Mom!"


    "...Son"


    Helpless that the son in front of her was much older, it took Judith a while before she finally squeezed out the word "son". The long-separated mother and son then embraced each other again without saying a word.


    To be honest, this kind of dramatic family reunion scene should be very touching in theory. But standing by and watching this pair of protagonists with reversed ages pour out their affection, I felt they looked more like father and daughter instead. This experience was just bizarre.


    In order not to ruin the atmosphere by suddenly laughing out loud, I could only drag Cyra away to another room temporarily to avoid disturbing them.


    "So this Adonis is the reinforcement Reed specially found for us? But he doesn''t seem that formidable, and he''s even human..."


    While musing, Cyra''s disappointment was also slightly revealed in her words.


    "Yeah, I can''t sense any elemental aura from him at all. He definitely can''t be a light or water mage. Even if we say he awakened his Battle Qi, he looks older than Mike, so his strength is probably about the same as Mike''s at most!"


    I also chimed in. According to Cysper''s "lecture", the General Mike of the Star Glory Knights was already someone who awakened his qi relatively late in life. In general, after qi awakening, the physical appearance changes gradually and slows down, so one can usually judge a person''s approximate awakening age from their looks. The general rule is the later the awakening, the less potential, so compared to Mike''s level of six and a half, even if this Adonis had reached the seventh stage, it wouldn''t be as much help for us as we imagined.


    The gap between each stage after the seventh is extremely huge. Like that mysterious man at Sun Lake before, I felt he had far surpassed the seventh level already. I need much stronger reinforcements.


    As for reinforcements at the seventh level, I would need at least a dozen or so... Never mind, better than nothing I guess? Maybe he could really help a bit.


    After about ten minutes of family chitchat, the two protagonists of the family drama finally slowly regained their normal emotions. When Cyra and I went over to ask them what to do next, Adonis was very determined to take Judith and leave this place.


    "Wait! Reed...Mia didn''t ask you to come help us by taking us away from this city!"


    This couldn''t be right! I got anxious all of a sudden, it was completely different from what was agreed upon!


    "You may have misunderstood something! With my abilities, I can barely take one person away. Even if you two want to leave, I''m powerless..."


    As his emotions gradually recovered, Adonis slowly revealed the calmness and composure expected of his age. He stared at me meaningfully with bright eyes, pondered for a while, and then answered.


    "You...must be Feliciana, right? My mother just told me the general situation. This is the Sky City of New Parristol. Actually, I only recently received news of this city...Let me just say it straight! When I discussed with Mia initially, we had already talked about how this Parristol independence incident would definitely be involved. But the Sage Council cannot openly intervene against the agreement. So as a compromise, I chose to help in my personal capacity, and I can''t stay for long either. But now it seems you don''t have that need, and my mother is also safe and sound, so the agreement is considered fulfilled! I''m going to take her and leave this dangerous place immediately."


    "That''s not right, I promised to help Feliciana and the others!"


    Hearing this, Judith immediately stood up, expressing her desire to stay with us, scolding her elderly son very unhappily.


    "I''ve been wanting to ask, how can the Sage Council do this now? Parristol was the original birthplace of the Council, I can''t just leave like this!"


    "Mom...the current Council is no longer what it used to be, there aren''t many people who still hold your kind of thinking! Now it''s not just the issue of the territory promised by the Empire, but also..."


    Seeing her reaction, Adonis seemed a bit helpless. Halfway through speaking, he glanced at Cyra and me, hesitated for a moment, and then continued.


    "And for this incident, the highest-level astrologers have already made divinations in advance, foreseeing that things will ultimately be resolved perfectly! And I can see almost all the details of the divination. At that final decisive moment, neither of us are on the battlefield. This also shows that you simply don''t have the opportunity to move forward with them to that moment. If you insist on being willful, you might even die, so...you should just give up!"


    "So that''s how the astrology results showed it..."


    Seeing her son reach out his hands to her again, this time Judith finally didn''t insist as much after hearing it. After hesitating for a moment, she finally followed his words and walked over to him.


    "Wait a bit more!"


    Although I didn''t know how they planned to leave, as an outsider listening to these words, I couldn''t help but have some thoughts. I quickly called out to stop them both again. Whether Judith stayed with us or not wasn''t that important. The key was what the other party said about the divination...If he hadn''t mentioned it, I almost forgot the Sage Council even had this astrology stuff.


    "You called out my name earlier, it wasn''t through Judith that you knew it, right? From what you''re saying, you must have seen Cyra and me at that so-called final decisive moment?"


    "Damn it! Why bring up this stuff again, didn''t we already agree?"


    Hearing this, Cyra immediately interrupted me to stop me. The previous foresight incident in Makalan City was simply torturous. Nobody wanted to experience that again, so we agreed not to inquire about any so-called foresight results from then on.

 Vol 4/Chapter 154: passing off fakes as genuine

    "Don''t cut in, I know all that!"


    I naturally understood Cyra''s concerns. Actually, I didn''t want things to get all messed up again because of knowing the future developments too early. But this time was different, since it involved Adrian. I had been harboring a very uncertain guess in my heart, so I took this opportunity to ask Adonis the question I cared most about.


    "That...is Adrian actually on our side?"


    "Of course! You can totally rest assured on that! It''s just..."


    Upon hearing this, Adonis nodded without hesitation to give an affirmative answer. But then he couldn''t help glancing at Cyra, as if wanting to say something more but ultimately holding back.


    "Nevermind, the situation foretold in the prophecy is basically impossible to change anyway. Knowing it now is pointless for you all."


    After saying that, he grabbed Judith''s hand and instantly vanished from our sight.


    "What the! What kind of move is that? Amazing! They really left this place?"


    Cyra couldn''t help exclaiming. To confirm they didn''t just use invisibility tricks, she even stretched out her hands and ran forward to feel around. But of course, it was to no avail. This mother and son were just gone, as if they had never come here at all. Only the two of us remained in the room now.


    Seeing this situation, I was dumbstruck. Finally, I suddenly remembered something and quickly took out a newspaper from my storage ring.


    This was one I had casually bought from a street vendor while wandering around the holy city of Jethrobaines. Of course, that was a long time ago. But I didn''t keep it for the news, I mainly wanted to confirm one thing.


    "The Ilandra Dominion Empire dispatched envoys to Crescent City yesterday upon invitation for a visit. This marks the restart of high-level mutual visits between the Sage Council and Ilandra Dominion after a decade-long hiatus. Additionally, from unconfirmed sources, it is rumored that during this visit, the Sage Council Chairman Adonis Cael may negotiate with the envoys on the long-suspended territorial disputes, with the participation of important councilors like Meredith..."


    Below this news blurb was a small inconspicuous paragraph introducing the background of Chairman Adonis. Originally I had only glanced at it casually without reading carefully.


    "Adonis Cael, current Chairman and leader of the Sage Council. Although he did not awaken his Battle Qi until the ripe old age of 56, his space and time manipulation dual abilities undisputedly propelled him to be recognized as the strongest human on the Eldoria Continent, even surpassing the angel race''s leader Elara. Unlike other famous Battle Qi awakeners, his potential was not considered particularly strong. However, due to his unparalleled comprehension of the rules which he flexibly incorporates into all kinds of magical combat, he can achieve astonishing effects. For instance..."


    "Cyra, come take a look at this!"


    The more I read, the more my hands trembled. I hurriedly pulled that ignorant fellow over.


    "Huh?"


    Hearing me, Cyra came over and following my pointing finger, she too read it out loud in disbelief, mouth agape.


    "Oh damn, damn damn damn damn! It''s rumored his Battle Qi ability can rewind the entire world''s time by up to one minute. Although one minute may not seem that long, for the combatants involved, using it at the critical moment can completely reverse the situation''s outcome. Moreover, Adonis also has spatial manipulation abilities. It''s said he''s not just limited to teleportation..."


    Listening to Cyra read out Adonis'' publicly known abilities word-for-word, my mind was consumed by one thought - to give her a good beating.


    Reed had arranged for such a powerful helper for us, but Cyra messed it all up! It''s true I had also underestimated him, thinking an old man''s Battle Qi, no matter how strong, couldn''t be that outrageous. So I didn''t pay much attention when he left. Little did I expect there was such a bug-like existence among humans.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Why didn''t you tell me sooner! Even clinging to his legs, we should have kept him around!"


    Realizing this powerful outside help was now gone without a trace, never to provide assistance again, Cyra couldn''t help complaining to me.


    "Well why didn''t you say anything when you kept insisting on using it prematurely? You even brought up the machine gun!"


    I snapped back at her, feeling equally annoyed. It''s too late for regrets now. I blame myself for being deluded and ignoring her actions, ultimately resulting in this mess.


    "I was just curious too!"


    Cyra could only shrug helplessly with a wry smile in apology.


    "But who could have guessed that Reed actually knew about the critical fact that Judith and the Sage Council''s leader were actually mother and son? The past few days they''ve just been discussing elements and formations together. How was I supposed to pay attention to that..."


    "Nevermind, nevermind. Now we can only rely on ourselves!"


    I cut her off impatiently. No point dwelling on it anymore since there''s no way to go back. Just then, I unintentionally heard voices seeming to talk outside the window. I hurriedly covered Cyra''s mouth.


    "Is there someone in the house? I just heard voices!"


    Cyra and I were both startled, not even daring to breathe loudly. It seemed to be a man''s voice. I wasn''t sure if it was a monster or human, but leaned more towards human since a monster would likely just barge in instead of questioning from outside.


    "Could it be survivors who fell off the airship?"


    "But it sounded like two little girls'' voices. You don''t think it''s residents who didn''t get to evacuate in time? I just saw many people searching for missing relatives..."


    Seeing we didn''t respond for a long while, the people outside murmured to each other softly. It seemed there was more than one person! Then I heard footsteps heading towards the front entrance before the door was kicked open.


    Alright, no point hiding anymore! Actually, if we really wanted to hide, using invisibility magic wasn''t impossible. But in that brief moment when they rushed in, I suddenly had an idea. I pulled Cyra behind a table and we peeked our heads out, pretending to look very scared.


    "You guys aren''t allies of those monsters from the sky, are you?"


    The two were soldier-like humans, likely members of the Parristol resistance based on their attire. Seeing our state, I deliberately asked.


    "See, I told you..."


    Noticing Cyra and I each peeking our heads out to look at them, the two soldiers glanced at each other and smiled, finally lowering their rifles. One of them even stepped forward to ask us:


    "Don''t worry, those monsters are temporarily our allies for now, at least helping us fend off the Kingdom''s invasion for the short term. But you two, why are you still in a place like this? Didn''t you get the notice to quickly evacuate underground?"


    "We got lost on the way to evacuating. You know, unfamiliar with the place since it''s so big..."


    Cyra whined with an innocent tone. Based on our guesses, many local Parristol residents must have been moved into this city in advance. But they would definitely also be unfamiliar with it, which could explain the "getting lost" situation the soldier mentioned.


    "I see...I felt we shouldn''t have scattered the civilians so quickly initially!"


    As expected, seeing our "pitiful" state, the two quickly believed us. They grumbled as they entered, looking us over before routinely asking:


    "Are you two sisters? Do you have parents?"


    "Of course we do! They must be out there searching for us too!"


    I quickly responded. Who knows what might happen if I said we didn''t have parents - I didn''t want to needlessly expose our identities in this situation. But to my surprise, Cyra behind me suddenly kicked me and whispered in complaint:


    "We don''t have any parents, what if they ask us to confirm the lie later?"


    It couldn''t be helped though - for two random girls to be alone here without any family would be even more suspicious! But with the current circumstances, I couldn''t explain to her immediately. I could only symbolically kick her back. However, this ear-biting interaction was noticed by one of the soldiers. Thinking we were just worried about meeting bad people, he smiled reassuringly:


    "We''re good people, Parristol guard soldiers. We won''t do anything to you!"


    "By the way, we heard you two talking outside about wanting someone stay. Is there anyone else here?"


    Then the other soldier suddenly spoke up. He seemed a bit more meticulous, probably feeling uneasy, as he looked at us suspiciously and continued questioning.


    "There''s no one else, right? We were just discussing whether to keep staying in this house or try our luck outside."


    Cyra blinked her eyes and tilted her head, feigning innocence to mislead them. They had probably overheard quite a bit of our earlier conversation, but luckily the most crucial details didn''t seem exposed. The two soldiers then thoroughly searched the entire house, going back and forth. Only after confirming there were no other suspicious signs did they finally put their doubts to rest.


    "It''s very unsafe outside now, an airship could fall from the sky at any moment! Even if your parents are worried, they couldn''t possibly be randomly running around the streets. For now, we''ll take you to the evacuation shelter!"


    Phew - that''s exactly what I wanted to hear! Seeing the two soldiers had finally fallen for our act, the situation was finally developing according to plan. Cyra and I were more than happy to readily agree before following behind them to leave the building.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 155: Unexpected Encounter at the Shelter

    The battle outside was still raging on, with the situation only intensifying instead of calming down. More and more airships were falling from the sky, not just the dragon airships of the Crestvale Republic, but also increasing casualties among the Empire''s airships.


    However, this did not affect our pace of advancing. For the two Parristol resistance soldiers, they seemed more familiar with the condition of this city.


    We learned that the shelter was not located above ground, but underground beneath the city. So to get there, we had to first find the entrance to the underground passage.


    After leaving the residential area, we did not head towards the dense building clusters. Instead, we went straight towards the more secluded forest corners. Taking advantage of the soldiers leading the way upfront, I finally found a chance to move beside Cyra at the back and whispered a complaint.


    "Where did you learn those tricks just now? You really grossed me out!"


    I was referring to her acting all cute and adorable earlier. Truthfully, if I didn''t know her background inside out, who would have guessed from that performance that she used to be a guy.


    "Tch, I only had to make that sacrifice for the greater good!"


    But Cyra didn''t seem bothered at all, defending herself as if it was natural.


    "If not for my superb acting skills earning their trust, there''s no way it would have been so easy! Besides, you were quite the actor yourself, looking all pitiful like you were really scared of those monsters. But behind the scenes you''ve probably killed more than anyone, with all the bodies piling up into a mountain by now, right?"


    "Well, it wasn''t that exaggerated. And I was just going along with you!"


    I really felt like wringing her neck. Where was the promised manliness? Even if I had suggested posing as local Parristol residents initially, did she have to use such shameless methods?


    Fortunately the goal was achieved overall. To be fair, her cute act wasn''t that professional. But her looks gave huge bonus - those two soldiers wouldn''t suspect a thing no matter what we said.


    "Oh by the way, let me tell you guys a secret!"


    While I was feeling conflicted, Cyra suddenly turned her eyes as if remembering something. Giggling, she caught up to the leading soldiers and began "divulging" to them.


    "Actually, my sister really likes His Majesty the King. She always casually brings him up, even saying if she could see the King up close, it would be worth dying on the spot!"


    "Hey hey, when did I ever say that!"


    This really took me aback - afraid of what and it came true with this slanderous rumor! I hurried to pull this ignorant girl aside and struggled to clarify.


    But those two soldiers didn''t seem to take my words seriously. In fact, they looked like they thought I was just being shy. One of them smiled and matter-of-factly told us:


    "It''s not that strange actually, His Majesty is very popular with girls. But getting to see him up close is quite difficult. You should know the Chromos Tower is heavily guarded, commoners are prohibited from getting near!"


    "But there are other ways too!"


    The other soldier then chimed in, saying without any guard:


    "It''s said the ancient city of Lantine Oasis has an extensive underground passage network. Maybe one of them could lead to the base of Chromos Tower. But even if you get in successfully, you might get caught very quickly. At that point, whether you can actually see His Majesty would really depend on luck."


    He finished with a suspicious look at me, as if I really was some delusional fangirl who would recklessly try to "stalk" my idol.


    "You''re not actually thinking of trying, are you?"


    "Of course not! Don''t listen to my sister''s nonsense. How could I possibly do something so dangerous!"


    I quickly denied it, then glanced at the smugly grinning Cyra, looking like her plan to extract information had succeeded... Really so annoying! Why did I have to call her "sister"?


    Fortunately, after my denial, the two soldiers did seem to believe me. The idle chatter finally moved away from this embarrassing topic to other directions.


    For instance, from their casual mentions, we learned that many of the city''s facilities and their purposes were only known indirectly from those monsters, including the shelters and underground passages.


    In other words, the monsters understood way more about this city than we imagined!


    This piece of information was rather unexpected to me. I had always assumed Adrian, as the Loren royal heir, should be more familiar with this place. So who first informed who about the existence of the sky city? That''s quite intriguing.


    "This is one of the entrances to the underground passage. Next we need to prepare some lighting tools!"


    After walking for about 10 minutes, we finally reached the end point of the ground route - a small door situated in a park. It was already open, revealing a slanted stairway passage extending downwards, but anything beyond was pitch black.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "For such an advanced and grand city, the underground evacuation passage doesn''t even have its own lighting system? I heard the shelter is still quite far from here..."


    Seeming a bit afraid of the dark despite the soldiers lighting some torches for temporary lighting, Cyra made the sign of the cross over her chest and muttered complainingly.


    "It''s probably just like sewers, what do you expect, light bulbs installed down there?"


    This passage entrance didn''t look very spacious. I couldn''t help muttering under my breath, just hoping it wouldn''t reek terribly.


    However, once we fully entered, we realized our assumptions were wrong. The narrow part was only the short segment leading to the surface. After descending to the passage bottom, we were surprised to find the space was much more spacious, easily allowing two or three cars to pass side-by-side!


    Unfortunately, there was still no lighting inside the passage.


    "The rest of the way is simple - just keep going right along the passage. Whenever you reach a fork, always take the path furthest to the right. After around 1000 meters you''ll reach the underground shelter."


    The one leading pointed to the right and said. Now we could only rely on the dim torchlight to slowly advance forward.


    I have to specifically mention the two Parristol resistance soldiers here. They actually did seem to have professional conduct - in this pitch black underground place with no daylight, they had yet to make any untoward harassment moves against us two "fat sheep."


    Of course, while there was no physical action, there was no shortage of verbal flirtation routines. Plus it was quite boring along the way, so the soldiers'' courage increased greatly underground. This put more strain on Cyra though. Who asked her to overact earlier! Most of the fire was directed at her as she was constantly asked about her name, age, hobbies, dating standards, if she liked anyone, etc...


    Finally, Cyra couldn''t stand it anymore and hid behind me, shoving me to the front lines. But facing the new wave of assault, I was completely unrestrained, straightforwardly revealing my three pairs of wings.


    "Angels!"


    This immediately brightened up the dark passage considerably. Accompanying the soldiers'' gaping mouths and dumbfounded expressions, Cyra suddenly smacked her forehead in realization.


    "Right, why didn''t I think of that! Why did we have to make it so complicated? We could have just used force to make them lead the way, no need for this whole act of pretending to be locals!"


    "It''s not that extreme though!"


    I shook my head to refute.


    "If we resorted to force right away, who knows if they would have tried to lead us into an ambush instead. So your efforts were still worthwhile...puhahahahaha!"


    At this point I couldn''t help bursting into laughter.


    "Little sister Elizabeth, is your dream guy really a superhuman? And one day he''ll appear in a prominent event, donning a golden holy robe and riding a red horse to take you as his bride?"


    To get it over with, Cyra had thrown together all sorts of random bizarre answer. But strung together they sounded so incoherent. Yet those two idiots didn''t understand the references at all, thinking she was telling the complete truth...


    "Damn it, stop reciting it!"


    Publicly exposed by me, Cyra was finally flustered for real this time. Blushing, she spread her wings to charge over and started pummeling the two soldiers, venting her frustration. Fortunately they at least had the power of two to three tiers, otherwise they would have been beaten to death by her.


    knocked out, I cast a sleep spell on each of them too. They probably wouldn''t wake up for a day. I then dragged them to a secluded corner to hide before putting away my wings, picking up the still-lit torch and continuing onward.


    Having learned the way ahead, it didn''t take long before we reached the location of the shelter. However, I had failed to account for there being guards here too. Seeing Cyra and I, two random girls emerging from the pitch-black tunnel, the guards stationed at the shelter entrance immediately became alert, raising their swords and shields to shout at us.


    "Halt! Who are you? How did you find your way here?"


    "Uh, we''re residents who accidentally got separated during the earlier evacuation. We just met some soldiers going out from here who told us the way and even gave us this torch..."


    I was already quite practiced at dealing with such situations, quickly making up an excuse.


    "It should be the torch assigned to Pansy and Barry. It was their turn to go out on a rescue mission. So where are they now?"


    The lead guard took the torch I handed over and immediately recognized it as equipment from their own Parristol resistance group, lowering his guard considerably.


    "They dropped us off at the passage entrance and left, saying there were other residents awaiting rescue. They''ll probably be back soon!"


    Cyra hurriedly went along with the lie. At this point, she could easily come up with reasons to keep it going.


    "Is that so? They actually let you walk through the underground passage alone..."


    Hearing this response, the guard suspiciously took out a small notebook and casually asked while flipping it open.


    "From your looks, you''re probably still minors, right? Do you have any family or relatives inside here? I need to verify and register you."


    This...


    I was truly at a loss now. We had no family or relatives at this shelter. But if I honestly said we didn''t, it would probably make it even harder to clear their suspicions. I shouldn''t have impulsively revealed our identities - it would have been better to just return together with those Pansy and Barry guys!


    "They''re my daughters, you don''t need to ask anymore! During the frantic evacuation earlier, our family accidentally got separated. But now we can finally reunite!"


    Just as I was wavering, a resounding booming voice came from behind the guards at the door. A middle-aged man walked over to the guard in charge of registration and stated this.


    Wasn''t that Mike?


    I immediately recognized his identity with one look, and Cyra was no exception. At the same time, another major figure followed out behind him. Although the newcomer claimed to be Mike''s son, his appearance was completely unfamiliar. But to us two angels, we could see through his face - he was actually wearing a magical disguise mask, his true identity instantly apparent.


    As Mike''s protectee, Cyra and I almost immediately guessed this was Cysper. However, we felt puzzled as to how they had managed to arrive here ahead of us.


    "Little sister! I really missed you two. Why were you still wandering outside at a time like this? What if you got accidentally hit by a stray arrow spell? I''m so relieved you''re finally okay..."


    Upon seeing us, Cysper immediately rushed over, continuously patting Cyra''s head while scolding her.


    "You must have been the ringleader, right? You''re always being so naughty! Just wait till I properly discipline you later!"


    The two of them were already very familiar with each other, not bound by such notions of status. But towards me, a six-winged angel he wasn''t as well-acquainted with, the Pope obviously didn''t dare act so brazenly.


    "Heh heh..."


    As Cysper kept mussing her hair, Cyra glared at him before teasingly complaining in an ambiguous tone:


    "Brother! You left your girlfriend behind just to come welcome us. Doesn''t your girlfriend get jealous? She''s so fierce usually, can you really handle her? I guess having just a little sister is best after all? Because I''m the only one who truly cares for you, bro~ther~!"


    Saying that, she firmly jabbed his stomach with her elbow, causing Cysper to grimace in pain. Even Mike watching from the side couldn''t help looking dumbfounded for a moment.


    The Pope was being openly accused of having a girlfriend - if word got out to his followers, that would be disastrous! Of course, as long as we didn''t say anything, there was no real risk of others finding out. But having no way to deny it, Cysper could only grit his teeth and hurriedly declare:


    "You''re right! I...I''ll go break up with her later!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 156: The Hidden Passage

    After the long questioning, we finally managed to enter the shelter by claiming to be "family members". However, the origins of these so-called "family members" were quite curious...


    "How did you guys actually sneak in here?"


    Following behind Cysper, I couldn''t help asking. The shelter entrance seemed inconspicuous, just a concealed small door built into the underground passage wall. But the interior space was tremendously vast - as far as the eye could see were scattered flames, candles lit by the local Parristol residents for temporary lighting, giving a sense of the huge crowd gathered inside.


    "Impressive...this is at least as big as several soccer fields, right?"


    Cyra couldn''t help exclaiming in admiration while casually caressing one of the gigantic stone pillars that would take several people''s arms to encircle. These pillars were visible everywhere in the shelter, spaced about every ten meters or so. If we hadn''t just entered from outside, who could have guessed we were actually inside the sky city, thousands of meters above the real ground surface.


    "Although this place is being used as a shelter, I believe its original purpose was probably just part of the city''s sewer system. There are quite a few entry points - we actually came in through a different entrance..."


    Mike still looked composed, introducing the surroundings as a "single father with three kids". Apparently the two had secretly landed in the city using light element invisibility magic even before the Crestvale Republic''s airships arrived. However, unlike our experience, shortly after landing they happened to encounter locals in the midst of evacuation and simply blended into the crowd to make their way here.


    "You''re really bold! An actual Pope personally coming to the battlefield is one thing. But you didn''t even stay behind - just a single bodyguard and you infiltrated the enemy camp solo. What were you thinking?"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help criticizing. Cysper had been trapped in the holy city for thousands of years, so his roaming tendencies weren''t incomprehensible - he had just been "released" not long ago after all. If he could resist sticking his hands into something lively like Parristol, that would be the real surprise!


    But infiltrating the city interior was another matter entirely. I didn''t think even his skills could guarantee full safety, and the same applied even with Mike present. Recklessly carrying on like this would inevitably lead to major trouble!


    "Oh? I didn''t expect an angel to actually care about me! What, are you starting to worry about our church''s safety too?"


    Unexpectedly, my words seemed to genuinely surprise him. Walking ahead, Cysper gave a light chuckle and glanced back at me, then at Cyra, meaningfully asking in a low voice:


    "What about you two then? What were you angels sneaking up here to do? Can you really claim to be guaranteed safe here?"


    "Uh..."


    I was instantly speechless - wasn''t he asking when he already knew the reason? But then again, having lost that powerful helper Adonis, Cyra and I also lacked any real sense of safety.


    At this moment, I suddenly wavered on whether we should truly proceed deeper. Even if I could push through relying on superior strength, Cyra might not be so lucky. She only had two wings - if she ended up sacrificing her life accompanying me, that...didn''t seem quite right.


    "Actually, I do have a reason..."


    Seeing my hesitation, Cysper unexpectedly gave a rare sigh instead of pressing further, stopping to continue speaking.


    "You should remember I''ve lived for a very long time, right? Over these thousand years, I''ve constantly been pondering one question - what is my true mission?"


    "Huh?"This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Cyra and I were both dumbfounded hearing this. Why suddenly bring up missions? Does the Pope even have missions? But now that he mentioned it, I vaguely did recall him saying something like this before.


    Although Mike accompanying us didn''t explicitly indicate anything, the way he unconsciously slowed his pace showed the General of Star Glory Knights was clearly also very interested in this topic.


    "The earliest memory I had upon coming to this world was simply to revive the True Church..."


    Not waiting for our reactions, Cysper paused briefly before continuing to say in a low voice.


    "But that goal was more or less achieved over a thousand years ago. Yet I didn''t just set it aside. I always had this indistinct feeling that something was still missing, as if there was some vastly more important matter that only I could personally handle. But I was at a loss for leads until her appearance..."


    "Who?"


    I reflexively asked, then realized - of course he didn''t mean me. But it wasn''t hard to guess from the series of recent events. It must be referring to Cyra.


    None of us could reach a satisfactory conclusion about the unknown secret between Cyra and Cysper. Even experts like Reed and Judith were clueless. But I recalled Reed once mentioned that Cysper''s physical condition was rather special, seeming not to be a typical elemental embodiment like angels, but more akin to magic...


    "When I first laid eyes on this majestic city floating in the sky, I had this strong premonition that entering would allow me to successfully recover my past and truly fulfill the mission that has confounded me for a thousand years. But..."


    Gazing up at the shelter''s blackened ceiling overhead, Cysper shook his head, temporarily stopping his personal reflections. He then shifted his gaze back to Cyra with a puzzled look.


    "Strangely, the moment I set foot in this city, I felt the light elements within my body dissipating, to the point my disguise magic nearly failed to sustain! It only stopped after entering this shelter, barely clinging to life. So what''s actually going on - was my premonition mistaken?"


    "Haha...maybe, how could it be that extr-"


    Cyra started sweating bullets, shifting her gaze awkwardly to the side. As for me, I could only give Cysper a sympathetic look. Who could have guessed Cyra and I had flown back and forth between Parristol and Crestvale Republic just minutes ago, nearly costing him his life?


    "Lord Cysper has been suspecting if there are special array enchantments under this shelter that can gather elements to prevent dissipation. So we don''t dare leave casually now!"


    Mike hurriedly joined the complaint, making Cyra even more embarrassed as she waved her hands to change the subject.


    "Cough...let''s talk about something else! From what you''re saying, it sounds like you can freely leave here? Shouldn''t the shelter strictly prohibit going out?"


    "Well, you two follow me!"


    Bringing up this topic immediately brightened Cysper''s eyes as he turned to lead us towards a corner of the shelter.


    Since the underground space here was so immense, even with many ordinary civilians gathered, it still appeared quite spacious with many dark nooks unable to be illuminated.


    Along the way, we passed countless resting areas of the locals huddled in groups - some chatting while cooking meals, others simply lying down to sleep. But there was no sign of any hardship from fleeing for their lives.


    In fact, many faces were flushed with excited expressions, discussing the outside war situation and little rumors heard from the guards. They didn''t seem to doubt at all that the resistance allied forces could lose. With the mighty Ilandra Dominion Empire and monsters as backups, plus the sky city itself, their confidence was through the roof.


    However, the sudden appearance of the Crestvale Republic didn''t seem to be widely known. Even the rare few whispering about it mostly dismissed it as perpetual losing war to the Empire, not worth fearing.


    "These are almost all locals supporting Parristol''s independence. Those opposed were already dispersed from the city days ago. It''s not that I''m against them, just the deal with the monsters...sigh..."


    Cysper shook his head, not wanting to hear more chatter from around. Hastening his pace to leave the crowd, he arrived at a corner wall.


    "There''s a small passage behind this wall. Because of the airflow through the cracks, I accidentally discovered it. The Parristol resistance group just got here too, so they definitely wouldn''t know as strangers. If we want, we can secretly slip out from here!"


    Instead of the metallic walls we were used to seeing, this wall at the shelter''s edge was made of regular brick! Of course, the surroundings were mostly the same. Seeing this, I suddenly recalled what those two soldiers who led us here had mentioned - the underground tunnels were interconnected, possibly even one leading to the base of Chromos Tower. I immediately felt excited.


    "Have you actually explored it? Where does it lead?"


    "No, we only discovered it recently. Lord Cysper''s condition has not been very good until now, so I had to focus on taking care of him, and I also did not dare leave this place rashly, so..."


    Mike shook his head in response, then hesitated and looked towards Cysper, seeming eager to try going forward. Even if he mistakenly thought Cysper could not leave due to some special reason, now with me and Cyra, two trustworthy companions present, Mike could safely leave temporarily to investigate.


    "Hmm... it''s not out of the question..."


    Upon hearing this, Cysper pondered for a moment, and was about to nod in agreement, when the voice of a guard shouting loudly came from the other side of the shelter.


    "Everyone attention, the king is coming to inspect, immediately maintain silence!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 157: The "Queen" Out of Nowhere

    Huh? Adrian came to inspect?


    Hearing this news, I was truly shocked. I really didn''t expect this situation! Just now we were discussing with Cysper and the others about possibly infiltrating the Chromos Tower from underground, but suddenly the whole process got skipped.


    "If I''m not mistaken, this king should be referring to Adrian, right?" Cyra looked back in surprise towards where the voice came from, then glanced at me, only to see me still standing motionless. She couldn''t help but ask in puzzlement, "Didn''t you want to see him? Why don''t you hurry over and take a look?"


    "I...it''s not...it''s not what you think!" I answered in a muddle. At this critical moment, I felt somewhat hesitant, not taking a step forward for a long time.


    Of course, it''s not that I suddenly didn''t want to see Adrian anymore. In fact, the biggest purpose of this trip was indeed to see him. But I felt the king''s visit was too abrupt. My heart wasn''t fully prepared; now wasn''t the time...


    "Tsk, you''re just too shy. You''ve come all this way, why are you still being so shy about this and that!"


    But Cyra didn''t care about all that. She saw through my thoughts at a glance and dragged me straight towards the crowd without another word. But even so, we were still a step too late. The area around the king was already surrounded by three rings inside and outside, with almost everyone from the entire shelter gathered there. There was no way for us to get any closer.


    "Why don''t we reconsider? We can find another opportunity..." Seeing this scene, I couldn''t help but want to back out even more. Are you kidding me? No matter how Adrian would react to seeing me, the premise wasn''t in a situation like this!


    The ideal reunion would be just the two of us, without any outsiders disturbing or making a fuss. After all, I had many things I wanted to ask him privately, definitely not in this crowded shelter under the eyes of the masses.


    Not to mention, don''t forget the most important point - from outward appearances, he and I are still in an adversarial relationship. Even if we really met, who knows what consequences it would cause in front of everyone''s eyes.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? Just taking a look is fine too!"


    However, Cyra didn''t consider any of this at all. Seeing that gentle methods couldn''t break through the encirclement, she strained and forced her way through, actually opening up a path for the two of us to squeeze to the front row.


    It was only then that I finally saw the appearance of the King of Parristol.


    Indeed, it was Adrian! Previously I had always had a slight suspicion that this new king might just be an unrelated person with the same name, but now it proved I was overthinking it.


    However, Adrian''s identity was now completely different. First of all, he definitely wouldn''t be wearing that adventurer''s archer outfit anymore. Although he still had to wear armor due to the wartime situation, the quality of his equipment was definitely incomparable to before.


    Of course, the most eye-catching was definitely the crown on his head! From afar, you could see a fantastical and mysterious glow emanating from the surface of the crown, giving an extraordinary feeling at first glance.


    "Damn, this is seriously like upgrading from a musket to a cannon! Once he became king, his whole demeanor changed!"


    Cyra sighed a bit enviously. Adrian was now busy smiling and chatting with the surrounding crowd - this kind of political performance was exactly the same script no matter which world.


    Unfortunately, the good times didn''t last long. Before they could approach us, as the crowd gradually dispersed, it became easy to see the familiar shadowy figures standing not far behind the king, hidden under cloaks.


    Mirium, and the red-haired demon...what was his name again? And the "man" I had seen before at Sun Lake! Although they tried to hide their identities, based on their body features from my previous impressions, I quickly recognized all these monsters.


    Damn! Almost all the most dangerous enemies were gathered! Leaving the others aside, the most deadly was that red-haired demon...uh, what was his name again? As a monster, he was extremely sensitive to the existence of angels. The moment our eyes met, he suddenly stared straight at Cyra and me.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It didn''t matter that we hadn''t spread our wings - we could only fool those humans and low-rank monsters unable to clearly sense light elements. For high-rank monsters, as long as their brains weren''t completely gone, they could easily discern angels with hidden wings.


    Of course, the red-haired demon would be no exception! No matter how deeply we hid in the crowd, it was useless.


    "Run!"


    I didn''t want to get caught in this situation, let alone by the crazy demon who had suffered major losses at Cyra''s hands. The unlucky thing was not just getting discovered by the red-haired demon, but those troublesome dragonkin were also present! Even with Cysper and Mike''s help, we might not be able to win.


    So this time, I ended up grabbing Cyra''s hand and dashing back the way we came. "There are infiltrators, protect the king!"


    But we had barely left the crowd when a huge commotion arose from behind, as if the entire shelter had exploded, with endless shouts to catch the infiltrators.


    "What''s going on? Don''t tell me you actually went to openly meet Adrian right then and there?"


    When we rushed back to the corner, Cysper and Mike also looked completely dumbfounded, asking me in disbelief.


    "You must have been blinded by emotion to cause such a scene in this situation!"


    Hey, I didn''t even do anything yet. This was really unfair!


    But there was no time to dwell on it anymore. Fortunately, Mike was alert early on and had already pushed away a large stone block on the wall surface, revealing the hidden passage entrance behind it.


    This was an extremely narrow underground passage. Unlike the large underground passages with all-metal walls outside, this one was almost entirely made of ordinary bricks and stones, gradually sloping upwards into the darkness - there was no way to tell where it led.


    Now that the situation was urgent, everyone couldn''t care about such details and could only first hide inside to escape. However, the situation behind was also rapidly changing. The ordinary guards hadn''t noticed us yet, but the red-haired demon had already taken off, charging straight this way. Unexpectedly, our escape route had been under his watch the whole time, leaving us with no chance of slipping away.


    Cysper entered first. At this point, he didn''t care if leaving the shelter would cause his body to dissipate. But as he was leaving, he tightly grabbed Cyra''s hand, dragging her into the passage with him.


    It was obvious he knew Cyra''s importance to him, which happened to align with my own thoughts. After all, Cyra''s strength was the lowest, so I did want to let her go first in case she put herself in mortal danger again.


    "Quick! Mike, you follow in too!"


    Next was the ever-loyal Star Glory knight. Hearing my words, he simply nodded without saying more and crawled into the hole. As for me, I directly spread my wings, volunteering to be the last one.


    No choice - who asked us to waste Reed''s trump card so casually? In a situation like this, I could only stubbornly buy time myself! Of course, this wasn''t purely a suicidal move. More importantly, I still harbored a guess in my heart that might give me a slim chance of survival...


    By now, almost everyone could notice the abnormality over here. Facing the black flame sword descending from above by the red-haired demon, I stood unmoving at the passage entrance, blocking it without retreating. At this moment, I finally remembered her name.


    Though that demon Arick had been beaten to a pulp by Cysper before, defeating him myself would still require quite an effort - at least using ordinary methods would probably be ineffective.


    *Clang!*


    The crisp clashing sound didn''t last long. Soon, the first sword turned completely red-hot from the black flames, becoming unusable. But I had anticipated such a situation - regulation longswords were ubiquitous in the kingdom''s army, so I had stolen more than one.


    Immediately, I drew a second longsword with my other hand, while kicking out several purification light orbs. This combo not only successfully forced my opponent back, but also gave me enough time to fly up and transform into my blue-winged form.


    Originally, I had planned to catch Arick off guard by utilizing the dehydrating effect of the Water Abyss Sword. At the very least, if I couldn''t kill her outright, I could likely severely injure him for over a year. But I completely didn''t expect the other enemies to arrive so quickly!


    I saw Mirium and "that man" suddenly appear around me, joining Arick in a three-pronged encirclement. In an instant, all my pre-planned strategies became useless - I could have been captured right then and there.


    "It''s you again, this angel! I warned you not to stir up trouble here, why didn''t you listen?"


    Seeing me, Mirium couldn''t help but frown slightly. She waved her hand, directly tearing off the cloak covering her body, and said to "that man" on the other side.


    "Since that''s the case, don''t blame me for being impolite! Fernando, don''t intervene this time, let me handle this alone!"


    "Do as you wish..."


    I finally learned "that man''s" name was Fernando! Hearing this, he silently turned away, too lazy to spare another glance this way. But then another man''s voice suddenly cut in. It wasn''t Arick, nor was it Cysper and Mike suddenly returning - it was Adrian.


    "Stop, we''re all on the same side, you may have misunderstood something!"


    Probably because he couldn''t fly, Adrian was the last to arrive on the scene. He was followed by a large group of local soldiers, standing on the ground to stop Mirium who was about to attack me, while loudly proclaiming while pointing at me:


    "She is my queen, do not be so rude!"


    "......"


    "......"


    "......"


    Who knows how many wild horses were galloping through people''s minds at that moment? As for me, I was completely flustered. Although I had guessed Adrian would likely come to my rescue, I never expected him to suddenly bestow upon me the deadly title of "Queen"!


    Is this still worth living for?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 158: Touring the Central Tower

    "Hmph...so she''s the Queen? But do you know what this Queen of yours was just doing?"


    Mirium seemed stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but unexpectedly, although she initially looked very surprised, she didn''t have much further reaction afterwards and didn''t question Adrian''s statement further. She only pointed at the now completely exposed passage entrance and instructed Arick, "Quick, go see if those who just entered have escaped far. These guards were too careless! We didn''t even realize there was another exit here!"


    "As it happens, I noticed earlier that the angel who injured me seems to also be inside. This time, you won''t stop me from taking revenge, right?"


    Arick had no objections, uttering those words before charging alone into the narrow tunnel, making me anxious as I wanted to stop her but was powerless.


    Cyra and Cysper still hadn''t swapped bodies yet. If Arick caught up to them, they would have no time to prepare and might get wiped out.


    But anxious as I was, I had no other recourse on my side. Even though Adrian had identified me as the "Queen", the watchful gazes didn''t decrease - it was clear most didn''t let down their guard.


    "You''re now the King of Parristol. We can''t really meddle too much, but let''s hope your harem doesn''t encompass all of Edenmere!"


    As the most inscrutable figure in the monster camp, Fernando calmly commented, then exchanged a nod through the air with Mirium, as if signaling something. Afterwards, he descended and blended into the watching crowd.


    Seeing Fernando leave, Adrian didn''t respond, only slowly walking towards me and extending a hand with a smile, "Feliciana, let''s go back to our royal palace."


    "This..."


    To be honest, I really disliked being called a "Queen". First, it felt extremely awkward, especially under the scrutinizing gaze of the masses, with almost everyone staring at me like a curiosity.


    But after so much effort, I had finally met Adrian. Although he was now King, he didn''t show any aloofness towards me, so I couldn''t help feeling somewhat delighted inside.


    Moreover, the current situation didn''t allow me to try any other choices, so in the end I could only follow Mirium and slowly descend to the ground.


    "Let me first take you to tour the Chromos Tower. You''ve definitely never been here before, right?"


    As soon as I landed, Adrian rushed over and grabbed my hand. Ignoring what others thought, he excitedly turned and ran outside the crowd, immediately drawing a large entourage to follow noisily behind. Of course, most were the King''s guards as expected, but seeing Mirium also blend in, unwilling to fall even half a step behind, left me rather speechless.


    Well, the direct distance from the shelter to the Chromos Tower was actually quite close. After climbing up from the underground passage, I discovered this exit opened right beside the tower - no wonder Adrian had the free time to come console the masses during such a multi-front war crisis.


    Next was the tour of this central tower of the city...


    As the central landmark of Parristol, the Chromos Tower was already the tallest building in the city. Now that its true underground appearance was fully revealed, it looked extraordinarily magnificent up close.


    Not minding the raging bombardment in the sky, Adrian took me from the thickest base upwards, introducing and showing me the interior spaces of the entire tower one by one, only stopping when we reached the throne room at the top. Of course, Mirium followed not far behind the whole way, while Adrian pretended not to notice her at all.


    Actually, there wasn''t anything particularly noteworthy during the tour, since the only section truly in use was that small top portion - most of the lower tower body, having been underground for so long, was almost completely empty inside. Only the throne room was especially worth mentioning.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Though located on the top floor, the throne room was quite spacious, with a large open area dozens of meters wide! This floor had no windows except for railings along the edge, making it a 360-degree observation deck where you could take in the full view of the sky city.


    Of course, there was also the King''s throne located in the center of the throne room.


    Supposedly over thousands of years of history, this floor''s layout underwent major remodeling multiple times, even adding enclosed windows to the railings at one point. But the only true millennium-old artifact, that King''s throne, was preserved intact.


    No one was really clear what material it was made from. The throne didn''t look particularly fancy, even somewhat shabby. But the demonstration Adrian gave next really opened my eyes.


    "This crown of mine and that throne should be a set. It can enable most of the throne''s functions. Of course, to fully control the whole city, I still need to come use it in person..."


    Adrian said, then simply sat down. I saw the backrest lean back under his control, and a dense ring of holographic 3D screens immediately appeared in the air in front of the throne, displaying text, visuals, street scenes from various city areas, and real-time battle footage of airships from different countries in the sky. It felt extremely similar to the Galadra''s Eye main control, though on closer inspection there were still subtle differences like the layout, colors, etc...


    "Of course, not just anyone can control this throne - you need the pureblooded lineage of the Loren royal family! But very unfortunately, since Parristol''s history is so ancient, the royal bloodline became increasingly diluted over thousands of years of inheritance. By my father''s generation, they could hardly operate this throne anymore, let alone activate the Divine Punishment! So he was betrayed by his own brother and forced to flee to the remote border forests between the Empire and Astralrealm Kingdom..."


    Saying this, a hint of sadness appeared on Adrian''s face, likely recalling his late father, as he sat up straight again. The hovering 3D images around him vanished as he rose, restoring everything to its original state.


    "But I don''t think my father ever imagined that I would be an exception! Although not born in this royal palace, I can somehow perfectly control this thousand-year-old throne passed down from the Loren clan, even restoring the legendary Loren clan''s mythical land - Lantine Oasis!"


    "If it wasn''t for us following Lady Michelle''s orders to come assist you in restoring Parristol''s kingdom, you might never have known this city was hidden right under your feet!" The nearby Mirium sneered upon hearing this, folding her arms mockingly.


    "So what? Did your monster clan have good intentions from the very start? You were all just taking what you needed!"


    Adrian finally couldn''t hold back, hitting back at her mercilessly.


    Based on their back-and-forth, it seems declaring war on Astralrealm Kingdom was monster side''s idea in the first place, as one of the conditions for helping restore Parristol - of course, there were definitely also longstanding grievances Parristol held against the kingdom. As for the monster''s aid, it was providing military forces to help, as well as finding Adrian to inform him of Lantine Oasis''s existence and the correct activation method. In the end, Parristol''s territory was transferred to this legendary sky city."


    At first glance, it did seem like a good deal! Parristol''s original territory wasn''t that large to begin with. If they truly succeeded in restoring the kingdom, plus the airborne mobility, it was high-class and upscale! It made me want to live here too...


    "Regardless of how you put it, attacking Astralrealm Kingdom was part of our prior agreement!"


    Mirium waved dismissively, apparently not wanting to dwell on other topics, bringing it back to questioning Adrian about the city itself, "But the core area of your city suddenly exploded for unknown reasons, not only causing both the shields and power to fail, but also provoking a surprise Kingdom attack that threw our plans into chaos. Isn''t it time to truly end this battle now?"


    The "battle" she referred to was clearly the ongoing fight between the various national forces in the sky. With Crestvale Republic''s entry, the tide was gradually shifting towards Astralrealm''s military. From Mirium''s tone, she wanted Adrian to use the Divine Punishment to reverse their fortunes.


    "No way, our Ilandra Dominion Empire allies are too close to the enemy now. If I recklessly use the Divine Punishment, it''ll definitely cause widespread friendly fire!"


    But Adrian flatly refused her request, naturally explaining, "Don''t forget it''s you that brought the Empire as allies. If I actually attacked them, it would surely spread across the entire continent very quickly. By then, Parristol wouldn''t be able to keep going either. Not to mention the Empire will eventually find out you strongly instigated it!"


    "Damn it! The Empire''s airships talked a good game, but even after retreating for so long they still can''t shake off the Republic''s harassment. You''re not worried about this dragging on?"


    It was rare to see a dragon tribe member so flustered and exasperated. Mirium cursed resentfully, but her words had no effect on Adrian. After all, only Adrian could control the city and Divine Punishment - even killing him would be meaningless.


    "I''m not in a hurry at all!"


    Putting his hands behind his head, Adrian actually stretched lazily before heading towards the stairs.


    "Isn''t it enough that you and Fernando are holding the line? As a worst case, even if you two fail, Lady Michelle will come in person, won''t she? Once she arrives, she''ll definitely solve every problem. I believe the ''Galadra''s Eye'' will work wonderfully!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 159: I Admitted, But Then Regretted

    "Lady Michelle has many other important matters to attend to, how can we casually trouble her! This is no excuse for you to slack off!"


    This time Mirium was so angry her nose almost went crooked. She seemed unaware of Michelle being blown away in Edenmere, nearly getting killed or at least severely injured. Though in this world with healing magic, it was hard to say if Michelle had fully recovered by now.


    Finally, the tour ended. The Chromos Tower was indeed magnificent, but apart from the King''s throne, nothing felt particularly awe-inspiring - probably because I had seen too many high-rises in my previous life.


    However, I then had to be kept under soft detainment in one of the tower''s rooms. After all, coming from the enemy camp, despite the outward "Queen" title, my angel identity plus sneaking in and getting caught meant most resistance members and monsters harbored great wariness towards me, definitely not allowing me to roam the tower freely. Under pressure, Adrian could only choose this relatively compromising solution.


    "Can''t be helped, you''ll have to rest here temporarily. But don''t worry, they won''t dare do anything to the Queen! At most, you should be able to leave after this battle ends!"


    Standing at the room''s entrance, Adrian tried closing the door behind him, but it was quickly pushed open again from outside by Mirium. Resigned, he could only leave a gap.


    Notably, we had encountered the vicious demoness Arick outside the room earlier. Fortunately, he didn''t catch up to the fleeing Cysper and the others in the passage, a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.


    "Um, could you not use the ''Queen'' title?"


    Seeing Adrian standing helplessly at the entrance, wanting to say more but feeling awkward, I finally couldn''t help asking first.


    "You don''t like it? It was just an impromptu excuse in desperation. We can slowly explain it later, no need to dwell on it too much..."


    Hearing this, he looked dazed for a while before smiling in response.


    "But do you really want to restore the kingdom?"


    Seeing his apparent disappointment, I could only stubbornly probe further after some thought.


    From the previous conversation with Mirium, I already roughly understood Adrian''s relationship with the monsters. But this didn''t mean I fully grasped his own thoughts.


    Though Adonis had confidently told me Adrian would stand on our side, the Astralrealm Kingdom might not necessarily back down easily. Regardless of this battle''s outcome, the new Parristol with Lantine Oasis would easily face threats from below wherever it drifted.


    One could imagine no country would allow new Parristol to hover overhead indefinitely - while the sky city seemed upscale, its path ahead appeared quite difficult.


    So restoring the kingdom wasn''t necessarily a good thing!


    "Of course, it was my father''s long-cherished dream! Although he has passed away, as long as I can help fulfill his wish, I''ll definitely be very happy. This city absolutely won''t let him down!"


    Unsurprisingly, Adrian responded with great determination, seeming to truly believe so.


    Actually, I never wanted Adrian to be some king or whatever. I felt the penniless Adrian from before was better. But since he genuinely wanted this, I had no choice. And from his look, he didn''t seem done, continuing to explain,This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "After becoming king, my identity changed completely, so even if you''re an esteemed angel, I should have the qualification..."


    Saying this, Adrian suddenly lowered his head in embarrassment, scratching it. Though he didn''t continue, the actual meaning was self-evident.


    "Uh...about that..."


    I never expected the topic to lead here. My face also started feeling awkward, but neither of us spoke further, the atmosphere turning extremely awkward again.


    Finally unable to stand it, Adrian stole a glance at me, hesitating briefly before tentatively asking, "I did tell you before I left...that...what do you think?"


    "Ah? I..."


    Not knowing how to respond, I opened my mouth but said nothing. This was exactly what I feared the most! But of course, whatever you dread comes to you.


    "So...you really have no interest in me? But..."


    Seeing my reaction, Adrian immediately grew anxious, pressing on.


    "Of course not!" Hearing this, I hurriedly waved my hand, feeling somewhat embarrassed as I clarified, "Well...I actually do like you...a little bit..."


    Aiya, who asked me to be so reluctant to let go? After spending so long together in the trial space back then, I felt something would be missing if we parted ways. Just these few days apart already made me unaccustomed, which is why I specifically came looking for him.


    But don''t forget, the experience of once being male was also a factor, so for me to finally muster up the courage to admit this much took tremendous effort.


    "So you agree? Then can I hug...kiss you?"


    Upon hearing this, Adrian looked pleasantly surprised, immediately seizing the chance to make an even more excessive demand.


    This was going too far! I hurriedly raised both hands to stop his approach.


    "No way! I think it''s better we take it slowly!"


    Damn it, I suddenly regretted it. Why did I have to admit liking him earlier?! I suddenly realized I had dug myself into a huge pit, completely trapped inside. I really felt like slamming my head into the ground to end it all.


    "Er...okay..."


    Fortunately, Adrian didn''t insist further. But then he just stood there, unsure what to do next, resulting in us facing off awkwardly for several minutes, neither daring to speak.


    "Well then...I''ll head out to work!"


    Finally, he couldn''t stand it anymore, forcing a laugh before quickly fleeing the scene, as if I was about to devour him.


    As the room door finally closed completely, I let out a long breath, feeling utterly drained! Compared to this, going out to slay monsters felt much more refreshing. At this very moment, the demon Arick''s mocking laughter rang out faintly from outside the door.


    "Big sis, you look so envious ah? Who asked you to eavesdrop? Hahahahaha!"


    Envious my foot! I really wanted to draw the Water Abyss Sword and run out to cut down these two wenches! But fearing I couldn''t win, I could only stay cooped up in the room, raging alone.


    The time afterwards was truly boring.


    Although the room Adrian arranged for me was very spacious, with luxurious decor and amenities, and the outside view was nice, being under soft detainment made me feel suffocated within just a few hours.


    Of course, I had considered just flying out the window as an option. But one, I had finally met Adrian, so escaping would be quite unwise and would definitely sadden him. Two, Arick guarded the entrance while Mirium hovered outside the window, both vigilantly watching me - even if I wanted to flee, I would likely have to go through a fierce battle first.


    So why go through such life-and-death struggles when I could just stay put...


    Not knowing how much more time had passed, as I laid on the bed practicing magic out of boredom, a tremendous boom suddenly came from overhead, immediately followed by violent shaking of the entire Chromos Tower that lasted several seconds! Fortunately, the shaking soon stopped and the tower didn''t collapse, a testament to its quality construction.


    Such a major incident naturally drew the attention of all Chromos Tower guards. Before I knew it, I noticed Mirium had vanished from outside the window. Opening the door to check, the demon Arick was also gone...


    So did something happen up at the top then? Considering the throne room''s importance, most people in the tower likely rushed there, meaning I was completely unguarded and could roam freely now.


    But just what happened at the top? My unbridled curiosity meant I definitely had to go check before deciding, since Adrian was likely there too. Hopefully nothing happened to him.


    However, I had just flown out the window when I looked up and saw a shocking sight, unable to stop myself from shouting:


    "Holy shit!"

 Vol 4/Chapter 160: Tower Assault Troops

    This was a pure white, elongated shuttle-shaped spacecraft, like a seed. Its streamlined exterior and smooth reflective coating looked extremely high-tech.


    I had never seen a spacecraft of this design before. It clearly did not belong to the Ilandra Dominion Empire, Crestvale Republic, Astralrealm Kingdom or any other country. If it had to be categorized, it could only match the style of the sky city Lantine Oasis.


    The frustrating part was that this spacecraft was now wedged at the very top of the Chromos Tower in a rather amusing posture. Although only the pointed front section had penetrated into the tower body, thick black smoke could still be seen billowing out from the impact hole, indicating severe internal damage.


    Groups of guards at the tower''s base were rushing up to the damaged level, but given the tower''s enormous height, it would take them some time to get there.


    Amidst the chaos, the shouts from inside the tower grew even louder, as if panic had struck again. I sensed an inexplicable danger and whipped my head around - good grief! Another aircraft had appeared near the Chromos Tower!


    This time it was a very ordinary church aircraft. However, instead of slowing down, it actually sped up and headed straight for a kamikaze crash into the tower body.


    "Oh no!"


    The situation scared me into lowering my altitude. Although the aircraft''s underside was still more than ten meters away from me, the air currents it created almost blew me off my feet and onto the ground.


    Bang!


    Just like before in the room, the Chromos Tower shook violently from the church aircraft''s impact. However, being an product of an ancient civilization, it managed to remain standing firmly! Apart from some exterior damage, there were no signs of collapse. The only difference from before was that it now had two extra "plugins" at the top, forming an irregular Y-shape from afar...


    Seizing this rare opportunity, many aircraft hovering in the sky braved the artillery fire to make desperate landings in the city. Soon, soldiers from the church and kingdom forces poured out, all with one unified target - the Chromos Tower, the central structure of this city.


    "Attention! Highest level alert, enemy invasion of central control tower! All civilians in the city must immediately head to the nearest shelter. Evacuation equipment is fully activated and ready for use..."


    Probably realizing the situation was dire, Adrian activated a city-wide alert, with this clearly synthetic voice echoing across the entire Lantine Oasis. At the same time, chaos erupted inside the Chromos Tower.


    "Quick, fall back, reinforcements needed outside the tower!"


    "Don''t crowd, don''t crowd! Everyone evacuate in an orderly fashion!"


    "Someone tripped down there, the stairs are blocked, what do we do?"


    ...


    This was bad. The guards who had been climbing up the tower now had to turn back and rush downstairs to engage the enemy.


    It seemed the Astralrealm Kingdom allied forces had launched their final assault. I didn''t know who was piloting that strange white spacecraft, but if it hadn''t crashed into the top of the Chromos Tower first, the allies likely wouldn''t have gotten this golden opportunity to counterattack.


    "Charge on, for the Alliance!"


    "Long live Parristol!"


    Soon, soldiers from both sides were engaging in heated battle at the plaza in front of the tower. I looked down at the ground below, then up at the two smoking aircraft above, and decided it was better to go to the top, since Adrian was probably there too. Even if he was currently the enemy leader, I still didn''t want anything to happen to him.


    The throne room at the top of the tower was the highest point in this city, and also where the king controlled the entire city from. It was very difficult for ordinary people to reach there, unless they could fly...If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    So what was the origin of that strangely shaped white spacecraft? As I got closer, I could see the details of its body more clearly.


    This spacecraft had no windows at all. Its entire body was a flattened melon seed shape, with almost no visible gaps or openings on the surface. However, there was a very simple pattern depicted on the upper side.


    It was three pairs of white wings, symmetrically distributed in the upper, middle and lower positions. However, the entire pattern only consisted of these three pairs of wings. Apart from a rectangular entrance hatch in the middle, there was no depiction of an angel''s actual form, so I could not be completely certain that this pattern represented an angel.


    Since the entrance hatch was already open, it meant the pilot had come out. Although I wanted to peek inside out of curiosity, the sounds of fighting coming from the throne room above promptly stopped me. I hurried up to investigate.


    To my surprise, the ones fiercely battling at the top of the Chromos Tower were Cyra and Arick! Well, Arick was no surprise, but how did Cyra end up here? And why did she suddenly have the ability to fight Arick on equal footing? Could it be...I suddenly realized, this must be Cysper and Cyra switching bodies!


    Sure enough, when Cysper saw me, he immediately retreated a few meters, turned sideways and nodded slightly at me, before charging back into battle with his opponent.


    I had to admit, the demon Arick was indeed extremely powerful! Although he was beaten black and blue by Cysper in their last encounter, he had learned his lesson and came fully prepared this time, focusing his defenses against Cysper''s Radiant Dawn Strike. Not only did he successfully resist the invading light elements with his own dark elements, he could even occasionally launch effective counterattacks while defending, making the outcome seem far less certain.


    "This place really cramps my fighting style, why don''t we move to a more open area?" Getting heated up from the fighting, Arick tore off his clothes, exposing his ink-black torso covered in intricate patterns, and suggested to Cysper.


    In my opinion, the throne room was already pretty spacious, but he still found it too small...


    "No problem, anywhere is fine!" To my surprise, Cysper was completely unfazed, letting out a soft laugh before flying out of the tower first, turning back to gesture at Arick.


    "Since we can both fly, why don''t we settle this in the sky?"


    "Gladly!"


    Watching the two of them quickly ascend higher into the skies above to begin their next round of battle, I suddenly realized a big problem.


    If Cysper was here, then where was Cyra?


    I scanned the entire throne room. Apart from Adrian sitting on the central throne with his back to me, and Mirium standing protectively in front of him, the only others facing them were a group of humans.


    "Alfreed!"


    Indeed! I really didn''t expect it to be them! Besides Alfreed, Brennan and Eleanora had also come, all former teammates and friends of Adrian''s. They probably assaulted from the aircraft that later crashed into the tower body. Of course, there were also some other kingdom soldiers and church members accompanying them, but by now only a handful remained standing.


    However, I still did not see Cyra anywhere...


    "Have you seen Cyra, or Mike?" Seeing this situation, I hurriedly flew over to their location. To be honest, the current circumstances made me feel rather awkward. What if Adrian insisted in front of them that I was the "Queen"? Wouldn''t that make me look like a traitor?


    "Didn''t Cyra just fly out with that demon a while ago? You didn''t see?" Thankfully, Alfreed and the others didn''t seem to have any peculiar reaction upon seeing me, only answering with some bewilderment.


    Uh...well, they had no idea the Pope had swapped bodies with Cyra after all, so should I ask about the Pope''s whereabouts instead?


    But I didn''t get the chance, as Adrian immediately stood up and called out to me upon seeing me here.


    "Feliciana, why did you come here? Quick, come to my side!"


    Huh? Wasn''t that just inviting social death on the spot? No way!


    Feeling rather awkward, I turned my head away pretending not to hear him. Seeing my reaction, Adrian was dumbfounded, his arm extended mid-gesture hanging in the air as he had no idea what to do, before eventually sitting back down slowly in front of the throne.


    To be honest, my stance differed from Alfreed and the others, I didn''t particularly object to Adrian''s desire to restore the kingdom, even feeling a tinge of admiration. But he was openly cooperating with monsters without any regard for my identity issue. What''s more, almost all his other friends opposed him, so I could only continue standing on the opposite side for now.


    Honestly, I didn''t want things to develop this way either! But who asked Adrian to insist on restoring the kingdom? This was probably the best solution, right? Furthermore, by joining Alfreed''s group I could still try to ensure both sides'' safety, I just didn''t know if Adrian could see that point. I dreaded the thought of him being blinded by his ambition to restore the kingdom. What if we ended up fighting each other - that would really be a dilemma...


    "Adrian, you see, we all care about you, including Feliciana..."


    Glancing at me unexpectedly, Alfreed seemed to realize something and called out to Adrian from behind Mirium.


    "So why are you still siding with monsters? Quickly come to your senses, we''ll all try to plead for leniency for you after this!"


    "Yeah, have you forgotten the friendship between us? If Vivianne knew, she would definitely be very sad, although...uh...I...ah!"


    Brennan immediately chimed in with persuasions, but as soon as he mentioned Vivianne, he lost his conviction and could only stammer to a close.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 161 The Battle at the Tower Top 1

    "I understand your good wills..."


    Adrian sighed deeply, sitting on the throne. He shook his head and closed his eyes before responding.


    "But reclaiming Parristol was my father''s wish. If I didn''t have this chance, so be it. But now that restoring the kingdom is possible, how could I simply give up!"


    "Exactly! From what I know, you humans highly respect your parents, right? Helping your father fulfill his final wish - what''s wrong with that? Logically, shouldn''t you all support and encourage him?"


    Mirium sneered, slowly unfurling her draconian wings from behind her back.


    "Besides, I''m not exactly a pure monster, am I? Why can''t you join me?"


    "You''re a dragon?! How is that possible..."


    Eleanora couldn''t help but exclaim loudly. So they had been fighting without knowing their opponent''s identity?


    "So what if I''m a dragon! This battle was inevitable anyway, why drag it out?"


    A dazzling phoenix suddenly emerged from Brennan''s hands and flew straight at Mirium without warning, screeching sharply. Alfreed followed up, launching an attack from another angle in a pincer move. The battle kicked off unexpectedly.


    "A phoenix? And just a baby...how laughable!"


    Mirium didn''t even bother moving, simply raising a hand to easily block the phoenix''s advance. Unfazed by the intense flames, she crushed the phoenix in her grip. Then with a swing of her fist, she sent Alfreed, who had just charged in, flying backwards until he slammed against the railing at the edge of the throne room.


    Such immense strength!


    Seeing Alfreed lying motionless, I was dumbstruck. I thought the combined efforts of two sixth-tier fighters might pose some threat to Mirium, but it was utterly useless.


    Ever since coming to this world, I felt my angelic powers were formidable. Advancing to six wings made me even stronger. But compared to a dragon, I realized I was still a small-fry. If not for the Chromos Tower''s sturdy railings, Alfreed might have plunged to the bottom - dead or alive, who knows.


    His current state didn''t look good either. He might have broken multiple bones. Seeing this, Eleanora rushed over to heal him with her magic, ultimately ensuring his safety.


    "So, do you all still want to keep beating a dead horse?"


    Mirium glanced at the two being treated, not trying to stop them further. Then she turned to the rest of us - me and Brennan, ignoring the few remaining soldiers and followers behind us.


    Dragons were rumored to possess immense strength, whether human-formed or not. And each draconic subspecies could naturally control different elements for attacks, though their magic development lagged behind angels'' due to minimal interaction with humans. Most dragons were stuck using inborn, instinctual elemental attacks without any established theoretical foundation.


    That said, despite flaunting her overwhelming power, Mirium made no attempt to press her advantage and continued guarding King Adrian. This attitude felt rather odd.


    Perhaps she was being cautious for some reason? Or was she letting us off? It didn''t seem so - maybe she actually feared one of us? I didn''t think it was me though, since we''d met before. As for the others, I couldn''t say if any of them posed a real threat to her. Of course, my presence did increase our chances...maybe we could still turn the tide if we joined forces?The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Be careful everyone, the dragon race is infamously powerful, as you''ve just witnessed. We must work together to stand a chance!"


    Alfreed had fully recovered, thanks to Eleanora''s sixth-tier healing abilities. The "Rebirth" water healing spell she used was several times more potent than ordinary low-tier water magic, able to quickly revive even those on death''s door before sending them back into battle.


    As long as Eleanora was around and didn''t get killed, there was always a chance for a full revival.


    "This level of challenge won''t scare me off!" Alfreed''s recovery was an unseen morale booster, lifting everyone''s dampened spirits. Brennan nodded confidently, "Don''t forget, we have Feliciana on our side! As a six-winged angel, her power is unmatched. We can definitely achieve victory!"


    "No problem!" I nodded assuredly, drawing my usual longsword. Though I may have felt uneasy facing Mirium alone before, with so many comrades around, I had no more fear.


    "What? You two planning to take me on together?" Seeing Alfreed take an offensive stance toward Mirium after recuperating, but noting her lack of intent to engage, he couldn''t help feeling confused.


    Mirium shrugged nonchalantly, glancing at Adrian who lazily watched the city monitors from his throne. "If you really want to fight, then just attack! Unlike Arick, I have no particular interest in brawling. Especially now when I have other matters at hand..."


    Adrian''s attitude was indeed odd. Despite Alfreed and the others charging right at him, he remained calm enough to distractedly watch the video feeds, as if this invasion meant nothing - leaving the defense entirely to his ever-present dragon guardian Mirium.


    Of course, I could still sense his occasional glances toward me, likely concerned for my situation. But this only vexed me further. If so, why insist on opposing me? Even if reclaiming the kingdom was vital, why ally with monsters? Relying on one to protect him - how shameful!


    "No worries! You go take care of those invaders. Leave this task to me!"


    Finally, the long elusive "mysterious man" Fernando appeared, though I couldn''t discern how he entered the throne room. He approached, taking Mirium''s place beside Adrian.


    "It''s pure chaos outside the tower now. You still don''t intend to act?"


    Clearly, he was urging Adrian to unleash Divine Punishment against the kingdom''s forces that had already breached the lower levels.


    Adrian shook his head without hesitation. "No! Our soldiers are still resisting - we haven''t reached total defeat yet. Launching Divine Punishment now would harm our own. You know I cannot allow that - it''s a matter of principle!"


    It seemed caring for his people was a firm bottom line for him, if nothing else.


    "Suit yourself then. I''ll just clean up here before dealing with the rest..."


    Unable to argue further, Fernando turned his gaze to Mirium.


    "You''re late." Mirium seemed displeased by his tardiness, exhaling in relief before questioning, "Did you get that thing?"


    "Got it! Just a small hiccup on the way - a few rats, nothing more..."


    The "mysterious man" immediately produced something from his palm to show her. Likely not wanting us enemies to overhear their conversation, their voices grew softer until we could barely make out anything.


    The atmosphere turned bizarre. We few "invaders" were equally dumbfounded - a seemingly imminent battle had turned into the enemy ignoring us to secretly converse. It was evident they didn''t consider us a threat at all, which was rather hurtful. Yet their discussion piqued our curiosity, unfortunately without revealing what Fernando held.


    Originally unconcerned by the situation, even Adrian seemed roused by Mirium and Fernando''s puzzling exchange. Though his position should have allowed him to hear everything, his bewildered expression suggested he understood little.


    "What do we do now? Is this a deliberate ploy to lure us? Or should we just charge in, damn the consequences?" Brennan turned uncertainly to Alfreed. The enemy''s bizarre attitude, coupled with their great strength, made him fear rushing in blindly.


    "Let''s wait a bit..." Alfreed, equally clueless, could only make this decision for now. With two formidable foes, a reckless ambush might prompt them to strike together. Despite our numerical advantage in a group attack, we could still easily be overpowered - Mirium had clearly intended to take us all on solo earlier, so this chance to pick them off was worth considering.


    "Damn it! You again?!"


    Just then, another uninvited guest suddenly appeared. Or to be precise, two of them...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 162 The Battle at the Tower Top 2

    Mike and "Cysper" suddenly appeared at the stairway entrance to the throne room. "Cysper" looked stunned, pointing at Fernando and shouting frantically.


    "You again? To have followed us all the way here, what rotten luck!"


    Noticing them, Fernando frowned in annoyance, clearly having dealt with them before.


    "Isn''t this Chromos Tower? How did digging a tunnel lead us to the rooftop???"


    Spotting the white airship embedded in the outer wall, the being possessing Cysper''s body - actually Cyra - immediately recognized their location. But seeing the rest of us there left her confused, clearly unaware of the preceding events.


    "Even Feliciana and Alfreed...what are you all doing here?"


    Without further ado, the two rushed over to join us. Cyra then recounted their recent escapades non-stop.


    "Listen! We accidentally ended up in that so-called Central Lab place. So many weird things there! We even discovered an underground hangar nearby. But then that creep showed up too. Mike and I couldn''t beat him, so we had to play hide-and-seek to escape. Lucky we got away, but who knew we''d run into him again here? Strange..."


    At this point, Cyra seemed puzzled herself, turning to Mike for confirmation. "Didn''t we slip into a small room earlier? How did we end up inside this tower after leaving it? I don''t recall climbing any stairs while fleeing."


    Mike seemed equally clueless. "I only remember we should''ve still been in the underground area. But suddenly we were downstairs! We just entered that room, then came up here..."


    "Wait, wait! What''s going on? I can''t follow at all!"


    I stopped them, seeing Mirium and Fernando still deep in discussion with no intent to fight. I quickly had Cyra recap their story to get the gist.


    Essentially, after the three of them entered that hidden passage in the underground shelter, not only did they shake off the pursuing demon Arick, they also stumbled upon the Central Lab.


    The Central Lab wasn''t an unfamiliar term - we''d learned about it from the notices left in Judith''s hideout. But Cyra''s experience was noteworthy.


    First, none of them understood anything in the Central Lab, nor dared tamper with things recklessly. However, they did discover a hangar nearby during their exploration.


    The hangar housed a single white airship - the very one now embedded in Chromos Tower''s outer wall! Out of curiosity, Cyra boarded it alone. But she accidentally triggered something, causing the ship to activate on its own.


    The underground hangar then opened an exit to the surface. Under Cyra''s clumsy control, the ship lurched violently before crashing into Chromos Tower''s apex, knocking her unconscious in the process...This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Miraculously, this triggered a soul swap. Cyra''s perspective instantly shifted back to the underground hangar, while Cysper was transferred topside.


    Unfortunately, Cyra possessing "Cysper" and Mike failed to follow through the closing hangar door to the surface, as they encountered Fernando who had appeared underground for some other purpose.


    Fernando likely wasn''t there for them specifically, but the hangar''s opening had alerted him. Hopelessly outmatched, Cyra and Mike fled back into the Central Lab to avoid battle. There, they witnessed Fernando extracting a chip-like object from the facility''s equipment.


    Recalling Fernando showing something to Mirium earlier, could their secretive discussion have involved this "chip"?


    It dawned on me - Cyra and Mike''s ensuing adventure remained bizarrely eventful. Though Fernando eventually discovered their trail, they managed to play an extensive cat-and-mouse game through the facility''s chambers, until finally cornered in a tiny room.


    This cramped room had no other exits, comparable to an oversized elevator shaft. Prepared for a final standoff, Cyra and Mike were baffled when Fernando''s footsteps simply vanished outside...


    Thinking they''d lucked out, the two emerged from the room only to shockingly find themselves downstairs from this very throne room - the floor below us, as if they''d tunneled right up to the rooftop!


    "Could it be some kind of teleporter, directly linking the underground area to this throne room?"


    Unlike the others, my experience gave me this notion immediately. Cyra''s description was too reminiscent, and after experiencing so many displacements, I was unfazed. For a sky city of Lantine Oasis'' scale to possess such fantastica  teleportation tech seemed plausible. Besides, I couldn''t fathom any other explanation for now.


    "Is that even possible with teleportation magic?" Eleanora pondered skeptically, still struggling to grasp many details. "But what was that ''chip'' thing? Why would monsters want to obtain it from this city''s lab? What use could it have?"


    Unfortunately, even the term ''chip'' was simply parroted from Cyra - its meaning and potential applications eluded Eleanora, and me as well.


    However, one point was noteworthy - unlike the others, Cyra and I had witnessed those very chips within the "Galadra''s Eye" relic, coupled with the robotic-like beings we encountered in Makalan''s outskirts. So the monsters'' desire for chips didn''t seem too baffling.


    What I couldn''t fathom was - could the forces behind the monsters be remnants of an ancient civilization? But weren''t they supposed to be extinct? How did they reappear after thousands of years, unless there were other factors at play...


    "Everyone, done planning? Any tactics ready?"


    Evidently their discussion concluded, Mirium stretched before approaching us. A tremendous noise followed from behind her - I had no idea what Fernando did, or why, but he blew off the entire tower''s domed rooftop!


    In an instant, the boundless sky opened above, clearly displaying the aerial battle between the Empire and Republic''s airships. In another direction, we could make out Cyra possessed by Cysper embroiled in combat with the demon Arick, seemingly stalemated for now.


    "Well, with two more allies now, you''re doomed!"


    Likely to create more open space, I paid no mind to Fernando''s bizarre act. Pointing my longsword at Mirium, I responded confidently. I then nodded discreetly at Mike and Alfreed, casting a defensive light spell to fortify them before patting their shoulders meaningfully.


    "Notice anything? You''ve been enhanced, so...no, just charge!"


    "Huh?" Alfreed froze for a moment, but the semi-corporeal aura enveloping him clarified my intent. Without hesitation, he drew his blade and rushed at Mirium once more.


    "Tsk, still haven''t learned?" Mirium flicked her wrist disdainfully, swatting Alfreed away again. But Mike''s fist followed in the next instant...


    This was no puny phoenix strike. Mirium''s brow furrowed as she turned to confront Mike head-on. Yet she failed to notice a radiant draconic head materializing from her blindspot, slamming directly into her face like a solid slap!


    This light dragon was Brennan''s creation, but lacked enough potency to truly harm a draconic foe like Mirium. Only Mike''s fists seemed to pose any credible threat - yet Mirium blocked his strikes before kicking him into the distance as well.


    It appeared another resounding defeat? Heh, this was merely the opening skirmish...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 163 The Battle at the Tower Top 3

    "That''s enough for now. This time I''m only lightly injured, no need to worry!"


    In under two seconds, Alfreed who had just been knocked away quickly stood back up, far swifter than the several minutes it took him to recover previously. Waving off Eleanora''s further healing, he quickly checked himself over before re-engaging Mirium.


    The same happened to Mike - with his superior physical prowess, being knocked back barely slowed him. He instantly bounced up from the ground to re-join the fray, though they were both swiftly battered away again...


    This repeated several times. At a glance it seemed Mirium still had the upper hand, but after numerous exchanges even her dense nature noticed something amiss.


    "What trickery have you cast upon yourselves?"


    Clearly, her vaunted monstrous strength had been severely diminished, her blows reduced to an ordinary level devoid of lethality.


    Meanwhile, we not only had Alfreed and Mike sustaining close-quarters assaults, but Brennan''s spellcraft alongside my own ranged attacks alongside Cyra and Eleanora''s constant barrage. Soon Mirium found herself thoroughly besieged.


    "Even if an ant''s bite inflicts minuscule damage, even if a dragon''s defenses are maximized, enough accumulation eventually proves fatal. So...is that a modified Light Shield?"


    Even Cyra deduced our tactic, being familiar with that spell herself. She promptly attempted to cast it on herself, only to instantly deplete her light element reserves as "Cysper" before collapsing, unable to rise for a while.


    "Are you daft? Altering spells is far from easy!" I chided her impatiently. The inspiration actually came from Reed''s Gas Collectors.


    The humble Light Shield may seem like a basic angelic spell, but this modified version drastically increased its mana cost. An angel could handle it, but the pope lacking wings could never sustain such elemental expenditure - no wonder she fainted!


    However, this "Light Shield" variation differed from conventional solid light barriers. This "shield" was more akin to a viscous gaseous shroud.


    Though its defensive potency diminished, it gained an expanded area of effect and superior endurance. The light elemental aura could omnidirectionally enshroud one''s entire body like a localized force-field.


    Against ordinary foes, such a buff would render one nigh-invulnerable. But Mirium''s unnatural might could still inflict some damage. Fortunately, we had Eleanora''s unmatched healing prowess! Whenever we got knocked away, she could rapidly revive us within seconds to rejoin the fight.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Sustainable warfare is key! It''s like an army of immortal high-tier undead - we''re basically unkillable with infinite healing!"


    I boasted proudly, but circumstances immediately took a dark turn.


    The dragon race''s fearsome reputation was well-earned! Seeing her attacks had no effect, Mirium abandoned fending off the harrassing Mike and Alfreed to charge straight at us.


    "Quickly Eleanora, run!"


    Her intent was glaringly obvious. I desperately warned her, but unlike remaining sedentary beside Adrian earlier, Mirium now had no restraints in resolving us with lethal force.


    Despite me, Cyra and Brennan intercepting her deadly advance, Mirium''s overwhelming power breached our defenses. She snatched Eleanora up by the throat with one hand.


    "Your infantile tactics are pitiful. Did you think I couldn''t discern how to nullify them?"


    Ignoring Eleanora''s frantic struggling, Mirium mercilessly twisted her neck with an audible crack, coldly dropping the lifeless body without a shred of hesitation.


    "Eleanora!!"


    Alfreed and Brennan went berserk, recklessly charging Mirium yet unable to approach. With just her wings, she easily repelled them before contemptuously discarding Eleanora''s corpse.


    "She''s beyond saving now. Let''s see how you cope next?"


    This was clearly a retort to my earlier boast. I never imagined she could break through our defenses so swiftly - I had severely underestimated the dragonkin''s might!


    "We can still manage without Eleanora!"


    I spat bitterly, feeling unexpectedly sorrowful. I had somewhat respected Mirium for previously sparing me, but now revealed her vicious ruthlessness.


    On the opposite side, a distraught Alfreed furiously assaulted Mirium after losing their healer support. But within a few exchanges he was too gravely wounded to continue, leaving only Mike able to persist marginally longer, though not for long either.


    "If I''m not mistaken, you''re from the Star Glory knight order, aren''t you? Clearly far more seasoned! But speaking of which, your pope has been sprawled there a while - not concerned at all?"


    Having shed most pressure, Mirium seemed rather amused taunting him, in no hurry to finish the rest of us.


    As for the possessed pope she mentioned...


    That idiot was still lying motionless, completely useless! At least it solved my worry over Mirium dealing with her for now.


    Seizing this interim opportunity, I rushed over to Eleanora''s side where Brennan had already fruitlessly attempted revival.


    "Let me try!"


    Thankfully I had learned some healing magic. First a basic water restoration spell - but against her shattered cervical vertebrae, it proved utterly insufficient. With no choice, I transformed into my blue-winged angelic form.


    Originally I intended saving this trump card against the enigmatic foe Fernando. But saving Eleanora took priority now.


    "Huh?"


    Mirium seemed mildly surprised witnessing my transformation. Momentarily distracted, Mike seized the opportunity to land a powerful blow square on her face, nearly knocking her down.


    Fernando also reacted similarly, his focus previously drifting between the throne and overhead skies. Now, like the others, his full attention centered solely upon me.


    How did advanced water healing magic operate again?


    I had no leisure to ponder their responses, but fortunately Eleanora''s countless prior healing spells provided ample perfect references to guide me.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 164: The Battle at the Tower Top 4

    "Heal!"


    This was my first attempt at an advanced water healing spell, impossible without assuming my blue-winged form.


    Thankfully, my efforts proved fruitful. Upon successfully channeling and releasing this magic, Eleanora''s grotesquely twisted neck rapidly reverted to normal before my very eyes. Her pallid, asphyxiated complexion also gradually regained color.


    "She''s really revived?"


    Brennan reached out hesitantly to check her breathing before finally relaxing. The battered Alfreed rushed over, disregarding everything else to verify.


    Awesome, it worked amazingly well! An injury this severe would be fatal anywhere else. But in this magical realm, I pulled her back from the brink using water magic - undisputedly the most potent healing discipline!


    While Eleanora''s sixth-tier vitality allowed her to cling on longer, reviving her from the dead remained an incredible feat.


    Capitalizing on this experience, I swiftly rejuvenated Alfreed too, his myriad wounds instantly mending.


    Suddenly I realized...did I even need Eleanora anymore? With she still unconscious, I could single-handedly supersede her role without incantation delays, drastically increasing efficiency!


    If only I fully mastered reverting from this blue form, I''d be unstoppable!


    "No matter your wings'' nature, I won''t let you evade the same fate as her!"


    The revived healer, doubling the "bliss"? Though still baffled how an angel could use water spells, Mirium refused allowing that situation again. Replicating her previous tactic, she lunged straight at me.


    Clearly her urgency exceeded when assailing Eleanora, her strikes far more vicious. But my own prowess exceeded Eleanora''s - I welcomed this opportunity!


    "You think I only know healing, like Eleanora?"


    Grabbing the preemptively summoned Water Abyss Sword, I retaliated unflinchingly. As the blade neared her skull, Mirium finally sensed its abnormality, barely twisting aside as it transfixed her arm instead...


    Not an instant kill? I felt some disappointment. But no hide could withstand the potent dehydrating effect. Within seconds, her bulging bicep visibly shriveled.


    For the first time, this dragonkin suffered severe damage before us. Clutching her wounded arm, she cried out agonizingly.


    Yet again I underestimated her fortitude. A dragon remained a dragon! Mirium''s might exceeded mere brute force - she also possessed an innate command over the elements! Pain only enraged her jaw unhinged, spewing a torrent of flame directly at me.


    The legendary dragon''s breath! Unlike regular fire, studies confirmed it burned hotter and deadlier than even a phoenix''s blazing exhalations!


    In my normal state, an elemental assault would merely tickle. But my blue form drastically weakened that resistance. Though water boasted fire-affinity, I could not withstand such point-blank dragonfire!


    "Aaargh!!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I felt my very skin charring, agonies no ordinary angel could ever endure, let alone focus to heal. Worst of all, Mirium''s vengeful torrent persisted relentlessly while my allies lacked the means to intervene effectively. All I could do was desperately shield my wings from igniting.


    Just as I neared my limits, the inferno miraculously ceased! Not due to Mirium''s volition, but rather an arrow embedded in her shoulder.


    This utterly mundane projectile bore no special markings. Yet its presence signaled its owner could no longer remain idle - Adrian had arisen, sternly aiming a bow at Mirium.


    "She is my queen - dare harm another feather and face my wrath!"


    He swiftly approached with concern. "Are you alright?"


    "I''m fine..."


    My feelings conflicted. When Alfreed suffered grievously, when Eleanora neared death, he could calmly spectate. Yet he ultimately intervened to protect me, which deeply touched me.


    But I also felt puzzled...


    From what I knew of Adrian, he would never willingly strike old friends! Yet accounting for his complex relations here, it was clear his prior aloofness aimed to avoid conflict...but entrusting Mirium with slaying us all? I could scarcely believe he''d sanction such cruelty.


    Or did he know from the start my blue form could turn the tide? But why?


    I lacked full confidence in this supposed capability. Mirium proved overwhelmingly formidable! For Adrian to risk antagonizing her just to save me seemed unfathomable.


    "Hmph..."


    The puny arrow inflicted little harm. Mirium plucked it out nonchalantly, restraining her fury at the last moment.


    The situation turned delicate - the ruling king personally interceding for the enemy, while his ally held back instead of retaliating, as if anticipated by Adrian.


    "Didn''t you always claim never harming allies?"


    Likely accounting for Lantine''s fate hinging on Adrian, the proud dragon merely scoffed a dismissive retort, swallowing her rage.


    Fernando beside the throne also reacted unnaturally, seemingly unconcerned by Adrian''s actions. Even if Mirium took a severe beating, his demeanor remained largely unchanged. Aside from overtly guarding Adrian, his focus seemed more fixated on the skies overhead...


    This felt even stranger. Could he be so invested in the aerial battle between the Empire and Republic''s airships? Or the intense clash between Arick and Cysper in the distance? But to only notice these now seemed tardy.


    "Fine, fine...as long as Feliciana remains unharmed!"


    Still, we underestimated Mirium''s furious retaliation once wounded. Perhaps maddened by the pain, she coldly laughed before disengaging from my Water Abyss Sword''s range, redirecting her ire elsewhere.


    Unlike her previously honorable conduct, Mirium no longer wasted effort tangling with the unkillable Mike and Alfreed. Her first target was the downed, mana-depleted Pope.


    "Feliciana, save me!"


    Of course, Mirium didn''t realize it was Cyra that currently possessed Pope''s body. Receiving her frantic plea, I could only watch helplessly - still recovering from Mirium''s dragonfire, I lacked the strength to rush that distance.


    Adrian too seemed stunned, evidently not foreseeing Mirium''s vicious outburst. By the time he tried intervening, it was too late.


    Fortunately, Mike tackled Cyra at the last second, shielding her from Mirium''s furious punch that sent them both flying - yet again halted by the railings from plummeting.


    The throne room''s railings, eternal saviors!


    Though the defensive enchantments persisted, Mike coughed blood but remained standing. However, Cyra fared worse, merely slipping into unconsciousness rather than perishing.


    Her fainting boded ill, especially in these perilous circumstances. As I foresaw, seconds later she reawakened - but possibly no longer as "Cyra".


    "Where is this...?"


    Surveying his surroundings, Cysper shook his head groggily before realizing he had swapped back. He then urgently craned towards the aerial battle''s location.


    "Oh no, Cyra''s in danger!"


    In the distant skies, Cyra''s true form battling Arick jolted, her distraction allowing the demon''s fist to graze her. She screamed, blasted away before barely stabilizing herself.


    "Huh, you shouldn''t fall for such feint attacks so easily...before you..."


    Arick eyed his fist quizzically before lunging at Cyra again in another probing strike.


    "Oh no, stay away!"


    Seeing this, Cyra immediately fled while shouting frantically.


    "Hahaha, finally exhausting you! I admit underestimating your tricks initially. But nowhere to run now!"


    Uncaring about Cyra''s state, the vengeance-driven Arick excitedly gave chase.


    "No, quickly flee!"


    I cried out anxiously. Having just escaped one peril into another, even with high-speed flight, Cyra''s two wings could never outpace Arick''s pursuit!


    Watching her nearing capture while too far to intervene...

 Vol 4/ Chapter 165 - The Battle at the Top 5

    "This Pope seems completely different now. What happened actually?"


    Following closely behind Adrian, Fernando asked in a solemn voice. However, no one answered him. This guy glanced at me suspiciously, then looked at Adrian, but still could not find any answers.


    In contrast to his previous cowardly and opportunistic attitude, the Pope took a few deep breaths to adjust himself after returning to his own body. I don''t know what amazing method he used, but he managed to stand up with great effort. From the perspective of others, his demeanor and tone were completely different at this moment.


    "That fool, why didn''t she know to escape this way......"


    Seeing Cyra flying around in desperation, Cysper could only stand anxiously, then asked Mike beside him.


    "With your strength, can you throw me accurately to Cyra''s side?"


    However, considering his current physical condition, fighting would still be quite difficult. He immediately shook his head, denying this idea himself.


    "No, even if it succeeds, it would be meaningless......"


    "Ah?" Mike was instantly dumbfounded. He might not even be able to throw him! But Cyra''s survival was extremely important. If they didn''t find a way to rescue her in time, they might both end up dead corpses.


    Unfortunately, humans cannot fly, and even if they could, it would be too late now.


    At this moment, the relentless Arick finally reached Cyra''s back with his black flame sword, leaving a long gash on her wing.


    Cyra instantly screamed in pain, losing her balance as the two wings were grabbed by the opponent. Her life hung by a thread.


    "Cyra!"


    Everyone exclaimed in alarm. I tried to fly out recklessly to stop him, even though I knew it might be completely useless......


    "It''s too late!"


    Adrian held me back from behind and advised, his eyes fixed on Mirium, watching her every move. In fact, while everyone was focused on Cyra earlier, Mirium had taken the opportunity to take down Brennan, and was now attacking Alfreed.


    However, a dazzling white light that flashed stopped her midway. Not just her, but everyone''s attention was drawn to this latest event.


    "It''s a Divine Revelation! I''ve finally received a Divine Revelation again!"


    It was Cysper! He raised his head excitedly, closed his eyes, looking like he had received some message.


    "I see...I finally understand my Ultimate Mission!"


    Cysper''s entire body then radiated an extremely brilliant white light, too dazzling for others to open their eyes. But in my eyes, it was all extremely pure light elements.


    It was not the light elemental magic power previously stored in his body. Logically, Cysper''s light magic should have been completely depleted by Cyra. The only explanation was that he was purposefully breaking himself down!


    Like an angel''s body, the Pope''s body was also essentially composed of pure light elements, just lacking a pair of wings. So if he really wanted to risk his life, he could completely convert the light elemental matter that made up his body into an immense amount of light elemental magic power (energy) to turn the tables in a desperate situation.


    In other words, this was actually a suicidal move. The side effect, of course, was huge. Due to the reduction of his body''s mass, no recovery magic could restore it.


    For angels, the most obvious cost was usually a demotion in rank. But Cysper didn''t even have wings, so he had no rank to demote from. Yet he was dissipating his entire body without limits.


    "Has this guy gone crazy?"


    I completely didn''t understand what he was trying to do. Was he really going this far just to save Cyra? And what was this about receiving a Divine Revelation?


    As his body rapidly dissipated, Cysper eventually swelled into a humanoid sphere of light, slowly floating into the air. As for the other people around, whether friend or foe, everyone was dumbstruck. Most didn''t even understand what was really happening since they couldn''t sense light elements.


    Then, an even more amazing thing happened. The humanoid sphere of light, after completing its transformation, swiftly drifted towards Cyra''s direction.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "What the hell is that thing?!"


    Being a dark elemental being, Arick sensed something was wrong from afar. He immediately threw down his prey and retreated quickly. What followed was an epic collision.


    The massive sphere of light struck the falling Cyra. Since both were composed of light elements, there was no need to worry about causing any harm. However, I could clearly sense that Cyra''s originally weak aura actually began to strengthen, and the two seemed to merge! At this moment, Cyra finally stopped descending.


    "This is......"


    As the light gradually dissipated and finally disappeared, everyone could clearly see that Cyra, who originally only had two wings, now had three pairs of wings on her back. The large wound inflicted by the black flame sword was also healed.


    "No way? She actually ranked up in this situation!"


    Mirium was completely dumbfounded. From her expression, it was clear she had never seen such a way of ranking up before.


    "Impossible! This is definitely not a normal promotion......"


    Even the usually unruffled Fernando couldn''t help but be shaken, shaking his head in denial.


    "I''ve never heard of any angel being able to rise two ranks at once!"


    This was true. Even someone as overpowered as Nicola had to climb up one rank at a time. But for Cyra, it was like skipping levels, which seemed extremely abnormal. Everyone immediately linked the cause to the humanoid sphere of light that the Pope had turned into.


    Could it be that Cysper sacrificed himself just to let Cyra rank up? I stared at Mike in astonishment, but the utterly clueless him was just blankly staring at the empty ground in front of him, not knowing what to do.


    That was where Cysper had been moments ago, but now there was nothing left.


    "So the Pope really...died?"


    Adrian quietly asked for confirmation beside me, sounding somewhat unconvinced.


    "Do you know what happened?"


    "Um...no..."


    I didn''t know how to explain it. Even though I had watched the whole process clearly, I was still completely in the dark. Could one person''s light elements really allow another angel to rank up? If that was possible, the angel race would have become unstoppable long ago.


    Come to think of it, there was always something special about the relationship between Cysper and Cyra. Considering Reed''s judgment of Cysper, I vaguely felt that the humanoid sphere of light did seem similar to some kind of magic...


    "Hahaha, I thought it was some secret technique, but it''s just ranking up to six wings? I''ve seen that kind of stuff many times before!"


    Back to where everyone was focused, after narrowly dodging the "attack" of the humanoid sphere of light, Arick immediately laughed out loud when he saw Cyra''s transformation. He then waved his black flame sword and charged at Cyra again.


    "Cysper, you...why..."


    Caressing the two new pairs of wings on her back, Cyra looked somewhat dazed towards the direction of the Holy Capital, showing no joy that one would expect from a promotion. It was at this moment that Arick came charging right in front of her. She angrily roared and pointed her finger at him.


    "It''s all your fault, you bastard!"


    White light instantly radiated again, but this time it originated from Cyra''s fingertip.


    First, a small wisp of light appeared. Then one could see all the light elements in the surrounding air converging towards her finger.


    A brilliant beam, like a laser, flashed past. The nearby Arick was instantly vaporized, leaving only a wisp of black smoke drifting in the air before being blown away by the high winds, vanishing without a trace.


    "No way!"


    Arick was instantly defeated? Everyone was shocked again. Even an eight-winged angel might not possess such power! Let alone Cyra, who had just become a six-winged angel.


    However, just because others didn''t understand didn''t mean I didn''t know what happened. It was clear that Cyra had just used Source Magic!


    This magic was actually researched by Cysper when he was in her body before. Although I had taught it to Cyra later, she could never successfully cast it, perhaps due to insufficient comprehension or rank.


    To be honest, I had almost forgotten about this skill. But at this critical moment, Cyra suddenly unleashed it. Could it be that ranking up unlocked new abilities? Or did this involve some contribution from Cysper?


    In any case, the effect of Source Magic was undoubtedly extremely amazing. Witnessing Arick''s instantaneous demise, Mirium naturally had no mind to attack anyone else. She roared and took to the air, flying towards Cyra''s location!


    "She wants to avenge Arick!"


    I inwardly exclaimed, hastily spreading my wings to give chase. But unexpectedly, Fernando blocked me in front.


    "You being spared as the Queen is already giving you a lot of face. If you keep interfering, don''t blame me for being impolite!"


    This Fernando may just look human, but the aura he exuded was completely no weaker than Mirium''s, even stronger! I only felt an overwhelming pressure like a mountain bearing down on me. For a moment, I couldn''t help but hesitate whether to try fighting him head-on.


    "You don''t need to worry too much. Since Cyra can defeat Arick now, handling Mirium for a short while shouldn''t be a big problem, right?"


    Adrian thought for a moment and could only try to reassure me. After all, Arick was his ally too, and the person had just died, so it wasn''t appropriate to say much more. However, I didn''t agree with what he said.


    Indeed, the power of Source Magic was extremely domineering. Demons'' bodies contained a large amount of dark elements, so being instantly vaporized was only natural. Even if it was the dragon Mirium, taking a hit would most likely be difficult to bear. She might not die on the spot, but light contamination would likely be unavoidable.


    However, this magic also had many flaws. Precisely because it consumed environmental light elements, after one use, the light elements in the surrounding air would temporarily become extremely depleted. If trying to cast it again, the effect would be quite underwhelming, which was also why I had never really used it much.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 166 - The Battle at the Top 6

    "Haven''t you learned your lesson yet? Even if you''re a dragon, I can still beat you down!"


    With Arick''s precedent, Cyra naturally grew more confident and showed no fear of the newcomer. Seeing Mirium instantly charge right in front of her, she simultaneously raised her finger and pointed it at the opponent again.


    However, this time the effect of Source Magic was really underwhelming. A beam of light about as thin as a chopstick flashed from her fingertip, accurately hitting the target but only causing a slight pause in Mirium''s movements in mid-air.


    After a dazed moment, seeming to realize this move didn''t really harm her much, Mirium didn''t hesitate to charge again. Seeing this, Cyra hurriedly tried to dodge aside, but how could her close combat skills possibly compare to the opponent''s?


    After a few exchanges, Mirium easily grabbed Cyra''s wrist with just her left hand. After some struggle, Cyra''s two arms were pinned behind her back in no more than ten seconds.


    Just like that, Cyra was easily subdued! The speed was a stark contrast to her previous overwhelming instant defeat of Arick, her resistance process even seeming inferior to an ordinary six-winged angel.


    However, this result didn''t surprise me much. The surrounding environment was almost completely depleted of light elements by Source Magic. As a race extremely dependent on light elements, without a sufficient supply against such a formidable foe like Mirium, Cyra would quickly be at a disadvantage. Not to mention she had just recently ranked up to six wings and hadn''t fully mastered her new powers yet.


    "Mirium!"


    At the very moment Cyra was completely subdued, Fernando beside Adrian suddenly shouted a reminder.


    Seemingly realizing something, Mirium shuddered and grabbed Cyra''s chin, coldly taunting her.


    "Heh heh, this little face is quite pretty. Didn''t expect the angel race to produce such an exceptional jumper in rank!"


    "Speak! What is your relationship with the Pope, and where is he? I don''t believe that thousand-year-old bastard actually died!"


    "If you have the guts, let her go and fight me one-on-one! Bullying a newly ranked up angel, what skill is that!"


    Seeing her face being squeezed to near deformation by those claws, I was afraid Mirium might directly twist Cyra''s head off in a rage, so I shouted across loudly.


    "Humph, if not for Adrian protecting you, with your level of skill, even two or three more wouldn''t be my match!"


    But she responded very disdainfully to my provocation, still with an arrogant demeanor.


    "I also don''t know what happened to Arick. That he was defeated by this kind of thing, could it be we were all affected by the illusions angels are skilled at?"


    "Where is my eighteen meter long Water Abyss Sword?!"


    This really angered me...It hadn''t been that long ago, had she already forgotten who exactly had wasted her right hand? However, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn''t see the Water Abyss Sword that had previously fallen on the ground anywhere.


    Strange, this personally crafted exclusive weapon of mine, whether it had disappeared or not was very clear to me. I could sense the Water Abyss Sword nearby, but I just couldn''t see where exactly it was.


    Unfortunately, with my current abilities I couldn''t create a second one like Nicola could, which was really vexing! I had finally revealed my blue-winged form, yet lost my weapon...


    Without the Water Abyss Sword, of course I would be no match for Mirium. Just as I was thinking of trying to summon the weapon from a distance, Adrian suddenly spoke up to stop me.


    "Feliciana, don''t cause more trouble! Mirium is actually quite reasonable. As long as Cyra stops resisting, I can guarantee her personal safety going forward! After all, such a suddenly rank-jumping angel is really rare to see..."


    "What do you mean cause trouble!"


    I almost had an aneurysm hearing that. Such words might have had some weight before, but now that Cyra had killed Arick, the demonic side definitely wouldn''t let it go. Even if Cyra didn''t die, she''d have to lose some skin at least. I absolutely couldn''t just watch.


    And Adrian too, everything was fine except he insisted on cooperating with demons! This was what I found most unacceptable. Yet now he was actually helping the demons talk, which was even more maddening.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Get out of my way! Cyra is my friend, I must go rescue her!"


    I angrily pushed him aside, extremely displeased.


    "If you say anymore, don''t blame me for being impolite!"


    But Adrian didn''t say anything else, nor did he continue to come after me. Instead, Fernando suddenly blocked my way again, solemnly warning me.


    "As the vice-chairman of the Dark Council, I Fernando can guarantee that rank-jumping angel is very worth studying. We''ve said We won''t harm her life for now, and we will keep our word! Since the King of Parristol has made it clear to you, if you don''t listen and go further, don''t blame me for really taking action!"


    Studying?


    No way! Although Mirium didn''t seem to intend to immediately kill, seeing her restraining Cyra and flying further away, it looked like she was heading towards another building in the distance. What if something bad happened after Cyra was taken by the demons? I couldn''t help growing more anxious.


    "Get lost!"


    Throwing a water bullet at Fernando recklessly, I simultaneously turned to try and force my way past him.


    "So you''re really an angel who can use water magic? This is the first time I''ve seen it in my long life. But those few pairs of blue wings are quite special..."


    Facing the incoming water bullet, Fernando didn''t even bother dodging, actually revealing a faint, barely noticeable smile. The magic hit an extremely faint-colored shield about ten centimeters from his body, then completely dissipated.


    This seemed to be some little-known body protection technique, yet it also appeared quite different from conventional protective magic. After careful observation, I finally noticed a few tiny insects hovering around his body, forming layers of barriers with unknown properties. My water bullet had been blocked by these barriers.


    But rescuing people was the priority, I had no time to worry about these now. Seeing that the magic had successfully drawn his attention, I leapt out several meters, intending to take off. But suddenly Fernando raised his left hand towards me while standing in place.


    "Come forth, Binding Seeds!"


    A plant seed inexplicably appeared in the palm of his hand, then immediately began germinating at visible speed, growing...


    In less than a second, it had rapidly grown stems and leaves, lunging straight at me.


    "What is this?"


    I was stunned for a moment before randomly drawing a longsword to slash at it. But the instant the blade touched the stem, a side branch unexpectedly grew from the bottom part! So even if one part was cut off, it was futile.


    Those tender stems and leaves may have looked delicate, but they moved around like animal tentacles. Once they touched my body surface, they wildly grew further, endlessly branching into vines. No matter how hard I slashed, I couldn''t cut them all!


    Soon, I was completely bound from head to toe and fell helplessly to the ground, immobilized.


    "You''d better conserve your strength. This is a special plant that can only propagate and evolve in certain areas of the Dark Continent. No matter how strong you are, you absolutely cannot break free!"


    Fernando seemed very satisfied with his handiwork, even asking Adrian behind me:


    "How''s that? You just saw it yourself, I didn''t lay a single harmful hand on your Queen. No more objections now, right?"


    "......""


    To be honest, I really hoped Adrian would help me like before. But after looking at me fallen on the ground, he hesitated for a long while before finally sighing and resignedly saying:


    "Well, let her suffer a little lesson then!"


    "What kind of thing is that to say..."


    I was enraged, truly enraged! Tears started uncontrollably flowing down as my heart ached terribly. Was this betrayal?


    I never expected Adrian to treat me this way. I had trusted him so much before! But then a vine snaked over and sealed my mouth shut, rendering any further shouting futile. I could only make feeble "wuu wuu" noises.


    "Go!"


    Just as I was lying there nearly despairing, Mike''s furious roar suddenly came from the other side of the throne room. Brennan, with his striking red hair, shot out of Chromos Tower like a cannon ball.


    It turned out that while I was tangled up with Fernando, they were also secretly making a big move over there. Utilizing Mike''s brute strength, Brennan became a human cannonball, launching into the air with the distant flying Mirium as the obvious target.


    Could they also be trying to rescue Cyra?


    I suddenly felt a bit excited, but also worried and puzzled.


    Hadn''t Brennan been taken down by Mirium before? How did he recover so quickly? And he didn''t seem injured at all - who had healed him?


    Eleanora was still lying unconscious due to her poor constitution, so it couldn''t have been her. I looked around but couldn''t find anyone else.


    Strange, it seemed like someone was missing...


    Speaking of which, where was Alfreed? Could he be hiding somewhere behind me out of sight?


    Brennan alone definitely wouldn''t be enough to stop Mirium. After forcefully throwing out the redhead, Mike immediately stomped the floor and leapt up, following right behind Brennan out as well.


    With his astounding strength, it wouldn''t be difficult for the two of them to catch up to Mirium in a short time. But what would happen next was hard to say.


    After all, the opponent was a dragon race who could fly! But these two didn''t have wings, so once airborne they''d have nowhere to brace themselves. If they couldn''t achieve total victory, then inevitably they''d end up falling straight to the ground.


    Of course, with their abilities they probably wouldn''t die from the fall. But then this so-called rescue attempt would be completely meaningless! I didn''t think Mirium''s level would allow her to be caught off guard so easily.


    "What are they doing?"


    Fernando''s thoughts were probably similar to mine. He glanced at their meaningless actions with some surprise, but didn''t give chase, only casually asking beside him.


    "Who knows? You''re well aware humans just like to resist against the odds, never giving up..."


    Adrian just shrugged nonchalantly. Then he quickly walked over, scooped me up and carried me back to the throne, opening the monitor as he said:


    "So Feliciana, why bother with all this? If you just listened to me, there wouldn''t be any trouble, right? Trust me!"


    Since Mirium was too far away to see clearly now, observing through the monitor was the most direct way.


    Hearing his words, I couldn''t help my heart skipping a beat. Not just because he had mentioned the word "trust" again...


    In that split second when he picked me up earlier, I seemed to have inadvertently noticed two arrow shafts left beside the crater Mike''s launch had made.


    If one of them was the arrow Adrian had previously shot at Mirium, there should only be one, right? Not only was the location wrong, but squinting carefully, I could vaguely make out the fading word "heal" on one of the arrow shafts. As for what was on the other one, I couldn''t tell at all.


    Could it be...?

 Vol 4/ Chapter 167 - The Battle at the Top 7

    "Come, let''s continue enjoying this final battle!"


    Adrian smiled as he said this to Fernando, guiding me to sit with them on the throne. He even waved at the other man.


    Although I was full of questions, being unable to speak freely, I could only watch Mike and Brennan''s final pursuit of Mirium through the monitor with them.


    Due to the distance, Brennan had just caught up. As he was about to reach Mirium, he unleashed his signature move in time.


    "Phoenix!"


    The little phoenix appeared with a flap of wings, borrowing the momentum to swiftly charge at Mirium. However, this was nothing special - after such a long chase, even a dullard would eventually notice.


    With her back to the incoming phoenix, Mirium only had one free hand holding Cyra, so she couldn''t casually turn around to intercept. She had to shift her body to defend with her dragon wings instead.


    But just as her wings forcefully swatted the little phoenix aside, Brennan''s main body followed right after, clearly targeting Mirium''s arm restraining Cyra.


    "Come forth, Fire Claws!"


    This was another beast Brennan had tamed before. Like fire-infused red claw marks, they instantly appeared, leaving a few not-too-deep gashes on her arm.


    "Get out of my way!"


    Mirium just frowned slightly before kicking him away with a flying kick. The redhead was completely out of the battlefield now, rapidly falling downwards.


    But the battle didn''t end there. At this moment, Mike suddenly followed up, charging in. His fists clasped together, he roared loudly and smashed them into Mirium''s injured arm. Caught off guard, she was struck squarely, while Cyra struggled violently in her arms.


    Finally, with combined efforts, Cyra broke free from Mirium''s powerful grip, but couldn''t avoid another kick, screaming as she fell in a straight line to the ground.


    As for Mike, his situation was more miserable. After landing that hit, he took a blast of furious dragon fire in the face. Fortunately it didn''t last long, and his task was complete before he too began falling.


    I never expected this assault to achieve such an unexpected result - Cyra was actually rescued! If I could speak, I would probably cheer out loud.


    However, Mirium remained unharmed, hovering in mid-air. After all, her injuries weren''t that severe - just a few claw marks on her arm, merely skin deep. But this was already Mike and the others'' all-out effort.


    Although she had momentarily lost her prey, she could just recapture it. Seeing the grounded Cyra unable to get up and run after that kick, Mirium prepared to descend. But then I suddenly heard Fernando''s urgent reminder from beside me!


    "Watch out!"


    Huh? I didn''t understand what he meant at first. Weren''t all the attacks over? I didn''t see him this anxious when Mike''s strike earlier!


    But a flash of light on the monitor instantly caught my attention. It seemed like a figure was canceling an invisibility state above Mirium''s head, gradually revealing itself as it descended from the sky...


    It was Alfreed! I didn''t know how he got there. Reviewing what just happened, the only explanation was that Mike had secretly brought him along!


    He was now rapidly falling, drawing extremely close to the target! In his hand, he gripped a completely azure blue longsword - my previously lost Water Abyss Sword!


    When did the Water Abyss Sword end up in his hands? I held my breath. As Mirium had no time to evade the impending strike, just as the Water Abyss Sword was about to pierce through her, Fernando, who had been standing beside Adrian and I, suddenly vanished...


    The next second, he directly appeared in the monitor, grabbing Alfreed''s sword-wielding right hand at the critical moment before he could strike Mirium. The whole process was lightning fast and decisive, simply unbelievable!


    To be able to turn the tables like that?! I was completely dumbfounded. Fernando was too terrifying - able to instantly teleport that far to resolve a crisis? He must be cheating!


    "Waaaaaahhhh¡ª¡ª"


    His strength was immense, showing no restraint at all. Alfreed''s right hand instantly exploded with blood, the palm probably crushed. He was then kicked down from mid-air.


    "......"


    I felt I could barely watch anymore! So much for the last-ditch attempt, the chance to turn it around was completely ruined again. What opportunity was left?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I glanced at Adrian beside me, but puzzlingly, he didn''t seem relieved by this scene despite his ally being saved. Instead, his expression became unusually grave in that instant.


    Shouldn''t he be happy now?


    As I wondered about this, I heard Mirium suddenly berating Fernando inexplicably on the monitor.


    "Have you gone stupid? Leaving your post and running over here! What about Adrian''s side? Don''t forget your spatial shift has usage limits!"


    "Of course I know, but you were just..."


    Seeming distracted by the Water Abyss Sword''s form in his hand, Fernando, who had been intently examining it a second ago, suddenly changed expression upon hearing her words. He immediately looked upwards.


    But it was too late...


    A dazzling light ball descended from the sky, striking their location at a speed almost impossible for the naked eye to track.


    "Kaboom¡ª¡ª"


    A massive explosion erupted. This was the power of Divine Punishment!


    The might of Divine Punishment was undoubtedly beyond imagination. Even the massive Ilandra Dominion Empire airship, just being in the vicinity, was nearly blown to the ground - not to mention the effect of a direct hit.


    "Why did you..."


    I stared at Adrian in astonishment. Only he could use Divine Punishment - it was obvious who had launched this attack.


    "Not enough, one is far from enough!"


    Instead of answering me, Adrian murmured while fixedly watching the monitor. The crown on his head was flickering with abnormal, colorful glows.


    "Not enough, not enough, not enough, not enough..."


    Before the first explosion had even fully dissipated, the second Divine Punishment immediately followed, raining down. The monitor was simply showered with bright light points emerging one after another.


    Immense, violent explosions continuously thundered without pause. Even seated on the throne, I could clearly feel the considerable shockwave force. An ordinary person would probably have been blown away.


    I don''t know how long it lasted, but everything gradually came to a stop only after a huge red 0 warning symbol flashed on the bottom of the monitor screen.


    "......"


    The "Binding Seeds" restraining me had already vanished shortly after the blasts began. I stood up from the throne, shifting my gaze from the monitor to the distant hazy scene, almost not daring to believe it as I asked Adrian:


    "Don''t tell me all this was part of your plan?"


    The smoke from the explosions had yet to fully disperse, so the outcome of this Divine Punishment barrage was still unclear. But at this level of successive bombardment, even reaching the seventh rank might not enable survival, right?


    Although the distance was quite far, some debris had already drifted over our heads. Simply stretching out a hand revealed light metallic fragments falling into my palm like dust.


    No wonder Nicola had suspected Divine Punishment might be missiles - all the evidence did seem that way. But where exactly was Divine Punishment being launched from? If it was very far away, it shouldn''t have responded so quickly.


    "Not exactly. I just secretly gave Alfreed the ''Heal'' and ''Conceal'' arrows along with your Water Abyss Sword, letting them find an opportunity to rescue Cyra first, with a strategic retreat as the worst case. I didn''t expect Fernando to lose his cool like that - isn''t this just playing into my hands? I was just fortunate enough to get this chance, and achieved two objectives with one move!"


    Adrian shook his head before slowly telling me the answer. Those hidden maneuvers avoiding others'' notice were only possible thanks to his Battle Qi ability and the situational diversion of Fernando''s attention.


    So he had been pretending to cooperate with the demons all along, with both sides actually harboring ulterior motives and using each other.


    Why are the monsters and the Ilandra Dominion Empire so kind as to come and help Parristol? Undoubtedly, their ultimate goal is Lantine Oasis, this city! As the king, Adrian naturally cannot fail to see through this, but he also needs to use these two forces to break free from the entanglement of the Astralrealm Kingdom, so he can only temporarily compromise on the surface.


    Recalling the situation I''ve seen recently, Mirium and Fernando have been almost inseparable, staying by his side, even taking turns standing guard when facing enemies. In fact, this is not just for the purpose of protecting the king, but more importantly, it is to monitor and prevent Adrian from secretly launching a Divine Punishment attack from behind.


    After all, they are not fools either. Although the monsters do not fully trust Adrian, they still have to rely on his ability to control the city in order to achieve their goal. That''s why I can see them making all kinds of incomprehensible concessions on many controversial disagreements.


    With the crown on his head, the king can issue Divine Punishment attack orders anytime, anywhere within the city, which is simply unpreventable! The most convenient and effective way is naturally to stay with the king all the time.


    As long as there is a high-level monster guarding by his side, even if Adrian takes the opportunity to sneak attack other monsters from afar, they can discover it early and stop it in time, or even kill him.


    Having just awakened his Battle Qi not long ago, with Adrian''s own strength, he is simply no match for any of them. The only thing that could actually threaten these two is Divine Punishment. From the very beginning, Adrian had no hope of eliminating them both at once, but the opponents simultaneously committed serious mistakes at the critical moment.


    "I''m sorry......"


    I lowered my head in embarrassment and apologized to them in a low voice. Even though Adonis had foreshadowed that Adrian was on our side, I still didn''t believe him. I really shouldn''t have!


    I felt like my head was about to bury into my chest. At the same time, I had some more doubts.


    "But now that you and the monsters have completely fallen out, how can you get rid of the kingdom?"


    "Don''t worry! As long as this city remains, I''m confident I can succeed in restoring the nation......"


    Adrian rubbed his head, stood up, and looked at me with a slight weary smile, or perhaps the spiritual consumption of driving the Divine Punishment was much greater than imagined.


    However, when I raised my head again, I saw a point of white light flashing out from the billowing smoke in the sky behind him, a huge dragon head charging straight at us with its mouth wide open.


    "Quick, get out of the way!"

 Vol 4/ Chapter 168: Battle at the Tower Top 8

    This is the "Light Dragon"! If I''m not mistaken, although its name contains the word "light", its true form actually leans more towards the fire element - a special kind of magical beast.


    The "Light Dragon" emits brilliant white light simply because its body is constantly generating intense heat. Each linear charge is accompanied by extremely high temperatures and thermal energy, giving it another value - becoming one of the powerful attack moves for a beast tamer.


    Although it''s actually not that easy to tame...


    Typically, based on the beast tamer''s level, different "Light Dragons" possess varying degrees of heat and attack power. The "Light Dragons" I''ve seen before were all summoned by Brennan, but this one attacking Adrian is clearly far more extraordinary.


    First, it''s much faster!


    The white light flashed by like lightning. Seeing that Adrian had no time to react, I had no choice but to recklessly rush forward and push him down. However, I was still a step too late.


    I suddenly felt a slight heat on the right side of my back wings, followed immediately by an excruciating, bone-piercing pain that was really hard to bear.


    "Feliciana!" Adrian saw me and shouted with wide eyes. But I felt the strength drain from my body instantly, and I lay motionless on the ground for a long time unable to move.


    Suddenly, I realized my wings were likely injured!


    I turned my head slightly to take a look...man! Two of the three feathers on my right wing were completely severed at the roots, with the cut ends entirely charred, though there wasn''t much bleeding. The remaining feather only had half left, with feathers scattered everywhere.


    This is bad, I''ve completely lost my ability to fly! Meaning I''ve suffered an injury about as serious as Mia''s back then. Perhaps a bit better since I can use water magic to slowly heal, but in this situation, it''s hard to say if I''ll make it in time.


    Even worse, I don''t know why, but that heavy blow actually knocked me out of my blue-winged state back to my original form! All my wings have reverted to white again. Although the light element can slow the worsening of the injury to some extent, the effect of using water healing magic is greatly diminished.


    Just relying on those low-level healing spells I can cast in my normal state, when will these couple of wings ever recover?


    To make matters worse, the culprit has now slowly emerged from the smoke - of course, it''s not Brennan, but Fernando!


    It seems the saying "no smoke without fire" rings true. This guy actually survived the consecutive brutal assaults of the Divine Punishment! Although his current condition isn''t great either.


    "You bastard! I knew you were unreliable from the start. But I let my guard down just that one time, and you seized the opportunity. Too bad about Mirium..."


    This remark was clearly directed at Adrian. It seems the dragon was truly killed, while Fernando is still alive but heavily injured and bloody! The arrogant look on his face is now completely gone, and he''s panting heavily.


    Even having barely survived the Divine Punishment, his condition can only be described as disastrously horrible. Luckily, that "Light Dragon" attack hit its mark, but it also consumed a lot of his strength - he likely can''t launch another assault anytime soon.


    "Who is he exactly? Why is he using so many beast taming techniques!"


    The intense pain has numbed over time, I don''t know if it''s the effect of the healing magic. I finally mustered all my strength to slowly stand up, but I couldn''t help feeling regretful.


    The enemy is already this debilitated, yet I got injured at the critical moment. If only I had reacted sooner, what does it matter if this guy lives? We would still have the upper hand!


    "He is Fernando, but in human history he also had another rather special identity..."


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.Adrian supported me, seeing that I didn''t seem seriously injured for now, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and answered gravely,


    "He was actually one of the founders of the Sage Council, and the earliest pioneer of beast taming techniques!"


    "What? How is that possible?"


    I was really shocked to hear this!


    It''s understandable that as the earliest pioneer of beast taming, he can command so many weird monsters. And I can vaguely accept that he is human. But being one of the founders of the Sage Council is the unbelievable part - aren''t they from hundreds of years ago? He''s even more ancient than Judith, so why does he look so young?


    Okay, he doesn''t really look that young. From his appearance, he seems to be in his mid-forties or fifties at most, in his prime middle-aged years. But still, that doesn''t match up with being hundreds of years old.


    Unless he also entered the trial space for that long before just coming out. Otherwise, for a human without constructing a body from light elements like the Pope, it''s generally impossible to reach this extent.


    "I''m not very clear on it either. I only know that he probably used some special technique to successfully extend his lifespan. In fact, I also found out that the members of the Dark Council usually have rather special identities. Pure dark beings like the demon Arick are actually the minority."


    Adrian shook his head and continued explaining. Seeing Fernando slowly flying closer while suspended in mid-air, I felt a sudden realization yet lingering doubts.


    "Never mind the others, but his background as a Sage Council founder, does that mean the Council was also secretly dealing with monsters behind the scenes?"


    This is harder to accept, because from Adonis'' previous attitude, it didn''t seem to be the case. But the Sage Council was indeed unnaturally unwilling to intervene in this Parristol conflict from the start, which is rather suspicious.


    "It has nothing to do with the Council! I went my separate way from them over 300 years ago. Because they ignored my objections and chose to establish friendly relations with the angel race!"


    Perhaps overhearing my question, Fernando was very frank in clarifying this point first. It seems this guy really dislikes the angel race! He then went on to explain.


    "But later on, I met Lady Michelle! Although she has the form of an angel, she is clearly different from those useless angels. As one of the Wills of this world, Lady Michelle naturally deserves my full devotion. As for you..."


    At this point, he looked at me and his expression suddenly turned strange.


    "Earlier I thought you might possibly be another legendary great one, but after your performance, I''m so disappointed...The water element encompasses all attributes! As a researcher in water magic theory, I naturally know this. But you couldn''t even withstand my ''Light Dragon'', so you absolutely cannot be her!"


    Alright! Hearing this, I finally get it a bit. He probably saw my blue-winged state and thought I might be the Water Angel, but then decided I wasn''t as powerful as he imagined, so he outright dismissed that possibility.


    "So I''m really sorry for being weak!"


    I couldn''t help but sarcastically retort. But even so, I will eventually catch up to this Michelle! I''m much more confident now than before.


    "But why aren''t you fleeing in your current state? Do you really think you can still defeat Feliciana and me like this?"


    Adrian didn''t waver despite Fernando''s words. Aiming his bow and arrow at him, but seeing my condition, he finally couldn''t help but sigh.


    "Alright, even if it''s just me alone, you may not necessarily have the advantage!"


    No matter what, Adrian is a human who has awakened his Battle Qi. Although Fernando is formidable, in such a severely injured state, his power is likely diminished by at least half, so the outcome is still uncertain.


    "Hahah...Indeed, with just my current abilities, dealing with both of you would be quite difficult. But don''t forget, I''m not an idiot either. I prepared a backup plan in advance to prevent this very situation!"


    Fernando is indeed crafty. We saw him summon another small creature, a round glowing orange-red one that flickered on and off, practically screaming "DANGER" loud and clear.


    "Isn''t that just an ''Exploding Bug''?"


    Adrian was puzzled seeing this.


    "You think a monster of this level can intimidate us?"


    "Of course not on its own. But the Exploding Bugs I can utilize are different - this is a Twin Exploding Bug that lives near the doomsday volcano in the Dark Continent! Not only is its explosive power far greater than a regular Exploding Bug, but more importantly, from birth to death it always exists as a pair. If one explodes, the other will simultaneously explode as well!"


    Revealing a rare cruel smile, Fernando raised the Exploding Bug high and deliberately asked, "So do you know where the other one is right now?"


    "Don''t tell me...your purpose for sneaking over to the Central Lab earlier was for this?"


    Adrian''s expression changed instantly upon hearing this, as if realizing some terrible possibility.


    "For what?"


    Meanwhile, I stood by clueless, completely unaware of the riddle they were trading.


    "Of course, it was to set up this backup plan on the central power core!" Fernando answered first.


    "It wasn''t the specific reason I went over there, but did you think we wouldn''t have a contingency plan when you pretended to cooperate with us? Indeed, only you can control this city of Lantine Oasis. For the short term, we have no choice but to rely on your abilities. But just to be safe, taking some precautionary measures was absolutely necessary!"


    It turns out, to prevent a fallout like the current situation, when Fernando went to the Central Lab, he had purposely released an Exploding Bug near the city''s main power core room - essentially a remote-controlled bomb!


    All he needs to do is detonate the Twin Exploding Bug in his hand, and the one secretly planted in the new power core room will explode together. The consequences would be simply unimaginable!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 169 - Battle at the Tower Top 9

    "What do you really want? If this is just to make me obey you, that''s absolutely impossible!"


    Staring intently at the explosive bug in Fernando''s hand, Adrian had no choice but to clarify his stance first.


    This Sky City was probably the last remaining legacy of the Loren Family, so its importance was self-evident. If it was really damaged because of this, as the king, he certainly wouldn''t want to see that.


    But the other side''s attitude was so resolute, it was really quite frustrating. After all, Fernando and his people''s ultimate goal was to obtain this city. Now that things had reached this desperate situation, he couldn''t provoke them too much. He could only try to negotiate by lowering his tone first.


    "My condition is simple, just hand over that crown on your head!"


    Unexpectedly, Fernando didn''t actually push Adrian''s bottom line, but instead made another bizarre demand.


    "Huh?"


    Adrian was stunned when he heard this, but he didn''t immediately hand over the crown. Instead, he asked cautiously:


    "Why? You should know very well that currently only I can control this city! Even if I really give you the crown, it would be just an ordinary decoration in your monster''s hands, right?"


    Indeed, he wasn''t wrong! In the end, this crown was at most just a wearable device to assist control. The real lead role should be the king''s throne. Similarly, it''s like a smart wristband paired with a smartphone on Earth. Fernando''s demand was like threatening to blow up your phone, but the condition was only to get the wristband - it''s nonsensical. Moreover, even if he really wanted the throne itself, it''s not like he could take it away...


    "Never mind why, just throw it over!"


    Very impatiently, Fernando waved his hand and stretched out his palm, urging repeatedly.


    "You absolutely cannot hand it over!"


    At this moment, Eleanora''s voice suddenly cut in. It turned out she had woken up! This was a godsend. Although I couldn''t use advanced water healing spells now, Eleanora could. As long as I found an opportunity for her to heal me, it would be fine.


    "You absolutely cannot give him the crown! Although the Loren clan''s traceable royal heirs only have you left on the surface, in their thousands of years of history, there were always a few close princes who left Parristol and hid their identities for various reasons. If the monsters uncover them, that would be trouble! Not to mention, like that third princess who went missing a few hundred years ago..."


    Not knowing how much of our conversation she had heard, Eleanora spoke urgently to stop Adrian as soon as she opened her mouth.


    "Shut up!"


    Cutting off her words directly, Fernando roared and threw out a light dragon, blasting Eleanora away without a second word.


    "Ugh..."


    Watching the professional healer''s body arc gracefully over the throne hall''s railing and plummet towards the bottom of the tower, I reached out wanting to call out but didn''t have the strength.


    Sis, you just woke up, no need to pull aggro like that? At least heal me first before provoking, no rush right...


    Luckily my own slow healing hadn''t dropped, and the wound on my wing was showing a bit of improvement. The broken half of the wing had slowly started regrowing. As for the other two, I had completely given up on them. In this situation, if I could have one pair of wings to barely provide flight, I should be burning incense in gratitude. Where would I have the mind for anything else!


    "Did you hear that? Hand over the crown! Otherwise, I''ll detonate the Exploding Bug and no one gets this city!"


    Having dealt with the troublemaker, although it might not necessarily kill her, at least no one was objecting anymore. Fernando turned his head back to Adrian and threatened him again.


    "No way! If Lantine Oasis ultimately ends up in your hands, what''s the difference between that and you blowing it up now? It might even be better!"


    The other side''s attitude seemed a bit urgent now, as if seeing through his bottom line. Adrian shook his head and firmly refused this demand. After all, he wasn''t an idiot. Although Eleanora didn''t say much just now, she basically said the key points clearly, so he definitely couldn''t agree anymore.


    Besides, even if this crown was just an accessory, there were still many unknown hidden functions within it. Who knows what new tricks the monsters might come up with after taking it away, not to mention the risk of it being cracked.


    On the other hand, if Fernando really detonated it, he would have no more trump cards left. Adrian probably guessed he wouldn''t easily "tear up the ticket", so at this point it was about who could hold their nerve better. Whoever backed down first would lose.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "We have to find a chance to take him out in one shot!"


    I reminded him softly. The biggest threat to us now was that Exploding Bug. But the problem was we couldn''t just seize it like the remote detonator, because beast tamer could remotely control their beasts. So the ultimate solution could only come down to Fernando himself.


    Adrian naturally saw this point too. He nodded slightly, but couldn''t find an opportunity, so the arrow with the explosive rune attached could only be temporarily hidden behind his back for now.


    We just needed to find a suitable opportunity. From my long observation of Brennan, beast tamers generally couldn''t control multiple beasts at the same time. If we could force him to use another beast unexpectedly... maybe that could work!


    Thinking of this, I gave Adrian a signal and clenched my fist, then suddenly attacked by swinging my arm towards Fernando - Paradise Lost Shockwave!


    I was betting that he wouldn''t have the guts to actually detonate the Exploding Bug!


    In an instant, a huge white beam of light descended. I originally thought Fernando would probably summon a defensive beast to respond, but unfortunately he seemed to have foreseen it, simply shifting his body to easily dodge this move, while also counterattacking me.


    "Hmph! Petty tricks..."


    Before he could finish speaking, a huge semi-transparent object descended from the sky, directly pressing me underneath!


    What the heck is this thing? So weird!


    Was this a beast that he summoned? I was trapped inside it! Although its whole body was a mass of liquid, it didn''t disperse after landing, with the center seeming to have some kind of attractive force gathering it into a mass, like a huge water ball.


    Of course, the liquid inside wasn''t ordinary water either, but rather an indescribable jelly-like substance. Its viscosity was a bit thinner than water, but also stickier. It wasn''t easy for it to enter my mouth and nose.


    The most deadly part was the stench - it was way too foul! And currently I couldn''t breathe smoothly. Struggling desperately, I quickly felt the oxygen depleting. I barely "swam" out and stuck my head out to gasp some fresh air, but a moment later the undulating edge engulfed me again.


    What the heck is this thing? Although I didn''t understand it yet, this was undoubtedly the best opportunity! Because it was definitely summoned by Fernando.


    "Adrian!"


    For my "hint", Adrian gripped his arrow but didn''t immediately attack. He looked at me with a conflicted expression, then towards Fernando who hadn''t completely withdrawn his attack yet in the sky. Unexpectedly, he chose to give up, turning and shooting the arrow at the "water ball" trapping me instead.


    Dude, shoot him! Why save me? If Fernando died, wouldn''t I be saved too?


    Trapped in the "water ball", I could only anxiously watch as the arrow hit its target and then violently exploded. The explosive arrow''s effect was immediate - the "water ball" scattered. Just as I was relieved at being rescued, those scattered "jellies" moved as if they had lives of their own, quickly regathering around me again. Soon, I was encased just as tightly as before.


    "Ugh..."


    I got it, they were trying to smother me to death! The putrid, acidic stench assaulted my nostrils again. Although I managed to take a big breath this time, I didn''t know how long I could last.


    "This is the Slime King. That kind of attack has no effect. If you don''t want to see your queen smothered to death, then obediently hand over the crown!"


    Fernando spoke up to remind him. This was too insidious! Seeing the Exploding Bug''s threat wasn''t enough, he actually thought of using me as a hostage with this underhanded trick!


    To think a great angel like me would be so embarrassed, being handled like this by a mere slime! Of course, the main reason was due to my injuries. The impact of missing wings was really huge! Not only was the pain severe enough that I couldn''t move easily, but also lacking enough supply of light elements, my strength was greatly reduced.


    If it was my normal state, I would have just used brute force to directly burst open this mid-level magical beast. Even if it could recover, it would just be recovering once, bursting once. At the very least, I could have just flown away, how would I be in such a wretched state now!


    But come to think of it, the size of this Slime King was a bit exaggerated too. An ordinary slime is actually only about two feet big. Although they''re also hard to completely eliminate, they don''t pose this kind of smothering threat.


    It''s said that the Slime King''s status in the slime tribe is like that of a queen ant or bee - you basically can''t easily see it under normal circumstances. Of course, it also wouldn''t easily move its nest.


    Precisely because it was too big, no matter what Adrian did, the effect in the short term was undoubtedly like a drop in the ocean. And the reason this Slime King moved so frequently to target me was probably because Fernando was deliberately controlling it behind the scenes.


    The only way to completely eliminate a slime is to use intense fire to slowly evaporate its water content. But in the current situation, even if I succeeded in killing it, as long as the beastmaster wasn''t dead, the beasts of beastmaster magic could theoretically revive infinitely. Actually, I wouldn''t have to wait that long - having been trapped in the slime for too long, I could already feel my consciousness gradually fading.


    "Alright, I''ll give it to you!"


    Finally out of options, seeing me still trapped inside, Adrian hesitated for a moment with a conflicted expression before taking off the crown on his head.


    "Toss it over!"


    As soon as Fernando saw it, he ordered. Just as Adrian threw the crown, I immediately felt that the Slime King stopped following my movements.  What was I waiting for? I immediately struggled with all my might to swim out.


    It seemed I was rescued, but did the crown really have to be given to the enemy? Not only would we lose a tool to control the city at any time in the future, there was also the risk of the enemy finding an opportunity to seize the city.


    However, reality is always changing rapidly. An ordinary-looking magic light ball suddenly came horizontally from below, striking the crown in mid-air with a "bang" and knocking it off course.


    "Who is it?"


    This time Fernando was completely dumbfounded. The duck he almost had in hand had flown away! Seeing the crown changing direction to fall towards the ground, he didn''t dare immediately go after it, instead turning his head to look behind him first.

 Vol 4/ Chapter 170 - Battle at the Tower Top 10

    "I won''t let you succeed easily!"


    I never expected it was actually Cyra! I saw her stumbling as she flew up from the ground, gritting her teeth and raging at Fernando. It seemed Cysper''s disappearance had hit her hard. The one who normally avoided combat at all costs didn''t hide this time, but took the initiative to attack.


    Learning from last time, Cyra didn''t choose to use Source Magic again. She released a large amount of light element magic balls all at once, with the dense barrage of light spheres flying towards the target together.


    But the opponent was Fernando! Unfortunately, this kind of attack was still too weak. Even though her strength had advanced after the jump, that was still low-level magic. Even if he was previously heavily injured, it wasn''t something of this level that could easily harm him.


    "Now!"


    When I stuck my head out of the Slime King''s body, Adrian had already nocked nine arrows onto his bowstring and reminded me.


    Since there was no beast tamer deliberately controlling it, the Slime King naturally had no reason to keep "hunting" me, and would just remain motionless. Understanding Adrian''s meaning, I quickly followed behind him and released my last remaining Paradise Lost Shockwave towards Fernando''s position.


    "Ahh--"


    It was first Cyra''s scream. Her combat experience was too lacking - she barely defended at all before being instantly taken out by Fernando, spiraling back down again. I didn''t know her condition.


    But she had successfully drawn the enemy''s attention, creating an extremely favorable opportunity to seize.


    Just as Fernando unleashed his "Light Dragon" move, the nine explosive-runed arrows had already flown there along with the group of light element magic balls, bombarding him together. He probably never expected a synchronized ambush from behind so quickly and couldn''t dodge in time. The arrows and magic immediately triggered a series of violent explosions in the sky.


    Finally was the coup de grace beam - the sturdy white light pierced almost the entire sky from top to bottom, lasting several seconds before disappearing. No matter how formidable Fernando was, he surely must have died under such a concentrated assault, right?


    But thinking back, I always felt there was something off about that Paradise Lost Shockwave, as if it didn''t actually hit the target solidly. But I didn''t see the enemy dodging anywhere within my line of sight.


    As the explosion''s smoke gradually dissipated, the final scene made us extremely shocked.


    There was nothing! The spot where Fernando was originally had become completely empty, as if he had instantly vaporized. But even if he was blown to pieces, there should have been some signs of him falling to the ground, right? Moreover, we didn''t think our previous attack could have such an incredible effect.


    "We let him get away!"


    Adrian quickly realized this. But as he put away his bow and arrow, a sudden violent shaking came from under our feet, making it hard to even stand steadily.


    "Could it be..."


    An extremely bad idea suddenly arose in my mind. The barrage of explosions just now was too dense. It was impossible to tell if Fernando had seized the chance to detonate the Exploding Bug during it. Theoretically, he shouldn''t be able to control two beasts at once, but he was the founder of Beast Tamer magic after all!


    While I was still agonizing over it, Adrian reacted quickly. He swiftly ran to the throne and opened the city''s various monitoring screens, anxiously operating them.


    "What are you doing?"


    I couldn''t help asking doubtfully. If it really was that worst-case scenario, could controlling things from the throne avert the crisis?


    "I''ve already opened all the evacuation exits and lifeboats to evacuate the city''s civilians quickly!"


    Without even looking back at me, Adrian said as he clicked on the holograms.


    "What about us?"


    I continued asking, but he didn''t immediately answer. His fingers paused in midair for a while before finally making a decision.


    "I need to go to the central power room to actually check the situation first!"


    "No way?!"


    Going to such a dangerous place at a time like this? Of course I wouldn''t feel at ease! But I knew it was probably impossible to make him change his mind immediately, so I could only make this rushed choice. "...Then I''ll go with you!"


    Looking deeply at me, Adrian didn''t say anything more. He stepped forward, grabbed my hand, and swiftly headed for the stairwell.


    Just under the throne hall''s floor was an inconspicuous small room - that was where Cyra and Mike had come from earlier. According to the clues, it should be a transport chamber. As the king, Adrian was naturally very familiar with this facility''s function. As soon as he closed the door, he deftly flipped open a panel next to it.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    A circular panoramic map of Lantine Oasis instantly popped up. On the map, Adrian lightly tapped the underground area directly below Chromos Tower. Then he pulled me through as the door reopened.


    When we went out, the scenery was completely different. Now it was an elongated underground passage, with the walls flickering an eerie dim glow. We flew rapidly down the passage for a few minutes before a huge gate finally appeared - the central power room''s entrance.


    "I''m opening it!"


    I didn''t know if he was talking to me or psyching himself up. Adrian stared at the gate hesitantly for a moment before finally grabbing the handle and pulling it open with force. But the situation inside truly gave us a fright.


    Huge flames instantly shot out in that moment, startling me to quickly tackle him down. Fortunately it was just ordinary fire, so even if we were burned it wouldn''t be too serious. But the blaring alarms that suddenly rang out around us made it impossible to stay calm.


    "Alert! Critical power core failure, city collapse imminent! All personnel evacuate immediately!"


    "Damn it! It''s all over!"


    This was the first time I had seen Adrian cry so sorrowfully. Seeing him kneeling on the ground, wailing in anguish, I opened my mouth but didn''t know what to say to console him. I suddenly felt so stupid, unable to even comfort someone properly...


    But now wasn''t the time for sorrow! The only thing I could do was pull him up from the ground, then hurry back the way we came to the surface. This city would probably collapse soon. If we didn''t evacuate quickly, we would be done for.


    But luck just loved playing tricks - when we finally made it back to that small transport room, no matter what we did, we couldn''t bring up the previous citywide map display. The entire transport chamber lost power, with no lights at all.


    "Looks like we can''t use it anymore. Let''s take the stairs instead!"


    Taking a deep breath, Adrian''s mood finally seemed to recover a bit. Without another word, he pulled me out of the transport chamber to find the emergency stairs.


    The evacuation stairwell to the surface was easy to find, but the climb up was unusually long. After all, the central power room was dozens of meters underground. If our physical abilities weren''t far beyond normal, we probably would have collapsed from exhaustion halfway up.


    "We''re almost there!"


    Victory was in sight. Looking up at the point of blue sky peeking through, there was no doubt it was outside! But when we finally emerged, the scene was completely unexpected.


    The towering skyscrapers were all gone! Only a few leaning, collapsed structures remained. The city''s foundations seemed to have crumbled significantly in the time we were underground. Looking around, the view was much more open, with the distant horizon clearly visible. But in this situation, it was impossible to feel refreshed no matter what.


    Just a few hundred meters in front of us was a collapsed area, showing passing white clouds through the gap. I suddenly remembered the white aircraft docked at the top of Chromos Tower - perhaps we could use that?


    But reality slapped me hard again. Looking up, I realized that at some point, even the entire Chromos Tower itself had vanished without a trace...


    "Alright, it''s really over!"


    I couldn''t help being dumbfounded. What could we do now? The nearest designated evacuation point was still some distance away, but in the city''s current state, Adrian and I didn''t dare move positions recklessly. To put it bluntly, the ground we were standing on probably wouldn''t hold much longer either, and could collapse at any time. Unfortunately, we didn''t see any ships coming to rescue us.


    As lively as the Empire and Republic had been fighting in the sky before, seeing the Sky City about to collapse, they definitely wouldn''t dare continue circling nearby out of fear of getting caught up in it. So the two of us were now in an isolated, unsupported situation.


    "Feliciana, you should escape alone first. Don''t worry about me anymore!"


    Looking around, Adrian could only make up his mind to tell me:


    "I see your wings seem to have recovered somewhat, they should be usable, right?"


    What he said was true. After persevering with slow healing over this period of time, that half-wing had almost completely regrown. But the problem was the newly regrown wing was very fragile, the feathers not yet fully formed. It would be extremely difficult for me to fly alone, let alone carrying another person.


    "This...it doesn''t have to be that way, does it?"


    I didn''t expect him to give up so quickly. I felt there might still be a way to salvage the situation? Of course I couldn''t easily agree.


    I wanted to try convincing him to think of more solutions, but Adrian didn''t pay me any heed. As if leaving his final words, he went on by himself:


    "Actually, the reason I separated from you that day was partly due to the Parristol Resistance''s strong invitation, but the main reason was to save this city. Before that, my consistent stance was that since there was no guarantee of success, there was no need for meaningless sacrifice, so I rarely interacted with the Resistance. It was only later when my father''s old subordinate came that I learned the Resistance he left behind was desperately resorting to colluding with monsters! Plus getting precise information from the monsters about regaining the Divine Punishment power and even recreating the legendary Sky City Lantine Oasis of my family, I decided to join them to try rescuing Parristol from the monsters! Of course, more importantly, through this I could obtain the king''s status I wanted..."


    "Don''t be like this..."


    Seeing his demeanor, I couldn''t help feeling worried. After all, if not for me, Adrian might actually have succeeded in restoring the kingdom. But Adrian just rambled on endlessly, his expression still filled with deep, regretful self-blame, not stopping there.


    "In this world, usually only close royals have the status to marry high-ranking angels, but I failed completely! Not only did I not achieve my father''s ultimate dream, I couldn''t even tightly hold onto you. I''m such a waste..."


    "Then stop the nonsense!"


    Hearing this, I shouted to cut off Adrian''s words, then plucked up my courage and pounced, sealing his mouth with my lips.


    "Mmph..."


    Probably never expecting me to suddenly do this, Adrian''s eyes went wide staring at me. In that instant our eyes met, and at the same time, I felt the ground disappear from under our feet...


    Finally, the spot we had been standing on collapsed too. We embraced each other tightly as we fell together towards the real ground below.

 Vol 4/Chapter 171 - Surviving the Catastrophe

    Of course, Adrian and I didn''t actually die from falling rapidly through the air, because we encountered a savior not long into the descent.


    "So you two finally reached this step!"


    Cyra looked at my incomplete wings, then at Adrian she was carrying in her other hand, and couldn''t help exclaiming loudly.


    "Uh..."


    I felt a bit awkward, not knowing how to respond. What a coincidence, why did this person have to catch us red-handed? Just now she had directly faced Fernando''s Light Dragon head-on, but didn''t seem too seriously injured.


    It wasn''t strange though. The Light Dragon''s main attack was just high temperature, which angels were basically immune to. As long as the wings weren''t damaged, they could usually heal with recovery spells. The only real threat left was probably just physical impact force.


    On a normal day, if Cyra encountered our situation, she would probably have teased me with all sorts of insinuating tones. But strangely, this time she didn''t say anything more.


    I couldn''t help sneaking another glance. In the sunset''s radiance, I seemed to vaguely see a hint of melancholy sadness appear on her beautiful face as she gazed ahead.


    "Everyone fasten your seatbelts, I''m going to accelerate!"


    Just as I was pondering whether I should say something to console her, mixed in with the deafening roar around us, Cyra suddenly blurted this out.


    "Damn it, can''t you take care of your passengers?!"


    In an instant, I felt weightlessness and acceleration like a rollercoaster, catching me completely off guard and almost scaring me half to death. This girl really didn''t care about life and death! Although she had advanced to six wings, don''t forget this was a special situation carrying two extra people!


    "No choice! We have to quickly leave the city''s collapse zone, otherwise if we accidentally get hit on the head, we''re all completely done for!"


    Annoyingly, not only did Cyra not slow down, she defiantly refuted me while continuing to accelerate.


    Close by, Adrian just shrugged when he saw this. Although his hair was quite messy facing the gale, he meaningfully pointed to his lips and smiled, gesturing to me.


    "......"


    Alright! Seeing this scene, I suddenly felt embarrassed again. My face instantly flushed hot, so I could only pretend not to see and turn my head away.


    At a time like this, he''s still flirting? I suddenly felt a bit regretful - this guy really didn''t know how to read the situation! Cyra had even created an opportunity for him to hold my hand. Since I had kissed him first earlier, I couldn''t bring myself to forcefully break free now.


    So I''ll let it go this time and consider it compensation for him!


    Of course, no matter what, I was still very grateful to Cyra. If we hadn''t run into her, Adrian and I would probably have become meat patties long ago! During the previous falling process, I had actually been trying to save myself too. But my newly healed wings couldn''t support both our weights yet, only slowing our descent. Whether we could land safely still depended on Cyra''s actual flying.


    "Waaaaaahhhhhh-----"


    Luckily, luck was still on our side. After a series of precarious zig-zag flying, Cyra finally managed to successfully deliver us back to the ground. Even if the last few dozen meters we basically plummeted straight down from a 90 degree angle in the air, at least we survived in the end, right?


    "I''ll absolutely never ride your crappy vehicle again!"


    I rubbed my aching shoulders as I stood up, unable to hold back my complaint. Setting foot on solid ground, I looked up at the Sky City still collapsing from above. At this moment, everyone''s heart probably felt some relief at surviving the catastrophe!


    Our current location was still in that same vast, boundless desert from before. Although according to Adrian, the city had resumed horizontal movement even before the white aircraft crashed into Chromos Tower, it didn''t seem to have gone far from the original spot now. Except for the immediate area which was too dangerous, in the distance on the horizon and ground, there were still many shadows of airships and gryphon knights visible.


    Of course, what could be seen on the ground were basically just shadows of wreckage.


    It''s worth mentioning that due to the gradual depletion of power, the Sky City didn''t fall all at once, only reaching the final stage around now. With the accumulation of rubble, an extremely tall and steep mountain of ruins had risen up from the ground, nearly a thousand meters high! Some of the debris rolling down from the peak had even surpassed our current standing distance.


    It''s foreseeable that in the future, this place will probably become a treasure-hunting site for many countries and individuals...


    "So what''s the situation with the others? Did Alfreed and them escape safely too?"


    After confirming our safety, Adrian thought of this question first. I inwardly cursed - in the tense situation earlier, I had completely forgotten about these companions. The last we saw, the entire city surface was gone. If they fell with it, there was absolutely no chance of surviving!


    "You can actually rest assured about that. Just when the city started showing signs of collapse, I already saw many church ships docking to evacuate people. You have to know, at that time there were still many combatants clashing at Chromos Tower. If nothing went wrong, they should have been safely taken away, right?"


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.Cyra thought for a moment and consoled him. She could have left with the rescue teams too, but in order to confirm my safety, and since she could fly herself, she stayed until the very end.


    "...But even if everyone survived, where did they go now to regroup?"


    However, a new problem arose. Looking around the sky, without the huge city obstructing the view, we could see the surviving allied forces weren''t actually that numerous.


    Since the "protection" target was gone, the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s aerial forces naturally had no reason to keep fighting and had already retreated without a trace. Only less than half of Crestvale Republic''s airships remained, and the church''s airships were nowhere to be seen. They couldn''t have been completely wiped out, right? How were we supposed to find them?


    I suddenly realized that the aftermath of this incident was quite a tricky matter too! Not just these surviving military personnel, but also those ordinary civilians who evacuated on lifeboats during the collapse - where could they go now?


    Just as we were preparing to have Cyra take flight again to scout the situation, a tiny shadow suddenly descended onto her head from the sky.


    "What the heck is this thing? Get off!"


    Taking a closer look, it was actually a rarely seen blue bird! No matter what exotic bird it was, of course Cyra wouldn''t have a good reaction to an animal perching on her head. After failing to shoo it away multiple times and about to swing at it, something bizarre happened.


    "This is the first time I''ve seen such a stupid angel...and a six-winged one at that? You''re a elite among the wastrels!"


    That blue bird actually spoke! Well, in this world where even lizards can get drunk, a talking bird was practically normal! But after hurling that venomous insult, it did inform us of an important piece of information.


    "On the other side of the Ruins Mountain, there''s a temporary camp of the Kingdom and Church. You all can go regroup with them first, but absolutely do not leave beforehand!"


    After saying this, it quickly flew away, leaving behind Cyra spitting out feathers in bafflement.


    It didn''t seem like her fighting skills had made much progress, even after that two-rank leap...


    "Was that bird sent by monsters? Could it be another trap?"


    Unable to figure it out, I could only ask Adrian. After all, based on experience, animals speaking usually only happened with dark creatures.


    "Not necessarily. It''s said there are many mages on the continent who train blue birds to speak or deliver messages. Some countries even use spirit magic for real-time reconnaissance. So it''s hard to say clearly who was behind it..."


    Adrian thought for a moment before shaking his head. "But I remember the Astralrealm Kingdom didn''t seem to keep blue birds in their military because of the Gryphon Knights, right?"


    "How would I know?"


    I couldn''t help rolling my eyes. It seemed the best option now was to find that temporary camp.


    Fortunately, our subsequent experience proved this indeed wasn''t a trap. After crossing over the Ruins Mountain, the target did appear before our eyes as promised.


    "I won''t go over there yet. You two check out the situation first!"


    Adrian suddenly called out to stop me and Cyra, reminding us as we were about to land.


    "Yeah, given your current identity, that kind of place is indeed a bit sensitive!"


    Cyra nodded, then set him down at a hidden spot not far from the camp. Afterwards, the two of us angels continued flying towards the target.


    "We''ve been waiting for you! It''s great that everyone is safe and sound!"


    Unexpectedly, as soon as we landed, we received an enthusiastic welcome. First Alfreed, then Mike, Brennan and Eleanora appeared one by one, even the Legion Commander Douglas came out. They were all safe and sound, truly a miracle!


    Next, we naturally couldn''t avoid recounting our experiences and clarifying Adrian''s stance, but those aren''t worth mentioning. Only Mike''s experience was a bit special.


    Because he didn''t catch the airship in time, he actually fell straight down from a height of nearly 10,000 meters! Although seriously injured, he miraculously survived and could even manage to crawl around looking for his companions. That''s quite formidable! Of course, he was quickly treated after being rescued. Perhaps it was normal for others, but for us interdimensional travelers Cyra and I, it still felt a bit too absurd.


    The only thing we could do was marvel at the power of Battle Qi and healing magic...


    However, when we encountered members of the Church, there was some unexpected commotion.


    "Welcoming the return of Her Majesty the Saint Angel!"


    Facing rows of God''s Devotees kneeling in neat lines before us, Cyra and I were dumbstruck and could only turn to Eleanora and the others behind us for help.


    "What''s going on here?"


    "Allow me to explain! Mike has just told everyone about what happened at the Chronos Tower."


    At this point, the red-robed Archbishop Eminem stepped out from the crowd, his expression was inscrutable without much sadness despite knowing Cysper''s situation, even carrying a hint of a smile.


    "The Pope followed the Lord''s instructions, guiding the Saint Angel back. He himself accomplished his mission and returned to the Lord''s side. For our Church, it is nothing less than a miracle reborn, a joyous occasion!"


    "Er..."


    I was speechless at this interpretation. After all, I had witnessed it myself - Cysper''s attitude at the time was indeed rather sanctimonious, constantly muttering something like "Divine Revelation". From a secular perspective, his actions were more akin to suicide than sacrifice.


    And Cyra accepted the Pope''s light element advancement to a six-winged angel, with her name and number of wings matching that of the Saint Angel, so this misunderstanding was understandable. It''s just that she herself seemed to disagree.


    "Aren''t you saddened at all? He was your Pope who had led you for thousands of years after all! You may never see him again!"


    "How could that be? The Pope is the Holy Son of God, an eternal existence! Now with the guidance of the Great Saint Angel, one day we will await the true return of the Lord!"


    Another devotee, who didn''t wear red robes but seemed quite high-ranking, immediately responded.


    "You''re mistaken! I''ve said it before, I''m not this so-called Saint Angel at all!"


    Still unable to accept this title and unworthy of this great responsibility, Cyra wiped her eyes with her sleeve and turned to leave the camp gate.


    I had no choice but to leave those bewildered devotees behind and hurry after her. It was also time to report the situation to Adrian waiting outside. But there was still one issue to confirm.


    "So that blue bird we saw earlier wasn''t released by you guys?"


    "Blue bird?" Alfreed asked in confusion, turning to glance at the others behind him, entirely clueless.


    "It was us!"


    Just as the words left my mouth, another voice suddenly interjected. Following the sound, I saw a few people approaching from outside the camp.


    There were four of them in total, men and women. Most importantly, the one following at the very back was none other than Adrian!

 Vol 4/ Chapter 172: The Ambition of the Fate Breaker

    "Huh? Didn''t you say you wanted to stay outside the camp alone?"


    I asked in surprise. As for the other four, I recognized three of them - Adonis, Judith, and the astrologer we had met briefly in the Elara Woodlands after first traversing here. What was her name again?


    Although I forgot her name, her outfit was still the same, too distinctive to not leave a deep impression!


    "Actually, they appeared right after you two left, using teleportation magic to come straight to me. That blue bird was basically a scout sent by the Sage Council."


    Adrian explained sheepishly while scratching his head. Even so, this didn''t fully clear up everyone''s confusion.


    "But why did you come running back here? And why did they come to this place?"


    It really felt too baffling! Well, Judith was one thing, but I recalled Adonis was the Chairman of the Sage Council, right? He could be considered their top leader! Add the astrologer and another unknown mage with a blue bird, and they practically formed a whole regiment!


    The Sage Council had kept out of sight before, but now they suddenly sent their elites after everything was over. What were they trying to do? Trying to snatch the fruits of victory? But Lantine Oasis had already collapsed, so what was left to snatch?


    I couldn''t figure it out, but what I feared most eventually happened.


    "It''s Adrian, the King of Parristol! And the Sage Council that betrayed us by staying neutral!"


    The sudden appearance of these "top enemy" caught the attention of the surrounding kingdom soldiers who didn''t know the situation. The military camp was instantly in an uproar, with many soldiers taking up arms again in confrontation.


    "Adrian, I''ve learned about what happened inside Chronos Tower. I understand the role you played in this incident, your difficulties, and your stance. But even so, I can''t act like nothing happened! If you hadn''t shown up it would be fine, but since I''ve seen you, I have to take you into custody and send you back to the capital. As for how you''ll be dealt with then, that''s up to His Majesty the King!"


    Although Douglas had heard our clarification and didn''t totally disbelieve us, as the military commander he had to maintain his stance. To be fair, this was understandable. But to my ears, it sounded a bit excessive.


    The King of Astralrealm was a pig-headed fool! If he got to decide Adrian''s punishment, it definitely wouldn''t be anything good! If Douglas insisted on taking Adrian back to the capital, I''d have no choice but to intervene forcefully!


    The key was, Adrian clearly knew this, so why did he still come here? Could there be some other complication? This time I learned my lesson and didn''t voice any objections right away, prepared to observe first.


    "What if the Sage Council insists on protecting him?"


    Sure enough, things weren''t as simple as they seemed. Adonis immediately stepped forward upon hearing this.


    "You? On what grounds?"


    Douglas scoffed coldly, his attitude full of disdain. If the other side hadn''t brought it up, it would be fine. But once mentioned, he instantly flared up in anger, not caring about the other''s status as he loudly berated them.


    "If I recall, it was you Sage Council who chose to stay neutral and withdrew from the alliance initially! And now at this point you have the nerve to want to shelter a fugitive from my country? If it was somewhere else, maybe. But don''t forget this is still Astralrealm''s territory - I absolutely won''t allow you to take him away!"


    With a wave of his hand, a squad of soldiers immediately rushed forward to surround the group. He didn''t care whether these supposed strongest human fighters could truly defeat them - this little show of force was still necessary.


    "We don''t need to take him away, because this time our grounds aren''t based on the alliance itself, but on following the Continental Human Covenant!"


    Adonis calmly refuted. Then he nodded to the person beside him, and the astrologer stepped forward to declare:


    "According to Chapter 5, Article 1 of the Continental Human Covenant, once a human Fate Breaker is discovered, all nations must immediately provide sufficient protection and strive to enable them to fulfill their duties!"


    "Fate Breaker?"


    Those words caused a thousand ripples. Although most of the soldiers present still didn''t quite understand, as the commander, Douglas clearly knew the implications. He immediately stepped aside and gestured for them to enter with a wave.


    "Let''s discuss this in the tent!"


    ......


    Apparently, the entire crux revolved around the moment when Adrian gave up attacking Fernando to instead rescue me from being trapped by the Slime King - that split second where the predetermined future drastically changed!


    The Sage Council''s astrologer had made a divination before the incident occurred. Then combined with Adonis'' ability to control time, they clearly foresaw the situation that would unfold at that moment. Although the time span was not very long, it was completely different from what we actually experienced.


    In the prophecy, Adrian did not give up and resolutely fired that critical arrow at Fernando. Although the enemy still managed to escape and the explosive bugs were detonated, my situation was completely different.


    According to the astrologer, I was enveloped by the Slime King but reverted back to my blue-winged state. Relying solely on my own power, I supposedly repaired the entire city. So the end result they ultimately witnessed was Lantine Oasis, the sky city, still safely floating in the air.


    "What? I repaired the city? You can''t be serious, right?"


    Hearing all this in the tent, I felt it was really far-fetched. Releasing some healing spells in my blue-winged state was definitely possible, but the city wasn''t a living being - no amount of healing magic would work on it!


    Moreover, in the prophecy, I was similarly suffering from wing damage and serious injuries. It was precisely because I couldn''t control the water element to transform again in that state that I had no choice but to slowly heal with low-level magic. Otherwise, all those embarrassing events afterwards wouldn''t have happened.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "The water element isn''t just for healing - that''s merely its most superficial use!"


    Adonis smiled and told me, then turned his gaze to Cyra beside me.


    "The report said you seem to be a Fate Breaker too? Unfortunately not a human one. But your relationship with the Pope is worth studying..."


    In the following conversation, we learned that Fate Breakers were extremely rare, so rare that they were hard to find even among millions of humans and other races. What''s more, not only were they few in number, but confirming them was also very difficult.


    This undoubtedly gave Fate Breakers immense strategic value - because without them, the existence of prophecy would be completely useless. In other words, if the future couldn''t be changed, what use was prophecy? Even if Fate Breakers only had about a 50% chance of altering predetermined futures, in the face of major crises, this still represented an immense hope for all humanity. Hence, they were naturally included in the Continental Human Covenant.


    The only trouble was that Fate Breakers could only be truly discovered by comparing prophecies to reality. This was like finding a needle in an ocean - it was not uncommon for prophecies to be inexplicably changed without knowing the reason or crux. So being able to accurately locate Adrian this time was like a one-in-a-million stroke of luck.


    The reason was simple - they foresaw everything from the Divine Punishment attack on Fernando up until the very end. The time span was not too long or too short, but happened to be almost identical to reality up until the turning point, and Cyra didn''t actually participate during that period. Hence, all evidence pointed to Adrian indeed being a Fate Breaker.


    Although they still couldn''t be 100% certain, the probability was extremely high by any measure, so they couldn''t let this chance slip by.


    "But I still don''t understand. The Sage Council wanted to stay out of it from the beginning, right? So why did you go through the trouble of coming here? With Cyra also being a Fate Breaker, isn''t she enough to change the predetermined future?"


    Adrian clearly still didn''t fully trust them. The Continental Human Covenant was just a piece of paper - whether they would actively abide by it was another matter. After all, Adrian''s status as the King of Parristol was sensitive, and showing up here would inevitably bring some responsibility.


    "Of course it''s because I urged my son! While Fate Breakers can''t definitely change the future, more is definitely better! All the prerequisites fell perfectly into place, so he couldn''t refuse!"


    Judith naturally came over to answer, putting her arm around Adrian''s shoulders as she couldn''t resist admonishing Adonis further.


    "If not for Adrian, I wouldn''t have been able to get out of the cave in Volcano Sulide. Of course your mother and I have to find a chance to repay him!"


    "Could you not always act like this? It''s been hundreds of years and your character still hasn''t changed. So many people are watching..."


    Adonis'' aged face showed some embarrassment, but he didn''t want to say much more. Helplessly, he could only lean in and quietly remind her.


    "Don''t make it seem like I suddenly have an old father at this age, that misunderstanding would be too much!"


    "Judith, can I hit him?"


    Although I would likely lose, this deathless hag was really too much to take. Assuming I didn''t exist, was he? I couldn''t help but raise my fist, gritting my teeth in anger!


    "I don''t want to fight you. Based on my observations, you likely have some connection to the legendary Water Angel. If you want to find out, you''re welcome to visit Crescent City. I''ll take my leave first!"


    The sly old fox was as cunning as ever. Adonis said those words and instantly turned around, vanishing from sight. By the way, this spatial movement ability looked very similar to Fernando''s tricks! Could there be some connection there?


    "I remember previously inviting your companion. But I don''t see her presence here. Why don''t you accept the Chairman''s invitation and consider it?"


    The Sage Council''s Chairman had left, but the astrologer and others remained. Through the introductions, I finally recalled her name was Meredith. However, my response this time would definitely be different. Faced with the invitation, I was more than happy to accept!


    "Of course I can. In fact, I also have some questions I want to consult you about!"


    This was the ultimate purpose of this journey after all. After going through so many twists and turns, we were finally back on track!


    We all agreed to deal with the matters here first before heading together to Crescent City. With this, the Parristol chapter was basically concluded, leaving only the kingdom''s military and church affairs remaining. After all, the various follow-up matters and handling of the Pope''s "death" were equally thorny issues. It was possible the Cresthaven Papal Dominion would soon face a turbulent era of changing leadership.


    ......Time skip to night.


    "So you were here!"


    I finally found Cyra in the makeshift prayer hall set up by the church. I hadn''t seen her since the meeting, she even skipped dinner. Seeing her devoutly kneeling before the crucifix statue, I made my usual teasing remark.


    "It''s been so many days since I last saw you pray. Have you finally remembered your Lord?"


    "Do you think everything that happened today was the Lord''s will?"


    Cyra didn''t turn around, suddenly asking me this out-of-nowhere question. This really stumped me.


    "Well..."


    It was really hard to answer! In truth, I still had many doubts about whether this world even had that God. But Cysper''s demeanor at the time didn''t seem like an act, so I could only skip past it and ask her a different question instead.


    "Then do you think the Pope is really dead?"


    This was also something I was quite concerned about. He had no reason to commit suicide at that time, right? If it was just to boost Cyra''s power to escape danger, that seemed a bit too self-sacrificing?


    "I don''t know either..."


    Cyra shook her head, it seemed even she, the person directly involved, didn''t understand the situation. But at least she told me some useful clues.


    "At the moment the ranking-up was completed, it was like the first time I clearly felt his soul. Unfortunately, it was rapidly departing from me, seeming to head in that northeastern direction..."


    "Isn''t that just the Holy Capital?"


    I froze for a moment, quickly pulling up the map to confirm. In that direction, there was only the Holy Capital Jethrobaines. But according to Elara, in this world, souls usually return to the cycle of reincarnation after physical death. So unless reincarnation was in that same direction, it could only mean Cysper was truly quite special.


    "345.1751, 175.4356...are those the geographic coordinates of the Holy Capital?"


    Cyra stared at the map, murmuring those numbers before suddenly looking up to ask me.


    "Maybe we should return to the Holy Capital to investigate?"


    "You''re thinking too much! Those are just guesses. Besides, that''s the True Church''s headquarters - even if we could investigate something, it wouldn''t be our place!"


    I couldn''t help but roll my eyes. We had agreed to go to Crescent City! If we went off on another tangent at this point, I really wouldn''t be able to take it!


    "Alright..."


    Finally she didn''t insist. Cyra was probably tired too, realizing this she said good night and headed straight back to sleep after leaving the prayer hall.


    But I still wasn''t sleepy for the time being. After all, too many things had happened today...


    Sitting on a large boulder outside, I gazed at the twinkling lights flashing on the distant blackened ruins, clearly people rummaging through the night, possibly soldiers from the kingdom''s forces. But more than that, the vast starry sky overhead drew my attention.


    This world had no galaxy, but the star density was much higher than on Earth. Gazing up at the myriad of stars, I sensed someone approach and sit beside me to also stargaze. I didn''t need to look to know it was Adrian.


    "Did you know? I once thought replacing my father to achieve the dream of restoring our nation might be the most unattainable ambition in my life. But now it seems I''ve come to terms with everything!"


    "You really don''t regret it?"


    I was a bit doubtful. All evidence proved he had a chance to save that city at the time, but in the end abandoned it all. If Nicola could help, perhaps there was still an opportunity for a redo. But that would be rather complicated, a bit difficult to pull off...


    "Of course I don''t regret it!"


    To my surprise, Adrian remained very resolute in his answer, further explaining:


    "Actually, that was just my initial thought. After the adventure in the Elara Woodlands, I realized the new desire in my heart might be even more difficult in comparison..."


    "Oh? What desire is that?"


    I turned curiously, only to see his face reflected in the starlight with an inscrutable smile.


    "Hasn''t it already been realized?"


    He finished speaking and tightly grasped my hand. In this moment without interruption from others, our lips met again, lingering before finally parting.


    ===================================================================


    End of Vol 4.

 Vol 5/Chapter 1: Another Name

    "I hear you''ve been bold lately!"


    Early in the morning, I woke up to see Cyra sitting by the chair, looking at me with a meaningful gaze.


    "What do you mean bold? You think you''re some big shot? Don''t go around copying how others talk!"


    I frowned and snapped back at her. I could guess what she meant - this girl must have heard about me and Adrian being together last night. But I didn''t want to admit anything.


    "Nothing..." Cyra said, but she jumped onto my bed, her face full of gossip as she asked:


    "Did you two do everything? Isn''t that too fast?"


    "Are you pregnant?"


    "Can you give birth smoothly in ten months?"


    "What will the baby look like? What name will you give it?"


    "Which country will you choose your son-in-law from?"


    "Do you want a grandson or granddaughter?"


    ...


    This was getting more and more ridiculous. I didn''t have the patience to argue, so I just kicked her out the door.


    "You''re getting worked up! That means there''s a story here!"


    Unfortunately, Cyra had already reached six wings, so she was much tougher now. My kick didn''t hurt her at all. In less than two seconds, she bounced back into the tent, shamelessly continuing to ask me questions.


    "Why do you care? Have you settled things with the church?"


    With no other choice, I reminded her irritably. We originally had separate tents, but because those church followers kept bothering her, Cyra had to hide in my tent. Who knew I''d end up sheltering such a nuisance!


    "Well... I''m just curious about children between humans and angels!" she finally admitted. But she still fired off a bunch of questions and guesses:


    "What do you think your kids would look like? Half-angels? What exactly is a half-angel anyway? What if there''s a grandchild generation one day?"


    It was just a kiss, but now she''s even bringing up grandchildren. I was amazed by her imagination! But come to think of it, no one had ever mentioned children between angels and humans before.


    Logically, offspring of angels and humans should be half-angels. But in this world, that didn''t seem to be the case. Not only had I never heard the term, but there was no such race classification in the Adventurers'' Guild either. Could it be that angels and humans simply can''t have children together?


    But I remember hearing other angels say that humans and angels getting together was indeed another way for the angel population to grow. From that angle, this method should have great potential! Yet the Angel Descent Formation was still the primary choice for angels. That was quite intriguing...


    I shook my head at this thought.


    Anyway, these weren''t things I needed to worry about! Even though I accepted Adrian, it didn''t mean we had to have kids. That must be so painful! I''ll leave that experience to Nicola alone. She''s already pregnant in the future anyway, though I still don''t know who her husband is. But I''m not interested in finding out anymore - I have enough of my own problems to deal with!


    "Saint Angel, are you awake? We''ve brought breakfast for you and the other angel!"


    Just as I finished getting dressed, I heard the respectful voice of church followers outside. Cyra immediately stood up and went to the door to refuse:


    "I''ve told you I''m not Saint Angel anymore. Why don''t any of you listen? Besides, angels don''t even need breakfast!"


    "We''re so sorry! It''s our duty. If you don''t need it, we''ll take it away right now!"


    Through the tent flap, I could see four girls dressed as priests, their heads bowed low after being scolded. The two in front were holding food trays and about to turn away, when Cyra suddenly called out to stop them.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Wait! Hmm... As everyone knows, my friend here calls herself the Big Appetite Angel. Even if she''s not that hungry, she can still eat dozens of pounds of beef. So leave these two breakfasts here. You can go now!"


    Come on, that''s too much!


    "..."


    Watching her wolf down the food, I really couldn''t be bothered to scold her anymore. I turned and left the tent.


    "I''m going to find Adrian!"


    There were still many unresolved issues on Adrian''s side. Although he was protected by the Sage Council and could avoid being sent back to the capital by Douglas thanks to his Fate Breaker status, and even the Astralrealm Kingdom wouldn''t dare to openly give him trouble in the future, we shouldn''t forget that many soldiers in this military camp had participated in yesterday''s battle and suffered heavy casualties. So no matter the reason, it was natural for everyone to look at this "enemy leader" with unfriendly faces.


    To appease people as much as possible, Douglas had no choice but to allow Adrian to stay temporarily for one night. That meant our group had to leave today. Of course, the next destination had already been decided - Crescent City!


    But before setting out, there were some small matters to attend to. As the former king, Adrian had to plead for some of the escapees who were captured last night.


    After the collapse of the sky city, many citizens of Parristol escaped using the Lantine Oasis''s built-in escape devices, thus avoiding disaster. Those escape devices were basically small spaceships, rectangular and streamlined, looking like coffins at first glance. Each could carry over twenty people. The interiors were filled with various "high-tech" equipment that ordinary people had no idea how to use.


    It''s said that soldiers observed dozens of these small ships flying out, carrying most of the escapees! Many passengers on the ships quickly figured out how to control their flight direction, so they escaped far away early on. Those left behind were the ones who couldn''t operate the ships. They either fell nearby or slowly dropped from the sky after running out of power. So all these surviving citizens became prisoners of the kingdom army, held outside the camp awaiting disposal.


    "They''re innocent. There''s no use in capturing them ..."


    When I arrived at the camp entrance, I saw Adrian pleading with Douglas, his head lowered.


    Since the king had joined the True Church, the Astralrealm Kingdom had long abolished slavery. So these prisoners weren''t of much use - keeping them locked up would just mean more mouths to feed. Moreover, they weren''t completely innocent either.


    "That''s not the issue..."


    Douglas shook his head and sighed as he answered.


    "Actually, His Majesty is more interested in those escape ships now. He''s already authorized me to deal with these prisoners as I see fit. In short, the kingdom can''t take them in anymore, so they can only be expelled from the country!"


    The local people who truly opposed Parristol''s restoration had already been driven away before the sky city rose. Those remaining were basically all against the Astralrealm Kingdom. Forcibly keeping them within the kingdom''s borders would only increase instability. Killing them all would seem too brutal and go against the king''s identity as a follower of Church. So this decision was reasonable and met everyone''s expectations.


    I didn''t expect the prisoner issue to be resolved so perfectly and quickly.


    "So as a Fate Breaker, does Adrian need to fulfill any obligations?"


    The two members of the Sage Council happened to be there too. Remembering what Adonis said yesterday, I couldn''t help but ask out of concern.


    "It''s simple. In theory, when we divine an inauspicious future related to human destiny, the Fate Breaker can be put to use," the astrologer Meredith nodded, then shifted her gaze to the subject of discussion, her tone suddenly changing.


    "But in practice, such divination results are very rare. So normally, Fate Breakers only need to stay in touch with us and be ready to take action at any time. That''s enough."


    It sounded quite relaxed, almost like free-range management! But Adrian suddenly thought of something and asked:


    "So how many Fate Breakers have you found so far?"


    "Only one besides you, and that was over ten years ago! But he''s quite old now and has had trouble moving around these past few years, so it''s hard to say if he can be of use in time,"


    The magician traveling with Meredith immediately answered. He was clearly a light mage named Bloor, with light magic far surpassing Ron''s level. But the sarcastic blue bird that was on his shoulder earlier was nowhere to be seen now, having flown off somewhere.


    "But isn''t Cyra also..."


    I couldn''t help but object. However, the other party had already considered this point and turned to remind me:


    "Your friend is not human and hasn''t been truly confirmed by us, so she''s completely unprotected and unrestricted by the covenant. Similarly, we have no right to make any demands of her. Therefore, finding enough human Fate Breakers is our current urgent problem."


    In the end, there were just too few Fate Breakers! When I first learned that Cyra might be some kind of Fate Breaker, I kept wondering if it had something to do with our status as transmigrators. But it seemed that besides her, Nicola and I probably weren''t, and I wasn''t sure about Reed. So I never paid much attention to this question.


    Now even Adrian has been confirmed as a Fate Breaker, but he didn''t transmigrate here! So what do Fate Breakers have in common? This ability to change the future felt somewhat familiar.


    "Has this ''Fate Breaker'' always been called that? Are there any other names for it?"


    It seemed Adrian finally thought of the same thing as me. After pondering for a while, he finally asked further.


    "Well..."


    Bloor looked back at Meredith upon hearing this, seemingly seeking her opinion. But Meredith also hesitated for a long time before telling us:


    "I think it was called... Observer? Apparently it''s a very ancient name, with very few historical records left. We''re not sure if it''s correct."


    Hearing this answer, Adrian and I were shocked. We couldn''t help but look at each other.


    We never expected a long-delayed mystery to be solved in this way.

 Vol5/ Chapter 2: Crescent City

    "Congrats! I really didn''t expect your relationship to move so fast!" Alfreed said with surprise when he saw me and Adrian together.


    Our friends, including Eleanora and Mike, came to say goodbye before we left. Even though we had to fight each other before, now everyone put down their weapons and made up.


    During the battle at the tower top, my blue wing transformation caught all the enemies'' attention. This allowed Adrian to secretly help them without attracting the attention of Fernando and Mirium. Without that help, the three of them wouldn''t have been able to rescue Cyra later.


    Actually, the city''s shield disappeared suddenly for everyone to attack because Adrian messed with it on purpose. So nobody wanted Douglas to really take him back to the capital.


    "Amazing! You really made us common folk proud. Keep it up in future!" Brennan slapped Adrian''s shoulder hard and gave a thumbs up. But what did he mean by "keep it up"? I frowned a bit hearing this.


    "Don''t forget Adrian is actually from the royal family too. Even though the Loren royal family has fallen on hard times now, it still makes sense for him to marry a high-ranking angel. Ah, why didn''t I think of this before..." Yulanda couldn''t help laughing and correcting Brennan''s mistakes. But hearing this made me feel a bit sad. If not for me, maybe the Loren royal family could have been restored.


    After everything that happened, this young couple still planned to return to the capital Norvale as originally planned. Alfreed and the others would stay behind for a while. The main reason was related to the huge pile of ruins in front of us. The king cared a lot about what was left after the sky city collapsed, so he sent many royal magicians and other people to come check it out. They would probably arrive soon.


    So we had to leave right away! The newcomers wouldn''t be as easy to deal with as Douglas. If they saw Adrian, there might be trouble again. So he would naturally come with me to Crescent City.


    "May you take care, Your Holiness Saint Angel. We look forward to your return to the holy city!" Eminem bowed deeply to Cyra, which made her unhappy as expected.


    "I told you I''m not Saint Angel. You''ve got it wrong!"


    The portal behind us had been open for a while already. The Sage Council opened it specially for us. After Cyra finished speaking, she went in without looking back. Adrian and I quickly followed her.


    At the end of the portal was a whole new world...


    The first thing we saw was an extremely grand and tall wizard tower!


    "This feels so familiar!" Adrian couldn''t help exclaiming when he saw the tower, even though it was his first time in Crescent City.


    It looked just like a copy of the Chromos Tower! Although it wasn''t as ridiculously tall as the real thing, it was already as impressive as the part of the tower that was above ground before the city took off.


    No wonder people said the Sage Council came from Parristol. There were many towers like this all over the city! You could see them everywhere, densely packed...


    I couldn''t help spreading my wings and flying up a bit to count them. They were scattered all over Crescent City without any pattern, with one about every kilometer or two.


    "A total of 48?!"


    It was too much, I almost got dizzy counting them. The others also got different but similar results at the same time. No matter how you looked at it, Crescent City was much bigger than any other city we''d been to before!


    "It''s 50 towers. There are probably two more that we can''t see because they''re too far away," Meredith said with a smile, correcting us. Next to her stood an old man with a white beard. He was the earth mage who had opened the portal for us earlier.


    Of course ordinary human mages can''t open portals directly. Using magic circles to boost their power is a common method in all countries. The place where we were standing was clearly a restricted area belonging to the wizard tower, not open to the public. There was a large empty space around us with no other people, and the ground was covered in magic circle patterns we couldn''t recognize.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Caw caw! Why did that useless angel come along too?"


    We could tell from the voice that it was obviously that foul-mouthed blue bird. It flew over from somewhere, flapped its wings a few times, and landed right on Bloor''s shoulder.


    Actually, the reason we were able to come here so easily was thanks to this rude blue bird. Last night it flew all the way from the royal army camp to Crescent City and gave the earth mage the exact spatial coordinates of the camp. That''s how they were able to successfully open the portal.


    But the person he was talking about wasn''t happy to hear it.


    "Feliciana, it''s been a long time since we had roasted squab, hasn''t it? We can''t find any pigeons now, so why don''t we use this blue bird instead? Mmm... I suddenly miss that sizzling, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside deliciousness!"


    Regardless of what the others thought, Bloor was genuinely scared when he heard this.


    "Haha... please don''t mind him, my bird just has a nasty mouth. I''ll make sure to teach him a lesson when we get back!"


    "That''s too much! Master, it''s just a useless..."


    The rude blue bird wanted to argue, but before it could finish, Bloor grabbed its beak and ran off in a flash.


    "It seems like there weren''t this many wizard towers when I was here before. Looks like the council has gained quite a few new members!" Judith sighed a little as she stared at the building in front of us. She used to be a student in this wizard tower before. But since she had already come back once with Adonis, after sighing a bit she turned to look at me and said:


    "You''re probably looking for the Soul Research Institute. This is the Earth Magic Research Institute. It would take a long time to walk there, I think it''s on the other side of the city?"


    "Huh? Is there a map?"


    I was dumbfounded. Crescent City was just too big. Angels can fly, sure, but leaving aside whether an angel is allowed to fly over the city, don''t forget there are so many wizard towers here. Even if we knew which direction to go, it wouldn''t be easy to spot which one was the Soul Research Institute from the air!


    That''s right, each wizard tower represents a different field of research! The Sage Council isn''t a university, but following their grand ideal of seeking the truth of the world, they''ve set up research labs in Crescent City to explore how the world works! Not just the six elemental magic institutes of earth, wind, water, fire, light and dark, but also soul, matter, time, space, elements, mechanics, life, divination, and many more.


    Since Meredith said there are 50 wizard towers in the city, that means there are 50 different fields! These 50 towers are scattered throughout the city''s buildings like stars, forming the "stars" of Crescent City. As for the "moon", that refers to the crescent-shaped Sage Council building in the center of the city!


    The head of each wizard tower is a high-level mage with great achievements in their research field. They can also be called deans, and are at least 6th rank or higher. Their other identity is as a councilor of the Sage Council. Besides managing the city area around their tower, they also have to regularly participate in council work and make administrative decisions for the whole alliance. The white-bearded old man who opened the teleportation array for us earlier was clearly the dean of this Earth Magic Research Institute.


    "No need to rush, this is your first time here. You can look around the city district outside first. The Soul Research Institute is quite far from here. If you''re not in a hurry, you can go tomorrow," Meredith suggested with a smile. Actually, not just the Soul Research Institute - given the friendly relationship between the angel race and the Sage Council, we could go to any research institute we wanted. But to figure out my situation, that one was the priority of course.


    "Let''s go tomorrow then. We do need to get some supplies in the city," Adrian nodded right away and then held my hand.


    We had used up most of our travel necessities on the journey here. Let''s not even mention other things - everyone''s clothes were either damaged or dirty. Cyra and I didn''t bring many changes of clothes, and after several big and small battles, we were still wearing the outfits from the sky city battle. Although we had managed to clean them last night with "laundry magic" plus the Water Abyss Sword, we couldn''t fix the holes from fighting. Several places were close to showing skin!


    So Adrian was right, it really was time for a big shopping trip. And we still had to wait for Nicola to meet up with us in the city, since we had agreed on that before!


    After leaving the tower area of the Earth Magic Research Institute, the three of us headed straight for the shopping street, while Judith went to find her son at the council building and split up with us and Meredith for now.


    The shopping street in Crescent City was extremely lively, stretching for several kilometers with all kinds of shops selling everything you could imagine!


    "You guys..."


    However, watching Cyra rush into a clothing store, grab several outfits she liked and buy multiple sets of each before declaring she was done shopping, Adrian couldn''t help twitching his mouth a little and asking me again:


    "Don''t you want to look around more first?"


    "Why bother looking at so many shops when this one is fine? Actually I think a lot of these clothes are pretty good. They seem sturdy!"


    Even though I''ve become a girl now, it doesn''t mean Cyra and I enjoy bouncing between different stores comparing things endlessly like some girls do, wasting time for no reason. Cyra has always cared most about value for money and efficiency in this area, though I''m not sure what she''s in such a rush for...

 Vol 5/Chapter 3: Unexpected Visitor

    "Why visit so many shops when this one is fine? Actually I think these clothes are pretty good. They''re sturdy!" Cyra said, tugging hard on the clothes she just bought. Seeing they didn''t tear, she nodded with satisfaction.


    Even though we''ve become girls now, it doesn''t mean Cyra and I enjoy bouncing between different shops comparing things endlessly, wasting time for no reason. She has always cared most about value for money and efficiency, though I''m not sure what she''s in such a rush for...


    "How does this look?" I held up a dress next to me, tried it on in the mirror, and decided to ask for an opinion.


    "It looks great! Actually you look good in anything!" Adrian''s eyes lit up and he quickly gave his approval. But I was worried the dress might be a bit short. What if I got into a fight - would it show too much?


    Looking at the pants outfit in my other hand... Forget it, only kids make choices. I''ll take all of these. It''s not like we''re short on money!


    "What about you?" After paying and leaving the store, we realized Adrian hadn''t bought anything! He just waited for us in the shop. Didn''t they sell men''s clothes too?


    "It''s okay, why don''t we look over there?" He pointed across the street to the bustling Adventurers Guild.


    Like other big cities, a prosperous place like Crescent City would definitely have an Adventurers Guild. As soon as we entered the hall, our eyes lit up. It was so luxurious - beautiful decorations, over 10 quest counters side by side! This place alone was several times bigger than the guild in the capital, at least as big as a football field. Standing at the entrance, even angel eyes couldn''t make out the writing on the quest board on the opposite wall.


    It was impressive, but I was thinking about checking my account status. My account was under investigation in the holy city guild because of Carl the coachman''s death, and I needed to complete the Vivianne rescue quest. But Adrian just said hello and walked straight to the guild''s own shops across from the counters.


    "How''s this? I just changed my whole outfit." When he came out again, he was no longer wearing his noble clothes from when he was king. Now he wore the adventurer outfit from when we first met.


    Cyra and I have mixed feelings about that adventurer outfit! It''s very sturdy and durable. As the guild''s signature equipment, the quality is excellent and the price is very reasonable. But it also brings back bad memories from Makalan city, where it gave us so much trouble we were traumatized! So none of us had worn it since then.


    "He''s about the same height and build as Nicola. Since he likes it so much, maybe we could give him that outfit as hand-me-downs?" Cyra suggested, staring at Adrian. She meant the adventurer outfit Nicola finally took off, which was still in a corner of my storage ring. Since these clothes are designed for practicality, not gender, both men and women can wear them.


    "We can''t do that!" I didn''t agree of course. After all, that outfit got a corner burned when Nicola was fighting the male phoenix. It''s damaged now. At most I keep it as a spare, I don''t even want to wear it myself usually, let alone give it to someone else.


    "Why don''t we get some other clothes? It seems cheap to only wear this one type," I suggested, even though Adrian does look very handsome and capable in the adventurer outfit.


    "It''s fine, I bought several sets like Cyra did. It''s enough to wear for a long time!" But he was stubborn about this. After trying to convince him several times with no luck, I had to give up.


    Next we continued sightseeing. Unlike other cities, Crescent City''s buildings seemed to follow the high tower style completely. Even many residential houses had pointed tower-shaped roofs that tourists might mistake for chimneys.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "What! Reed didn''t come back at all?" While having a quick lunch with Adrian, I got this worrying news during a spirit call with Edenmere.


    According to Elara, Reed only sent the "Eye of Galadra" through the portal she opened in the Crestvale Republic, but didn''t come through herself. There had been no contact since then.


    "It''s only the second day. Even for regular check-ins it wouldn''t be this fast. Relax! That girl is actually very clever, and Mia flew over to protect her too!" Cyra waved her hand, seeming not to care at all. But this earned her a scolding from Elara.


    "Reed isn''t like you. Her research and inventions are very useful for Edenmere. Can you guarantee her absolute safety? Don''t forget you still need Feliciana''s protection, with no improvement at all! I heard the True Church''s pope even sacrificed himself on the battlefield to save you. This is a big deal! If the church people use this against us, where will we angels show our faces?"


    "But I''ve already advanced to six wings now! And Feliciana and the others only just..." Cyra couldn''t help defending herself in a wronged voice, but...


    "You dare mention that! Don''t you know where those six wings really came from? And can you use high-level magic? How''s your sword training? Can you defeat opponents at the same level?"


    Faced with this grilling from the other end of the spirit network, Cyra shrank back and didn''t dare say anything more. To be fair, she''s not completely unskilled. She knows some low and mid-level magic at least, not to mention that Source magic she "learned" in a pinch. That''s a hugely powerful killer move!


    But Source magic is officially a gift Elara gave me as a reward. She didn''t dare tell Elara she learned it from me, so she could only accept the scolding meekly like an ostrich.


    "So it''s still safer to learn more high-level magic to protect yourself. If there''s anything you don''t understand, I can teach you too." The call finally ended. Seeing her hanging her head unable to look up, I fell into my usual nagging state and reminded her as always. But Cyra still didn''t listen, ignoring it as usual.


    Actually, I haven''t reported my relationship with Adrian to Elara either. It''s another headache.


    I''ll have to find a chance to bring it up later. Relationships between angels and humans are very rare, especially among the conservative old fogies in the angel council. If they found out they''d definitely oppose it strongly. Elara is more of a moderate, so I really can''t predict her reaction.


    Today was a rare leisure day. The afternoon of sightseeing passed in the blink of an eye. Even with Cyra as a third wheel, we still had a lot of fun. In the evening we turned down Adonis''s offer of accommodation and settled into the Adventurers Guild''s inn instead.


    This was where we had agreed to meet Nicola. The inn''s facilities were quite good. The downside was the mix of guests - noisy people with varying manners in the lobby, and very expensive rates.


    Since it''s the guild''s inn, they know adventurers will pay for the convenient location to get good quests early. Most people wouldn''t choose a place like this.


    "If Nicola doesn''t come tomorrow, we won''t wait for her. We''ll go to the Soul Research Institute first and come back later!" We got three rooms since we''re not short on money now. Before bed, when Adrian brought this up, I thought about it and had to make a decision.


    Crescent City''s night lights aren''t very bright, probably to make it easier to see the stars. Plus it''s on a flat mountaintop. Opening the window in my room, I was surprised to find the stars looked brighter here than in other cities.


    Suddenly I regretted separating from Adrian so early. It would be so nice if we could watch the stars together!


    "Should I go find him?" As I was thinking this, I suddenly heard a cold snort from somewhere.


    "Hmph, you''re really enjoying yourself down here! Not only can you go sightseeing and play all day, you even get to stay in such a nice room at night. Unlike me, always running around just to stay alive, almost dying several times! Elder Elara is so biased!"


    "Who''s there?!" I was startled and called out in surprise. But calming down, I quickly noticed a very obvious ball of light element hovering above my head. I immediately locked onto its position.


    My room was on the second floor of the guild building, which only had two floors. Above that was just the roof. I spread my wings and flew up, and right away saw a girl sitting there, brazenly waiting for me to find her.


    I didn''t need to ask - just from the light element aura I could easily guess she was actually an angel too, just not showing her wings right now.


    This is Crescent City, the Sage Council''s main city. There are many more humans who can use magic here than other places, so it''s hard to be sure there''s no light magic users nearby. Me casually spreading my wings was a bit risky, even at night it could attract attention.


    But seeing the girl''s face in the lamplight really startled me again! I instantly abandoned the idea of hiding my wings, drew my sword, and put it to her neck without a word.

 Vol 5/Chapter 4: Undercover Spy

    "Why didn''t you run away?"


    Surprisingly, she didn''t dodge. She didn''t even unfold her wings. It was like she came to give herself up. But I didn''t let my guard down. I took the sword from her waist too. She just watched coldly as I did this. After a while, she said something strange:


    "Your moves seem sharper than before, huh?"


    "Of course. After leaving Edenmere, I went through a lot. How could I not get stronger?"


    I nodded, answering casually but staying alert. This girl suddenly showing up was fishy, especially right after Lantine Oasis sky city fell. Very suspicious.


    "You new angels are too much. You improve so fast, how can we old ones keep up..."


    She sighed, talking nonsense. I didn''t want to hear more. Maybe she was stalling for time! I pushed my sword forward a bit and cut her off:


    "Tell me! Why are you here? What do you want? Don''t say you betrayed Edenmere and came to see me just to learn some magic trick?"


    It was Aria! The angel who joined the second Edenmere tournament with me and got third place in magic. The same traitor who kept provoking Nicola during the monster attack, making her chase all the way from the holy city to the northern barrenlands!


    She went quiet when she heard me. I don''t know what she was thinking. Just when I was getting impatient, she spoke again, head down:


    "Actually, I''m a good person!"


    "Good person? Ha, you think I''m that stupid?"


    This felt familiar somehow, but I didn''t believe her excuse. She seemed sorry, but that doesn''t mean I''d let her go easy. I wonder what Nicola is doing in the barrenlands. She said she''d catch Aria, but now Aria''s right in front of me and Nicola''s not back.


    "It''s true! I was secretly sent by Lady Elara to spy on the conservatives. But it was so hard..."


    Seeing I wasn''t convinced, Aria quickly spilled more details. It made me start to take her seriously.


    She said Elara had been wary of the conservatives for years. To get accurate info fast, she planted Aria, a new angel with a clean background, as a spy.


    Later when Yvonne and others really did team up with monsters to rebel, Aria was ordered to infiltrate the monster side too. Other conservative angels defected with her, but Michelle didn''t fully trust these traitors. So after a few days in the Dark Continent, they were sent as cannon fodder to the Barren Lands, the frontline.


    Even as conservatives, these traitors didn''t dare face the angel army head-on. With so few of them, they couldn''t go back to Edenmere. On the way to the Barren Lands, most snuck away. Only Aria stayed, which got her some trust from the monster army.


    Of course she didn''t want to. She was following Elara''s orders. But then Nicola suddenly came chasing her day and night. She almost died many times. She couldn''t take the stress anymore. After hearing about Parristol, she finally ran away to Crescent City to ask me for help.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Nonsense. Why come to me? Just go back to Edenmere. Elara would protect you if she knew."


    I really didn''t get it. She didn''t seem to be lying, but there were still many doubts.


    "I''m afraid she doesn''t know! Lady Elara wanted me to keep spying, but Nicola was too strong. Even with intel on angel army movements, I couldn''t hold on. This was my only choice. Now all angels hate us traitors. They move in groups when fighting outside. If I just show up, they might kill me."


    Aria looked like she''d been bullied to tears. Quite pitiful. Sounds like she left the monsters secretly without orders. That''s why she thought of me, the "popular guy", to help speak for her.


    Funny thing is, she doesn''t know Nicola is now the "Inheritor" publicly and the "Ancestor reborn" internally. With how much Nicola hates her, even Elara might not be able to protect her!


    I also found a bigger problem in her story. I remember Elara herself told Nicola that Aria was in the Barren Lands. If Aria was really a spy, why would Elara do that? Isn''t that exposing her own agent?


    Unless Aria is lying, or there''s something else going on... Thinking of how Nicola went to the north and crushed the enemy after she left, I had a guess. Did Elara use this to lure Nicola north on purpose?


    "Feliciana, is that you? I sense other angels on the roof. Is Nicola back?"


    Cyra''s voice suddenly came from below. I was about to say no, but Aria shook all over when she heard "Nicola". Like she had PTSD. She stepped back quickly.


    "She just mentioned Nicola! Is she really back? No wonder I haven''t heard any news about her for days..."


    "No, no, she was just saying."


    I quickly calmed her. I didn''t expect Aria to be so scared of Nicola now. She really brought this on herself!


    "Whether you''re good or not, save that for the Angel Council!"


    Anyway, I didn''t want to think more about if she was a spy or not. Since Aria came to me herself, I couldn''t just ignore her. Might as well hand her to Edenmere to deal with. I was about to tie her up, but she didn''t like seeing the rope.


    "You don''t believe me, do you? If I can''t be taken straight to Lady Elara, I really can''t feel safe..."


    Nice dream, but where would I find the time? I didn''t want to go back to Edenmere so soon. I was just planning to give her to other angels.


    I was thinking how to convince her when suddenly people popped up from the roofs around us. Besides curious Cyra, the rest were adventurers staying at the inn. They all climbed up to see what was happening when they heard shouting.


    "Oh, real angels! And quite a few too..."


    "They say the Sage Council is friendly with angels. You can often see angels in Crescent City. It''s true!"


    "Six-winged angel, that''s pretty high-ranking, right?"


    "Is that other girl an angel too? But she has no wings?"


    ...


    I didn''t expect angels to be so rare in Crescent City. Soon curious people were popping up on roofs all around. More and more came.


    "Let''s talk next time!"


    Aria got more nervous seeing this, especially with Cyra here. Afraid I''d chase her, she didn''t fly away. She flipped over the wall and ran into the inn below.


    "Hey! Wait!"


    I didn''t know she was so agile without wings. I was stunned for a moment, then quickly chased after her.


    Downstairs was my room. I could see through the window that the door was open. She''d already escaped to the hallway outside.


    "Get out of the way!"


    A shout came from outside. I chased out and saw Adrian standing in the hall looking confused. He must have just passed Aria.


    "Are you okay?"


    I asked worriedly, stopping the chase. Did Aria hurt Adrian in her panic? But he didn''t seem injured.


    "I''m fine. I just heard people saw angels and wanted to ask you... So who was that?"


    Seeing it was me, Adrian shook his head. He glanced in the direction the troublemaker ran.


    "Huh? Where is she? Did she get away?"


    Cyra rushed out of my room behind me. Reminded of the main issue, I quickly turned and ran to the stairs going down. But Aria was nowhere to be seen.


    The lobby entrance was crowded, with many light element mages. It would be easy for an angel to hide there with wings hidden. Looks like we really lost her.


    "It was Aria. She said she was a spy..."


    I had no choice but to put away my wings and tell them what happened. Adrian had heard me gossip a lot about Edenmere drama, but Aria wasn''t related to him, so he didn''t comment. But Cyra snorted when she heard:


    "Pfft, who''d believe that? She says she''s a spy and that makes it true? Do they play undercover games in this world?"


    Actually it''s simple. We just need to ask Elara next time we contact her to clear things up.


    But the very next day, someone really did come back...

 Vol 5/Chapter 5: Nicolas Return

    "Damn it! Who dares use such strong fire magic in the street?"


    "Quick, catch that person!"


    "Where''s the city guard?"


    ...


    Early morning, sky just getting light. I was still half-asleep when I heard a commotion outside.


    "What''s going on?"


    I opened my eyes, but strangely, the noise died down quickly. So I ignored it, pulled the blanket over my head and went back to sleep.


    "Feliciana, Cyra!"


    But soon after, someone called out several times. The voice came from somewhere in the room.


    "What? She''s really back?"


    I sat up suddenly, still half-asleep. I recognized the voice right away. I quickly got up, put on clothes messily, and opened the door.


    It was still dawn. Most adventurers taking early jobs had already checked out, but some guests were still sleeping. I was worried Nicola making such a fuss might annoy people.


    Luckily she stopped calling after a few times. I felt relieved. But I didn''t rush downstairs. I went to Adrian''s door first and knocked softly.


    No sound from inside. Adrian is usually alert, so he should respond even if sleeping. Did he already go out?


    I didn''t have time to wonder where he went so early. I hurried downstairs and saw Nicola sitting at a table in the middle of the lobby.


    "Why are you so late?"


    I went over, not sure if I should be happy or nervous. She looked very impatient, sipping juice a waiter just brought.


    The inn lobby is usually used as a bar and restaurant, open 24 hours. It can get very rowdy when busy, but now there were only a few customers.


    But even those few eating breakfast weren''t looking at their food. They were all staring at Nicola.


    If it was because of her shouting earlier, that makes sense. But why were so many people gathered outside? They were crowding the entrance, not coming in to stay or eat. Everyone was staring at Nicola like she was strange. It felt weird.


    "You''re so slow! I traveled all night to meet you early. Is this how you welcome me?"


    Although she complained, Nicola''s expression softened when she saw me. She left her half-finished drink and pulled me upstairs.


    "Take me to your room. It''s too noisy here!"


    "Did you fly straight to the inn entrance before landing?"


    Thinking of everyone''s reactions, I suddenly understood. I couldn''t help asking quietly.


    She must have shown herself openly! Plus the fuss Aria caused last night, people around here probably know I''m an angel too!


    "What are you afraid of? You know the Sage Council is friendly with angels. No need to hide here!"


    Hmph! Easy for her to say. But before I came, didn''t she find it troublesome and put away her wings?Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    I wanted to argue more, but seeing how tired she was from traveling, I let it go. When we got to my room, Cyra soon ran over too. As soon as she entered, she pointed at Nicola and questioned loudly:


    "It''s really you? Why come back now? Your timing is too perfect! Did you chase her all the way here?"


    "What do you mean chase?"


    Nicola was confused. She quickly explained:


    "Two days ago, I heard you got involved in that huge Parristol uprising. I was worried and flew all the way from the northern coast. But when I got to Parristol, everything was gone. The city vanished, leaving a huge crater. Then Elara contacted me and said you all came to Crescent City, so I flew through the night to get here."


    I see, that explains everything! We did contact Edenmere yesterday and got scolded for recklessly getting involved in Parristol. The timing matches up.


    Too bad Nicola was a step late. When she arrived, all the fighting was over. She even went to the wrong place. The real "Parristol" had moved over 10 km west and crashed in Astralrealm kingdom. Of course she saw nothing at the original site.


    "What did you mean by timing just now?"


    Although our questions were answered, Nicola caught something odd in Cyra''s words and asked.


    "Aria! She came to see me last night! Said she''s not a traitor, but a spy..."


    Thinking of this, I got annoyed and scolded Nicola:


    "You''re so strange. You chased her all the way to the northern border, but achieved nothing. What a waste of time. If you were with us, we wouldn''t have had such a hard time against the enemy!"


    "What! Aria snuck here? No wonder I haven''t heard about her for so long. Where is she now?"


    Hearing this, Nicola jumped up from her chair, wanting revenge. But I pushed her back down.


    "Are you crazy? She ran away long ago. Even if she''s still hiding in Crescent City, how can you find her with her wings hidden?"


    "Exactly! You should think about why you couldn''t catch her after chasing so long. Even if you know where she is, what''s the use?"


    Cyra leaned against the wall and laughed coldly, stirring things up more.


    "You said she claims to be a spy?"


    Nicola seemed to suddenly understand something. She clenched her fists and said angrily:


    "That bastard Elara used me as a pawn!"


    She explained that after learning Aria''s exact location, she went deep into the Barren Lands. But every time she got close, Aria strangely escaped just in time, as if she knew the angel army was coming.


    The angel army even suspected there was another traitor. But they found no one. Often the local monster forces were caught completely off guard and wiped out. Only Aria "luckily" escaped. So the traitor theory didn''t make sense.


    But if Aria really was a spy as she said, everything fits. The informant was probably Elara herself, the commander.


    "But why would Lady Elara do this? She told you the information herself, but secretly warned Aria to escape? Isn''t that contradictory?"


    Cyra still didn''t understand.


    "It''s obvious. She wanted to use Nicola''s fighting power!"


    I reminded her. I had figured out most of these schemes last night after meeting Aria.


    "The angel army just had a civil war. They were struggling on the northern front at first. Only after Nicola went did they turn defense into offense, pushing all the way to the northern coast. Don''t forget how scary top fighters are in this world. One can fight a thousand! They finally found an Ancestor. How could they not use her power?"


    "But why not tell me directly? It''s not something shameful. And wasn''t her strategy always to negotiate with monsters? Why let me kill so many?"


    Nicola finally seemed to understand this point. She rubbed her head, very troubled.


    "Would you have agreed if she told you directly?"


    I rolled my eyes at her, pointing out the truth.


    "Remember back in Edenmere, we kept asking to leave. Elara knew we travelers with memories probably wouldn''t just join the angel army to fight monsters. Especially since your Ancestor status meant she couldn''t force us. So she had to use your desire for revenge! Plus, having the ''Ancestor''s Inheritor'' draw enemy fire would minimize angel casualties. It was a win-win plan for her."


    The answer about wanting peace is simple too. If they didn''t take this chance to show Michelle''s side that we angels have Nicola as an equal fighter, when would they get a chance to negotiate peace? Wait for the other side to be kind?


    But they didn''t expect Aria the spy couldn''t take it and ran away first, even coming to ask me for help. That''s how the scheme was exposed.


    "That''s why I didn''t want to accept the Ancestor title! I didn''t expect to still be used even as ''Ancestor''s Inheritor''!"


    After figuring everything out, Nicola stood up very annoyed. As the Ancestor, she had no way to avoid the responsibilities placed on her. She angrily went to the door to go out and clear her head.


    But when she opened the door, someone was standing outside, hand raised to knock.


    "Nicola? Long time no see!"


    Adrian was surprised. He looked at me and Cyra sitting in the room, then awkwardly asked, holding up takeout boxes:


    "I just bought two breakfasts. Feliciana... no, why don''t we all eat together?"


    "Why are you here? Why are you in a place like this?"


    Nicola''s face didn''t look so good. She glanced at me, then looked Adrian up and down again. She blurted out:


    "Why is he wearing my clothes?"

 Vol 5/Chapter 6: "Persuasion"

    "What do you mean wearing your clothes? Those are his own clothes!"


    I was confused. What was she talking about? But then I noticed a burned corner on Adrian''s adventurer outfit. I suddenly understood what Nicola meant. I quickly pulled Adrian into the room to ask what happened.


    "What''s going on? Didn''t you go buy breakfast? How did your clothes get burned?"


    "Well, when I went out, I passed by the Adventurers Guild. Two teams were fighting about cutting in line. A fire mage got angry and secretly threw a high-level explosion scroll. It just happened to catch me as I was walking by."


    Adrian explained. Worried I''d be concerned, he quickly added:


    "Don''t worry! That little fire can''t hurt me. A few people were slightly injured, but they''ve been sent for treatment. The troublemaker was taken away by the city guard."


    "That''s good. Be more careful in the future. What if something serious happened?"


    I felt relieved. Adrian is almost a 7th-rank expert now. I shouldn''t worry too much.


    "Why don''t you eat something? You''ve never had this before! They say this ''Star Chicken Roll'' is the most famous in all of Crescent City. I barely managed to get some."


    Adrian opened the food box for me, busy fussing over everything. But I had no appetite. I felt more and more uneasy. I quickly took a sip of water and said quietly:


    "No... I''m not that hungry right now..."


    "But I bought so much. It''s a pity if you don''t try it. Just one bite? It''s really good!"


    Adrian scratched his head and picked up a ''Star Chicken Roll'', trying to feed me.


    "Wait! What''s going on with you two?"


    Unfortunately, this move was too obvious. Nicola at the door finally noticed something odd and shouted to stop us.


    "What... what do you mean?"


    My scalp tingled. I forced an awkward smile, pretending not to understand.


    "What else could it be? No point hiding it anymore. Might as well just say it straight¡ª"


    Cyra had a cold expression, not helping cover for me at all. She just laid out the truth:


    "They''ve been together for a while now. I guess they''re boyfriend and girlfriend?"


    "You bastard!"


    This was too much. Nicola exploded in anger. She couldn''t take it anymore. She spread her wings, rushed over, grabbed Adrian''s collar, and slammed him against the wall.


    "How dare you! You took advantage while I was gone and stole my woman behind my back!"


    "What do you mean your woman!"


    I almost choked on my water, totally shocked. I didn''t expect Nicola to react so strongly. I quickly stood up to stop her, but then I noticed she had eight wings now. How did she rank up so fast?The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "What... what do you mean? You and Feliciana aren''t... aren''t you just friends?"


    Adrian was completely confused. His neck was being squeezed hard. He wanted to struggle but didn''t want to fight back too much because of my relationship with Nicola.


    "Nicola, let him go! Let me explain!"


    Seeing this, I felt awful. I didn''t have time to blame Cyra for stirring up this hornet''s nest. I quickly spread my wings too, trying to pull them apart. But the strength difference between six and eight wings was too big. My effort was useless. All I could do was keep trying to persuade her.


    For some reason, this scene felt so... dramatic! How did things end up like this?


    "Explain what? Didn''t you promise me before that you wouldn''t like men?"


    So she still remembered that! Sadly, Nicola wouldn''t listen at all. She kept holding Adrian and shouting angrily. I got caught in it too.


    "This... this has a reason. Let me explain!"


    I could only repeat this, feeling completely overwhelmed. Only now did I realize how much I had underestimated Nicola''s feelings for me.


    Actually, I''m not stupid. Back when we were trapped in the Dark Continent, I vaguely sensed her attitude towards me wasn''t normal. It went way beyond regular friendship. Even Cyra, an outsider, noticed it later.


    But I didn''t have the same feelings for Nicola. Plus, she always used to be careless about relationships. So I only saw her as a brother.


    Since we all came to this world together and Nicola had always taken care of me since high school, I couldn''t directly point this out to her. All I could do was hint that I used to be a man, indirectly rejecting her.


    Who knew, her attitude towards me really did become less obvious later. So I naively thought maybe she had given up. I figured if I just didn''t provoke her, it would be fine. But now it seems that wasn''t true at all. The situation is even worse than I imagined...


    "Don''t forget, this isn''t Edenmere. Acting crazy like this could cause big trouble!"


    Finally, Cyra the bystander spoke up again. After all, she had agreed to help me deal with Nicola before. She thought for a moment, then tried to persuade her:


    "Why don''t I explain the situation as a neutral third party? I''ve been with Feliciana almost the whole time. There are reasons things developed this way. You can''t blame them entirely!"


    "Can you really handle this?"


    I was really worried. I couldn''t help whispering to check. It''s not that I don''t trust her. The key is Nicola seems truly furious this time, and Cyra''s abilities aren''t always reliable.


    "Let''s try and see!"


    Cyra didn''t seem very confident either. She could only give me a bitter smile.


    "What reasons? Don''t tell me they''re just pretending to be a couple? Or they were forced to date for some urgent reason?"


    Surprisingly, Cyra''s words seemed to have a small effect. Nicola''s anger eased a bit. She turned back, willing to listen.


    "Well, it all started after you left, when we went with the Pope to that cave in Mount Sulide..."


    After listening for a while, I finally understood Cyra''s idea. Basically, she wanted to tell Nicola that Adrian and I went through many big and small hardships together in that time-looping cave. We were "forced" to live together for a whole year. The feelings that built up between us during that time would melt even a stone. So it''s understandable that I accepted Adrian.


    "...From everything I saw, Adrian is really good to Feliciana. Plus, we all have to keep living with these identities for thousands of years. You can''t stay upset forever. So why make things hard for another woman?"


    Cyra concluded by saying Nicola should let go and face her future life.


    To normal people, this explanation covers everything and makes sense. I found it quite convincing. But Nicola seemed lost in thought after hearing it, with no reaction. After a few seconds of silence, she finally asked:


    "You said that time-looping cave they were trapped in was actually built by Liana from 10,000 years ago?"


    This question seemed oddly specific, completely off-topic! Nicola wasn''t following the script at all. Cyra and I looked at each other, really unsure what she meant. In the end, we could only answer honestly:


    "That''s right. To be precise, it was led jointly by the Wind Angel Liana and Earth Angel Galadra. I guess Galadra did the space loop part, while Liana handled the time loop... maybe?"


    As I said this, I suddenly had a very bad feeling. It felt like I''d said something wrong, mentioned something bad.


    "Hahaha, so you''re saying this guy was in a time loop I built, hooking up with my girl, wearing my clothes!"


    Sure enough, what Nicola cared about was completely different from us. Her anger exploded again. She looked furious.


    "Do you think I''m stupid? You''re ganging up to trick me about the fire... Who do you think I am? You think I can''t see through this?"


    "P-Pinru?"


    Scared by her intensity, Cyra''s head jerked back. But surprisingly, she still managed to stammer out an answer.

 Vol 5 / Chapter 7: The Angry Wind Angel

    What the heck! Those two things ain''t the same. And now''s not the time to talk rubbish!


    I''m fed up with Cyra. She''s useless, always making things worse! Letting her try to fix this was the biggest mistake of my life.


    "Nicola, don''t be like that. Let me explain!"


    But it was too late. Things had gone bad. Seeing Nicola''s angry hand squeeze tighter, Adrian had no choice. He took out an arrow, put a "loosen" spell on it, and stuck it in the hand grabbing his neck.


    "What kind of trick is this!" Nicola yelled, pulling back her hand. She looked shocked. Made sense, since Cyra didn''t mention Adrian''s awakening Battle Qi earlier.


    "Sorry! I know you and Feliciana were close before. But I won''t give her up, no matter what!" Adrian quickly moved in front of me, making his position clear.


    But his words worried me. Nicola was super strong now, way beyond Adrian. If she really attacked, he''d be in big trouble.


    My situation was tricky too. No matter how bad Nicola acted, I didn''t want to fight her. It''d be best if we could make up, but that seemed less and less likely now.


    "Fine, let''s see what you''ve got!" Nicola was clearly furious from all this. Suddenly, strong winds started blowing in the room, clearly coming from her. The wind got stronger and stronger.


    "What''s happening?" Adrian looked back at me, confused. I didn''t really understand either, but I knew a bit about Nicola being a wind angel. To be safe, I quickly called Cyra over and put up a "Light Shield" to protect us.


    The wind got crazy strong. Even with the shield cutting down the wind, our faces still hurt from the gusts. In seconds, the whole inn collapsed. There was wood flying everywhere for about 10 meters around. It looked like a tornado hit.


    But the wind didn''t last long. It stopped suddenly, and we were still standing there. Nicola''s wings had turned gray - the color of wind angels. It was just like when she came back with 12 wings before, similar to my blue wing state.


    Looking around was scary. A big area of houses near the inn had fallen down. Lots of people were trapped, moaning and crying out.


    "Are you crazy? Do you know how much damage you''ve caused?" I was pretty angry. Luckily, most buildings were wood, and most people living near the adventurer''s guild were strong. So hopefully not too many hurted. The stone guild building was fine.


    "Who cares? I can''t think about that now. You broke your promise and ran off with him. I decided to change and only love you, but now it''s all gone!" Nicola''s voice sounded choked up. She pointed her magic sword at Adrian, looking a bit crazy.


    "This time I''m gonna cut him down and take you back! Feliciana can only be mine!"


    Why is this happening? If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Things had gotten so bad, I didn''t know what to say. My head was a mess. I couldn''t figure out why I was suddenly so popular, with two people fighting over me. It was ridiculous!


    But honestly, I felt nothing for Nicola. Even though she hinted at things before, I wish none of this had happened. Now I finally understood why I had those bad dreams guided by the Nightmare before.


    Maybe it was all my fault. I should have clearly rejected her from the start. Now it was too late to say anything...


    "Die!" In a blink, Nicola flew up and swooped down, swinging her sword at Adrian.


    "Huh?" Suddenly, the angel in the air vanished. When I realized what happened, Adrian was already yelling in pain, holding the stump where his left arm used to be.


    What just happened? I didn''t see any attack, but Nicola had already struck. Now she was back up in the air where she started. It all seemed to happen in an instant...


    Is this what fighting looks like when you control time? Doesn''t that mean her opponent is doomed?


    "Adrian!" I couldn''t think about anything else. I ran to Adrian as fast as I could. He was on the ground in awful pain, blood everywhere. I almost cried. I quickly changed to my blue wing form and used the strongest water healing magic I knew.


    "Get lost! Don''t get in my way!"


    I was shocked when Nicola attacked me too. Just like before, I didn''t see anything happen. When I realized what was going on, my body was already flying through the air. I crashed into some broken walls nearby.


    "I don''t know how you dodged my killing blow before, but you won''t be so lucky this time!"


    She said this to Adrian. After kicking me away, Nicola turned to Adrian on the ground and raised her sword again without hesitation.


    "No!"


    I was terrified and shouted with all my strength to stop her. But surprisingly, Nicola didn''t cut Adrian down. Someone suddenly stepped in and blocked the deadly attack.


    "Angel friend, you''re in our city of Crescent. It''s not good to kill people like this, you know?"


    Old man Adonis suddenly appeared in front of Nicola, totally out of nowhere. He didn''t actually catch the sword with his hand. You could clearly see a weird, super black "thing" in his right palm. The sword sank deep into it, like it was going into another world.


    "Who are you? How did you see through my attack?"


    Nicola''s eyes narrowed. She clearly didn''t expect someone to jump in. She quickly pulled her sword out of the black thing and flew back up into the sky, watching him very carefully.


    "He''s the leader of Crescent City and head of the Sage Council - Adonis! If I''m not wrong, you must be Nicola, the ''Inheritor'' that Edenmere announced before? Looks like we meet again!"


    The fortune teller Meredith came over smiling with Judith. They had rushed over when they saw trouble in the city. Meredith had met Nicola before in Elara Woods, so she recognized her right away.


    "Can you really beat her? What we saw before looked like time stopping, but not quite like magic. She didn''t chant any spells..."


    Judith quickly went behind Adonis. Even though he was the strongest human, she was still worried about her son''s safety as a mother.


    "I can''t be sure..." Adonis answered quietly with a bitter smile.


    "She''s called an ''Inheritor'', but her control of time is just as good as mine. Luckily, it looks like she hasn''t fully awakened yet. Maybe I can just barely fight her!"


    "To be safe, how about adding some magic buffs?"


    Meredith suggested right away. Without another word, she lowered her head and started chanting softly, clearly getting ready to use magic.


    "What are you trying to do?"


    Nicola noticed something was off from far away. But with Adonis protecting Meredith, she was nervous after their quick clash before. She didn''t dare rush over to stop the spell.


    "Combo Element Buff Magic Circle!"


    The chant finished quickly. A small, fancy magic circle appeared in Meredith''s hand. She put it right on Adonis''s body. There was a flash of light, and a huge version of the little circle appeared in the air around Adonis for a moment.


    "Friend, Adrian is the Fate Breaker that our Sage Council worked hard to find. He''s super important for humanity''s future. If you have some personal beef, please let it go. We can even make it up to you somehow!"


    After getting the magic boost, Adonis suddenly seemed way more powerful. He looked much more confident talking to Nicola now. Then he calmly explained the Sage Council''s goal.

 Vol 5/Chapter 8: Small-Scale Targeted Time Reversal

    "Nonsense! You think you can make it up to me?" Nicola didn''t want to accept Adonis''s try at making peace. She looked at me and Cyra healing Adrian, her face getting darker. She looked unhappy. But with Adonis blocking her way, she didn''t dare make a move.


    "So you still want to fight? I may be old, but I can handle seeing what the Angel ''Inheritor'' can do!"


    Adonis laughed coldly. He knew Nicola wouldn''t attack easily.


    If Nicola really wanted to fight, she would''ve rushed in when Meredith was chanting earlier. She didn''t, so that showed something.


    In games or real battles, you should never let the other side''s mages finish their spell. Especially not Meredith''s long, powerful spells.


    This showed Nicola had grown smarter after her time in the Barren Lands. She was more hot-headed in some ways, but not as dumb as before when she''d just charge in with her sword.


    Sadly, this change wasn''t good for our friendships. It felt like something invisible was pulling us apart.


    "Fine, he''s lucky this time! But he can''t hide forever," Nicola finally gave up. She put away her sword and flew off without another word.


    "Wait! Aren''t you staying..." I started to call out to stop her, but then I saw Adrian''s arm still healing. I realized that wasn''t a good idea, so I changed and asked, "Where are you going?"


    "Hmph! None of your business!" Nicola didn''t even look back. She was probably still mad at me. She paused in the air for a moment and said, "If you really like him, say goodbye while you can!" Then she flew off.


    "...Huh?" I was confused again. I didn''t get why Nicola was so hung up on this impossible romance with me. She seemed smart when facing Adonis, so why did she lose her cool about Adrian?


    Plus, she knew who I used to be! It didn''t make sense from any angle.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t think things would turn out like this..." Cyra apologized. She hadn''t been much help and was scared by Nicola''s anger. She''d been using light magic to help me heal Adrian. Now that his arm was "growing back", she finally had time to say sorry.


    "It''s okay, I know you tried your best." Maybe I was a bit mad at her for making Nicola angry before. But thinking about it, this probably would''ve happened anyway. We couldn''t have avoided it.


    Even before Adrian showed up, Nicola was already mad about Elara using Aria to trick her into working for free. Adrian just happened to be in the wrong place. Finding out about my relationship with him just made things worse. With Nicola''s temper, of course she''d go crazy!Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    It was pretty good that she could still see she was at a disadvantage against Adonis and decide to leave, even when she was almost out of control. At least Cyra was right at first - Adrian and I being together would''ve come out sooner or later. If we kept hiding it, who knows what worse thing might''ve happened later.


    "Phew - good thing we scared her off. If we really fought, I''m not sure who would''ve won..." Adonis wiped his brow and told Judith the truth once Nicola was gone.


    "I think she might not be an ''Inheritor'' at all. She could even be the Wind Angel Liana reborn!"


    Wow! How could he guess that? But from this, we could see the Sage Council knew a lot about angel origins and the two Founders. They knew as much as Elara, the angel leader, about many details.


    "Thank you for helping. If not for you, I might be dead now!" After a while, with high-level healing magic, Adrian was fully recovered. He squeezed my hand, saying everything without words. Then he stood up and thanked Adonis.


    "No worry!" Adonis checked Adrian''s condition, then sighed and said seriously, "I could only help you for now. If you leave Crescent City later, you''ll need to be careful to avoid her!"


    "But how did you end up fighting with her? I remember you all got along before," Meredith asked, confused. It was true - the first time we met her, Nicola, Adrian and I were all there. We got along well then. Thinking about it made me miss those times.


    "Well..." Adrian and I blushed when our relationship was mentioned. We didn''t know what to say. Seeing this, Meredith probably guessed most of it. She just shook her head and turned away like she never asked.


    Nicola wasn''t the only problem. The mess she left behind was a real headache. Around the Adventurers'' Guild, with the inn at the center, almost all wooden buildings within 50 meters were gone. Even stone houses that survived the wind had cracked walls and weren''t safe to live in anymore.


    Nicola''s "Gray Wing" form had a huge impact. I was most worried they''d ask us to pay for the damage. How could we ever afford that?


    "What? You''re going to start rebuilding now? But there are still people trapped under the rubble!" Cyra suddenly called out in disbelief. I hadn''t heard what Meredith said behind us earlier.


    "Hehe! Don''t worry, just stand back and watch! My son will handle everything. Otherwise, the magic boost we gave him would be wasted!" Judith said proudly. She seemed to know what was coming. She pulled us to the edge of the ruins so we wouldn''t get in the way.


    Then something amazing happened - Adonis reached out his hand towards the empty ruins. Suddenly, all the broken pieces of houses big and small floated up in the air. They started "sticking" back together in reverse order, like a video playing backwards. Soon, all the buildings in the disaster area were standing again like nothing had happened. The people who were trapped underneath were now out in the open. Medical magic teams waiting nearby rushed in to help them.


    "Strange, is this time reversal? But if it is, why aren''t the injured people healed by going back in time too?" Adrian noticed something odd, but couldn''t figure it out.


    "Because reversing all of time would have too big an effect on reality!" Meredith smiled and explained. "For example, your friend already left this place. If we reversed everything, she and you would have to go back too. That would cause too many problems. So the Council Leader chose to only reverse time for non-living things like buildings in a small area. This avoids those problems, uses less energy, and lets him reverse time for longer."


    I see. They say Adonis''s talent can reverse time for the whole world by about a minute at most, probably with magic boosts. Our fight and standoff with Nicola lasted way longer than that. Adonis''s targeted small-scale time control was much more efficient than just reversing everything.


    He really deserves to be called the top human! To me, this was almost like a miracle. Even Elara, the strongest angel, might not be able to do this. And he was just a human...

 Vol 5/ Chapter 9: Soul Institute

    "Hey hey! See how great my son turned out? You all didn''t believe me before! I knew he wouldn''t let me down!" Judith came over and slapped my shoulder, standing proud with her hands on her hips. Seeing how smug she looked made me feel annoyed.


    Come on! Is it really worth bragging about having a son who looks way older than you?


    "Hah, don''t forget Adrian also awakened Battle Qi. And he''s young - that''s the important part! His future potential is definitely much greater than your old fart of a son!"


    Even though I don''t have Battle Qi, that doesn''t mean I can''t win against her. I quickly pushed Adrian forward to strike back at her.


    "Feliciana, this isn''t very nice..." Adrian looked helpless and quickly tried to explain. "Adonis and I have totally different types of awakenings. There''s no way to compare us..."


    "No way! You were just telling me I wasn''t confident enough. How come you''ve become so unsure when it comes to yourself?" I wasn''t happy to hear that and argued back right away. "That old man may be powerful, but he can only control time and space. Your ''word arrows'' have endless possibilities. Given time, you''ll definitely surpass him! No, you''ll leave him in the dust!"


    Mainly because Meredith and the other Sage Council members were still standing nearby, and Adonis had just saved him. Seeing me shamelessly boasting on his behalf like this, Adrian was at a loss for words. He could only sheepishly try to be modest. "Actually, I can only add one word at a time. How many functions can that really have? A lot of times the meaning of a single word is too vague, so it doesn''t even have any effect..."


    Oh well, it''s not my fault anyway. Who told Judith to come over and try to compete with me for no reason? Now she''s so upset she''s puffing out her cheeks and can''t say anything back.


    The disastrous event was dealt with surprisingly quickly. Once everything was back to normal, we returned to stay at the Adventurers'' Guild inn.


    To be honest, the time reversal effect was really impressive. Walking down the hallway of the inn, you could see that everything was exactly the same as before. There wasn''t a single crack in any of the walls, and even the clothes that had been left on chairs without being put away were still perfectly in place.


    "Are you still planning to go to Soul Institute as originally planned?" Meredith knocked on the door and walked in just as we had finished repacking our things that were left in the room.


    "Ah... of course we''re going!" I had almost forgotten about that. Mainly because the commotion with Nicola''s return this morning was so huge. I didn''t expect them to still invite us despite everything that happened. It really made me grateful.


    Unfortunately, Nicola still wasn''t coming with us. Can''t be helped, she had caused way too much trouble earlier! But I still hadn''t completely given up on her. I just hoped that after some time alone to cool down, she would slowly figure out her own issues. Then she could come back and properly apologize to Adrian and everyone else. Only then could we go back to getting along well. After all, I really didn''t want to see this kind of falling out between classmates happen again.


    Four hours later, we finally reached the base of the wizard''s tower where Soul Institute was located.


    "Wah! That was so tiring! Couldn''t you have found a horse cart or something?" Cyra bent down to rub her legs, complaining loudly.


    Because of what happened this morning, we decided to keep a low profile and not fly to Soul Institute. But the walk was really far, with all sorts of twists and turns through the city streets. It ended up taking over three hours.


    "Didn''t you just level up to a six-winged angel? How come you still look so weak? Don''t tell me those wings are fake?" I snapped back at her, irritated. Of course, the "weakness" was only relative. With Adrian''s and my stamina, we didn''t feel tired at all. Actually, anyone at this level would have improved physical abilities even without showing their wings. How could walking a few thousand steps be tiring? We mainly didn''t take a horse cart because we wanted to see more of this city we''d never visited before. But it was getting annoying having someone constantly whining about being tired next to us.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Tch, of course you two are fine! You''ve been all lovey-dovey the whole way, disgustingly sweet. No wonder you don''t feel tired!" Cyra glared at me disdainfully, pointing at the hand I was using to feed Adrian. I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and awkwardly pulled my hand back.


    Actually, we had just seen some interesting-looking snacks at a street stall along the way. They looked really fancy, so I bought some as treats for the walk. Of course, as an angel I can''t eat much, so to avoid wasting food I ended up giving the rest to Adrian.


    Thinking about it now made me feel a bit silly. Cyra had eaten plenty along with us too. How could she complain about me now!


    "The person we''re looking for is called... Sigrid Prite?" I looked at the introduction letter in my hand, then gazed uncertainly at the empty institute entrance at the base of the tower.


    This place was completely different from the other institutes we passed on the way. The entrances to other schools were always bustling with people coming and going. You could always see some students entering and leaving no matter what time it was. But this Soul Institute was completely silent. The main gate was open, with no guards, and fallen leaves everywhere. From the outside, it looked more like a haunted house than a school.


    This Sigrid Prite was actually the principal of Soul Institute. Even though they had seen my blue-winged state in Parristol''s prophecy and were very interested in my soul situation, Meredith, Adonis and the others still had urgent matters to deal with. They were too busy with official duties, so they could only hastily write an introduction letter for me to give to Sigrid.


    "Why are even the magic lamps turned off?" Cyra grumbled. As we entered the wizard''s tower, the interior was very spacious. With little light coming in from the main entrance, we could barely see anything after taking a few steps into the pitch-black surroundings.


    After a while, we finally got used to the dim light and found the stairs leading to the upper floors.


    The internal structure was similar to Chromos Tower. The stairs in these wizard towers always spiraled up around the vertical central axis. The space around the stairs was divided into rooms for various purposes.


    Most of the room doors had big locks on them and weren''t in use. A few were open or half-closed. Through the cracks, you could see that not only were the lights off, but candles were lit inside. All the windows were tightly shut, making it very dark. A figure sat cross-legged in the center of each room, eyes closed and silent as if asleep.


    It looked very similar to Buddhist or Taoist meditation on Earth, and also quite like the meditation pose for communicating with elements when learning magic. The main differences were in the details of the posture and the atmosphere.


    "Isn''t this supposed to be Soul Institute? Why does it feel like we''ve come to some cult headquarters?" Cyra curiously poked her head in to take a closer look. The sound of us whispering didn''t affect the people in the rooms at all. They remained as still as corpses.


    "Don''t say things like that carelessly. Be careful not to offend them!" I gave her a warning look, then pulled Adrian to continue climbing the stairs.


    Normally, as the head of the institute, Sigrid should live on the top floor with a private office. But as we walked up, we found that almost every room in use had one and only one person sitting inside, as if everyone enjoyed this treatment.


    Maybe it''s because there aren''t many students in this wizard''s tower? And all these people were giving off a strong aura of light element energy. Clearly they were all light mages, which made it even more understandable. After all, light mages are very rare to begin with.


    Surprisingly, after struggling to climb all the way to the top, we found that the rooms on the highest floors weren''t being used at all. We had to go back down to the last floor that had someone "living" there.


    "Excuse me, does anyone know where Principal Sigrid is?" This floor was a bit special, with only one room in use. When we entered, we realized that besides the old man sitting in the center, there were actually two or three figures hidden in the dark corners behind him. They were also in meditation poses without making any sound, so they were very hard to notice with the naked eye.


    "That''s me! What business do you have?" We didn''t expect this old man to be the one we were looking for. Hearing us, he opened his eyes and glanced at us, immediately recognizing the true identities of Cyra and me. "Angels? What are you doing here? Don''t tell me you''ve come to learn how to study souls. Has Elara finally come to her senses?"


    "No, that''s not it. I mainly have some personal questions I want to ask you, to help me understand my..." I quickly clarified his misunderstanding, then remembered to take out the introduction letter and hand it to him with both hands.


    Sigrid took the letter, opened it and read carefully for a while. Then without further ado, he beckoned to me and instructed, "Come over here and let me examine you. Sit in front of me, in the same pose as me!"


    "Huh? What are we doing? Is this the examination already?" I was confused again. I thought he would chat a bit first, or at least ask about my "medical history and symptoms" before taking the next step. Who knew he''d jump straight into the examination, just like going to a hospital on Earth.


    "Close your eyes and clear your mind. Just pretend you''re sitting down to sleep!" Sigrid kept giving various instructions. I had finally managed to awkwardly copy his pose, but hearing this I couldn''t help but object. "But I''m an angel. It''s not easy for me to fall asleep during the day..."


    But in the next moment, I suddenly saw a flash of bright white light from his palm. I immediately felt my mind becoming sluggish, as if I really was about to fall asleep. At the same time, scenes of memories I had experienced began to involuntarily appear before my eyes.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 10: Fragments of Memory

    They say the soul is like a CD, and the brain is like a player. The soul carries all our memories and personality from our past life. Even though memories can be "wiped clean" in special ways, that only happens after we die in this world. What Sigrid was doing to me seemed to be a special magic that used light elements to replay memories from my soul.


    In that moment, I saw again those unforgettable scenes from my past, as if I was living through them once more.


    "Stop talking!"


    I rushed over without thinking and kissed Adrian hard on the mouth. I felt like I had lost all support as we fell together towards the ground below.


    This was my own experience from not long ago, when Lantine Oasis sky city was about to collapse.


    ...


    "Remember I said I was looking for someone?" the brown-haired boy rubbed his eyes hard with his arm. He didn''t answer my question, just put down his empty bowl and said quietly, "Actually, I just realized I had already found her..."


    This was the moment Adrian found me after entering alone into the soul space created by the "God of Light".


    ...


    "In your long life, have you ever seen other types of living beings?" At the evening banquet in the Pope''s palace in the holy city of Jethrobaines, Cardinal Eminem asked me while dancing. Meanwhile, Nicola was standing by the buffet table at the edge of the ballroom, holding a wine glass and glaring at him with jealousy.


    ...


    "Even though I don''t believe in any god, light is the only element that can connect with spirit and soul. At key moments, as angels made of light, we always hear a voice from nowhere. This voice guides us towards the right future. I call it ''Saint''!"


    In the cloud palace of Edenmere, Elara described to us the god she believed in - one nobody had ever heard of or seen, but one she deeply believed in.


    ...


    "What did you do? What did you do to Gisphrael!"


    Michelle suddenly swung her sword at us in anger, as if we had touched a sore spot. I felt a huge wave of fire and strong wind coming at us. The Condensation Sword in twelve-winged Nicola''s hand suddenly flew out on its own. It floated upright in front of her like a pointer, silently dissolving this powerful attack.


    ...


    "Slap!"


    Outside City Wal in the Dark Continent, just after escaping danger and untying the ropes on his body, Adrian turned and slapped me.


    "You still don''t know why I hit you?"


    Seeing my confused look, Adrian sighed helplessly and pointed out all the dangerous things I had done. From then on, I started to truly understand him for the first time.


    I also slowly realized that maybe coming to this world wasn''t so bad for me after all...


    There were many such deep, unforgettable memories. They flashed by quickly, one after another. And then came -


    "Hey, are you okay?"


    On a rainy city street, I sat under a streetlight and looked up blankly. All I saw was a blur of colors. Looking closer, I realized it was an umbrella. A boy was squatting in front of me, holding the umbrella.


    "Who... are you?"


    This was the scene when I first met Reilly. He was holding the umbrella over me, a stranger, while half his body was exposed to the rain.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    But in the next second, everything familiar in my memory suddenly became strange.


    "You thought you could stop me just by forcing me to take physical form? I''ve changed my mind. You can all die!"


    A huge figure appeared behind him without warning, so big it covered half the sky. It was an angel glowing with light! A male angel with twelve pure white wings on his back, very handsome. I seemed to have seen this typical image somewhere before...


    It was the God of Light, Beluto!


    At the same time, Reilly was clutching his head with a pained expression, flying backwards into the sky against his will. As he flew, his body changed into a female twelve-winged angel form. Then the God of Light grabbed him in his hand.


    "You finally fell for it, Beluto! Did you think we didn''t foresee this? To tell you the truth, we''ve practiced this battle millions of times for today!"


    To my surprise, my body stood up on its own. I pointed to the sky, and the twelve-winged angel in his hand vanished. All the scenery around us changed completely.


    Only then did I notice that I had somehow returned to Eldoria Continent from ten thousand years ago, when light element was overflowing. The sky was always glowing brightly, the earth was barren. Standing in front of me was the real, original God of Light in physical form!


    Unlike the weakened God of Light in the trial space, this was the full version! So when he took physical form, he appeared as an adult male twelve-winged angel, much bigger, like a giant!


    "So it''s you, Gisphrael! You sneaked in and messed things up when I wasn''t looking! No wonder I thought it was strange that humans could build a new city so quickly! Only your switcheroo could fool even me..."


    The God of Light looked at his empty palm in shock. He immediately turned to me and roared angrily. "Even if Liana luckily escaped my grasp, you won''t get away!"


    "Hmph, you think I''m scared? I''ve been prepared for this! You can''t return to element form now. As long as Sister Liana is safe, everyone will break free from your mental limits sooner or later and finally destroy you!"


    Without hesitation, I raised my right hand. Countless Water Abyss Swords appeared around me, all pointing at the God of Light.


    "Dream on! Don''t think I can''t find them just because you hid their existence with elements! I just need to deal with you first!"


    Hearing this, the God of Light also raised his arm angrily. His palm held an extremely bright light. Even though I tried not to look directly at it, I could clearly feel the painful stabbing of the light. The feeling was heart-wrenching, even beyond the body, striking deep into my soul...


    Just as our attacks were about to clash, I opened my eyes.


    "Ah!"


    I was still sitting in the room inside the wizard''s tower. Sigrid was looking at me strangely, his expression showing shock and confusion.


    "Feliciana, are you okay?" Adrian rushed over to grab me and help me up from the ground, asking with concern.


    "I''m... fine!" I answered with some effort. Actually, I didn''t feel very good. For some reason, after waking up from the "dream", my whole head was aching terribly. Everything I saw seemed to have double images. I was swaying and couldn''t stand steady.


    "Her soul must have suffered severe damage before. My soul-probing magic may have accidentally triggered old wounds. You''d better let her lie down and rest here for a while. Don''t move around carelessly."


    Seeing that we were about to leave, Sigrid quickly stood up to stop us.


    "Her soul was damaged? How is that possible?" Cyra was stunned when she heard this. She looked at him in confusion. "Aren''t we newly born angels? We shouldn''t have received any soul attacks, right? Was she injured in the trial space?"


    "No, she shouldn''t have been hurt that badly in the trial space. Considering that souls can be reborn endlessly, this must be referring to Feliciana''s past life, right?"


    Adrian''s thinking was much clearer than Cyra''s. He immediately connected to the key point, mumbling to himself. "But I remember Feliciana''s past life was human. Could it be that she once..."


    "It probably wasn''t human! Her soul is very incomplete. Because of the injury, many memories from her past life are lost. But I still saw some useful parts."


    Sigrid interrupted his thoughts. He walked over slowly and cast a high-level sleep spell on me. "The contents described in that introduction letter were not wrong. Her past life indeed had a lot to do with the Water Angel..."


    After that, I quickly lost consciousness, as I was already feeling mentally exhausted.


    I slept very deeply, almost without any dreams. When I regained awareness, I found myself still lying on the floor inside the wizard''s tower.


    "You''re awake? How do you feel?" Adrian was sitting nearby, looking at me with concern. Cyra was sitting cross-legged in front of Sigrid with her eyes closed, seeming to be learning how to communicate with souls from him.


    "I''m okay..." This time I really felt much better. Although there was still a slight headache, it was nothing compared to before.


    "About my soul, do you know what''s going on now?" I remembered they were still discussing this topic before I fell asleep. Now that I felt better, of course I wanted to ask about what I cared about most. "Am I really the reincarnation of that Water Angel?"


    To be honest, this feeling still seems too unreal and fake to me. Even though I''ve "dreamed" about Gisphrael more than once or twice, I still feel like those are someone else''s memories, not my own.


    "About that..." To my surprise, Adrian didn''t answer me right away. He hesitated and glanced at Sigrid, who was still sitting in the center of the room.

 Vol 5/Chapter 11: Soul Fusion

    "The answer can be yes, and also no!"


    Sigrid didn''t turn around when she heard us talking. She just sat there without moving and gave a vague answer.


    "Huh?"


    I was confused. What did she mean? Finally, Cyra couldn''t help but speak up. "Oh, it''s simple! It means your soul has fused with the Water Angel''s soul. So you can be considered a reincarnation of the Water Angel, but also not exactly."


    "What?"


    Now I was even more puzzled.


    "Be quiet! Don''t get distracted!" Sigrid scolded Cyra. "If you want to learn how to communicate with souls, you must focus completely. Only through deep meditation can your spirit sync with the elements that make up the soul."


    Sigrid stood up and looked at me to explain further. "Actually, she wasn''t totally wrong. Based on my guess, your water element powers aren''t very strong right now, are they?"


    "Eh? How did you know?" I was surprised she could tell.


    Actually, compared to ordinary humans, my water magic improvement speed was quite extraordinary. But except for the Water Abyss Sword, my limits still hadn''t exceeded what humans could achieve. If compared to Nicola''s awakened wind element abilities, the difference was even greater.


    "Of course I know! It''s because your soul seems to have a lot of impurities mixed in," Sigrid said as she walked over and put her hand on my head again to check. This time she used a different type of light magic. I didn''t see any memory fragments like before. The check finished quickly, and she nodded with certainty.


    "Just as I thought! Although I can''t sense water elements, I can see traces of light elements in your soul. The Water Angel''s soul is no longer pure!"


    "But I''m an angel now. Isn''t it normal for an angel''s soul to have light elements?" I was confused. Angels'' whole bodies are made of light elements, not just their souls.


    "Of course it''s not normal. The soul is separate from the body," Sigrid replied matter-of-factly.


    "Angels and humans only differ in body, not in soul. All living things in this world should have the same kind of soul. Didn''t Elara teach you this in Edenmere?"


    "But why shouldn''t Feliciana''s soul have light elements?" asked Adrian. Though he was quite learned, he was still a beginner when it came to souls.


    "We need to start with the nature of Elemental Angels'' souls..." Sigrid glanced at me and sighed before explaining.


    It turns out Elemental Angels have powers far beyond normal angels because their souls can communicate with and control elements. Regular angels'' souls are basically no different from humans''. Angels are better at light magic mainly because their bodies are made of light elements.


    Almost everything in this world is made of elements, including souls. But normal souls are neutral and don''t show affinity for any element, just like bodies. Elemental Angels'' souls might be the exception.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Though it''s unclear where the four Elemental Angels came from, some of their deeds from the war against the Light God 10,000 years ago are well-known.


    But the power of Elemental Angels in legends was too strong to explain with normal element theory. Controlling elements needs strong mental power, and the soul is the source of the mind. So Sigrid could only guess: each Elemental Angel''s soul might be made of a single element, giving them absolute control over that element. Some call this "Authority".


    There was no proof for this theory, but my appearance provided evidence. In my memories, Sigrid accidentally discovered the secret of Water Angel Gisphrael''s severely damaged soul.


    "If I hadn''t checked many times myself, I wouldn''t believe that you, an angel, have less light elements in your soul than an ordinary human!"


    Sigrid told me this with a wry smile, then gave the final answer about my soul.


    "I can''t sense the rest, but I can guess it''s water elements! The only explanation is - the Water Angel''s soul was diluted! The damaged soul shouldn''t have been able to exist, but somehow it must have fused with an ordinary soul. Since the Water Angel''s soul was probably pure water elements originally, the fused soul now has traces of light elements!"


    "Huh?"


    Even after all our guesses, neither Adrian nor I expected this answer. If true, Cyra was right - I both was and wasn''t the Water Angel''s reincarnation!


    "I never thought two souls could fuse! The fused soul repaired the Water Angel''s damaged soul, becoming one - your current soul!"


    Sigrid exclaimed. We didn''t need more explanation to understand the rest.


    This explained why my water powers were weaker than expected. The Water Angel''s soul avoided dispersing, but became impure due to the "impurities".


    "Don''t be discouraged though. Even if you''re a bit weaker than the original Water Angel, your soul still has very high water affinity. With luck, you might regain full ''Authority''!" Sigrid comforted me.


    "It''s fine, I just wanted to know what was going on with my soul..."


    I couldn''t help but laugh. Learning my soul was a fusion of two was surprising, but thinking about it, it didn''t make much difference to me. I was just glad I didn''t end up with a split personality!


    After all the trouble coming to Crescent City, I finally got an answer to this burning question. It felt like a weight was lifted.


    "So Nicola the Wind Angel''s soul must be complete? No wonder she grows so fast!"


    Adrian mused for a moment. Seeing me back to normal, he smiled. "I thought you might not accept the truth about your soul, but I worried for nothing."


    "Too bad if she still wants to kill you later, I probably can''t stop her. I wonder if there''s another way..."


    Thinking about our falling out, I suddenly felt my powers weren''t enough. But there was nothing to be done about it now.


    "Don''t worry, you''ve still got me!"


    Surprisingly, Cyra who had been meditating spoke up. She opened her eyes and looked at Sigrid, pointing to herself.


    "Can you check my soul too? Maybe I''m also some ancient powerhouse reborn, or even a mixed soul! If I can bring out my true strength and team up with Feliciana, that Nicola girl won''t stand a chance!"


    I perked up. Considering Cyra''s record-breaking two-level jump, even with the Pope''s sacrifice it was quite special. Maybe she really did have some special background.


    "Sorry, but I already know without checking that your soul is ordinary, with no hidden powers!"


    Sigrid smiled at her, then her expression changed as she pointed to the door. "So you can leave! Someone like you who can never calm down can''t be taught even by the best teacher! Don''t ask me to teach you soul communication again. Our Soul Institution won''t welcome you anymore!"


    "What? No way! I only got distracted for a moment..."


    Despite Cyra''s pleas, we ended up being "chased" out of the mage tower together.


    "Well, where should we go next?"


    Leaving the Soul Institute, I felt lost now that my soul question was resolved. I didn''t want to return to Edenmere yet, so I turned to the others for ideas.


    "Why don''t we check out the other academies? It''s still early and not crowded!"


    Cyra seemed eager. Was she hoping to try her luck at other academies? Since when did she get so studious?


    But it really wasn''t that late. Even though I''d dozed off in the tower for a bit, we hadn''t wasted much time. It was about early afternoon now. Suddenly I remembered there was something I should do.

 Vol 5/Chapter 12: Mia is Missing Too

    "What? Even Mia is missing now?"


    When I just connected to Elara''s spiritual network, I got some bad news - Mia, who went to Crestvale Republic, was supposed to check in at noon today, but she didn''t show up.


    You see, Mia isn''t like us new angels who came from another world. She''s Elara''s trusted helper, so this is really strange.


    "No way, did she run into monsters? But Mia is strong, she shouldn''t lose easily! Plus, there aren''t many monsters in Crestvale Republic. Maybe she just got held up by something?"


    I was shocked and shared my thoughts. I wanted to ask about Aria being a spy and check on Nicola, but now I started worrying about Reed too.


    Remember, Reed stayed alone in Crestvale Republic and didn''t come back to Edenmere with the "Eye of Galadra". Now even Mia, who went to protect her, is in trouble. It''s hard not to think the worst.


    "It shouldn''t be! Mia never misses her check-ins when she''s out. But for now, we can only guess. I really hope nothing bad happened to them!" Elara said, sounding worried.


    She lost all contact with Crestvale Republic, so she sent more people to check.


    "Most countries in the south don''t have many monster attacks, so they rarely see angels. Angels shouldn''t be in danger there usually. But there are always exceptions. I''m worried Reed might fly around without knowing the area well. If she crosses the border by accident and the empire finds her, that''d be trouble..."


    She meant the border between the Republic and Ilandra Dominion Empire. That''s where we were exchanged before. The two countries are always fighting, so the border is tense. Even angels can''t cross without causing problems.


    Reed only has two wings. If Mia isn''t with her, she can''t protect herself well. Plus, everyone knows the empire deals with monsters secretly, so they''re not friendly to angels. It''s really worrying.


    You''d think angels would be respected everywhere for helping humans fight monsters. But because of complicated reasons, some countries don''t like angels much. They act nice in public, but who knows what they do in private. Ilandra Dominion is a good example of this.


    "Anyway, I''ll keep waiting for Mia to contact us. You don''t need to worry too much yet. Maybe she really just missed the check-in for some special reason?" Elara said.


    We can only guess for now, so that''s all Elara could decide.


    "I heard the republic''s ships are near Crescent City these days. Maybe we can ask them about the situation there?" I suggested. I care about Reed''s safety because she helped me a lot before.


    "That might work. Let''s do that then!" Elara agreed after thinking for a bit.


    The "Dragon" class airships that survived the Parristol battle surely have magic devices to talk to their country from far away. They agreed to help Mia mainly to stop the empire from getting the sky city of Lantine Oasis. The city collapsed in the end, but they completed their mission.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It''s easy for a big fleet to come, but hard to go back. The way home is very far and they need to go around the empire''s area. So they have to pass through Sage Council''s airspace. I heard the Dragon fleet leaders are talking with Adonis and others about passing through.


    "Besides Reed, there''s another important thing. I heard Nicola left the front line secretly and went back to find you all. Have you met her?"


    Finally! Elara finally mentioned the main issue I joined this call. I quickly told her everything about Aria and what happened this morning.


    "...I''m sorry, I planned to use Aria to lure Nicola to the north..." Elara said after being quiet for a long time. I didn''t say this directly before, but I guess she knew she couldn''t hide it anymore.


    "If Nicola didn''t refuse my request at first, I wouldn''t have had to do this. But I hope you understand, without doing this, the monsters might not have agreed to talk so quickly."


    Elara was being very honest as the leader of the angels. I understood without her explaining more. To stop light elements from growing too fast in the environment, angels need to reduce losses in battles. The best way is to use higher-level angels to attract attention and suppress the enemy.


    But the enemy leader is Michelle, and we''ve seen how strong the Fire Angel is. Elara alone isn''t enough for Edenmere. Nicola, as the reborn Wind Angel, was the best choice to fill the high-level power gap. But sadly, she has memories from her past life like us, so she doesn''t want to fight for the angels.


    "I understand what you mean!" I replied, feeling helpless. Since Nicola admitted she''s reborn, she should take responsibility for the race she created. "But telling me this doesn''t help, right? She didn''t stay and left on her own. Didn''t she contact you?"


    "No! Isn''t she with you now?" Elara asked, surprised. This is serious. We thought Nicola might go back to Edenmere or at least complain to Elara after leaving us. But she disappeared completely.


    "Well, Nicola is an eight-winged angel now, and she''s the Reborn Founder. I can''t control her too much..." Elara said. She had too many things to deal with, so she decided to leave Nicola alone for now. But then she suddenly changed the topic to me.


    "But the news about you and the new king of Parristol is everywhere. Do you really want to be with him?"


    "Well... I..." I tried to avoid this topic before, but she brought it up. It''s really hard to answer. I stuttered, "Maybe... probably... I guess so?"


    "If you like him, just say it! Why are you being so shy? I''ve seen this before!" Elara interrupted me, sounding impatient. Her open-minded attitude surprised me. "Whoever you like is okay! Just don''t be like Aetna! She liked the Pope, which gave me a headache for a while. Good thing that guy is dead now."


    So Elara really hates Cysper! Probably because of the church. And we still don''t know the Pope''s true background, so it''s normal for her to worry.


    I glanced at Cyra. She didn''t join the spiritual network this time because she was afraid of being scolded. She was excitedly running around the streets and shops!


    "If you really like him, I won''t object much. But this situation is rare. According to angel tradition, it must be approved by the council. Of course, he can''t enter Edenmere, so we might tell you another place later!"


    Elara was more open than I imagined, but she still made a troublesome request. Seeing I didn''t respond, she added, "I know you have memories from your past life too, so you might not want to be controlled in these things. But you''re different from Nicola. As part of the angel race, you must follow some rules. Please don''t make it too hard for me..."


    Looks like what I worried about still happened. Getting the council''s approval basically means all those angel council members must agree for Adrian and me to be together. Even though Elara already said she''s okay with it, it''s hard to say if the other council members will agree. They might even say no.


    After the call ended, Adrian and Cyra saw my sour face and couldn''t help but come over to ask what''s wrong.


    "What''s there to be scared of? Worst case, we just don''t go back to Edenmere! The world outside is so big, where got so easy to catch us?"


    After hearing what I said, Cyra quickly gave her opinion. This girl talks like it''s no big deal, but I don''t want to do something so extreme. To be fair, Edenmere has treated us quite well. As a way to pay them back, we really shouldn''t go too far. But thinking about all this now is too early. Plus, we have so many other things to worry about. So I just put it aside for now.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 13: The Hidden Properties of Elements

    Let''s not talk about how we went to the council building to ask Crestvale Republic for help. They needed time to contact their country and find out what''s going on, so we couldn''t get any useful answers quickly.


    We thought about going to Crestvale Republic ourselves, but we wouldn''t be much help in a place we don''t know. Plus, Adrian can''t fly and we can''t leave him behind. So we had to stay in Crescent City and wait for news.


    But we ended up waiting for two or three days. During this time, we still didn''t hear anything about Mia and Reed. We even lost track of Nicola.


    We didn''t just sit around doing nothing though. We found ways to pass the time. Crescent City has many different types of schools and academies. Besides the Earth Academy and Soul Academy we visited before, we spent our free time during the day sneaking into interesting academies to listen to classes.


    Today is the third day...


    "What is the essence of Battle Qi?" the teacher at the Battle Qi Academy asked, pointing to the words "Battle Qi" on the blackboard.


    This place felt much more normal than the weird "cult-like" feeling of the Soul Academy. It looked a lot like a regular university classroom.


    "I know!" An eager student raised his hand and stood up to answer. "Battle Qi is actually a mix of all elements. It only forms when the ratio of each element is just right and balanced."


    "Very good answer!" The teacher nodded, pleased. Then he asked a second question. "Why can''t mages awaken Battle Qi?"


    "I know this too!" The same student stood up again without waiting to be called. "The human body is made of different elements, but the ratio is different for everyone. When one element is much higher than others, that person shows affinity for that element and can become a mage. So mages can never have balanced elements, and Battle Qi users can never have element affinity."


    The student kept answering even though the teacher tried to stop him.


    "That''s mostly correct... but Fred, you should sit down now. You''re preventing other students from speaking," the teacher said, looking a bit helpless. He seemed annoyed that his student was too eager, but he agreed and added an example.


    "For instance, this young lady here is probably a light mage, right? That''s because she has a very high ratio of light elements in her body, so she can use light magic. But Battle Qi is completely different. It needs the user''s body to have balanced elements, with no element standing out. This makes awakening very rare, and Battle Qi users can''t have any element affinity or use any magic."


    The "student" he mentioned was actually me. What bad luck to be called out! It''s strange for a "light mage" to sit in on a Battle Qi class. When all the students turned to look at me, I felt very uncomfortable. I quickly pulled Adrian out of the classroom when the teacher wasn''t looking.


    "The Sage Council really is the top human research group. Even though I''ve awakened Battle Qi, I''m hearing a lot of theories for the first time," Adrian said with admiration after we left the Battle Qi Academy.


    "Yeah, I guess only the Sage Council studies these things so deeply. So even though there are many students learning here, it''s still just a drop in the bucket compared to the whole continent''s population," I said. Then I thought of something else. Even though these element theories don''t sound very complex, don''t forget that the average education level in this world is much lower than on Earth.Stolen story; please report.


    Forget about all these academies in Crescent City. In small towns or villages, many people can''t even read. How could they know about the "true nature of the world"?


    In this world, almost all education is provided by church-funded schools or a few public academies. And that''s just basic education. Higher education is very rare. Regular people can''t afford it, only nobles get the chance.


    So looking at Crescent City managed by the Sage Council, it''s quite amazing that this university-like place can exist long-term.


    "Anyway, since we rarely get to visit Crescent City, why don''t we check out a few more academies?" Adrian suggested. I agreed, so I quickly listed the next few places we had planned to visit.


    On the third day, we went to the Element Theory Academy. We wanted to use our connection with Judith, who was reassigned there, to see if she could find some high-level teachers to give me special lessons on water magic.


    But when we got there, we searched the whole mage tower and couldn''t find her. Maybe she went to see her precious son again. We had no choice but to leave. Just then, we heard an element theory teacher''s voice from a nearby "classroom".


    "Earth, wind, water, fire, light, and dark are just names humans gave based on the simple properties and phenomena of each element. But these are just surface appearances. Each element has deep hidden properties that people don''t know about. For example, we talked before about fire element''s hidden property. Because fire element has very high energy properties, fire magic of the same level is always a bit more powerful than other element magic..."


    This topic sounded interesting! We weren''t planning to listen to the class, but my curiosity was piqued. I quickly pulled Adrian to find a seat and sneak in.


    After all our adventures, I''ve kind of figured out the hidden properties of wind and earth elements - wind''s hidden property is time, and earth''s is space. I''m not sure about light, but maybe it''s mind and soul? But this is the first time I''ve heard about fire element''s hidden property. And most importantly for me, what about water element?


    "Teacher, what exactly is the hidden property of water element?" I couldn''t help asking after the class. We sat at the back and listened to the whole lesson, but the teacher didn''t mention this because it was covered in previous classes.


    "Water element... I''ve actually talked about this before. You''re probably not a formally registered student in our academy, are you?" The female teacher with glasses looked me up and down carefully. She couldn''t tell anything from my hidden wings, so she continued meaningfully, "Instead of telling you the answer directly, why don''t you think about it yourself? Why is water the only element among the six that has true healing magic? What is the elemental essence of healing magic?"


    "Huh? The essence of healing magic?" I was surprised by her question and didn''t notice the teacher had already turned to leave.


    "Yeah, I never thought about that either! Why does healing magic only appear in water magic? Is there something special about it?" Adrian also started thinking deeply, mumbling to himself. "It seems healing magic is indeed special. Like when my arm was cut off and kicked away by Nicola, high-level healing magic could make it regrow quickly. Is the hidden property promoting wound growth? But then again, the arm wouldn''t grow back slowly without healing magic..."


    "Instead of guessing blindly, why don''t we just ask other teachers? It would be easier to get an answer. How about Judith? She''s not here today, but she should be here tomorrow, right?"


    I couldn''t believe we couldn''t find anyone to answer such a simple question. The students who attended the class left very quickly. It must be "school''s out" time. When we came to our senses, we were surprised to find the classroom completely empty.


    Soon it was evening.


    "According to the agreement, the Crestvale Republic representatives will give us their investigation results about Reed and Mia''s whereabouts tomorrow. Remember to wake up early!" I reminded Cyra, feeling a bit worried. She''s been much crazier than Adrian and me these past few days. She''s been in and out of several mage towers every day, visiting almost all the academies, but still hasn''t found what she''s looking for.


    "Of course I know! You''re the one who shouldn''t oversleep. I''m always the one waking you up!" Cyra waved her hand dismissively, pouted, and went back to her room with a "bang" of the door. I couldn''t help but smile. After washing up, I also went to bed.


    But I had no idea that soon after I closed my eyes, when I opened them again, I suddenly found myself in a strange room.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 14: Galadra Shows Up Suddenly

    Is this a dream? Just now I was lying in bed, and suddenly I''m in this strange place.


    What''s weird is the room looks very modern compared to normal houses in this other world. No, maybe "magical" is a better word!


    First thing, there are no windows at all!


    The walls are yellowish-brown and give off a soft light. You can''t see any doors leading outside. The room is quite big, but feels cramped because there''s so much stuff inside.


    All the furniture glows with the same yellowish-brown light as the walls, so no lamps are needed. In the middle is a curved sofa set with a glass table in front. It looks just like the inside of buildings in Central City from 10,000 years ago.


    But the most eye-catching thing is the floating virtual screen in the air. I''ve seen this sci-fi tech before, so I''m not too surprised.


    Unlike the "Eye of Galadra" that shows many views at once, this screen only shows one scene - a strange city. The view is like a hidden camera, showing the everyday life of a normal family, like a documentary.


    But there''s nothing interesting happening, no voice-over, just boring day-to-day stuff.


    Is this another monitoring screen? I can see magic sometimes, so it must be happening on the Eldoria Continent. I watch the "TV" for a bit, but get bored quickly. Finally I ask out loud:


    "Where am I anyway?"


    This feels too real to be a normal dream. It reminds me of when I was possessed by a nightmare in Edenmere. But nightmares can only show things from your memories, and I''ve never seen this room or the stuff on the "TV" before!


    "You''re in my house, of course!"


    Surprisingly, someone answers! A section of wall behind the sofa disappears, revealing a rectangular door. A girl with yellowish-brown hair walks in, her voice very familiar.


    "Cyra?"


    I''m shocked when I see who it is. "What''s going on? Did you do all this?"


    I just saw Cyra before going to sleep, so how can she be here? But she is here, just like how she appeared in the nightmare''s dream. Now I''m doubting what I know again.


    Maybe I did get caught by a nightmare, and this is an upgraded dream? A plus version?


    I quickly look down at my body, worried I might be wearing a wedding dress again. But surprisingly, I find I have no body at all - the space where my lower half should be is empty. But when I look down, my body slowly appears, like coming out of invisibility.


    "Was I invisible just now? But I could see my arms the whole time since I got here. Otherwise I would have noticed earlier..."


    I''m totally confused and can''t help asking questions. At least I''m not wearing a wedding dress, but my clothes are strange - it''s the men''s outfit I used to wear on Earth, a T-shirt and long pants! But my body is still in female angel form, so it doesn''t fit at all. It feels really weird suddenly.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Basically, am I a woman dressed as a man? What a bizarre situation!


    "Actually, you''re in spirit form now, with no physical body. The body you see is created by your own observation... simply put, it''s an illusion from your subconscious," "Cyra" quickly explains. She walks to the sofa and sits down with me. "It''s been a long time since we sisters met, right? You probably don''t recognize me, but I had no choice back then! I came to find you suddenly because something urgent and tricky happened, and we need your help..."


    "So who are you really? If you say I''m in spirit form, but you can see me, does that mean you''re a spirit too?"


    I can''t help doubting her. From what she said and her yellowish-brown hair, so different from Cyra''s, I''m sure this isn''t really Cyra.


    I''ve been in spirit form before, when the God of Light controlled me in the trial space. My consciousness was separated from my body then. But because spirits keep memories from life, I saw lots of people and things I remembered. If Adrian''s spirit hadn''t risked coming to help me, the God of Light might have controlled my spirit too.


    So from experience, I suspect this "Cyra" is like the God of Light, using Cyra''s image from my memory. Maybe her true self can''t be seen!


    "Of course I''m a spirit too, just a bit different from you right now!"


    I didn''t expect her to admit it, but what she said next surprised me. "Actually, everything you see here is temporarily created from elemental energy by me. While my spirit is nearby, it can stay like this. But if I go far away, everything in the room, including the room itself, will turn back into energy and disappear. As for my own body, I gave it up when I entered the cycle of rebirth!"


    "Cycle of rebirth?"


    I''ve heard about the cycle of rebirth before, and suddenly thought of a familiar name. I point at her in disbelief: "Are you Galadra?"


    "Yes, that''s right! I''m Galadra!"


    She seems to find my shocked reaction very funny and giggles behind her hand. "Surprised? Isn''t it strange?"


    Why is this funny? I don''t get the joke at all. But since she says she''s Galadra, I''ll assume she is for now.


    I always thought Galadra, the angel ancestor as famous as Liana, had joined the monsters long ago. So I never expected her to appear to me like this, seemingly without much hostility.


    "So you know I''m... Gisphrael? Do you know about my injured spirit too?"


    I can''t help asking to test her. The four Elemental Angels appeared together, and even Sigrid could only guess about the spirit damage diagnosis. If I could check directly with someone who was there back then, that would be best.


    "Of course I know! So I''m very happy to see your spirit ''alive and full of energy'' in front of me again!" Galadra answers happily, then asks teasingly:


    "So should I call you Gisphrael or Feliciana now?"


    "Feliciana, of course!"


    Do you even need to ask? I quickly make my position clear. But she''s not happy with that, and teases me in a sarcastic tone:


    "Hehe, that won''t do! You know, I always used to call you little Gigi. It feels weird to suddenly change!"


    "Uh..."


    Little Gigi? What kind of nickname is that?! I almost want to bang my head against the wall. I quickly change the subject:


    "Why don''t we talk about something else?"


    A drop of sweat appears on my forehead. As expected of an old monster who died thousands of years ago - this weird sense of humor is hard to deal with! So that''s why she was laughing strangely earlier?


    I already know why Gisphrael''s spirit was injured. But there are still many mysteries unsolved, like how did Nicola''s and my spirits end up on Earth? I don''t really care about these topics now, as they don''t seem very important.


    The main reason is that after learning I''m half of Gisphrael''s reincarnation, I don''t want to live in the shadow of the former Water Angel. Also, Galadra suddenly came to see me in this special way, so she must have some purpose. I decide to find out first:


    "What did you want to see me about?"


    "It''s urgent, of course! Don''t blame me for guiding your spirit out of your body. I don''t have a physical form anymore, so this is the only way I could meet you!"


    She doesn''t beat around the bush. After apologizing, she immediately pours out all her troubles, like someone complaining about their hardships.

 Vol 5/Chapter 15: The Next Target

    "As everyone knows, I entered the Cycle Of Rebirth on what you now call the Dark Continent. Michelle suddenly started hating humans a lot. I didn''t want her to become so extreme, so for thousands of years I''ve kept her locked up in the Cycle, kind of like where you are now..."


    I thought Galadra would talk about urgent matters happening now, but she jumped back 10,000 years instead. I wonder if she''s a social media influencer - why not start from the beginning of the world?


    And "as everyone knows"? I doubt that. But I had heard rumors from Elara about Galadra going to the Dark Continent before monsters became powerful. So I didn''t interrupt and let her continue.


    "Three years ago, a mysterious person suddenly appeared. Somehow they secretly broke the space limits and freed Michelle! As soon as Michelle was free, she used her power to conquer the dark element creatures living on the Dark Continent. In a very short time, she united the whole Dark Continent, called herself the God of Fire, and even set up some Dark Council!"


    Galadra sighed, remembering how close the four Elemental Angels used to be.


    "Once she left the Cycle, it wasn''t so easy for me to lock her up again with my power. I understand why Michelle did all this on the Dark Continent. She was locked up for thousands of years, so she must have felt very frustrated. So I agreed with Michelle that as long as she didn''t bother human countries, I''d leave her alone for now. Dark element creatures have always been enemies with humans for thousands of years, so when she asked many times, I even agreed to help her a bit, like with the ''Eye of Galadra'' and such. But I didn''t expect that thousands of years still didn''t soften the hate in her heart. After uniting the Dark Continent, Michelle stayed quiet for a few years. But in the end, she broke our agreement and started bothering southern Eldoria Continent through the Barren Lands. Finally, we split up again."


    Seeing the sad look on her face, I knew I guessed right! I was sent to the Dark Continent before, so I know Michelle''s position in the monster army well. But I was wrong that Galadra was on their side. If she''s not lying to me, I must have misunderstood her before.


    "After splitting up with Michelle again, I finally found where she was a year ago. She seemed to have suffered a big loss and was badly hurt. So I easily locked her up again without much trouble."


    Galadra kept talking, but now she gave me a meaningful look.


    "But then something strange happened. In the outside world, there was still a lively Michelle leading dark element creatures to cause trouble everywhere. This was unheard of! Michelle is good with energy, but I never heard she could have a clone! Thinking back to how hurt she was when I caught her again, normal humans definitely couldn''t cause that much damage. After asking questions, I finally understood this was because future Liana controlled time."


    Hearing this, I suddenly understood. She meant future twelve-winged Nicola sending Michelle back one year. I already knew Michelle went back to the past when she invaded Edenmere, but I never expected this small story had such big consequences.


    "Normally, Liana couldn''t just appear on Eldoria Continent without my help. Plus there was another Michelle outside. I couldn''t keep two Fire Angels locked up by myself! So I decided to go along with the future and try to bring Liana back from Earth to help. Right then, under Michelle''s lead, dark element creatures got some news from somewhere. They were attacking the Angel Descent Formation that the angel clan was doing in Elara Woodlands with all their strength. The Angel Descent Formation happened to connect to the Cycle Of Rebirth, so I took the chance to change where the Formation connected. I made the space opening lead to Earth where Liana should be..."


    "Ah? So back then it was you... you..."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I was totally confused. I pointed at Galadra with my mouth open, too shocked to say a full sentence for a long time. So she was behind it all. Galadra was the reason we crossed over!


    "What''s wrong?"


    The most annoying thing was, the culprit was looking at me confused, not understanding why I reacted like this.


    I guess it makes sense. She didn''t need to care about a few humans from another world dying. She couldn''t know that because of what she did, more than ten of my classmates died horribly at the hands of monsters. She even smiled and sighed. "I didn''t expect you''d come back with Liana. Maybe it was really fate. Thanks to monsters interrupting the Angel Descent Formation at the last minute, I got this chance, so..."


    "Welcome back, Feliciana!"


    "This... I..."


    Looking at Galadra''s sincere smile as she opened her arms to me, I felt a bit moved. After hesitating for a while, I finally gave up on scolding her and hugged her back.


    Maybe it was my imagination, but even though Galadra didn''t have a real body now and I was in spirit form, she still gave me a strange warmth. When we separated again, I decided to put aside the issue of my classmates for now and ask from a different angle.


    "So you knew from the start that Nicola... Liana''s soul and mine were on Earth?"


    "Of course! Actually, I sent you two there myself. Do you want to know the exact reason? That''s another long story!"


    Covering her mouth and laughing again, Galadra asked me even though she knew the answer.


    "Uh, why don''t we get back to the main topic? What''s the crisis you need my help with?"


    I don''t really want to hear much about Gisphrael''s past. I''m a tiny bit curious, but the most important thing now is finding out what urgent situation she''s talking about. Okay, basically I just don''t want her to talk about the past and tease me on purpose again. This Galadra seems to like playing tricks on people. I don''t have most of Gisphrael''s memories, so just thinking about that makes me feel awkward.


    "What crisis could there be? Of course it''s that troublemaker Michelle again!"


    Galadra''s face darkened when she mentioned Michelle again.


    From what she said next, I can sum it up in one sentence: The Michelle who was locked up in the past escaped again, and after losing several fights, she finally couldn''t hold back and started going after Galadra too.


    Maybe because she escaped once before and got some experience, this time Michelle only took about a year to figure out how to break free on her own. She escaped using just her own power. After being hurt by twelve-winged Nicola, her power increased even more. Now Galadra has no body and can''t do anything about her.


    After being badly beaten in Edenmere and escaping back, Michelle returned to the Dark Continent and asked Galadra for help several times. She wanted celestial weapons like the "Eye of Galadra" again, but was firmly refused. But things didn''t end there. Knowing Michelle wouldn''t give up easily, Galadra finally got news in the last few days that Michelle might lose patience and go after the Cycle Of Rebirth.


    Getting the Cycle Of Rebirth would indirectly control souls being reborn, which would definitely have many extra benefits. This was happening right after Parristol crashed and Fernando''s plan failed and he ran away. Michelle might have heard the news and decide to do this in anger.


    "But how can she do it? Isn''t the Cycle Of Rebirth in another space?"


    I doubted a bit. Michelle herself can''t control space. She was able to escape on her own last time because of her previous experience. Finding the Cycle Of Rebirth in another space again without Galadra''s help would definitely be very difficult.


    "...I''m afraid it might be hard for you to understand, so let me show you."


    After hesitating a bit, Galadra looked at the huge virtual screen in front still showing scenes of family life. She bit her lip and skillfully started controlling it. "This is equipment for watching the outside world. I''m the Earth Angel, and even though I don''t have a body anymore, I can still freely control earth elements to watch the real world through my soul''s projection outside. This means I can use this to freely check real-time scenes of any place in the outside world that has earth elements."


    I get it! The "Eye of Galadra" has this function too! Galadra very skillfully zoomed the scene out to a map level, then zoomed in and focused on another area. She pointed at a mirror-like dome in the forest and explained:


    "From what some dark element creatures say day to day, I know their next target is this place! It should be near the eastern border of Ilandra Dominion Empire. But sadly, I can''t see anything inside the dome because it blocks out earth elements. What''s worse is, the next projection of the Cycle Of Rebirth will appear nearby. So I''m really worried Michelle might have some bad plans..."


    Doesn''t Ilandra Dominion usually work with monsters? Why would monsters target the empire''s land? This information is very unusual!


    Thinking of this, I frowned a bit. Could there really be something fishy going on?

 Vol 5/ Chapter 16: A Thousands-Year Homebody

    To understand what the Cycle of Rebirth''s projection is, we need to explain the Cycle of Rebirth first.


    Galadra created the Cycle of Rebirth using her own power. Its job is to manage souls and guide them to be reborn. Besides angels, some humans on Eldoria Continent know about this too. To me, it''s a lot like the legends on Earth.


    The Cycle of Rebirth manages souls and guides them to be reborn. So the main element isn''t light, like you might think, but earth!


    Earth element has a hidden space ability. This is needed to make sure every soul can quickly come to the Cycle of Rebirth after death, and be reborn anywhere in the world. Of course, the Cycle of Rebirth isn''t just pure earth element. It uses all elements except fire to do things like erase souls'' memories.


    Galadra says the Cycle of Rebirth was born on the Dark Continent. But for safety and secrecy, it''s actually hidden in a high-dimension space. The room we''re in now is inside the Cycle of Rebirth. Galadra made it specially, and says it''s set up like the room Michelle was locked in before. But Michelle was physical then, and I''m a spirit now. Usually, only formless spirits can break space limits to come here.


    It''s like how angels use "Spiritual Convergence" magic to talk. You can use it anywhere there''s continuous light element. The Cycle of Rebirth is the same. Anywhere there''s continuous earth element, Galadra can use her space power to collect dead souls from the world into the Cycle of Rebirth, then send them out to be reborn.


    But there''s no earth element in this high-dimension space where the Cycle of Rebirth is (actually no elements at all). And it can''t just drop into the low-dimension world anytime. So to manage souls from other worlds, it has to project outside. The Galadra I see now isn''t her real soul. She''s just a small part of mental power split from the Cycle of Rebirth, like a "clone". Galadra, whose soul became the Cycle of Rebirth, can make many of these "clones". But her mind still needs to project to go outside, so she has many limits. This gives Michelle outside many chances.


    In the end, without help from others, Galadra can''t easily stop Michelle and her followers in the real world. Michelle might even be able to use the projection to find the exact location of the Cycle of Rebirth. Then it would be even harder to guard!


    "But I''m probably not strong enough to beat Michelle, right?"


    I remember how hard it was to fight Fernando and Mirium alone on Chromos Tower. If I agree to help, wouldn''t I just be going to die for nothing?


    Michelle escaped from Edenmere badly hurt a long time ago. She must be mostly healed by now. This kind of "rough job" shouldn''t be for me, right?


    "You''re Gisphrael''s reincarnation. Even though your damaged soul makes it hard to get back all your original power, you should still be able to manage in special situations. Haven''t you noticed? Whenever there''s a crisis, you always find ways to break through using water element power. Maybe this is a chance!"


    Galadra gave me a meaningful look, then turned back to the virtual screen. But she seemed a bit distracted.


    I know she has a point. My blue wing state suddenly woke up in a dangerous moment like this. Adonis and the others predicted they saw me using water element even more in the future. But Adrian changed history and saved me early from the Slime King''s body. So the "cheat code" that just arrived got stuck activating and quit. I lost a big chance to get stronger.


    Of course I don''t blame Adrian. But I''m starting to think maybe I shouldn''t be so careful all the time. Nicola already has eight wings. I can''t compare to her naturally, but I still only have six wings. I''ve been stuck at this level for a long time. If I want to protect Adrian, I can''t always depend on the Sage Council. I need to find a way to get stronger myself.Stolen story; please report.


    "You can relax completely. You still have me! Even though my power is limited now, I can still barely provide some teleporting and help with earth element stuff. If that''s not enough, I can bring in a few helpers for you! Then you won''t be afraid, right?"


    Galadra stared at the screen thinking for a while. Finally she gave me an unreliable safety guarantee without turning around. But even so, I can''t agree to her request right away. After all, our group has stayed in Crescent City so many days to wait for news for Reed. We need to wait for tomorrow''s results before deciding what to do.


    "It''s okay. You can contact me anytime where there''s earth element. I left several clones in the outside world. Just call me when you decide! But hurry up, there''s not much time left!"


    She waved her hand carelessly, as if she already knew all my worries.


    She switched the virtual screen back to the city I saw when I first came in. It was still that same family, still that view like peeking, and she was watching with great interest. I got curious and couldn''t help asking.


    "Why do you keep watching these people? Is something wrong with them? Don''t tell me they''re actually monster spies in the human world!"


    "Huh? No, of course not!"


    Galadra turned back surprised. She pointed at a pitiful-looking woman on the screen and explained.


    "This is actually a small country in the southwest of the continent, called Saint Agnes. It''s very far from the north! Dark element creatures rarely invade there. This woman is a refugee from a neighboring country. Her original country was ruined by war. To survive, she married into a rich local family as a second wife. But her mother-in-law and the first wife don''t like her, so she works hard every day to keep up with housework..."


    So it''s just ordinary family drama! What''s so special about that? To me it''s not worth mentioning, but Galadra doesn''t think so.


    "Why is it boring? It''s very interesting! These humans are so pitiful. I''ve seen many people in similar situations before, but most of their exact circumstances are different. Human family relationships are really complicated! It''s heartbreaking to watch. So sometimes I secretly give a little help to interfere a bit. Like the one you see now, she''s about to turn things around and become the main wife. These few days are the key time!"


    I finally understand. She''s watching these real family problems like a soap opera! But that''s not quite right. Since she can interfere a bit, Galadra is actually playing these real stories like an interactive game. No wonder she never gets tired of it!


    "Don''t tell me you''ve been stuck in rooms like this playing these games all these years?"


    I can''t help asking suspiciously. From how she talks, she seems to know a lot. Obviously, she''s very skilled at changing people''s lives without being noticed, which is very hard to do.


    "What do you mean games? This is observation, understand? How else would I know where people die and where people need to be reborn? Even if I can''t help changing some humans'' futures a bit sometimes, I can''t help it. I''m very bored, you know!"


    Galadra immediately argued back confidently, taking the chance to complain. "You know, sending lots of clones to project onto the outside world uses up a lot of my mental power. So it''s simpler and easier to do it this way! And watching human activities is really interesting, just like you told me back then!"


    Okay, it seems she''s gone a bit crazy from being cooped up. I have nothing to say. But what did I tell her back then? After a while I realized Galadra must mean Gisphrael, so of course I don''t remember.


    It turns out that not just these years, but for several thousand years, Galadra has mostly been stuck in this kind of place. She watches all kinds of human activities on the continent indirectly. Not just the family drama "ethical play" I saw, but also adventurers going out to fight, city guards investigating cases, and so on. All kinds of stories. She''s just like a super homebody sitting in front of a computer!


    Come to think of it, the founder of the angel clan is actually a thousand-year homebody? She doesn''t do important things all day, just likes to peek at human family drama. If this big news got out, Edenmere would probably hang its head in shame. Of course, this world probably doesn''t have words like "homebody" anyway...


    "Anyway, go back and think it over! We sisters haven''t seen each other for so long. It would be too mean if you didn''t help with this little thing! If I really get bitten back by that brat Michelle, it would be so embarrassing! And the Cycle of Rebirth was your idea first, so you should take some responsibility, right?"


    She must be annoyed that I''m sitting beside her disturbing her TV watching. Galadra impatiently starts to send me away. She lies down on the sofa, instantly showing her "true form".


    She takes a lazy pose and waves at me. Suddenly everything spins, and when I open my eyes next second, I see another strange sight.


    First I see a bunch of bright golden hair, hanging down to my neck. It feels a bit itchy. Strangely, this head with golden hair is moving around on my chest, as if smelling something, or maybe checking my body...

 Vol 5/ Chapter 17: The Republics Intelligence

    "Oi, who are you? What are you doing?"


    After a moment, I finally realized someone was messing with my clothes! I quickly rolled over, covering my chest and jumping off the bed. I tried to kick the person.


    This was the same hotel room I fell asleep in earlier. Waking up meant Galadra had sent my soul back to my body. But who was this uninvited guest trying to take advantage of me?


    My kick missed as she dodged at the last second. The intruder jumped back to the corner, moving very fast. Her hair was messy and the room was dark, so I couldn''t see their face clearly.


    The worst part was, my angry shout woke up the whole hotel. Adrian from next door rushed in, looking worried.


    "Feliciana, what''s going on?"


    "Uh... it''s probably nothing..."


    I thought I recognized the blonde girl, but to calm Adrian, I quickly added, "Don''t worry, it''s a girl!"


    "A girl? Isn''t that more dangerous?"


    Adrian got even more nervous hearing that. He was probably still traumatized from what happened with Nicola. He stepped forward to grab the intruder and see who it was.


    "Get away from me, you idiot!"


    As soon as the man touched her, the blonde girl yanked herself free and spread her three pairs of wings.


    Adrian was stunned. Even though he was used to angels, he''d never seen this one before and didn''t know how to react.


    "Um... I guess she''s my friend from Edenmere?"


    I knew I guessed right, but because of her complicated identity, that''s all I could say. Then I turned to question her. "But Aria, why did you sneak into my room in the middle of the night and do something so easy to misunderstand? Can you explain?"


    "What misunderstanding?" Adrian asked, confused again.


    "Nothing... let''s hear what she has to say first!"


    I quickly tried to calm him down. I looked at my chest and sighed in relief. Luckily my clothes had fallen back down, so nothing was showing. But Aria seemed unimpressed. She cupped her own chest and said sarcastically:


    "You don''t have much to worry about anyway. Mine are bigger! Besides, even if I wanted to do something bad, I wouldn''t go for that part of you!"


    Aiya, sister, is this really okay to say? Even if I don''t mind, there''s someone else here watching!


    "Can you wait outside for me... don''t worry, I''m fine!"


    Aria probably came to talk about going back to Edenmere. With others around, she might be careful about her undercover identity and not say everything. So I decided to politely ask Adrian to leave, to avoid him overthinking things.


    "Are you sure you''re okay? I''ll wait right outside. If anything dangerous happens, call me right away!"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Even though Adrian still seemed doubtful, he finally agreed after I insisted.


    I could imagine his reaction if he heard that Aria had betrayed Edenmere and left with Michelle. Even though there were reasons behind it and it wasn''t the full truth, it would take a lot of explaining.


    "Okay, what''s this about?"


    With just me and Aria left in the room, I closed the door and got straight to the point.


    "What else could it be? It''s about me! How''s your contact with Edenmere going? Looks like you''ve been having fun these past few days..."


    I couldn''t help rolling my eyes. Aria was usually quite proud, but now she had to lower her head since she needed help.


    "Even if it''s about that, you didn''t need to come find me at night. Breaking into my room like this is too much. Who knows if you had other intentions?"


    Her answer wasn''t surprising - I had pretty much guessed it already. But remembering what happened when I woke up still made me shudder, so I scolded her.


    "It''s because you looked so weird when you were sleeping, like a dead person!"


    Aria immediately argued back, with a strange look on her face.


    "But we''re angels. Even if we really died, we shouldn''t leave any body behind. So when I saw you weren''t even breathing, but your body hadn''t disappeared at all, I got curious and came to check. I smelled you first but there was no stink like human corpses. Then I touched you and found your body was ice cold. That''s when you suddenly woke up..."


    "Nonsense! Even if you wanted to check, couldn''t you have touched somewhere else?"


    Hearing her explanation, I complained grumpily. But inside I felt relieved - it seemed it was all just a misunderstanding. Of course, I couldn''t tell her about my soul leaving my body to visit the Earth Angel Galadra.


    "Don''t worry about how I sleep. As for Edenmere, Elara already told me about your undercover identity. So you can go back to Edenmere properly now!"


    Normally, I wouldn''t let anyone get so close even when I''m sleeping. But I didn''t want to dwell on that, so I just told Aria what she most wanted to hear.


    "Really? Thank you so much! I''ll remember this favor. Next time we''re back in Edenmere, I''ll treat you to a meal!"


    Surprisingly, she was so happy that she suddenly pounced on me and gave me a big kiss on the cheek. Then she spread her wings and flew out the window towards the northern border.


    "Tsk, caught off guard..."


    Watching her disappear into the night sky, I couldn''t help rubbing my cheek hard. Good thing Aria doesn''t wear lipstick like other girls, or it would be hard to explain to Adrian.


    Wait, why am I so worried about my reputation when she''s a girl too? Have I been influenced by someone?


    Suddenly I realized something, but there was no one to answer me.


    Nothing much happened after that.


    The next morning, when we arrived at the Sage Council building in central Crescent City, the Republic''s envoy was waiting with news about Reed as promised.


    "Our intelligence agents in the area near the Empire''s border have gathered some eyewitness reports. They mostly happened on the night five days ago, around when Parristol crashed. Someone accidentally saw angel-like creatures flying in the sky towards the Ilandra Dominion Empire. But because it was dark, they couldn''t see how many wings there were. Some said eight wings, some said two wings, and there were reports of other numbers too. So we can''t be sure. But we can say your friends were probably moving on their own will. It''s unlikely they''re in danger or captured..."


    To be honest, even though the Republic''s news wasn''t very detailed, it gave us a valuable clue to find Reed.


    "But if they''re not in danger, why haven''t they contacted us yet?"


    Cyra didn''t understand. Of course, that''s what we all wanted to know, but the Republic''s envoy couldn''t answer us either.


    But when they showed us the map of the Republic''s border area where the angels were seen, I immediately squeezed Adrian''s hand hard.


    He turned to look at me in surprise. Seeing my expression, he seemed to understand what it meant, and could guess Reed''s situation.


    This border map lined up perfectly with the Ilandra Dominion map Galadra showed me before. The only difference was it mostly showed the Republic''s territory. But just across that red border line was the area covered by that barrier even Galadra couldn''t see through. However, this map didn''t show the barrier.


    "How do you know about that?"


    When we asked the Republic''s envoy about the barrier, they looked up in shock and disbelief.


    "That''s a huge anti-detection magic barrier that the Empire''s border base just activated two days ago. It blocks out everything from the outside, including any enemy magic or spying. If your friends accidentally went in there, they''d definitely lose contact with the outside. But why would they do that? That Empire base is heavily guarded all year round and very secretive. Even our spies can barely get any reliable information. Even for angels, it''s hard to say if it''s safe to go there!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 18: Heading to the Empire

    So that''s how it is! After hearing the Republic envoy''s explanation, I had an idea. It seemed very likely that Reed had entered the area protected by that barrier. As for Mia, based on the evidence, she probably found out where Reed was going and followed to protect her.


    But these were just guesses. We didn''t know for sure what happened. With Mia there, Reed might not be in too much danger. But since they hadn''t come out after so many days, something must have gone wrong. Maybe they were trapped somehow. To find them, we''d have to go to Ilandra Empire!


    "Thank you very much for the information. It''s been a big help. No matter what happens, Edenmere promises to send an envoy to thank your country soon," I told the Republic envoy, passing on Elara''s message.


    The Republic fleet had already flown far away after a few days and was about to return home. This envoy came back specially to give us the news. Because of their friendly attitude towards angels, we naturally had to treat them well too.


    Worried about Reed''s safety, Elara and I were already connected through our mental network before the meeting. So all the information was immediately passed on to her.


    "Since you already agreed to Galadra''s request to go to Ilandra Dominion, I won''t stop you. But I feel this whole situation is a bit strange. I have a bad feeling about it..."


    The situation in the north was better now. Plus, this involved the Founder, the Cycle of Rebirth, and Reed''s safety. So Elara couldn''t ignore it like before. But because the journey was so long, her help might be a bit delayed.


    "In about three days, Shirley will lead the Fifth Angel Legion to meet you at the target location. The Empire is vast, but they''re not as friendly to angels as the northern countries. Remember to be very careful. Don''t act rashly!"


    After reminding me of these things, she quickly left the spiritual network.


    Back in reality, I nodded at Adrian. Like Elara, he had heard the whole story about Galadra asking for my help last night. So he immediately understood what I wanted to say.


    For the next while, everyone was busy getting ready. We were mainly buying supplies in different parts of the city for the upcoming journey.


    When I finished packing my things in the room and was about to check out of the adventurers'' inn, I suddenly heard Judith''s voice from outside.


    "Hehe! Looks like you all are getting ready to leave. Is this sneaking away without saying goodbye? Not very nice of you!"


    Since returning to the Sage Council, Judith had gone back to her job as an elemental theory researcher. She''d been busy running between work at the academy and visiting her son. We hardly saw her during this time.


    But surprisingly, our plan to leave Crescent City didn''t escape her notice. It was quite rare for her to show up here directly. She walked in from outside and looked around the room, asking:


    "I remember Meredith promised you all a free fortune-telling session. Don''t you want to use that before you go?"


    "That won''t be necessary!"


    Mentioning Meredith reminded me of her stunning black dress, which still left a deep impression on me. But hearing about fortune-telling, I wanted to run away! How could I possibly fall into that trap again? So I quickly waved my hands to refuse.


    "Hmph... Then how about I have my son throw you a farewell party?"


    Judith didn''t seem surprised by my answer. She held up her finger, looking proud, and suggested a send-off for us. "Why not bring some bodyguards too? It should be normal for the Fate Breaker to have these special treatments. If I insist strongly, he won''t dare refuse!"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    But I politely declined again. I knew she was reluctant to see us go, but there was a reason behind this...


    We didn''t tell Adonis and Judith we were leaving ahead of time on purpose, not because we didn''t have time or forgot. We mainly didn''t want to make the goodbye too sad.


    It was okay for Elara, Adrian, and the others to know about Galadra and the Cycle of Rebirth, since they were involved. But there was no need to let more people know and have the Sage Council find out. So in others'' eyes, this trip to Ilandra Dominion was just about rescuing Reed, which was angel business. The Sage Council didn''t need to get involved.


    But if Judith knew we were leaving soon, there would probably be all sorts of emotional scenes. The goodbye might drag on for a very long time. Just thinking about how the Pope and his group in the holy city of Jethrobaines had "eighteen farewells" made my scalp tingle...


    Plus, there was a very important thing we needed to do after leaving the city. It wouldn''t be good to waste time on this. So I had planned to just leave a letter in the inn room briefly explaining where we were going, and leave without saying goodbye. But now it looked like that plan had failed...


    "Um... how about..."


    To be honest, I was getting a bit anxious. I couldn''t think of a good excuse and tried to change the subject. After all, I had agreed to meet Adrian and the others at the city gate in ten minutes. What if I was late because of this unexpected hold-up?


    "Alright, I won''t force you!"


    Surprisingly, Judith changed her mind when she saw how I looked. She made a very helpless expression. "Actually, my son has been very busy these past two days. He often doesn''t have time for me, let alone for a farewell party! I guess you''re just unlucky..."


    "Hmph, I wanted to show off my good son''s abilities to you some more, but you''re all leaving. What a pity. Well then, goodbye and take care!"


    After saying this, Judith waved her hand, pretending to be angry. She turned around and left without looking back.


    Is such bad acting really necessary? I couldn''t help but feel both amused and touched watching Judith leave. I knew she said that to avoid making things difficult for me. Maybe we''d have a chance to meet again in the near future.


    Soon it was past noon.


    Adrian, Cyra and I finally left the city and arrived outside Crescent City''s gate.


    "Are you sure we should wait here?" Cyra asked me doubtfully. There was no one else around yet.


    In front of us was a green meadow outside Crescent City. It was far from the main road and hardly anyone came here. But we didn''t come here to find a place to take off. After all, Adrian couldn''t fly. Carrying a grown man and flying thousands of miles to the empire''s southeast border would waste too much energy.


    You should know that Ilandra Dominion''s total land area is about six or seven times as big as the Astralrealm kingdom. It''s one of the few super-large countries on the continent! Even if angels flew at full speed, it would take at least one or two days to go from north to south. For a rescue mission, speed is crucial. There''s no need to waste energy on this.


    Plus, we had to consider if Nicola might be hiding somewhere, waiting to attack Adrian after we left Crescent City. So flying normally to our destination definitely wouldn''t work.


    Of course, the main reason was that we actually had a better option...


    "Come out! I know you''re secretly watching us!"


    I shouted at the air around us, imagining Galadra slouching on the sofa, staring intently at a virtual screen. But after calling several times with no response, I started to panic.


    Oh no! Did that guy get too caught up in "drama-watching" and forget that we needed her help to teleport? If there''s no response for a long time, what should I do? How can I explain this to Adrian and the others?


    "Coming, coming!"


    Another minute passed. I called out several more times with still no response. Just when the others were about to lose patience, a familiar voice finally appeared at the last moment. Then a small figure suddenly materialized in front of us.


    It was a miniature Galadra, about the size of a 10-year-old human girl. She looked very cute, and you could vaguely make out what she would look like "grown up".


    "Whoa, where did this loli come from? Kawaii!"


    Cyra immediately started speaking Japanese, looking like a creepy uncle. She reached out to pat the little one''s head. "Could you be the legendary Galadra? So you''re a loli?"


    But the next second, her fingers passed right through little Galadra''s body. It turns out this wasn''t a real body, but an illusion.


    "Sorry, projecting my avatar to the continent takes a lot of energy. I have limited power left, and I still need to provide long-distance teleportation later. So to save energy for possible unexpected situations, I can only use an illusion for now."


    Galadra, that ancient immortal angel, of course knew what Cyra wanted to do. She covered her mouth and teased. It wasn''t clear if what she said was true, or if she just turned into an illusion to annoy Cyra.


    But after seeing Cyra''s face clearly, Galadra''s expression suddenly turned strange for a moment. She paused slightly, almost unnoticeably. But this expression disappeared quickly and she soon returned to normal. If you weren''t paying attention, you wouldn''t have noticed at all.


    Strange, does she have some special thoughts about Cyra? I saw all of this, but I still couldn''t figure out what it meant.


    Cyra must be really dense. She didn''t realize at all that this little Galadra actually looked just like a miniature version of herself.

 Vol 5/Chapter 19: The Mysterious Border Military Base

    This was the southeast part of the Ilandra Dominion. Galadra had teleported us to a spot right in the middle of a forest.


    It was very hot here. Because of the wet climate, the trees in the south grew thicker than in the north.


    When I first came to this world, I arrived at the Elara Woodlands. That place had mostly pine trees and tall trees. But here, we saw mostly small bushes. There was green moss and vines everywhere, wrapped around tree trunks and rocks. It was a completely different ecosystem.


    With so many plants, there must be many animals too! We could hear different animal calls from nearby. If you paid attention, you could see all kinds of small animals running around. The jungle was very lively! There were even some magical creatures.


    "No way, are there so many magical beasts in the south?" Cyra was very surprised when she saw this. We had never seen anything like this before. You know, we are angels! Even though we had put away our wings, the light energy we gave off should scare normal magical beasts.


    But the magical beasts in this forest didn''t avoid us. They didn''t dare come right up to us, but they came quite close.


    Magical beasts with no or very low intelligence are usually called "monster beasts". Compared to smart and powerful magical creatures, monster beasts act more on instinct. To humans, they''re basically just wild animals changed by dark energy.


    Because light and dark are naturally opposite in this world, monster beasts are usually very afraid of light mages. When they sense light energy, they usually stay far away. And they''re even more scared of angels!


    But strangely, several small monster beasts that looked like wild cats ran past us just two or three meters away. They didn''t even look at us. They didn''t show any anger either. It was like we didn''t exist at all.


    "These magical creatures escaped from the north to here a long time ago," Galadra explained casually. "They''ve lived here for many generations. Their habits are very different now."


    "I see! No wonder the dark energy from these monster beasts feels so weak!" I suddenly understood. It was still stronger than normal animals, but much weaker than the ones invading humans in the north.


    Magical creatures breed very fast. But in the south, they might not find enough of their own kind. So they often have to breed with normal wild animals. Sometimes they even have to breed with different species. So it''s normal that their dark energy became weaker.


    I should explain something here. Of course there are barriers between species, even in this magic world. But dark energy creatures are very special (angels have wings which is different, but our bodies are mostly the same as humans).


    Usually, the more dark energy a magical creature has (you could say the more "changed" high-level magical creatures are), the more likely they can have babies with completely different species. But high-level magical creatures are usually very smart. They prefer to breed with their own kind. Also, many mixed babies have problems and can''t survive or fight well. So we don''t see too many mixed magical creatures.


    "This dark energy is quite strange!" Cyra said thoughtfully after hearing my explanation. "It can turn people into zombies and break barriers between species. It feels familiar somehow..."


    "Now is not the time to discuss this," Galadra interrupted, looking at her meaningfully. "Don''t forget why I brought you here!" After all, we didn''t come here to study nature. We came to help her get through a difficult time.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "When exactly will the Cycle of Rebirth projection come? Should we wait here? But..." Adrian frowned, worried about wasting time just waiting around.


    I had wanted to leave him and Cyra in Crescent City and come alone. But they strongly disagreed. Luckily Galadra didn''t mind, so we all came together.


    Thinking about it again, this wasn''t bad! At least Nicola probably couldn''t find Adrian so far away. Even after several days, it would still be risky for them to meet outside Crescent City! Knowing how stubborn and proud Nicola is, it''s best to wait longer. Maybe after the anger passes, both sides will be easier to talk to!


    "Why don''t we go investigate over there?" Cyra had flown up into the air. She pointed in the distance, suggesting to us.


    "Is that the empire''s military base the republic''s messenger talked about?"


    When Adrian and I flew up, we first saw a huge shiny shield. It looked very out of place suddenly appearing in the endless forest.


    This wasn''t the first time we learned about it. What we saw looked almost exactly the same as what Galadra showed us on her virtual screen before. The only difference was that there seemed to be a new cleared area around the edge of the shield. There was a wire fence on the cleared ground, clearly to keep things out.


    "If you really want to investigate, that''s okay," Galadra said casually. She was floating beside us without needing to fly since she wasn''t solid now. "But don''t go in too deep. Nobody knows what''s in there. It''s best to save your strength."


    "To save energy, I''ll go back now. The Cycle of Rebirth projection will come to this forest at midnight tomorrow. Don''t forget when you''re busy rescuing your friends!" Maybe she was in a hurry to get back to her TV dramas. She made up this excuse and disappeared.


    The Ilandra Dominion doesn''t have any really famous talents like Adonis. Maybe because the enemy is normal humans, she wasn''t very worried about our safety.


    This military base was built completely in the jungle, near the empire''s eastern border. It was only a few kilometers from where we were standing.


    In just a few minutes, we flew to the fence at the edge of the shield. There were no guards patrolling around. Clearly the fence was mainly to stop animals from wandering in by accident.


    "Hey, this thing is just a light element isolator!" Cyra said as she looked closely at the shield. The surface looked even smoother up close, almost like a mirror reflecting light perfectly. Cyra stood in front of the "mirror", posing and looking at her slightly twisted reflection.


    "It''s not exactly the same," I disagreed. "Light element isolators only block light elements. But this shield blocks all types of elements!"


    I could see they were similar. Maybe they were related. But that doesn''t mean they''re the same thing.


    I had never seen such a big light element isolator before. It probably covered several million square meters! Bigger than a football field! To keep such a huge shield working for a long time, you would need a magic circle of the same size to support it.


    "Should we just go in then?" Adrian suggested. The fence was useless to us of course. "If we just investigate around the edge without going deep, can we feel Reed and the others'' energy?"


    "But the area inside is so big," I hesitated a bit, but finally chose to take the risk. "If they don''t open their wings, I think it will be hard to find them. We can only try our luck..."


    Whatever! Since we came all this way, and the information says Reed and Mia are probably inside, how could we be satisfied without sneaking in to investigate?


    Of course the shield wasn''t solid. But when we easily crossed the fence and went inside, we were shocked.


    "Huh? There''s another layer?" Cyra''s mouth fell open as she looked up at the second "shield" in front of her. She could hardly believe her eyes.


    To be exact, this layer wasn''t really a shield. It was a building! But it had the same dome shape as the shield, like a huge yurt covering everything important inside. The outer wall was only one or two meters from the edge of the shield. When we first went in, we almost bumped into it.


    This was bad. With a solid building blocking the way, we not only couldn''t see what was inside from the outside, but it also became very hard to get in!


    We couldn''t see any entrance on this side. Unlike outside the shield, we could faintly hear the footsteps of empire soldiers patrolling and training in the distance.


    Even though it should be very dark inside the shield since it blocked outside light, there was a ring of very bright magic lights around the top of the building. There were several hundred of them! They lit up the whole military base area.


    "Maybe we should retreat for now and make a better plan?" Adrian suggested carefully. He couldn''t guess it would be like this inside.


    "Agree!"


    "Agreed!"


    Cyra and I said at the same time. The patrolling footsteps in the distance seemed to be getting closer. If we didn''t want to be discovered for nothing, retreating was definitely the smartest choice.

 Vol 5/Chapter 20: Disguise and Infiltration

    "But what should we do next?" Cyra finally relaxed after we left the shield and hid in the forest to be safe.


    She was as eager as me to rescue Reed, but only a fool would try to break in now.


    "That dome-shaped building seems to cover most of the military base. The messenger from the Republic never mentioned it. If such a huge building existed before the outer shield appeared, the Republic would have noticed for sure. Was it really built in just the past two days?" Adrian seemed to notice something we missed.


    "You''re right! The messenger said they only saw the isolation shield go up a few days ago. Even with magic, how could they build so fast?" I was shocked as I realized this. A solid dome covering millions of square meters would take a huge amount of work and time. Though it looked simple with no decorations, it was just so big!


    Even on Earth, it''s impossible to secretly finish such a big project inside the shield in a few days. We couldn''t figure out what was going on.


    "But this could be good news. Since it''s so big, there must be weak spots in the defenses, right? If we can, we could quietly break through the outer wall to get inside. Maybe no one would even notice!" Cyra said cheerfully, not wanting to think too hard about it.


    She had a point. According to the Republic''s info, the base was originally only a quarter this size. It expanded to this size after the shield went up. So it took over a lot of forest land in just a few days. There''s no way they could bring in enough soldiers that fast. Cyra''s infiltration plan might work!


    "You''re right, we don''t need to go through the walls on the ground! There''s more space on the roof. If we can make a hole in the roof, we can sneak in!" I agreed. It''s great that angels can fly.


    "But how can we easily find a weak spot? Don''t forget, making a hole will be very noisy!" Adrian sighed, not looking hopeful. "The enemy knows the area, we don''t. They can make many mistakes. But if we make one mistake, we lose everything. We must be extremely careful!"


    Usually, sneaking in from above might work. But the Empire''s military clearly thought of this. From Adrian''s experience, he could tell the patrol we heard earlier wasn''t on the ground. It was on the domed roof!


    Since the building was so big, the slope of the dome roof was quite gentle. Soldiers could easily patrol up there. From up high, they could see the ground clearly. This helped make up for not having enough defenders.


    "So what should we do?" Now even I was out of ideas. Adrian was right that we need to be careful. If he thinks it''s not plausible, we can''t be reckless.


    "We still have over a day... why don''t we try a different approach?" Adrian suddenly looked south towards the forest, seeming to have an idea.


    "Huh?" Cyra and I were confused. We had no clue what he was thinking. Surely he wasn''t considering asking locals for help?


    But we soon found out what he meant.


    On the way here, Adrian saw a town not far south of the forest from the air. For a rural area in the Empire, it seemed quite big. There was a castle next to the town. Based on the location, it was likely where the local lord lived.


    "The Ilandra Dominion uses a feudal system. Each lord has their own land in the Empire. They used to even have their own private armies..." Adrian explained his idea as we flew.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "But a few years ago, after the civil war ended, the new Emperor Reider took power. He increased central control and promoted state-owned systems. Most lords were heavily suppressed. Their local power was greatly reduced and their right to control armies was taken away. So many lords don''t actually get along well with the central government. They may seem cooperative on the surface, but they secretly dislike it!"


    This wasn''t really secret information. Many organizations that follow international affairs know this, like the Adventurers'' Guild where you can look it up with points. But Cyra and I only came to this world a few months ago, so we don''t know as much as Adrian.


    "So you think the local lord might help us? But that''s treason! It won''t be easy to convince them. We might even get arrested!" Cyra warned, not sure about the idea.


    "At least I think no lord could easily accept such a huge military base being built in their territory. The base itself is an insult to the local lord''s authority! We''ll need to investigate in person to know more. My plan isn''t as direct as you might think. But how can we know if we don''t try?" Adrian seemed confident about what to do next as he pointed at the military base we came from.


    ...


    "Cyra, remember you''re a man now! Stop brushing your hair behind your ear. It looks weird!" We were on the main road to the town, arguing about our disguises.


    "Whatever, it''s just a habit! You''re no better. And it''s not like I''ve never been a man before..." Cyra clearly disagreed. After putting on the clothes, she looked in the mirror and winked at me, trying to look cool. "How do I look? Handsome, right? In the past, I could make thousands of girls fall for me!"


    "Of course! The illusion from disguise magic bending light makes you look handsome. But be careful how you act. Don''t let people figure it out!" I couldn''t help but complain. He did look a bit handsome, but...


    Our disguise magic uses light elements to change the light reflecting off our faces, kind of like AI face-swapping. Since Cyra was already good-looking, and maybe because of some feminine movements, he looked very girly! But with men''s clothes, people shouldn''t recognize him... right?


    "What are you worried about? I''m playing a young master now. It''s fine if I''m a bit girly. Maybe that''s fashionable for nobles!" As I was about to argue with Cyra''s excuses, Adrian called from outside the carriage.


    "Feliciana, are you done changing?"


    "Yes, we''re done!" I quickly replied, pulling Cyra as we jumped down and went to the front of the carriage.


    In theory, disguise magic could create clothes too. But since Cyra and I weren''t very good at it yet, we decided to just change clothes to avoid mistakes. This way we only needed to focus on keeping the face illusion, which was easier. We bought the two carriages from a nearby town. Being able to fly as angels is convenient - we finished everything in less than two hours.


    "Not bad. I remember disguise magic is quite advanced. Angels really are as good as they say!" Adrian nodded, satisfied with our disguises. Then he quickly added, "But remember, don''t talk at all. Let me handle everything no matter what happens. Otherwise we''ll be exposed right away!"


    Voice-changing magic is wind magic, which Cyra and I can''t do. So we had to pretend to be mute for now.


    We chose men''s clothes to fit Adrian''s plan. To easily meet the local lord, posing as merchants was best. You usually need the lord''s permission in person to do big trade deals in their land.


    So now we''re pretending to be merchants from another place coming to discuss business. Since we''re acting as businessman, it wouldn''t make sense to bring women with us. To avoid trouble, we decided Cyra would pretend to be a young master who doesn''t appear in public much. Adrian and I would be the carriage driver and butler who handles daily tasks.


    "Listen up! You chose to be the driver, so drive properly! If the ride is bumpy and I get shaken around, I''ll cut your pay!" Once we were ready, Cyra got into character right away. She bossed me around arrogantly, then got in the carriage to enjoy the ride.


    "I''ll shake you to death!" I couldn''t help but laugh. I chose this role so I could sit with Adrian and talk easily. And it was the only role I could think of. Since Cyra and I can''t talk to strangers freely, we have to rely on Adrian to handle different situations. It wouldn''t make sense for him to be just a driver.


    We had already put the horses and carriages not far from town earlier. So we soon reached the town entrance.


    "Stop! Where are you from? Show your household registration card right away!" We didn''t expect guards at the town entrance. They stopped us and started questioning us as soon as we arrived.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 21: Things Seen in Sifur

    "Household registration card?"


    What''s that? It sounds so familiar. I was stunned. I''d never seen such a thing in other countries since coming to this world.


    But no matter how strange it was, now wasn''t the time to ask questions. I managed to hold my tongue. Adrian didn''t seem worried at all. He replied very politely:


    "So sorry, we''re traders from Koromidos who came here specially to do big business. We don''t have the household cards your country just started giving out. Can you please make an exception for us?"


    Koromidos is southeast of Ilandra Dominion and directly south of Crestvale Republic. It''s one of the small countries bordering the empire in the south. It''s much smaller than its big neighbors, so it focuses on growing its economy. It does a lot of trade with other countries. Many traders on Eldoria Continent come from there.


    To prove what he said was true, Adrian showed them a Koromidos trade license. He bought it for a lot of money a few years ago when he was an adventurer, mainly to make future travelling easier. Koromidos traders get special treatment in many places around the world. We didn''t expect it to come in handy in this situation.


    "Oh, you''re foreigners? That''s rare. No wonder you don''t have household cards... But if you want to do business in this city, you must get permission from our lord in person. You can''t do business in secret, okay?"


    The empire is quite close to Koromidos, and this is a border area. The guards at the gate were nicer than we expected. When they heard about our "problem", they waved us through right away, letting us enter the town.


    This town is called Sifur. It''s a very typical small town. Unlike the poor areas in other countries, where the muddy streets are full of poop and smell terrible, this city has a stone road as the main street from the very start. It goes all the way from north to south. The place is kept very clean. We hardly smelled anything bad as our cart went down the street.


    They say most towns in the empire are like this. Most houses along the street have at least two floors. In other countries, only the capital would be this nice. The empire''s economy and infrastructure are clearly very good. They''re way ahead of the Astralrealm Kingdom in taking care of people and building up the country.


    "I heard from people on the street that if we keep going down this road, there''s a tavern. Next to the tavern is the town''s trade guild! If it''s big business, we might get to meet the lord directly!"


    Adrian was visiting here for the first time like us, but he clearly knew what to do next. After talking it over, we decided not to go to the trade guild right away. We''d stop by the tavern first to get some news.


    It''s common knowledge that you can hear all kinds of news in taverns. As we walked, everything else seemed normal, but we were surprised to see so many imperial soldiers in town. We saw a few almost every few steps. The magic lamp posts and walls were covered with army recruitment notices and reminders to register for household cards.


    "This household system is a big policy that Emperor Reider has been pushing hard since he took power. They tested it in the capital Kyndrill a few years ago. Recently they started doing it all over the empire."


    Adrian explained this to us, thinking we didn''t understand. But he didn''t seem to like this policy. "I think the number of people in a place isn''t fixed. People are always moving in and out or disappearing. There are too many changes. This policy might not work!"


    Of course, whether it works or not mainly depends on how they do it. We didn''t need to pay too much attention to that. But after looking around and asking some more, we found out the army notices were mostly for a nearby military base. This confirmed some of our guesses about what was going on inside the base.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The base wasn''t so big before. It suddenly got bigger just a few days ago. Now they don''t have enough people. That''s why the imperial army has been working hard to recruit new soldiers in Sifur lately.


    But the locals in Sifur don''t seem to like these recruitment efforts much. Along the way, we heard quite a few people complaining about it.


    Driving a cart takes skill, but I learned a few tricks from Karl before (the cart driver when we went to the holy capital in the third volume). With Adrian''s help, we managed to get the cart to stop next to the tavern we were aiming for. We didn''t do anything that looked too suspicious.


    "Young master, wake up! Time to get off!"


    After a long time, Cyra still hadn''t come down from the cart. I finally couldn''t help opening the back window to remind her. I found that this pig had fallen asleep. She really lives up to her name!


    "Oh, is it time to eat? Did we get into the city safely?"


    This annoying girl rubbed her sleepy eyes as she jumped down from the cart. She had no idea what happened in between. I really wanted to kick her, but my current role as a "servant" held me back. After all, it''s not good for a "servant" to hit the "master". I could only hold it in for now.


    This tavern didn''t look very big. But before we even got to the door, we could hear very noisy sounds from far away. It seemed very lively.


    "......"


    Strangely, when the three of us pushed open the door and went in, all the noise suddenly stopped. Everyone in the room was looking at us. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop.


    What''s going on? Before I could figure it out, we heard some light whistling from the crowd. They seemed relieved. Someone immediately shouted to everyone:


    "It''s okay, they''re not soldiers! Everyone carry on, carry on!"


    Looks like they mistook us for someone else. The tavern quickly went back to being noisy and busy. People at different tables resumed drinking and talking again. But because of the false alarm just now, most of their talk was about that.


    "So annoying! Those soldiers from the capital have been causing trouble for years. A few years ago they built a military base in the forest to fight Crestvale Republic. Now they''ve come to town to recruit soldiers and prepare for war. They come to my house every day to try to get me to join. They say if I don''t follow the new laws, I''ll be arrested! I don''t care about their new laws. I can only run away from home to hide!"


    A big burly man gulped down his drink in one go and complained loudly.


    "But what''s the use of coming here? If those imperial soldiers come and see you, won''t you still get caught in the end?"


    His friend at the next table heard this and sneered, mocking him rudely.


    "What''s there to be afraid of!"


    The big man slammed the table when he heard this, sounding quite fearless. "You think I don''t know? You''re all here hiding just like me. If something really happens, none of us can escape! We might as well drink together while we can. There are lots of us. If one or two soldiers really come in, we''re not afraid of them!"


    That''s real tough guy thinking! When he said this, everyone at the table went quiet. No one objected. They all raised their glasses and clinked them together very smoothly, then drank everything in one go.


    This table made such a big fuss that it caught the attention of people around them. They all came to watch the excitement. But people at other tables didn''t necessarily agree with this aggressive view.


    "The army recruitment is okay, I guess. Even the lord''s son went to fight on the front lines himself. We can''t really complain about that. What I hate most are those officials who came from the capital! They knock on our doors every day, forcing us to register our households and do background checks on our family history. How can I remember all my relatives? Do they want to know everything about my family? What are they really trying to do?"


    A young man who looked quite weak shared his opinion. The people at his table immediately agreed.


    "That''s right! I hope the lord will show his power and end the war quickly to send these soldiers away. They say even though he lost his military power, he still controls most things in his territory. So he doesn''t need to be so polite to the capital!"


    "You''re right, the current Emperor Reider is going too far! He used to be just a bastard who inherited a local lord''s title. But he suddenly rebelled and got the throne. Even though the country''s name is still the same, he dared to dissolve the Senate. It looks like the Cedric royal family has been completely wiped out now. This never happened before. The future of the empire looks really worrying..."


    They dare to talk about these things in public? These people are quite bold in their own way, no less than that big burly man earlier. I suddenly realized why they acted that way when we first came in.


    I couldn''t help exchanging a glance with Adrian. It looks like asking the lord for help might work! We didn''t expect Emperor Reider to be so unpopular in his own country. He always says to other countries that his people strongly support him overthrowing the previous emperor. He claims his coup was what the people wanted and hoped for...

 Vol 5/ Chapter 22: Michelle Appears

    "Why aren''t you finding a seat?"


    We stood at the tavern entrance for a while. I finally realized the person who was supposed to lead the way wasn''t moving at all. As the "master", she should have been showing us where to sit.


    "Mi... Mi..."


    I pushed Cyra gently several times from behind, but she still didn''t want to move forward. Her lips were shaking like she wanted to say something. Her eyes kept darting around, hinting for me to look towards a corner of the tavern. Then she kept shaking her head slightly, as if warning me not to stare too obviously.


    "Mi what?"


    I couldn''t understand what was going on. Just as I was about to turn my head to look where she was looking, Adrian suddenly stepped forward quickly. He whispered to Cyra: "I see her! Relax, don''t be too nervous. She hasn''t noticed you yet! Don''t forget you''re in disguise now. She won''t recognize you. Just act like you don''t know anything and sit down!"


    "Huh?"


    As he finished speaking, I finally saw who Cyra was pointing at. My whole back went cold. I almost couldn''t help turning around and running out of the tavern.


    In the right corner of the small tavern by the window sat a young girl. She had fiery red hair and looked exactly like Cyra. Without realizing it, she had caught the attention of many customers around her,  many were secretly looking at her.


    If I''m not mistaken, that must be Michelle! She was casually sipping from her wine glass, looking out the window one moment and then scanning the tavern the next. But she clearly hadn''t recognized me or Cyra.


    I never expected Michelle to come drink alone in a place like this. What was her purpose? To capture this city? But it didn''t seem like that. The only explanation must be related to the Cycle of Birth that Galadra mentioned. Whatever she was planning to do, we absolutely couldn''t let her discover our true identities.


    "Don''t keep looking over there. Let''s just order food like normal!"


    With Adrian''s reminder, Cyra finally managed to walk to an empty table and lead us to sit down. According to our original plan, to make things look more real, we were going to have Cyra sit alone at one table while Adrian and I, the "servants", sat at another. But now the situation was tense and we couldn''t worry about that anymore.


    "Waiter, bring us your menu to look at!"


    As soon as we sat down, Adrian immediately pretended to speak for Cyra, raising his hand to call the server. There was only one female server in the small tavern. We had to call several times before she responded. She wore a big apron and looked very busy moving between tables.


    This series of calls once again drew everyone''s attention. Most troubling was that Michelle heard it too. She turned her head to look at us more carefully. Her eyes quickly scanned over my face and Cyra''s, then lingered on Adrian''s face for a while, as if trying hard to remember something.


    In that moment, I felt my scalp tingling. I thought we were about to be exposed. Luckily, she didn''t seem to recognize Adrian in the end. After a long time, she finally looked away. She finished her drink in one gulp, left a few coins on the table, then stood up and left the tavern.


    That was so nerve-wracking! We all looked at each other, nearly scared to death. It took a while to calm down. Only then did I remember that although Michelle had met Adrian once before, Adrian passed out quickly at that time. So her impression of him probably wasn''t very deep. Plus, for her that happened over a year ago (this Michelle was sent back in time a year by the twelve-winged Nicola). It''s normal that she didn''t recognize him after so much time had passed.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "What would you like to eat? Our specialties include charcoal-grilled wild ox tenderloin, garlic-roasted ram chops, red-braised Nalzas eel, and many more. They''re very popular with our customers. For drinks, you can try our local homemade clay pot red wine. It''s all made by burying clay pots in the ground. Very special! Very nutritious and pure-tasting..."


    The server finally came, handing us a menu and skillfully introducing the restaurant''s dishes. But we had just gone through a scare and weren''t in the mood to choose carefully. In the end, Adrian made the decision.


    "Just bring us one of each thing you recommended. We don''t need any alcohol!"


    "No problem, please wait a moment!"


    The server happily took back the menu and ran to the kitchen.


    I was about to say something, but Adrian waved his hand to stop me.


    "I know you have a lot to say, but there are many people here and your voices could easily give you away. Let''s wait until after we eat to discuss details!"


    We all understood this. Michelle had already left anyway, so there was no rush. But as the food started arriving and all kinds of dishes filled the table, I finally couldn''t help asking Adrian quietly:


    "Why are there so many specialties at this restaurant? Can we finish all this?"


    "Uh..." (£»Ò»_Ò»)


    Adrian, who had been stuffing noodles in his mouth non-stop, looked up at the situation on the table. After a long pause, he answered with twitching lips.


    "Who cares! We can pack up the leftovers. Besides, we still have her!"


    He finished by nodding towards the "young master" sitting across from us. Several empty plates were already stacked in front of Cyra. She had been silently battling with the food this whole time.


    Is she really a pig? I could hardly close my mouth watching this scene. I''d never seen an angel eat so much before. It completely changed what I thought was possible! Luckily angels have special bodies that don''t get fat easily. Otherwise, given her eat-sleep-eat-sleep lifestyle, she probably would have turned into a ball long ago.


    The meal passed without much talk. Our disguises saved us a lot of unnecessary trouble. We also got to eavesdrop on people around us talking about the nearby military base, but unfortunately we didn''t learn anything special.


    "We''re facing a new situation now!"


    After eating, we didn''t waste any time. We went straight back to our cart and had a very short meeting. Adrian sat in the driver''s seat, watching our surroundings while talking to me and Cyra through the inner window.


    "Michelle appearing in this town proves that Galadra''s worries were right! We need to be even more careful from now on. It''s getting late, and there''s not much time left before the Cycle of Birth appears."


    "But we only saw Michelle alone just now. She can''t be planning to take the Cycle of Birth all by herself, right? Where are her followers?"


    I still didn''t understand. From what we saw, Michelle seemed like she was just here as a tourist. We didn''t sense any monster auras around her either. If we hadn''t fought her several times before, it would be hard to connect her with that ruthless monster leader!


    "It''s a very long way from the barren lands in the north to here. If Michelle lost the ''Eye of Galadra'' and doesn''t have any other teleportation devices, then it''s impossible for many monsters to quietly cross the continent to get here. Even if she brought followers, there can''t be too many!"


    Adrian thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. He quickly came up with a reason. "The only place they could hide is probably in the forest outside the city. It''s easy to hide a few monsters there. If their target really is the Cycle of Birth, they probably won''t do anything to alert anyone before it appears."


    "In the forest? Then what do we do? If we wanted to sneak out and destroy her followers while Michelle is in the city, that won''t work now, will it?"


    Cyra sounded discouraged when she heard this. She had just managed to reach level 6 and thought that even if she couldn''t beat Michelle, she could at least take care of some minions. But the forest around Sifur is huge. When we were flying in the sky before, we couldn''t even see where it ended. This town is just a tiny part of it. So it''s impossible to easily find traces of monsters.


    "Don''t do anything rash! If Michelle dared to bring followers so far away, and she couldn''t bring many, then they must all be elites! There might even be some as strong as Fernando. If you act carelessly, even if you find them, how could you beat them?"


    Adrian immediately warned her when he heard this. Cyra of course knew how strong Fernando was. She had lost to him several times. After hearing this, she quickly shut up and didn''t dare say more.


    "So let''s ignore it for now!"


    Now I finally knew what to do. Without Adrian saying more, I immediately made plans for what to do next. "Since Michelle didn''t recognize us, it''s still safe to stay in this town for now. We can continue with our original plan and pretend to be merchants seeking the lord''s help. After all, we still need to save Reed. We don''t have much time left."


    Suddenly I felt a lot of pressure. For various reasons, several very powerful groups have gathered in this unknown place. Our task isn''t just to rescue Reed, we also have to keep the Cycle of Birth safe from Michelle. This really isn''t an easy job!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 23: The Lord of Sifur

    Since we had already gathered quite a bit of information in town, we didn''t waste any time and went straight to our next stop - the merchant guild.


    It was almost evening, and the guild staff were about to finish work. We just barely managed to see the person in charge before they closed.


    At first, the guild manager didn''t want to meet us. He insisted on going home to rest and dealing with our request tomorrow. But he couldn''t resist when Adrian secretly slipped him a whole gold coin as a "tip". The manager''s face immediately lit up with a big smile, and he warmly welcomed Adrian and Cyra into his office.


    "Tsk, we should have chosen a different identity," I thought.


    As the "carriage driver", I couldn''t go in with them. But luckily the office window was open, so I could easily see what was happening inside.


    "Of course there''s no problem with you doing business here! But Sifur is under the direct control of our lord. Large trade deals must be approved by him first. And as usual, we need to take a certain tax rate, usually 20%. The exact amount can be negotiated. Can you accept that?" the guild manager explained the rules after hearing our request.


    "No problem at all!"


    A 20% local tax was quite high. This didn''t even include the national taxes of Ilandra Dominion Empire. But we weren''t really here to trade, so it didn''t matter how high the tax was. So Cyra, pretending to be the young master, agreed right away without thinking. This surprised the manager.


    Ah, her voice was still too obvious. Even though Cyra tried to lower her voice and had practiced many times, it was still far from sounding like a real "young master".


    This was the first time Cyra spoke out loud in her disguise. The guild manager looked a bit surprised. Luckily, Adrian was quick to smooth things over.


    "Young Master Antonio just turned 16 recently. He came here to learn about business at our master''s request. So he needs to make most decisions himself. I''m just here to assist."


    "I see. I was wondering why Young Master Antonio looked a bit feminine. I didn''t expect him to be so mature at such a young age. Very impressive indeed!"


    The guild manager seemed to "understand" now. After praising Cyra a lot, the discussion finally got back on track.


    "So what kind of goods do you want to trade? Food or other daily items? If you''re importing foreign goods to our town, our lord might give you early approval if he likes what he sees!"


    "It''s not really food, but not exactly daily items either... The goods we want to trade are quite special. How about we show you a sample first?"


    We had prepared our lines beforehand. After Cyra spoke, she nodded to Adrian. He immediately took out a small bottle that was glowing faintly white. He stepped forward and carefully handed it to the manager with both hands.


    "This is... holy water! And it looks very concentrated?"


    The guild manager knew his stuff. It only took him a few seconds to recognize what was in the bottle. He looked very excited, and his pupils seemed to dilate.


    "Of course! It''s good quality, right? We have a lot more of this, about 40-50 bottles. We got them specially from the holy city in Cresthaven Papal Dominion. They were all made by a high-ranking cardinal in the church! Then the Sage Council helped transport them here. You know Parristol tried to become independent recently? The taxes there are so expensive now. You know how valuable this stuff is!"The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Cyra was clearly an expert at making things up. Her exaggerated bragging and wild associations immediately fooled the manager again.


    Because of the new Emperor Reider, the empire had introduced many unreasonable new policies. Not just the household registration policy we mentioned before, but also banning religion, which many people complained about.


    Simply put, Emperor Reider didn''t believe gods existed. He didn''t think the True Church''s Yawee was real. He didn''t allow people in his country to believe in gods. So in the past few years, churches in the empire''s cities had almost disappeared.


    Whether gods really exist or not, and whether the emperor is right, holy water definitely works in this world. At least in my experience, adventurers really need holy water. Most adventurer teams don''t have a good water mage, and light mages are even rarer! So if you get hurt in the wild and can''t get medical help quickly, holy water is the only cheap option besides expensive healing scrolls. It can ease pain, stop bleeding, and save lives. It''s a must-have for travel and fighting enemies!


    Everyone knows the church has the most light mages. After the empire banned religion, the church''s power faded away. So there was no one left to make holy water. Even if some was imported from other countries, it wasn''t enough.


    The price of holy water had been going up for years. In the Astralrealm Kingdom, you could easily buy it for about 100 silver. In the empire, it cost at least 500 silver, and often you couldn''t even find any at that price. The quality was very poor too. The kind Adrian showed could sell for at least 1,500 silver after diluting it. No wonder the guild manager was so excited.


    "This is big business! I''ll write you a recommendation letter right away. You can go see the lord tonight!"


    After seeing us take out several bottles of holy water, the guild manager couldn''t wait any longer. As he sat at his desk busily writing, Cyra secretly made a V sign to me sitting in the carriage outside. I couldn''t help smiling too.


    We didn''t expect our long-prepared plan to work so quickly. Now we didn''t have to worry about not having enough time if it got delayed to tomorrow. This was mainly thanks to Adrian''s understanding of the empire''s situation, which let us come up with the idea of making fake holy water to trick them.


    At 7 pm, we went straight from the guild to the castle outside Sifur. This was where the lord lived.


    It was a very ordinary small castle with a moat around it - the standard setup for most lords. But in today''s magical world, this level of defense seemed a bit weak. Of course, there might be other hidden defenses we couldn''t see.


    After we gave the guards our recommendation letter, the drawbridge slowly lowered across the moat. I drove the carriage along the winding streets inside until we reached the lord''s mansion.


    There was a very wide square in front. Even though it was dark, we could see the square was full of grass and all kinds of flowers. The carriage stopped on the path between the square and the mansion.


    Before we got out, we saw a big group of servants coming out of the mansion. Led by the butler, they lined up in two rows to welcome us.


    "Once we''re inside, you don''t need to hide your identities anymore. We can explain why we''re here directly to the lord. We''ll just have to see how it goes after that!"


    The lord here must have been notified by the guild manager in advance. We weren''t surprised by this welcoming. But before we got out, Adrian quietly reminded me and Cyra one last time.


    "No problem!"


    I agreed and jumped down from the carriage first. I walked in front, followed by Adrian, with Cyra getting out of the carriage last and walking at the end.


    Usually the "young master" Cyra should walk in front, and I as the driver shouldn''t even go in. This order immediately caused some confusion. The maids on both sides looked at the butler guiding us with puzzled expressions. But their training was good - even though they noticed something was off, they stayed quiet without whispering to each other.


    "This way please!"


    The man dressed as the butler also looked surprised for a moment when he saw this. But his face quickly returned to normal. Acting like he didn''t notice anything, he led us through the front door towards the living room.


    On the way, he briefly told us about the lord''s situation. The lord here, Sebastian, was very old - about 110 years old. His health had been poor for years and he was bedridden. The lord had a son and a daughter. Because of the empire''s army recruitment, his son had gone to serve at a border fortress as his duty. Now only his daughter Altima was left managing things at the mansion.


    Oh no, do we have to deal with this Altima?


    Hearing this, I felt a bit worried. They say this Altima was quite good at managing the estate''s affairs. But she might not have any control over the empire building a military base in their territory. And with the eldest son away, would we end up failing?


    I couldn''t help looking back at Adrian again. He also looked worried, but he was calmer than me. He nodded slightly, telling me to meet them first before deciding what to do.

 Vol 5/Chapter 24: The Professional Head Maid

    "We''re here!" the butler announced. We finally reached the reception room. It was empty for now. The three of us sat down, and soon Lady Altima came in.


    She looked about 40 or 50 years old, with a pretty face and a fancy noble dress. She had clearly dressed up before coming. As soon as she entered, she frowned and asked us, "So, which one of you is in charge?"


    Though her words weren''t very polite, she was still quite well-mannered for the mistress of the house.


    "It''s me!" I stood up right away and sat across from her. I had wanted to reveal my angel identity from the start, but I decided to test the waters first. So I deepened my voice and pointed at Cyra, explaining, "We switched roles mainly for safety. That''s why he''s pretending to be the driver."


    Cyra''s mouth twitched a bit. She seemed to want to remind me of something but held back because of the situation.


    "Haha, no worries, I understand! I don''t really care about that. I just hope we can have a nice chat," Altima said unexpectedly, opening her fan and laughing. Then she clapped her hands. The door opened again and some maids came in, bringing us tea, water, and fancy snacks.


    This was good treatment! After serving tea, the other maids left. Only the shortest one at the front stayed. She looked like a young girl of about 10 years old. She stood straight behind Altima with her hands behind her back, eyes lowered, not even glancing at us. Seeing this, the mistress quickly introduced her.


    "This is the head maid of our mansion. She takes care of me best, and I can hardly be without her. You don''t mind if she stays with me, do you?"


    "Of course not..."


    I didn''t mind at all. My attention was on the snacks on the table. There were several I''d never seen before, and I wanted to try them. But Cyra suddenly poked my waist and whispered in my ear.


    "Hey, don''t you think there''s something odd about that head maid? She looks so familiar. I''m sure I''ve seen her somewhere!"


    "Huh?"


    Her words made me pause. Could we meet someone we know in such a remote place? I looked at the maid again carefully.


    Indeed, though the head maid always kept her head down, hiding her face, I noticed her light element aura was very different from normal people. If she wasn''t a highly skilled light mage, then she could only be...


    "Elder Gwendolyn?!"


    I suddenly remembered and blurted out. Her small figure and chubby short legs had left a deep impression on me before!


    Elder Gwendolyn was one of the three great elders of the angel race, and she often lived in the human world! If I hadn''t been distracted by the snacks earlier, I would have recognized her right away.


    "..."


    But the head maid didn''t respond to my call. She stood still behind Altima, as if the name I called had nothing to do with her. This situation confused me. Why wasn''t she answering? Had I made a mistake?


    "Hehe, looks like you were right. They really are angels!" Altima covered her mouth and laughed again. She elbowed Gwendolyn behind her and kept urging, "Hey, why don''t you say something? Your people have come all this way here. Shouldn''t you welcome them properly?"


    "Didn''t we already welcome them?" Elder Gwendolyn still didn''t raise her head, refusing coldly. "My main job here is head maid, and a very professional one. Angel business usually has nothing to do with me. These two probably came here on some mission. Unless Elara tells me directly, there''s no need for me to get involved! As for their fake Koromidos merchant identities, you can ignore that and just kick them out!"Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Ah... but... you''re making this awkward for me!" Altima laughed nervously and turned to explain to us. "I''m sorry, our Gwendolyn is always like this. She takes her job too seriously. Please don''t mind her! Since you''re all from the same race, make yourselves at home... Come on, have some tea and snacks!"


    "Mmm, it''s fine. We''re already eating," I mumbled, stuffing a mung bean cake in my mouth. What else could I say? I was speechless at the relationship between these two. Since we''d been found out, Cyra and I dropped our disguise magic and showed our true faces. It seems our identities were exposed as soon as we entered the castle. What a waste that I tried to keep up the act earlier!


    Honestly, from their attitudes, you couldn''t tell Gwendolyn was a servant here. It seemed completely reversed. I began to doubt if this Altima was real too.


    "From what you''re saying, this Gwendolyn... Elder... is an angel too? If so, we''ve found the right person! Actually, we didn''t come here for trade. We came to ask for help..." Adrian, not knowing the complications within the angel race, could still see something was off. He quickly explained why we were seeking help.


    "Oh, so it''s about the military base at the border..." The topic got serious, and Altima finally became more solemn. She sighed deeply, looking very troubled, and started complaining.


    "There''s no one else here, so I''ll be frank. As the lord of this small place, we''ve long disliked how those imperial troops behave. They always cut down and destroy the forest, making many wild animals run into the city. And recently, the 8th Legion has been forcefully recruiting in Sifur, completely ignoring our interests. You''ve seen the situation in town - people are unhappy, but we can''t do anything! Everyone knows how the new emperor behaves. We can only follow his orders. As for whether there are any weaknesses in the base that you''re hoping for, I really don''t know. I''m just a woman and can''t get involved in military matters. Usually my brother deals with that, but he''s not home now..."


    "I see..."


    I felt a bit disappointed, but from what she said, it didn''t seem like she was just brushing us off.


    The imperial lords were nobles who owned land and ruled like little kings in different parts of the country, but they also had duties and obligations. Although the new Emperor Reider had weakened the lords'' power after taking the throne, these obligations remained. Leading the response to national calls and joining various wars was one of them. Facing the long standoff at the Crestvale Republic border, and with the old lord here seriously ill, Altima''s older brother had stepped up to take on the expedition duty.


    Our main goal was to go in and rescue Reed. Altima didn''t seem to oppose us causing trouble behind the scenes - she even seemed a bit pleased about it. But unfortunately, as a family member left behind in the castle, she really couldn''t have access to any useful information. It was normal that she couldn''t help.


    "So what should we do? Do we really have to force our way in? Is there really no intelligence at all?" Cyra was a bit dejected. We had to rescue Reed, but fighting without good intellegence would put us at a big disadvantage. We had no idea what the situation inside the base was like!


    "Speaking of intelligence, shouldn''t you know a little? I remember there were always some living in that forest..." Hearing our words, Altima seemed to remember something and suddenly turned to ask the head maid behind her.


    "How would I know? I''m just a maid in this castle. You know I rarely go out. How could anything about the imperial army have anything to do with me?" Unfortunately, Elder Gwendolyn still shook her head firmly, refusing to admit anything. This put the matter at a dead end, with no way forward.


    "I''m very sorry we can''t help you with this. But it''s already so late today. Why don''t you at least stay the night here?" Altima could only change the subject with an awkward smile.


    "Don''t mind Gwendolyn''s grumpy face. She was actually very happy when she first saw you. She secretly told me that the blue-haired disguised driver must be Feliciana. She said only Feliciana has such unique hair color among the new generation of angels, and is an excellent junior. She''s always been quite pleased with her. It''s just that they only met briefly once before, so they''re not very close. She''s probably just feeling shy now."


    "What? No way! Don''t make things up!" The usually cool head maid suddenly lost her composure. Her face turned bright red as she kept denying it.


    "Absolutely not! You''re spreading rumors! Don''t forget I''m an Elder. Do you know what that means? In the empire, it would be a very high official position that could scare people on the street. How could I possibly feel shy?"


    "Alright then, we''ll trouble you for one night. Thank you for your hospitality." Adrian and I looked at each other with wry smiles. Seems we''ll have to find another way.


    Actually, when Elder Gwendolyn first learned that Reed might be trapped in that military base, we could all see she was a bit anxious. But no matter how urgent this matter was, there was nothing we could do now. We might as well go scout out the base area tomorrow before deciding what to do next.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 25: The Problem of Lifespan

    Since we decided to stay here tonight, the maids who served tea earlier came back to take us upstairs to choose rooms.


    As for Elder Gwendolyn, after Altima teased her and made her embarrassing, she suddenly shook her head and ran away angrily when everyone else came in.


    "Is she really angry?" I was a bit worried. I didn''t expect the Elder to be so thin-skinned. If I had known, we wouldn''t have teased... I mean, joked with her earlier.


    "Don''t worry, this is normal! She''s just upset with me. She''ll get over it soon. Please don''t take it to heart!" Altima didn''t seem worried at all. She waved her hand to hurry the maids still standing in the room, and stood up to leave and rest.


    "It''s too late for dinner, but if you get hungry at night, you can ask the servants anytime. Their cooking skills were trained by Gwendolyn herself, so the taste won''t disappoint you!"


    We couldn''t refuse the hostess''s warm welcome. We thanked her many times, then followed the servants up the stairs to the upper floors of the castle.


    Along the way, we could see old walls blackened by smoke on both sides of the hallway. This was left over from the era of torch lighting. Magic lamps were invented only in the last 200 years. After the Sage Council was formed, the empire''s magic technology slowly developed. Then various magical devices based on magic circles appeared and quickly spread across the continent. Although the castle''s lighting system had been updated, it couldn''t hide its very old history.


    We reached the top floor and were each given a very fancy guest room. These rooms had balconies with nice views.


    It was almost midnight. In the nearby main area of Sifur, a few lights were still on. On the other side, wolf howls suddenly came from the dark forest. As a cool breeze blew in, I yawned and was about to go to bed.


    "Hahaha, so that Elder Gwendolyn is a total tsundere!"


    Suddenly there was a loud "BANG" as the door was kicked open. Cyra looked very excited as she jumped onto my bed, talking non-stop. "I always thought those Elders in Edenmere all had sour faces. So boring! I didn''t expect there''d be such a cute one like Elder Gwendolyn. She''s so adorable! Hey, do you think she''ll help us? If we have a ten-winged Elder''s help, this mission would be much easier, right?"


    "... Have you done your nightly prayers?"


    Watching her roll around and mess up my nicely made bed, I held back the urge to kick her out and reminded her gently.


    Actually, I felt similar to Cyra about Elder Gwendolyn''s attitude. Although we didn''t achieve our main goal in Sifur, getting an unexpected powerful ally would be a huge win.


    "Not yet, I''ll do it later!"


    Cyra wasn''t in a hurry at all. She stayed on my bed for a long time, not wanting to leave. She seemed to really like my bed and didn''t want to get up. She even made the outrageous request to switch rooms.


    "Strange, why does your bed feel softer and more comfortable than mine? Anyway, you and Adrian are already an old married couple. Why don''t you go sleep in his room tonight? Let me have this one!"


    "What do you mean ''old married couple''!"


    Her words almost made my stomach hurt. The hidden meaning was clear. I quickly drank my tea and had to repeat myself.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "We just started dating. How could things move so fast normally? And even if we''re dating, you know my situation before. Why are you saying this on purpose? Are you making fun of me?"


    "Tch, I knew you''d answer like that! You''re just hung up on your past life! But there''s nothing we can do. You were like this in high school too, always hesitating. In the end you didn''t do anything and Quinn got away. Now you can only slowly get used to it..."


    Cyra seemed to see right through my concerns. She looked very disdainful and started bragging. "Of course I''m different from you! If I hadn''t found the right person, I''d really want to try it. They say men and women feel very different in that area~"


    "Pffft-"


    I almost spat out the rest of my tea. This girl was too much! She switched so easily when it came to gender! A while ago she was rolling in bed with a light elf beauty, and now she''s interested in men? Well, she''s certainly open-minded, but I can only admire her.


    "If you''re so thirsty, why didn''t you go for Cysper back then?"


    I snapped back, really wanting to kick her out. Honestly, I wasn''t totally unprepared, but I thought that as a girl, I should be more reserved about these things. Luckily Adrian always respects me and hasn''t pressured me much, so I''m not in a hurry.


    "Hey, what do you mean ''thirsty''? I''m just curious, what''s wrong with that! And Cysper is already dead, it''s not nice to bring up painful memories!"


    Cyra was clearly unhappy and protested. "He was the Pope, devoted to serving God for life. He definitely wouldn''t break his vows casually. And I told you there was nothing between us. You always bring up the wrong things, that''s too much!"


    "So that Pope who lived for thousands of years is dead? No wonder I heard people saying the Cresthaven Papal Dominion has a new leader! The former cardinal Eminem took over as Pope of the True Church. This is huge news that could affect the whole continent!"


    Just then, a very small but familiar voice came from outside.


    The newcomer had ten unusually large wings spread behind her, standing steadily on the balcony railing. But her extremely short stature immediately revealed her true identity.


    "Elder Gwendolyn!"


    Cyra and I were startled and couldn''t believe it. We really didn''t understand why she suddenly came here, especially so late at night...


    "Don''t sleep tonight. Didn''t you want to find a way into the border military base? I remembered a place that might help you. If you want to know, come with me. Don''t dawdle! It would be bad if I''m late getting back. I have a lot to do later!"


    Seeing our confused looks, she coughed and quickly explained why she came.


    "Of course we want to know! Let''s go now!"


    Cyra spread her wings and flew out first when she heard this.


    We definitely wouldn''t refuse an opportunity that came to us. Although the Elder looked very serious and sounded impatient, we all knew she was just being tsundere.


    "Oh, wait! There''s one more person. Shouldn''t we call him to come too?"


    I couldn''t help looking at the room next door. Adrian had said goodnight to me and was probably asleep by now, but I felt bad leaving him behind to go off alone.


    "Adrian? That human who came with you? No need to bring him! The place we''re going is easier to reach by flying. Bringing a human would just make things troublesome."


    Unfortunately, Elder Gwendolyn firmly refused my request. There was nothing I could do - she was an Elder after all! I could only obediently follow behind her as we flew into the dark night.


    "It seems you have a special relationship with that Adrian. Are you sure you want to be together with him?"


    Flying east, three angels flew in formation. There was no moon tonight and visibility was low in the vast night sky. Cyra and I could barely keep up behind. After a long wait, Elder Gwendolyn spoke again, but her first words were suddenly about this.


    "Of course! Adrian is very good to me. I definitely trust him!"


    Her tone didn''t sound like she was joking, so I quickly answered honestly. Elara might be open-minded, but that doesn''t mean other Elders are the same!


    Although Gwendolyn looked like a 10-year-old girl, her actual age was not much less than Elara''s. Her Elder status was real, so I had to take her seriously when needed.


    "I hope you didn''t misjudge him! But even so, you need to think it through first. Humans have very short lifespans compared to angels. You might need to prepare yourself mentally..."


    She sighed deeply. She didn''t seem to oppose it, but she brought up the lifespan issue, which surprised me. To be honest, my actual age was similar to Adrian''s. Unlike other angels who were hundreds or thousands of years old, I had never thought about this problem.


    But thinking about it won''t help! Even angels can''t extend human lifespans. But from Elder Gwendolyn''s manner, she seemed to speak from experience. Could she have some experience in this area?


    "Yeah, Elder, why do you live in this rural imperial castle for years? And you''re willing to be a maid here. Is there some hidden story?"


    Sure enough, this kind of juicy gossip couldn''t escape Cyra''s eyes! Before I could speak, she had already asked first.

 Vol 5/Chapter 26: The Easy-to-Handle Elder

    "Why you ask? There''s no hidden story. Just some old stuff from long ago, not worth talking about!"


    When mentioning the past, Elder Gwendolyn''s voice sounded a bit sad, which didn''t match her young looks at all. But she didn''t seem to want to admit it, and just brushed us off.


    "Really? But Altima just said you''ve been with this family since the first lord, at least. That''s hundreds of years of history! There must be some reason, right?"


    Too bad Cyra wasn''t going to give up on digging for gossip. Earlier, when we met the castle mistress, we actually learned quite a bit of secret info about Gwendolyn from Altima. It definitely wasn''t as simple as she claimed.


    The Sebastian family, lords of Sifur, has a very long history, going back to when the Ilandra Dominion Empire was just starting. Their first ancestor, Hausman Sebastian, seemed to have done something big to help build the empire, so he got land that''s still owned by the family today. But how exactly he got connected to Elder Gwendolyn, we don''t know the details.


    But all the Sifur lord family members over the years knew they always had an angel maid protecting the family''s safety. The angel maid''s exact background got forgotten over time, and she didn''t want to talk about it. Now probably only she knows the real story.


    "Don''t tell me it was because of love? In this world men can marry many wives, even in the Ilandra Dominion Empire. Elder Gwendolyn, were you maybe the first lord''s small wife?"


    I made a bold guess, even though it sounded crazy to me too. But looking at it another way, it kind of made sense.


    After all, the empire was never a pure religious country following one-man-one-wife rules. Men with many wives were everywhere, nothing strange. To put it bluntly, if a man liked, he could just drag a slave girl from the stable to be his wife, very normal.


    Of course, Elder Gwendolyn was an angel, so I don''t think she''d end up like that. But if she was the main wife, that didn''t seem right either. The lord''s spouse had to be in the family records, no way she''d be lowered to just a maid! So it was hard to understand...


    Even though we couldn''t sense any light element energy from Altima and the other descendants, there were many generations between, so maybe the angel mixed blood got so thin it disappeared.


    "Hmph, nonsense! Do I look like an angel who''d be happy to be a small wife under a human?"


    As expected, Elder Gwendolyn snorted coldly, sounding very proud as she argued back.


    She didn''t look like she was lying. Did I guess wrong? But besides this, there was no other way to explain why she stayed in Sifur so long. It couldn''t just be for fun, right?


    "Could it be one-sided love?"


    Who''d have thought Cyra would drop such a bomb after thinking for a while. The ten-winged child flying in front suddenly dropped straight down several meters. Luckily she quickly steadied herself and flew back up, or we might have had a weird air crash.


    "Pah! Nosy! Who do you think I am? I''m your Elder, a very senior one! How could I possibly have a one-sided crush on a human? Absolutely impossible!"


    Even though she denied it very strongly, Elder Gwendolyn''s red face and flustered look gave her away. Even a fool could see she wasn''t being honest. Cyra and I shared a knowing look.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "So you stayed with the Sebastian family by choice?"


    I just asked directly.


    "How is that possible? I''m an Elder of the mighty Angel race! How could I willingly be a maid for a human? That bastard Hausman tricked me, don''t talk nonsense!"


    Though she was still trying to explain, this time Elder Gwendolyn was red-faced and her wings were flapping irregularly. She almost fell down several times.


    "Oh? Sounds like your feelings for him have faded. Why are you still with his descendants?"


    Cyra perked up and quickly asked.


    "Hmph, I already said it wasn''t one-sided love, so what feelings are you talking about? This is just charity! I''m just very interested in being a maid, and I saw Hausman''s descendants were so pitiful, so I just stayed to take care of them!"


    Did we guess wrong again? Her reaction was surprisingly calm, and she seemed very dismissive. If we didn''t already know her personality, we might have been fooled.


    "Strange, an angel throwing herself at a human but can only love one-sidedly... At least his noble status kind of matches yours, why wouldn''t Hausman be interested?"


    I couldn''t understand. We''d seen angels like Gwendolyn who misunderstood things before, like Teacher Aetna, but that was with someone like Pope Cysper. A small lord of the empire shouldn''t have such high standards, right?


    "I said it''s not one-sided love, why don''t you understand? How could a great Angel Elder like me not be good enough for a human? Nonsense! Let me tell you, I''m the one who didn''t like Hausman, especially after he married someone else! I only stayed to see how that bastard would regret it when he died!"


    Okay, Elder Gwendolyn''s face was red again. She stopped in the air, waving her hands at us angrily. She didn''t even notice she was revealing a lot of inside info.


    "Could it be he thought you were too young?"


    Cyra hit the nail on the head. The air around us suddenly felt frozen, with no sound for several seconds...


    "You, a newborn angel just a few days old, dare say I''m young? Back then I did look much younger than now, but I was still thousands of years old! More than old enough to be that bastard Hausman''s great-grandmother, where did he get the nerve?"


    Elder Gwendolyn finally couldn''t hold back anymore. We saw her veins popping out as she yelled at us, spitting everywhere. But no matter how hard she tried to hide it, she still ended up revealing everything.


    What an easy-to-handle angel Elder, acting all tsundere! Just like that, with a few questions and answers, we got all the info we wanted.


    Basically, years ago Elder Gwendolyn traveled and had adventures with Hausman, the ancestor of Sifur''s lords. They built up quite a bit of feelings. But sadly, Elder Gwendolyn looked way too young, even more so hundreds of years ago. So she lost badly in the love competition, even with her angel status. Hausman knew she was special, but only saw her as a little sister. In the end he chose another female adventure companion as his wife.


    The young and hot-headed Elder Gwendolyn back then was in the foolish stage of love. She couldn''t win head-on, so she wasn''t happy. She disguised herself as a maid and snuck into the Sebastian family, hoping to turn things around. But sadly, she never got Hausman to change his mind. Time passed, generations of Sifur lords came and went. After her loved one died, Gwendolyn was already used to maid life and didn''t leave. She changed her goal to protecting Hausman''s descendants. I guess that''s a kind of love too...


    After figuring out the whole story, Cyra and I felt touched by Elder Gwendolyn''s devotion. But we''d seen all kinds of love stories in movies and shows in our past lives, so we could kind of accept it. The person involved got too stressed out and flew far ahead, totally ignoring us.


    "You think she might be too angry to help us now? What should we do?"


    Suddenly Cyra asked me, a bit worried. It was deep night now. We''d been flying for over 10 minutes, not very fast, but we were far from the castle. It was pitch black all around, with barely any light. We could only follow Elder Gwendolyn''s position marked by light elements.


    "It''s because you love digging up gossip, always wanting to dig deep into people''s past. If you''d just kept quiet earlier, there''d be no problem."


    I rolled my eyes and scolded her. Okay, I was a bit involved earlier too, mainly because I was curious. But I believe the elder is big-hearted and won''t take it to heart, or she would''ve left us behind already.


    "We''re here!"


    Sure enough, after a while, Gwendolyn flying ahead suddenly stopped. We saw her floating in the air, pointing at the forest below.


    "There''s a secret light elf settlement here, not far from the military base you mentioned. This light elf tribe has been having more conflicts with the imperial army lately. You might find some useful clues here! Whether it helps depends on your luck."


    "Huh, this is close to the imperial army?"


    I was a bit confused. On the way here, we were so focused on Elder Gwendolyn''s love story that we didn''t pay attention to where we were going. Now that she mentioned it, after looking carefully at our surroundings, I saw a huge dark dome faintly visible in the forest to our north.

 Chapter 27: The Hidden Light Elf Village

    We had flown to the south of the border military base. The eastern border of Ilandra Dominion runs north-south, and we were near the border line. If we flew east a bit more, we''d cross into Crestvale Republic land. But the base was covered by a shield magic, blocking all light from going in or out. On this very dark night, it was hard to see where it was if you didn''t know beforehand.


    "But there''s only forest below. I don''t see any light elf buildings or gatherings!"


    We had seen light elf villages in Edenmere before. Down here was just thick bushes and trees. Cyra looked at the forest, not really believing it.


    "No worries, follow me and you''ll see!"


    Gwendolyn didn''t mind at all. She led us straight down to the ground.


    Looks like there was something tricky here. This world has all kinds of elements, so you can''t just use your eyes to sense things. After learning this many times, I quickly noticed the light element was much stronger where we were landing compared to the surrounding areas. Elder Gwendolyn clearly knew this already.


    I have to say, when her tsundere side isn''t triggered, this elder is quite reliable! At least she lives up to her elder title. Too bad she looks so young...


    "There''s strong illusion magic here. Should we break it?"


    Looking around, my feet were on soft ground covered with leaves. But the light element feeling got even stronger. Even newbie Cyra felt something was off.


    "That''s right. But magic alone can''t last so long. So the light elves here set up a big illusion array to keep outsiders away. Even if humans notice something strange, they can''t easily get in!"


    Elder Gwendolyn nodded, praising us happily. Then she did something very surprising. She gently pulled out a feather from her wings. Cyra and I couldn''t help but blink hard...


    Wow, that must hurt a lot!


    But she didn''t seem to feel any pain at all. She lightly tossed the feather above her head. The feather started fading as it left her body, glowing faintly white as it floated up.


    Just as the feather was about to disappear completely, a very pale hand suddenly reached out from thin air and grabbed it tightly.


    "Oh, it''s Elder Gwendolyn! Long time no see! Finally decided to come visit? But why so late at night? The chief and others are already sleeping. Is there some urgent business?"


    As a girl''s voice rang out, we could only hear her but not see her. The space around the hand suddenly had a very strange ripple, like looking through wavy water to the bottom. An arm slowly stretched out from the space "ripple" with the hand. As she talked more, more of her body appeared. Soon her whole figure showed up and landed in front of us.


    She was very short, clearly a little girl. And she looked familiar...


    "Irene?"


    We met Irene, a dark elf, when we first came to this world in Elara Woodlands. But because she didn''t get along with Nicola, they fought and Nicola accidentally gave her a lot of light pollution. So her body started slowly changing into a light elf. When we got to the capital Norvale and finished registering as adventurers, her change was almost done. Then Selene took her to Patington Cathedral and gave her to other light elves to adopt.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Of course, I hadn''t seen Irene since then. I never thought she''d come all the way to the southern forests of Ilandra Dominion to live!


    "Fe...Sister Feliciana?"


    She recognized me too. But after being surprised, her face suddenly changed. She quickly pulled out two daggers, looking around very carefully.


    "If you''re here, Nicola must be too... Is she hiding? I can''t see her at all!"


    Same familiar weapons, same babyish voice. Looks like Irene''s grudge against Nicola was deeper than I thought. Even after becoming a light elf, she still held onto a lot of it. Too bad she could never beat Nicola, especially since that guy wasn''t even here now.


    "Another friend of yours? How do you have so many friends everywhere we go?!"


    Seeing this, Cyra gave me a weird look and couldn''t help complaining. She seemed quite interested in this somewhat neurotic light elf, probably because she was young. Since leaving Edenmere, this was our first time meeting light elves from outside. But Elder Gwendolyn didn''t seem surprised at all that we knew each other. She just teased us.


    "I heard Irene talk about her past experiences. She met a blue-haired angel and a gray-haired angel before coming here. I was wondering if it might be you two. What a coincidence it really is!"


    "That was just an accident..."


    I felt a bit helpless. She clearly left out how Nicola caused the light pollution without knowing. Though from our view it wasn''t necessarily a bad thing, it did change Irene''s whole life. No wonder Irene still held such a big grudge against Nicola.


    "Irene has fit in very well here. Because she already had good skills, she was specially assigned to guard the village entrance at night. You can see how much the locals trust her now! Right?"


    As Elder Gwendolyn spoke, she gently patted Irene''s head. To be honest, she wasn''t much taller than Irene, so this looked a bit funny to us. But it did calm Irene down.


    After hearing us talk, Irene of course knew Nicola wasn''t here. Getting praise from the angel elder seemed to improve her mood. She nodded and explained to us.


    "If you want to enter the village now, should I go tell the chief to remove the illusion array?"


    Then with a back flip, she quickly vanished into the dark background.


    "The illusion array here combines real and fake. It''s a bit hard even for us angels to break. Since they worked hard to build such a complex magic array, you shouldn''t force your way in. Don''t cause unnecessary damage!"


    Telling us to stay put and not move around, Gwendolyn followed right behind into the illusion array. Only Cyra and I were left staring blankly.


    "Since the elder said so, let''s just wait a bit longer!"


    Cyra had really learned her lesson now. After being beaten down by reality again and again, especially after the life-and-death crisis in Parristol, she no longer dared to carelessly touch these seemingly powerful forbidden things.


    Luckily we didn''t have to wait long. About five minutes later, the forest scene in front of us suddenly started twisting and flipping. Finally it completely changed into something else.


    What was in front of us wasn''t forest trees at all, but a low stone wall! A dark cave entrance faced us, leading who knows where.


    "Come on in! You angels can just fly in with your wings! This cave is to confuse those empire people outside. With the illusion array, even if humans enter the cave, they''ll still think they''re in the forest outside. Actually they just go in circles in the cave and come back out the same way. They can never get into the real village!"


    Irene''s voice rang out above us again. We saw her standing on a tree branch by the stone wall, waving to us. Following where she pointed, we flew over the wall and quickly saw the legendary light elf village.


    Like the traditional light elf villages in Edenmere, this village also had an unusually tall and thick "elf tree" in the center. Wooden houses for living were built all over the tree and below it. Only the lake surrounding the tree was missing.


    So this village was hidden behind this stone wall! This area was a rare low rocky mountain in the forest. The light elves lived in the hollow space inside the mountain. There weren''t many exits to the outside, and they were all tightly controlled in various ways. The cave we just saw was one of them.


    But according to Irene, the local elves usually don''t use those regular exits. Most of them climb trees and branches to get over the wall, like she just did. For angels, though flying in from above seems easier, if the illusion covering the whole rocky mountain wasn''t removed, it would be hard to find the exact location of the village just by forcing our way in.


    The light elf village was very quiet now. Most villagers were already asleep, so we three were the only ones outside.

 Vol 5/Chapter 28: The Infiltration Plan

    "Where''s Elder Gwendolyn? Didn''t she come in first?"


    Cyra asked quietly, afraid to disturb others. Since entering the village, her eyes had been darting around, maybe because the familiar place brought back memories.


    "She''s probably with the chief. Follow me!"


    Irene pointed to a house at the top of the elf tree and waved at us. The light was still on in that house. Without a word, she flipped and climbed up quickly. Her movements were so smooth and fast in the dark night, our eyes could barely keep up.


    What amazing agility! As expected of a light elf who just changed from a dark elf. Normal light elves definitely don''t have such strong physical abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn''t need so many ladders for climbing up and down.


    When Cyra and I landed in front of the house, the door opened from inside. Elder Gwendolyn came out, looking very happy as she told us:


    "Hurry up! Didn''t you want to investigate the military base on the border? Looks like there''s a chance!"


    "Really?"


    I couldn''t help feeling excited and rushed into the house. But I saw two unfamiliar middle-aged light elves sitting at the table.


    "This is the chief of this tribe. His name is Kalati!"


    Elder Gwendolyn pointed to the tall male middle-aged light elf and introduced him. Then she turned to the younger-looking female light elf next to him.


    "This is Betty. She''s the only elder in the village and was the chief before. But she''s retired now."


    How strange. The former chief who stepped down is much younger than the current chief? It seemed quite odd no matter how you looked at it. But after learning more, we found out Betty was actually much older. She was 156 years old, while Kalati was less than 80.


    Light elves are a very special race. Like angels, they''re totally immune to the side effects of light elements. But they live much longer than humans. Plus, light and dark elves can switch between each other in special situations. That''s why you can see an 80-year-old looking older than a 156-year-old.


    "Kalati''s story is very similar to Irene''s. He used to be a... dark elf with very strong kung fu skills. He''s been here for about 50 or 60 years now? We''re old friends!"


    Elder Gwendolyn introduced him, sounding very experienced. The people here seemed quite familiar with each other.


    "Nonsense! If you hadn''t forced me to become a light elf, I would never have come to this super damp southern continent in my life!"


    Kalati rolled his eyes. Unlike how light elves usually respect angels, he seemed more casual. Though he said this, he had a big smile. Clearly he was just joking with Gwendolyn.


    Their chat didn''t have much substance, but I got a lot of useful info from bits and pieces.


    It turns out Irene is here because Sifur is in the southern part of the continent.


    The Dark Continent is at the far north of Eldoria Continent. It''s been the home base of dark element creatures for thousands of years! The closer you get to the Dark Continent, the higher the dark element concentration in the air. Luckily, even after years of monster invasions, they only occupied the Barren Lands part of the continent. The whole southern region is much safer.


    That''s why those southern countries usually don''t care much about fighting monsters. Most of them have never been hurt by monsters, so of course they lack motivation to resist.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    In the south, wars mostly happen between humans fighting each other. It''s totally different from the north.


    The strong light element environment in the south actually makes monsters uncomfortable. The further south you go, the lower the dark element ratio and the fewer monsters. For dark elves who just changed from light pollution, dark elements are like drugs. Even after becoming light elves, they can easily relapse if exposed too much. So people like Irene who were taken in are usually brought to southern forest tribes far from the Dark Continent to start new lives and avoid accidents.


    "Has this day finally come? Monsters have really snuck in here. I wonder if they''ll find us hiding in this forest?"


    Back to the main topic. Talking about the monster threat, Betty sighed worriedly. She was clearly much calmer than Kalati. Before we arrived, Gwendolyn had already told them why we came. Of course she also warned them about the Cycle coming to this area soon.


    "No wonder yesterday someone reported finding very clear dark element traces in the forest. Good thing I told them not to spread it yet, or it might cause a big panic among others."


    Kalati''s expression also got serious. But he didn''t dwell on this. Instead, he turned to the main reason for our visit and asked us:


    "I heard you want to rescue someone. You need to find a way into that empire military base?"


    "Yes!"


    I nodded without hesitation. That military base was sealed up too tight. Such a big area was almost all covered by solid buildings, with only one or two exits in the front. The guards were very strict. There was no way to sneak in directly.


    Of course there might be other ways, but it wasn''t realistic to find them in such a short time. That''s why we had to ask for help.


    "Didn''t you just have a conflict with the empire army there a few days ago?"


    Betty seemed to remember something and turned to ask Kalati.


    "That''s because the military base suddenly expanded a lot, totally unreasonable. The empire soldiers cut down trees all over the forest to clear the ground. Not only did it take away many animals'' homes, it also affected the international passage we worked so hard to set up. We had no choice but to try to resist, but we couldn''t stop them..."


    Kalati said frustratedly. Who knew they had fought the empire army recently? Though the result wasn''t good, some details made me confused.


    "What do you mean by international passage?"


    "It''s an underground tunnel that the light elf ancestors here dug long ago to contact their people on the Crestvale Republic side! Through the tunnel, you can go directly to Sylvanvale Wood in Crestvale Republic, bypassing the border defense line."


    Sylvanvale Wood is where we are now, right next to Sifur city near the border. It''s a huge area, spanning the most sensitive regions of both the empire and the republic. Betty sighed and explained.


    "Actually, before the new emperor of Ilandra Empire took power, this tunnel wasn''t really used. Back then, even though there were national borders, the border defense was very loose. We light elves could secretly move freely between Crestvale Republic and the empire through this forest! But sadly everything changed later. The empire soldiers built a tall, long border wall along the border line, guarding it strictly all day and night. They also built a military base nearby and started a war, blocking normal contact between the two countries. We had no choice but to reopen this abandoned underground tunnel. But we didn''t expect the military base to expand its area without warning a few days ago. It just happened to cover the tunnel entrance on the empire side. Now our contact with the republic is almost completely cut off!"


    "Did the empire army find that tunnel? Can it still be used again?"


    Hearing this, my eyes lit up. Isn''t this the perfect way to sneak in?


    "Yeah! Although we filled in and hid the entrance when we retreated, the exit on the republic side should still be fine. If we can enter from that side and clear out the blockage inside, it might really work..."


    Kalati immediately realized what I was thinking. He started muttering to himself thoughtfully. For light elves, they never considered this because they can''t freely go into Republic territory. But angels don''t have this worry! As long as we can fly, the border guards can''t stop us at all. We can easily cross over.


    "If that''s the case, let''s go with this plan! Empire soldiers are humans. They''re usually a bit less alert at night. So I suggest you set the infiltration time for tomorrow night!"


    It was already past midnight, so the "tomorrow night" Elder Gwendolyn mentioned was actually tonight. After discussing the details, everyone finally agreed on this plan.


    Even though it was late at night, we couldn''t find enough people to cross the border and start digging on such short notice. So we had to wait until dawn to begin work.


    Of course the light elf tribe would handle all the manpower. Light elves and angels have similar body rhythms. They usually get tired easily at night but are full of energy during the day when light elements are abundant. Our plan was to take a few light elves to fly to the republic side during the day to dig. A whole day should be enough to clear the blocked underground tunnel. Then we could start the infiltration plan right away.

 Vol 5/Chapter 29: Bad Luck Charm

    After finishing all the planning, Elder Gwendolyn started chatting with Betty about everyday stuff. They talked about small matters in the light elf tribe, annoying things in the lord''s castle, and how picky Altima was about food. The two old ladies really hit it off! They gossiped about all sorts of things, making me and Cyra look at each other in surprise. We didn''t know they liked doing this...


    "Looks like angels aren''t exactly what I thought," Kalati said to us suddenly. "I thought all angels were like Gwendolyn - always looking serious outside but actually warm inside..."


    He couldn''t join the women''s chit-chat, so he teased us instead. Light elves get along very well with angels because they''re close to light elements. Elder Gwendolyn often stays in this area, so they''ve built up good relations by helping each other. Plus, the imperial army is their enemy, so they''re happy to help us with the rescue.


    "Bah, she''s just a tsundere, like straight out of a textbook! But I''ve never seen a tsundere who loves gossip so much. This is really eye-opening!" Cyra blurted out without thinking.


    Luckily, nobody except us knew what "tsundere" or "gossip" meant. They just looked confused.


    "It''s nothing, just saying the Elder looks very dignified and impressive usually," I quickly said, trying to cover for Cyra. I hope I don''t get struck by lightning for lying! Feels like it''s not the first time I''ve had to clean up her mess. Anyway, we were done here, so I dragged Cyra out before she could cause more trouble.


    The next step was waiting to gather people tomorrow. I went to chat with Irene for a bit. Since we''d been out for a while, us three angels soon said goodbye and flew back at night.


    "You went out with Elder Gwendolyn?" Adrian asked, walking into my room soon after we got back to the castle. The door had been left wide open since Cyra smashed it earlier, but Adrian didn''t seem surprised at all. I was pretty curious about that.


    "Eh? How did you know?"


    "I noticed your door was open earlier and came to check. Then I went to Cyra''s room and found she wasn''t there either. Finally I heard from the maids that even their boss was gone. So I figured you three angels probably went out together on some important business," he explained with a smile, seeming unconcerned about my safety since an angel elder was with us.


    "Of course! This trip to Sifur was really worth it!" Cyra said excitedly, making a V sign. "We just went to a light elf village nearby and finally found a way into that military base. The plan is perfect!"


    "Are you crazy? Be careful not to jinx it! Something always goes wrong when you get so full of yourself!" I snapped, swatting her hand down. Our plans always run into all kinds of trouble - it''s like tempting fate!


    "It''s fine, I don''t believe the empire can reach into the Crestvale Republic! Otherwise this war would be over and the Republic might as well surrender. Besides, those monsters are targeting the Sylvanvale Woods in the empire, they won''t waste effort crossing the border to make trouble. Relax!" Cyra said confidently after I summarized the plan for Adrian. She seemed sure of victory.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Well, let''s set aside what might be in that base and whether we can get out safely..." Adrian said with some worry after listening. "My biggest question is, if the empire''s base is occupying that underground cross-border tunnel, wouldn''t they have discovered it while building the base? Like when digging the foundations?"


    "They shouldn''t have, right? The light elf chief said they filled in and hid the tunnel entrances before retreating. And for such a big dome-shaped building finished in just days, surely they didn''t dig the foundations that deep?" Cyra replied.


    It''s not just that they shouldn''t have, there''s no need to! I actually agreed with Cyra, even though I kept warning her not to jinx things. The base buildings aren''t that tall, with soldiers patrolling on top. From any architectural view, there''s no need to dig so deep. Isn''t Adrian overthinking?


    "But you know it''s impossible to finish such a big military building in just days, normally. So using normal logic on key issues here, I feel..." Adrian shook his head hard, seeming to think of something. He hesitated for a long time but held back from saying more. "Never mind, there''s no point in us guessing. Let''s just go with your plan. It should be fine overall, maybe I''m just overthinking!"


    Hope is always beautiful, but reality can be very cruel!


    Sadly, Adrian''s guess was right again. We messed up once more.


    The next day, as we excitedly flew towards the light elf village, we suddenly saw huge fires burning on the republic side of the border!


    "No way, are the two countries fighting again? But there''s no action at the border crossing!" Cyra was stunned.


    In daylight, you could clearly see two north-south border walls in the forest. After the empire built their defensive wall, the republic followed suit and built one nearby. Neither wanted to fall behind. Of course, both sides also built thick gates at the normal crossing point, with a big open area between for guards and as a buffer.


    But now the crossing was quiet, without even a spark! Airships from both sides hung tensely in the air, weapons ready but not firing. It looked more like the trouble was internal, in the republic''s backyard.


    "It doesn''t look like an internal rebellion," Kalati said when we got to the elf village, giving a very different view.


    "My scouts just reported that the trouble seems to be in Duera, a border city in the republic. The military has always controlled it tightly. We''ve never heard of any opposition groups there. It''s impossible for a rebellion to suddenly break out in a few days with no warning signs," Kalati said, looking very worried. "What''s most concerning is that it''s not far from the republic end of the cross-border tunnel. I''m afraid..."


    "We need to get exact news from there right away!" Adrian suggested gravely. Last night''s jinx had come true.


    But light elves can''t fly. Even if they sent scouts, they could only climb trees to look from afar, not very useful. The situation near the border wall was even worse - trees were cleared for 100 meters, and imperial soldiers patrolled 24/7. For closer scouting, only we angels could do it.


    These "walls" between countries are mainly to stop humans. Angels can easily fly over undetected.


    "Irene, you stay here and wait," Kalati firmly refused when Irene volunteered to come with us. Even with Elder Gwendolyn, Adrian chose to join us angels. He wouldn''t agree to stay behind alone in this situation.


    Irene may be very skilled, but she''s still quite young - not even 10 years old! This dangerous scouting mission just needed us few. No need to add unnecessary people.


    "Then let''s head out now!" Elder Gwendolyn signaled to me, spreading her wings and soaring up. The base infiltration plan had hit a snag, and she looked a bit anxious.


    "The air might be thin up high, so try to hold your breath if you can," I reminded Adrian, who I was carrying. Thin air shouldn''t be a big problem for a 6th level fighter, especially for a short time, but I wanted to be safe. Adrian just agreed without comment and took off with me and Cyra.


    Since both countries have airships, we flew straight up about 5000 meters before moving towards the republic to avoid being spotted. We quietly descended near our target city, Duera.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 30: Sneaking In Backwards

    "It really is the imperial army!"


    This time we were close enough to clearly see the soldiers'' dark red uniforms. About 100-200 soldiers were trying to attack the gates of Duera city.


    But they weren''t having much luck. Duera is a border city with airships to help defend it. Without more backup, the attackers had no chance of taking the city. That''s why the border was still just in a standoff without fighting - maybe they didn''t even know what was happening here!


    The imperial army must have realized this too. They were slowly retreating, but not going far. Instead, they were building defenses at the edge of Sylvanvale Wood, not far from Duera.


    "They must have found that underground tunnel across the border! Looks like after coming out on this side, they were spotted by local guards while gathering troops. So they had to attack the city right away," Adrian said.


    We quickly understood the situation. We even found the tunnel exit - it wasn''t far from the city, behind the imperial army''s temporary defenses, under a hill.


    There was a dark cave at the bottom of the hill, heavily guarded but very busy. Imperial soldiers and vehicles were constantly going in and out. Piles of dirt outside showed they had just made it bigger.


    "Charge! Kill the invaders!"


    But the town guards from the republic weren''t stupid. They didn''t know where these imperial troops came from, but they couldn''t let enemies run free near the city.


    Soon after the enemy retreated, the republic guards opened the gates and attacked, trying to destroy the new defenses. The two sides started fighting fiercely at the forest edge. They didn''t notice us watching from not far above - they probably couldn''t have anyway.


    "Is that... Dennis?" Gwendolyn suddenly recognized someone in the crowd of fighters, staring hard and muttering.


    "Dennis? Isn''t that Altima''s big brother?" Cyra reminded me.


    As Sebastian family''s oldest son, we hadn''t seen Dennis at the castle last night because he had already joined the army. So it made sense for him to be with the imperial troops sneaking in.


    "Are you going to help him? Wouldn''t that mean joining the war between the empire and republic?" I asked worriedly.


    After all, Gwendolyn was also the head maid for the Sebastian family. It seemed wrong to just watch her "master" in danger without helping.


    Luckily, Dennis seemed pretty skilled, about level 5. He clearly stood out among the mostly level 2-3 human soldiers. He was probably a main combat leader for the imperial army. He didn''t seem in mortal danger yet, but if the republic troops kept having the upper hand, things could get bad soon.


    "Not yet! I only promised Hausman to protect his family''s descendants. I definitely won''t get involved in conflicts between countries. Plus, I''m an angel - it would be bad if the imperial and republic armies thought angels were getting involved!" Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Gwendolyn''s words sounded good, but she looked conflicted. Clearly it wasn''t so simple. "...But I can''t just ignore him either. He''s the only son in this generation of the Sebastian family. If something happened to him here..."


    "It''s okay, just rescuing someone should be fine. Don''t overthink it at a time like this!"


    This kind of conflict between reason and feelings is always hard to balance. As an outsider, I just made the decision for her.


    Even though we''d only met Altima once and never officially met Dennis, it was clear that Gwendolyn had deep ties to the Sebastian family. Otherwise she wouldn''t have stayed in Sifur for so many years.


    Maybe it all started with her stubborn love for Hausman back then. But after so many years, those feelings had changed into a special kind of family bond. In my view, it would be a shame if she regretted not helping just to avoid revealing she was an angel.


    Besides, there were some ways to help without being discovered, even if they might not work perfectly...


    Gwendolyn didn''t decide right away after hearing me. She lowered her head and was silent for a long time. Maybe she was struggling inside. We couldn''t decide for her.


    "Feliciana, did you notice?" Cyra suddenly stared excitedly at the chaotic tunnel entrance below. "These imperial soldiers don''t seem to have any mages! Well... no light mages at least!"


    Angels can only sense light element energy to identify human mages. So we could only confirm light mages. But these light mages were the biggest obstacle to us sneaking into the imperial military base.


    That''s because they could also sense the different energy from angels, making it very easy to find us even with our wings hidden! And if we used light magic, we''d be even more obvious. So it was hard to sneak in through the main entrance.


    But now Cyra was saying there were no light mages among the imperial soldiers down there! It made sense that the empire wouldn''t send valuable mages as the first scouts into an unknown tunnel. But it also gave us a rare chance, which meant...


    "We can use this tunnel to sneak backwards into the imperial military base!"


    That was our goal all along! Adrian, who I was carrying, understood right away. Without light mages, we had many ways to sneak in - invisibility, disguises, and so on. It would be so easy!


    The fighting between the republic and empire troops wouldn''t end quickly. We couldn''t miss this heaven-sent chance, so we quickly landed in the dense forest nearby to prepare.


    "My ''Stealth'' arrows can greatly reduce the light energy given off when invisible. But if they gather light mages to search carefully, we could still be found!" Adrian explained as he took out his arrows.


    His special invisibility method had worked perfectly in the inner trial space. Since it used fighting energy, it gave off very little light energy. It was much more reliable than normal invisibility magic. I had no doubt it would work! As long as we weren''t unlucky enough to meet light mages in the underground tunnel, the rest would be easy to handle.


    "Are you planning to sneak into the imperial base right away like this? Then I''ll wait outside for you, I won''t go in yet!"


    After quietly listening to our plan, Gwendolyn glanced at the arrows now infused with fighting energy and suddenly said she''d stay here.


    "What? But the republic and empire are fighting - won''t it be dangerous for you to stay here?"


    Cyra blurted out, then smacked her own head. She knew she''d asked a dumb question. Gwendolyn was a 10-winged high-level angel. The three of us together probably couldn''t beat her. Even in all this chaos, she could easily escape danger.


    I understood that she''d made up her mind to stay and make sure Dennis was safe. But also, a high-level 10-winged angel elder would give off much stronger light energy than me and Cyra, even with wings hidden. Having her stay behind would lower the risks for our mission.


    "Alright, we''ll split up for now. Be careful and don''t be too reckless!" Adrian nodded and gave a few casual reminders. Then he poked me and Cyra with his arrows one by one.


    "Hmph! Of course I know what I''m doing. I don''t need a mere human to teach me! That Dennis boy has always been spoiled and lacks training. I won''t help easily unless he suffers a bit on the battlefield!"


    Watching us slowly turn invisible, Gwendolyn''s tsundere side seemed to come out again. She didn''t even check if we''d left before snorting and flying back up without looking back.


    "...Okay, let''s get moving. We need to hurry!"


    Now it was just the three of us, and we couldn''t see each other. Hearing Adrian''s resigned voice, Cyra and I hid our wings and snuck towards the tunnel entrance nearby.

 Vol 5/Chapter 31: Mechanical Bugs

    Chapter 31: Mechanical Bugs


    "Good! Lucky it''s wartime. They keep sending troops and supplies out of the tunnel. The entrance isn''t well guarded. Since they can move so many reinforcements, the tunnel must be quite spacious. We might be able to sneak in... Let''s quickly mix in with them. Remember to watch where the leaves are!"


    Like Adrian said, the tunnel entrance was in bad shape. Imperial soldiers'' voices were everywhere. The battle was close by, at the forest edge. The supply soldiers looked very nervous. They kept hurrying reinforcements to the front line. Of course, they couldn''t notice if someone invisible snuck in.


    "Wait for the right time. Don''t bump into soldiers coming out. Even perfect invisibility won''t help if you do!"


    I quietly reminded Cyra on my right. She was the most troublesome. I could sense her light element, so I knew where she was. Adrian was trickier. To help us find him, he stuck a leaf on his foot.


    "Now''s our chance. Go!"


    As a big group of Imperial soldiers rushed out of the tunnel, Adrian gave the order. We three quickly snuck into the cave during the chaos.


    "It''s so dark. I can''t see anything!"


    The tunnel was worse than we thought. Seems the Imperial army didn''t have time to put lights inside. Our eyes couldn''t adjust at first.


    "Shh! More people are coming. Don''t let them hear us!"


    I quickly kicked Cyra. The noise from deep in the tunnel was as loud as outside, but with an echo. I wondered if sending so many troops would really help the Empire hold the exit. But that wasn''t my concern!


    As voices got closer, we quickly pressed against the wall and slowly moved deeper, following Adrian''s hints.


    As we guessed, the underground tunnel was quite wide. After the Imperial army found it, they made the narrow parts wider, so lots of troops could move easily. Even when soldiers passed us head-on, there was still room for one or two people between us. Unless something strange happened, we shouldn''t bump into each other.


    After that big group of Imperial reinforcements left, no more sounds came from deeper in the tunnel. Maybe they stopped sending help for now. It got very quiet. As we went deeper, the noise from behind got softer. The light from outside got dimmer. Soon we couldn''t see or hear anything.


    "Is there nobody here now?"


    Cyra whispered a question. Now we could only hear our own breathing and footsteps. We were afraid to use magic for light in case someone saw. Even the bravest person would feel nervous.


    "I think... maybe... nobody else is coming for now?"


    To be honest, this reminded me of being stuck in the Suilde volcano cave. I felt scared again. Back then, I was all alone, with weird noises following me. It''s still scary to think about!Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    At least this tunnel is better than before. The path is wider. Most importantly, I''m not alone anymore. I have others with me!


    "Feliciana, it''s okay. Where are you? Don''t be scared, I''m here!"


    Adrian must have heard the fear in my voice. He quietly comforted me. But in the dark, I could only tell he was somewhere in front of me by his voice. It was hard to find him by touch.


    "What are you waiting for? It''s pitch black. This is your chance!"


    Suddenly Cyra came close and whispered in my ear.


    "Huh?"


    I didn''t understand what she meant.


    "Dummy! Don''t you like him? Go for it!"


    She pushed me hard. I almost fell, but then I heard Adrian''s voice from behind.


    "I found you, Feliciana. Is that you?"


    "Eh?"


    Cyra sounded surprised, but she didn''t clear things up. Instead, she copied my voice and said sweetly: "Of course it''s me. I''m so scared! Can you hold me tight?"


    Damn! I thought you were my friend, but you dare to steal my man right in front of me!


    This was too much. I didn''t know where Adrian was, but I could sense Cyra''s light element. I rushed over and kicked her hard, then grabbed Adrian''s hand and said:


    "Don''t listen to her. I''m over here!"


    "Huh? What''s going on? Then who was that just now......"


    Adrian was clearly confused about what just happened in the dark. Cyra, who I kicked, groaned in pain for a while before she could speak.


    "Ouch! Feliciana, was that necessary? I was just teasing your husband a bit. I wasn''t serious. Did you have to be so mean?"


    "Hmph, you asked for it!"


    I held Adrian''s arm tightly to claim him. But suddenly we heard a rustling sound coming closer from far away. Soon it was all around us.


    My back felt cold. My trauma came back. I quickly pressed closer to Adrian.


    What was that sound? Was I back in that cave? I remembered in the Sulide volcano cave, that rustling was actually a kind of machine voice, but the playback device was broken because the tunnel was so old.


    But this was just an underground tunnel dug by the Light Elves a few years ago! It couldn''t be the same as before.


    But if we listened carefully, this rustling was a bit different. The sound didn''t change at all. It didn''t sound like the machine voice I heard before. It was more like insects crawling...


    "Damn! Something''s crawling on me!"


    Suddenly Cyra shouted loudly. She couldn''t take it anymore. A bright light rose from where she was. It was a light spell!


    We had been in the cave for a while, so our eyes had adjusted to the dark. The light wasn''t very strong, but it still hurt my eyes at first. It took a while to get used to it.


    "Waaaah! What are these things crawling on me?!"


    Cyra screamed in fear. She must have seen something. She ran towards us, waving her arms and legs.


    Adrian and I looked where she came from. We saw that Cyra wasn''t overreacting! There really were things all around us. It was very strange!


    The tunnel walls were covered in huge bugs, as big as plates, not counting their legs!


    "What kind of bugs are these?"


    Even Adrian was sweating. He held my arm tighter. He''s seen a lot, but never anything like this!


    The weird rustling we heard earlier was from these bugs. They were all over the ground around us too! In the magic light, they shone with a metallic glow. It was scary to see.


    "Strange, these bugs... seem to be made of metal?"


    Adrian didn''t know, but I noticed something. The bugs were quite big. We could even see screws holding some joints together!


    There were lots of these bugs, but they didn''t attack us. Even though we were surrounded, none of us were hurt at all. When we tried to take a small step forward, the bugs moved out of the way. They were very polite! We didn''t feel threatened at all.


    "Weird, they really are machine bugs!"


    Cyra looked very curious. Now that she knew they were harmless, she wasn''t scared anymore. Like a curious kid, she squatted down to look closely at the mechanical bugs passing by us. She even poked them a bit.


    "Be careful! We don''t know where these things came from. Don''t provoke them!"


    Adrian tried to stop her. But it was too late. Cyra had already picked one up. She said excitedly:


    "Look! They''re actually very dumb. They don''t even fight back. This one isn''t moving at all!"


    "Damn! Are you crazy? Put it down quick!"


    I was scared too. I didn''t expect her to be so rush, touching them so soon. I kept telling her to let go.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 32: Sneaking In (Part 1)

    "Come on, it should be fine. They don''t have weapons. Looks like they don''t even have teeth!" Cyra said carelessly.


    True, the metal bugs were like she said. They only had four legs and no visible mouth or teeth. They looked harmless. But when it felt threatened, the bug in Cyra''s hand suddenly sprayed water from somewhere!


    Luckily, the spray wasn''t aimed well. It just missed Cyra''s head and hit a small mound behind her. It quickly melted a big area. Adrian and I felt cold sweat on our backs.


    "Damn, what was that? It wasn''t acid, was it?"


    Cyra quickly let go. Thankfully, this didn''t make all the other bugs attack us like we feared.


    When the metal bug fell to the ground, its four legs opened and it started moving again. It spun around a few times, then found its way and mixed in with the other bugs. Soon we couldn''t tell which one it was.


    "If you''re this careless again, I won''t bring you on missions anymore!" I finally exhaled and complained to Cyra. We need to fix her habit of touching things, or one day we''ll be in big trouble because of her!


    "What''s this? Looks like it fell off the bug..." Adrian noticed a small metal piece where the bug landed. He picked it up, looked at it carefully, then passed it to me.


    "Um... I can''t tell. I don''t know either!" It was a hexagonal metal piece, cut very neatly with no flaws. If it wasn''t milky white and different from the bugs'' bodies, I would have thought it was a broken bug part that fell off when Cyra dropped it.


    "Looks like they''re using these things to pave the road. I see lots of these stones on the ground ahead!" This time Cyra noticed something. She crouched down, not daring to touch anything. She moved the floating magic light closer to the ground, trying to see under the moving metal bugs.


    "Could it be..." Watching her, I felt like I guessed something too. One magic light doesn''t cover much, so I quickly made another one and moved it slowly in the direction we were going.


    Sure enough! There weren''t as many metal bugs as we thought. About ten meters away, their numbers started decreasing. We could see the ground they were covering - it wasn''t gray-yellow dirt anymore, but smooth, flat, milky white stone slabs.


    Not just the ground, but the tunnel walls were covered with these "tiles" too. The finished tunnel looked very high-tech, just missing lights.


    "They''re using these bugs to pave the road. How do they do it?" Adrian was very surprised. He might not know these metal bugs aren''t alive. Maybe he thinks someone used special magic to make them.


    "The important thing is, the Empire made these, right? But they seem too advanced!" I was focused on something different. Honestly, it''s hard to believe! Sifur''s city building is good, and the Empire''s infrastructure is much better than the Astralrealm Kingdom and other countries. But their magic technology clearly hasn''t reached this amazing level yet!


    A few minutes passed. Except for the small area we were standing on, all the dirt ground around us quickly changed to white stone tiles. The whole tunnel suddenly looked much cleaner and wider.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    These metal bugs may look dumb and slow to react, but they work very efficiently! After laying the tiles, they sprayed white liquid between them, probably to strengthen the walls and make them look nice.


    "Should we keep going? Maybe tanks and cannons will come out to greet us soon?" Cyra asked me and Adrian uncertainly as we watched the bug army slowly move back the way we came. Her logic was simple - if they have such sci-fi things, maybe making tanks and cannons isn''t too hard.


    "Go, of course we should go! The Imperial army doesn''t know we snuck in. Why stop now?" I answered naturally. We''ve seen the Empire''s weapons before. The tunnel was probably empty for a while because they were paving it. If they knew we were here, they probably wouldn''t send these metal bugs for us to see.


    Whatever''s waiting for us, this is a rare chance. That Imperial military base is too well guarded. There''s no other way to sneak in except this tunnel. If we give up now, how will we save Reed?


    Anyway, since the metal bugs paved the road ahead, we didn''t have to worry about holes and bumps. We could walk much faster.


    But this underground tunnel crossing the border was really long. Even walking fast, it took us about half an hour to reach the end! To be safe, Adrian cast invisibility on us again for the second half of the journey after we became visible earlier.


    "Is this the end? Is this really the tunnel the Light Elves dug? They even built a door! That''s a lot of work!" Cyra couldn''t believe her eyes, staring at the huge door in front of us.


    The last part of the tunnel was very wide. Two or three carriages could easily pass side by side. So this metal door blocking the end was really impressive. The Light Elf tribe definitely couldn''t have made this.


    Luckily, it was closed tight with no movement. We didn''t know what was behind it.


    "Who knows? You saw what those metal bugs can do. If they''re around, adding a door is nothing special." Adrian shook his head, standing right in front of the door. He couldn''t really judge. Of course, we could also guess that building the whole military base in two or three days was possible. We can''t measure this by normal construction abilities on the continent.


    But when did the Ilandra Dominion Empire get such advanced technology? Neither Adrian nor I had ever heard of it. If it was true, they probably would have conquered the whole continent already. Other small countries wouldn''t stand a chance!


    "I hear people talking behind the door. Quick, let''s hide!" Just as I was wondering if we should try to open the door, Adrian suddenly heard something. He quickly warned us in a low voice, pulled me to hide at the edge of the tunnel, and told Cyra to put out her floating magic light.


    As soon as he finished speaking, the metal door opened without warning. Bright light shone in from the doorway. The whole process was completely silent.


    "The construction looks good. Just as Your Majesty predicted, the tunnel floor has been successfully paved!" A huge magic light ball shot in from behind the door, bursting into dazzling light. It lit up a long stretch of the tunnel.


    I thought "Oh no!" This was a light magic spell! It was like a flare, mainly used for large area lighting at night. Since it appeared here, there must be light mages behind the door!


    The biggest risk on this mission was meeting light mages face to face. If they discover us, all our efforts will be wasted.


    But the situation was even worse than we imagined. There wasn''t just one Imperial soldier dressed as a mage who opened the door. Looking closely, there were dozens of them, all standing near the door ready to enter the tunnel!


    They weren''t all light mages, but they all dressed similarly. The light element energy inside the door was very strong, so I couldn''t tell them apart at first.


    Luckily, the three of us were still completely invisible, so they didn''t notice us right away.


    "The magic cannon team will leave soon. They''re waiting for our support at the front!" As the first light flare started to fade, the lead light mage cast another one. Then he waved behind him, signaling the main force to follow.


    "Quick, run through while this flare is still bright. Then we''ll find a place to hide where the mages can''t sense us!" Luck was on our side. Each flare explosion released lots of light element into the air. Cyra and I hadn''t shown our wings, so our energy was hidden for a short time. Adrian seized this chance and quietly gave this instruction. Without waiting to see if we heard, he led the way through the door.


    Of course, Cyra and I didn''t dare delay. We quickly followed him.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 33: Sneaking In (Part 2)

    After the big door, there was a gentle slope going up. Behind the mages waiting to enter, there was a long line of magic cannon vehicles ready to move.


    There were about 20-30 magic cannons, all loaded onto Empire transport vehicles. Each cannon had a torch on it. They were slowly starting to move forward on orders.


    We saw these magic cannons once in the battle at Parristol. Only the Ilandra Dominion Empire has them, and they''re very powerful! Of course, they''re big, heavy, and not very accurate. They''re hard to move on dirt roads, so usually they''re only used on flying ships or for defending cities.


    But now the tunnel wasn''t muddy anymore. The smooth, hard ground could easily carry these magic cannon units quickly! If they get these 10-plus cannons to the other end of the tunnel, the Republic soldiers won''t stand a chance, no matter how many there are.


    "Huh? I felt like something came in through the door just now. Was I imagining it?" After we ran far away, an Empire soldier dressed as a mage looked back, talking to himself unsurely.


    "No way! His Majesty ordered this tunnel closed earlier to make room for expanding it and prevent accidents," another mage nearby laughed, patting his shoulder.


    "They say paving the road might be dangerous. Many people saw those scary magic bugs summoned by witchcraft. Some even died from their poison spray. Nobody could survive coming here!" Another colleague joined in. "Plus, our comrades are guarding the other end. If they let enemies in so fast, they''d all be dead and we wouldn''t need to go help. So let''s hurry!"


    I finally relaxed as I watched the mages get on a transport vehicle and disappear into the dark underground door.


    "This place... looks like a warehouse?" Now that we couldn''t see any mages, we finally reached a safer spot. We leaned against the wall and looked around.


    It was a huge round room. Many boxes and military supplies were piled around the edges. It was very messy. The center was completely empty - that''s where we came in. About half the vehicles in line had left. As long as we stayed invisible, normal humans couldn''t find us.


    Of course, we got in easily not just because of the two flares, but mainly because there was more light element inside the base than outside. This wasn''t too strange. We all knew the base had a shield outside blocking all elements. So the elements inside couldn''t escape and just kept building up. As long as we didn''t get too close to the light mages, they shouldn''t be able to find us easily if we just passed by.


    "This warehouse looks big, but it''s just a corner of the whole military base. We probably won''t learn anything useful here. We should try to leave quickly!" Adrian''s voice came from beside me. He still had that leaf stuck to his foot, so I could find him easily.


    "Isn''t that the warehouse door over there? I see people coming this way!" Cyra''s voice came softly from behind me. After almost getting sprayed in the face by those machine bugs in the tunnel, she had become much more careful. She''d been sticking close behind me and not causing trouble. That was a relief.


    She was pointing to the end of the magic cannon line. There was a big door there just like the underground tunnel. People kept going in and out. It was easy to spot.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Remember, don''t do anything on your own!" I warned Cyra sternly again. I agreed to bring her mainly because I thought these humans wouldn''t be strong enough to hurt us much. Plus, I hadn''t heard of any fighting experts guarding this base.


    But those magic cannons were no joke. Even angels could be in danger if we''re not careful. Plus, we''re sneaking in. I really don''t want to end up having to fight our way out.


    "Angels would be easy to spot if they showed their wings. Can you sense them?" Adrian whispered to me, asking about Reed and Mia. But if I could sense them, the light mages here could definitely sense them easily too. So unless they were caught, the answer was obvious.


    "No..." I shook my head. Since entering the base, I hadn''t felt any strange light element energy. Even if Reed and Mia were here, they must be hiding their wings like us. Neither side could easily find the other.


    Of course, we might have been wrong from the start. Maybe they''re not here at all. But I don''t think that''s likely. Only this base fits the condition of not being able to contact the outside. If they were outside, there''s no reason they''d do that, unless they were dead...


    To be honest, my goal wasn''t just to find them anymore after coming in. This military base was too mysterious. I really wanted to figure out what was going on!


    The Empire army had such advanced machine bugs for paving roads, but they were still using much less advanced magic cannons and transport vehicles. These magic devices were leading technology on the continent, but at most they were like World War 1 tech on Earth. This uneven development didn''t make sense. There might be monsters secretly causing trouble.


    I suddenly remembered Michelle often made some very advanced high-tech equipment too. I got a bit nervous about maybe running into her in this military base. We just saw her yesterday in Sifur City, so it''s quite possible.


    Luckily, Adrian''s invisibility spell made me feel confident. We didn''t stay any longer and quickly left that place.


    "Wow, it''s so spacious outside!" As expected of an expanded Empire military base, the first thing we saw coming out of the warehouse was a huge parade ground. There were all kinds of new and old soldiers training hard. Various carriages and magic vehicles moved along the edges between different doors around the parade ground. It looked very busy. A huge magic light hung from the round ceiling, lighting up everything inside brightly.


    "But where should we go next? This place is so big, I have no idea!" After exclaiming in wonder, Cyra couldn''t help asking again.


    "How about we go check over there?" Adrian said, throwing a small stone towards the opposite side of the parade ground. Since we all had to stay invisible, he had to use this way to point directions.


    The building in that direction did look different. The doors around the parade ground were mostly the same size as the warehouse behind us. But that iron door on the opposite side was especially tall and big, at least 20-30 meters high. It really stood out from far away.


    There seemed to be a pretty big platform on top of the door with an Empire military flag. You could look down at the whole parade ground from up there. It looked like a reviewing stand for leaders to inspect troops.


    "What''s such a big door for? Don''t tell me the Empire army is hiding some giant race?" I guessed curiously. Of course, it might just be for parking airships. Maybe it''s not as mysterious as I imagined.


    "Who knows? Let''s go see and find out!" Cyra replied, not sure what to think. Adrian''s suggestion was clearly accepted by everyone. We slowly walked along the edge of the parade ground towards our target.


    Since we were invisible, we didn''t worry about being easily found by the Empire army. Nothing special happened, except we had to be extra careful of vehicles and people suddenly rushing by...


    "We can''t see anything inside the door!" Unfortunately, things didn''t go smoothly. That huge door was tightly closed now, with no light inside at all. We peeked hard through the small crack for a long time, until a light mage patrolled over and we had to give up.


    "It looks like that place up there is for high-ranking officers. Should we go check it out?" Adrian didn''t give up. He was clearly interested in the great view from that "reviewing stand" too, just like me.


    To get up to the "reviewing stand", we had to climb stairs on the side. There were several guards at the bottom of the stairs. People couldn''t go in and out freely. Of course, we ignored them completely.

 Vo 5/ Chapter 34: Sneaking In(Part 3)

    We didn''t see anyone on the platform. It was empty! But there was a small door at the back leading to another room. Through the window, we could see a very big round table inside.


    This place was clearly for meetings. Besides the door to the outside platform, there was another door going to other parts of the building.


    "We''ve been running around but haven''t found any useful info!" I said, sitting down on a chair at the round table, feeling a bit discouraged.


    We''d walked almost 2 kilometers since leaving the warehouse, but we hadn''t found even a tiny bit of info about Reed or the angels! Everyone in this base was busy with the surprise attack on the Republic. I couldn''t think where else to look for.


    "This means they probably don''t have any problems!" Adrian''s voice came from the chair next to me, which suddenly moved on its own. He was quietly comforting me. "If they were really caught, someone would be talking about it!"


    He had a point. If they were killed, it would cause a big fuss. People in the base would be discussing it. But now it''s like nothing ever happened. Plus, I didn''t think that was likely anyway.


    If I wasn''t worried about causing too much trouble in the base, I''d almost want to grab an imperial soldier and ask what''s going on! Of course, we might end up doing that. We can''t go back empty-handed, right?


    "Looks like someone''s coming this way," Cyra suddenly warned, looking at the door to the inside. I was surprised - I hadn''t heard any footsteps.


    But soon I understood why. In the hallway leading to the building''s interior, about 50 meters away, there was a fairly strong aura of light element energy slowly coming towards us. Based on experience, this was probably a human mage. But because his level was much higher than normal magicians, we could sense him from quite far away. With our wings hidden, Cyra and I probably only seemed like level 2 or 3 magicians at most, so we had many advantages in hiding.


    "Hide on the outside platform!" Adrian said, pulling me along. We quickly went back out the way we came in.


    Luckily, the windows between the platform and meeting room were see-through. We could watch everything happening inside, but they couldn''t see us!


    "Oh, there''s three of them!"


    When they got close to the door, we realized it wasn''t just one person coming!


    Besides the magician we sensed earlier, there was another light magician with him! But this magician''s level was much lower - we could barely sense him even when he was very close. As for the last one, I couldn''t sense any aura from him at all. He was probably just a normal human.


    "You wait outside first. I have important things to discuss with our ally''s envoy," a man''s voice ordered. The weaker magician stayed outside the meeting room door, which then closed. A young man dressed very casually and someone wearing a white cloak entered the room.


    "Haha, I didn''t expect the Empire to be even more reliable than the rumors say! So, now that you''ve seen my sincerity, will you consider agreeing to my request?" the person in the white cloak laughed as soon as they entered, eager to make his request. But I felt something strange about the voice, like something wasn''t quite right.


    "That voice was changed by magic. That person probably wants to hide their identity," Adrian whispered in my ear, answering my question.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Just as he said, this mysterious person in white didn''t plan to show their true face from the start. Not only were he covered in a cloak, but also wore a mask. Now even the voice was fake. Probably no one could recognize who he was.


    "Not bad, better than I expected!" the young man in casual clothes replied. He was clearly a leader or high-ranking person in this base. "You not only provided the mechanical bugs we needed to build the base as promised, but also gave us extra equipment and technology to deal with the Republic. But that alone doesn''t seem to be enough..."


    He didn''t immediately agree to the other person''s request. Instead, he hinted at wanting more.


    "You know, we just found a secret passage to Republic territory a few days ago. But now it feels very difficult to guard the exit on that side. So... do you have anything else surprising to give me? I know you must be hiding lots of good stuff. It would be best if you could help me take over Duera while you''re at it!"


    "I can''t give you anything more! How can you be like this? You don''t keep your word! The great Emperor Reider of the Ilandra Dominion Empire, breaking promises! Aren''t you afraid other countries on the continent will laugh at you?"


    For the mysterious person in white, this was asking for way too much. They got angry and loudly scolded the other person, pointing at him and almost cursing.


    I never thought this mysterious person would be the one who provided those mechanical bugs. I always thought it might be related to Michelle! But so far, I haven''t found any connection between them. More surprising than their argument was hearing the word "Emperor"!


    Could this guy in front of him, who looked way too young - only about 20 years old - and had no aura at all, really be the Empire''s new emperor? The one who led a coup and overthrew the previous tyrant a few years ago?


    I really doubted my ears. This was too ridiculous!


    It''s possible the Empire''s emperor might come here at this time, but in my mind Emperor Reider always looked fierce, middle-aged, and arrogant. I didn''t expect reality to match my imagination completely, but this was way too different. He''s almost my age! Who would have guessed if no one pointed it out?


    But just then, Reider suddenly glanced towards our window with a half-smile. This look scared me so much I started sweating!


    No way, did he discover us? How is that possible?


    If it was Michelle, I''d run away without hesitation. But I wasn''t ready to be scared of an Empire emperor and a high-level light magician!


    Even though I couldn''t sense anything from Reider, I didn''t think he was an awakened battle qi fighter. There were no rumors about it!


    Even if he really was a hidden strong fighter, his strength probably wouldn''t be much higher than Adrian''s. After all, Reider''s background and history were quite public. If he lived too long, someone would know and let it slip! If the three of us attacked together, we might have a chance! In fact, if we could catch him now, we might solve a lot of future problems!


    But just as I was about to reveal myself and attack, Adrian suddenly held my hand and quietly said:


    "Don''t get excited. He probably just looked this way by accident. He didn''t really discover us!"


    Cyra behind us was already ready to run away! But after Adrian said this, we noticed Reider had already looked away. He turned back to the mysterious person in white and replied with a carefree attitude:


    "I don''t care about that! My reputation on the continent is already very bad. You think I don''t know that myself? So in the end, exchanging benefits is more reliable. After all, your request this time is for me to help monsters ambush the projection of Cycle of Rebirth. This might lead to a fight with the angel clan! Isn''t it a big loss for the Empire to make another powerful enemy? I don''t think asking for more payment is too much."


    "But I already promised, the monster clan will deal with the angel clan! And this time the Fire Goddess will come in person. Your Empire just needs to use the troops in this base to help solve other problems that might appear nearby. It''s all in your own territory anyway. Basically, you''re just helping out, not directly involved. Why are you asking for so much?"


    The mysterious person in white argued back, but their words didn''t seem to move Reider.


    "Hehe, promises... You still say these things now like they''re reliable? Who knows what will happen after I help you?" the Emperor said carelessly, picking his ear and flicking something away.


    "You... fine!"


    Seeing the negotiation finally break down, the mysterious person in white angrily turned and opened the door. They paused and said:


    "Since you won''t keep your word, I''ll take back the mechanical bug workers I gave you before, and stop all ongoing construction projects!"


    "Go ahead! But the design plans for the Midas experimental machine you gave me - we built that ourselves without using any parts you provided. You can''t take that away too, can you?"


    Reider waved his hand, not caring at all. He seemed to have expected this reaction and wasn''t bothered. At the end, he didn''t forget to remind the other person of this point.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 35: Sneaking In (Part 4)

    "Hmph, lucky you! That junk is working at less than 10% of its original power. Take it as a free toy!"


    The man in white was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his cool. He rushed out of the room without looking back.


    " I thought he''d insist on taking back the Midas too. Didn''t expect him to be so generous! Makes me feel a bit paiseh..."


    Surprisingly, after the man in white left, Reider suddenly seemed to have a change of heart. He looked like he was thinking about whether to really keep his promise.


    "Maybe we should just go along with him and help the monsters again? It''s not like we haven''t done it before! But if the Empire gets involved this time, the Cycle of Birth might really be in danger! Wonder what would happen to this world if souls can''t be reborn? Sounds quite interesting when you think about it..."


    Though these words were meant for the light mage waiting outside, to my ears they seemed to have a hidden meaning.


    "Your Majesty is wise!"


    Of course his subordinate didn''t dare to comment freely, and could only stand respectfully at the door praising mindlessly.


    "They mentioned the Cycle of Birth! That man in white is probably working with the monsters!" Cyra whispered excitedly in my ear.


    "I know, but we still couldn''t find out where Reed is," I replied, a bit distracted. To be honest, my mind was in a mess. I couldn''t organize all the bits of information.


    First, Emperor Reider''s attitude showed he looked down on the "high-tech" and technology brought by the man in white. This was really unexpected!


    Of course, he might just want to keep freeloading, but this approach seemed quite stupid. What good could come from offending the man in white? He''s from a mysterious group with "high-tech". Though it''s unclear how they got the mechanical bug technology, if this chance was given to other countries, they''d definitely jump at it without hesitation!


    But is Emperor Reider really as shallow as he appears? At least he managed to overthrow the previous emperor, so I don''t think he''s that simple.


    Second, he brought up helping the monsters again, which honestly made me a bit worried!


    Since I already promised Galadra, I naturally don''t want unexpected enemies getting involved. The Empire butting in will only make the situation worse.


    Though Reider clearly refused the man in white at first, by the end it seemed he had some intention to get involved. I really can''t guess what this guy is thinking. And will the man in white bring his mechanical bug army to join in too? Either way, it seems very troublesome!


    "Does he still have something to do?" Adrian stared at the meeting room, looking confused.


    The meeting was over, but Reider was still alone in there. He faced a wall as if waiting for something, refusing to leave.


    "Your Majesty! Urgent report from the front lines - Commander Dennis from the Sebastian family was wounded in battle against Republic forces at Duera. But in the critical moment, a ten-winged angel suddenly swooped down from the sky and rescued him! The troops are in chaos now, unsure whether to treat it as desertion?"


    An imperial soldier rushed over and whispered to the light mage guarding the door. After he left, the mage immediately relayed the message to Reider.


    "A ten-winged angel, huh... I see," Reider pondered for a while, but didn''t seem to have much reaction. Then he turned to give instructions.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "According to military law, desertion in battle is punishable by death. But you don''t need to make a fuss about this. Strictly forbid the troops from discussing or spreading it, just let it be! It''s not time to move against the Sebastian family yet. If I''m not mistaken, Dennis will probably return on his own in a few days. Of course, don''t investigate further after it''s over. As for the tunnel exit on the Republic''s side, no need to guard it anymore. Retreat directly! But remember to seal the passage tightly when retreating, don''t leave any openings for the Republic!"


    "Huh? Your Majesty, we''re retreating now? But we haven''t..."


    The reporting light mage was shocked that the emperor would give up so easily. Hadn''t all those imperial soldiers died in vain then?


    "But what? Is there something you don''t understand about my orders? This isn''t the capital, there are no annoying nobles running around trying to persuade me. Or do you want to end up like them?"


    Reider impatiently waved his hand. The light mage trembled in fear and quickly changed his tune.


    "I''ll go pass on the orders right away..."


    "Wait, how are the preparations for Midas going?"


    Just as his subordinate was about to leave, Reider suddenly called out to stop him.


    "Midas is fully prepared, ready for your inspection at any time!" The light mage immediately stopped and reported respectfully.


    "Oh, then what are we waiting for? Raise the curtain now!"


    Nodding with satisfaction, Reider waved his hand. But instead of leaving the meeting room, he sat back down in his chair.


    "What curtain?"


    I felt confused. But as soon as I spoke, I suddenly noticed the wall in front of Reider slowly rising up.


    So the meeting room walls could move! We''d been sitting there the whole time and didn''t notice this trick at all!


    After the curtain rose, it revealed a much larger space behind. It turned out to be a huge warehouse on the first floor! The meeting room was an elevated viewing platform, with a full view of everything below us.


    Earlier it was too dark inside, so we couldn''t see anything through the crack under the giant door on the lower level. But now all the lights in the room were on, and the first thing that came into view was a huge mechanical head!


    "Wah! A Gund-mmph!"


    Cyra was so shocked she almost cried out, but luckily I reacted quickly and covered her mouth!


    To be honest, we were quite lucky. In our invisible state, I could barely sense her location from the light element aura. If I hadn''t stopped her in time, we definitely would''ve been exposed!


    "If you dare shout again, I''ll knock you out and throw you outside!" I warned Cyra sternly.


    "Phew... but that''s a Gundam! A mecha! The romance of men, you know!" Finally free from my grip, Cyra realized the situation and whispered to remind me. "Don''t forget this is a magic world. I never thought we''d see a Gundam in a place like this, it''s unbelievable!"


    "The romance of men? What does this weird... metal head have to do with romance?"


    Never mind whether I understood or not, Adrian definitely didn''t. His confused voice immediately came from behind me, sounding a bit indignant.


    "It has nothing to do with romance, don''t listen to her nonsense! Besides, that thing can''t possibly be a Gundam, it''s not even close!"


    I rolled my eyes in annoyance. It''s not that I''m deliberately belittling it, but this mechanical head made by the Empire looked very crude. You could barely make out the outline of a head. Obviously either it was rushed overnight, or the Empire''s craftsmanship was really poor.


    "Hahaha! If we deploy Midas this time, do you think we can take out all those monsters and angels in one go?"


    However, in Emperor Reider''s eyes, this was his proudest creation. He seemed to like it more and more as he looked at it, and soon started laughing happily.


    "Of course! Your Majesty is wise and mighty. The Ilandra Dominion Empire will last for thousands of years, and will surely unify the continent!"


    The light mage guarding the door didn''t dare slack off. He immediately started spouting flattery, which sounded quite familiar to my ears.


    I certainly wasn''t as optimistic as Reider about whether this giant Midas robot could really wipe out both monsters and angels at the same time. But don''t judge it by its shoddy appearance - it did have quite a few equipment advantages.


    After all, it was really big! First, it was at least 30-40 meters tall, which would definitely put huge psychological pressure on opponents. Second, since it was the Empire''s own knockoff product, they''d set up many magic arrays on its surface. I could barely recognize some of the light attribute protection arrays, which could no doubt release very powerful high-level light magic. There might even be higher-level divine magic further up!


    Unfortunately, because we were too far away, we could only see the upper body including the neck and shoulders. As for what other tricks the rest of the giant robot was equipped with, we really couldn''t tell.


    "The problem is Midas isn''t fully completed yet. Wouldn''t it be better to let the angels and monsters fight each other first, then we can reap the benefits?"


    After finishing his flattery, the light mage thought for a moment and carefully offered a suggestion.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 36: Mind Reading Magic

    "Oh, is that so? Sounds like it makes some sense..."


    Reider didn''t immediately agree with his subordinate''s words, but he seemed a bit hesitant. He waved his hand and dismissed the man.


    "I''ll think about it. You go pass on the orders first. Let me stay here alone for a while."


    This was troublesome. The emperor wasn''t in a hurry, but we sneaky observers were getting quite restless.


    "What does he want to do? He keeps changing his mind!" Cyra whispered impatiently.


    "I''m not sure either..."


    This was a very important decision for the Empire. Maybe Reider had his own plans. Even Adrian didn''t dare make guesses.


    "Why don''t we try using mind reading magic?" I suggested after thinking for a moment.


    Knowing whether the Empire would send troops was crucial for our next move. We obviously couldn''t just go ask Reider himself, but maybe we could read his mind with magic!


    Light magic is the only element that can connect with the spirit. Humans usually can''t do it easily on their own, often needing magic arrays to boost their power. But in this world, there really is legendary mind reading magic!


    It''s difficult for humans, but for angels, mind reading magic is relatively simple! In Edenmere, it''s just a medium-high level advanced magic.


    Of course, even mind reading magic has many limitations when used. For example, if the target has too much light or dark elements or fighting spirit, it will greatly reduce the magic''s effect or even make it fail completely.


    Also, in reality, if the target can sense light elements, they might notice the magic intrusion early and take countermeasures or put up mental defenses. That makes it even harder to succeed! So mind reading magic isn''t very common in this world.


    Luckily, I didn''t sense any light or dark elements in Reider''s body, so we shouldn''t need to worry about those limitations. He just sent away his only subordinate who could defend against mind reading magic, leaving him alone in the meeting room. The only trouble is that this magic uses up a huge amount of energy. I can''t cast it without spreading my wings.


    "No choice, we''ll just have to risk it! I''ll fold my wings back as soon as I finish the spell. The people in the base shouldn''t be able to pinpoint our exact location easily."


    After weighing the pros and cons, I thought it was worth gambling for the intel! Even though spreading my wings will release a huge amount of light element energy, that same huge amount also makes it hard for enemies to locate us precisely. It doesn''t affect our invisibility either, so we''ll have many chances to escape easily afterwards.


    "Go for it. With me here, everyone will be fine!" Adrian was unsurprisingly very supportive after hearing my plan.


    "Alright, let''s begin!"


    Without further ado, I spread my wings and focused my gaze on Reider in the meeting room, starting to circulate the magic power in my body.


    I actually hadn''t used this mind reading magic much since learning it. I only vaguely remembered the pathways for circulating the elements. To be honest, I felt quite nervous using it now. Luckily, its principle is similar to the communication magic "Spiritual Convergence". Both use light elements to transmit consciousness information, so the whole process went much more smoothly than I expected.


    Soon I felt my thoughts connect to a new realm, hearing many chaotic voices - that was Reider''s mental space. He wouldn''t notice unless I "spoke".The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Though I''m not sure, based on the timeline, they should have arrived here by now, right? But we can''t rule out the possibility of others interfering early. Maybe the predetermined course of history has already changed..."


    That''s the first thing I heard, but it was confusing without any context! I couldn''t understand at all what this so-called inner voice of Reider meant!


    "Warning! Intruder detected attempting to spy on your mental activity! Do you wish to spend points on defense? One-time mental defense function costs 3000 points!"


    Suddenly, a strange voice rang out. For a moment I thought Cyra might have triggered some alarm in the base. But I quickly realized this voice was actually coming from inside Reider''s head.


    "So someone''s reading my mind? Why is it so expensive?"


    Even more bizarrely, Reider''s inner thoughts could actually converse with this alarm voice. He asked in surprise, "But I didn''t notice anything myself! System, are you sure you''re not mistaken?"


    "Absolutely certain. Error probability 0.00001%. This is likely due to mind reading magic cast by a high-level human light mage or angel. Inquiring again if you wish to spend points on defense!"


    That rigid and annoying voice sounded again.


    "Yes, yes, of course! Confirm spending 3000 points!"


    Hearing the repeated warning, Reider immediately agreed without hesitation, then anxiously continued asking:


    "Also, can you help locate the caster''s position? Since they''re using magic, they shouldn''t be too far from me, right?"


    "Affirmative. Searching for caster''s location costs 35000 points. Do you confirm..."


    I only heard that much before I felt my consciousness get "ejected" from Reider''s mental space. I''m not sure if it was an accident or if that so-called "System" really interfered, but the mind reading magic mysteriously failed!


    "Damn... System?"


    What the heck was that thing! I was completely dumbfounded, standing there stunned in reality.


    "What system? How did your mind reading magic go?" Cyra asked in confusion. Her volume wasn''t much louder than before. But as soon as she finished speaking, Reider in the meeting room suddenly seemed to hear her words. His unusually sharp gaze abruptly turned towards our direction.


    "Oh no... Run!"


    I was shocked and knew we were in trouble! I quickly folded my wings and dragged Adrian as we fled the platform at top speed.


    "Huh? How..."


    Adrian couldn''t help exclaiming in surprise. Obviously he realized things hadn''t gone as expected. If we were exposed just because I spread my wings, Reider shouldn''t have been the first to react.


    But escaping was urgent, so he didn''t ask more. He just followed me closely as we retreated the way we came.


    Sure enough, we''d been discovered. We''d barely escaped the platform area when extremely loud alarms started blaring throughout the military base. The imperial soldiers training nearby immediately went on alert. They quickly formed search teams and began sweeping the base in groups.


    "What do we do now?"


    Standing frozen in the indoor training ground, I suddenly lost my bearings in the tension. Though we were temporarily safe from discovery due to invisibility, we couldn''t stay here forever. Anyway, even if we wanted to escape, we couldn''t use the main entrance! Several light mages were gathered there specifically to guard against invisible spies like us sneaking in. Our only option was to find a way back the way we came.


    "Have you... heard of Systems? Like, ones that attach to people and can exchange various abilities?"


    I couldn''t help asking tentatively as we went. Though I was mentally prepared for being discovered after spreading my wings, the change came too suddenly. Not only did I fail to get any useful information from the mind reading magic, I was caught completely off guard myself.


    "System?"


    Adrian clearly had no idea what that meant. His tone was full of bewilderment.


    I felt a bit disappointed. I''d thought that as a native of this world, he might know something...


    "System... From what you''re saying, do you mean the kind where you complete various assigned tasks to get rewards, then exchange them for skills, attributes, bloodlines and rare items, and eventually even allow the user to traverse the void, ascend to immortality, or become a god on the spot?"


    Cyra was much quicker on the uptake. She''d obviously read these kinds of novels as I expected. After a moment''s recollection, she rattled off a description.


    "No way, are you serious? Do such things really exist in this world?"


    Even Adrian, with all his wisdom and experience, was fooled by Cyra''s exaggeration. She repeatedly asked in disbelief.


    "Well, it''s not as exaggerated as she said, but I really did discover something similar on Reider just now..."


    I quickly tried to calm him down, then briefly told them what happened during the mind reading magic.


    "Damn, that Reider is clearly a big shot with cheats! No wonder he could start as a small noble and overthrow the previous emperor to become the imperial ruler. We''ve run into this kind of guy, we''d better run faster!"


    Cyra may not be good at fighting, but she''s quite capable when it comes to escaping. She was lagging behind before, but after hearing this, her speed suddenly increased several times. The faint light element aura she was emitting quickly surpassed my position, instantly darting to the front.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 37: Hiding

    "But if it''s really like she says, this System seems able to do anything. Why did Reider just ask it to find us instead of killing or capturing the intruders right away?" Adrian still had many questions. But he seemed much calmer, seriously analyzing the strange parts.


    "Who knows? Maybe he just couldn''t afford the points?" I rolled my eyes, only able to guess. Thinking back carefully, the prices the System gave seemed quite high. I vaguely remembered it cost 3000 points to defend against my mind invasion, but 35000 points to locate us - over 10 times more! So you can imagine directly killing or capturing enemies would cost even more! Maybe Reider was just trying to save points. Plus, we still haven''t been caught yet, so he might have even saved those 35000 points...


    Anyway, no matter how powerful this System really is, we''re not dumb enough to go test it ourselves. Even if we didn''t achieve any of our goals on this sneaking mission, as long as we can keep our lives, we''re not losing out!


    "Urgent order: Cancel the plan to attack the Republic! The underground tunnel to the Republic is now off-limits to everyone. All troops outside must return immediately. The main task now is to follow His Majesty''s order and search with all our strength for enemy spies who have infiltrated the base, until the alarm is lifted!"


    But when we got back to the warehouse door we came in through, we found it completely sealed off. The door was tightly shut, only allowing people out, not in. The soldiers guarding the door were tirelessly telling other soldiers who wanted to enter about Reider''s new orders.


    "Over there! I sense the intruders'' aura!" Suddenly a shout came from behind us. While we were focused on the warehouse door, a patrol team had quietly come nearby. The mage in their group was pointing at our position and yelling loudly.


    His shout immediately got the attention of the soldiers around the warehouse entrance. Everyone''s eyes suddenly turned towards us.


    "The enemy must be using invisibility magic. Quick, seal off this area! Don''t let anyone escape!"


    Of course, they couldn''t see us with their eyes right now. But that didn''t stop some experienced veterans from quickly figuring out what to do.


    "Alamak, we''ve been found!" Cyra got anxious as she watched these well-trained men spread out, preparing to attack us from all directions. She pulled at me urgently and asked, "What should we do?"


    "Run, of course!" I looked around. Though there were many enemies, it would still take some time for them to form a tight circle around us. So I quietly gathered some magic, threw it out, and whispered:


    "Listen to my signal. Close your eyes right away. Remember to open them again after one second. Then get ready to break through with all your strength!"


    This wasn''t actually any special skill - it was just a flare! Those light mages used it in front of us earlier when we first entered the base from the tunnel. You could say it''s the most basic light magic. I didn''t even need to spread my wings to use it. But the little magic power in my body could only manage one or two times in a short period.


    "Aiya, my eyes!"


    "Darn it..."


    Luckily, the enemy''s attention was all on our position. They didn''t expect an extremely bright flash to suddenly appear out of nowhere. All the soldiers'' eyes were caught off guard and totally blinded! They couldn''t see anything for a while, and their circle hadn''t closed yet, leaving plenty of space to escape. The three of us broke out of the encirclement easily.


    "This way isn''t safe anymore. Let''s find another way..."


    We only caught our breath after running far away. Adrian sighed, saying we couldn''t stay here long and had to go somewhere else.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "If only we could contact Galadra somehow, we could just teleport out. That would be so convenient!"


    But Cyra''s wishful thinking was impossible. If Galadra really knew what was happening inside the base, we wouldn''t have needed to sneak in with so much effort.


    But where else could we go? The news that enemy spies using invisibility magic had infiltrated must have spread through the whole base by now. Teams led by light mages were searching everywhere!


    Though the enemy knew they couldn''t see us, they had ways to deal with it! Besides basic tricks like spreading ash or splashing water, after clearing each area, the imperial army would isolate the safe zones with tracking magic.


    Tracking magic is a hunting spell under the earth element. In the area affected by this magic, any moving living thing that enters will be marked with a magic imprint. The caster can know the spatial position of the imprint at any time. It''s very powerful and convenient. Of course, it has drawbacks too. The biggest problem is that there can''t be too many marked targets, or the caster might break down from the mental pressure of all the spatial imprints.


    So the method the imperial army is using now, though slow, is quite effective. The training ground may be big, but it''s still limited. The space we can move in is getting smaller and smaller. We''ll be found eventually, it''s just a matter of time.


    As for the "flash bomb" escape strategy from earlier, we can only use it once or twice. After being tricked, the imperial soldiers will definitely find ways to counter it. If we''re discovered again, I really can''t think of any other way besides fighting hard.


    "Let''s go inside the buildings!"


    We couldn''t get into the warehouse, but there were many other rooms we could enter nearby. Seeing the base''s alert level rising step by step, with more and more patrol teams, I felt we had almost nowhere to hide. This was our only choice left.


    "But there''s even less space to move in here. There''s nowhere to hide!" Cyra worried as she looked at the narrow corridors inside the building. In open areas, we could dodge in other directions when enemies got close. But once inside, it would be hard to escape if we met again.


    "What other choice do we have? You want to go back outside?" I reminded her impatiently. If we had any other option, who would come to a place like this?


    "The layout here is completely different from the warehouse earlier. There are many small rooms, and the rooms have beds and daily necessities... This must be where the imperial soldiers normally live. Maybe it connects to other areas inside."


    Adrian was quite familiar with these military camp arrangements. He was a bit more optimistic than us. He thought that since the emperor was here without the local Sebastian family knowing, it must be a secret visit. If Reider used the main entrance, it would be impossible to keep secret.


    And logically, such an important base can''t have just one exit. Though it''s designed to look hidden from the outside for secrecy, that also means if other exits really exist, they probably won''t be as heavily guarded as the front.


    Of course, our most urgent problem now isn''t how to find this exit, but how to survive the enemy''s search.


    But after leaving the area near the entrance that seemed to be soldier barracks, the path ahead felt more and more deserted. Fewer and fewer rooms were occupied. Many were completely empty. Soon even the magic lamps lighting the corridors were gone. We came to a very dark and desolate group of empty rooms. All the rooms here were the same size and layout, neatly arranged on both sides of the corridor. Obviously they hadn''t been used yet.


    "So strange, there''s an uninhabited area like this in an imperial military base?"


    Since we were deep inside the base without any windows, of course we couldn''t see anything. After walking for a while, Cyra finally couldn''t stand it and lit a magic light ball. Suddenly the whole corridor was brightly lit.


    "Well... don''t forget this base was only built a few days ago. It''s so big, but there aren''t many people. Of course only the central part is used regularly, it''s very limited!"


    At first I wanted to stop her, but then I thought this place probably doesn''t get many visitors anyway. And it was really hard to move in such darkness, so I allowed it.


    "Why don''t we rest for a bit?"


    None of us knew what was waiting ahead, but Adrian also thought pursuers probably wouldn''t come here for now. So he suggested we stop to discuss our strategy.


    "So I think we might as well just use brute force to break through the outer wall and escape!"


    We found an empty room and sat down, dropping our invisibility. Thinking carefully, we''d been walking for about 15-20 minutes to get here. We might already be at the edge of the base. My opinion was that since we''d already been discovered, we should just leave quickly.


    "But the building materials here seem unusual. The outer walls made by those mechanical bugs - it''s hard to say if we can break through quickly. If we can''t escape in time and attract enemies inside, that would be losing more than we gain."


    Adrian shook his head when he heard this. He walked up to a wall and pinched it with his fingers. The surface coating quickly crumbled, revealing a strange wall body with a metallic sheen inside.

 Voll 5/ Chapter 38: Strike out

    "Why don''t we just fight our way out? Those normal humans outside are weak. We can just walk out the main door and they can''t stop us!"


    The walls of the room, and probably the whole base, were made of some very strong material. It looked a bit like the old building materials from Lantine Oasis Sky City. Cyra saw this too and didn''t think we could break through the outer walls quickly with our strength.


    "What''s the point of saying that now? Don''t forget there are Gundam in this base! And there''s a big boss System. You think it''ll be so easy?"


    I couldn''t help complaining. Cyra ran away the fastest earlier, but now she suddenly wants to be brave? It''s not that I think we can''t win. It''s just that facing an enemy with a tricky System makes me nervous. Being careful is always better.


    "I''m just saying. Do you have any other ideas? Are we really going to look for some other exit? The problem is we can''t find one!"


    Of course Cyra understood. She just shrugged and threw the problem back to me. But I couldn''t answer her right away either.


    We wandered around the empty area for a long time and saw many integrated building facilities. This area was probably meant to be a living area when it was first built. But because there weren''t enough people, areas near the edge like this one hadn''t been used yet. Besides that, we still didn''t know anything about how the rest of the base was laid out. It wouldn''t be as easy as we thought to find a hidden exit and leave this place.


    Now we were stuck again. The worst part was that even though the enemy didn''t seem strong, we still had to be careful of many things. It was very frustrating to think about.


    "Be quiet, I think someone''s coming!" Adrian suddenly warned us softly. He quietly closed the door. Then the lights in the room went out and it became pitch black.


    "Do we need to turn invisible again?" I asked carefully. I could clearly hear footsteps coming from the direction we came from.


    "No need. It sounds like there aren''t many people coming..."


    Adrian rejected my suggestion. Was he thinking of killing them to keep them quiet? But as the footsteps got closer, we could start to hear the people talking.


    "Are those intruders really that weak?"


    It was a girl''s voice. This seemed different from what we expected. We thought we''d run into a search team from outside, but from the footsteps it sounded like no more than 6 or 7 people.


    "Of course! Think about it. If they were strong magicians or angels, we would have found them by now! Even if they were invisible it wouldn''t help. The fact that they''ve been hiding in the base for so long means their level can''t be very high. We still can''t sense them clearly!"


    Another woman answered very confidently. Her voice sounded a bit familiar.


    "But what if they''re Battle Qi awakener? We can''t sense any elemental energy from Battle Qi awakener either. If we run into them, won''t we be dead for sure?"


    Suddenly a man''s voice chimed in, asking more questions.


    "Haha, how is that possible! You think Battle Qi awakener are so common they just show up anywhere?"


    The woman from before answered again. But her tone seemed clearly meant to persuade.


    "This kind of chance to catch spies ourselves and get credit doesn''t come often! If I hadn''t seen the blueprints before and known there was an unused area in the base, most people wouldn''t have thought they might be hiding in a place like this! Anyway, those search teams outside are so dumb, they definitely won''t search here for a while. If you''re scared now, you can leave early!"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "I''m not scared at all. I''m Apton, almost a 6th level high-class warrior. How could I be afraid of a few Republic spies?" The man''s voice from before immediately clarified, not wanting to seem weak. "Plus Memi is very strong too. Her light magic level is already over 5th level. With the two of us here, what intruders could we not catch?"


    "That''s right! Even though I''m a bit weaker than everyone, I''ll definitely not let you down in trying to get credit and win the chief pilot position!" The last voice sounded quite weak, but clearly she didn''t want to back out at the last minute either and kept agreeing with everyone.


    Okay, now we understood the situation without needing more confirmation! It seemed a few reckless Empire soldiers wanted to try to get credit on their own by searching this empty area for us. But their plan was doomed to fail.


    "As soon as they get close, I''ll go out and take them down. Remember not to show your wings, or we might get discovered!" Adrian quietly instructed me. Even though we were hiding in a separate room, these Empire soldiers would eventually pass by our door on the main road. With several light mages that close, we wouldn''t be able to hide our auras at all. The only option was to kill them.


    "No problem!" I nodded, mentally preparing myself. Even though our targets this time were humans, we had no choice but to make an exception to ensure our own safety.


    Everything developed as expected. Soon the footsteps came very close to our door.


    With a loud "BANG!", Adrian burst out the door and attacked first. Outside immediately became chaos.


    "Enemy attack! Everyone retreat and take cover!"


    As the enemies cried out in surprise, Cyra and I quickly poked our heads out to watch the situation outside.


    In the dim corridor lit by magic light, we could see several people already lying on the ground! Even though Adrian wasn''t especially skilled at close combat, his strength had grown tremendously since awakening his Battle Qi. How could these common soldiers resist him? In less than 10 seconds he had taken out over half the enemies by himself.


    But of course some lucky ones escaped the first attack. Two or three of them scattered and hid in the surrounding buildings. Since Adrian couldn''t sense their elemental energy to find their positions, he could only start searching the rooms one by one based on where they disappeared.


    "They''re in the room next to you!" I couldn''t help shouting to warn Adrian when I saw him about to go the wrong way. We were so close now that it was easy for me to sense exactly where those light mages were hiding. Adrian didn''t know, but I could tell him!


    "Damn it!" Sure enough, as soon as I spoke, a figure immediately jumped out of a small room not far to the right. In that kind of place with no other exit, if they were really found it would be certain death. The person hiding definitely wouldn''t just wait to be killed.


    "Huh?" Surprisingly, the person''s movements were quite agile. Even though she was a female light mage, her martial arts skills were quite good! Although Adrian immediately blocked her escape route when she appeared, she managed to exchange a few moves with Adrian using her nimble footwork, then feinted and turned to escape again, disappearing into the darkness.


    "Strange, why do I feel like I''ve seen that person somewhere before? And it seems like she used a disguise magic... or maybe not?"


    Even though we only saw her briefly, I felt like that female mage had used disguise magic to hide her identity.


    Disguise magic is a type of light magic. But if a light mage casts it on themselves, the light elemental aura of the magic itself can easily be hidden. So unless you''re very sensitive to and familiar with light elements, it''s usually hard to tell.


    In this situation, of course the closer we got to the target the easier it would be to uncover the truth. Even if she ran away again, as long as I was here we''d definitely be able to find her!


    Thinking this, I immediately ran out of the room, planning to go help Adrian.


    "So you''re the enemy magician? Looks like I''ll have to take you out first!"


    Just then, another enemy suddenly jumped out from the other side. This guy must be the warrior called Apton from before. The big two-handed axe he was swinging looked quite threatening. I didn''t realize at all that he was hiding so close to me. I was so startled I almost couldn''t help revealing my wings.


    "Solar Flare!"


    Luckily Cyra behind me was much smarter this time. Seeing the bad situation, she quickly threw out a high-intensity light magic bullet. It successfully blinded the enemy and saved me for now.


    "Hey! Why did you run out? I guess I saved your life this time, huh?"


    Having succeeded with one hit, Cyra was very proud and started asking for credit.


    "Feliciana, are you okay?" Apton couldn''t see so he didn''t press forward, but instead hid again. Fortunately Adrian saw the situation and quickly ran back to protect our safety.


    "I''m fine, just that I also got blinded by someone''s attack..."


    I couldn''t help feeling annoyed. Actually, even if Cyra didn''t save me, I had my own way to escape! But her magic bullet came with no warning at all, so I got hit too. It took a long time for my vision to recover. I was being very merciful by not teaching her a lesson.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 39: Pretending

    "So it really is you?"


    Soon, another unexpected thing happened. The female mage who ran away earlier came back on her own! She looked quite surprised.


    I didn''t understand what she was up to. Didn''t they come here on purpose to catch us? Who else would it be if not us? Even though these two soldiers weren''t too weak, they were far from being able to really fight us!


    "You have no chance of winning! If you just want to catch us to get credit, I suggest you give up soon!"


    To protect me and Cyra from being attacked again, Adrian didn''t dare go forward. He could only frown and try to convince them to leave.


    "Hmph, Memi, don''t be afraid of them! I have to admit that guy is very strong, but those two girls behind him are really weak. There''s three of us left, we might be able to beat them!"


    Seeing the standoff, Apton who was forced back earlier also came out from the corner. He stood next to the female mage with an angry face and shouted at us: "And let me tell you, I won''t fall for that dirty trick again!"


    "You dare call me weak?"


    I was so angry! If I wasn''t afraid of being discovered by showing my wings, I would have killed this guy already! True, I couldn''t fight him head-on in my normal state, but if you really push me, I won''t hesitate to turn him into dried meat!


    But wait, aren''t there only two of them now? Could the third person they mentioned be...


    "Haha! You think we''re afraid of you? Let me tell you, your other friend is even weaker than me, and I know where she is. I saw her hide with my own eyes!"


    Before I could figure it out, Cyra already jumped in. She had quickly found the third person''s location through her light element aura - hiding in a room behind us. It should be another light mage, but she hadn''t come out since Adrian''s sudden attack.


    "Watch me drag her out! Flower girl, you have nowhere to run this time!"


    Cyra turned around without another word and marched straight to where the enemy was hiding. She looked very confident. To be honest, the light element aura of this last person was really very weak. If you didn''t pay special attention, it was really hard to sense their location. You could say it was even weaker than our wingless state right now.


    "Hey! Wait, don''t..."


    Me and Adrian didn''t have time to react, but Memi from the other side suddenly reached out her hand, like she wanted to stop Cyra.


    In that moment, I suddenly realized something I had been overlooking - Memi''s series of reactions when she last appeared! Could it be that her real identity was...


    "Come out, you''re dead¡ª"


    But it was too late. Cyra was already standing outside the door where the enemy was hiding. She kicked open the door and rushed in with a mean laugh. But soon after, there was a flash of light in the room. Cyra quickly ran out covering her eyes, rolling on the ground in pain.


    "Waaaah, my eyes! I''m sorry! I''m sorry, I''m sorry..."


    I went to check on her and found that her eyes weren''t really hurt. This reaction actually felt very familiar. If I''m not wrong, only "Five Light Ten Color" would have this kind of effect.


    Which means, the person hiding in that room all along was actually...The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Cyra, why do you never learn?"


    Sure enough, Reed''s voice soon came from the room. But then a girl I didn''t recognize at all walked out.


    "You..."


    I couldn''t help looking at this person suspiciously. She really was very cute. Even in this dim light she still looked beautiful. No wonder Cyra suddenly "went wild" earlier.


    Of course, after careful observation up close, you could see that she also had a layer of disguise magic on her, exactly the same as "Memi" from before. So what we were seeing now wasn''t her real appearance.


    "What? Even you can''t tell?"


    Luckily, the other person quickly confirmed my guess. Reed, disguised as a human, rolled her eyes at me.


    "The key is, who could have guessed you would sneak in this way?"


    I shot back without backing down. The weaker the light element aura from the spellcaster, the easier it is to tell if they have disguise magic on them. So it was even more obvious observing Reed''s state than Memi''s.


    Earlier we couldn''t find any news of her in the base at all. We thought our search direction was completely wrong. But now we suddenly ran into her unexpectedly.


    "What''s going on?"


    Apton, who was far away fighting Adrian, saw his companion suddenly start chatting with me. He called out in confusion: "Idini, what are you doing? Hurry up and get away from them!"


    "I''m sorry, I deceived you. But you''re of no use now..."


    But just as he finished saying this, he suddenly got hit hard from behind. He stumbled forward a few steps with a look of disbelief on his face, fell to the ground, and didn''t get up again.


    Of course, this wasn''t Adrian''s doing. It was Memi standing behind him, looking just like a cruel villain!


    "You must be Mia, right?"


    I wasn''t surprised by this at all. Since Reed had appeared, who else could this Memi really be? I irritably asked her: "So you already knew it was us. Why didn''t you come out earlier to explain? Why did you have to fight with Adrian for so long?"


    Basically, this was like flooding your own home!


    "So he''s the legendary new king of Parristol... oh right, not anymore now!"


    Mia looked at Adrian with some surprise. I just remembered that they and Reed had never really met before.


    "Actually, before Feliciana appeared, we weren''t very sure of your identities either," Mia quickly explained when she saw we still didn''t really understand the situation. "After all, there were many possibilities for who the intruders that snuck into this base could be. But Lady Reed insisted it must be you and Cyra who came, so she came here specially to look for traces of you."


    "But what''s the deal with these people? Aren''t they your teammates? Why did you bring them here? Or have you two already joined the Empire army and want to catch us to give to that dog emperor? Then you saw the situation wasn''t good, so you want to switch sides again?"


    Cyra had recovered by now. She pointed at the people lying on the ground and asked righteously. After going through "Five Light Ten Color" many times, her resistance in this area seemed to have increased a lot.


    "Just as I expected, you still haven''t grown a brain!"


    Hearing her talk nonsense, Reed scolded her with a blank face. But surprisingly, she turned to me at the same time. "And you''re about the same. You''ve already been discovered but you''re still using useless escape methods like invisibility!"


    "Then what''s your method? Could it be..."


    Adrian frowned and looked at the humans lying on the ground. He seemed to suddenly understand what they meant to do.


    "That''s right, we came to bring you identities! Just like how I''m called ''Memi'' now!"


    Mia snapped her fingers proudly. A strange smile appeared on her face as she gave the answer directly.


    ...


    Their plan was actually very simple. They wanted us to pretend to be soldiers in the base using disguise magic, to get through the strict search that was coming soon.


    Of course, in the Empire army''s base, every soldier''s position is clearly recorded. If we just made up fake people, we would be easily discovered. So these human soldiers lying on the ground became the perfect targets for us to imitate.


    "You and Cyra will have light mage identities, like me in the base''s magic research department. Some important people you need to know about are..."


    After changing clothes, I had a new identity - Tagilu. Then Mia started telling me some simple background and relationships for this person.


    On Cyra''s side, Reed was in charge of "carefully teaching" her. Her name seemed to be... Niki? Anyway, like me she was a low-level magic researcher. Only this kind of identity could perfectly match our wingless forms.


    "Actually, you can get all these details from their brains using memory reading magic. But that magic is quite complicated. Using it in the current situation might cause a big commotion. So just remembering what I tell you should be enough to get by!"


    Mia looked at the original people lying on the ground and shook her head with a sigh. You could say this misfortune was their own doing. Since they couldn''t resist the temptation to come "hunt" intruders, they might have to pay the price for it.


    As for Adrian, my original idea was to have him pretend to be Apton. But considering how easily disguise magic could be seen through on him, we decided to just keep him as he was.

 Vol 5/Chapter 40: Research Institute of the Base

    Everything was ready. After cleaning up the site, we followed Reed in the direction she came from. Of course, we werent just walking without doing anything. We took the time to catch up with each other about what happened after leaving the Republic.


    "This investigation of the Imperial Army was actually my idea first!"


    Mia quickly clarified everyones assumptions, which were a bit different from what we thought. It turned out that she and Reed had met up much earlier than expected. Just when Reed was about to reach the border between the Empire and the Republic, Mia had already intercepted her.


    But the reason they insisted on coming to the Empire was because Reed had heard from the Republic''s army about some strange metal bugs being used to build border bases here.


    Those metal bugs were the same mechanical insects we saw in the tunnels! These things weren''t very strong individually, but they were great at working together, with high intelligence and efficiency! While on a mission, they didn''t need to eat, drink, or even rest.


    Based on our observations, these mechanical bugs seemed to draw energy directly from the surrounding elements, without needing anyone to charge them! Because of this, the base''s expansion speed was incredibly fast, much faster than what could be done with human labor or even magical assistance!


    This kind of high-tech "technology" appearing in this world was really unusual. Reed and Mia believed it might be connected to the origin of the "Eye of Galadra" So, after discussing it, they decided to sneak in and investigate the truth before the base was fully completed.


    But unexpectedly, shortly after they sneaked in, a shield isolating elements suddenly rose around the base. They hadn''t even had time to contact Edenmere before they were completely trapped inside.


    "Why didn''t you try to escape? And those mechanical bugs, I heard they weren''t even developed by the Empire itself. They don''t have the technology. So what''s the point of staying here?"


    I didn''t quite understand. Since they had already gained legitimate internal identities, wouldn''t it be easy to find an excuse to leave?


    As for the identity of the mysterious man in white, I doubted that staying here, even disguised as Imperial soldiers, would reveal the truth. I even suspected that the Emperor Reider himself might not know. Of course, if he could use his so-called "System" to investigate the truth, that would be a different matter.


    "There''s still some value..."


    Reed shook her head, denying it. But then she suddenly gave Cyra a strange look before continuing. "Although the investigation of the mechanical bugs didn''t make much progress, we discovered that the Empire is researching a new type of special weapon here! The Imperial soldier we were impersonating happened to be a core researcher on this special weapon project. Using this identity, we could get a closer look at the weapon''s purpose and power. Besides, this was a rare opportunity, so we didn''t rush to leave..."


    "Moreover, the identity of a core researcher is too important to the Imperial Army. During these rushed days, we weren''t allowed to go out at all. Even if we wanted to escape and send a message, we didn''t have a chance!"


    Mia nodded in agreement, adding her thoughts.


    "The new type of special weapon you''re talking about, could it be..."


    Hearing this, I immediately thought of that huge "Gundam" in the massive hangar, but I couldn''t quite remember the name. "Something like Midas?"


    "Yes, it''s Midas! Have you seen it already?"This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Mia was a bit surprised, but then she remembered that we had snuck in using invisibility, so it wasn''t too surprising that we discovered this secret.


    "I remember the design for Midas was provided to the Empire by a mysterious man in white. So you''ve probably seen the design as well, right?"


    Adrian pondered for a moment before asking. I understood what he meant. If we couldn''t get reliable information directly, maybe we could find some useful clues from the documents the other side leaked, like the origin of the technology.


    "Not much, because the contents of the design are too deep!"


    Unfortunately, Reed shook her head, looking a bit regretful as she explained to us. "Besides the different understanding of elements, it also involves a lot of knowledge about machinery, circuits, and chips. This is not only rare and advanced in this world but even for Earth''s technology! I could barely understand a small part of it. The rest of the functions had to be supplemented with magic arrays. But even so, Midas is only a half-finished product. Its technological content is far inferior to those mechanical bugs!"


    I didn''t expect that even someone as brilliant as Reed would face such an insurmountable challenge, making the identity of that mysterious man in white even more mysterious!


    "So, does that mean that... Midas was actually made by you?"


    As for Cyra, her thoughts were more focused. She wasn''t too interested in the man in white and was thinking about Gundam the entire time.


    "It''s not entirely our work, but without our hard work and Reed''s sleepless nights, it wouldn''t be nearing completion so quickly! When we first took over this mess, the Imperial magic researchers were completely overwhelmed. Thanks to Reed''s guidance, they managed to overcome one hurdle after another. Otherwise, the Emperor would have sent them to the gallows by now!"


    Mia nodded, not denying it. It was clear she was excited about this. Although this trip to the Ilandra Dominion Empire was dangerous, it was also quite fruitful.


    Now, there was no need to ask any more. We all understood that these two research enthusiasts got curious. They encountered technology that was completely different from the magical world, and then a Gundam appeared out of nowhere! Naturally, their curiosity was piqued, and it''s no wonder they stayed behind!


    However, since they had created Midas, even if it was just an incomplete version, its power shouldn''t be underestimated. Leaving it in the hands of the Empire was dangerous and could pose a new threat to us! However, Mia and Reed didn''t seem too worried about this. They didn''t say why, but they just told us to follow them somewhere.


    ¡­


    Not long after, we left the deserted area and arrived outside the research base. Along the way, we passed several teams searching for intruding spies. But with the legitimate identities of Imperial magic researchers, even if someone noticed the light element aura on us, we could easily bluff our way through.


    "Sorry! This is a restricted area. Please show your entry permit!"


    At an unremarkable entrance, we were stopped. The path ahead was off-limits to regular soldiers. A few fully armed soldiers reached out to stop us as soon as they saw us approaching.


    "Idini!"


    Reed wasn''t fazed at all. She casually showed them a card and walked right in.


    "Memi!"


    Mia followed closely behind. Seeing this, Cyra and I quickly took out Tagilu and Niki''s identity cards from our pockets. We had already used a voice-changing magic scroll, so there was no fear of revealing any flaws.


    "What about yours? If you don''t have a special area entry card, you''re not allowed to enter according to the rules!"


    However, when it was Adrian''s turn, there was trouble. He hadn''t disguised himself as anyone, just changed his outfit, so he was unceremoniously stopped outside.


    "He''s our bodyguard. The previous one, Apton, was completely unreliable. When we were out on an errand earlier, he suddenly said he needed to use the restroom, but after waiting for a long time, he never came back! We needed protection to hurry back to work, so we applied for a new guard from the logistics department, but we haven''t had time to get the entry permit!"


    Mia was well-prepared for this situation and quickly explained it to the guards. After spending these past few days together, we had become quite familiar with them. Although they acted strictly according to the rules, they were generally friendly with us.


    "Oh, I see. Since you two are vouching for him, there''s no problem. I''ll notify the security department to issue the newcomer''s ID immediately!"


    It was surprising how much face Idini and Memi had! The guards accepted the explanation without any suspicion, and Adrian unexpectedly obtained a legitimate identity.


    "That Apton guy is really suspicious! He''s been missing for so long! Maybe he''s the one who colluded with the enemy to let the spies in. You should investigate him thoroughly!"


    Cyra, on the other hand, wasn''t very kind and took the opportunity to throw Apton under the bus, making me shake my head.


    "Huh? Oh... okay!"


    The guards'' expressions seemed a bit odd, but they quickly responded to her request. Afraid that Cyra might say something more to cause trouble, Mia quickly pulled her along, and we finally passed through the research base checkpoint.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 41: The Driver

    The base research center was actually just a normal military research place. It had all kinds of magic tech and magic testing areas for war stuff. Regular people weren''t allowed to enter anyhow they like. But I didn''t feel like exploring the secrets there now. We kept walking for a bit, and when I saw nobody around, I couldn''t help asking:


    "Who exactly are these Idini and Memi you''re pretending to be? They seem to be big shots in this base."


    Military bases like this wouldn''t change guards just because some small researcher wanted it, especially not high-level guards like Apton. You''d need to be a leader to get that kind of treatment! If the real Idini and Memi were base or research leaders, how could Reed and Mia take their place so easily?


    "At first they were just normal soldiers who just joined this base. They might have some faraway noble blood too. But because light mages are so rare, they usually get better jobs, like working in the research center. We saw this chance and offered to take their place!"


    Mia thought for a bit and slowly explained what happened. Unlike Apton and the others, Idini and Memi didn''t really want to join the army. They were half-forced to come to this base. When they found out Mia and Reed were angels, they happily agreed to their request. They didn''t suffer at all and even escaped army duty.


    The reason Reed and the others got such high positions later was mainly because Reed used her knowledge to help the Midas research team overcome many problems. She even got praise from Emperor Reider himself. This caused quite a stir, so no wonder the guards treat them so special.


    "What about me and Feliciana? Are the people we''re pretending to be different in some way?" Cyra asked right away, very interested in Tagilu and Niki''s situation.


    "Those two aren''t anything special! They used to be in the magic fighting unit. But as low-level light mages, they were very helpful for  experiments on the Midas. So they got promoted to be research assistants in the center!" Reed glanced at her and gave a very practical answer. Basically, it was still a low-level job, being lab rats! She also reminded Cyra:


    "Don''t forget what I told you - Niki is usually very obedient and quiet. She hardly ever talks much. Also, she and Apton seem to have a special relationship. They''re extremely close, more than just coworkers. This rumor has spread all over the research center!"


    Cyra went quiet. Now we all knew why those guards at the door looked so weird when they heard her bad-mouthing.


    Luckily these were small issues. We kept walking a bit more and soon arrived at our destination.


    "So it''s here!"


    As the big door opened, it showed a huge space behind. At first I didn''t realize where we''d been taken, but when I saw the giant mechanical ankle behind the door, I suddenly realized we''d come back to that warehouse from before!


    But now we were in a different position, entering from another door. The meeting room we were in before was hanging high above us. Of course, Emperor Reider wasn''t there anymore.


    "We still have some adjustments to make, so you can rest nearby if you have nothing to do. Try not to talk too much with other people."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    We could see many researchers working on different parts of the Midas. Mia casually arranged a rest area for us to sit down. She took a magic elevator that slowly rose up to the Midas''s head to continue her work.


    "Did you really make this thing by yourself?" Cyra looked up at the window, still not quite believing it. She couldn''t help asking Reed again to make sure.


    "I already said many times, it wasn''t just me!" Reed was looking for something in a toolbox. She looked up impatiently and explained again. "When we came here, the whole structure of the Midas was already finished. But those mages had no idea about the core energy source and power transmission parts. Even though the empire''s magic tech is top-notch on the continent, they couldn''t understand the circuits and signal diagrams in the design. Even I could barely manage it. For parts we really couldn''t do, we had to use magic formations instead!"


    "So you''re saying the design from that person in white actually recorded tech related to Earth?" I got excited when I heard this and quickly asked to confirm. Having circuits and signals - isn''t that obvious?


    "We can''t say that either. Even Earth tech probably couldn''t make something like this. Plus, the design also has a lot of magic stuff about using and changing elements efficiently. The two are combined very nicely, with very unique ideas. I can''t fully understand most of it." She shook her head, seeming unsure. "Maybe it has some connection to Earth, but the difference is still quite big. Rather than Earth, it''s more like that ancient civilization you mentioned!"


    This was a bit strange. Now the situation was - we found many tech clues in this magic world, but on Earth nobody ever discovered elements or magic! Let alone combining the two.


    "Is Idini here?" Just as we were all guessing, a researcher suddenly walked in from outside. His purpose was very clear - he was clearly looking for Reed.


    "Emperor Reider just gave an order. He wants all adjustments on the Midas finished in three hours. Then we''ll start the first full test. Are you sure there''s no problem?"


    "So urgent?" Reed was surprised when she heard this. But she looked back at us, then firmly replied, "No problem! But I still insist on choosing the driver myself!"


    "The driver? That''s no issue, actually..." The person sighed and spread his hands before continuing.


    "According to news from the front, Talon - the chief driver the research center leaders chose - sadly died in battle while helping attack the Republic''s rear. So now we can only use the backup plan. Isn''t that just what you wanted?"


    "Who''s this Talon again?" After the person finally left, I frowned and asked Reed, not quite understanding.


    "He''s not really an important person. His status came from being related to some high official in the capital. This connection, plus having good light element affinity, got him chosen as the Midas''s chief driver!" She shook her head and answered. She picked up the toolbox she''d prepared and was about to leave, but suddenly turned back and locked eyes with Cyra.


    "For the remaining backup drivers, Niki fits the requirements best. So you should know what to do next, right? Better prepare in advance!"


    "Huh, Niki? Isn''t that me? What can I prepare?" Cyra was stunned. She never imagined she''d end up with the job of piloting a giant robot. She just stood there frozen.


    "Hey, are you scared? If so, why not just give it to me? I asked earlier, actually Tagilu is a backup driver too. Either of us could do it..." Seeing her not react for so long, I couldn''t help poking her a few times and asking.


    "No way! I''m not scared of such a rare chance. I definitely won''t give it to you!" When she heard this, she jumped up high. Her reaction was just as I expected.


    "Aren''t you worried about dissolving like Rei Ayanami?" I asked again, not giving up. No matter what, piloting a giant robot is a legendary "good job". It''s impossible not to be tempted. Of course I wanted to try getting it too.


    "I''m not scared! Besides, I''m not Rei Ayanami, and that thing isn''t an Eva. You can''t scare me!" But Cyra was very stubborn. She didn''t budge at all from my kind persuasion, so I had to give up.


    "But she''s pretending to be Niki. She never learned how to pilot this... mechanical man. Is it really okay to suddenly make her the driver?" Adrian, as a guard, finally spoke up after watching us argue for so long.


    "Don''t worry. If Reed decided this, she must have thought it through. We just need to wait for instructions!" I naturally trusted Reed a lot. But seeing Adrian looking a bit unhappy, I knew he was upset about not being very useful in this escape. So I quickly comforted him. "Don''t worry! Reed told me earlier there''s a big problem only you might be able to solve. So we all need to help each other to get through this tough situation!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 42: Full Test

    What big problem needed Adrian to solve? Of course, it was his Battle Qi skill!


    Reed didn''t just want Cyra to get on the Midas alone. She wanted all of us to go together! But officially, only Cyra pretending to be Niki was the driver. So we needed some special tricks to sneak everyone else on without anyone noticing.


    According to plan, after finishing indoor tests, the Midas would go outside the base for more testing. That''s when we could escape the base. Adrian''s word arrows were very important for this.


    "So I need to make four people invisible this time? But my Battle Qi isn''t fully back yet. It might take some time..." Adrian quickly understood what he needed to do. Making word arrows wasn''t easy for him, especially several at once. But luckily, time was the one thing we had plenty of.


    Word arrows were powerful, but not too hard to make. Adrian just had to hold the arrow and use his mind to change his Battle Qi into words that stick to the target.


    It looked simple, but there were rules. Usually, the more amazing the effect and the longer it lasted, the more time it took to make the word. Even if you succeeded in putting on the word, how well it worked depended a lot on how strong the target was. So even though we sometimes had wild ideas to try words like "win" or "die", it never worked out even after lots of effort.


    "Battle Qi is already beyond normal reality. Maybe the bigger the change to reality, the more energy it needs," Reed explained. "When Adrian doesn''t have enough Battle Qi, even if he puts on a word with clear meaning, it might still fail in the end."


    Reed was very interested in this, but she was busy preparing for the Midas test and couldn''t spend too much time studying it.


    Everything was going smoothly as planned. Three hours passed quickly. Cyra, pretending to be Niki, became the main test driver as expected. During that time, Reed and others taught her the basic controls. She excitedly stepped into the elevator going up to the head cockpit.


    Of course, by then the four of us were already invisible. We secretly got in the elevator with her. Nobody noticed us at all!


    Other researchers would definitely get suspicious if we suddenly disappeared during the test, especially important people like Idini and Memi. But Reed had prepared for this - she made light magic dolls to replace us.


    These weren''t like the rough ones I made before. Mia made these herself! They looked exactly like us and could be controlled from far away. So for a short time, nobody would notice they weren''t real.


    "This is the cockpit? It''s totally different from what I imagined!" Cyra was confused as soon as we entered. It wasn''t like the inside of a Gundam she imagined. There were no instruments or lots of buttons she couldn''t name. The whole place was actually very small and simple!


    The space was less than 5 square meters with just one chair. A few tubes connected the chair to the "wall". There wasn''t even a window to see outside. With five people squeezed in here, I felt like I was back on a crowded bus during rush hour.


    "Adrian, can you use your ''small'' word arrow? I can hardly breathe!" The air wasn''t moving well inside. I barely found a tiny spot to sit down and couldn''t stand it anymore.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "I don''t have much Battle Qi left. That ''invisible'' arrow before used up all my Battle Qi. I can''t make one now!" Adrian said with a bitter smile. So that was impossible.


    "The whole driving process connects to sensors all over through light element spirit links. So whatever the Midas''s eyes see is what the driver sees. No need for extra windows! The cockpit has to be small. A bigger one would make it easier for enemies to hit. The deeper inside, the better protected the weak spots are," Reed explained matter-of-factly. She was right next to me but didn''t complain at all. She and Mia had to focus on controlling their light magic dolls, so they didn''t talk much unless it was important.


    As for me and Adrian, nobody paid much attention to our dolls. We just had to find a good spot to sit and "watch". My doll''s view gave me a second set of eyes to see outside. (Adrian couldn''t use magic, so he just listened to what I said.)


    "But it''s supposed to be a weapon for the empire. Is it good to hide the weak spots so much?" I felt Reed was being too serious. If the empire could mass produce these based on this prototype - even just two or three would be a huge threat to nearby countries. Normal people couldn''t fight it at all!


    "What''s there to worry about? I''m the official driver now, so this is my personal Gundam from now on. No weak spots is better!" Cyra excitedly sat in the driver''s seat. She had the most space. Following Reed''s instructions, she used spirit magic to connect to the Midas''s system. She couldn''t help laughing proudly. "Haha, that''s right! It feels like I''m moving myself. I''m about to be invincible!"


    What terrible lines! The whole process was basically like using our "Spiritual Convergence" communication magic to connect to the spirit network. But the Midas applied different spirit commands to control the machine. This made classic scenes we''d only seen in sci-fi movies come true. It was also the main reason why the driver had to be a light mage.


    "Whatever you say..." I suddenly wondered if making her the driver was a mistake. I buried my head, feeling helpless. But it was already done, so we couldn''t change it. Plus, all of us were hiding in here now. If something went wrong, being more sturdy couldn''t hurt. Thinking that way made me feel better!


    "Test starting. You can leave the hangar now!" With a big shake, Cyra successfully controlled the Midas to stand steady as the outside order came. No matter what, using your mind to control a whole machine had a pretty low starting difficulty.


    But the next part didn''t go so well. Just when I was secretly feeling relieved, suddenly everything started spinning. The whole cockpit felt like it turned sideways. In the already tiny space, everyone got squished together out of control.


    "Mia, can you move your chest a bit? I can barely breathe!" I struggled to crawl out of the pile of bodies. If I wasn''t wrong, this feeling meant the machine was tilting by accident. It hadn''t fallen over completely, but for the four of us extra passengers who couldn''t wear seatbelts, the experience was almost deadly!


    Controlling the Midas to walk needed some skill and practice. This was Cyra''s first time, so of course she had big problems with the first step.


    "What''s going on? Niki! Didn''t you do well in the last walking test?" Sure enough, her "expert move" immediately raised questions from the watching staff. The test officer asked very sternly.


    "It''s fine, just an accident! I tripped on the fasteners by mistake!" Cyra made up an excuse through the built-in magic loudspeaker. She tried hard to control the machine to stand up from a half-kneeling position. This time she didn''t disappoint and didn''t fall again. She finally learned to walk. Although it was slow, she managed to leave the hangar and come to the base''s outdoor field.


    "First test, shield test!" The shield was made by protective magic formations on the Midas''s surface. It had magic defense and physical defense parts. This test was the easiest - just see if the shield could turn on successfully.


    "Second test, hand weapon shooting!" By now the field was clear of unrelated people. A huge target was standing in the middle. No doubt, that was what we needed to hit.


    "Watch this!" Cyra raised the Midas''s hand without hesitation. It was supposed to have a laser-like weapon there, but because of tech limits, Reed had to use a big fire magic formation instead.


    Besides the original weapon spots, many new weapons were added all over the machine, like shoulder cannons! These "shoulder cannons" were actually the magic cannons we saw before. The original design didn''t have these, but the empire''s upgrade idea was "more weapons are better, bigger power is better". They basically wanted to make a super mobile gun platform that could run around everywhere.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 43: Escape

    Through my light magic doll, I saw three big fireballs shoot out from the Midas''s palm. Two missed the target, but the last one hit it and made a huge explosion. It was stronger than the ship cannons we saw before.


    "... Barely passed. Next is moving target shooting!" The test officer was quiet for two seconds. He seemed calm and didn''t say much before starting the next test. Soon, some smaller targets rose up and started moving around in the air above the base.


    Cyra tried many times but couldn''t hit any. All her fireballs hit the base ceiling instead. Loud booms echoed everywhere. It felt like the whole building was shaking.


    "It didn''t break through the ceiling?" I was surprised the base shell was so strong. Good thing we didn''t try to escape by breaking the walls before. But Cyra''s failures made the test officer impatient.


    "Niki! What''s wrong with you today? Aren''t you usually good at hitting magic targets? How come you can''t hit even once!"


    "I can''t help it. This Midas feels weird to control!" Cyra could only make excuses. She wasn''t the real Niki and hadn''t trained, so of course she couldn''t hit the targets.


    "Nonsense! How can the controls be weird?" The test officer wasn''t fooled. With all her bad performance from the start, he stopped the test and ordered Cyra to come back right away.


    "Stop the next tests. Change drivers now! Niki, you''re not allowed to be a driver anymore!"


    "What do we do? If they change drivers, won''t Cyra be in danger of being found out?" I never thought things would turn out like this. Cyra would surely be punished as Niki. They''d probably ask her lots of questions, and the secret would come out.


    "No! I can''t go back now!" Cyra realized this too. Her face turned pale as she sat in the driver''s seat. Suddenly she gritted her teeth. "I''ve already gotten this far. I won''t believe I can''t escape!"


    Was she going to force her way out? I was shocked. With everyone watching, the Midas suddenly started running straight for the base gates.


    The test people around were stunned. They never thought the driver would disobey orders. Most of them first thought the machine had gone crazy!


    "Stop! Niki, I order you to stop all Midas activities and come out now!" The test officer quickly came to his senses and gave orders anxiously. But how could Cyra listen?


    "At a time like this, aren''t you going to think of something?" The most frustrating thing was that Reed, who planned all this, was just quietly watching. I couldn''t help reminding her.


    "What can I do? Isn''t this exactly the situation we chose her as driver for?" She glanced at me without expression. It seemed she expected this all along. Then she turned to Cyra in the driver''s seat with a crazy suggestion. "You can find jet roller devices on the feet. We provided a more efficient ground movement mode. It''s much better than using legs!"


    "Oh, really?" Cyra got even more excited. I felt a shake around us. Looks like she turned on this function right away.


    "Hey, why are you teaching her these things? What if she falls?" I was almost stuck to the cockpit wall. The sudden big speed up made it hard to move. I could only open my mouth to complain to Reed. Those "jet rollers" were like putting four wheels on the Midas''s feet. Of course it moved faster, but I worried Cyra was still new to driving and might lose balance and fall.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Luckily, this worry was unnecessary. Cyra used to be very good at roller skating. This was her strong point. The Midas only shook a little before steadying itself.


    "Actually, most of the test items need special training beforehand. It''s hard to pass if it''s not the real person. So we didn''t expect Cyra to hit those targets. All she needed to do was escape!" Mia, who hadn''t said much, suddenly opened her eyes and tried to explain to me.


    "Why didn''t you say so earlier!" I was stunned to find out this was all planned. So those earlier "accidents" were all part of their plan? Was Cyra actually a test subject?


    "If we said it early, you''d be mentally prepared. Especially for someone cautious like Cyra..." By now the speed seemed to reach its highest point. Mia hesitated but finally said it, while putting another "Light Shield" physical protection magic on me. "Knowing what to do ahead of time might not be good!"


    "Huh?" I didn''t understand what she meant at first, until I saw through my magic doll''s eyes that the Midas was about to crash into the base gates...


    "Haha, exciting!" Cyra in the driver''s seat didn''t slow down at all. She silently raised all shields and charged at the gates without hesitation. Then came a super big crash that made us fly up in the air.


    "Damn!" It felt like the whole space flipped upside down and sideways. I flew from the back of the cockpit to the front, hit the wall hard, then slowly slid to the ground. Only then did everything finally stop moving.


    The driver was fine because of the seatbelt. But the rest of us squeezed inside had it pretty bad. Good thing we all had magic protection ready. Even with the cockpit''s cushioning, someone would''ve gotten hurt without it.


    "Why didn''t you stop her from crashing? Don''t you know the base defense is super strong?" Adrian seemed a bit angry. He had the strongest body and could get up first without any protection to check on me. Though he couldn''t see outside directly, he had guessed what happened.


    At first I thought the same as him, but the crash result was different than expected - Cyra actually broke through! The gate material was different from the base walls. It was probably just normal metal, but there were two or three layers. Also, there were several protection magic formations carved on the door to make it stronger. If magic hit this, its power would be greatly reduced.


    "I calculated beforehand. If the Midas crashes into the base gates at full power, its mass should be just enough to break through." Reed seemed pretty shaken up too. She rubbed her head as she explained.


    "Should be?" I stared at her eyes and asked.


    "...Okay, maybe." Reed turned her head away, whether on purpose or not. She pointed at Cyra in the driver''s seat, who had swirly eyes, and explained.


    "If we told you the truth beforehand, you might hesitate at the last second. Like backing out or shooting weapons at the gate early. These moves wouldn''t work and would backfire. We might fail at the last step! That''s why someone simple-minded like Cyra, who doesn''t think much in a crisis, is better as the driver!"


    "What! You think I''m simple-minded? I got into university by myself, you know!" Cyra woke up right away when she heard someone badmouthing her and complained loudly.


    "Hmph, is that so special? Who hasn''t?" I snorted. If she wasn''t so unreliable, I wouldn''t have been kept in the dark until now.


    Though Cyra broke through all the gates, the Midas wasn''t in great shape either. We could see some damage to the outer structure. Even with shields up, the right shoulder that hit the gate was totally broken and hanging useless. Luckily the legs were still okay, so maybe we could keep riding it.


    Of course the base couldn''t just do nothing after the gates were broken. Soon loud alarms rang out all over. The magic dolls still in the research center could see all the soldiers in chaos, calling to report to the emperor and send support.


    "Hurry up, five empire airships are coming this way!" Mia could see all this through her stand-in and kept urging Cyra.


    "My Gundam became a cripple. Reed, you have to fix it for me later... No, why not just make a new one? That can be payment for using me as a test subject!" Though she said this, Cyra still controlled the Midas to stand up again. The ground outside the base wasn''t as flat, so she couldn''t use the jet rollers anymore.


    "This was supposed to be the empire''s secret weapon, but you''re using it to escape..." I couldn''t help rolling my eyes. But we''d achieved all our goals for sneaking into the base. There was no need to stay any longer, so leaving early was the smartest choice.

 Vol 5/Chapter 44: System and Dog Emperor

    Because the light puppets inside the base couldn''t see outside well, we all became "blind" except for Cyra. She had to decide where we''d run next.


    "I see strange dark clouds over the forest to the south, towards Sifur. And many white dots flying around in the sky... No, they seem to be fighting something," Cyra reported after we left the base''s shield.


    "White dots? Fighting in the sky? Oh no!" I checked my magic watch. It was past 11 PM - not much time left before the cycle began. We''d been stuck in the Empire base so long, I lost track of time.


    "Quick, go there or we''ll miss it!" I urged. I didn''t know what was happening in the forest, but it didn''t sound good.


    "If those creatures are fighting, Michelle might join in. This Empire weapon could be useful," Adrian reminded me.


    "But it''s missing a hand and can''t even fly. Can it really win? A ''Gundam'' that can''t fly is useless. It''s too slow," I said. I didn''t think this half-finished machine could hurt Michelle. I only stayed inside to keep the Empire from taking it back.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll make it! I''m driving so fast for my first time. I''m a genius!" Cyra boasted. I could feel Midas running quickly. We''d reach the spot in about 10 minutes.


    But after a few minutes, the shaking slowed down and stopped. We looked at each other, sensing something wrong. Reed frowned and asked, "What happened? The Empire ships can''t be this fast, right?"


    "It''s not ships. There''s... there''s a man blocking us. He says he''s Emperor Reider! He wants us to surrender and come out..." Cyra stuttered.


    "Reider?" I forgot about him! Of course he''d be angry we stole the Empire''s new weapon. He must have some system to catch up so fast.


    "Why''s that dog emperor here alone? Is he crazy? What can he do?" Mia asked, confused.


    "You''ve read a lot. Do you know about ''System''? Any ways to deal with them?" I asked Reed, just in case.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "System? What''s that?" Reed had no clue about these things from fantasy stories. I lost hope.


    "Let me try talking to him. We won''t know how strong his System is until we test it," Adrian stood up, ready to act.


    "I''ll go with you!" I couldn''t let him face a System user alone. Two people is safer.


    "I wanted you to stay..." Adrian started to refuse, but gave in when I stared at him. "Okay, but stay behind me!"


    Cyra opened the cockpit. Adrian and I climbed out to Midas'' shoulder.


    The air was fresher outside, but we focused on the figure floating in front of us.


    "Why do guys like you always fly? Are you even human?" I complained. How was he flying without wings, like Fernando before?


    "Tagilu? You''re part of this rebellion? Why are you doing this?" He looked at us, mistaking me for someone else. I remembered I still had disguise magic on.


    "Midas is too dangerous! We think it shouldn''t exist. We must destroy it or it''ll drag the whole continent into war!" Adrian lied cleverly.


    "Who are you?" Reider stared at Adrian. "You can''t have done this with just Niki and three people. Are there more traitors in the lab?"


    "Yes, almost everyone agrees with us. You''re so unpopular! We destroyed all the key tech. You can''t make another one!" I exaggerated. It was really just Idini and Memi. But our light puppets in the base would lose control soon anyway.


    "Hmph! I helped improve the design. Those mages couldn''t have solved all the problems so fast without me! And you can''t just take Midas like that!" Reider got angry and was about to attack. But he seemed to get some info and changed his mind.


    "Wait, you''re not Empire soldiers!" He saw through our disguises. "And you''re not Tagilu. So the Niki inside isn''t real either. Who are you really? Republic spies?"


    "Huh?" How did he know? He wasn''t totally right, but it was shocking. Reider isn''t a light mage, so he shouldn''t sense our disguises. Was this his System''s power?


    "No, not Republic spies either. Could it be..." Reider paused again, then called out all our real names.


    "Are you Cyra, and is Feliciana driving Midas? Or are you Feliciana? What about Reed and Nicola? You should all be together, right?"


    "How..." Adrian looked at me, amazed by this crazy situation.


    I didn''t know what to say! Even if his System saw through our disguises, how did he know our real names? Did the System show him all our info? But Nicola and Reed never appeared in front of him! How did he know about them?


    "How do you know Nicola? Don''t say your System told you!" I asked seriously, confirming his guess. Reider seemed very mysterious now. It wasn''t just about hiding our identities anymore - he almost knew everything about us!


    At first I thought he might be an old classmate who survived somehow. But my high school friends should be angels now. And he used our new names in this world, not our old ones. Very strange!


    "How do you know I have a System?" Reider was surprised, then looked like he understood. "Oh, right! You must have peeked into my mind earlier. That''s how you know about my System."

 Vol 5/Chapter 45: Strange Reactions

    "How can the Empire''s emperor know these things? Who are you really? What''s your background?" I felt uneasy. Though Reider didn''t look special, I knew he must be hiding his power as a System user. I spread my blue wings and summoned Water Abyss Sword, asking nervously.


    "Isn''t that the legendary..." Reider looked shocked at my weapon. After a while, he said in disbelief, "So you must be Feliciana? I didn''t expect you to have this power so early. The world has changed more than I thought. Maybe I don''t need to worry anymore..."


    "Changed?" I kind of understood his words, but also didn''t. I pointed Water Abyss Sword at him and asked loudly, "What do you mean? Why do you seem to know us so well?"


    I felt goosebumps all over. This guy''s reaction was beyond my understanding.


    "Now''s not the time to talk about my background. I don''t understand many things too. Luckily these changes haven''t affected the most important part, but it''s hard to explain everything now. But..." Reider thought for a bit, not answering my question directly. Then he suddenly reminded us:


    "If I remember right, the Cycle of Rebirth will still come on time. It''s almost here! You probably have more urgent things to do. As for Midas, it doesn''t matter now. You can play with it if you like. Consider it my welcome gift. I''ll send someone to get it back when you''re done..."


    "Then we''ll be going now!"


    Surprisingly, he didn''t want to argue with me. After saying this, he turned and flew back to the base. Adrian and I were left standing there, looking at each other in confusion.


    "Does the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s emperor have some special connection with your angel clan?" Adrian could only guess, as the other''s attitude had changed completely, beyond our understanding.


    "Well... I''m not sure, but probably... not?" I answered uncertainly. If there was a connection, the Empire wouldn''t be secretly working with monsters all the time! Plus, Reider only mentioned us four travelers. From what he said, maybe we should ask what special connection he has with us...


    But I don''t know him at all!


    Thinking about this made me feel crazy. Why did Reider let us go on purpose? And he deliberately kept us guessing at the end. It''s really frustrating!


    "Did he really just let us go like that?" As soon as we got back to the cockpit, Cyra asked eagerly, "And why does Reider know so much about our situation?"


    But I couldn''t answer any of these questions! Probably because the emperor himself allowed it, the imperial airships chasing us all turned back soon after Reider left. So he really kept his promise to us! I don''t know what he''s thinking...


    "From how he talked to you, I felt something was off. Even though Reider is an emperor, he didn''t seem to feel like he belonged to the empire. It''s like he''s not from this country at all!" Reed finally spoke. Even though she''s smart, she couldn''t understand this strange encounter. But she noticed something unusual.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Belong? Not from this country? But he''s the empire''s emperor!" Cyra was surprised, but quickly thought of some related ideas. She asked excitedly, "Do you think Reider might not be from this world, since he admitted he has a System? Traveling between worlds and Systems are a perfect match!"


    "Not from this world? Traveling and Systems? Perfect match?" Adrian frowned. He was clearly having trouble understanding these new concepts. But Mia, who knew about our special background, thought and said:


    "But that doesn''t match what I know about the emperor''s background. Reider was a human noble with a complete family history and social life. He was very respected in his hometown before he took power. He lost his father young and inherited the family title at 10. All this information can be checked. It doesn''t seem like what you''re saying!"


    "Maybe all this childhood history is fake! Or he could be using someone else''s identity. Maybe the real Reider died long ago, and someone took over his body!" I guessed unkindly. After becoming emperor, he could change any history and "improve" his past easily.


    "But even when he was just a noble, wouldn''t there be some traces if the history was changed?" Reed didn''t seem to agree. She shook her head and asked Mia, "Is there anything like that? Any rumors about the emperor''s past not matching the official story?"


    "No... Come to think of it, there''s nothing suspicious about Reider''s past. All his public activities are recorded in detail from age 10. There were never any doubts about fakery in his territory. And I''ve never heard rumors about his personality changing suddenly..." Mia thought for a while and shook her head. But at the end, she looked confused. "Strange, I''ve never seen any other noble with such a clear and complete history as Reider. It feels like all the records about him are too perfect, too deliberate! Maybe I''m imagining things? I might be overthinking..."


    But these words sounded different to others. Adrian and Reed didn''t have many thoughts at first. But Cyra was different. She quickly reminded me with a surprised face:


    "Feliciana, could this situation be because of the System..."


    "Uh... No way, right? It can''t be that extreme. Remember, those are just stories!" I knew she meant how in some stories, Systems can change people''s memories and give the user a specific identity to help them fit in. But I couldn''t believe I''d really run into such an incredible situation... If that''s true, how could we ever face Reider again? We might as well surrender!


    "Using made-up stories to guess about real problems is too far-fetched. Why don''t we just think it''s related to time? I believe Reider really hadn''t met you before, but could it be ''in the future''?" Adrian thought and suggested a new idea, since Reider''s background was too strange for even Reed to explain.


    "...Oh yeah, that makes sense too!" I slapped my palm, wondering why I didn''t think of it first. I guess I was too focused on the System idea!


    No matter what, I''m used to time being messed up because of Nicola, the Wind Angel troublemaker. Time travel explains most of the questions about Reider better than System tricks!


    If he really traveled from the future to the past, of course he could know we''d be at the base today! If his time travel was because of Nicola and not a System ability, that explains even better why he mentioned our four names!


    Too bad we can''t check this. There''s no point discussing it more now. Plus, we really do have more urgent things to do...


    "We''re almost there. Those white dots I saw earlier were them. I didn''t expect them to be so fast!" A few minutes later, we finally reached our destination. The "them" Cyra mentioned were the Angel Fifth Legion that Elara sent to help us!


    The Angel Fifth Legion, led by Sheryl, was supposed to arrive later. But they clearly came early and were now fighting the monsters hiding in the forest.


    The focus of the battle was mostly in the sky above the forest. Usually, angels can dominate in the air, but the monsters that snuck into the empire could fly too. So both sides were in a fierce close combat, fighting like crazy.


    "But isn''t this number too small? Did the Fifth Legion not all come for this mission?" Mia walked out of the cockpit and looked up at the sky, suddenly noticing something wrong. It was hard to see the monsters'' exact positions in the dark night sky with naked eyes, but the angels covered in light elements were easy to spot.

 Vol 5/Chapter 46: The Forbidden Spell

    Mia was right. I counted roughly - there were only about 30 to 40 angels. A normal legion should have at least twice that, if not a hundred. This was much less than we expected.


    "But the angels don''t seem to have any advantage. Their numbers keep going down!" Adrian watched the night sky for a while, then asked Mia with a worried look, "They don''t seem to be winning. Are you sure this will be okay?"


    "Impossible. Even half their normal number shouldn''t let a few dozen monsters have such an upper hand..." Mia''s face changed. We could feel the light element in the air was super high. This probably meant the Fifth Legion did come in full, but had already lost badly!


    This situation was really strange. The monsters shouldn''t have many here because they had to travel far and stay hidden. The angel legion shouldn''t be getting beaten so badly, even if they were tired.


    "How can this be? I''m going to find Sheryl!" Mia spread her four pairs of wings and flew into the night. I couldn''t stop her in time, so I quickly urged Cyra, who was still sitting in the pilot seat:


    "Can you think of some way to help? We brought this machine all this way to save energy at times like this!"


    We finally got this "high-end secret weapon". If the Empire values it so much, even if it can''t fight the big bosses, it should be able to kill some small monsters to help, right?


    "If you mean using weapons to destroy those monsters, I only know how to use the big fireball you saw before. But Midas can only shoot one at a time now because it lost an arm. Also..." Cyra moved Midas to look around, then suddenly didn''t know what to do. "Those monsters don''t glow, so I can''t see where they are!"


    The light element in the air was too strong. Most of the monsters were far from us. Even if we could vaguely sense the dark element around them, we couldn''t use that to aim accurately.


    Of course, there were ways to solve this. For example, we could shoot some flares into the sky. But Reed suddenly stopped me and walked to the pilot seat.


    "If you use fire magic to hit monsters one by one, who knows how long that will take! Plus, your aim is terrible. I don''t want us to end up being attacked by a group of monsters!" She looked down on Cyra and told her to get out of the seat. Then she explained:


    "At times like this, the best plan is to use a forbidden spell!"


    "Forbidden spell?"


    Cyra and I looked at each other in surprise. We didn''t expect Reed''s answer at all. We couldn''t believe she could put something like that on Midas.


    To be honest, we''ve heard a lot about forbidden spells. Unlike normal magic, they''re a completely separate system in this world.


    Regular magic relies on a person''s internal magic power, with humans using low to mid-level spells and angels capable of god-level magic. Even magic scrolls just copy how magic moves in the body. But forbidden spells are different.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    These spells use large magic circles to absorb elements directly from the environment. They''re not limited by a user''s magic power, so they can be incredibly strong. The bigger the circle and better the materials, the more powerful the spell. In theory, they could be limitless!


    However, this power comes at a cost. Overusing forbidden spells can drain too many elements from an area, causing severe environmental damage. The barren northern lands are said to be the result of such an incident. That''s why the Sage Council strictly regulates their use.


    Forbidden spells have another advantage - they can target specific enemies, unlike normal magic which hits everything indiscriminately. This precision makes them very effective in battle, potentially changing the tide in an instant.


    Because of their power and potential for misuse, these spells are tightly controlled, hence the name "forbidden". Despite the risks, in certain situations, they might be the only option powerful enough to make a difference.


    "The forbidden spell circle built into Midas is limited by size, so it might be a bit weaker than expected. But if we set it to track the dark element around monsters, it can hit them precisely!" Reed took Cyra''s place in the pilot seat. She seemed to be setting different parameters by connecting mentally with Midas.


    "Are you sure it''s okay to use a forbidden spell here?" I asked worriedly. Since they could push the angel legion this far, these monsters must be very strong! Reed looked like she wanted to catch them all at once, so this forbidden spell must be pretty powerful. It probably wouldn''t be as big as a nuclear explosion, but it would definitely affect the environment.


    The Cycle of Rebirth was about to come. Would adding more trouble now cause unexpected problems? Plus, this was Empire territory. It was bad enough that angels were fighting here, but using a forbidden spell would give the Empire all kinds of excuses to complain.


    "What are you afraid of? Do you have a better idea, or do you want to watch the angel legion get wiped out? Elara can handle the international politics later!" Reed didn''t care about these things at all. She glanced at me without expression, then thought for a bit and said to comfort me:


    "Of course, I''ll try to control the area it affects. Using light magic will not only hurt the enemies most, but there''s lots of light element around, so it shouldn''t cause the big element imbalance you''re worried about! The biggest problem now is not having enough energy. This test was only supposed to check normal weapons and outdoor movement. Midas doesn''t have enough stored elements, especially after using so much to escape earlier. Even if we choose targets to use less energy, it''s still not enough to destroy so many strong enemies at once..."


    "Hmph, it should be my time to shine..." Cyra had nothing to do after being kicked out of the seat. She pouted and muttered unhappily. Looks like driving Midas for so long wasn''t enough for her.


    "Feliciana, I think I know why the angel legion lost so badly this time!" Adrian suddenly waved to me from the cockpit entrance. I went over and saw him pointing at a new red light in the night sky. He said thoughtfully:


    The red light was chasing two white dots quickly. They would crash into each other sometimes, but quickly separate and go back to chasing.


    "Michelle?"


    Since they were fighting monsters, it was clear who that red dot was! I suddenly understood, and knew what was happening.


    Most angels in the legion have four to six wings, so they''re about level 5 or 6. There are even some above level 6. About the same number of monsters can reach this level. So even if the enemy sent their best, it''s hard to believe the angel legion would lose so badly without being hugely outnumbered. That''s why Mia didn''t think of this at first.


    But if Michelle joined, it''s totally different. She cuts through angels like vegetables, almost one strike per angel! Very few angels can survive her sword. Even Elara can''t fight her. Once she joined the battle, you can imagine what happened.


    If I''m right, those two white dots must be Mia and Sheryl. As eight-winged angels, maybe they can resist a bit, especially working together! But they''re clearly losing to the red dot''s attacks. They''re fighting while running away. Who knows how long they can keep this up.

 Vol 5/Chapter 47: Head-on confrontation

    "Feliciana! What did you ever do to this Michelle? She''s chasing us and keeps asking where you are. Sheryl and I can''t hold on much longer. Think of something quick!"


    Soon after, Mia kept sending me SOS signals through the Spiritual Network she set up. But how was I supposed to know what Michelle was up to? I hadn''t had much to do with her since leaving Edenmere. Surely she didn''t have some big grudge against me?


    "What can I do? I''m busy too! Reed just came up with a plan to turn things around. Maybe we can use it to change our luck. You better focus on staying alive!"


    After replying, I left the spiritual space. Looking up at the sky, I saw a red beam shoot across, forcing the two white dots to dodge far to the side. For some reason, I felt oddly satisfied.


    Reed, who was also on the Spiritual Network, heard our talk. She didn''t say anything, just glanced at me from the driver''s seat and said, "I need more time to absorb light energy from around us. About 5-10 minutes. You''d better keep those monsters away so they don''t bother me!"


    Without us noticing, a few stray monsters had spotted the Midas on the ground and were quietly creeping closer.


    "Why don''t I handle it? I haven''t used my Source Magic in ages. I just learned it, so I should show everyone what I can do!" Cyra got excited, stretching her arms and ready to rush out.


    "No! That uses too many resources. If you overdo it, we''ll lose the Midas. Stay here and protect Reed!"


    It was just a few high-level monsters. No need to use a cannon to kill a mosquito! I hadn''t forgotten how Cyra drained all the light energy at the top of Chromos Tower. I quickly stopped her and looked back.


    "No problem, I''ll take care of those small fry!" Adrian nodded, understanding right away. In a second, he jumped out of the cockpit and vanished.


    "So I''m protecting Reed, but what about you? Don''t tell me you want to fight little monsters with Adrian?"


    Cyra was pretty smart. Her eyes lit up as she quickly caught on to what I was hinting at.


    "Well..." How should I put this? I did have my own plans, but I wasn''t aiming for the "little monsters" - I was going for the "big boss"!


    After all, those two eight-winged angels couldn''t have gotten too far. They''d been holding out for a long time. If I didn''t go help soon, they''d end up dead at Michelle''s hands. Even if Mia had ignored my call for help earlier, I''m still a good person! I couldn''t just watch her and Sheryl get killed by Michelle.


    "Anyway, I''ll be back soon. Make sure Reed finishes the Forbidden Spell first. Don''t wander around the battlefield!"


    Having made up my mind, I didn''t waste time. I quickly told Cyra what to do, then left the cockpit and flew towards the red dot in the night sky.


    "Michelle! I heard you were looking for me? Well, here I am!"


    Seeing the two white dots about to be caught again, I shouted out loud. My voice reached before I did. Before I got close, Michelle with her twelve red wings immediately sensed me. She turned and flew straight over, stopping in front of me in the blink of an eye.


    "It really is you..."


    Something felt odd. When she saw me, Michelle first looked a bit happy and surprised. But her face quickly changed. She hesitated for a long time without speaking, like she didn''t know what to say next.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Um, what do you want?"


    I couldn''t help asking first, not sure what to say either. It wasn''t the first time dealing with her, but she used to treat everyone very arrogantly. So this sudden 180-degree change and "special treatment" really caught me off guard.


    "I heard from Fernando. He mentioned you can turn your wings blue. It''s my fault for not noticing before. If I''m not mistaken, you must know we used to know each other..."


    Finally, it seemed Michelle had figured it out. After a long pause, she slowly explained.


    Hearing this, I immediately understood what she meant. She must have guessed from my blue-winged state that I used to be the Water Angel Gisphrael.


    It''s not surprising that the four Elemental Angels knew each other. It was expected! But unfortunately, I wasn''t impressed by Michelle''s apparent attempt to be friendly. She had done a lot of bad things before, killing many angels, including Norma who I used to know.


    Thinking about this made me angry. I spread my blue wings again and pointed my Water Abyss Sword at Michelle''s neck, explaining:


    "To be honest, my soul isn''t a complete Water Angel soul. I''ve lost all my old memories. So don''t think you can use this to get close to me!"


    "...As I expected, more or less!"


    Hearing this, Michelle''s face darkened, but she didn''t point her weapon at me. Instead, she put it away and calmly told me, "There''s a way to deal with this. If I can control the Cycle of Rebirth, I''ll eventually find a way to help you recover your memories!"


    Could the Cycle of Rebirth really help me get my old memories back? Hearing this, I was a bit stunned. But I still didn''t back down, arguing back:


    "You think Galadra will let you get away with that so easily? Besides, even if you begged me, I might not agree!"


    "Hmph, that''s not up to you. Come with me quietly. If you surrender, you won''t suffer as much. Or do I have to use force?"


    But she finally showed her true colors. Her temper wasn''t to be taken lightly, and things quickly fell apart.


    Even though she had put away her weapon earlier, clearly not wanting to hurt me, Michelle wasn''t being overconfident. I knew very well that as the Fire Angel, her power was far beyond what I''d seen before. Except for the 12-winged Nicola from the future, everyone else was no match for her!


    "We''re here to help! If we all work together, we might have a chance!"


    Afraid I couldn''t handle her alone, Mia and Sheryl flew over from nearby to join the fight.


    "What a joke! You''re not worthy!"


    Michelle had been patient with me, but she immediately turned nasty towards these outsiders. With a wave of her left hand, a blast of intense flames shot out, instantly engulfing Mia and Sheryl.


    "Watch... out..."


    I couldn''t warn them in time. I could only watch helplessly as they screamed and fell towards the ground.


    Luckily, angels have strong elemental defenses, so Mia and Sheryl weren''t killed instantly. But even with their light element shields, you could clearly see their wings and limbs were badly burned. This showed that when Michelle was "chasing" them earlier, she had actually been holding back.


    "So, do you really think you can beat me with just six wings?" Michelle glanced smugly towards the ground, once again "kindly" trying to persuade me.


    "...So what?"


    Since Mia was badly hurt, the Spiritual Network had automatically disbanded. I couldn''t tell my friends in the Midas to rescue them. I could only stubbornly hold on.


    To be honest, I felt really frustrated! I suddenly regretted it a bit. If I hadn''t promised Galadra first, who would willingly get involved in this mess? It was like knowingly walking into a tiger''s den. Now I was finally face to face with the strongest enemy, and I didn''t know if I''d make it back alive.


    "Or do you think Liana will come back from the future to save you again?"


    Seeing that I still wouldn''t give in, Michelle sneered again. "I can''t believe that without your memories, you''ve fallen so low that you need her protection. Back then, neither of you would back down to the other. Maybe next time I should give it a try?"


    "Who needs your protection?"


    If she hadn''t mentioned that, it would have been fine. But hearing it made me angry! What did she mean I could only rely on Nicola? Wasn''t it enough trouble already? She just had to bring up the worst topic!


    I didn''t say anything more. I swung my sword straight at Michelle''s head. This time, I was the one who attacked first.


    "What a waste to use the Akeros Sword like that!"


    As expected, Michelle easily dodged my first attack. At the same time, she reached out to grab my right arm.


    She was still trying to capture me alive, not using her weapon but fighting barehanded. But even so, each of her moves came with intense burning flames! Even though it was just one hand coming at me, and she hadn''t even touched me yet, I could feel the scorching heat from far away.


    But I wasn''t worried. I had expected this too. I thrust out the Water Abyss Sword again, not slowing down at all! At the same time, a faint red magic barrier suddenly appeared on my skin. It not only blocked the attack successfully but also greatly reduced the heat of the flames.


    "This is... Have you already regained control of your powers?"


    As soon as Michelle touched the barrier, she jerked back as if burned. She barely dodged the incoming sword, immediately flying far back. She stared at me in surprise and asked.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 48: A Useless Upgrade

    "How about that? You think I''d dare face you head-on without some preparation?" I couldn''t help but say happily. The battle technique I just thought up worked amazingly well on the first try!


    That light red magic barrier was actually a common low-level physical defense spell from water magic. But I changed how it got its power - instead of coming from me, it used the fire elements the opponent sent out!


    Fire elements powering water magic? This wasn''t just made up! To explain, we need to start with how healing magic works.


    Water magic heals by transforming elements into matter, not just boosting natural healing. Wise folks in Crescent City claim water elements become physical stuff, but this theory has flaws. Human flesh is complex, not just water. Often, mages lack power to change so much matter.


    Low-level water spells easily heal small injuries, but directly changing elements to equal matter is far harder. This stark difference baffles element experts. They can''t find the true reason or reach consensus.


    My blue-winged state gives clearer insight. In healing magic, water elements don''t directly become flesh. They catalyze nearby elements to join in. All element types transform into matter!


    So water''s real power is indirect element-to-matter conversion. It''s a catalyst. No matter how fierce Michelle''s flames, they''re just one element type. As long as I supply water elements, stronger flames should theoretically make my barrier tougher!


    "I see, you''re just using human-made magic to cheat!" Michelle wasn''t impressed for long. She quickly guessed how it worked and scoffed.


    "If I use my weapon, your defense trick won''t work at all. I guess I was overthinking things before!"


    "What?" I froze, suddenly remembering how powerful her Hephaestus Sword was. I quickly reminded her, "You''re not going back on your word, are you? You promised to capture me alive! You can''t break your promise!"


    I felt a bit ashamed - wasn''t this basically begging the enemy for mercy? But facing Michelle alone was too hard. I had no idea how Galadra thought I could help. I felt like I couldn''t hold on much longer, and the enemy wasn''t even going all out yet!


    "Don''t worry, I can easily capture you alive without a weapon!"


    To my surprise, Michelle changed her mind. She charged at me again, still bare-handed.


    I was happy at first, but suddenly realized this attack was totally different from before. The pressure was much stronger, the heat much more intense. The two couldn''t be compared at all.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "When faced with absolute power, all tricks are useless!"


    Before I could react, Michelle was right in front of me. She was so fast! My current body couldn''t keep up at all. I could only keep retreating.


    I had no way to face her head-on. She completely overpowered me in every way! I kept trying to use water elements to change her flames, which did reduce the damage from her attacks somewhat. But my newbie conversion speed couldn''t handle everything. I just felt the temperature getting hotter and hotter. The most it could do was probably lower the heat a bit so I wouldn''t get roasted too quickly.


    I really underestimated her! Michelle had been holding back a lot before. Only by fighting her myself could I truly feel how amazing she was.


    I felt frustrated. All I could do was hang on desperately, not knowing if I''d survive the next second.


    Suddenly, it felt like something snapped in my mind under the pressure. Michelle looked at me with surprise and sighed.


    "Tsk! You actually broke through in this situation!"


    Broke through? Her words made me notice I now had an extra pair of wings on my back. I had eight wings now! And it was the first time I broke through while awake in my blue-winged state!


    "I leveled up!"


    It was like sweet rain after a long drought! Who knew I, Feliciana, would get a power-up like this! After leveling up, all my abilities improved. Even my element conversion speed visibly increased! For a moment, Michelle''s movements didn''t seem so hard to see. Maybe I still had a chance to fight?


    "Hah! So what if you broke through? At most your power went from a few thousand to ten thousand. If we put a number on my current power - it''s 530,000 of course!"


    Michelle said this in a very cheesy way. She didn''t care at all and laughed wildly as she attacked again with flaming fists.


    This attack was even fiercer, way beyond the previous level. Her power seemed endless. Even though I just reached eight wings, I had no way to fully block this move. I could only raise my Water Abyss Sword to try one last defense.


    I thought the Water Abyss Sword would go through her fist and into her body, or at least we''d both get hurt. But before her fist even touched the blade, I was shocked to see the whole sword starting to fade away in the flames, like it was evaporating.


    "Since you don''t remember anyway, I''ll tell you some very bad news - if I want to, I can control all the elements in this world! If you haven''t truly found your own power yet, even water elements are no different from other elements to me..."


    Before she finished speaking, the Water Abyss Sword had completely disappeared. Then I lost control of water elements too. Without energy, my protective barrier instantly collapsed. Next was my body. The blue-winged state''s defense was even worse than a normal angel''s. In an instant, I felt like I was in an extremely hot furnace. One more second and I''d probably burn to ashes.


    It still wasn''t enough. Even after leveling up, I couldn''t cross the huge gap between us. Was this upgrade useless in the end?


    I tried my best, but felt discouraged. Luckily, a breeze seemed to blow by at the critical moment, somehow scattering the deadly heat. Soon the heat around me started to lessen. I realized the expected punch didn''t actually hit my face. Did Michelle have a change of heart at the last second and stop to capture me alive?


    When I carefully opened my eyes, I saw that wasn''t the case. Someone had come to rescue me, but it wasn''t Adrian who I was hoping for, or Mia and Sheryl . It was the most unexpected person.


    "Nicola?"


    Looking at the eight gray-white wings behind her, I suddenly felt like it had been ages. But I was also confused and couldn''t help asking:


    "Why are you here?"


    Wasn''t avoiding her one of the reasons I accepted Galadra''s request in the first place? Although that was only part of it, how did she find this place? And how did she know we were here?

 Vol 5/Chapter 49: Forbidden Spell Clears the Field

    "Of course Galadra asked me for help too. How could she not?" Nicola glanced back at me, frowning a bit. She looked annoyed but still answered, "Anyone can see my skills are more reliable than your amateur tricks!"


    Damn! This cheat player had the nerve to be so cocky? I almost got mad hearing that. I''m not bad either, and I just leveled up! Can''t this idiot see?


    And Galadra, that trickster! Turns out she didn''t just ask me for help. I felt touched by her "sincerity" and came all this way to face Michelle head-on. If I knew earlier¡ª


    Well, I''d probably still agree. I had to come to find Reed anyway. Wonder if Nicola will try to chop Adrian again when she sees him. Maybe she''s calmed down by now?


    "We meet again, Michelle!" With a big enemy in front, Nicola couldn''t say much else. She turned back, staring at the fire angel who''d moved away. Her words seemed a bit angry. "So you''re still alive. Too bad that nuke didn''t blow you up!"


    "Hah! That little bomb was nowhere near enough to kill me! Liana, I knew you were hiding nearby. I had to push you to show yourself!"


    Enemies meeting made things tense. Michelle wasn''t scared at all. She quickly brought out her weapon. She looked around carefully before asking:


    "What now? Getting your future self to back you up again? Let me warn you, I''ve trained hard this past year. That won''t work anymore!"


    "I don''t need my future self. I''m enough to deal with you now!"


    That sounded like big talk, but I still doubted Nicola''s words. I stepped forward with my Water Abyss Sword and said:


    "Let''s attack together, just to be safe!"


    No matter what, Michelle was a full-power Fire Angel. Nicola clearly wasn''t quite there yet.


    "Get lost! You''ll just slow me down!"


    I almost coughed up blood hearing that. She just wouldn''t accept my help. She pushed me away, grabbed her Condensation Sword, and charged at the target.


    Even though Nicola was much stronger now, barely keeping up with Michelle''s pace, anyone could see the gap in power and skill between them.


    The time-stop skill kept popping up in the fight, making it look all choppy. One moment they''d be on my left, next second they''d appear behind me. No way to tell how they moved.


    But for sure, even Nicola''s new time powers weren''t much use against an enemy at this level.


    "I''ll admit you''ve improved a lot! But you''re still no match for me. Since your future self showed up before, are you planning to have her clean up for you again?"


    After a while, the two finally separated. Michelle looked unhurt and asked with a frown. She cared more about the future Nicola than the current one.


    "Are you deaf? I said I don''t need her help! I can kill you myself now!"


    Nicola wiped blood from her face. She''d taken quite a beating but stubbornly refused to give up, angrily declaring.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Bring it on! You asked for it!"


    Michelle grinned nastily and charged with her sword.


    Really? They''re going to keep fighting? I didn''t expect Nicola to be so overconfident. I got worried but had no chance to stop them. Just as they clashed again, a blinding white light suddenly covered everything from above.


    The night sky had been cloudy with low visibility. But somehow, a huge amount of light gathered overhead!


    Thick, bright light beams pierced the clouds and rained down. Each one hit a monster fighting the angel army. Hundreds of beams fired at once! It was an amazing sight, like a miracle. It was so bright everyone could barely keep their eyes open.


    "It''s the Forbidden Spell! Reed did it!"


    I recognized these light beams. They were the "Lost Paradise Shockwave" I''d used many times before! But using this high-level magic on such a big scale could only be done with the Forbidden Spell!


    "Who''s messing things up from behind?!"


    This big change made the two fighting Element Angels pause. Even Michelle almost got hit by surprise. She dodged just in time, but her monster army was wiped out in an instant. Shocked and angry, she quickly spotted the huge robot on the ground behind her and exploded with rage.


    "So you were just keeping me busy on purpose!"


    Looks like she finally figured it out. Midas absorbs lots of elements while charging up. If not for distracting her, I wouldn''t have fought her so long knowing I couldn''t win. Of course, Nicola showing up was a surprise!


    "Stop her! Reed and Cyra are in there!"


    Michelle had no time to waste on us now. Seeing her rush towards Midas, I quickly called to Nicola who was much closer.


    "I''m your opponent! Don''t run!"


    Seeing her enemy "running away", Nicola chased after her. She also raised her Condensation Sword and sent a Wind Slash flying at Michelle.


    "Damn you..."


    The Wind Slash got there first. Michelle dodged it with a slight move, but it slowed down her dive. Furious, she had to turn back to face Nicola''s challenge.


    "Get out of my way!"


    The Condensation Sword and Hephaestus Sword clashed a few times. Finding an opening, Michelle forced Nicola back with a fiery sword strike, then kicked her hard, sending her flying. She turned again, raising her arm to unleash her signature flame slash at Midas.


    "Don''t forget about me!"


    Luckily, I made it just in time. I gripped the Water Abyss Sword with both hands and stabbed down from above. I bet she won''t have time to slowly evaporate my weapon this time!


    "You..."


    As expected, Michelle had used all her strength in the last attack and couldn''t react in time. In danger, she could only dodge my sword, losing her aim.


    The leftover flame slash hit the ground near Midas, causing a huge explosion. Rocks flew everywhere and dust filled the air. I had no idea how Reed and the others were doing.


    "Feliciana, you keep ruining my plans! Think I won''t kill you because of our past?"


    Suddenly Michelle''s hate-filled voice came from behind me. I felt my hair stand on end. It felt like the closest I''d ever been to death.


    "Ssss¡ª"


    As if in slow motion, I saw the red sword tip barely graze my throat. I felt a slight pain in my neck, but could still breathe fine. Luckily the cut wasn''t deep.


    Thanks to Adrian rushing over when he heard the commotion. He jumped in and saved me at the last second. But he couldn''t fly, so we quickly fell to the ground together.


    "Run! Michelle''s coming!"


    But now wasn''t the time to relax. A red light chased us from the sky! Her target was me, so I quickly pushed Adrian away, telling him to leave.


    "Don''t talk nonsense at a time like this!"


    But Adrian wouldn''t listen. He stood in front of me, took out his bow and nocked an "explosion" arrow, about to shoot at Michelle. But right then, something unexpected happened again...


    Smoke suddenly rolled in from all directions, quickly surrounding Adrian and me. Strangely, it wasn''t dust from the explosion or just forest mist.


    It came fast and left fast! When the smoke cleared, we were still standing there. But Michelle, who''d been diving at us from the sky, had mysteriously vanished!


    At that moment, everything around us became eerily quiet. We couldn''t hear any sounds. Looking up at the sky, we couldn''t see the white lights from the angel army anymore. It seemed like everyone else had disappeared from this world.


    "What happened?"


    We felt like we''d been cut off from the original world. Adrian hadn''t fired his arrow yet. He stood there holding his bow, seeming scared by this weird scene. The situation filled us with a strange fear.


    "Uh, it should be fine..."


    Suddenly a message came to my ears. No, more like into my brain¡ªit was Galadra''s voice! After hearing what she said, I let out a big sigh of relief and sat down hard on the ground.


    "It''s the Cycle of Rebirth. The Cycle of Rebirth has finally come!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 50: The Space Maze

    What exactly is the Cycle of Rebirth? What does it look like? Probably only Galadra herself knows for sure.


    But we do know that in this world, legend says the Cycle of Rebirth is a soul-managing device made mostly of earth elements. Galadra once told us that at its core in a higher dimension, there''s a system like the soup of forgetfulness that erases memories. When dead souls are sent there and have their memories wiped, they''re taken back to lower dimensions to be reborn.


    Of course, I don''t know exactly how this system works. But our current situation is a bit special.


    Adrian and I are inside a projection of the Cycle of Rebirth that drops off and collects souls! In this area, this higher-dimensional thing doesn''t look very clear in our 3D world. Because of all the earth elements packed together and messed up, the whole area has become a jumbled-up space.


    Basically, Sylvanvale Wood has been cut into disconnected pieces of space. The space Adrian and I are in looks normal at first, but we can only move about 10-20 meters in any direction.


    Take that big rock over there. It looks fine, but it''s actually on the edge of two spaces that aren''t next to each other. Half is on our side, and half is who knows where. If you step across, the scenery suddenly changes and you end up in a totally different part of the forest.


    "Well, this is fun. Never thought I''d get lost as an angel. What a mess!"


    No matter which way we go - forward, back, left, right, or even flying up - we always get sent to some strange new area. After trying a few times with no luck, we finally gave up.


    "Galadra, get out here! Tell us how to leave this crazy place!" I shouted into the air after thinking a bit. The one who tied the bell should untie it. Since she made this mess, she should come help us fix it.


    "I had no choice! To stop bad guys from sneaking into the Cycle of Rebirth, I made this maze. Please understand!" As she spoke, the little girl version of Galadra slowly appeared in front of us. At least she was polite, apologizing right away.


    "Didn''t we already kill all those monsters? Why make things so complicated?" I rolled my eyes. What was all that hard fighting for? The client thought it wasn''t safe enough and added more security.


    "But we didn''t get the main bad guy! I''ve trapped her for now. The other monsters were just small fry!" Galadra argued cheerfully, leaving me speechless. True, the biggest threat was Michelle the Fire Angel. The others were just helpers.


    "Don''t worry, thanks to you clearing out those monsters, things are simpler now. During this appearance, I can use more power in the real world. With you and Liana, we should be able to handle Michelle together!"


    "No need! You already found better helpers! I''m just a little six-winged angel. How could I join such a high-level fight?" Hearing that made me angrier. I refused right away. Thinking about how dangerous the fight with Michelle was, I never want to do it again. We already found Reed, and this trickster secretly called Nicola too. Let them handle it!


    "Didn''t you upgrade to eight wings? You''re not six-winged anymore." Galadra looked at my back and giggled, then reminded me proudly. "See? I was right. In a crisis, you always use water element power to find a way through!"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "What good is a useless upgrade? I thought I''d get at least ten or twenty wings!" I can''t believe she brought that up. My face darkened. I had such high hopes, but it was totally useless!


    "It''s mainly because your soul isn''t pure..." She looked at me hesitantly, then sighed and said, "Now it looks like if you can''t find your Authority, you''ll probably only reach about ten wings at most..."


    "What? Say that again!" What did she mean, my limit is ten wings? How am I supposed to live? What if I meet Michelle or someone stronger again? And how am I supposed to find this Authority thing if I want to?


    I was about to grab her neck and question her, when a sudden unexpected visitor interrupted our talk.


    "Great, Feliciana, you''re all here!" It was Cyra. She popped out from somewhere, waving at us. "Huh? Even Galadra''s here? So do you know what''s going on in this place?"


    Looks like Michelle''s flame slash didn''t really hurt her. But it''s not clear why she left Midas and met up with us here.


    "Where''s Reed?" Adrian quickly asked. They should have been together, but only one showed up.


    "That explosion was too strong. Midas got totally wrecked and stopped working! We had to leave the cockpit. Then this weird fog suddenly came up in the forest. I turned around and Reed was gone. I couldn''t do anything alone, so I just bumped around until I found you guys."


    Cyra explained quickly. So she and Reed got separated in this messed-up space maze. She was lucky to run into us.


    "Will Reed be okay?" I asked worriedly. Reed, still with only two wings, was more concerning than half-baked six-wing Cyra. If she had bad luck and met Michelle, even her special magic might not help.


    "Don''t worry, I know where she is! Reed''s with your angel friends now. Looks like she won''t be in danger for now." Galadra created this Cycle of Rebirth maze area, so of course she can see everything inside. She closed her eyes for a moment to sense things, then opened them and reassured me.


    "Angel friends?" I didn''t get it at first. After a while I realized she meant the angel army also trapped here. Mia and Sheryl got knocked down by Michelle, but they shouldn''t be badly hurt. They''re probably stuck in this maze like us.


    "Oh no, Michelle''s so fast! She''s almost at the center. We have to go stop her!" But a second later, Galadra saw things weren''t going well. Her face changed and she yelled. The center of the Cycle of Rebirth projection supposedly connects directly to the higher-dimensional core. If the enemy gets in there, it''ll be very dangerous.


    "Things are this bad and you''re still chatting with us?" Adrian urged right away. Honestly, even if we knew where the enemy was, it''s questionable whether just us few could really stop Michelle! But luckily Galadra then told us Nicola was also getting close to the center. Maybe it was coincidence, but we had to hurry there first.


    "Follow me, I know a shortcut!" Since it was her domain, Galadra confidently led the way. She jumped right into a muddy puddle in the corner. Of course she didn''t get muddy, she just disappeared.


    "What are you waiting for? Come on!" I motioned to Cyra, who looked hesitant. She''d been wandering the maze alone for a while, so she probably didn''t know we could do this. Everything we see around us is actually a projection of the last moment before the Cycle of Rebirth appeared. The real space has been cut into countless pieces.


    Surprisingly, after jumping in the mud, we popped up from the ground in the next space! We weren''t ready and almost fell on our faces.


    "Damn, what kind of crazy design is this?" Cyra got up, dusting off her clothes and cursing. Then she saw Galadra waving at us next to a man-eating flower dripping some weird liquid. Her face turned green.


    "It should be fine. We''ll enter the next area before hitting that flower," Adrian said confidently, stepping forward first. But when we came out of the next space connection, we all found ourselves standing in a huge pile of some animal''s poop.


    "Are you doing this on purpose, Galadra?" I finally couldn''t take it anymore. Holding my nose, I felt like I was about to explode.


    "Uh, accident, totally an accident!" Galadra was surprised too. She quickly explained, trying not to laugh.


    "Why not just teleport us there? You clearly have easier ways. You''re definitely doing this on purpose!" Cyra didn''t believe her at all and complained tearfully.

 Vol 5/Chapter 51: All Gathered Together

    "Teleporting won''t work here. The space coordinates in every part of this maze have been messed up. The center area is even worse - it''s at the edge of a higher dimension. Things there are even more chaotic than where we are now on the outskirts. This path we''re on is the only fixed route I purposely left. We just need to go through a few more areas ahead to reach our destination," Galadra explained matter-of-factly.


    But someone quickly raised an objection.


    "Then how did Michelle find her way there?" Adrian couldn''t help asking. The current situation clearly didn''t match what Galadra was saying.


    "Well... you know, this is the real world. Even with my strong powers, I can only change space to a limited degree. There''s no way I could completely isolate the center area," Galadra shrugged and answered helplessly. "Michelle has the ability to sense all elements. So she just needs to follow the source of earth element pouring out, and she''ll find the right place sooner or later. As for Liana, I''m guiding her, so she shouldn''t get lost either."


    In other words, anyone else would have to rely on luck to keep jumping between the cut-off small spaces.


    Although this explanation sounded a bit more reasonable, it still felt not quite convincing. But we were in a hurry to get to our destination, so there was no time to dwell on it further.


    Luckily, the path ahead seemed relatively normal. However, before we reached our destination, we encountered another surprising scene!


    As soon as we stepped into the next area, the first thing we saw was Michelle floating in mid-air, posing with wings spread and sword raised, as if about to swoop down to the ground - a frightening sight!


    Of course, this wasn''t the real Michelle. It wasn''t even a solid form! Any object could pass right through it. It was just a lingering image left behind just before the Cycle of Rebirth descended. Because Galadra had separated this space from its original location, we only stumbled upon it now by chance.


    "She''s been frozen here?" Cyra got excited at the sight and couldn''t help flying several circles around the figure. The two looked almost identical, like twins side by side. Of course, there were many differences too, like their clothes and hair color, as well as the color and number of wings. Also, on closer comparison, Michelle''s face actually looked a bit older.


    "Huh?"


    This image shouldn''t have been dangerous, but for some reason, its location seemed to be getting brighter and brighter, as if about to glow. It instantly gave people a sense of spatial displacement.


    "Quick, get away from there!"


    Suddenly, Galadra, who was standing on the ground with us, seemed to sense something wrong and hurriedly shouted a warning to the sky.


    "What? What''s happening?" Cyra was startled by the shout and didn''t understand what was going on.


    The next second, cracks appeared in the middle of Michelle''s image like breaking glass. Red light kept pouring out from the cracks, instantly tearing through the whole space.


    "Go!"


    There was no time to worry about Cyra anymore. Galadra turned and waved his hand, pushing me and Adrian directly into the nearest spatial seam. The scene behind us was like a volcano erupting sideways. A large amount of fierce flames gushed out from the cracks, forming a dazzling wall of fire that instantly split the entire area in two!


    This was a true split in half. It felt like the whole world had shattered and started turning upside down. Thankfully we had Galadra''s help, otherwise it would have been hard to say if Adrian and I could have survived on our own.


    "Don''t worry, I can make the remaining unstable space merge with the surrounding areas again. It shouldn''t cause large-scale spatial collapse," Galadra''s small figure reappeared in front of us after a short while in the neighboring space area. She brought good news, including about Cyra''s safety. "Cyra is fine too, but she fell into another space. Her location is now too far from us, so we probably won''t be able to meet up with her again for a while."


    As for the cause of the accident, everyone had already guessed more or less. In this world, probably only "that guy" had the ability to split space in half to this extent, right?Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Galadra, I knew this maze was your trick. You''ve got quite a few tricks up your sleeve! But in front of absolute power, it''s still useless in the end!" The real Michelle walked out from the space connection directly opposite us. Seeing all three of us blocking her way, she immediately let out a cold snort of disdain. "Anyway, with your remaining bit of power now, you''re no match for me. Even staying in the projection of the Cycle of Rebirth, you''re far from enough! Why not just let me control the Cycle of Rebirth? It''ll be easier that way! How about just surrender?"


    "You''re dreaming! You really think I''d stand by and watch you do whatever you want?" Of course, it was impossible to accept her call to surrender. Galadra angrily refused, "I know what you want to do! That''s why I called for help in advance. Feliciana is here too. You won''t get away with it!"


    "Feliciana? Didn''t she just fight with me? She''s far from enough!" Michelle glanced at me and sneered, "Anyway, even if all of you come at me together, you''re still no match for me! This time, even if you''re unwilling, I''ll get the Cycle of Rebirth sooner or later!"


    "What if you add me to the mix?" Nicola''s voice suddenly came from another direction. She had also arrived here and was walking over to our side.


    Michelle was stunned for a moment and fell silent. The situation on the scene instantly became very tense. Neither side dared to move carelessly. If a fight broke out, it might be hard to say who would win in a short time.


    Suddenly, I realized that at this moment, in this small cut-off space, the four former Elemental Angels had gathered together in an epic way!


    Unfortunately, this gathering was not harmonious. Not only was there the antagonistic relationship between Michelle and the others, but there also seemed to be some unspoken conflict between Nicola and me. When she came over and saw that Adrian was here too, her gaze suddenly became unusually fierce. If it weren''t for the powerful enemy in front of us, she might have rushed over to fight right away.


    "So, do you still want to hold on? After all, it''s been so many years. We''ve finally met again after such a long time. There''s really no need to end up like this, right?" Galadra finally breathed a sigh of relief now that reinforcements had arrived and asked. To be honest, although neither Nicola nor I alone were a match for Michelle, if we all joined forces to resist together, we believed Michelle wouldn''t have an easy time either.


    "......" Michelle didn''t answer, her expression seeming to waver a little bit.


    Seeing that she didn''t respond, Galadra thought for a moment and then tried to reason with her, reminding her, "Moreover, you should understand what consequences this will bring! Not only could it cause a large number of precious ''Free Souls'' to be lost in vain, but if you dare to lay hands on the angel race, aren''t you afraid of repeating the disaster of light element overflow from back then?"


    Angels'' bodies are entirely made of light elements. If too many angels die, it would undoubtedly cause a huge excess of light elements in the environment, leading to secondary disasters, and even the rebirth of the God of Light! This is also one of the major reasons why those conservatives in Edenmere strongly opposed continuing to send troops to help humans.


    "Hmph, they brought this on themselves!" Probably reminded of the painful memory, Michelle finally spoke, her face looking very ugly. "If they had just let me kill Elara obediently from the start, I wouldn''t have been forced to set my sights on the Cycle of Rebirth! If Elara died, your angel race would end up being led by the conservatives and just return to Edenmere, completely sealed off and no longer going out. But now so many have come out and died in battle. This result can only be said to be your own fault!"


    This was the first time I''d heard someone describe an invasion in such a fresh and elegant way! Although everyone was shocked by her shamelessness, they also discovered a fact - that Michelle''s goal didn''t seem to be truly wanting the angel race to go extinct, but just like the conservatives, she was only seeking isolation at the beginning?


    "Haven''t you been leading the monsters all along? Why are you showing mercy to the angel race?" Nicola couldn''t help but stare at her strangely for a long time before remembering to ask. Monsters and angels have always been mortal enemies, this is an indisputable fact. But now they suddenly found out that the leader of the monsters actually didn''t want to kill the angels. Anyone would find it hard to believe.


    "That''s just the long-standing grudge between monsters and angels. As long as the angel race doesn''t leave Edenmere in the future, all problems can be solved easily. The main reason I want to control the Cycle of Rebirth is actually to use this method to force Elara to obey!" The angel race''s way of reproduction is different from humans. Controlling the Cycle of Rebirth, the only source of souls in the Angel Descent Formation, is indeed equivalent to controlling the future of angels! Michelle''s plan was not bad, but when she talked about this aspect, her tone obviously softened a lot.


    "After all, I know this is a race you all created together. As for that God of Light fellow, I naturally know what I''m doing. I definitely won''t let him be resurrected again!"


    Huh? The situation seemed completely different from what we imagined. Looking at her attitude, perhaps she still cared a bit about the bond between the Elemental Angels from back then. Could it be that she''s trying to confuse us because she can''t win? However, when her gaze turned to Adrian beside me, her expression suddenly changed, and she pointed her weapon at him with a look of hatred.


    "Of course, my ultimate goal is still to wipe out you humans. The most annoying thing about those angels is that they always come out to help humans at critical moments. This forced me to deal with them first. Everything is the fault of you humans!"


    What''s this all about? Although I knew early on that Michelle hated humans very much, I didn''t expect her to hate them to this extent, completely unreasonably! Adrian, as a human, heard this and his face immediately darkened. As someone who used to be human too, I couldn''t help feeling a bit awkward.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 52: Michelle Ran Away

    "You still can''t let go of your old ideas. It''s been so many years, you''re still like this!" Galadra shook his head, looking unsurprised but troubled. Of course, this was useless. If Michelle would listen, things wouldn''t have come to this point.


    "Whatever your goal is, I won''t let you succeed easily!" Adrian declared fearlessly. Since Michelle had stated her position so clearly, he naturally wouldn''t back down as the representative of humans. But I was a bit worried, afraid she might charge at us in anger.


    "If your main target is humans, then is this also something you sent out?" Luckily, Michelle held back, and the situation didn''t spiral out of control again. However, after hearing Michelle''s words, Nicola thought for a while and suddenly pulled out a round object from her storage ring and asked.


    I recognized this thing. It was the head of the robot that was destroyed when we were ambushed by Blanche during our trip to Makalan City! This robot was very powerful. Although it probably wouldn''t be a match for me now, it took a lot of effort for the lizardman Kurnel to destroy it with a sneak attack back then. Nicola had kept it in her storage space ever since.


    "Intelligent Guard Type One!" Michelle immediately blurted out this name with a strange look on her face. But she didn''t seem to care that the robot had been destroyed. She just didn''t understand why Nicola suddenly brought this up with a gloomy face, "How did it end up in your hands? And why are you suddenly mentioning this now?"


    "Yesterday, on my way flying here, I happened to come across several dozen similar beings. They were staying with the human army, and both sides seemed to get along very well. After some inquiries, I found out they seemed to be planning to work with humans to do something fishy with the descent of the Cycle of Rebirth! Although I haven''t seen them actually show up yet... if all this was under your orders, it doesn''t make much sense, does it?" Nicola explained casually, but the meaning behind her words was clear. Michelle had just claimed that her ultimate goal was to wipe out humans, but secretly she had sent out robot troops to cooperate with humans to try to seize the Cycle of Rebirth. This was a blatant slap in the face!


    "Impossible! How could I possibly work with humans! I only have a few Intelligent Guard Type Ones in total, where would dozens come from! And they are very loyal, impossible to follow orders from anyone other than me, unless..." Michelle immediately got angry when she heard this and couldn''t help raising her voice to argue. But towards the end, her expression seemed not so certain. She seemed to remember something and suddenly became a bit hesitant.


    "Unless what?" Galadra immediately asked, following up with some intelligence she had gotten through earth element monitoring. "I''ve also seen some similar figures on the continent. They often go in and out of some small countries in the south, claiming to belong to a secret organization in the north, with the identity of magic puppet! Whether these magic puppets are really magic puppets is unknown, but their purpose is quite strange ¡ª usually when they arrive at a place, they initiate cooperation requests, willing to provide funds and labor, seeking to build some large-scale magic facilities with unknown purposes together with the local authority. Because of this, they''ve actually received warm welcomes in many areas."


    That''s even more ridiculous. If these really were mechanical troops sent out by Michelle, how could they cause destruction in the north but secretly cooperate on construction in the south? Unless she had a mental problem and split personality!


    "Unless this is my ally''s own idea!" Michelle waved her hand angrily. She seemed to realize that things were developing beyond her expectations. Her appearance instantly became a bit flustered. After hesitating for a long time, she finally had to answer, "After all, the Intelligent Guard Type One was a gift from my ally. As for how many he has himself, I don''t know. Perhaps all those you just mentioned were done secretly behind my back!"


    "Is your ally a mysterious person in white clothes? And is he also a light mage! We found earlier that he was in close contact with Emperor Reider, also wanting to interfere with the descent of the Cycle of Rebirth, but was rejected by the Emperor in the end."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Hearing this, I immediately thought of those mechanical bugs I saw in the underground tunnel, plus all the things I saw and heard later in the base. It was easy to connect the two.


    "Mysterious person in white? Light mage? What on earth are you talking about?" Unexpectedly, Michelle looked completely clueless. It seemed she really didn''t know much about this person''s identity. This confused me too. Could it be that the mysterious person in white and her ally were not the same group? How many underground organizations with secret high-tech were there on this continent?


    "Who exactly is your ally?" Galadra finally couldn''t wait anymore and asked anxiously. It was only then that I remembered when I first met Galadra, she had indeed mentioned that Michelle was actually under house arrest in the Cycle of Rebirth before. Later she was rescued by someone unknown and ran to the Dark Continent. No wonder Galadra was so emotional now.


    "Impossible! I still don''t quite believe it! My ally clearly stated the same goal as me when we first met ¡ª to wipe out humans. It was because of this that I agreed to work together!" However, Michelle didn''t answer. She just waved her hand very irritably and suddenly spread her twelve wings and flew up.


    "What? Even if you don''t believe it, do you want to fight a second round with us?" Nicola looked up and reminded her in a deep voice. If we fought again, it would be hard to say who would win. Moreover, we were now only in the outer area of the Cycle of Rebirth. Even if Michelle barely won in the end, her remaining power might not be enough to break through the space restrictions and enter the high-dimensional space to seize the core of the Cycle of Rebirth.


    "Damn it!" Michelle''s face changed between light and dark as she hesitated for a long time. She seemed to realize this point too. In the end, she didn''t attack again but turned and flew away.


    "I''m going to get to the bottom of this. You got lucky this time! If I find out you''re trying to trick me, don''t blame me next time!" Before leaving, she didn''t forget to make various threats. But no matter what, she had retreated. It felt so good not to have to fight!


    "Uh... since that''s the case, then..." It suddenly became a bit quiet. Now that the biggest enemy had left, only Adrian and I were left here, along with Nicola and Galadra.


    Galadra was fine, after all, her goal was the same as ours. With Michelle gone, the Cycle of Rebirth was considered safe. But the situation with Nicola looked really tricky.


    She was staring hard at Adrian, and Adrian was fearlessly staring back at her. The tension between them instantly escalated after the common enemy disappeared. Seeing this situation, I couldn''t help feeling a bit panicked.


    "Hey, hey, do you know what you''re doing? This is inside the projection of the Cycle of Rebirth. Fighting in such an unstable space could be fatal!" I flashed in between the two of them. Okay! I admit this was just nonsense. The space was indeed unstable, but not to the point where we really couldn''t fight, otherwise we wouldn''t have faced off with Michelle earlier.


    But did the two of them really need to be at odds for my sake? To be honest, it felt really ridiculous. I never thought I had become so important, and I even felt Nicola was being completely unreasonable. But she was just that stubborn and headstrong, especially after she got powered up later.


    "Feliciana, don''t you understand my feelings even now?" Unable to see Adrian for the moment, Nicola could only turn to look at me. She suddenly took out two card-like things from her storage ring, her expression seeming a bit sad.


    "Do you know why I insisted on spending a lot of money to buy these back then?" Those were the phantom magic cards that Nicola secretly bought with her savings when we were renting a house in the capital Norvale. At that time, we had just arrived and were new to everything. Since these cards can materialize the images on them, the experience was quite amazing. When plugged into other magic devices, they could even be used for online battles!


    However, looking at it now, it''s no longer surprising. To put it simply, it''s just based on a small built-in magic array. Unfortunately, it seems Nicola''s motivation for buying them was more than this.


    "When we first came to this world, we didn''t know anything and didn''t have money. But you not only taught me how to make money and live, but you were also willing to squeeze into a small broken house with me, and even cook for me! You kept this big young master who usually only knows how to spend money from going hungry... That was the first time I felt the warmth of a home, so I always wanted to give you something."


    Looking at the cards in her hand, they were a six-winged and an eight-winged angel card. Nicola''s voice sounded a bit choked up. "At first, I planned to buy four-winged ones, so we could have one each! But those were the only angel cards left in that shop, so later I desperately did quests and fought monsters to level up. I always thought it might be better to give them to you after we both reached the ranks on these cards..."


    "Actually, I wanted to give it to you a few days ago when we were still in Crescent City, because I had just reached eight wings then, while you still had six wings." At this point, she still handed me the card representing the six-winged angel, looking very disappointed. "But now you''ve leveled up too. Have I really missed everything?"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 53: Out of Control

    "But I..." After hearing what Nicola said, I realized her feelings for me were because of that reason. Looking at the six-winged angel drawing in my hand, I felt a bit sad and didn''t know how to respond to her.


    "Feliciana said she doesn''t have those special feelings for you," Adrian said, trying to help me out. "If you care about her, stop making things hard for her!"


    Sadly, no matter what he said, his presence only made things worse.


    "Mind your own business!" Nicola shouted at Adrian. "If it wasn''t for you messing things up, Feliciana might already be my woman!" That was a bit much. What did she mean by ''be her woman''?


    "Don''t you get it? It''s because you don''t respect her that she didn''t accept you!" Adrian argued back. This made me more worried. He couldn''t beat Nicola in a fight, so why was he picking a fight with her?


    "You dare talk back to me, human? Wasn''t losing an arm last time enough? No one will save you this time. You think I won''t kill you?" Nicola was really angry now. No matter how I tried to stop them, their fight just got worse.


    "Aren''t you going to help stop this?" I asked Galadra next to me. But I saw she had pulled out some sunflower seeds and was watching them fight like it was a show.


    I was confused. Were those real seeds? She didn''t even have a body, how could she eat seeds? But Galadra calmly said, "Why stop them? This is fun to watch. I didn''t expect Liana to still be like this after so many years. It brings back memories!"


    "Is this the time to be nostalgic? Adrian can''t win against her!" I felt like my head was going to explode. How could she joke at a time like this? Galadra really showed her love for gossip and drama!


    "Let''s stop this! Nicola is too angry now. Maybe we should talk to her later when she''s calmer," I said, trying to convince Adrian to back down.


    "No need for that! You know she''ll always be angry about this. I won''t back down. I won''t let her have you, and I need to get revenge for my arm!" Adrian refused to listen to me. Wasn''t he usually the calm and smart one? Why was he being so stubborn now?


    "Good! I''ll give you what you want!" Nicola laughed coldly. She disappeared and then suddenly appeared in front of Adrian.


    This was her time-stopping power! She had used it many times before when fighting Adrian and Michelle. Adrian probably couldn''t defend against it!


    But surprisingly, Nicola missed. Adrian had already escaped to a nearby tree. He shot an arrow at her that could even blow up an angel.


    "Huh? What?" I was totally confused. When did Adrian learn to counter Nicola''s time powers?


    They started fighting again. Adrian was still not as strong as Nicola, but he wasn''t losing as badly as before. His magic arrows were tricky and caught Nicola off guard several times.


    "Don''t worry," Galadra explained. "See that necklace on your lover''s neck? The future Liana probably gave it to him. It has lots of wind magic with time powers. It''s activated now. Since Liana hasn''t fully awakened her powers yet, the necklace protects the wearer from her time abilities."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    So that was the reason. I noticed the white glow from the necklace. It was faint, so I hadn''t seen it before.


    "Okay, but is this really alright?" I was a bit relieved, but I still didn''t want them to keep fighting.


    Nicola got smarter and focused on her sword skills. With her wings, she moved faster than Adrian. He was having a hard time in close combat. Nicola''s Condensation Sword was still super strong and could cut through almost anything.


    "Oh no!" After a few rounds, Nicola managed to cut Adrian''s bow in half! Without a weapon, Adrian kept backing away. He was in big trouble again.


    "Don''t panic!" Galadra held me back. "The Chronos Sword (the real name of the Condensation Sword) has the highest time reversal power. The closer to the blade, the stronger the effect. It can even turn things it touches back into energy. That''s why it''s always so sharp!"


    "But Adrian is in danger..." I said, wanting to help.


    "If you rush in carelessly and get hurt, that would be worse!" Galadra warned.


    Even though I was really worried, I couldn''t break free from Galadra''s grip! She used to be just a ghost, but now she had become solid in the Cycle of Rebirth projection and was really strong.


    "I told you, the necklace''s power is no joke! Even if he dies, it can probably bring him back to life. You can''t stop this anyway, so it''s better to let it play out!" Galadra said seriously.


    But could I really just watch Adrian get cut again? I really didn''t want to see that happen, especially if he might actually die this time!


    "You''re dead!" Nicola had gone crazy with anger. She cornered Adrian and raised her sword high, ready to strike.


    This attack was way worse than when she cut off his arm before. I couldn''t get there in time. Was I going to have to watch Adrian get cut in half? I couldn''t bear to look.


    "Huh?" Galadra sounded surprised. I looked and saw Adrian had taken off his necklace. He held the chain straight in front of him and blocked the Condensation Sword!


    "What are you doing?!" I panicked. Adrian must have figured out the necklace was special, but why did he take it off? That was his only lifeline! Without wearing it, he might not be able to come back to life!


    I broke free from Galadra somehow and rushed at Nicola with my Water Abyss Sword.


    "My sword... what''s happening?" Nicola didn''t try to defend herself when she saw me coming. Her Condensation Sword seemed stuck to the necklace. She couldn''t pull it away no matter how hard she tried.


    "Adrian, are you okay?" I kicked Nicola away and helped Adrian up, checking if he was hurt.


    "I''m fine, but this necklace..." Adrian was focused on the necklace.


    I saw that the cross necklace and the Condensation Sword were stuck together. They were floating in the air, giving off a strange light.


    "I feel like something bad is about to happen. Maybe we should move away?" Adrian suggested worriedly. Just then, Galadra shouted a warning to us.


    "This is bad! The Cycle of Rebirth is out of control. It''s trying to open a space portal here. Get away from that spot!"


    "Huh?" Adrian and I turned around, confused. The space maze around us had disappeared. The whole Sylvanvale Wood where the Cycle of Rebirth had appeared was back to normal.


    The cross necklace and the Condensation Sword were gone. In their place was a black ball about the size of a football.


    I knew what this was. It was a portal of the 3D world! I had seen it many times with Reed''s magic scrolls. But I didn''t know where this portal led to.


    What was more worrying was that the portal kept getting bigger! It started as big as a football, but in a few seconds, it was as big as a small room.


    "Run!" Even though I was upset at Nicola for being so violent, I still cared about our old friendship. I warned her as she got up, looking confused. Then I grabbed Adrian and we ran away.


    "Feliciana! I''m here... Huh? What''s that thing?!" Suddenly, I heard Cyra''s voice! She had found us after the space maze disappeared. But when she flew in from another direction, she was shocked by what she saw and froze in the air.


    "Get away from there!" I shouted a warning. Cyra was curiously getting closer to look. I couldn''t fly back to save her.


    But in the next second, the portal grew super fast. It became ten times bigger, as big as a large building! Cyra was sucked in without making a sound.


    "What''s that?" Adrian pointed at something inside the portal. Because it was so big now, we could see the other side through the twisted image.


    I saw it too! There were straight roads, tall concrete buildings over ten or even dozens of stories high, and lots of cars and people on the streets!


    No way, was the other side Earth?!

 Vol 5/Chapter 54: Counterattack

    Cyra fell into the portal to Earth? I almost wanted to follow her. But before I could, Galadra teleported us somewhere else.


    We ended up in another part of Sylvanvale Wood, far from where it happened. Reed, Mia, Sheryl, and other angel legion members were there too.


    "Something weird is happening with the Cycle of Rebirth''s core. I need to check it out," Galadra told us. "That portal won''t disappear soon. Stay away from it so you don''t get sucked in." Then she was gone.


    "Did I hear someone call herself Galadra?" one angel asked.


    "Isn''t Galadra the name of our ancestor? Did she bring us here?"


    "So our ancestor is really alive! She saved us!"


    The Cycle of Rebirth projection stopped because of the accident. Most angels there were teleported with us. They were confused about Galadra - they''d only heard stories about her.


    "Is that huge portal really okay?" Mia came over to us. "I saw some monsters that escaped the Forbidden Spell sneak in!"


    Mia and Sheryl knew some details about protecting the Cycle of Rebirth, so hearing Galadra didn''t surprise them much. But they didn''t know about our fight with Michelle and Nicola, so they asked what happened.


    "It''s... complicated," I said, avoiding the truth. "But shouldn''t we catch those monsters that went in?" I was worried about what might happen to the helpless people on Earth.


    "We might not have a chance," Sheryl, the 5th Angel legion commander, said. She looked badly hurt, her armor all broken. "My people who didn''t get teleported told me the Empire''s army surrounded the portal. They''re angry at us for starting a war in their land. They''ve taken over the area now."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Those Empire soldiers hid during the monster fight, and now they''re taking advantage?" Mia was angry. But it was actually good they didn''t attack us from behind like the mysterious person in white wanted.


    "You were closest. Did you see where the portal leads?" Reed asked suddenly. She must have noticed something.


    "Just some strange buildings..." I said, not wanting to explain about Earth. "There''s a Light Elf village nearby. Should we go there to talk more?"


    Sheryl and Mia agreed. The angel army needed rest, and the Light Elves were friendly.


    At the Light Elf village - where Irene lived - the tribe leader welcomed us warmly. "It''s safe here. Our village has strong hiding magic. You can rest as long as you need!"


    Sheryl asked them to help spy on the portal area too, since angels flying around would be too obvious in Empire land.


    When morning came, a Light Elf spy brought news: "Empire soldiers went into the big portal. Looks like they''re fighting someone on the other side!"


    "What? How did Reider move so fast? Is he trying to take new land?" I was shocked.


    "It''s not the Emperor''s order," Irene corrected me. "A local general gave the order. They haven''t heard from the higher-ups yet."


    "So the general got excited seeing the other side and rushed in to get credit?" I whispered to Reed. "The Empire has magic and mechs. Won''t Earth be in trouble?"


    Reed rolled her eyes. "You''re worrying too much. There might be some small fights, but most magic is nothing compared to military on the other side."


    I realized she might be right. The Empire took our damaged Midas mech, but it needs time to fix. Maybe their army will retreat when they can''t win.


    "You seem to know a lot about the other side," Adrian said to Reed, curious.


    "Um, we saw tall, neat buildings through the portal," I quickly explained. "It looks like our ancient civilization. Reed thinks it might be a time portal to the past. That''s why the Empire is no match."


    This made sense since Nicola''s power was related to time. Adrian believed it.


    But things changed in ways no one expected.


    Half a day later, Irene reported a big change - the Empire soldiers didn''t come back. Instead, strange humans came out of the portal. They had weird metal weapons that made loud noises and fire, killing enemies from far away.


    These humans quickly beat the Empire guards and took over the area around the portal. They didn''t go into the forest, but built a base there. In just hours, they put up houses and fences!


    More big metal vehicles kept coming through the portal. In one day, they built a whole military base.


    "No way..." I finally understood, looking at Reed. Earth didn''t just beat back the Empire''s attack - they counterattacked! They invaded this world through the portal. Now we should worry about this side instead.

 Vol 5/Chapter 55: Trouble Comes Knocking

    As one of the top nations on the Eldoria Continent, the Ilandra Dominion Empire has always been the one bullying other countries. When had they ever suffered such a great humiliation?


    But now, the Earth army from another world has truly stepped onto their territory. In just the first few days, several small reconnaissance units have started moving in all directions, mainly to explore and gather information about this world.


    Meanwhile, the passage to Earth has been bustling with modern, advanced weapons and equipment like missiles and tanks, turning the entire area around the base into a fortress armed to the teeth!


    The Empire is in great danger!


    "Sifur, being the city closest to the portal, seems to be under a lot of pressure lately. Emperor Reider has already returned to the capital, Kyndrill. He sure ran fast! But since the Sebastian family is the local lord, they must fully assist the national army in resisting the invaders. The whole city has almost become a ghost town, and things look pretty bad..."


    These days, we''ve been staying in the Light Elf tribe with nothing much to do. Watching the senior angels communicating with Edenmere through spiritual links, I couldn''t help but sigh.


    Just a while ago, we were lucky enough to see Elder Gwendolyn again. It''s been a whole week since she rescued Dennis, the eldest son of the Sebastian family. As Reider ordered, the Empire''s higher-ups haven''t done anything to trouble the Sebastian family.


    But it''s the first time the Angel Legion has faced an invasion from another world. Commander Sheryl didn''t expect to meet an Elder in such a place, so she quickly reported the situation to Elara.


    Given that the Ilandra Dominion Empire has always been unkind to the angelic race and has often been reluctant to cooperate against the monsters, it''s no surprise that the Angel Legion is not planning to help the Empire in its current crisis.


    "Maybe if the Empire gathers all its forces, they might have some chance against those invaders from another world? It seems Crestvale Republic is also watching the situation closely. They''ve made it clear they won''t attack the Empire''s borders during this time, so the Empire might be able to focus on this threat," Mia speculated as she walked over to me. But she had no idea about the terrifying power of the weapons from Earth.


    "Whether the Republic is being truthful or not, this battle is inevitable. But the only ones who will suffer are the local people. Besides, after a few test encounters, I don''t think the Empire will win. If they lose, it might be time to warn the Sage Council in advance¡­"


    From our observations over the past few days, everyone believes that the people from the other world can''t use any magic, only strange weapons that are not much of a threat. But Adrian, who has been around me for a while, understands my worries about the unknown weapons coming from Earth.


    This outcome is inevitable. The Empire, for its dignity, has no choice but to strike back early. Elder Gwendolyn informed us that the time for their attack is near. Many other lords within the Empire, after receiving reinforcements, are also rushing to the border base day and night.


    "Why did you ask me not to tell them the truth for now? You know very well that in the face of Earth''s weapons, except for god-level magic, Forbidden Spells, and a few top-tier fighters, the people of this world have no real chance of standing against them."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    When I returned to my room alone, Reed suddenly followed me in. She had wanted to explain the true strength of Earth''s army to everyone, but I stopped her at the last minute, leaving her puzzled.


    "Well, uh¡­"


    I didn''t expect her to ask this, and for a moment, I didn''t know how to respond. After hesitating, I defended myself. "I mainly wanted the Empire to learn a lesson! You know how excessive the Ilandra Dominion Empire is, and that Reider is no good. I thought it was reasonable to let them suffer a bit."


    As a member of the Continental Human Covenant, if the Empire''s invasion by foreign enemies threatens the entire continent, other nations are obligated to lend a hand, and even the angels might be dragged into the conflict. This so-called threat doesn''t just refer to monsters; it also includes this invasion from another world. But other countries haven''t realized the threat level of Earth''s army yet, and most of them think the Empire can handle it alone.


    "Do you really hate the Empire that much, or is this because of Adrian?"


    Reed unexpectedly saw through my excuse and bluntly pointed out the real issue. Her gaze made me speechless, and I couldn''t help but turn my head away.


    I couldn''t bring myself to tell her the truth¡ªthat I''m mainly worried about Adrian discovering we came from Earth. The thought of him asking about my life on Earth gives me a headache, especially considering I was a boy back then. What would he think if he found out? Just imagining it makes me want to hide. So it''s better if he never finds out.


    "If you still care about your past identity, I think it''s better to be honest with Adrian. Long-term deception won''t bring any good, and I don''t think he''s the type to care about your past life."


    Reed didn''t press me further about my concerns. She left me with this advice and then walked out, leaving me alone in the room.


    "Honesty, huh¡­"


    But will things really go as she says? Will Adrian not care? I''m not sure at all, but if Reed is wrong, then my relationship with Adrian will be over. The thought makes me feel reluctant.


    Cyra has been on Earth for so long without any news. I have no idea how to rescue her, and Nicola has been missing since the incident. Galadra also can''t be contacted. Could Nicola have fallen to Earth like Cyra? All these worries flooded my mind, making me anxious.


    "Feliciana, we''re leaving! Lady Elara has ordered the Fifth Legion to retreat first. In a few days, Serena will bring the First Legion here. She''s also approved your and Reed''s request to stay behind to rescue Lady Cyra and Nicola. Mia will stay with you as well!"


    Sheryl came by to say goodbye. She''s about to return to Edenmere to report. Since Cyra and Nicola have lost contact, Edenmere believes they might have fallen into the hands of the otherworldly people.


    Given the tense standoff between them and the Empire, the angels can''t directly intervene to avoid being misunderstood as allies, which would be a costly mistake. So the next step for the angels is to send a messenger to ask the otherworldly people about their situation, and Reed and I quickly volunteered to take on this important task.


    "Thank you for your help. Don''t worry, I''ll bring them back!"


    I nodded and promised, but I wasn''t confident at all. After all, who knows if they''re really in the hands of Earth''s army? If they''ve ended up in an Earth city, things will be much more difficult.


    But as soon as I saw Sheryl and the others off, trouble arose in the Light Elf tribe.


    "The people from the other world have come! There are five or six of them, right at the village gate, in a big metal box! They''re asking for permission to enter, and the village chief seems to have agreed!"


    Irene ran up to me, reporting in a hurry. This startled me. The Light Elf tribe is surrounded by a large illusionary magic that even the Empire''s army has trouble breaking. How did these Earth soldiers know about it?


    "You''d better hide your wings to avoid unnecessary trouble if they see them."


    When I met up with Adrian and the others in the village center, Reed looked at me and Mia, then suddenly reminded us.


    "Huh? Do the people from other worlds know about the angelic race too?"


    Mia was puzzled by Reed''s words, but being the obedient one, she never thought that the so-called other world was actually the world we used to live in. She quickly, like me, hid her wings.


    "Why did the village chief agree so easily to let them in?"


    Soon after, a few familiar-looking soldiers entered the village. Along with them were several Light Elf villagers who had been out for a few days.


    Seeing us, these Earth soldiers immediately started gesturing to the Light Elves beside them. One of the female officers even took out a notebook and, in broken Continental Common, slowly said:


    "Hello, everyone... We are from... H-country... Nation... Security forces! Don''t worry, we are here... just to visit... We won''t take... anything from you..."

 Vol 5/Chapter 56: Instantly Solving the Language Barrier

    The military personnel from Earth, as they mentioned earlier, indeed came with the intention to visit the Light Elf tribe. But rather than just a visit, it was more like a diplomatic mission. For the people of Earth, discovering a brand-new, vast world that is similar to their own planet, and in some aspects even better, was an irresistible temptation for anyone''s curiosity.


    "When we went out into the forest a few days ago to gather food, we didn''t expect to be spotted by the Empire''s soldiers in the area! They surrounded us, and just as we were about to be captured, these humans from another world saved us!"


    The Light Elves who returned with them explained what had happened.


    The Light Elf tribe is located right at the border between the Empire and the Republic, a sensitive military area. The Empire''s troops stationed here have always wanted to wipe them out. Especially since Reider came to power and relations with the Republic soured, over a dozen Light Elves have fallen into the Empire''s hands in just a few years! Most of them were sold as slaves to other countries, and their fates were bitter.


    Although slavery has long been outlawed across the continent, some countries still engage in it secretly. Moreover, with the continuous invasion of monsters, many weak creatures that were captured were also sold as slaves.


    Given the hostile relationship between monsters and humans, the Sage Council, which oversees the Continental Human Covenant, has not been strict in regulating this. Particularly because of the historical ties between Light Elves and Dark Elves, the Council often turns a blind eye. As a result, countries like the Empire have become more and more reckless in selling Light Elf slaves, which is the main reason why the Light Elf tribe harbors deep hatred toward the Empire''s army and has never been able to reconcile with them.


    Of course, the protective illusion magic around the tribe isn''t just for show. Breaking the magic requires a large number of light-element mages. But light-element mages are rare among humans, and even if the Empire gathered almost all its strength, it could only muster a few dozen. Moreover, with the need to focus on the Republic as their major enemy, they naturally can''t afford to deal with us much.


    So when dealing with these "nail houses" on the border, the Empire''s army usually resorts to traps or hunting. This time, however, they were unlucky, running into Earth''s army from the other side of the space portal.


    Faced with Earth''s advanced weaponry, the ordinary Empire patrol squads stood no chance. The rescued Light Elves were treated exceptionally well, receiving careful medical attention and being brought back to Earth''s base, where they saw many new and fascinating things. They were even granted special permission to tour certain areas of the base.


    In just a few days, both sides had built a strong sense of trust. The Light Elves, eager to return home, were convinced that these humans from Earth posed no threat and decided to bring them back to the tribe.


    "So simple-minded!"


    After hearing the whole story, I couldn''t help but sigh deeply. But at the same time, I was a bit worried. With a big battle on the horizon, how do these Earthlings still have the leisure to wander around?


    "You¡­ hello! We¡­ want¡­ to learn¡­ magic, can¡­ you touch us¡­ how?"


    While I was lost in thought, two Earth soldiers, a man and a woman, approached us. The woman, who was the "translator" from before, stuttered as she explained their request, leaving everyone confused.


    "Magic? What magic? Where do they want to touch?"


    Their attempt at the common language of the continent was terrible, probably because they had just started learning. After a while, and with my limited understanding of H-country languages, we finally realized they were asking about learning magic.


    "Magic¡­ You might have to go to a big human city for that. Only there will you find tools to test for elemental affinity. In our small village here, we only have some basic knowledge of light magic. We really can''t help you."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Chief Kalati immediately shook his head with regret upon hearing this. It''s not that he was unwilling to teach, but Light Elf magic is challenging even for ordinary light-element mages to learn, let alone these humans from another world!


    Whether the female translator fully understood or not, she and her companion seemed to catch some of the meaning from the chief''s expression, and they looked disappointed.


    "I have an idea that might help. It''s not fully developed yet, but it might work for you."


    Seeing their disappointment, Reed felt a bit sympathetic. After all, we both came from Earth, and these people were from our own H-country. Naturally, she wanted to help in any way she could. She quickly added, "And if it works, it could also make communication between us much easier!"


    Reed said this entirely in the common language of the continent. We purposely avoided using H-country languages to prevent unnecessary trouble. If the people here knew we could speak another world''s language, it would lead to a series of complications that would be hard to explain to either side!


    "Yes, yes! No problem!"


    It took them a while, but they finally understood Reed''s meaning. The female translator, especially when she heard that this method might let them instantly learn the local language, quickly agreed without hesitation.


    "What are you going to do to them?"


    I asked Reed, a bit worried. I had never heard of a way to make someone learn a language instantly.


    "Just stand in this circle!"


    Reed didn''t answer me directly. Instead, she focused on drawing a magic circle on the ground. Although the circle wasn''t large, it was very complex. It took her quite a while to complete it. Once everything was ready, she pointed to the center of the circle and asked the two of them to stand there.


    "I know this! Could it be a magic circle?"


    The female translator recognized it right away. Though she looked excited, she was also a bit hesitant. But after discussing it privately with her companion, they decided to step into the circle as instructed.


    "This idea came to me from the Angel Descent Formation. The formation originally has a memory infusion function. Although the language function was added later, the method handed down by the angels served as a key. This key proved that the Angel Descent Formation could be modified, which led me to believe that the language infusion function could be extracted from the original formation."


    As Reed slowly injected magical energy into the circle, she briefly explained her discovery to me. Although, according to her, it''s currently only possible to extract the language infusion function, it''s still a significant breakthrough.


    "Was she just chanting a spell? Wow, it''s the first time I''ve seen someone use a magic spell! Does the spell have a special meaning too?"


    The female translator misunderstood, thinking Reed''s explanation to me was a spell. In reality, no spells are needed to activate the magic circle, but the effects are genuine!


    Soon, a blinding white light emerged from the magic circle, enveloping the two people''s bodies, and finally, it gathered at their heads and gradually faded away. When they opened their eyes and spoke again, they were surprised to find they could now fluently use the continent''s common language!


    "It''s amazing! Magic truly can do anything!"


    The brilliance of the magic circle attracted everyone''s attention in the tribe. Other soldiers who had been touring different parts of the village also gathered around. Everyone was amazed by Reed''s work, even Mia, an angel, was thrilled. After all, Edenmere had been studying the Angel Descent Formation for many years, but they had never made any breakthroughs. Who would have thought that a glimmer of hope would finally appear under these circumstances?


    "Learning magic in a short time is extremely difficult, and it depends on individual talent. But magic circles don''t have such requirements. If you can master the study of magic circles, learning magic itself might not be so important!"


    With the language barrier gone, Reed could finally, and easily, promote her theory of coding magic circles, something she had developed over time.


    Unlike Cyra and me, the others here never imagined that this visit to the tribe would yield such important information! One of the Earth soldiers quickly pulled out a notebook, sat down on the spot, and began to take notes as the female translator relayed the information.


    "I see. Magic circles usually need someone to activate them. If the activator leaves, the circle needs elemental energy to keep functioning¡­"


    "The activator must have an affinity for the elements, meaning they need the ability to use magic. But if an elemental-attracting magic circle is used, it can replace the activator as a source of energy!"


    ...


    And so, Reed''s magic circle class began. But not everyone was interested in this. Some of the Earth soldiers responsible for other tasks stood aside and continued trying to communicate with the villagers.


    "It''s so much easier to talk now!"


    With the language barrier removed, the male soldier who had received the language infusion could finally speak directly with us. He started by introducing himself.


    "My name is Wayne Peng! I''m a soldier in the National Defense Forces of H-country. Some of my teammates are civilian scientists. My job is to ensure everyone''s safety. On behalf of H-country, I''d like to thank you for your warm hospitality!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 57: Distributing Supplies

    "Wayne Peng?"


    When I heard this name, it vaguely sounded familiar to me. I remembered that I had a classmate in high school with the same name. And as I looked closer, this person did seem to resemble what I vaguely remembered. Could it really be him?


    Despite my curiosity, the current situation made it hard to ask directly, so I had to put the question aside for now.


    "What is your purpose in coming to our world?" Elder Betty stepped forward and asked. As the former village chief, she wasn''t too happy about Karati allowing these Earthlings to enter so easily. Even though they had treated the villagers and shown goodwill, Betty had seen too much of human cunning, so she handled matters with more caution.


    "The Ilandra Empire of this world brazenly invaded our land in H-country, causing significant casualties and economic losses. To protect the lives and property of our people, we must seek justice from the one behind it all," Wayne Peng''s response was firm and unwavering. In short, their main goal was to confront Emperor Reider.


    The Light Elf tribe had never liked the Empire, so naturally, they wouldn''t oppose H-country''s intentions; in fact, they were quite pleased.


    "But what will you do after you''ve sought justice?"


    Mia couldn''t help but frown as she asked. She was concerned not just about the Empire, but also about the potential unknown effects these powerful outsiders might have on the continent.


    If the army from another world exacts their justice, or if they defeat and occupy the Empire and stay in this world, it would surely cause unease among other nations. To be prepared, it was necessary to clarify things early on.


    "Don''t worry, we come with peaceful intentions. Our nation can assure you that we will never initiate any form of war! We seek close ties, mutual benefits, and a win-win relationship. If all goes well, we can even establish trade and cooperation, laying a strong foundation for friendship between our worlds!"


    Wayne Peng clearly had prepared his answer for such questions. He replied without hesitation, with words that sounded beautiful, though whether Mia believed them was another matter.


    The Light Elf tribe, being just a small village, wasn''t too concerned about what these Earthlings'' real intentions might be. But the various gifts brought along with the Earth army definitely opened everyone''s eyes.


    There were all sorts of daily necessities, like Earth''s shampoos, shower gels, skincare products, phones, hair dryers, induction cookers, small generators, books, and other cultural items.


    "Amazing! These things are really magical! But I can''t feel any light or dark elements in them. Are they not magical devices?"


    Even Irene, usually so aloof, was dazzled by the variety of items, joining the crowd with curiosity, fiddling with all the little gadgets.


    "This is a type of cosmetic that our women on Earth love to use. I''m not sure if you have anything like it here? But even if you do, feel free to try ours, you might find it even better. When we start trading, you can import it in large quantities!" The female translator approached me, trying to "sell" me the product. She seemed very skilled at this, likely having visited several other human villages before coming to us.


    "Uh, no, thank you¡­"


    I wasn''t particularly interested in such items, and I didn''t want her to realize that I was already quite familiar with them. So I pointed to a few electronic products on the other side, which didn''t seem to attract much attention, and asked deliberately.


    "What''s that called? It looks interesting!"Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "You''re interested in that? Alright¡­"


    The female translator seemed a bit disappointed but quickly regained her enthusiasm and brought over a mobile phone to explain. "This is called a mobile phone! It''s a communication tool we use daily on Earth to stay in touch with friends and family far away. But I''m afraid you don''t have electricity here? Although we''ve provided a small generator, it might not be enough¡­"


    When I took a closer look, I almost blacked out. It was a senior citizen''s phone! It was bulky and far from the latest smart models I had been expecting before crossing over!


    But on second thought, it made sense. These phones consume the least power and can stay on standby for weeks, even a month. In this world where electricity is scarce, they would be more practical.


    "You call this an electronic product? Can it really communicate with people far away?"


    Adrian, who had never seen such a compact communication device, was immediately intrigued and leaned over to ask. While this world does have magical communication devices, they are usually bulky and hard to carry around. If everyone had a mobile phone, it might indeed make communication easier in the future.


    "Well, about that¡­ it would require the construction of certain infrastructure, like base stations! Right now, we only have a few simple ones set up around our main base, so the signal might not be great¡­ So, you can only get a taste of its communication features for now, but there are other functions on the phone you can try!"


    In the end, it came down to infrastructure issues. The female translator looked a bit troubled. As for her further explanations to Adrian, I wasn''t too interested. What useful features could a senior phone have?


    Why didn''t they bring any tablets? Tablets don''t need to communicate. Although they consume more power and aren''t as easy to carry, those drawbacks wouldn''t be a problem for me!


    Even though I felt a bit let down, I was still quite satisfied. After all, the H-country army came primarily for a diplomatic visit and to build goodwill. The fact that they brought so many supplies was already impressive.


    Most of the villagers were happily running over to pick out items, but Reed, as expected, didn''t join in. She had no interest and instead took this opportunity to approach Wayne Peng, looking closely at his face before directly asking:


    "When you opened the portal between our worlds, did you find anyone besides the Empire''s soldiers?"


    This time, since they had come to us, we couldn''t miss the chance to ask about Cyra and Nicola.


    "Elves? Do you mean the villagers here?"


    Wayne Peng was taken aback by the question. He also stared at Reed for a while before shaking his head with a smile and replying.


    "Sorry, we haven''t reported finding any elves!"


    "Uh, actually, they''re not elves! To be precise, they''re two people with wings¡­"


    I couldn''t hold back anymore and quickly stepped forward to add, "People with wings! Have you seen them?"


    "People with wings? Bird people? Does your world have bird people too?"


    Clearly, he had no clue, and to make matters worse, he called angels "bird people"! I was so angry that I couldn''t say anything more.


    Did the Earth army really not find them, or did they secretly hide them? Considering that angels have significant influence on Earth as well, we can''t completely rule out that possibility. Of course, personally, I wanted to believe them. But if they really hadn''t found those two, it meant that finding them would become even more difficult.


    "Could we go back with you and visit your base?"


    The distribution of supplies was nearing its end, and seeing that the humans from another world were about to leave, Mia suddenly pulled me along to make a bold request.


    "Well¡­"


    The others didn''t understand, and the female translator hadn''t expected such a request, so she turned to Wayne Peng for guidance.


    "No problem! Our country of H-country came to this world in friendship. We''d be honored to have you visit!"


    To my surprise, Wayne Peng agreed without hesitation but did set some conditions.


    "But I must clarify one thing: since it''s a military base, the people of this world can only move within certain designated areas. You cannot enter restricted zones, including the portal! The villagers we rescued earlier were the same."


    "Alright, no problem!"


    Mia readily agreed. Since her request was granted, she wouldn''t cause any more trouble.


    But I understood that Mia probably had some special reason for making this request. Earlier, Reed had wanted to use the language infusion magic circle on the other Earthlings, but Mia stopped her. She must have noticed something suspicious.


    "Didn''t you see? Those two young men from the other world have been acting sneaky around us and the other Light Elves. They often huddled together in a corner, whispering about something that seemed very secretive! Every time I tried to get close, they would immediately stop talking as if they were doing something bad, even though they knew I couldn''t understand their language. And their expressions were very strange!"


    When I asked Mia privately about this, she pointed out two young men standing by the village entrance.


    "From my years of experience, I''m sure there''s something shady going on. The humans from the other world may seem friendly on the surface, but deep down, they might be as untrustworthy as the Empire. We need to keep a close eye on them!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 58: Earth Army Base

    These two people from Earth seemed to be part of a larger group. According to Wayne Peng''s introduction, they weren''t military personnel, just like the female translator¡ªthey were civilian workers brought in through some collaboration.


    "Is that so?"


    I had to admit, Mia''s suspicion seemed somewhat justified. From a distance, those two were still excitedly discussing something, and just as Mia had pointed out, their expressions were indeed strange!


    Maybe Mia, having stayed in Edenmere for so long, didn''t really understand humans well. But to me, those two Earthlings didn''t seem to have any malicious intent¡ªthough, admittedly, they did seem a bit... creepy?


    "Hehe, these are real elves! Look at their pointy ears! If people on Earth saw them, it would cause a huge sensation, especially among those foreigners¡ªit would be as shocking as a comet hitting the Earth!"


    "Exactly! Who knows, maybe ''The Lord of the Rings'' wasn''t a fantasy novel after all but an ancient historical record! Everything we see here is real, not special effects or animation¡ªthis is truly another world! It''s just too bad we didn''t come here alone, or we could''ve made a fortune. At least one wife each, no problem!"


    "Come on, is that all you see? Just elf girls? Think about it¡ªif there are elves in this world, there could be dragon girls, cat girls, bunny girls... all those species we thought only existed in anime might be real here! I''m not going to give up the whole forest for just one tree, hahaha!"


    "Pfft, nothing compares to my elf girl! I''ve always been loyal to elves. Oh, by the way, didn''t Captain Wayne mention something about bird people when talking to the locals? Do you think there could be angels in this world too?"


    "Angels? That''s just a myth. They couldn''t exist in reality. You''re thinking too much!"


    ...


    Alright, I finally understood! I had been eavesdropping from a not-too-close distance, and in short, these two were just having some rather delusional daydreams. They weren''t speaking quietly either, clearly taking advantage of the fact that the locals didn''t understand them.


    Luckily, angels don''t have pointy ears; otherwise, the three of us might have ended up in their fantasies too.


    But from these few conversations, I confirmed another important fact: the Earth army probably really didn''t know about Cyra and Nicola, otherwise, they wouldn''t be so clueless about the existence of angels in this world.


    "It''s not that serious. Maybe they''re just overwhelmed by the wonders of this world..."


    But facing Mia, I couldn''t think of better words to explain this situation. She didn''t know I could speak the H-country language, so she wouldn''t believe my reassurances.


    In the end, we decided that Reed, Adrian, Mia, and I would all go to the human base together. The Light Elves didn''t really care whether the humans from another world were deceiving them or not. Whether the Empire defeated them or the humans from Earth eventually took over the forest, as long as their lives weren''t disrupted, it didn''t matter to them. For now, the Earthlings seemed much friendlier than the Empire''s people.


    "You''re not elves... you''re humans?"


    Just before we left the Light Elf village, as we were about to get into the vehicle, Wayne Peng and his team finally noticed that the four of us seemed a bit different from the locals.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Is there a problem with being human?" Adrian quickly clarified, pulling out the trade permit from Colomidos that we had used before. If they mistook us for being from the Empire, it could lead to trouble. "We''re not residents of the Ilandra Dominion Empire. We''re traders traveling from other countries on the continent!"


    "Oh, that''s fine! Actually, the base has also temporarily taken in some refugees from the Empire. But I''ve heard this continent is vast, with many countries. If we could learn about these other nations, it would help us better understand this world."


    Wayne Peng glanced at the trade permit before returning it to Adrian with a generous offer.


    To prepare for the upcoming war, the Empire had been aggressively conscripting soldiers and resources, making life unbearable for the local people. In contrast, the Earth army was much more civilized, treating the populace well and even providing humanitarian aid. Many rural and town residents, unable to bear the pressure, had chosen to defect and become guides for the humans from another world.


    Finally, we could get in the vehicle! After so long, I didn''t expect that one day I''d be riding in a car again, and I felt a little excitement bubbling inside me.


    Due to the different levels of civilization, only the Empire and the Sage Council had managed to create magical transport tools with similar functions on this continent. But those were only developed for transporting goods, and civilian use was still far off.


    For Adrian and Mia, it was their first time experiencing this. Adrian couldn''t stop asking questions about this magical vehicle that didn''t use magic or require any external force to move.


    "This is the first time we''ve encountered an elven village. We had heard from some locals that this world had various races, but we always thought it was just legend. I didn''t expect to be proven wrong so quickly! It''s fortunate we met you!" Wayne Peng was driving, and the female translator in the passenger seat couldn''t help but express her amazement. Only the two of them in the whole group could speak the continental language, so we were all in the same vehicle. Their trust in us humans seemed partly due to Reed''s help earlier.


    Even though Earth''s current level of magic research couldn''t yet apply the knowledge they''d gained from magic circles, the language barrier being completely removed made exploring this world much easier.


    "That portal connects to your world. I heard it caused serious damage, right?"


    I thought for a moment before asking, hinting at what I had discussed with Reed earlier. We both suspected that the city we saw through the portal when we crossed over was the one we had come from.


    "Of course! Those Empire people are so barbaric¡ªkilling anyone they see, stealing whatever they can! Luckily, the portal wasn''t in the city center but in a more suburban area, or the casualties would have been even worse! Thanks to our nation sending troops quickly, the losses were minimized."


    The female translator didn''t hold back in condemning the Empire''s actions, her face showing a hint of pride. It was clear she had strong feelings against the Empire''s invasion.


    Most of the Empire''s ordinary soldiers, except for the mages, used cold weapons. But their physical strength and stamina were several times greater than that of Earthlings. From her words, I gathered that while the Empire''s soldiers couldn''t effectively counter guns and ammunition, many could still stand after being shot several times. Some could even survive a direct hit from a grenade.


    In reality, those who went to Earth were likely the lowest-level Empire patrol units, usually of no more than the third rank and certainly not elite forces. But the next time the Empire concentrated its forces for a counterattack, it wouldn''t just be these low-level troops¡ªthey might even deploy powerful airships!


    Could the Earth army still win so easily under such circumstances? I looked at Reed with concern, hoping she might kindly warn Wayne Peng and his team. But Reed just continued reading her book with her usual indifferent expression, not seeming to care at all.


    Is there really no problem? Her reaction left me puzzled for a moment, but then I quickly understood.


    The Earth army must already be aware of the Empire''s stronger forces. If they dared to counterattack, they must have confidence in their victory. When it comes to military matters, the Earth army''s leaders are undoubtedly more professional than I am, and they must already have the enemy''s intelligence in hand. There was no need for me to worry unnecessarily!


    "We''ve arrived!"


    After nearly an hour''s drive, we finally returned to the site where it all began. The memories of Adrian and Nicola''s duel were still fresh in my mind, but the scene before me had completely changed.


    All traces of the battle¡ªuprooted trees, shattered stones¡ªwere gone, replaced by rows and rows of neatly arranged temporary housing, stretching as far as the eye could see!


    "The base has expanded significantly. We''ve had several rounds of expansion, and now it can accommodate several thousand people!" Wayne Peng got out of the vehicle, proudly introducing the base.

 Vol 5/Chapter 59: Trapped at the Base

    The road from the Light Elf village to the base wasn''t a proper road¡ªit was more like a roller coaster ride for the Earth vehicles.


    "Don''t wander around this area. It could be dangerous!" Wayne Peng warned us as we approached the base. The outer perimeter was surrounded by several layers of barbed wire, and only the innermost area had a simple wall to block the view. Wayne Peng gathered us together and led us through the main gate.


    At the entrance, there was a guard post. As we passed by, we saw tanks and armored vehicles slowly rolling out, likely heading out on some military mission.


    "Sixth Reconnaissance Team, I''m the captain! We have a few local residents with us who wish to visit, and our recon mission was successful. I need to report the details to my superiors immediately!" Wayne Peng saluted the guard and identified himself.


    "Sixth Team, huh? So, you''ve been out for two days, haven''t you?" The guard checked a logbook, then had Wayne Peng register our names. He gave us a quick glance before continuing.


    "The enemy has been restless lately, so the entire base is now on lockdown. The command center just sent out armored units to the surrounding areas for special deployments. Bringing locals back at this time might be a bit tricky¡­"


    So, it''s really about to turn into a war? I hadn''t expected things to escalate this quickly. Wayne Peng exchanged a few words with the guard, then came over with an apologetic expression.


    "I''m sorry, but we''ve received intelligence that the Empire''s army is about to launch an attack. I''m afraid the base tour we promised can''t happen right now. However, you can stay in the shelter we''ve built¡ªit offers basic food and lodging, though I''m afraid you won''t have much¡­ freedom. We''ll have to wait until the situation stabilizes before discussing anything further."


    The shelter was a temporary refuge for the Empire''s people who had sought asylum. For safety reasons, it wasn''t located inside the base but in a corner of the outer perimeter, with special control measures in place. Since the number of people there wasn''t large, the area was small and supposedly close to the main gate¡ªjust a short walk away.


    "No freedom? Are you saying we''ll be locked up?" Adrian frowned deeply. Although Wayne Peng had been quite polite, the underlying meaning was clear.


    "We helped you out, and this is how you repay us? We were promised a friendly visit!" Mia found her initial suspicions confirmed and wasn''t about to let it go. Even Reed, who was usually quiet, showed some doubt on her face.


    "I''m really sorry! We didn''t anticipate this situation. These are the rules, and in times of war, we have to follow them. The shelter isn''t a prison¡ªyou''re still our guests, as long as you don''t try to leave or cause trouble," the female translator chimed in, trying to calm us down. I understood that the Earth army was being cautious¡ªafter all, we weren''t their people, and until they fully trusted us, they were being quite reasonable.


    "Maybe we should just stay here for a few days?" After a long silence, Reed stepped forward and made a decision.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "No way! My duty is to keep you safe. How can I let these people, who don''t even know magic, lock us up? Besides, even if we''re just ordinary people, we shouldn''t be treated like prisoners!" Mia was almost jumping with anger, struggling to keep her true identity hidden.


    "You''re not prisoners! We really do come in peace! But this is an emergency, and we have to treat all outsiders according to protocol," the female translator repeated, though her words didn''t change the fact that the situation felt a lot like being prisoners.


    "If we can''t tour the base, why not just send us back the way we came?" To be honest, I didn''t really want to stay here either¡ªnot because of being locked up, since we weren''t ordinary humans and could leave if we wanted. My main concern was not wanting Adrian to find out about my connection to Earth. If we stayed at the Earth base too long, I might slip up and reveal something.


    The reason I agreed to come with Mia in the first place was because I didn''t trust her being here alone. If she misunderstood the Earthlings even more and a conflict broke out between them and the angels, the consequences would be something I, as a former Earthling, didn''t want to see.


    As for Reed, her motives seemed simpler. She was just curious and eager for a chance to observe how the Earth army would handle the Empire''s counterattack. When two completely different civilizations collide, it''s a once-in-a-lifetime event. Even if the situation was slightly different from what she expected, it didn''t interfere with her plans. If she could stay at the base, she might witness something truly significant.


    "The base is on lockdown now, so leaving freely isn''t an option. Without approval from higher-ups, even we can''t leave. And since you''ve seen our defense setup, we have to enforce security measures to prevent any information leaks. It''s best to wait until this crisis is over before leaving," Wayne Peng responded to my suggestion with a wry smile, making it clear that returning the way we came wasn''t possible either.


    Great, now we''re stuck here!


    "I can understand their concerns, and they do have a point. Rules are rules. If we''re not going to be harmed, maybe it''s okay to stay for a few days¡­" Having served in the Astralrealm Kingdom''s army, Adrian sympathized with Wayne Peng''s situation and surprisingly didn''t take my side.


    "Alright, you''re in charge!" On the other hand, Mia, who had been ready to fight, gave up before she even started. Without any real say in the matter, she sulked and decided to go along with whatever was decided.


    "How did it come to this?" I felt a wave of frustration. Sure, we could probably break out of here if we tried, but I didn''t want to create unnecessary conflict with the Earthlings, especially since they were from my old country, H-country. Besides, I wasn''t sure how well we''d fare against their advanced weapons. No one wants to get shot at, even if they think they''re strong.


    "You look worried. Is everything okay?" Adrian, as perceptive as ever, noticed my unease and quietly asked if we should consider another plan. "Could it be related to that country they mentioned, H-country?"


    "Kidding! There''s no way I''m scared!" I quickly denied it, not wanting to raise any more suspicion.


    "Fine, let''s just stay. I''m only worried about losing my freedom¡ªit''s just inconvenient, that''s all. It has nothing to do with that H-country place."


    "Well, when you put it like that¡­ I guess it''s no big deal," Adrian seemed to accept my explanation, smiling gently.


    "Good, it looks like we''re all in agreement now!"


    From Wayne Peng''s perspective, we probably didn''t have a choice anyway. They were just being polite by letting us decide for ourselves.


    "Welcome to the Earth base! We''ll report your help to our superiors and get your restrictions lifted as soon as possible!" Wayne Peng said as the base gate opened again, guiding the Sixth Recon Team''s vehicles inside. Ahead of us, a large, rectangular building came into view.


    "That must be¡­ the portal, right?"


    It wasn''t hard to guess what was inside that building. The Earthlings had carefully enclosed it to prevent anything unexpected from coming through from the other side.


    "We call it the Gateway to the New World! Because this place really is a completely new world for Earth!" Wayne Peng explained with excitement, though his face suddenly showed a hint of confusion.


    "But what''s strange is that it appeared right where my high school reunion had an accident a few months ago¡­"

 Vol 5/Chapter 60: The Allure of Comfort

    "High school reunion?"


    Hearing those words, I couldn''t help but turn my head and ask more.


    "Oh, it''s nothing! It was just a gathering of former classmates from my old school. But your friend''s name sounds quite similar to someone I know, and the resemblance is¡­." Wayne Peng''s gaze suddenly shifted past me and landed on Reed. Since crossing over, Reed had always used her real name, which might have caught his attention from the start.


    However, after becoming an angel, Reed''s appearance had changed quite a bit, with her hair turning a pale golden color. So Wayne Peng only hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and brushing the thought aside.


    "Let''s not dwell on that! By the way, do you have places like schools in your world where people learn things?"


    It was clear that he didn''t want to spend more time on this topic and quickly changed the subject.


    "Schools? Places for learning? Wouldn''t that be like the mage towers in Crescent City?" Adrian''s interest was piqued. Back in the day, we had spent a lot of time in those towering mage towers, so the memories were still fresh.


    "Wow, mage towers? So those really exist in this world! You must tell us all about them when you have time!" The female translator''s eyes lit up. She had been the most attentive when Reed was teaching about magic circles, and now that mage towers were mentioned, she wasn''t about to let that information slip away.


    "So, Wayne Peng joined the National Defense Forces of H-country. No wonder we haven''t heard much about him since then!"


    While the others continued discussing unrelated topics, Reed and I fell behind, exchanging a knowing glance.


    It was almost certain now that this Wayne Peng was indeed our former high school classmate! He was lucky enough not to have attended that fateful reunion, so he didn''t get caught up in the crossing-over event.


    But the information he accidentally revealed was quite significant. Although he didn''t explain exactly what the "accident" was, it hinted at what might have happened to our bodies after our souls left Earth for this world. It probably wasn''t anything good.


    The most baffling part was that the portal opened up right where our high school reunion had been held¡ªin that KTV suite. This couldn''t just be a coincidence; there had to be more to it!


    "It''s a shame Galadra isn''t here. What is she up to, and why hasn''t she shown up yet?"


    In this situation, only Galadra, the master of the Cycle of Rebirth, could give us some authoritative answers. I suspected that everything was connected to the Cycle of Rebirth! After all, the Angel Descent Formation was related to the Cycle of Rebirth, and the portal opened right when the Cycle of Rebirth''s projection was descending. The connection was too obvious to ignore.


    As for the role of the necklace given by the future twelve-winged Nicola, that was harder to guess. Perhaps we would have to wait until Galadra finished her work with the Cycle of Rebirth to get some answers.


    "This is the shelter! It''s equipped with fairly decent living facilities. You can move freely within the designated area, but you can''t leave without permission," Wayne Peng announced as we arrived at a courtyard surrounded by high walls. He swiped a card to open a small gate and led us inside.


    The courtyard wasn''t too small. Behind the gate, we saw three rows of temporary housing, with roughly twenty or thirty individual rooms. In one corner, there were some miscellaneous items that didn''t seem like military supplies from Earth¡ªthey looked more like farming tools from this world.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Some local villagers are also staying here, just like you. They can''t leave freely either," the female translator quickly explained, worried we might feel unfairly treated.


    "No problem, as long as we''re let out as soon as possible!" I waved my hand to show I understood. In times like these, we had no choice but to cooperate.


    After explaining some precautions, Wayne Peng and his team assigned us our rooms and then left.


    "So this is what they call decent living facilities?"


    I looked around the room and couldn''t help but make a face. The setup was basic¡ªa bed, a table, with a cup and an electric kettle on it, and nothing more. It was indeed quite bare.


    But for the local residents seeking refuge here, these basic amenities were probably more than enough. After all, the electric kettle alone made boiling water much easier than using firewood. And with meals being delivered, there was no need to worry about food.


    I hadn''t used an electric kettle in a long time! As I rummaged through the room, I found a small packet of tea leaves in a drawer. I went outside to fetch some water and had just sat down with my cup when Adrian came over from the neighboring room.


    "Did you notice? There are several patrol points set up in the corners of the walls, probably to keep an eye on us!" Adrian pointed out.


    "I know, right?" I rolled my eyes at him. Why else would they keep us in this shelter? It''s because they don''t fully trust us yet! And it''s not just us¡ªthose Empire civilians who came here earlier are also under surveillance. What if one of them is a spy sent to infiltrate the base?


    The Earth army hadn''t been in this world for long, so it was only natural to be cautious. It wasn''t just the patrols Adrian saw¡ªwhen we walked through the entrance earlier, I spotted at least four or five surveillance cameras in the corners! But since the people of this world didn''t recognize such devices, they were completely unaware.


    "You were so against being locked up before, but now you seem so calm?"


    Adrian seemed a bit puzzled by my change in attitude. He glanced curiously at the greenish liquid in my cup. "What''s that in your cup? It''s all green¡ªdid you make it?"


    "Uh, it''s probably some kind of drink they provided. I think it''s called green tea!"


    This world does have black tea, but it doesn''t brew up green like this. I pretended to take a sip for the first time, but honestly¡­ it was delicious! I hadn''t drunk much tea before, but after so long, I realized how much I missed it.


    "Why don''t you try some? It tastes great!"


    I nudged Adrian playfully.


    "Is it really good? But that color looks kind of¡­" Adrian eyed the clear green liquid in my cup suspiciously. To him, green usually meant something was poisonous, so he hesitated for a long time before declining.


    "Forget it! I know you angels have strong resistance to poisons, but that doesn''t mean you should just drink anything. Better to stick with hot water!"


    "This is hot water!"


    What nonsense! Watching him quickly retreat, I nearly threw the tea at him out of frustration.


    By the way, the food at the base was pretty good too!


    When mealtime came, the shelter''s gate opened, and they brought in hot meals! It had been so long since I''d had a proper meal from my homeland that I was almost moved to tears. This wasn''t some imitation made with local ingredients¡ªit was the real deal, genuine H-country cuisine!


    Suddenly, being locked up didn''t seem so bad. At least out there, I wouldn''t be able to enjoy this. As for when I might cross back through the portal and return to Earth, I hadn''t figured out a solid plan yet. Anyway, Cyra had to be rescued, but staying on Earth for a while wouldn''t put her in any real danger. So why not enjoy myself here?


    Turning prison food into a family feast¡ªmaybe I''m the only person in the world who could manage that. But the good times didn''t last long. That night, something happened.


    "What''s going on?" I was jolted awake by a loud siren. I jumped out of bed and rushed outside, only to see several flares lighting up the sky, turning the night into day.


    Next came the deafening sound of artillery fire, one explosion after another. No need to guess¡ªthere was clearly a battle happening outside the base!


    With all that noise, no one could sleep. Everyone in the shelter came out of their rooms, looking up at the dazzling display in the sky.


    "These otherworldly weapons sound really powerful! Too bad there''s a high wall blocking the view¡­" Mia said, covering her ears. Despite her many complaints about the Earthlings, she was still very curious about how the Earth army fought.


    Perhaps the battle wasn''t too intense, or maybe they had the situation under control. The Earth soldiers stationed around the shelter didn''t leave their posts. On Reed''s advice, Mia didn''t dare unfold her wings and fly up to see the fight. So we all just stood there, gazing up at the sky.


    "I asked the guards at the gate. They said it was a night raid by the Empire, but the numbers weren''t large, so there''s no need to worry. It was probably just a probing attack by the vanguard," Adrian came over and explained. If that information was accurate, it meant that the real war between the Ilandra Dominion Empire and Earth was about to start.


    Sure enough, the battle came quickly and ended just as fast. After about half an hour, the gunfire gradually stopped, and everything slowly returned to calm.

 Vol 5/Chapter 61: Spy

    "It''s over. Let''s wash up and sleep!"


    For sure, the Earth army won. I turned back to my room, feeling bored, ready to rest more.


    "But how did they win? These Earth people don''t look very strong. Even with their strange weapons, it''s unbelievable they beat the Imperial troops so fast!" Adrian couldn''t believe it. He kept looking at the sky. "And what were those red lights shooting out from the base earlier?"


    "Who knows? Maybe it''s their secret weapon. How can you expect to know everything?" I yawned, annoyed. I don''t know much about Earth''s military stuff, so I just guessed. Probably some rocket launchers or missiles?


    I''ve never actually seen missiles fly in the sky. But the very next morning, I got to see the real deal!


    "Feliciana, come quick! Something''s flying up again!" This time Mia ran in. She pointed at a long cylinder thing in the sky with flames and smoke coming out the back.


    "Is it really a missile?" I was surprised too. This missile-looking thing wasn''t flying very high. After going up a bit, it started going down, making a nice curve. Looks like the target wasn''t too far.


    But what could make the Earth army use missiles? I had no clue!


    "That direction looks like where the Imperial base is..." Reed''s voice came over. She and Adrian were watching too.


    "If last night''s attack by the Empire was the start of the war, then the Earth humans are getting ready to attack back? Too bad this small army can''t really hurt the Imperial base! If it''s a sneak attack, it''s too big. And it''s daytime. Not sure what they''re trying to do..."


    Adrian couldn''t see how big it really was from so far. He thought it was just a flying ship with humans inside. He was shocked at how fast Earth''s airships were, but wondered why there were so few.


    "Maybe they want to weaken the enemy before they attack here. But they don''t know anything about that Imperial base!" Reed sighed. She guessed what the Earth army wanted, but didn''t think the attack would work well.


    "The base situation?"


    Suddenly I understood. The Imperial base was where we snuck in through the underground tunnel before. The whole base was covered by an element isolation shield. You can''t see anything inside from outside!


    But that''s not the main point. Even if you can''t see with your eyes, Earth''s army should be able to get some info, right? Even without drones and stuff, people should be able to find out something. But the problem is the base building itself!


    "The Empire didn''t build that base. The mysterious white-robed people helped build it!" Reed pointed out the harsh truth. We don''t know if the white-robed people are really connected to technology, but they seem way more advanced than Earth. If the Imperial base walls weren''t so strong, we wouldn''t have been stuck in there so long. We barely escaped thanks to the Midas.


    Even if the missiles are powerful, they probably can''t ignore the defense completely. The troops outside will suffer, but the people inside might not be affected at all. Earth people can''t possibly know this kind of info, no matter how good they are.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Why do you two seem to know so much? What if that thing isn''t aiming for the Imperial base, just passing by?" Mia looked at me and Reed suspiciously.


    "Uh... you have a point. We haven''t confirmed anything. No use just guessing!" I quickly agreed. Mia already knows we four souls came from other worlds. If she starts doubting us, we''ll be totally exposed.


    "But in these times, and in this sensitive direction, it''s hard to believe the target isn''t the Imperial base..." Adrian was still lost in thought, but clearly didn''t agree with Mia.


    I felt relieved again, but suddenly so tired. Do we really have to keep hiding like this? Maybe Reed was right. If we were honest from the start, we wouldn''t have to pretend now.


    Of course, we "outsiders" stuck in the shelter can''t know what actually got hit. We''re just watching this war. Like I said before, there''s no point in just guessing when we don''t know what''s going on...


    "Food time! Food time!"


    Soon it was lunchtime again. As a pro foodie - no, food angel! - I don''t usually get hungry easily. But how can I resist yummy food from home?


    "Why aren''t you guys going? Today''s food seems really good. I heard there''s chicken soup too!"


    But today was different. A middle-aged man also stuck in this shelter suddenly came over to chat with us.


    "Oh... chicken soup?" I looked at him suspiciously. My gut feeling said this guy wasn''t just a normal local. From how he moved, he had at least level 1-2 skills. He was hiding something!


    From our small talk earlier, I learned his name was Egil. He''d been here for two days. He said he came to join the Earth army to avoid the Empire''s forced draft. He didn''t have any family here.


    At the shelter entrance, Reed got her lunch and left alone. She likes being by herself, so we didn''t mind. Adrian and I were about to go back to our room when Egil suddenly followed with his tray.


    "Mind if I join you? The Earth humans call this H-country food. They say it''s more fun to eat together. You don''t mind, right?"


    "You really want to join?" I never thought he''d ask this. Pure otherworlders like Adrian wouldn''t like H-country food if I hadn''t trained his taste buds. Like Mia, who just gave up on this meal!


    "It''s okay. If he wants to come, let''s eat together. It''s good to talk more!" I was about to refuse, but Adrian stopped me and agreed right away. I got it instantly. He must have noticed something fishy.


    "Is there something wrong with this guy?" I couldn''t help asking quietly on the way.


    "Not sure yet. Let''s see what he''s up to," Adrian shook his head.


    It was a short walk. Soon the three of us were sitting around the table in my room. The small room suddenly felt very crowded.


    "You like soup that much?" I asked weirdly, watching Egil gulp down his soup as soon as he sat down. He didn''t seem shy at all. If not for this guy, it''d just be me and Adrian alone. Now there''s all this drama!


    "Not really. But this chicken soup tastes really good. I didn''t know you could cook chicken this way... Huh? Aren''t you two eating?" He put down his bowl and looked at mine and Adrian''s portions. Obviously he wanted more!


    "Just take it!" I waved my hand, annoyed. This guy didn''t touch the main food at all. Can he really get full just drinking soup?


    "Drinking soup is such a pleasure!" After finishing all three of our soups, Egil finally patted his belly, satisfied. He turned to close the door a bit, then looked out the window to check. When he was sure everything was okay, he finally told the truth.


    "Actually, I''m a special spy sent by His Majesty the Emperor to sneak into the Earth humans'' base!"


    A spy? Just say it directly - he''s a secret agent, a spy, a scout!


    "Sent by His Majesty? Didn''t Reider go back to the capital Kyndrill? Shouldn''t the military be in charge here?" Adrian looked doubtful. With things as they are, the Imperial army and Earth army are total enemies. Spies should be from the Imperial military, not directly connected to the Emperor.


    "Uh, there are some special reasons. I don''t know the details. I got orders directly from His Majesty and came from Kyndrill..." Egil looked troubled. Then he explained more. "My job isn''t very complicated - sneak in as a civilian, watch what the Earth humans are doing without being caught. Also keep an eye on the angels still in the Empire, and try to contact Cyra and the others!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 62: Shaming the Empire

    "Contact us? How did you know we''re here?"


    When I heard that, I frowned. We came to this Earth base by pure chance! Even if they wanted to find us, shouldn''t they look outside the base? How did Reider know for sure we''d be here?


    "He didn''t say exactly... He told me to stay in the Earth humans'' area as much as possible. There''d be a big chance of seeing you all. Looks like His Majesty was totally right!"


    Egil looked super impressed. In his mind, Reider was like a genius god. But for us, this was even weirder. Could it be true that this System dog emperor really came back from the future?


    "So why are you telling us all this now? You want us to help the Empire kick out the humans from other worlds?"


    Adrian didn''t want to think more or hear useless stuff. He looked Egil up and down and asked impatiently.


    "Oh, I''m not sure! His Majesty Reider just told me to make sure you talk to him directly. He''ll tell you the rest himself. But..."


    Egil quickly explained. He put his hand in his pocket, but suddenly stopped like he remembered something. He looked troubled and asked me:


    "Is Cyra here too? His Majesty wanted to talk to her first. But I''ve been watching you all since you came to this shelter, and I still can''t tell who''s Cyra. I only know you''re Feliciana, and there''s someone called Reed, who''s also on the list. I guess that kinda fits what His Majesty wants? So..."


    "What do you mean ''kinda fits''?"


    I couldn''t help rolling my eyes. Was my identity not good enough for that dog emperor? But I could tell some details from what Egil said. He found Adrian and me only because he heard about us from our talks before.


    "Cyra''s not with us. She''s not in this base either. If she''s your only target, you can leave now!"


    Adrian told him to get out, annoyed. But I still couldn''t figure out why the Empire''s emperor cared so much about Cyra.


    "Of course not! If that''s the case, you talking to His Majesty should be okay too!"


    Egil was shocked. Afraid we''d kick him out, he quickly took out something about the size of a jewelry box and put it on the table.


    "What''s this?"


    He opened the box. Inside was a crystal ball thing, like a glass marble. I''d never seen anything like it. I knew it wasn''t just a normal glass ball, so I asked Adrian for help.


    "This is a magic communication pearl, right? It''s like a smaller version of the old crystal balls. But the Empire''s magic tech is pretty amazing. They might have added some extra functions!"


    Adrian knew a lot. He recognized it right away.


    But crystal balls are not easy to carry, so usually only armies and cities have them. When you use it, you can see the other side''s scene inside the crystal ball through magic elements. The downside is the picture looks a bit twisted.


    "If they can make it this small, isn''t it like a magic version of a mobile phone?"


    To be honest, I was getting annoyed with Egil saying "kinda" all the time. But the Empire''s magic communication pearl really made me curious. No wonder he could sneak it past the Earth people''s checks and bring it into the base. I reached out to take the "glass marble" and have a closer look.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    But when I touched it, I realized the glass marble was actually part of the whole box. I couldn''t take it out! Egil quickly came over to help.


    "That''s not how you use it. Just turn the pearl once and put a little magic power in to start it!"


    As soon as he said that, a face slowly appeared from the middle of the glass marble. It finally floated steadily in the air a few centimeters above.


    "Has it started?"


    Surprisingly, nothing happened for a long time. At first, this face didn''t have any details, just some simple outline. But as I asked, it started to show more face features. Finally, it became the familiar face of Reider.


    "Oh? Looks like you''ve made contact with them, Egil. So the person I''m seeing now is Cyra?"


    I was standing right in front of the communication pearl, so I guess I was shown to Reider in the capital too. But he clearly didn''t recognize how I look now. As soon as we connected, he got the wrong person.


    "Sorry, I''m not Cyra. I''m Feliciana!"


    I had to correct him. I guess it''s normal he doesn''t know. When Reider first saw us, I was still using disguise magic. But I don''t really like this guy. Even though he let us go easily last time and did us a favor, I don''t want to deal with him much. So I just got straight to the point:


    "Your spy already told us why. Just say it! What do you want?"


    My thinking was simple. Since we can''t avoid it, let''s just hear what he wants to say. At least it can make up for breaking his Midas ship.


    "No Cyra? Well, that''s okay too..."


    As expected, when he learned who I was, he looked shocked for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and explained his troubles.


    "I''m sure you''ve seen the Empire''s tough situation now. And from how I acted before... I''m sure you know I don''t want to be enemies with you. I''ve always wanted to be friendly and work together. So can you do me a small favor, for the sake of lending you the Midas before?"


    Here it comes, finally! When I heard this, I thought, "I knew it!" I''d already guessed this kind of trick!


    Reider suddenly sent someone to find us at this time, acting so nice and humble. I bet the next thing he''ll say is asking us angels to help the Empire get out of trouble! You know, now the Earth army has invaded the Empire, and they''ve even got a foothold near the transfer portal. This must be the biggest headache for him as emperor! It makes sense he''d want outside help to win.


    I could even guess some reasons he''d use to convince us, probably stuff like "for the big picture, let''s fight the invaders from other worlds together." He had big plans, but too bad he found the wrong people!


    Cyra, Reed, and I all came from Earth. We might not directly help Earth attack the Empire, but we definitely won''t fight them. Reider''s plan was dead from the start.


    "I want to ask you to represent me and offer to negotiate with the humans from other worlds: If they agree to pull back their army, the Empire will give them any resources or tech they want. We can talk about anything! If that''s not enough, I can even take a step back first. We can give them some border areas near the transfer portal that touch the Republic, for them to rest. The main thing is to not make the war bigger..."


    No one expected what he actually said would be so shocking! Not just Adrian and me, even Egil, who set up this talk, looked super shocked. He almost rushed over to ask what was going on.


    You know, asking for peace talks is one thing. But the Empire fought with the Republic for so many years in that border area because of land disputes! Now Reider''s willing to give it up to avoid a bigger war. No matter how you look at it, it''s too cowardly. This is shaming the empire!


    "Did I hear wrong? Are you really sure you want to ask them for talks?"


    I felt there were too many weird things, so I could only ask him to confirm again, surprised. Honestly, it''s not like how he usually acts all proud and bossy. Is this Reider fake too?


    "Of course I''m sure. And I hope you can act fast! Right now, the whole Empire is super angry and wants to fight back. Even as emperor, I can''t stop them from starting a counter-attack war anymore..."


    Sadly, there was no twist. Reider said it again, very sure. He probably saw I was confused, so he explained more:


    "Yeah, it sounds a bit crazy! But things have gone way off track. I never thought opening the space portal would bring those Earth people here. Those useless drunk fools in the army have no idea how strong the enemy is! Now I can only try to fix things in secret. Once we have an agreement, those local lords who want war will back off. And only you can do this! Anyway, you started all this, so you should take some responsibility, right?"


    More stuff I don''t really get. But calling us the ones who started it all... that''s not nice to hear...


    Okay! The portal was indeed caused by Adrian and Nicola fighting. Thinking about it that way, he''s not wrong! But as the Empire''s emperor, he ran back to the capital first because he was scared to die. How can he say this kind of stuff to us? If he''s so great, why doesn''t he go to the front lines and talk to the Earth people himself!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 63: Caught Red-Handed

    "Why you must find us? Even if you can''t control the army''s feelings about this, there''s no lack of people to negotiate. Why must you find Feliciana?" Adrian suddenly cut in to ask.


    "...Because right now, only those angels who know the other side''s language can help communicate!" Reider, not used to the sudden change in speaker, took a while to answer.


    Clearly, Reider didn''t know that two people in the Earth army already learned this world''s language through magic circles. Communication wasn''t a big problem anymore.


    Of course, I wasn''t going to tell him the truth so easily! More importantly, Adrian and Egil were now looking at me in surprise, not believing I knew Earth language. I tried so hard to keep it secret, but in the end Reider spilled the beans!


    The key question is, how did he know we could speak Earth language? Even if Reider came back from the future, even if he came from Earth through the System, it still doesn''t fully explain this, unless at some point in the future I or someone else told him this secret...


    At least for now, that seems impossible! Adrian and Egil fell silent, clearly shocked by this fact, both thinking about their own questions.


    But trouble never comes alone. Seeing everyone quiet, Reider dropped more of my unknown secrets to make his story more believable.


    "Cyra and Feliciana''s past lives were humans on Earth. Before being reborn in this world, they lived on Earth. They came to this world after going to a class reunion, keeping their old memories. So it''s not strange at all that they understand Earth language! Of course, after coming to this world, they also stayed in the angel land Edenmere for a long time, so they adapted quickly..."


    It''s unbelievable how well he knows the background of us travelers, leaving almost no privacy! Could all this be told to him by his System too?


    "Don''t listen to him, this guy is just talking nonsense! Don''t forget, the emperor has no credibility. How could I possibly be reborn from Earth? Don''t you think this reason is too silly?" I quickly interrupted Reider''s speech, afraid he''d reveal all my secrets if he kept talking. It felt like being watched from start, especially in front of Adrian, making me very nervous.


    "But, the things he said..." Adrian clearly sensed something was off and was about to ask further, but I cut him off mercilessly.


    "I don''t know any other world language at all! When have you ever heard me speak Earth language? Isn''t that proof enough? So everything is made up by this guy. Maybe he''s been lying to us from start. Even his identity as the emperor might be fake. How could the real Reider be so weak?"


    I simply nailed him to the fraud pillar, with good reason and convincingly! Adrian finally stopped talking, lowering his head deep in thought.


    "His Majesty is not an imposter! My identity is indeed that of a specially appointed intelligence investigator..." Egil''s face changed color, wanting to try to argue, but was still ruthlessly grabbed by the clothes and pushed towards the door by me.


    "Sorry, you must have made a mistake! I don''t know any Earth language at all, and can''t provide any help for the negotiation you want! So you better find someone else, or maybe let your emperor come in person, he might be able to solve all these problems himself!"


    Though I said this, I now seriously suspect this Reider might actually be from Earth too. Otherwise, how could he so confidently judge that the empire is no match for the Earth army?


    "But time is running out. According to imperial law, the lords of other territories have already gathered with their reinforcements at nearby bases..." Pushed out of the room by me, Egil was about to continue explaining the situation, not willing to give up, when he found the exit surrounded by people! It turned out a group of H-country soldiers had blocked the exit completely.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Oh no! Could it be that our


    "secret plotting"


    in the room was caught red-handed? But the doors and windows were all completely closed. Or were we watched and eavesdropped on by the guards outside?


    But thinking again, it shouldn''t be possible! These Earth people don''t know any martial skills, how could they sneak outside my room without being easily noticed?


    "This lineup... what do you mean?" I squeezed out an ugly smile, looking at the H-country soldiers in front of me who clearly didn''t have good intentions. Even Reed and Mia from the room next door were brought out together.


    "What did you do to cause misunderstanding?" Reed looked at me and Adrian with furrowed brows, seemingly unhappy about this sudden disturbance, but quickly noticed the unfamiliar face of Egil at the door. "Who''s this guy?"


    Before I could respond, Mia followed with complaints to me.


    "We''ve already stayed in this shelter as required, what more do they want? Now they bring so many people to cause trouble! I told you these other world humans are as cunning as those empire people. Feliciana, you''re too naive to just trust them!"


    "Let me explain the situation," Wayne Peng walked in quickly from outside the shelter, first taking out a phone from his pocket, then opening an app and handing it to everyone.


    It was nothing else but the surveillance video of me, Adrian, and Egil in the room earlier. Even the voices were clearly recorded!


    "Actually, I''m a special spy sent by His Majesty the Emperor to sneak into the Earth humans'' base!"


    Well, the playback content matched the facts completely. I suddenly felt a headache, now understanding everything. It turns out the Earth people not only set up surveillance outdoors, but also didn''t miss the rooms!


    I was really too careless! How could the Earth people be completely at ease without implementing full-scale, no-dead-angle monitoring of enemy personnel from another world who came to defect? Now we''re in trouble, they must have completely misunderstood, right?


    "This... this is impossible!" Egil of course also saw himself speaking in the phone screen, his eyes wide open in disbelief. Then he kept sticking his head into the room, trying to find out the exact position of the surveillance angle.


    "Don''t bother looking, you won''t find it," I of course knew he still thought some expert was hiding in my room recording all this, but the real answer should be pinhole cameras! How could such high-tech surveillance equipment be easily found? Even I fell for it myself!


    "This is magic, the legendary earth elemental god-level space magic! Who said the humans from the other world can''t use magic? Your Majesty, they are indeed hiding their strength, even you were deceived! These other world humans are really evil-hearted, their intentions must be great!"


    Unfortunately, with Egil''s knowledge, it''s impossible to understand the existence of pinhole cameras in such a short time. He could only attribute everything to magic, panicking as if he had discovered some incredible big secret.


    Since the spy identity was exposed, of course he couldn''t just do nothing and watch himself be taken away for interrogation. Egil suddenly attacked, chopping down a nearby H-country soldier with his hand, then jumping onto the roof, trying to escape over the high wall of the shelter.


    Logically, for hime, crossing over a wall of this height shouldn''t be difficult. But unfortunately, bullets are faster than his movements!


    "Bang bang bang bang..."


    After several gunshots, before Egil could make his final jump, he was shot down by a barrage from the sentries standing on the ground. The bullets mercilessly drilled several big bloody holes in his body, looking quite horrifying from afar, finally falling from the roof to the ground.


    "We must gather... the power of the whole continent... to have a chance to resist... them!"


    Most annoyingly, before taking his last breath, Egil still raised his hand towards me very unwillingly, intermittently saying some last words before dying. Now it seems impossible to stay out of this.


    How did things turn out like this? I couldn''t help but sigh deeply, while secretly estimating Egil''s strength.


    His skills seem to be only around level 4...


    Looking around again, I found that besides those soldiers, there were only four of us left at the scene! The other civilians living in the shelter didn''t dare to come out after seeing this, all hiding in their own rooms and not daring to make a sound.


    "I suppose you should be very clear about what this is all about? Since the other side''s spy has already made contact, we certainly can''t ignore it. After all, we''re in a state of emergency, and all possible risks must be eliminated quickly!"


    Seeing that we were still cooperating and not making rash moves, Wayne Peng put away his phone and said with a bitter smile. Fortunately, Reed had helped quite a bit before, so his attitude was still polite. He probably didn''t want us to really become enemies in the end.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 64: Turning Against Each Other

    "So you heard everything I talked about with Reider?"


    The last part of our call was about sensitive stuff, like us coming from Earth. And Wayne Peng could understand our language! I was super nervous about how he''d react after knowing this, so I tried to ask: "Do you believe what he said?"


    "...Oh! I didn''t watch all of the video ''cause I rushed here, but I know the main points!"


    Surprisingly, he looked confused for a while before answering, but he got it wrong. "We still need to think more about whether that Reider guy really wants to talk peace. But I think he''s right that you know our language. After all, you guys helped me learn this world''s language. Maybe you have some way to learn languages fast. That makes sense!"


    I see. Wayne Peng was the only military person in the base who knew our world''s language. But he didn''t know what we talked about at the end! If I count the time from when we told Egil to leave until Wayne Peng got here, it was just a few minutes. He probably didn''t have time to watch the whole video because he was busy dealing with Mia and the others.


    I felt so relieved. This means I don''t have to explain where I''m from yet. That would be so awkward! I''m not sure if what Reider said in the magic call is all true. But my old high school classmate is right here. If he found out now, I''d be so embarrassed...


    Thinking about this made me feel better for now. The only thing left to worry about is what Adrian thinks.


    "If Reider wasn''t lying and he really wants peace, will you agree?" Adrian wasn''t thinking about the same things as me. When he heard about peace talks, he quickly asked.


    "That''s not something I can decide," Wayne Peng shrugged and looked at Egil''s dead body on the ground. He said firmly, "The guy they sent to talk to us is dead now. Even if we agree to talk, we''d have to wait for a new person to come. But I don''t think the empire''s army will wait. To protect our country, we H-country aren''t afraid of any war they start!"


    Actually, we could still contact Reider. That magic ball should still be on Egil''s body, and I kinda know how to use it. But I''m not sure if it needs light or water magic to work. And if we talk to Reider again, he might tell everyone who I really am. That would be so embarrassing. So I didn''t want to mention it at all.


    "We don''t know why you helped us before. But from what we know now, since the empire wants to talk to you in secret, we can''t be sure you''re not spies! So we need to take you somewhere else and ask you questions separately," Wayne Peng said.


    Even though they know we can speak their language, they still don''t trust us. The Earth army''s attitude was clear. Wayne Peng told us what they were going to do.


    "How can you do this? We''re not spies! Don''t forget, you invited us to visit!" This might be what they call being put in a ''dark room''! Facing possible questioning, me and Adrian knew what that meant. We could only say again that we weren''t spies.


    "Sorry, these are the rules! I personally feel bad about it, but rules are rules. I hope you''ll keep cooperating." Even though we were wrongly accused, Wayne Peng couldn''t let us go. He said it again firmly, then waved his hand. The soldiers around us came closer, ready to force us to go with them.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Get your hands off Lady Reed! How dare you treat her like this!" Before me and Adrian could do anything, Mia shouted angrily. She couldn''t take it anymore.


    Then there was a bright flash of white light. I knew Mia was finally going to fight back! I could only say sorry to the two Earth soldiers holding my shoulders:


    "Sorry, we can''t let you take us away. So we have to do this!"


    "Huh? Ugh..." Before they knew what was happening, the two soldiers went soft and fell to the ground. But it wasn''t me - Adrian did it!


    "Be gentle, they''re all common human. We don''t need to kill them!" Adrian is way above level 6. I quickly reminded him to be careful, or he might use too much force by accident.


    "Can''t help it. We didn''t mean any harm at first, but now we have to hurt them a bit to protect ourselves," Adrian said with a bitter smile. The soldiers who tried to control him were already knocked down.


    "What new kind of creature is this? Is it the legendary bird person?" When Mia showed her wings, all the Earth people were shocked! Everyone started making noise.


    But whoever said that bird person thing, I don''t like it! When did you ever see a bird person with four pairs of wings? She''s clearly an angel! They know nothing!


    "Everyone be careful! Fight back!" Someone in the crowd shouted. All the soldiers finally reacted. They pointed their guns at us without mercy, ready to shoot any second.


    With them shooting so close, I didn''t dare take chances. I quickly opened my wings and pulled Adrian up into the air with me.


    Right away, lots of fast air whooshed past below us. Those bullets faster than sound are really scary! Even with my eight wings, I could barely see where they were going. No wonder those empire soldiers at level 3 or 4 got crushed so easily.


    "So this is the truth about other world humans'' weapons? It doesn''t look like magic. It''s more like crossbows. How do they do it? It''s so powerful!" Adrian had seen guns twice now. As an archer, he finally understood how they work. He couldn''t help frowning.


    "Damn it! How dare you humans bully us noble angels! And you even say we''re working with those empire people!" Mia also flew into the sky. But Reed only has two wings, so it was much harder for her. Mia had to protect her alone. They kept flying around crazy to dodge bullets. It looked tough.


    "These weapons aren''t too scary for us one by one. But when there''s lots of them shooting together, it''s really hard to deal with!" Mia is an experienced eight-winged angel. Her reactions and speed are way better than a newbie like me. To be safe, I had to use a "Light Shelter" just in case.


    Humans think this is god-level magic. It''s mainly for defending against magic and energy attacks. But it also slows down fast flying weapons pretty well.


    We were still in a bad situation, just getting shot at. And Mia doesn''t know how to use "Light Shelter" magic. She could only keep moving around to dodge. What''s worse, the guards in the towers started shooting too. Their big machine guns blocked the way to fly higher. It was getting really hard!


    "Should I go down and take care of them? We can''t keep this up forever," Adrian suggested. I was holding him. Even though the H-country soldiers were shocked that their bullets didn''t work, they didn''t stop. They kept shooting at the sky.


    "But..." I hesitated when I heard this. I really didn''t want to kill these people who used to be my countrymen. But Adrian was right. If we don''t fight back now, we might have no way out.


    "You two, don''t look over here!" Suddenly, we heard Reed''s voice from far away.


    When I heard this, I knew what she was going to do. I quickly turned my head away! Looks like Mia was almost at her limit too. Flying so fast to dodge all those bullets while carrying someone was really tiring. If they didn''t do something, they''d get shot down soon.


    "What''s happening?"


    "What''s going on? My eyes!"


    "Ahhhhh!"


    "Ugh¡ª"


    ...


    Reed used "Five Light Ten Color" magic. Right away, we heard lots of painful screams from the ground. Many people covered their eyes in pain. Everything became chaos.

 Vol 5/Chapter 65: The Decisive Battle Between Two Sides

    Reed''s self-made magic trick always worked like a charm! It took out most of the bullets flying at us. Only a few soldiers too far away to be affected kept shooting.


    Luckily, our escape route was clear now. With no more gunfire blocking us, we could fly higher without worry, until we were completely out of their reach.


    "We finally escaped!"


    It was harder than I thought. I let out a long sigh, but couldn''t feel happy. Getting mixed up with the Empire led to this mess with Earth - something I never expected.


    "They can''t do anything to us now, right?" Mia asked nervously, looking down. Unless Earth''s army brought heavier weapons to chase us! But they probably had to deal with the chaos at the base first.


    For Mia, breaking through was a close call. She''d probably want to study more high-level magic after this. If she knew "Light''s Shelter" like me from the start, hiding wouldn''t have been so tough.


    "But after all this trouble, I guess there''s no hope left for negotiations..." Adrian said worriedly. I was surprised he cared so much about Reider''s proposal.


    "Isn''t that better? The Empire really screwed us over this time. I don''t mind letting them keep suffering from these otherworlders!" Mia said harshly. To her, neither side was good, so she''d be happiest watching them fight each other.


    After leaving the Earth base''s control, we didn''t rush back to the Light Elf village. We landed on a nearby hilltop for now. Reed and the others wanted to watch the two forces clash. This spot was perfect - hidden but with a clear view of the whole base.


    It was afternoon. Mia rested a bit, then hurried to do her usual Spiritual Communication with Edenmere.


    Reed, who helped us escape the most, finally spoke up. She glanced at me and asked, "How did Reider know we could speak Earth languages?"


    "He said you guys lived in the otherworlders'' home before becoming angels, so knowing their language made sense... But didn''t Feliciana deny that in the end?" Adrian answered honestly after thinking.


    "You... you don''t suspect anything?" I stuttered nervously, feeling very uneasy.


    "Well, I do, a bit. When I entered your mental world before, I did hear you mention H-country. But that was a mental world twisted by the Light God Beluto, so we can''t take it as complete truth..." Adrian hesitated before explaining everything.


    So he remembered all along! My suspicions were right - Adrian really did see what I looked like as a boy, and remembered clearly! But did he think that part was real or fake? I still couldn''t tell! He didn''t seem to want to say either way. It''s like he treated everything in the mental world as just a passing dream. That''s pretty uneasing!


    As for how Reider knew these secrets? We discussed for long time but couldn''t figure it out. In the end, we could only guess it had to do with his mysterious System.


    "That shameless emperor dared ask us angels for help! They said ''suicide airships'' from another world were super fierce and almost broke through their border base defenses. If they keep invading, it''ll be a huge threat to the whole continent''s safety!" Mia soon brought the latest news. The ''suicide airships'' must mean the missiles we saw earlier. Looks like after failing with me, Reider had no choice but to ask Edenmere for help.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Did you agree?" Adrian quickly asked.


    "No way, the Empire people are always nasty and tricky. We definitely won''t do what they want this time!" Mia shook her head and told us, "Lady Elara ordered that Serena''s First Angel Legion won''t get involved in the fight between the Empire and the otherworlders. When they arrive, they''ll stay in the Light Elf village in case things get worse."


    Originally, Elara sent the First Legion just in case. But after we met the Earth people, she figured these otherworlders probably wouldn''t hurt the continent as badly as monster invasions. So she decided to wait and see before planning the next move.


    "Looks like the Empire is doomed this time..."


    Even Reed had to admit it at this point.


    All the conditions for the final battle were set! That evening, we saw huge Empire armies gather around the Earth base - tens of thousands of soldiers surrounding it completely.


    The two sides faced off for a whole day. On the second night, the great war between two worlds finally broke out.


    In the early morning, a few gunshots suddenly came from the Earth base. This meant the Empire''s sneak attack was discovered.


    Soon, flares shot up into the sky, lighting up the whole area.


    "Charge!"


    The Empire''s main force was ready. With this loud cry, the cavalry attacked first, coming from three directions at once.


    I instantly understood their plan! Since the Earth base had no high walls, these horsemen knew how deadly the enemy weapons were. They wanted to use speed to quickly break into the base, mess things up from inside, and create good attack conditions.


    Airships in the sky moved forward too. Sadly, while the Empire airships'' magic cannons were great, their range was too short! Whether dropping magic bombs from high up or using old-fashioned burning barrels, they had to fly close to the target to work.


    This set them up for failure. The Empire clearly didn''t have enough info! Even after all their testing, they still didn''t learn much. They hugely underestimated how strong those guns were!


    The cavalry''s first charge was wiped out halfway. Horse bodies and human parts piled up in huge mounds outside the base, blood flowing like rivers! This actually blocked the foot soldiers coming up behind.


    The airships lost even worse! Compared to Earth fighter jets, these slow flying things were like target practice for the H-country soldiers! Most got shot down by anti-air guns before they could even move. They had no chance to dodge - dead before the battle began!


    "Ranged troops! Quick! Quick!"


    Of course, the Empire army had more than just these attacks. The close combat troops died first, but archers and mages were ready. As soon as ordered, they started long-range attacks from very far back.


    Because of physical differences, this world''s archers could shoot farther and more accurately! But in large-scale front-line battles, they shot up to use gravity to hurt enemies, so the power didn''t increase much. The Earth army was ready with defenses and cover, so only a few people got hurt. It was even less effective than the fire magic from the mage squads.


    Those powerful explosive spells caused some trouble in the Earth base. Besides hurting people, the magic-lit fires were hard to put out, causing chaos for a while.


    But the Earth army wouldn''t let enemies keep succeeding. After several rounds of shelling, the Empire''s back lines were torn apart. They couldn''t organize any more good attacks like before.


    "Looks like they''re finally using their trump card!" Adrian suddenly pointed ahead and warned us.


    Just then, a huge thing burst out of the thick forest - it was the Midas!


    "Oh no, almost forgot about that guy!" I thought it was bad news. Sure enough, after the Empire took it back, they fixed it up some during this time.


    No wonder the Empire army still had confidence to fight even while losing so badly. We didn''t know if it was back to full power, but this sudden appearance of the Gundam definitely challenged the Earth army big time.


    "Don''t worry, even a perfect Midas is no match for them!" Reed calmly watched all this, telling me the facts without worry. As one of the designers, she knew its abilities well.


    "No way, that''s a Gundam!" I still couldn''t believe it. Even on Earth, we never built real Gundam! These human-shaped war machines only existed in sci-fi movies and anime. Wouldn''t it at least scare them a bit?

 Vol 5/Chapter 66: Deciding the Winner

    Reed was right again!


    The magic array on the Midas ship was strong. It quickly fired many fireballs and shells at the target. Though not very accurate, it still caused trouble in the Earth base. Many buildings were destroyed and some people got hurt. But this didn''t last long. The Earth army soon fired back hard!


    Countless shells and rockets kept shooting from the Earth base, exploding all over the Gundam like firecrackers.


    The battlefield was too messy for the Gundam to move and dodge. It wasn''t very nimble to begin with! At first, its magic shield blocked some attacks. But soon the shield couldn''t handle so much damage and failed.


    The Gundam''s big body couldn''t take such heavy hits either. After only two or three shells, it was badly damaged. Finally, a rocket explosion turned it into smoking scrap metal.


    This crushed the empire army''s fighting spirit, which had just begun to rise with the Midas ship.


    But it wasn''t over. A group of tanks then rushed out from behind the empire army. They sped towards the infantry lines, crashing through the enemy ranks like no one was there!


    "Damn it! Don''t look down on us. I''ll show these iron beasts!" shouted someone who looked like an empire general. He jumped onto a tank and started trying to break it apart with his bare hands!


    This guy seemed to be at least level six. He was really strong, probably one of the empire''s top fighters. First, he used his weapon to cut off the tank''s gun. Then he started attacking the armor!


    But he didn''t know how thick tank armor is! The empire general kept hitting it hard, but it didn''t work well. He only did a bit of damage.


    His weapon seemed worn out, so he threw away his broken sword and tried to tear open the armor with his hands!


    Wow, now he''s trying to break the tank with just his hands? He managed to make a big hole in the tank. Suddenly, gunshots came from inside the hole! The empire general fell to the ground, screaming and holding his face.


    It seems the shot hit his eye. Bad luck! Someone that strong usually wouldn''t die from one shot. But a shell might be different...


    Other tanks quickly aimed at the fallen general. After ten seconds of non-stop shelling, only bloody body parts were left in the deep crater.


    "Now... now the empire soldiers must give up, right?" I felt sick seeing such a bloody scene.


    I have to admit, the level six general''s death was partly bad luck. But his death really scared the empire soldiers. Unlike northern countries like Astralrealm that always fight monsters, the empire doesn''t have many strong fighters like him. Almost all of them have high positions and are very important! Now the remaining strong fighters didn''t dare to step up, and no one could stop the tanks anymore.


    The battle was much worse than I imagined. Countless empire soldiers died trying to reach their goal. Bullets mercilessly killed everyone in their way. Blood turned the ground red around the base. Since the fight started, not one empire soldier had managed to cross the barbed wire and reach the Earth people!


    Finally, the back of the army started to lose control. People were getting scared. Even when the commander kept shouting things like "For glory!" and "Protect our land!", it didn''t help. I even saw a commander on horseback cut off the head of a soldier who ran away first, to scare others. But people still kept running away.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Is it all over? They have no fighting spirit left..." Adrian stood with me on the high cliff. We saw everything from start to finish. He couldn''t help but sigh deeply.


    "Maybe not yet. Those empire people might try one last desperate move! But..." Mia suddenly pointed to the far back of the empire army. She noticed something strange.


    There was an open space that looked like the empire army''s command center. On the ground nearby was a huge magic circle. About ten human magicians were standing in the circle, chanting spells in an orderly way. They were clearly preparing some big magic!


    "That''s a Forbidden Spell! But I''ve never heard of a Forbidden Spell with so many people... If they can cast it successfully, they might still have a chance to win!" Reed nodded and warned us worriedly.


    "But using such a big Forbidden Spell might mess up the elements in the battlefield even more! Don''t forget, this place is near the portal connecting two worlds. Elements from this world are always flowing to the other world through the portal. The element balance in this area is already broken! If they risk using a Forbidden Spell now, it could cause very serious problems we can''t predict. The portal might keep getting bigger, or space might collapse. That would be a legendary disaster. Those empire magicians must have thought about this!"


    "But they have no choice left. The empire army probably wants to make a final, desperate fight. It''s their last chance, but it might destroy the whole continent too!" Adrian frowned and suggested, "We should stop them right away. If something goes wrong with this world because of this, no one can take responsibility!"


    "I''m afraid it''s too late. The magic circle for the Forbidden Spell is about to start!" Mia shook her head anxiously, pointing at the magic circle for us to look carefully.


    We saw faint red light coming from the lines of the magic circle on the ground. This means the Forbidden Spell these magicians are casting is probably fire magic. The glowing lines show the magic circle is about to start!


    At the same time, a strange red cloud appeared very high in the sky above the battlefield, making the whole world look red! Looking closely, we could see small rocks with fire falling quickly from the red cloud. According to records, this is the sign of the highest-level fire magic "Doomsday Fall" being cast!


    "Doomsday Fall" is the most powerful attack magic known. It''s so hard that even one human magician can''t cast it alone. At least two or three people are needed to do it!


    But what the empire army is casting now isn''t just one "Doomsday Fall". It''s a Forbidden Spell made of many "Doomsday Falls" cast together, with about ten people doing it!


    If this Forbidden Spell is cast successfully, it will be incredibly destructive. At the very least, the whole battlefield area will be destroyed! And that''s not including the big disasters that might happen later because of unbalanced elements and the portal getting out of control!


    As time passed, the falling rocks quickly got bigger, becoming the size of footballs. These "meteors" had no aim at all. They crashed randomly all over the battlefield. Both Earth and empire armies were badly hit!


    But the falling rocks didn''t stop growing. In theory, the final attack of "Doomsday Fall" can make meteors over 100 meters wide. And this is a Forbidden Spell!


    A Forbidden Spell means at least about ten 100-meter meteors will hit the ground at the same time. The world can''t handle a disaster this big!


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    Just when it seemed hopeless, we heard several sharp gunshots from the forest nearby. The magicians standing in the magic circle fell down one by one. Soon, more than half of them were down!


    With the spell interrupted halfway, the almost-finished Forbidden Spell broke apart. The red light in the sky slowly faded, and the sky went back to normal.


    "That was..." My face changed. I was sure those were sniper rifles! It seems the Earth people also noticed something strange here, and they acted before we did!


    Of course, with the Forbidden Spell broken, the empire''s final attack officially failed! The remaining soldiers had no spirit left to fight. They ran away in groups in all directions. The empire army was completely defeated!


    "Since you all saw that, let''s quickly hide. We don''t want to be found!" Reed looked at the battlefield, turned away sadly, and flew into the sky towards the distance.


    I understood what she meant. The Earth army had sent snipers, which could be dangerous for us too! Even if we''re strong enough to dodge bullets, facing high-power long-range weapons like sniper rifles is risky. If we''re not prepared and suddenly get shot, it would be really bad!


    But...


    Looking back at the bloody scene below, with rivers of blood and piles of bodies, even though I''ve seen many bloody fights since coming to this world, I still felt very uneasy and guilty...

 Vol 5/ Chapter 67: Bandits Surround the City

    "Hey, if I had agreed to help Reider negotiate back then, do you think this war wouldn''t have happened?" I asked Adrian, feeling a bit regretful. I could feel him standing next to me.


    "Maybe. But both sides might not have agreed in the end. If the talks failed, the result would still be the same..." Adrian looked at the distance silently for a while before answering. Then he held my hand and said softly, "So it''s not your fault. Don''t think too much about it."


    "Okay..." I nodded, sighing quietly. I knew he was trying to comfort me, and what he said was true. But I still felt a bit of regret in my heart. Maybe Reed was right - was I overreacting by hiding my past from Adrian all this time? Or maybe I could have found a better time to tell him...


    For a while after that, the area around the Earth base became quiet again. The empire lost completely, as expected. The Earth army didn''t chase after them.


    Of course, Earth suffered some losses in this battle. For several days, besides cleaning up the battlefield, they were busy rebuilding. Scout teams were still sent out every day, and friendly visits spread to farther cities and villages.


    News of the war''s result spread fast. Within a week, everyone on the continent knew about the Earth army! With the empire army gone, the base grew bigger than ever. Supplies from Earth kept coming to this world, and they started trying to trade with nearby cities.


    Finally, after about a month, good news came from the empire. Under pressure, the top people in the capital agreed to start peace talks. They sent the empire  Princess  to discuss details. Both sides agreed to have the talks in Sifur, where the Sebastian family lives!


    "Huh? Why isn''t Reider negotiating himself? He wanted peace so badly before. Now that he has the chance, he''s just sending a  Princess  and not getting involved at all!" I asked, confused after hearing this news.


    This  Princess ''s background is also strange. Her full name is Katarina Cedric!


    Cedric was the name of the royal family that Reider overthrew a few years ago. The old emperor, prince, and royals who fought back were all killed. But Katarina survived because she quickly surrendered. She''s still alive now.


    But even though she''s alive, all her power and status disappeared like smoke. The empire doesn''t belong to the Cedric family anymore. Katarina kept her life, and because she''s a woman who isn''t married and doesn''t have children, Reider let her stay in the palace. But she''s treated badly, like forgotten nobles that no one cares about.


    Now the empire has lost the war and needs to ask for peace. It''s such a big deal, but they''re sending this "leftover from the old dynasty" to negotiate! It doesn''t make sense! Even if some other important officials are accompanied, it still doesn''t explain why Reider is doing this.


    "I don''t know the exact reason. The whole empire is in chaos now. I just got this news from Edenmere!" Serena shook her head and answered. She came out of the Spiritual Network and suddenly suggested, "But the negotiation team left the capital a few days ago. Sifur should have gotten the news by now. I heard you have a good relationship with the lord there. Maybe you can go check things out, and also visit Elder Gwendolyn for me!"This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Huh? You want me to go?" I pointed at myself, surprised. I suddenly remembered the proud head maid who lives in the lord''s house. I haven''t seen her for a long time. I wonder how she''s doing now?


    Serena''s First Legion also has work to do. They need to go to the Crestvale Republic in the east to talk with them! Earth''s army doesn''t care about country borders. Rumors say the republic officials already contacted the other world a few days ago. Serena and her team need to go check out the situation.


    I''ve been bored just hanging around in the Light Elf village, so of course I didn''t say no to going to the city! But I decided to go alone because it''s not convenient to bring Adrian. It''s not far, and we won''t be apart for long, so I just told him and left.


    Even though Sifur city wasn''t directly hit by the war, things aren''t good there now.


    When the empire was preparing for war, they took many soldiers from here, even some women and children! These kinds of soldiers were just there to make up numbers on the battlefield. After that big battle, almost none of them survived. Only a few lucky ones escaped through the forest and came back.


    Sifur city is more empty now. The streets that used to be busy have few people walking around. You can see some locals sometimes, but it''s not as lively as before.


    But unlike this, the city walls are full of soldiers, like they''re ready for a sudden battle. All the city gates are tightly closed.


    "Strange, are they defending against the Earth army? Did the fight come here? But that doesn''t make sense..." I was confused seeing this. I didn''t hear any news about this before! Since the Earth army came to this world, they''ve always been friendly and cooperative. They usually don''t use weapons unless they''re defending themselves. They definitely wouldn''t attack a city like this.


    Also, I stayed in the sky watching for a while, but I didn''t see any obvious army near Sifur. But then again, there are big, thick forests not far from the town. If some small group is hiding in there, it would be hard to see them.


    Anyway, I have important things to do! So I just flew straight to the lord''s castle.


    The Sebastian family''s castle was quiet. I couldn''t see anyone around. I landed at the front door, and soon a maid came to welcome me. We know each other, so she happily led me inside.


    Just after I sat down, Gwendolyn quickly came. Surprisingly, she was alone.


    "Where''s Altima?" I asked right away. To be honest, I quite like this female boss. Her personality and way of doing things suit me well.


    "She went to the town defense office. Why did you come at a time like this?" Gwendolyn looked a bit happy to see me, but she quickly hid it and asked coldly, "The city is so messy today. Don''t you think we''re busy enough here?"


    "What exactly happened?" I asked back right away. Thinking about what I saw earlier, I was almost sure that Sifur''s security measures weren''t for nothing.


    "What else could it be? It''s those bandits!" Gwendolyn rolled her eyes. "Right now, Sifur''s defenses are super weak. The whole city only has about 100 regular soldiers. This includes the few who escaped back from the big battle. We can''t fight like this! Those bastards are taking advantage of the situation. Looks like Sifur will fall soon!"


    "What? Since when did the empire''s bandits get so strong?" I was shocked. I''ve heard about these bandits suddenly appearing. Some of their leaders are quite strong, but usually the whole group is weak and untrained. They can''t compare to real armies, let alone attack cities! I had to ask, "Wait, isn''t this a city? It has walls and defenses! Even if Sifur doesn''t have many people, it shouldn''t be this bad, right?"


    "It''s because there are way too many bandits. There are thousands of them. Even with city defenses, it''s not enough!" She sighed and explained the situation to me.


    After the big battle between the empire and Earth, the empire army ran away in all directions. Many soldiers ran to the nearby forests. In this situation, people who lived nearby naturally ran back home, including many from Sifur.


    But the biggest problem is with the soldiers who came from other areas! The empire is so big that it takes months to walk from south to north. The soldiers who can''t go home gathered in the forests again. They don''t have enough food or clothes, and no one controls what they do. So they decided to become bandits, robbing people to survive.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 68: Emperor Reider Ran Away

    The empire had dozens of lords. Without an emperor to give orders, these lords didn''t always get along. Most had complicated issues with each other. A few even secretly fought sometimes.


    Because of this, after the war, soldiers from different lords didn''t join together. They formed small groups based on who their masters were friends with. They were scared to go back to the main army in case they got punished for running away in battle. But they didn''t have enough supplies to get all the way home either.


    So these small groups started fighting each other in the forest, stealing food to survive. As time passed, some died and others joined up. When they ran out of things to steal, they became a big group of bandits in Sylvanvale Wood. Finally, they decided to attack Sifur city.


    "Now you understand? The enemy is much stronger than us. Our spies say they''ll attack tonight! If they break into the city, all the people here will die!" Elder Gwendolyn explained.


    I finally realized how serious things were. Everyone in Sifur had to help defend the city. But then I thought - they were also lucky. This city was chosen for peace talks between the empire and Earth. The empire should send soldiers soon to stop any trouble.


    "Oh, you mean Katarina''s group? They arrived a few days ago! But they didn''t expect bandits to attack, so I haven''t seen any soldiers from the capital. If you mean the guards who came with them, there''s only about ten. They''re helping defend the city now too," Gwendolyn said, surprising me.


    "The imperial princess is already here? Oh yeah..." I remembered that nobes can travel fast by air ship or teleportation.


    But I still didn''t understand. This was such an important meeting about the empire''s future. Why was security so bad? What was Reider thinking?


    "About other imperial soldiers..." Gwendolyn''s tone changed. She sent away the other maids, closed the door, and used magic so no one could hear us. Then she told me a secret.


    "You don''t know this, but Katarina''s group told me - the emperor disappeared after the big battle! They checked, and no one kidnapped him. They think Reider left by himself! The capital is trying to hide this, but soon everyone will know!"


    "What? Reider ran away?!" I was so shocked. I''d never heard of an emperor running away before! Reider didn''t have any wives or kids, so no one knew where he went.


    "If he''s not in the capital, then why are they having peace talks..."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Katarina came as the emperor''s ambassador. If Gwendolyn was right, we needed to think about this again.


    "Katarina is from the old royal family, so she has a lot of power now. She wants these peace talks. If she can stop the humans from Earth, it will help her become the new ruler! So she sent most soldiers to guard the capital, in case Reider''s supporters rebel. Even if there''s big trouble here, soldiers can''t come from so far away quickly. The nobes from the capital are very scared of the bandits now!"


    Wow! Gwendolyn knew all the gossip! The Sebastian family usually supported the old royal family, so Katarina''s group didn''t hide these things from them.


    "But without help, if the bandits take over Sifur, won''t Katarina be in danger too?"


    I didn''t care where Reider went right now. Katarina was taking a big risk to become ruler! If something happened to her, the peace talks would be delayed. That wasn''t good for the empire.


    I didn''t think Katarina would just let things get worse. But the city guards weren''t strong enough to fight so many bandits. Unless...


    "You told me all this because you want the angels to help fight, right?" I asked suspiciously. What happened to keeping secrets? She told me all the empire''s top secrets so easily!


    Elder Gwendolyn was a powerful ten-winged angel. She might fight to protect the Sebastian family! But light magic isn''t very good against big human armies, even for strong angels.


    But if there were more angels, it would be different! The First Legion was staying with the light elves, and Gwendolyn definitely knew that. But she was too late.


    "Serena and the others already left for the Republic. It''s too late to ask them now!"


    "You''re thinking too much! I did think about that before, but things changed. We don''t need to do that anymore. Plus, those people specially mentioned you guys!"


    I didn''t understand who she meant. Gwendolyn just pointed at a room across the hall. "They''re talking in there. If you''re curious, go look yourself!"


    Now I was really curious. I walked over and slowly opened the door...


    "Don''t worry, we already told our base to send help! It takes half a day by car, but only 2-3 hours by air. If things go well, they should arrive by evening!"


    "That fast? Your world is really amazing. Our empire''s last ruler was stupid to start this war. I apologize for the dumb things he did!"


    It was a big meeting room full of people!


    A woman about 30 years old sat in the main seat. She wore fancy noble clothes but looked very smart. She was saying nice things and trying to bow to two people next to her.


    "No need for that now! We just came here to trade. We happened to find this trouble. The real talks start in a few days. We''re stuck in the city now too, so of course we''ll help solve this problem. Let''s save those words for the official meeting later!"


    I could tell from their clothes that the two people were from Earth. The man speaking was Wayne Peng! He seriously refused the woman''s politeness. Then he heard the door open and turned to look at me.


    "It''s you!"


    Wayne Peng recognized me. After our fight last time, I didn''t expect to meet him again like this. I hoped he wouldn''t try to fight me again!


    He looked very surprised too. He stood there for a moment, then said nervously:


    "You''re here too? They just asked me how I know this world''s language. I told them about you bird... I mean angels with wings! I only just found out there are angels in this world. So it looks like... we were wrong about you guys last time!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 69: Joining Forces Against the Enemy

    "Uh... so you''re here too?"


    I was totally shocked when Wayne Peng suddenly revealed my identity! Even though he didn''t mean to, I was caught off guard. I could only say hello with a confused face.


    I''ll deal with his apology later. The main thing is there were many other people around! They all heard what Wayne Peng said. I had already hidden my wings, but now it might not matter.


    I got tricked bad! I suddenly regretted listening to Gwendolyn and barging in. I couldn''t help looking curiously at the people watching. They were mostly grouped together, sitting or standing. Their clothes were very fancy and expensive. They were probably from the capital.


    "Are you having a meeting?"


    I finally realized the woman in the main seat must be Katarina!


    Even though it was our first time meeting, this princess was really good at reading situations, just like people said. Thinking back to her talk with Wayne Peng, in just a few sentences she blamed all the empire''s mistakes on Reider who ran away. She was very clever!


    "This isn''t the official meeting. We just came to the castle to talk about trade and happened to find this situation," Wayne Peng said, shaking his head. He looked unsure, like he wanted to ask me something else. "By the way, about that spy thing last time, Reider mentioned something. You..."


    But the mood in the room was very awkward! He seemed to feel it wasn''t a good time to keep talking, so he stopped halfway.


    "Angels again..."


    "Did Edenmere already make some deal with these humans from another world?"


    "We''re too late in trying to make peace!"


    ...


    The noble officials around started whispering to each other. I could hear clearly what they were discussing.


    The empire and angels didn''t have a good relationship to begin with. But unluckily, angels kept showing up during this invasion by humans from another world. And now, right before the peace talks, my identity was revealed and I suddenly appeared in this border lord''s castle. Of course these people from the capital would suspect the angels were involved!


    But it''s probably okay to let them suspect. It won''t change the big picture. The peace talks have to happen, and Katarina is too smart not to realize that. Their suspicions are just a misunderstanding. Plus, they don''t know that I''m not the only angel in the city!


    "Sorry, I was just passing by too! Don''t mind me, please continue!"


    I couldn''t take it anymore! Everyone was staring at me. It felt so awkward and terrible! I quickly closed the door and left the meeting room without another word.


    "Hey, don''t go yet!"


    When she saw me trying to run away, Elder Gwendolyn grabbed me in the hallway outside. But it was for something else. "I heard you can control your blue wings well now, and you can use water healing magic. You can help heal Dennis!"


    So Sebastian family''s oldest son Dennis didn''t die in the big battle, but he was badly hurt by a stray bullet. After the war, there weren''t many skilled people left. The whole city of Sifur couldn''t find a good water mage. So Elder Gwendolyn grabbed me to help.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I won''t go into details about the healing, but Dennis got better as expected. That''s good! It added one more person to help defend against the bandits.


    After healing him, I didn''t leave right away. Gwendolyn asked me to stay just in case.


    Evening came quickly. Before Earth''s help arrived, the bandits hiding outside the city attacked first!


    The enemy had several times, maybe even ten times more people than the defenders. As soon as the sun started to set, lots of bandits came out of the forest. There were so many, it looked like a dark cloud! Suddenly, many magic bullets and arrows fell into the city.


    Sifur city didn''t have enough people. They could only rely on the city''s magic barrier to hold on. It was mainly for defending against magic attacks like elemental magic. It wasn''t very good at stopping physical attacks like arrows.


    It also had a big weakness - it needed small magic circles in every corner of the city walls. This was to make sure the whole barrier covered all parts of the city.


    The bandits had very good information. Besides using long-range magic, they also saw this weakness. They didn''t have siege weapons, so they sent many close combat troops to climb the walls and break these small magic circles.


    The enemy were mostly from the regular army. They were well-trained. Their whole attack was very organized and well-commanded!


    Sifur''s defenders were in big trouble. Soon after the battle started, the enemy easily got onto the city walls!


    After about 15 minutes, the south gate that Dennis was guarding broke first. It almost fell! Luckily, Wayne Peng''s team came with guns and bullets just in time to help. They worked together with the city defenders to fight off the enemy and close the gate again.


    But even this didn''t help much. The attacks on the other gates were still very strong. Soon the east and west gates were in danger too!


    At this critical moment, just as Gwendolyn and I were about to join the fight ourselves, we finally saw some helicopters coming in the fading light of sunset!


    When the helicopters were still far from the target, they first fired some air-to-ground missiles into the enemy crowd. Then they spread out and used machine guns to clear the bandits gathered outside each gate. In an instant, they completely changed the battle.


    These bandits were all soldiers who had run away after being badly beaten by Earth''s army before. When they saw these big metal birds flying overhead with strong winds, they lost all courage! They scattered like a flock of birds, all running for their lives into the forest around.


    It was so fast! In just a few minutes, the danger to Sifur city was completely gone.


    "Is that the unbeatable army from another world?" Katarina said softly to herself as she watched everything from a high castle balcony. Then she quickly went downstairs to join Altima and the others in welcoming the helicopters.


    "The city should be safe now, right? You don''t need me anymore? I''m going back!" I said goodbye to Gwendolyn from the castle roof. She had to go with Altima, but Adrian was waiting for me in the light elf village! I didn''t want to join this boring event. Plus, everyone knew I was an angel now. It would be sensitive to show my face in public.


    "Looks like this ended pretty well."


    Just as Gwendolyn left, a strangely familiar voice came from beside me. I turned to look and was so surprised I almost jumped up, pointing at the person.


    "Wow, you finally decided to show up!"


    It was Galadra! She had disappeared for over a month. I had almost forgotten about her. I didn''t expect her to suddenly appear in front of me again.


    "I had no choice. The Cycle of Rebirth is a very big and complicated system. I had to check everything carefully before I dared to come find you guys!"


    She explained happily, covering her mouth. She seemed to be in a good mood. It looks like there were no problems with the Cycle of Rebirth.


    "So what exactly happened? Did you figure it out?" I asked. I still didn''t understand why the portal connecting the two worlds formed. This was a good chance to ask her.


    "Of course it was because of that necklace!" Galadra answered confidently. Seeing I didn''t understand, she quickly explained more.


    "That necklace was made from Liana''s magic power. It''s a pure wind element object. And Liana helped me build the whole Cycle of Rebirth system back then, so she can actually control the Cycle of Rebirth a bit using her magic power! In other words, Nicola from the future used the necklace to open this portal by controlling the Cycle of Rebirth to project a space tunnel. It''s exactly the same as how you guys came to this world before! The only difference is how long it stays open."


    "What? But we only came here as souls before! But they..." I was very unhappy when I heard this. I pointed at Wayne Peng and the others on the ground and complained, "Look at them! Not only did they come in person, they''ve almost moved their whole arsenal from Earth here now!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 70: The Portal Will Close

    "It''s not the same! Don''t forget, you guys opened the space portal using the Angel Descent Formation before. The conditions and situation are totally different this time!" Galadra shook her head, reminding me. But then she looked confused. "Strange! Usually, even if Liana wanted to use her magic power to start a specific function of the Cycle of Rebirth, it should only take a little magic. Could the truth about this portal actually be..."


    "Oh yeah, it''s been so long I almost forgot about that!" Suddenly, Galadra seemed to realize something. She clapped her hands excitedly and shouted, "This explains where those humans came from!"


    "Forgot what?" I stared at her suspiciously, not understanding what she meant. By "those humans", did she mean the people from Earth?


    "Uh... nothing!" Galadra, that jerk, wasn''t being straight with me. She turned her back and started keeping secrets. "There are some things you shouldn''t know now. When the time is right in the future, you''ll understand naturally!"


    "Hey, how can you do this at such an important time!" I was annoyed and wanted to ask more. But she coughed and seriously warned me:


    "Originally, this space portal was only supposed to stay open for less than a month. But when the empire''s army carelessly used forbidden spell near the portal last time, it affected how long it stays open! Now it seems the time has more than doubled, but it can only be extended to about two months. That means there''s not much time left!"


    "What! The portal has a time limit?" This change was too big. I couldn''t take it at first.


    It''s no wonder the portal seemed so stable lately. Nothing unusual happened, and they say its size didn''t change at all! Earth kept sending things through, and no one really thought the portal might disappear on its own one day!


    "For a while, the energy keeping the portal open came from the Cycle of Rebirth. The Cycle''s projection disappeared, but elements were still being sent through. You just can''t see the connection between the two dimensions with your eyes! Of course, I can''t let the earth element from the Cycle of Rebirth keep flowing out for free forever, so I''ve cut off the connection between them now!"


    Looking at the busy crowd below, Galadra''s next words were clear without explaining further. "As long as nothing else happens, the portal will start getting smaller soon. It should finally disappear in about a month! If I''m not wrong, you probably have a lot to do during this time, right?"


    "Okay..." When she reminded me, I couldn''t help sighing. It looks like I''ll be very busy later.


    First, this is very important and bad news for Earth''s army! If the portal disappears, it means they''ll completely lose their supplies if they want to stay in this world. This is clearly unacceptable!


    So I must tell Wayne Peng and the others to leave quickly. Of course, even if I don''t say anything, the Earth people should realize this soon themselves.


    "Huh, why did you come back?" When I landed on the ground in Sifur city and pushed into the happy, cheering crowd, Gwendolyn found me right away. She pulled me aside and asked in surprise.


    "About that..." I told her everything that happened. As for how to tell the Earth people, I''ll leave that tricky job to the Elder to pass on slowly!


    Then...


    Time was short, so I hurried back to the light elf village. After Serena led the First Legion away, the village suddenly felt very empty and quiet.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "You''re finally back! You were gone for so long!" I saw Adrian standing alone in the village square waiting for me before I even landed. As soon as he saw me, he ran over and asked, "I just heard Chief Karati say there was trouble with bandits in Sifur city. I was worried and wanted to go find you, but I couldn''t get there in time... But those bandits shouldn''t be a problem for someone as skilled as you, right? You''re really okay?"


    "Of course I''m okay!" Seeing how worried he looked, I almost laughed. I grabbed his hand and flew up into the air again. "But some things did happen. I''ll tell you all about it later. Right now, I need you to come with me somewhere!"


    "Where?" Adrian was confused. Even with how smart he is, he couldn''t understand what I meant by this sudden move.


    "You''ll see when we get there!" I decided to keep it a secret for now. I held him and spread my wings, flying quickly towards the Earth base.


    ...


    A month later, when we came back to where the two sides had fought, the Earth base had grown much bigger again. It was now five or six times its original size!


    But most of this big area wasn''t really the core of the base. The base itself hadn''t expanded much. The rest was from the refugee area growing bigger!


    More and more people came looking for help. The refugee area the Earth army set up couldn''t handle all the new people. Finally, they had to stop taking in local people.


    But when the local people were turned away, they didn''t want to leave. They gathered in groups near the base. Some wanted protection, others wanted to trade with the Earth army. Some even built simple houses and started living there!


    The Earth army didn''t want to chase them away, since they were being friendly. Plus, having the people there was actually very helpful for some things the Earth people needed.


    As more people stayed, these houses around the base slowly became a small village. More and more empire people opened shops to trade. This attracted even more people who came from far away to buy things from another world. Some traders even came from other countries outside the empire!


    "If the Earth people suddenly disappear, will this place keep growing? What will it be like then..." Looking at all the people - there must be tens of thousands now! - I felt a bit sad. I couldn''t help talking to myself.


    "The Earth people will disappear? What do you mean? Are they leaving this world?" Adrian asked in surprise. He quickly looked down at the base.


    But the Earth base looked normal. He watched carefully for a long time but didn''t see anything unusual.


    "Of course they won''t leave right away, but that time will come soon!" I shook my head and answered. Without saying more, I cast an invisibility spell on both of us, completely hiding us from sight.


    "Huh?" Using this kind of magic now made Adrian understand what I was planning. "Are you trying to sneak in?"


    "Not just sneaking in!" I thought for a moment and decided to just tell him the answer. Sneaking into the base was only the first step. The portal entrance in the center of the base was our real goal.


    "Galadra came back. She told me the portal will start closing in a month. So we need to go to Earth and bring Cyra and Nicola back before the portal closes completely!"


    Those two had been missing for a long time. Especially Nicola - she still hadn''t shown up! The only possibility left was that they both ended up on Earth.


    "Are you sure the Earth people won''t find us?" Even though we were invisible, Adrian was still worried about sneaking in like this.


    "How could they? Earth people can''t use magic. They can''t even sense elements. How could they possibly find us?" I answered very confidently. As soon as I finished speaking, I flew towards the center of the base without hesitating. But soon after we got close, I was proven completely wrong!


    Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded above the base. Several armed helicopters quickly took off and flew towards us.


    No way! This is crazy! Do the Earth people really have a way to find us even when we''re invisible?


    Just as I was shocked, the helicopters only flew past us nearby. They didn''t stop but kept going further away. Even though the strong wind from the helicopters passing by made us very dizzy, we could tell they hadn''t really found where we were.


    "Could it be because of radar?" After thinking about it, this was probably the only explanation. But this problem didn''t stop us from continuing with the plan.


    The rest went very smoothly! Adrian and I landed easily at the center of the Earth base. In front of us was a huge door made of steel!


    We both knew the portal connecting the two worlds was behind that door! Just as we were thinking hard about how to get in, the big door suddenly opened by itself.


    It turned out it was time for Earth to send supplies through. Transport trucks appeared out of nowhere in the empty space in front of the portal. Then they slowly drove out into the base behind us.


    "Let''s go!" I held Adrian''s hand tightly. I knew this was our chance and we couldn''t miss it. We quickly went through the portal entrance before the big door closed.


    On the other side of the portal was my old home - Earth!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 71: Shine Metropolitan

    "Is this Earth?" Adrian''s voice softly asked next to my ear.


    After crossing the "bridge" connecting two whole worlds, when I opened my eyes again, the scene in front of me felt very familiar.


    "That''s right! Once we walk out of this room, we can see what''s outside!" I nodded and pointed to the open door not far away.


    The reason it felt familiar was because the other end of the passage was actually in a huge room exactly the same as this one. Both were made of steel, mainly to hide the portal behind them.


    Even though the portal took up a lot of space, there were still piles of supplies in the corners of the room. Some seemed ready to be sent from Earth to the other world, while others had just arrived and hadn''t been moved yet.


    Since it was a busy time, transport vehicles kept coming and going through the door, which made it easy for Adrian and me to leave. Only after we fully walked out did we see clearly where we were.


    We were in a very big open area, but since they just started fixing it up not long ago, there were still signs of ruins around. Further down the street, a row of buildings I knew very well suddenly appeared.


    It was Aurora Entertainment!


    Of course, it should be called the "former" Aurora Entertainment now. Even though the scenery nearby had changed a lot, I could still make out that we were standing near the KTV where we had our class reunion before.


    Aurora Entertainment used to be an entertainment center in the suburbs of my city, with food, fun, and shopping all in one place. KTVs were of course part of it.


    I couldn''t quite remember the name of that KTV anymore. But one thing was clear - it had been completely destroyed by the portal behind us, with not even a bit left!


    The ruins we saw earlier were probably from when the Earth army moved in and tore down the buildings around here too. Looking around, we could see lots of new military facilities built on the open ground, with soldiers and all kinds of weapons and equipment everywhere.


    Many things showed that there were probably no more civilian living in the whole Aurora Entertainment area anymore. Maybe even the area for a few kilometers around had become a military zone!


    Could it be that the government never told the public about this? I suddenly thought of a possibility when I saw this.


    No matter what, "discovering a brand new world outside Earth" was totally big news that could shock the whole world! Not to mention other things, just the portal alone could help many experts win Nobel Prizes!


    But at the same time, the benefits that could be gained from such a huge new world were no doubt very big too. Maybe even so big that it had to be kept secret, so other countries wouldn''t know...


    Looking at it this way, except for those people working on the project, it would be hard for public to know what really happened here, not to mention the situation on the other side of the portal in the other world.


    "Forget it, let''s leave this place!" Not wanting to think more about it, since we didn''t come all the way to Earth to make trouble anyway, I took Adrian and flew straight towards the city center after looking around a bit.


    Being new here, Adrian didn''t have any special thoughts yet, since this world was probably still strange to him. But I soon found another problem -


    As we got further from the portal, I could feel the amount of light and water elements in the air dropping rapidly!


    It looks like there weren''t any elements on Earth to begin with. The elements I felt near the portal earlier were probably all "leaked" over from the other world! Once we got far away, we''d enter an area with no elements at all. I had never experienced this before and didn''t know if it would cause any bad effects later.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Of course, Adrian and I didn''t have any big problems in the short term. Losing the support of outside elements didn''t mean I couldn''t use magic! Maybe it would just be more troublesome if we ran into some emergency in the future.


    "But my Battle Qi isn''t affected at all. I even feel like the power inside my body is fuller!" Adrian''s experience seemed totally different from what I described. Too bad I didn''t know Battle Qi, so I couldn''t confirm what he said.


    The sun was setting. It was evening time on Earth now.


    After leaving the military zone, as more and more vehicles appeared on the roads, the complex road network and tall buildings slowly started showing up in our view.


    The lights were just coming on. Flying at nearly a thousand meters high, we could look down on the whole land! The world below stretched out along rows of bright streetlights as far as the eye could see, all at once -


    It was an extremely busy and prosperous scene! This was clearly unimaginable for humans who purely came from another world.


    "It''s unbelievable. I never thought the cities in another world could develop to such a huge scale!" The holy capital and royal capital were nothing compared to this! Adrian couldn''t help but sigh, then suddenly asked me, "So what''s the situation now? Do you know where to find them?"


    "Uh..." When he brought this up, I suddenly realized how serious the problem was.


    If Cyra and Nicola knew they were on Earth, they might go back to their old homes. But the trouble was, everyone''s home address seemed to have changed since high school graduation. I had no idea!


    "Let''s find a place to stay first!" After thinking it over, I suddenly realized that trying to find those two in this huge Earth city would be like looking for a needle in the ocean! We needed to make other plans.


    The city we were in now was the capital of the southwest province of H-country. It was also the largest city in the whole country - Shine Metropolitan!


    As for the former number one "Coastal Metropolitan", since it was on the east coast of the central continent, it had been completely flooded after a climate warming disaster a few years ago. Now it was basically a no-man''s land...


    It''s worth mentioning that this climate warming disaster wasn''t caused by natural events, but could be traced back to the nuclear war between several big Western countries and the Northern Red Bear country at the end of last century!


    Very luckily, this nuclear war didn''t develop to the point of no return. Both sides quickly realized that if they kept fighting, it would destroy the whole Earth. So they turned to negotiations to solve the problem! It was because of this war that the Red Bear country fell apart and turned into the White Bear Empire later.


    But even though they stopped the damage in time, the effects of the nuclear war were still huge! It not only spread deadly radiation, but also indirectly caused the big climate warming disaster years later. It also brought huge changes to the whole world''s situation in the 20th century! Many small countries on the central continent later joined the H-country family for various reasons. So now H-country is far ahead of the northern White Bear Empire and has become the country with the biggest land area in the world, no doubt!


    ...


    Flying from the suburbs to the city center wasn''t too far. We landed in an area near where I used to live. After finding a quiet place to become visible again, I realized there were many more problems we needed to deal with.


    "We need to change our looks first!"


    First was appearance and clothes! Since Adrian''s face was totally different from locals, we''d let him be a foreigner. My hair was the main problem - blue was too eye-catching. To keep a low profile, I had to change it to a color people were used to!


    As for clothes, we could use disguise magic for a while. But since magic power would keep being used up and couldn''t be refilled from outside, we needed to change into real local clothes as soon as possible.


    "Then there''s food and housing..."


    We obviously couldn''t go back to my old rented place. And since Earth didn''t have enough light elements, even angels had to eat regularly! If we wanted to survive in this city for a while, we needed to get money first.


    "The Continental common currency probably can''t be used here, right?" Adrian quickly found the key problem. But I had already thought of a way to deal with this.


    "Who says Continental common currency can''t be used? Of course you can''t use it directly!"


    Walking straight out of the empty alley, we came to a private gold shop I remembered on the street. I couldn''t help but smile.


    This kind of private gold shop was actually all over city. Most didn''t even have official signs, only some locals knew what they did.


    Of course some shops just put up signs directly saying "Pawn Shop", making their purpose very clear! Private gold shops usually bought all kinds of valuable jewelry. As long as it was real gold or silver, they would buy it. But the price was another matter.


    "Do you buy Eastern Spain commemorative gold coins?" I obviously didn''t have H-country currency, but I had plenty of gold! I still hadn''t used up all the Continental gold coins I got from Cyra back then! So I walked into the shop and put five coins in front of the owner.


    "Eastern Spain commemorative gold coins? Never heard of those..." The shop owner took the coins and looked them over carefully with a magnifying glass several times. Of course he couldn''t recognize the writing from another world. Then he looked Adrian and me up and down and couldn''t help asking, "Young lady, you''re very pretty. You two look like foreigners? Your H-country language is very good. Are you from Spain?"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 72: Meeting Parents Again

    "Is there a problem? Or you don''t exchange for foreigners?"


    I felt a bit nervous and my heart skipped a beat. I thought the shopkeeper had found something fishy.


    Or maybe gold from different worlds was very different?


    "Exchange, of course we exchange! We H-country people never look down on foreigners!"


    Luckily I was just thinking too much. When he heard this, the shopkeeper''s face changed and he smiled, saying it was no problem. But he didn''t seem totally sure. After I agreed, he brought out a fire gun to do a melting test!


    "Of course it''s real, and the quality is very good too!"


    I secretly felt relieved. Real gold isn''t afraid of fire! The shopkeeper finally accepted our five "Eastern Spain commemorative gold coins" and bought them for the cheap price of 2000 H-country dollars.


    Just 2000?


    I felt a bit disappointed hearing this price. In Eldoria Continent, five Continental gold coins could buy quite a lot. But this was Earth, and the gold price was what it was. Plus, private exchanges always gave lower rates! To avoid trouble, I had to accept it.


    "You don''t even have phones? How is that possible in this day!"


    But when it was time to pay, we had a small argument. The shopkeeper had no cash and insisted on online transfer. But how could Adrian and I have accounts? This made the shopkeeper suspicious!


    Nowadays, H-country society mostly uses digital payments. It''s hard to find people who insist on cash. And Adrian and I didn''t look like seniors who couldn''t use phones.


    "Phone? I think I have one! Is this okay?"


    Though Adrian didn''t understand H-country language well, he could remember some special words he''d heard many times. So he quickly took out his phone.


    It was actually a gift Wayne Peng and others gave out when they went to the light elf village. I thought it was too crappy and didn''t want one, but Adrian found it very special, so he kept one for himself.


    "An old-style phone? It''s not a smartphone, so I can''t transfer money to you online!"


    The shopkeeper shook his head, but this gave me a good idea for an excuse. I quickly explained:


    "We can''t help it, as you can see! We just got off the plane and met thieves who stole everything. We only have this old phone left. If we weren''t in a hurry for money after just arriving in H-country, who would sell family heirloom commemorative coins?"


    It made sense that foreigners might not have H-country accounts yet. And Eastern Spain''s economy had fallen badly after nuclear war and rising sea levels, so it was understandable they might be short on money.


    "If your phones were stolen, you can go to the police! They''ll find them quickly..."


    Though he said this, the shopkeeper clearly bought my story. No matter what, he was making good money on this deal and didn''t want to let it go. So he quickly went to the bank ATM to get 2000 in cash for us.


    "Let''s go, I''ll treat you to a meal!"


    Though it took some effort, we finally got the money! Feeling the big stack of bills in my pocket, I happily pulled Adrian straight to a restaurant.


    Since we didn''t have much money, we couldn''t choose any fancy places. Thinking we still needed to save money to buy a smartphone, I just picked a very common, ordinary noodle shop!


    "It tastes a lot like what you make, but the actual taste is far worse!"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Adrian didn''t seem used to the real H-country food here, but that wasn''t the main point. From the TV shows playing in the restaurant and other customers'' talk, I finally learned some important information.


    First was the time.


    The current time on Earth was about one year after our class reunion crossing, which matched the time I spent in the other world! As for the class reunion that caused our crossing, from this world''s view, it was a pretty strange accident.


    "You mean that gas poisoning accident at Aurora Entertainment?"


    When I asked about what happened, pretending to be a foreigner who just arrived in H-country, the restaurant owner answered like this.


    "That thing was said to be really weird, because it was truly strange - over ten people in a KTV room suddenly all fell unconscious, for no clear reason! The official final investigation result suspected group gas poisoning. But the weird thing was, only that one room had a problem, other rooms weren''t affected at all. Logically the illness should have been light, but in the end not one person was saved! A few days later, those victims'' conditions got worse one by one, and they died in the hospital one after another."


    "What gas poisoning! How would KTV rooms have gas? I say it was ghosts! The officials just won''t admit it."


    Hearing us discuss this topic, a nosy person eating noodles at a nearby table jumped in, confidently complaining:


    "And that incident last month is proof! Months later, again at Aurora Entertainment, at the same place, there was a bad incident of violent people hurting others with knives! Though the armed police quickly controlled it, some people who escaped from inside said that at first, that KTV in Aurora Entertainment was wrapped in a black ball, and the so-called violent people actually ran out from the black ball later! What''s more, many people saw with their own eyes that the attackers wore very strange clothes, all in ancient armor. If this isn''t ghosts, what is it? It''s just like the legendary ghost army passing through!"


    Sure enough! The military kept the news very secret, but lots of rumors still spread privately.


    Of course, the H-country officials wouldn''t admit any "ghost army passing through" talk. They only announced that the violent incident was caused by two criminal groups fighting each other, and the military took over the Aurora Entertainment area later to focus on surrounding and destroying Aurora Entertainment as the underground base of these criminal forces.


    But this explanation had many holes and made many people doubt it. After all, how could catching criminals need so much military force? But since the officials insisted on their story, no one could do anything. Any talk different from the official explanation was cruelly blocked. Plus, the later compensation and moving work went on quickly, and some people who got benefits didn''t want to ask questions anymore.


    Soon we finished the noodles. Though the taste was just okay, this meal was definitely worth it for Adrian and me.


    But when we walked out of the restaurant feeling satisfied, we found that where to stay was the biggest problem now. Since we had no ID cards, it was basically impossible to stay at hotels! Did we really have to sleep on the street?


    "This city really makes me feel nostalgic! It must be the model for your spirit world, right?"


    Walking helplessly on the late night street, I was thinking about maybe finding an underground internet cafe to spend the night, when I heard Adrian looking at the tall buildings around and saying to me with deep feeling.


    "Uh... yes!"


    I felt very awkward, not knowing how to answer. Though I had prepared myself mentally to bring him to this world, when it was time to tell the truth, I found it was still hard to say.


    Thinking about it, Adrian must have spent quite a long time alone in my spirit world! Though the spirit world was just a shadow built from my memories by the Light God, and the area to move around in was much smaller than the real Shine Metropolitan, Adrian was still pretty familiar with this city''s environment in some ways! No wonder he adapted to the atmosphere around so quickly, not showing any unfamiliarity at all.


    Thinking this way, maybe he had already guessed my gender on Earth long ago? But why did he never mention it?


    Thinking that with Adrian''s intelligence, he must have figured it out by now! I was just about to ask him directly when I noticed he seemed to see something, his eyes fixed on the other side of the street, not moving away for a long time.


    "Huh? That''s..."


    Of course he wasn''t looking at pretty girls! The street was very busy now, with cars and people everywhere. It took me some effort to follow Adrian''s gaze and find what he was looking at.


    It was two middle-aged people, to be exact a man and a woman, very familiar figures walking one after the other.


    "It''s them!"


    Just from their backs I knew these two were my parents, I couldn''t be more sure!


    This scene wasn''t really that surprising. After all, I landed in the area where I used to live, not far from my old home. I just didn''t expect to meet them so soon after just getting back to Earth. It was a bit unexpected!


    "Do you want to follow them?"


    Adrian clearly recognized them too, but unlike in the spirit world, this was the real world, so my parents weren''t virtual personalities controlled by the Light God, but real living people! So Adrian didn''t act rashly, just watching and asking for my opinion.


    "...Okay!"


    I hesitated for a bit, but finally nodded to agree. To be honest, though I felt I''d grown a lot after adventures in another world, that uneasy feeling about seeing family hadn''t gone away.


    But this trip back to Earth might be my only chance to return to this world, and I still couldn''t let go in my heart. Adrian naturally saw this too, so we decided to follow behind my parents first and see how things went.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 73: Knot in Heart Unraveled

    You can guess that bumping into parents in a place like this means catching them coming home at night.


    Father walked fast in front, while Mother lagged behind. They didn''t talk at all, like they just had a fight or something.


    Lucky for us, nothing weird happened as we followed them. We quickly reached the familiar building where I used to live. Adrian was about to follow them upstairs, but I grabbed him and flew us to the window outside my old room.


    It was pretty late already, so hiding on the building''s wall in the dark wasn''t too risky. Still, two people squeezing on a window ledge felt a bit like we were up to no good.


    Soon we heard people entering the room. Father''s angry voice came first:


    "It''s all your fault! Flynn''s been dead for ages, but you had to go make a big fuss at the hospital demanding compensation. Now look what happened! Everyone''s laughing at us!"


    He was scolding Mother, of course. Sounds like they just got back from the hospital. But Mother fought back fiercely:


    "What do you want me to do? Aurora Entertainment''s totally finished. Boss dead, company bankrupt. We only got a tiny bit of the compensation. Flynn died in the hospital, along with loads of other patients. They couldn''t even handle gas poisoning properly. Of course I can suspect they were lazy. What''s wrong with that?"


    "The official story says it was gas poisoning, but there''s a lot that doesn''t add up..." Father seemed lost for words, but still tried to reason with her. "But I think the hospital really did their best. You''re just being unreasonable!"


    "I don''t care! We raised a whole person and then poof, he''s gone. All those years of hard work raising a kid, wasted. If we don''t try to get some money back, aren''t we losing big time?"


    Mother wouldn''t listen at all. She got more worked up and started cursing at Father: "It''s all your fault! I didn''t even want this kid in the first place. We could''ve gotten rid of it, but you insisted on having the baby! Saying stuff like ''life''s not complete without kids'', ''kids are cute and fun'', ''the family will look down on us if we don''t have kids'', ''kids will take care of us when we''re old''. It all sounded good, but it was just a waste of effort all these years. We even had to pay for Flynn''s schooling. We lost everything!"


    "How is it my fault? You''re talking nonsense! Flynn''s death was an accident. And I couldn''t have decided to have a kid all on my own, right? Plus, didn''t you agree later that kids could take care of us when we''re old?" Father wasn''t having it. He got angry and brought up old stuff too: "Don''t forget, you''re the one who went crazy later and wanted another kid. If I hadn''t stopped you, we''d be too poor to eat by now!"


    "What''s wrong with having two kids? If we had two, we wouldn''t be in this mess now! We finally got Flynn through uni, but he never found a job that made money! Now he''s gone completely, and we lost everything. I don''t know why I was stupid enough to believe you back then!"


    Mother wasn''t backing down either. She fired right back, listing all his faults: "If I knew raising a kid would end up like this, it would''ve been better not to have any! At least we wouldn''t have wasted all that money and effort for nothing!"This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She was so mad she turned and left, slamming the door shut to sulk alone.


    "How can they be like this? They never think about their kid''s feelings? No wonder they acted that way when I saw them in the spirit world!" Adrian was so angry he almost burst into the room. But he calmed down quickly and even wondered if we''d fallen into some crazy trap.


    "Not all parents love their kids..." I was kind of prepared for this, since I''d been through it for so many years. But hearing some of those words still made me a bit sad.


    Thinking back, I guess my birth was just an accident to my parents at first. After living together for so many years, they probably cared a bit. But sadly, they seemed to care more about their own interests.


    "But as parents, this is really..." Adrian still couldn''t accept it. After struggling for a few seconds, he asked me helplessly, "Since it''s like this, do you still want to meet them?"


    "Of course not!" I shook my head quickly. I only followed them because I couldn''t help wanting to see them. But that''s all in the past now. I''ve let it go. However, Adrian''s sudden question made me notice something in his words...


    "You clearly know about my gender in this world. Don''t you care at all?"


    The so-called secret of me being a boy before was pretty obvious by now. I decided not to wait anymore and just ask him directly.


    "It''s just like Reed told me. You''ve been worrying about this the whole time!" His answer surprised me a bit. "She was afraid you''d worry too much about it, so she came to tell me not to mention it. I didn''t expect you to bring it up yourself..."


    So that''s how it was. Reed that "spy" had already spilled the beans, and I was the only one still in the dark! Then Adrian grabbed my hand and answered very seriously:


    "Why should I care? That was all in your past life. Does your gender back then really matter? If we''re going to dig into the past, what about your gender when you were a water angel? And according to what Galadra said before, the Cycle of Rebirth doesn''t care about gender. For all we know, I might''ve been a woman in my past life! By your logic, shouldn''t I be looking for a man to marry then?"


    "Uh..." These words were more like advice than a statement. After Adrian''s "lecture", I didn''t know how to respond.


    At least what he said was right. Since everything about Flynn is in the past, why should I keep worrying? Even if I kept the memories, just like Reed said, souls don''t have gender. If I''d realized that earlier, I wouldn''t have had so much trouble!


    The knot in my heart finally untangled completely. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Just as I was about to say more, I heard Mother''s voice from inside:


    "Who''s out there? Thieves!"


    Turns out we didn''t keep our voices down, and they heard us.


    "Oh no..." Adrian looked worried. It would be bad if they thought we were thieves. I was about to take him and leave quickly, when suddenly I felt something wasn''t right.


    I vaguely sensed some weird dark elements rushing towards us. Before I could react, Adrian jumped up, hugged me, and fell straight down from the high building.


    Right after came a huge "BOOM!"


    The outer wall where we were standing was hit by a black shadow! A big chunk of the wall collapsed instantly. Several floors above and below turned into open-plan layouts, with a huge hole.


    "A monster?" Landing softly on the ground with my wings flapping, I was totally confused. Clearly something had attacked us. Judging by the dark element energy it carried, it should be a monster!


    But the weak dark elements showed the enemy was at most a low-level monster. It didn''t make sense that such a weak thing almost sneak-attacked us successfully! And it made such a big mess too, which made me feel uneasy again.


    "Strange! Why do I feel like its attack just now had some Battle Qi in it? It seems more like a Battle Qi awakener than a monster," Adrian said, shaking his head as he stood up and dusted himself off. Jumping straight down from high up didn''t hurt him at all, but his gaze at the enemy became more serious.


    "Battle Qi? Are you joking? How does that thing look human at all?" I pointed up in disbelief. Throughout history, only humans could awaken Battle Qi!


    The culprit was still on the broken wall up high. In the light from nearby, we could easily see its two big demon wings and super long tail - this was clearly a succubus!


    "Feliciana? It''s you! I can''t believe we meet again in a place like this!"


    Even more surprising, the succubus looked down at me and Adrian and started talking. She seemed to know me and introduced herself right away!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 74: Strengthened Camille

    "It''s you! So you came to Earth too!"


    When I heard that, my face turned dark. Talk about bad luck! I''ve dealt with her many times before, so I couldn''t forget her easily!


    This succubus was Camille, the one I met in the Dark Continent! Even though it was too dark to see her face clearly, and her dark element energy was much weaker than before for some reason, I could still recognize her voice right away.


    They say Camille was always very "trusted" by Michelle, so it''s possible she brought her along in the last fight for the Cycle of Rebirth.


    When the portal connecting the two worlds opened, Sheryl did mention that a few monsters got sucked into it too. Looks like Camille got lucky - not only did she dodge Reed''s forbidden spell, she also snuck into Earth.


    Nobody on Earth can sense dark element energy. If she just hid quietly, no one would''ve found her. But for some reason, she decided to come make trouble for me instead.


    "What happened? Was there a gas explosion?"


    "Look, that woman has wings on her back!"


    "What''s that weird thing standing on the wall?"


    "Is someone going through a heavenly tribulation?"


    "Looks like they can''t hide what happened in 1999 anymore..."


    ...


    The thing I didn''t want to happen most still happened. The big commotion here quickly caught the attention of the neighborhood. Lots of residents came out of the buildings nearby. When they saw me and Camille, everyone started gathering around to watch. My parents, who just escaped from the stairway, were among them too.


    Since Camille destroyed the floors where they lived, the people in that building felt something was wrong right away and all ran out.


    "What do you want?"


    This situation was giving me a headache. My power has grown a lot, so I''m not afraid of Camille anymore. But this area has lots of people, and there are many civilians in the buildings. Plus, I don''t have much outside element energy to use. If she causes too much trouble, it''ll be hard to clean up.


    "Of course I want to fight you!"


    To my surprise, she boldly challenged me, looking weirdly excited. "Bet you didn''t expect this, huh? At first, even I couldn''t believe it. After landing in this strange place, my power got way stronger! And then you, the one I can''t stand, showed up. Perfect timing for me to test my new powers!"


    "Her power got stronger?"


    I looked at Adrian, confused. Judging by her current energy, Camille''s power should have gotten weaker, right? She seems to be barely at level 4 now. But why does she look more confident?


    But just one second later, I got slapped in the face...


    The dark element energy coming from Camille suddenly jumped up at least 4 or 5 times! Her power seemed to be cheating, quickly passing the level 5 I saw before, and rushing towards even higher levels!


    "Can monsters hide their power?"


    I''ve never heard of such a thing! Or is it really like she said, that she got new abilities on Earth? Adrian and I watched in surprise. Then we were shocked to see Camille surrounded by black smoke, charging at me!


    "Alright then..."


    At this point, I couldn''t care about being low-key anymore. I snapped my fingers right away.


    To be safe, I started with my strongest move! A huge, blinding pillar of light came down from the sky, swallowing Camille''s whole body in an instant.


    The most effective way to deal with monsters is to use light magic. Plus, after I upgraded to eight wings, the power of my "Paradise Lost Shockwave" is even stronger!The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Ahhh¡ª"


    Camille, who was only halfway through her charge, got blasted to the ground hard by this attack. She kept screaming in pain. After the strong light slowly faded, the black smoke around her was completely gone, burned away by the huge amount of light element. Her energy suddenly dropped to only 10-20% left.


    "She''s not dead?"


    Seeing her lying on the ground, barely breathing, I still didn''t let my guard down. Something felt off.


    "Be careful!"


    Adrian suddenly warned me. Clearly, he noticed something strange too. He carefully pulled me behind him.


    Sure enough, it wasn''t that simple. Camille, who should''ve been totally exhausted, actually stumbled back up.


    "Hehehe! As expected of an eight-winged angel''s power, it really hurts! Looks like since we last met in the Dark Continent, your power has grown a lot too! But too bad, it seems like this magic doesn''t work anymore!"


    Camille raised her head, laughing lightly with a "mocking" look on her face. I was shocked to see that those seemingly serious injuries from falling didn''t affect her movement at all. And the dark element energy around her started slowly rising again!


    "What''s going on?"


    I really couldn''t understand! When monsters have enough magic power, they can heal quickly to some degree. But that has limits!


    Unlike angels who can quickly refill magic through their wings, monsters'' power is usually fixed for a short time. It''s unheard of for one to almost die, then revive with low health on the spot, and keep getting stronger.


    "If this goes on, she might end up stronger than before! I feel like it''s because she''s using Battle Qi..."


    Adrian guessed, sounding unsure. In his view, it seems easier to build up Battle Qi in Earth. But for monsters, they shouldn''t be able to awaken Battle Qi at all, let alone use it.


    "No, that''s not right! Those Battle Qi don''t seem to be used directly by her. It''s more like they''re being digested!"


    Adrian changed his mind again, like he found some new problem. But to me, it sounded strange.


    What does he mean by digested? What can Battle Qi turn into after being digested? Could it be dark element energy?


    "Uh..."


    Suddenly I noticed this point too! If we''re talking about dark element energy, that would explain the increasing dark element energy around Camille right now.


    "Hahaha, come on, hit me again!"


    Soon after Camille recovered her power, she excitedly charged at us again. Seeing this, I could only back up a bit. At the same time, I waved my finger and threw out another high-level magic spell, "Holy Judgment".


    This time, the succubus got blasted sideways into a far wall. She crashed through three buildings on the way, finally landing in a crater over three meters wide.


    But it seemed like she didn''t take much deadly damage from this. From far away, we could still hear her shouting from under the rubble:


    "Is that all you''ve got? Keep going, you''re not trying hard enough!"


    "As expected, when a monster''s power grows too fast, it''s hard to control their mind from being corrupted by the dark element''s side effects. They become aggressive and lose the ability to judge things correctly. That''s why high-level monsters are usually very rare!"


    Adrian shook his head. Even though Camille got some cheat-like recovery ability, she''s still far from being a match for us. She''s just getting beaten up.


    Plus, we could see that although her power kept rising, after reaching a certain point, it clearly started slowing down.


    "We can''t keep going like this forever. This isn''t working!"


    I could guess she''d come after us again soon. I was out of ideas too, so I decided not to hold back anymore next time.


    If magic doesn''t work, then I''ll use physical attacks! Even though my magic power grew a lot after upgrading to eight wings, it''s not good to keep using big moves like this. Especially in this world where it''s super hard to refill magic. Once I use up all my magic power, there''s no way to recover.


    Luckily, for some unknown reason, after fighting with Camille these two times, I suddenly felt like there was a lot more light and water element energy in the area. Not only did this help me recover a bit of magic power, but with water element around, I can easily change into my blue wing form.


    As for the exact reason, if we ignore the part that leaked out when I used magic, there seems to be more light element in the air than I expected. Plus, I didn''t use any water magic in between, so I couldn''t figure out what was going on.


    "Come on, don''t run!"


    As expected, Camille stood up again soon. She didn''t come back the same way, but attacked from a higher place. Now she was flying fast towards us, passing over the top of the apartment building.


    "Watch out, here she comes again!"


    Adrian took out his weapon, looking helpless. This time, he decided to fight too.


    But who could''ve guessed the unexpected thing that happened next!


    "Die, you damn demon!"


    Suddenly, a loud shout came from the night sky above. We saw a bright white light rush out from somewhere, clashing with Camille who was still in the air. Caught off guard, they started fighting fiercely.


    "Hey, isn''t that Cyra?"


    The residents watching from outside might not see clearly, but Adrian and I could easily spot who came - six pure white wings on her back, golden long hair, and that familiar voice. Who else could it be but Cyra?


    The only difference was that she seemed to be holding a familiar-looking long sword. The whole sword was glowing slightly white. I felt like I''d seen it somewhere before.


    Talk about finding what you want without even trying! Wasn''t Cyra our target for coming to Earth?


    Too bad she was busy fighting and focused all her attention on Camille. So she didn''t notice me and Adrian down on the ground.

 Vol 5/Chapter 75: Cyra, the Strongest Fighter

    This fight was really something else! Cyra and Camille caused such a ruckus!


    They started fighting from the east all the way to the west. Then they went from south to north, crashing into buildings along the way. No surprise, they wrecked quite a few buildings again.


    Watching from the sidelines, I could finally see clearly that Camille had gotten much stronger than before! Her whip skills were on par with Cyra''s sharp weapon. She was way above 6th level now.


    But even so, she was probably only mid-6th level at best for now. Not counting her crazy healing powers, I wasn''t scared of her.


    The weirder thing was that Cyra had also gotten way stronger! It was mind-blowing!


    I never thought she could go toe-to-toe with this new Camille. She was using all kinds of high-level magic and sword skills. Her battle tactics were really clever too! This fight totally changed how I saw things. I had to admit she was better than me!


    I don''t know where she got it, but Cyra''s sword seemed to be made of pure light magic. It was super effective against dark creatures like succubi! Even though Cyra only had 6 wings instead of 8 like me, she was actually winning after a few rounds because of her awesome weapon!


    Wait a minute, this wasn''t how I remembered things at all!


    "When did Cyra get so good? And she''s got way more fighting experience now too!" Adrian said in disbelief.


    Even though Cyra learned Source Magic and could overpower opponents for a bit, she was still a newbie when it came to actual fighting skills. She definitely wasn''t an expert at combining magic and sword techniques before.


    The only explanation was that Cyra must have had some kind of special adventure during that month she was on Earth. Maybe something like what happened to Camille?


    As the fight got more and more intense, Camille was clearly losing. She had more and more injuries. I guess getting beaten up by me so many times earlier took its toll. Plus fighting Cyra so hard probably wore her out even more. The light magic was probably clearing her head too.


    Realizing she was in trouble, Camille tried to escape. But Cyra chased after her like crazy. Soon they both disappeared from sight.


    "Hey, where are you guys going?" I yelled.


    They just ran off and left me and Adrian standing there totally confused. The big problem was Adrian couldn''t fly. Those two were going so fast, I probably couldn''t catch up even if I carried Adrian!


    "Aren''t those angels? They must be angels fighting that devil thing! So angels were protecting us!" someone in the crowd suddenly shouted. A bunch of other people agreed.


    I guess my wings were pretty eye catching. I expected people to talk, but I was surprised my old parents joined in too.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Were you the one talking outside my window earlier? So angels really came down from heaven! Did you come to save our family because you knew my son died?" my mom asked, pulling on my clothes and looking at me pitifully. I guess she recognized my voice from when I was talking to Adrian by the window earlier.


    "I thought you didn''t believe in God..." I turned around with a bitter smile. Of course they couldn''t recognize me now, but it was still awkward facing them.


    "Well..." my dad hesitated, then quickly explained, "We saw you appear with our own eyes! From now on we''ll definitely change and believe in the True Church!"


    "Don''t worry about them, let''s go," Adrian said, glancing at my parents. He could tell I didn''t want to deal with this.


    "Wait a sec," I said, stopping. I was going to ignore it, but then I had an idea. I took out a bunch of gold coins and jewels from my storage ring and gave them to my mom.


    "Take all of this," I said. It was treasure I got from my adventures. It should be worth a lot on Earth too. Consider it repayment for raising me and for the damage to the house.


    With that done, Adrian and I turned invisible and flew away from that sad place. We left behind my super excited parents and the crowd of onlookers.


    This night''s events were sure to cause a stir online. But I wasn''t too worried. With disguise magic, we could handle things for a while at least.


    But things don''t always go according to plan...


    Even though Adrian and I chased after them as fast as we could, we still lost sight of Cyra and Camille!


    "Damn it, that dummy Cyra! Couldn''t she pay a little attention to what''s going on around her while fighting?" I complained. Now we''d have to figure out where to go next on our own.


    Staying in Shine Metropolitan without an H-country ID card was going to be a real pain. No ID meant no hotels, even if we had money! And those sketchy internet cafes I used to know about when I was a student were mostly gone now that everyone had smartphones.


    But hey, where there''s a will there''s a way. We''re angels who can fly! No way we''re sleeping on the streets!


    ...


    "Good morning!" I said, stretching as I walked out to the balcony the next day at noon. Adrian was already up, sitting there enjoying the view.


    We were in a fancy penthouse apartment in a tall building downtown. You could see all of Shine Metropolitan from up here. It was empty because it was so expensive, so we snuck in to crash for the night.


    Normal people couldn''t get in here of course. The guards outside and the thick security doors would stop them. But that was no problem for us!


    "Sleep well? First time I''ve seen you get up so late," Adrian asked, putting down his phone.


    "Eh... it was okay I guess," I said with a big yawn, rubbing my eyes. That was the truth! I went to bed super late, so I didn''t get much sleep.


    Using high-level magic twice against Camille took a lot out of me! And there''s not much light magic on Earth during the day to recharge quickly. So I had to recover by sleeping like a normal human.


    To be fair, there was a tiny bit of light magic. The noon sun was shining bright, and I could sense a trace of light magic separating from the hot sunlight before quickly fading away.


    It wasn''t much, but it gave me some hope of restoring my energy! A little is better than nothing, right? So I spread out all my wings to soak up as much of that precious Earth-grown light magic as I could.


    "Do you know how long it takes for the sunlight we see to reach us after it''s created?" Adrian asked with a smile, holding up his phone.


    "Huh?" I wasn''t expecting that question, but it seemed easy enough! I opened my eyes and answered confidently.


    "That''s easy! Eight minutes, definitely eight minutes!"


    "Wrong! It takes 8 minutes for light to travel from the sun''s surface to Earth. But from when the light is first created, it actually takes tens or hundreds of thousands of years!" Adrian said proudly, showing me his phone.


    "Hundreds of thousands of years? No way!" I grabbed the phone to look closer. Turns out his question was a big trick!


    The science info on the phone was talking about how long it takes for energy from hydrogen fusion to reach Earth as high-energy photons! The photons can''t travel straight from the sun''s core to space. They keep getting absorbed and re-emitted inside the sun. This random process takes a really long time - at least tens of thousands of years! That''s why Adrian''s answer was way longer than I thought.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 76: The Superpowered Streamer

    "Wow, smartphones are really useful! You can find so much good info on them, and it''s so easy. No need to go all the way to the library anymore," Adrian said, impressed that this former Earth person had to admit defeat.


    We bought this phone last night from a secondhand seller for 1000 bucks. It''s not top-of-the-line, but it''s way better than that useless old phone we had before.


    Once you got a phone, everything else is easy to sort out. I showed Adrian how to use the phone to look stuff up online for the first time.


    Adrian''s been around Earth people for a while now. He worked hard to learn the H-country language in the army camp and light elf village. He''s smart and has awakened Battle Qi, so it wasn''t too hard for him.


    He can''t speak perfectly yet, but Adrian can understand normal talk okay and read some simple books. If he gets stuck on tricky words, I can help explain.


    First thing we needed to know about was that "gang fight" at the Aurora Entertainment City. Cyra and Nicola must have come back to Earth there, so maybe we could find some clues about them in eyewitness reports online.


    "No way! Such a big incident, but there''s not a single report?"


    It was real strange - we both searched for ages but found hardly any info online. We couldn''t find any useful leads. Even the major news sites were completely quiet about the "angel and demon fight" from last night.


    "Did the H-country government block the news again?"


    That was the only reason I could think of. H-country is famous for strict internet control. I couldn''t figure out any way around it.


    Luckily it had only been one night since it happened. On some small forums, people were still secretly talking about this hot topic. But those posts didn''t last long before the mods deleted them.


    "If it''s not in writing like you said, I found an interesting place. I''m not sure, but I feel like it might be related to Cyra..."


    I was about to go out and try my luck when Adrian suddenly stopped me. Looks like he found a new lead on the phone.


    It was a short video app called "TikTic " that''s super popular in H-country. Loads of people use it to record and share little funny moments from daily life.


    I actually had this app before I came here. I never uploaded anything, but it was fun to watch other people''s videos sometimes.


    Adrian showed me a video by someone calling herself "Superpowered Pretty Girl". Like the name says, she''s uploaded lots of videos using "superpowers". She doesn''t have too many followers, only about 10-20 thousand. But as a promising newcomer, she was featured on the app''s front page. The most recent update was from yesterday, filmed outside.


    The video title was: "Recreating the super strong move from famous anime XXX - Spirit Bomb? Let me show you!"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was filmed in a wasteland on the edge of the city. At first it copied the classic scene from the anime title, building up the atmosphere. After about 30 seconds, the main character finally appeared.


    Spiky blonde hair, orange martial arts outfit - looked just like the original anime character. But when I saw the face clearly, I almost spit out my drink.


    "What? A girl dressed as a guy? Isn''t that Cyra?!"


    No doubt about it, I recognized her right away.


    "It does look like her. But the outfit is so weird... I''m not totally sure," Adrian said.


    He wasn''t sure because Cyra was wearing an over-the-top cosplay outfit to match the theme. Of course he wasn''t used to seeing that! But even with makeup, I could still recognize Cyra''s super pretty face. No way to hide it, even dressed as a guy!


    The rest of the video was pretty simple. She acted out the classic "powering up" pose from the anime. Then she pushed out her hands, and a big beam of light shot out, hitting a huge rock in the distance and making it explode.


    "This..."


    I started to get a headache. To be fair, it did look a bit like the tired character''s spirit bomb in the original. But the important thing is, these special effects probably weren''t fake - it was likely real footage!


    Modern Earth has really advanced "Photoshop skills". Normal people can learn to add all kinds of crazy effects to videos with special software. But Cyra didn''t need to go to all that trouble. Others might not know, but I knew her background well. With angel magic powers, she could easily do this for real!


    "Is she using magic to pretend to have superpowers?"


    Can''t believe she goes out to fight "monsters" at night, then comes out to be an internet celebrity and make short videos during the day. Living the good life!


    "The streamer is a bit amateur! She looks good, but needs to work on her skills~"


    Looking at the comments, that''s what the top viewer said. Clearly those internet folks are used to all kinds of special effects. This real magic display seemed low-quality to them.


    Of course there were different opinions too.


    "Don''t listen to those haters above. The girl is so pretty, great cosplay, and really good special effects. Keep it up!"


    This was clearly a supporter. Funny that such a small streamer already has haters! You learn something new every day. Lots of people replied below.


    "Yeah, but I think this outfit doesn''t really suit the streamer. The angel cosplay from before was way better!"


    "This is boring, when are you gonna do a Diao Chan cosplay?"


    "Agreed, I wanna see Mai Shiranui! With the streamer''s skills, I''m sure she can do those special effects!"


    "Tifa! Tifa!"


    "Alice! Alice!"


    ...


    Wow! One after another. Just looking at the comments, you''d think this was a streamer selling her looks...


    "Thanks for watching everyone! If you''re interested, don''t forget to click follow and like below. I''ll be streaming live on TikTic  tonight as usual. Hope to see you all there!"


    At the end of the video, Cyra struck a big pose, winked flirtatiously and said this.


    So smooth! Does she even remember she used to be a guy? I couldn''t help frowning, almost doubting my own eyes.


    Well, with her personality, she might really do this! After all, she''s basically just a pretty-face streamer now. Maybe she''s already totally into it!


    "Where did she film these videos?"


    Now I didn''t feel like looking through her old content anymore. The most important thing was how to find her in person through this account!


    I logged into an old account and sent her a private message, explaining who I was. But after waiting a long time with no response, I started to doubt if I''d really recognized the right person.


    If it was really Cyra, she should definitely react to me! Maybe it''s just a normal streamer who looks very similar?


    Just waiting at home wasn''t going to solve anything. Now that we had a lead on Cyra, I decided to try my luck in the south part of town before the sun set.


    The south has always been where the rich people live in this city. It''s a beautiful area with mountains and water, where lots of fancy houses and apartments are built.


    If Nicola also fell to Earth with us, the most likely place to find her would be the south side home where she lived before I came here.


    But since it was still daytime, we couldn''t just fly around. We decided to take public transport instead.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 77: Lockdown for Disease Control

    "Wow, such a big car for regular folks to use! And the view is really nice," Adrian said, full of curiosity on his first bus ride. He''d been in cars before, but never in a big vehicle like this.


    It was afternoon, not many passengers. Adrian kept moving seats excitedly, looking all around.


    Outside, the streets were busy. Cars flowed between tall buildings, people walking everywhere. You''d never see a city like this in the other world.


    "What do you think of this world? If you really like it, why don''t we just stay here?" I suddenly had a bold idea and quickly asked him.


    Earth is way safer overall. No monsters, no endless wars. With our abilities, surviving here would be a piece of cake!


    "Uh, that''s not impossible..." Adrian was stunned. He''d never thought of this new path before, so he didn''t react right away.


    "But it''s such a big decision. I need to think about it more," he said after a moment, looking worried. Probably thinking of things he''d miss. He quickly apologized and changed his answer.


    "No worries. We still have a long time before the one-month deadline. Let''s talk after you decide," I nodded, feeling a bit disappointed inside. But I expected this. Moving between worlds is a huge deal, so it''s natural for Adrian to have doubts.


    We kept going, but the good times didn''t last!


    After passing several stops, I noticed this familiar bus route had suddenly turned off onto a side road, away from where it usually went. I couldn''t help asking:


    "Driver! What''s going on? Aren''t we supposed to go through Science Academy Street? Why are we suddenly going a different way?"


    I used to take this bus often. Even after a few months, they shouldn''t change the route so much.


    "Didn''t you see the notice? We had to change the route! They suddenly announced military traffic control ahead, including Science Academy Street. No vehicles allowed in or out. Most streets and stops inside the Second Ring Road are blocked. We have to go around!"


    Hearing the driver''s frustrated answer, Adrian and I couldn''t help looking at each other.


    Anyone would know something fishy was going on with such big controls suddenly put in place. Considering the Aurora Entertainment was in a similar situation, the reason might be related to the other world!


    We had to check it out! We got off at the next stop, went to a quiet place with no people, and turned invisible again.


    Invisible, we could fly freely. But we didn''t rush straight into the restricted area. We went back to the original route first, and soon came to a heavily guarded checkpoint.


    "Military control area ahead. Vehicles and pedestrians without passes prohibited!"


    We saw a warning sign first. There were several layers of roadblocks in the middle of the road at the edge of the controlled area. Behind them, we could see armed H-country soldiers patrolling. Good thing they couldn''t see us.


    We easily passed the checkpoint, but surprisingly found lots more obstacles on the other side too. It was like they were trying hard to keep people inside from rushing out.


    Could there be some kind of riot inside the controlled area? I thought that at first, but what we actually saw as we went further was totally different from what I imagined.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    This road was the same size as the ones outside. Soon there were all kinds of shops on both sides again. A few were even still open! The only difference from outside was there were way fewer people because of the controls. It was really quiet.


    "Everything looks fine! Why do they need to block the roads?" I wondered.


    There weren''t many civilian cars at this time, but there were still some military and construction vehicles going back and forth, hurrying to different edges of the area.


    It looked like just blocking the roads wasn''t enough. The government seemed to want to fence off the whole area!


    "Let''s go further in and look?" Adrian didn''t understand the reason either, but he wasn''t in a rush to figure it out. He pulled me to keep slowly moving towards the center of the controlled area.


    Good thing we had our phones with us. After some tricky efforts to get online, we found quite a bit of news about this area in the south of the city. But it had clearly been toned down on purpose.


    The official reason was control of infectious hepatitis A! It sounded like they were trying to cover something up. The excuse was too weak - since when did they need to block roads to control hepatitis?


    Looking at earlier news, there was nothing at all about a hepatitis outbreak. But surprisingly, just two days ago, there was explosive news about several gang fights with police on this street!


    Gangs again! The news didn''t say if this gang was connected to the one at Aurora Entertainment, but it left a lot to the imagination.


    Walking on the streets of the controlled area, there were surprisingly few people. But as we got closer to the center, things finally started getting busier. Not more people, but we could see propaganda vehicles using loudspeakers and drones to call out to the surrounding neighborhoods, telling people to cooperate with the lockdown.


    "During this special time, please stay home and wait for disease screening notices. Try not to go out!"


    Hearing this, I felt something was off! It''s just hepatitis. Being careful about food and drink can control it effectively. Why make people stay home?


    The military controlled area wasn''t that big, but not small either. North to south it was only about 3-4 streets long. There were lots of people living and working in this area. The lockdown left everyone confused. Many still hadn''t gotten over the shock.


    "What are they doing over there?" Adrian asked, pointing at a crowd of people lining up in front of a row of tables in a community square ahead.


    Many of them had suitcases. They looked like local people who had just come out of nearby neighborhoods. But they couldn''t leave right away. They were all gathered in the middle of the square.


    "Hmm... probably taking blood samples!" I looked closer.


    The people sitting behind the tables were clearly medical staff in white coats. There were test tubes and other medical equipment on the tables. Many people who had just left the tables had their sleeves rolled up, like they''d just been stuck with needles.


    Hepatitis can be checked through blood tests, so that made sense. But organizing such large-scale community screening still seemed like overkill to me.


    And even if they were doing tests, why were there armed police and soldiers standing around the square? That didn''t make sense either! They were clearly focused on watching these ordinary people waiting for tests. Were they afraid people would refuse to cooperate?


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Suddenly, something unexpected happened!


    Three sharp gunshots rang out from a neighborhood not far behind us. The crowd started getting restless.


    "Quiet down! This has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and line up to cooperate with the hepatitis A screening!" A military officer in charge of keeping order quickly spoke up to calm people. He also kept chasing away people who were still hanging around the square.


    "Those who''ve already had blood drawn, don''t stay around here. The tests take several hours. During that time, follow the guides to ride buses to centralized quarantine areas to wait for observation. Once we confirm you''re not infected, we''ll arrange for you to leave the controlled area!"


    "But what if we don''t want to go?" As soon as he finished speaking, someone objected. But the officer didn''t agree. He waved his hand impatiently, and several armed police immediately stepped out of line and started chasing people away.


    Soon there was movement from the neighborhood where the gunshots happened! A team of heavily armed soldiers came out of the neighborhood gate. The last few were carrying a stretcher together. You could clearly see there was a body in a bag on it. They loaded it into a van parked by the road and drove away.


    "Something''s not right. There''s definitely something fishy going on!" Seeing this scene, even someone slow-witted could tell things weren''t as simple as the government was saying.


    "Should we follow that car that just left?" Adrian was still focused on that body. Whatever mission they were on, those soldiers must have had a reason for killing their target. The car hadn''t gone far yet. If we went all out to chase it, we could definitely catch up.

 Vol 5/Chapter 78: The Trap

    "Wait, I think I found a better target!" I suddenly noticed something new and quickly stopped Adrian.


    There was a reason for this. According to what the officer said earlier, the people who just had blood drawn in the square were supposed to follow a guide onto a bus and go to a quarantine area.


    But there was a problem with this group. Not far from us was a middle-aged man in a white shirt. At first glance, he didn''t stand out, just following the crowd. But on the way to the parking area, this guy kept glancing towards where Adrian and I were standing. It made me suspicious.


    We''d been invisible since entering the controlled area. Unless there was direct physical contact, normal Earth people shouldn''t be able to notice us at all!


    But this guy seemed to sense exactly where I was, acting suspiciously several times! After watching closely, I felt like I could smell a faint trace of dark element from him. This was a big problem!


    In any world, it''s rare for normal humans to be connected to the dark element. Looking at his appearance, this middle-aged man seemed no different from a regular Earth person. His clothes looked normal, and he even knew how to use a smartphone.


    Could I be imagining things? After discussing with Adrian, we decided to follow this guy and see what happened.


    "Wait here in line to get on the bus. I have something urgent to do. We''ll leave when I get back!" Just before boarding the bus, the female guide suddenly looked at her phone and told the crowd. Then she turned and left.


    "Good chance! We''re lucky. Let''s sneak on too!" Maybe because we were closer now, the dark element smell from the white-shirted man seemed stronger. Now that the person in charge was gone, we had a chance to blend in!


    "You''re right! But the space on the bus is really tight. With so many people, if we stay invisible, we might bump into someone and get discovered!" Adrian agreed right away. Getting on the bus together was easier than following behind, and they weren''t checking IDs anymore. Plus, these people didn''t really know each other.


    We quickly went to a place where no one could see us, became visible, and casually joined the end of the line to get on the bus.


    "Alright, everyone''s here! Let''s go!" We didn''t have to wait long on the bus. The guide came back quickly. She got on the bus, nodded to the driver in military uniform, and the bus slowly left the community square.


    The bus drove on empty streets. Since the controlled area wasn''t that big, the quarantine place shouldn''t be too far. So we''d probably get there in 10 minutes.


    "Miss, where are you taking us for quarantine?" After a few minutes, one auntie couldn''t help asking the guide.


    "Not too far! Don''t worry, we''re almost there!" The guide answered with a smile. Maybe I was being too careful, but when she finished speaking, her eyes suddenly glanced towards where I was sitting for no reason.


    Adrian and I were sitting in the back corner of the bus, where people don''t usually notice. The guide''s look made my heart skip a beat. I felt like maybe we''d missed some detail.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "That guy in the white shirt hasn''t done much. He''s been looking at his phone since he got on the bus. He doesn''t seem suspicious for now," Adrian whispered to me.


    "That''s good. Let''s just follow these people to the quarantine place and see what happens!" At this point, that was all I could decide. Whatever we might face later, with this low level of dark element, it shouldn''t be a big threat to Adrian and me.


    Five more minutes passed, and the bus suddenly turned into an alley.


    The alley was very narrow, just wide enough for the bus to slowly squeeze through. After going down the alley for a few dozen meters, we saw an iron gate. Behind it was a huge warehouse.


    "We''re at the quarantine place!" It looked like this used to be some old factory. While I was wondering about this, the guide started calling out loudly, telling all passengers to take their belongings and get off.


    "This is the quarantine place?"


    "Where are the medical staff?"


    "Did the driver take a wrong turn?"


    "Are they just going to lock us up in this overgrown yard?"


    After getting off the bus, even slow people could tell something wasn''t right. At first, I naively thought maybe they''d fixed up the warehouse for quarantine. But after going through the gate, I realized that was nonsense!


    Old rusty machinery, pipes and metal frames scattered in every corner, weeds as tall as a person everywhere. Clearly, this place hadn''t been used in a long time.


    "This isn''t a quarantine place at all. Let us go!" Some people realized something was wrong and turned to leave. But then they saw the driver get off the bus - holding a gun!


    "Hurry up and get in the warehouse! Otherwise, don''t blame me for being rough!" With the threat of a gun, everyone just shut up. Several dozen people obediently turned around and walked towards the warehouse, not daring to make a sound.


    "That guide is suspicious too!" Adrian had figured it out and reminded me in case I didn''t understand.


    "Sorry, you two need to stay behind. Come with us!" But when we were about to enter the warehouse with the crowd, someone stopped us. It wasn''t the driver with the gun or the female guide. It was the middle-aged man in the white shirt we''d been watching!


    This guy had been mixed in with the crowd before, not saying anything. But now he turned around and came right up to Adrian and me.


    "I guess I was right. You noticed us early on!" I couldn''t help letting out a cold laugh as I watched the warehouse door close not far ahead.


    This result wasn''t really surprising. If I could sense the dark element aura from him, even if it was very faint, he could probably sense the light element aura coming from me too!


    After advancing to eight wings, all my abilities naturally increased a lot. Even though I didn''t have my wings out now, the light element aura from my body was way stronger than normal level 2 or 3 mages.


    "Come with you? What if we refuse?" Adrian frowned. Seeing that I didn''t want to fight right away, he tried to get more information from the guy.


    "Refuse?" The middle-aged man suddenly looked contemptuous when he heard this.


    "Do you have that right? You''re just a normal person. Even if your friend is a light mage, you''re still no match for us!"


    He knew I was a light mage? Though this guess wasn''t exactly right, with how tightly information was controlled, not many normal H-country people would know about this.


    "Since we lured you here, did you think we weren''t prepared at all?" By now the female guide and driver had come over too. They were all working together! So the reason this bus came to this place was because of Adrian and me!


    "They say light mages are very powerful. But since you''ve come to Earth, you must have a lot of limitations in a different world. And we have the advantage of numbers!"


    Clearly, the man in the white shirt was their leader. He waved his hand lightly, and suddenly more than 10 strangers appeared from hiding places around us!


    These people obviously didn''t come on the bus with us. They all had very faint dark element auras too, hard to notice if you weren''t paying attention. In comparison, the female guide and driver had the weakest auras, almost no different from normal people.


    "You think you can trap us with just this many people?" I couldn''t help laughing a little at this situation. It''s true that without my wings out, my power would drop a lot. But even so, it should be more than enough to handle this.


    And I had Adrian with me too!


    "Isn''t it enough?" Seeing that I still looked calm, the man in the white shirt was stunned for a moment. But he seemed to think I was just pretending to be calm and was actually scared inside! He suddenly looked a bit hesitant.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 79: The Blood Clan

    "Boss, stop wasting time talking to her! The Director himself said human magicians aren''t anything special! This girl''s just bluffing. Don''t let her trick you!" the female guide said impatiently.


    "Yeah! We were supposed to sneak out of the controlled area first. But since we found this threat by chance, we''ve got to follow the Chairman''s orders and wipe them out completely!" the driver chimed in. He thought the boss was hesitating, so he quickly added, "I bet these two are leftover soldiers from the Empire who snuck in last time! We can''t use the woman anyway, so we might as well keep the man. Plus, all of H-country is hunting them now. Even the Empire can''t do much because they''re rushing to make peace. It''s the perfect situation for us¡ªthere won''t be any problems after!"


    It seemed the driver really was a soldier. He even knew about things happening in the other world. Too bad he and the guide had it all wrong.


    "Shut up!" the man in the white shirt snapped. Already stressed, his underlings'' chatter pushed him over the edge.


    "You newbies don''t know anything! You can''t feel how terrifying light magic is! These two speaking H-country''s language means they aren''t just ordinary Empire soldiers! I''ve heard there''s magic in the other world to learn languages quickly, but I doubt it''s that simple. This is a direct order from the Chairman, so we''ve got to be extra careful. If something goes wrong, you know what''ll happen to us!"


    Clearly, these people were part of a large organization. But...


    Manager, Director, Chairman? Those titles sounded odd, like something out of a corporate hierarchy.


    "But she doesn''t look that strong..." the female guide muttered, still doubtful.


    Suddenly, a voice interrupted: "Lofin''s right to be cautious. None of you are a match for them! Just bring them to me, and I''ll handle it!"


    The voice wasn''t coming from anyone in the group. Adrian and I couldn''t figure out where it was coming from.


    "This..." The man in the white shirt paled. He quickly knelt down and addressed the air respectfully: "Sir Manager! I was the one who found them first. Please speak favorably of me to the Chairman. Have mercy..."


    "This isn''t your business anymore!" the voice boomed, disregarding his plea. "If you can''t handle it yourself, don''t show off! Bring them to me now. I won''t repeat myself!"


    Quite the attitude! But at least we learned something¡ªthe voice seemed to be coming from below us!


    When the manager gave the order, dark magic seeped out from the ground. Everyone but Adrian and I looked bewildered.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Yes, sir..." Lofin responded emotionlessly, like a robot. He then led us forward without looking back.


    "We''re really following them?" Adrian whispered, looking around cautiously.


    The situation was definitely strange. Even seasoned guys like us had to tread carefully.


    "Let''s go. I think I''ve figured out what''s going on with them," I said after some thought.


    I wasn''t being arrogant. Their reactions hinted at some sort of spirit control. Most spirit magic is based on light magic, though there are other exceptions. Some monsters can do it too. And that strict hierarchy¡ªit was all pretty obvious!


    Now I just needed to confirm my theory.


    "The Manager is down here. Go in on your own!" Lofin said as we reached the back of a warehouse. In a corner littered with rocks and weeds was a staircase leading underground. Lofin pointed to the dark stairway and nudged us forward, clearly not eager to follow.


    "They''re not coming with us? Is this manager really...?" Adrian began to piece things together after I gave him a hint.


    Even in broad daylight, the abandoned basement gave off an eerie vibe. After descending about 10 meters and rounding a corner, the light completely vanished.


    But I wasn''t the same as before. No light? No problem! I conjured some with magic, and we reached the bottom easily.


    At the end of the stairs stood a rusty iron door, half open. A thick scent of dark magic filled the air. Adrian pushed the door wide, revealing everything inside!


    This room used to be part of the factory''s storage, but now it was something else entirely! Everything had been cleared out. A single dim light bulb flickered on the wall. The most striking feature was three coffins on the floor, arranged in a triangle!


    "So this is magic! Never thought I''d see it for real. I don''t know who you are, but you''ve certainly broadened my horizons." A figure rose from the coffin in the bottom right corner. He looked young, sharply dressed like an office worker. But when he smiled, two fangs appeared!


    I knew I had guessed right¡ªthese guys were vampires!


    This wasn''t my first encounter with vampires. Back when I only had four wings, I nearly died fighting one!


    But these vampires and Lofin''s group were different from the monster vampires I''d seen before. They were once humans¡ªEarth humans¡ªtransformed by some strange dark magic.


    It''s common knowledge that real vampires¡ªthe ones that can turn into bats¡ªcreate more of their kind through blood-sucking or infecting wounds. The vampire ancestors'' saliva carries potent dark magic that spreads through your bloodstream. They can''t make new vampires but can control your body and mind by manipulating your organs. They even spread their influence through their saliva, like some kind of dark magic pyramid scheme!


    As long as there''s enough dark magic, high-ranking vampires can completely control their underlings. The bitten humans become vampires too, part of what''s known as the Blood Clan!


    Fortunately for us, the dark magic from the ancestors doesn''t grow. So unless they''re in their original world, spreading out on Earth weakens the dark magic in each vampire, creating a clear pyramid structure with varying power levels.


    That''s why they use corporate titles¡ªit reflects their ranks. Unlike the noble titles of the other world, Earth vampires prefer a more business-like hierarchy.


    "If I''m not mistaken, you''re not the top boss, right?" I asked. Despite this manager''s high rank, humans don''t turn into vampires for no reason. Someone must''ve bitten him too.


    The reason I agreed to come down here was to wipe out the whole vampire nest! But this guy didn''t seem like the head honcho. The coffin to his left reeked of even stronger dark magic!


    Maybe the original monster that escaped from the Empire was in there?


    "If you''re the manager, where''s the chairman?" Adrian asked. He wasn''t familiar with Earth''s customs, but it''s easy enough to look up the highest-ranking person in a company.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 80: The Director

    "Chairman? Looks like you all don''t get what''s going on here. We''re all loyal followers of Chairman Bolifar. Everything we do is for him. You ain''t got the right to meet him yet!"


    The manager shook his head like we were dumb. Seemed he didn''t want to introduce us. He spread his arms and told Adrian straight:


    "Lofin''s an idiot, but I see your potential! Our company needs people bad. Join my team and you''ll work hard, get one free day a week, and lots of good benefits. Way better than working under that loser Lofin! Plus, if we take over this big city, the hard workers might even get to meet the chairman himself!"


    Man, this guy must''ve been in HR before becoming a vampire! So they''re after the whole city!


    If they keep growing, they might really pull it off. No wonder the government''s controlling this area so tight, always checking people''s blood for "diseases". They probably found out vampire blood is different and wanna stop it from spreading.


    But even the tightest security''s got holes. Looks like vampires already snuck into the health department. That soldier driver and the guide lady were new recruits for sure.


    "What about me?" I asked. Sounded like he thought he had us both, but he only mentioned Adrian.


    "You?" The manager frowned like I stank. He waved his hand and said, "You look strong, but light magic don''t fit our company''s future plans. Talent like yours shouldn''t be in this world. Better go underground and wait for news."


    That''s too much! Can''t believe I came all this way just to get rejected again!


    I finally got it. This manager liked Adrian and wanted to make him a vampire. But I use light magic, so I can''t be controlled. That''s why he cut me out from the start.


    "Sorry, but I''m happy being human. Don''t wanna change my race right now," Adrian said, shaking his head.


    "Oh really? You don''t get a choice..." the manager growled. He was gonna force us, but then another voice spoke up.


    "Well said! It''s rare to find someone with such guts. I quite like it!" It was a woman''s voice, real sexy. It came from the other coffin.


    Was the vampire ancestor Bolifar finally showing up? That coffin had way more dark magic than the manager''s. I thought so at first. But when the manager heard it, his face changed. He turned and begged:


    "Director ma''am, I found them first. Please respect the rules and let me have them..."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    So that''s how it is!


    Adrian was like a hot bun - two high-level vampires fighting over him.


    But she was just a director. I was disappointed again. Looked like my plan to take them all out was toast. All the coffins were open now. Besides the manager''s and director''s, the last one was already empty.


    That Chairman Bolifar wasn''t even here.


    "How dare you! The chairman put me in charge of this base. Who are you to tell me what to do? Le Hooyi, listen up - I''m taking this new guy. You better worry about dealing with that magician!"


    The coffin on the ground suddenly stood up. The lid opened slowly in a cloud of black smoke. Pretty dramatic.


    But the director who came out was surprising. She was real young! Fancy clothes and pretty face - must''ve been important before. Too bad she became a monster''s puppet without knowing.


    "She seems stronger than we thought. Better save your strength. Want me to handle her?" Adrian said, looking serious.


    He had a point. Magic''s hard to refill in this world. This lady director was way more scary than we expected. Usually, vampire ancestors are about level 6, and their followers are much weaker. Direct followers are usually only level 5. But this director felt at least level 6. No wonder I thought she was the boss at first.


    Honestly, didn''t expect to meet such a strong vampire in a place with so little magic like Earth! But Adrian can handle this level no problem. I nodded to agree.


    "Alright, I''ll take the manager then!"


    They''d already picked who''d fight who. The manager had to listen to the director''s orders, so he was aiming for me now. Made sense for me to face him.


    "So you still won''t give in, huh? You''re really something, little brother. I''ll make you bow to me myself!" The lady director licked her red lips, looking excited. She vanished and reappeared next to Adrian.


    Surprisingly, she didn''t use weapons or fists. She went straight for his neck with her mouth!


    "Hey! Fight properly! What''re you doing?" I almost blew up. The director probably thought she could take Adrian down easy. That "kiss" was just to suck blood. But doing that flirty stuff right in front of me - I couldn''t take it.


    "Watch out! I have a girlfriend. Take this seriously and show some respect!" Adrian dodged just in time. He jumped back and warned her angrily.


    "Oh, someone''s jealous!" The director glanced at me. Of course she wouldn''t stop. She went after Adrian again, even bolder this time. Clearly trying to make me mad!


    I started to regret letting Adrian fight her. He''s strong with his fighting energy, but close combat is his weak point!


    Don''t know if the director got lucky or saw through this. She kept pressing Adrian hard. He had no time to get his weapons out. He could only use his clumsy basic fighting skills and try to dodge her shameless attacks.


    "Not bad for a human from another world! You''ve lasted way longer than any Earth person could!" The director showed her fangs, looking even more excited. Her attacks got faster and stronger. Looks like I underestimated her - she''s stronger than just barely level 6!


    But I couldn''t help Adrian yet. The manager finally started moving.


    This guy was pretty normal, only about level 5. But for me without my wings out, I couldn''t fight him head-on.


    Maybe ''cause their power came from the same ancestor, both vampires fought kinda the same way - mostly close combat. But the manager hadn''t been a vampire as long as the director. He wasn''t as good at fighting.


    I kept throwing holy light bombs at him. He couldn''t dodge them all - he got hit by one or two out of every ten! But holy light bombs are the weakest light magic. They don''t use much power, but they''re not very strong. Couldn''t really hurt him bad.


    If holy light bombs don''t work, let''s try a higher-level purifying spell!


    Before, I couldn''t use purifying spells in this situation. But things are different now. I can''t use them unlimited, but two or three is no sweat!

 Vol 5/Chapter 81: Purification

    "What''s this?"


    Seeing the purification spell orb I threw out, the manager was stunned. He had never seen such a spell¡ªslow but able to track its target. From his experience, a level 5 monster like him would be in bad shape if it hit him directly, maybe even half-dead. This spell was much stronger than those holy light bullets he had encountered before!


    Though he didn''t recognize the spell, the manager sensed the danger. After dodging for a while, he quickly figured out how to counter it.


    "Is that all you''ve got?"


    He suddenly jumped to a corner of the ceiling. Biting his finger hard, blood started flowing. This wasn''t self-harm¡ªthe blood, mixed with dark energy, floated in the air and transformed into a scythe.


    Since there wasn''t much blood, the scythe was thin and almost see-through, not fully solid. But it didn''t need to be perfect. The scythe''s purpose was to break my purification spell. When they collided, both the scythe and the orb disappeared!


    ¡°Hmph, let''s see what else you can do, magician from another world!¡±


    Just as I was surprised, the manager suddenly attacked. He got close and kicked my arm, pushing me back several meters.


    ¡°Was that your big move? We''re not as weak as those others upstairs. Surrender now to avoid more pain,¡± he bragged after landing his hit.


    "Another vampire skill, huh..."


    I realized the scythe was a vampire ability. Vampires could solidify dark energy into weapons, but regular vampires couldn''t make these weapons perfect. They needed to add some of their blood to stabilize the form!


    Even low-level vampires can control their blood, but how much blood they need and the weapon''s stability depends on their power. The manager''s scythe was rough, barely effective, and only managed to block my spell, but not much else.


    Even though his weapon was crude, the fact that he could create it showed his strength. Most lower-level monsters couldn''t make weapons out of energy. No wonder he was the manager.


    ¡°You probably don''t know about a time in the other world, do you? There was an era when vampires ruled, and humans in every country suffered. Even the church couldn''t fully protect people from the dark forces..."


    I had enough energy for maybe one or two more purification spells, but I couldn''t defeat him quickly. I looked at Adrian''s fight. Though he hadn''t moved far from the female director, she had realized things were getting serious. She wasn''t as careless as before, which gave me a bit of relief. I continued talking to the manager:The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°But that was over a thousand years ago. Now, those so-called vampire ancestors hide deep in the Dark Continent, afraid to come out. Do you know what nearly wiped out all vampires?¡±


    "How would I know?"


    The manager, originally from Earth, had no idea. His master wouldn''t have shared this knowledge with him. But something in my question made him pause. He suddenly realized something was wrong.


    "Why?"


    ¡°Because of angels!¡±


    Without hesitation, I spread my wings. The bright light from my four pairs of wings filled the underground room.


    The manager couldn''t handle the intense light. After using so much energy in our fight, he couldn''t last any longer. His body melted into a puddle of blood.


    The female director wasn''t much better. Though her power was still there, the attack drained her dark energy and weakened her considerably.


    "So you''re an angel!"


    Fear hit her as she backed away, pointing at me in disbelief. "Why didn''t the chairman tell me angels had come to Earth?"


    ¡°Because he probably didn''t know,¡± I answered. I didn''t feel like talking to this witch who had toyed with Adrian. I threw my sword, striking her throat and pinning her to the wall.


    Like the manager, her body turned into a pool of blood, leaving no trace.


    ¡°That sword throw was pretty cool,¡± Adrian said, awkwardly scratching his head. He quickly changed the subject and added, ¡°Humans owe a lot to angels. They''re the reason many of us are still alive today.¡±


    "Stop chatting and let''s get out of here. We still have to deal with the ones outside!" I rolled my eyes at him as I grabbed my weapon and headed toward the stairs.


    Thinking about it, Adrian wasn''t entirely wrong. According to various clues, Elara I''s defeat led to vampires hiding in the Dark Continent. Elara III reopened Edenmere''s passage, allowing angels to return to the world.


    When we reached the exit, supervisor Lofin and the others were waiting. They greeted Adrian enthusiastically, not realizing anything was wrong. ¡°How was it? The manager looks scary, but he''s good to us! Whenever there''s fresh blood, we all get a share. He even assigns some underlings to us sometimes!¡±


    Lofin didn''t notice what had happened. He put his arm around Adrian, trying to be friendly.


    "Since you''re with the manager now, that makes you my boss. You''re lucky! You can pick one of the human reserves from the warehouse as your assistant!" another worker added.


    Adrian, caught off guard by the warm welcome, didn''t know how to respond. He looked uncomfortable, unsure how to break the news.


    ¡°Isn''t the director still down there? She should''ve come up by now,¡± the female guide said, confused. Her gaze shifted to the stairway, and she started to look scared.


    ¡°That woman is still alive? What about the manager...¡±


    People around us started noticing something was wrong, disbelief on their faces.


    ¡°Look at her wings! They weren''t there before!¡±


    Finally, someone noticed my wings. I frowned as I reached the last step, not bothering to say more. I raised my hand, releasing over a dozen purification orbs. They flew into the sky and came back down, striking each vampire in the head. One by one, they fell, leaving only Adrian standing.


    "I''m sorry, I couldn''t do it..." Adrian apologized.


    "It''s fine," I waved it off and found a place to sit down, exhausted.


    I understood why he hesitated, after all, people''s hearts are made of flesh. But my move was too costly¡ªthis world doesn''t have enough elemental energy to replenish what I lost. If I''d had enough magic power, I wouldn''t have needed to hide my wings and struggle with the manager earlier.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 82: Tenda Flats

    "You okay? Want to rest a bit more?"


    Seeing my condition, Adrian quickly understood why. He rushed over to help spread out my thick wings on the ground, letting them soak up the sunlight.


    Sadly, this was too slow. Even with eight wings now, the magic recharge felt worse than a solar power bank. I figured even if I waited till dark, my magic might not even recover 10%.


    "Forget it, we shouldn''t stay here. Better leave soon."


    After resting for about 10 minutes, I suddenly remembered and quickly stood up. I went to check on the vampires.


    As expected, most of them were still breathing, just knocked out for now.


    "These folks haven''t been vampires for long. They should survive the purification without much problem. Whether there are side effects depends on their luck," Adrian sighed. This was partly why he hesitated to attack earlier.


    As long as they lived, purified vampires are basically normal people. That''s why I used the high-cost multi-purification spell. Hopefully, freed from vampire control, they''ll find their way in life again.


    Soon after leaving the abandoned factory and getting back to the street, we heard police sirens in the distance.


    It was about what we expected. The government must have noticed a whole bus of people missing. They''d probably find the factory soon.


    But we had to give up on finding Nicola. With vampires in the south part of city, if she was around, she wouldn''t have let them grow so big.


    More importantly, we had a new lead from Cyra.


    "Ah... looks like we got a message!"


    Just after leaving the military-controlled area, Adrian suddenly remembered to check his phone. He looked surprised and quickly showed me. "There''s a notification! We didn''t notice earlier, seems it came a while ago."


    "Oh, from Cyra?"


    It was indeed a reply from the "superpowered girl"! But she didn''t say much, just sent an address: Room 714, Building 3, Tenda Flats, 33 Mubay Road.


    "This place..."


    Seeing the address, I was totally confused about what she was up to.


    I remembered Mubay Road was far from downtown, in the suburbs. Was this where Cyra''s family moved after being forced out?


    If not, it was puzzling. This area used to be for relocated residents. Later, with more migrants coming in, most became shared rentals run by dodgy landlords. Usually, you wouldn''t find empty rooms like we did before.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    As an angel with no name or ID in this world, she couldn''t just rent a place normally like regular folks! So how did she manage it?


    "Should we go there now?" Adrian handed me the phone. He didn''t know much about this world, so he left the decision to me.


    "Hmm... better wait till night."


    Looking at the sky, it was still afternoon. Taking public transport to Mubay Road would take too long. It''d be faster to fly there after dark.


    Though we secretly took down the vampire den without telling anyone, it affected a big area in the south. While eating dinner at a restaurant, we saw some breaking news on our phones.


    "Good news! This afternoon, city police successfully busted an illegal den spreading Hepatitis A. 13 suspects were arrested, including 3 ringleaders! This criminal gang was largely responsible for the out-of-control Hepatitis A outbreak in the south. Experts say the spread of hepatitis is now effectively controlled. The southern controlled area may gradually reopen in the next day or two. We ask citizens to stay calm, not believe or spread rumors, and not panic unnecessarily."


    This news was clearly meant to calm people down. H-country had never had area lockdowns due to disease before. All kinds of rumors and conspiracy theories were spreading online. Food-related disinfectant products were sold out in most stores.


    The Shine Metropolitan government''s announcement did help a bit. But after reading it, Adrian was worried things might not be so simple.


    "Is this the vampires'' only den in the city? I don''t know much about vampire organization, but I''ve heard there are many levels under the ancestor. We met too few higher-ups. Did we miss something?"


    "Probably not," I blurted out.


    From what Supervisor Lofin said, he wanted to break through the lockdown before meeting us. So other parts of Shine Metropolitan likely weren''t affected yet.


    Plus, the city has cameras everywhere. If vampires were attacking people, someone would''ve reported it online! And in the next few days, there''ll be citywide blood tests. They couldn''t hide for long!


    "That''s true," Adrian agreed. After all, the two worlds manage cities very differently. A lot of his experience might not apply on Earth.


    But there was still that ancestor vampire...


    Thinking of that big fish that got away gave me a headache. He didn''t show up when his base was attacked, so he probably wasn''t in Shine Metropolitan then!


    But finding him outside Shine Metropolitan would be super hard! He could go anywhere on this big Earth.


    After dinner, we had nothing else to do until it got dark.


    After a long journey, we finally reached 33 Mubay Road.


    As I remembered, this area was much busier than other places. The whole district was on a hillside, so many streets had a three-level structure - upper, middle, and lower.


    Some tall buildings seemed to have ground-level entrances, but up close, they were actually mid-level, with separate entrances for the top and bottom floors. Combined with shops, vendors, and a maze of stairs and alleys, the city felt like a 3D puzzle. Without phone maps, outsiders wouldn''t risk exploring.


    "Was this built to defend against invaders?" Adrian joked, looking down at the busy street below from the "cliff" edge.


    We stood on the roof of Building 2 in Tenda Flats, with Building 3 seemingly within reach. But to get there, we had to descend to the street and enter Building 3 from the ground floor.


    "Don''t worry, it''s just poor planning." I sighed, looking back at the busy road into the village. We had no choice but to take the stairs like normal people.


    These old buildings didn''t even have elevators. A regular person would be exhausted going up and down, but it wasn''t a problem for us.


    Luckily, the buildings in Tenda Flats weren''t very tall. Standing in front of Room 714, I gently rang the doorbell. Instead of Cyra answering as I expected, after a long wait we heard someone''s footsteps running to open the door.


    "Who are you looking for?"


    A chubby young man opened the door. He was surprised to see me and Adrian standing outside.


    Who''s this guy? I don''t know him at all!


    Just as I thought we might have the wrong place, the young man suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh right, Cyra''s friends! Why are you so late? I almost forgot!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 83: Livestream

    £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©


    I was shocked when I heard that. Since the fat guy knew Cyra''s name, we must be in the right place. But where was she? And who was this fat guy? How did they know each other?


    I had many questions, but no answers yet. The fat guy warmly invited me and Adrian inside. We were surprised to see the place looked quite nice.


    Unlike the usual shared rooms in this area, this guy seemed to have the whole flat to himself. It had a proper layout - dining area and kitchen near the entrance, then a big living room. Adrian looked around and asked straight away:


    "Where''s Cyra?"


    "Oh, she''s in the bedroom. She should be livestreaming now." He led us to a bedroom and pointed at the closed door.


    I noticed he kept looking at me. Just as I was wondering about it, he gathered his courage and asked:


    "Um, from what Cyra said about you guys... if I''m not wrong, you must be... you know?"


    "What do you mean?" I asked, confused. I was about to open the door when he said that.


    The door wasn''t fully closed. I pushed it open slowly and saw inside.


    The bedroom was even fancier than outside, clearly set up for a girl. There were cute dolls everywhere.


    Just like the guy said, Cyra was sitting at the computer, wearing headphones with cat ears. She didn''t notice us come in at all.


    "...I really want to go on a date with you!" she read from the screen. She must have seen a comment like that. She smacked the table and scolded in a sneering voice:


    "Oi, don''t be so gross! Wake up, this is just an online stream and I''m just a small-time streamer. Are you imagining some love story with me ''cos you can''t get any in real life? What can I say? Haha, go away!"


    "What?" she continued, leaning closer to the screen in disbelief.


    "You want me to pull my collar down more? Look, look! This top doesn''t even have a collar... Pull it down more? If I do that, it won''t be appropriate for you to see! That kind of stuff is only on paid sites. My stream might get banned! Are you a troll sent by some other streamer?"


    Then she looked really disappointed and kept scolding:


    "Why are you lot always up to no good? Am I the type to do risque streams? My channel is about showing superpowers! You never ask proper questions about that, always thinking dirty! Sigh, I scold these useless trolls but they never go away. Hopeless!"


    She was so into her stream, she still hadn''t noticed us behind her. I had no choice but to walk around the camera and pull off her headphones.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "What the... it''s you?" Cyra jumped up in surprise when she saw me. "Why are you coming so late?"


    "Duh, you gave us this address to come to! Tenda Flats is so hard to find, we took ages to get here..." I replied annoyed. But then I saw what she was wearing and stopped mid-sentence. "Aren''t you cold?"


    Seriously, her outfit was way too revealing. No wonder those viewers kept asking dodgy questions.


    "Never mind that! I''m still streaming. We''ll talk properly after I finish, okay?" Cyra looked at the computer, then at me and the others still at the door. She seemed unsure, but chose the stream. She pushed me towards the door and sat back down.


    "Sorry everyone, that was just my silly sister causing trouble. Now let''s get to the costume change you''ve all been waiting for!"


    Did she call us all the way here just to watch her stream? I was so mad I could barely speak. Seeing she had no time for us, I closed the bedroom door and went back out with Adrian and the others.


    "Ah, she''s always like this when streaming. Why don''t you wait outside?" the fat guy said. He warmly led us to sit in the living room and got some sodas from the fridge.


    "Want a drink? Oh, there''s a TV too..." He fumbled with the remote but couldn''t find any channels. "Sorry, we don''t usually watch TV so we didn''t get cable..."


    "It''s fine, don''t worry about it," I said. But he didn''t leave, just sat awkwardly on the sofa with us.


    "Why don''t you take a look, this should be Cyra''s stream," Adrian said. He was prepared and opened the "Supergirl" livestream page on his phone to show me.


    Cyra had changed into the uniform dress from when we were in Edenmere! She even had the wings out, glowing slightly. It was quite eye-catching.


    "Alright fans, this angel costume with six wings was voted most popular cosplay this month! If you like it, take screenshots now, smash that like button, and donate if you can. If this gets you interested in the True Church, even better!"


    Of course the comments thought it was all special effects. But seeing this ridiculous scene, I wanted to go strangle her!


    Didn''t she call herself a superpower streamer? Why is she always doing this revealing stuff to get views!


    I''m so careful about showing my wings to save energy. But here she is wasting precious light element on streaming! Even if it''s not too much overall, every bit counts. I''m surprised monsters haven''t found her yet.


    "She''s going to get herself in trouble one day," I thought.


    It wasn''t my stream so I couldn''t do anything. But I noticed something interesting - the fat guy was also watching Cyra''s stream on his phone. Cyra herself was in the next room, but he didn''t look surprised at all, like he was used to this.


    "What''s your name? How do you know Cyra?" I finally asked him. Maybe he knew something about Cyra''s true identity?


    "Oh... me? I''m Raydwin," he replied. He didn''t seem to mind and told us how he met Cyra, right in this building!


    "My parents died in an accident and left me this flat. A month ago, I was about to sleep after gaming when I heard a huge crash on the roof. It sounded like something massive fell, so I ran out to check..."


    Raydwin was actually a student at the nearby Tech University. His flat was on the top floor of the building. So if something happened above, it must have been on the roof.


    When Raydwin got to the roof, he saw a girl lying there. The impact had even cracked the concrete! But she wasn''t dead. When he checked closely, she was just unconscious. The craziest thing was she had three pairs of glowing white wings on her back!


    Even someone slow would realize this girl wasn''t human. Raydwin didn''t rush her to the hospital, but took her back to his flat first.


    He was used to seeing angels in movies and anime, so as a nerd he started treating Cyra like a goddess.


    "When Cyra woke up, she told me she was fighting a demon lord''s general and got ambushed. That''s why she fell onto my roof! The dark forces are running wild now. The demon king woke up and wants to take the beautiful angels from the heavens, and take over Earth too! The world is in trouble again, so she needs to hide and recover for a while. This place became her temporary base."


    The story he told next was super over-the-top. Since Cyra mentioned allies from heaven would come find her today, Raydwin naturally guessed my identity too. He didn''t try to hide anything as he spoke.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 84: Taking on a Disciple

    "Cyra told you all that? What else did she say?" I was shocked that he even knew angels were all female.


    "Of course she told me everything! She said the final battle between heaven and the demon army is coming soon. I''m the chosen one! Now that angels have come to help me, saving the world is my job. She can''t hide anything from me!"


    Raydwin looked super proud and excited.


    "Pffft!" Adrian spat out his Coke.


    "Ah, as I thought, the heavenly messenger isn''t used to Earth drinks. Wait a bit, I''ll get you something else!" Raydwin quickly brought over a bottle of some herbal drink.


    Because of Cyra''s nonsense, Raydwin thought Adrian was a messenger from heaven since he came with me.


    But Adrian didn''t want to drink that weird herbal stuff. When Raydwin went to clean up, Adrian whispered to me:


    "What a mess. Should we tell him the truth? Is this another of Cyra''s tricks?"


    Adrian knew what Cyra was like.


    "Uh, (;Ò»_Ò») it''s not good to burst his bubble, right?" I said.


    I was cringing inside. Looks like Cyra had been lying to live here comfortably for over a month. If the truth came out, we might get kicked out or even caught by Earth''s government! We couldn''t just kill this guy to keep him quiet over something small.


    "What are you two whispering about?"


    Cyra suddenly came out of her room. She grabbed a Coke from the fridge to go back to streaming, but then turned to us and said:


    "You just left heaven so you don''t know how dangerous it is down here. Be careful when you go out. The demon army is getting bolder. I heard Lady Elara ordered us to fight hard against the monsters and protect Earth from the demon realm!"


    This made no sense and sounded super childish! When did Elara ever say that? And how would Cyra even know Elara''s orders from Earth?


    But hearing "demon army", Adrian and I quickly realized she was reminding us to back up her lies since she heard us talking outside.


    She couldn''t say it directly with Raydwin there, so she had to be vague.


    "What about me? What can I do to help?" Raydwin immediately asked, pointing at himself.


    "I know I''m just a normal human now, but I learn fast! I''m different from other humans - I was chosen by heaven! I''m ready to help save humanity. With some training I can do any job. If you have some secret fighting skills from heaven, that''d be even better. I won''t let you down!"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Secret skills, huh... Well..."


    Cyra hadn''t expected this and was stuck. She''d told him all those big lies herself, so it didn''t make sense to leave Raydwin out completely.


    She looked him up and down, then her eyes lit up as she glanced at Adrian.


    "For training, we should ask Adrian! He was human originally, and he''s even a bit stronger than me! You know us angels look like humans but we''re totally different. Our techniques and magic might not work for Earth humans. It''s better to learn from your own kind!"


    "Really? So the heavenly messenger was human too! No wonder he feels so familiar!" Raydwin was overjoyed.


    Though he was fat, he moved pretty fast! He rushed over to Adrian and suddenly dropped to his knees.


    "Master! Please accept me as your disciple. My future depends on your guidance!"


    I get it now! Were these two pulling a trick together? Or had they planned this from the start?


    "Huh? Me? Um..." Adrian was totally lost. At first he thought he misheard, then he looked at the eager fat guy kneeling in front of him. He glanced at me for help, then nervously grabbed that herbal drink and chugged it.


    "Bleh! What is this taste? How can anyone drink this?" As expected, he spat it all out. That herbal drink was famous for tasting awful!


    "Sorry, wrong one!" Raydwin quickly swapped it for some iced tea, then knelt down again.


    "Just accept him if you want," I told Adrian, glaring at Cyra.


    Honestly, though the fat guy''s sudden request was surprising, you could tell he was sincere.


    I was also curious if skills from another world could work on Earth humans. Angel light magic weren''t suitable, but Adrian was the perfect choice to try.


    "Well, if that''s the case..." Adrian was mostly worried if he could actually teach, especially to a normal Earth human.


    "Alright, I''ll give it a try. But don''t call me ''Master'', I can''t guarantee I''ll succeed..." he said seriously. "I''ll warn you, my teaching will be strict! You''re not young anymore and clearly out of shape. If you want real results, you need to be ready for hard work!"


    "Of course, Master! You''re right!" This challenge didn''t scare the nerdy guy at all. He was about to kowtow like in TV shows, but Adrian quickly stopped him.


    "What are you doing? I said don''t call me Master. Just think of it as me being free and trying to teach you!"


    "No problem, Master!"


    "I told you not to call me that!"


    "OK, Master!"


    ...


    The mood lightened up after that. Happy to be accepted, Raydwin lost his shyness. He dragged Adrian outside to an open space, eager to start training right away.


    Cyra didn''t join them, of course. She went back to her room to keep streaming.


    Adrian and I privately agreed to pretend we never heard all the nonsense Cyra and Raydwin said before.


    Actually, it wasn''t all lies. We really were angels fighting monsters. The "saving the world" stuff was mostly in the nerd''s imagination, so it wasn''t exactly cheating him.


    "That jerk Cyra! Is streaming that profitable? She still hasn''t come out!"


    I got bored waiting in the room. When I went outside, I found they were already doing running training.


    "Since you haven''t awakened Battle Qi. We have to start with the basics! Your body is in terrible shape. If you can''t run 3km a day, we can''t do anything else!"


    I don''t know what amazing skills Adrian showed at first, but Raydwin happily accepted this tough training plan!


    Of course, Adrian didn''t start with the full training right away. He knew from his own experience as a normal human how important it was to build up slowly. He added lots of rest breaks too.


    As the evening went on, more people came to the open space to exercise. Adrian and Raydwin had to move their training along the nearby mountain paths, going further from Tenda Flats.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 85: The Vampire Ancestor

    "Can that fatty handle it?" I muttered to myself after they disappeared from sight.


    Now I was alone. No way I''d join Raydwin and Adrian for a run! But just sitting around waiting for Cyra didn''t feel right either. So I decided to wander around the neighborhood to kill time.


    Tenda Flats was a resettlement area, but it was actually an old neighborhood at least 10 years old. It sat on a hillside east of Shine Metropolitan. During the day, most residents were out working. But at night, it got super lively. The nearby shopping street was packed with people, as busy as the city center.


    "Here''s your takoyaki, miss. I gave you an extra one. Come again!" said the stall owner.


    I eagerly popped one in my mouth. So yummy! You can''t get this special snack in another world. Probably only on Earth.


    I strolled along the street, buying and eating stuff. But suddenly something felt off. A strong dark aura appeared in the crowd ahead.


    As people moved forward, I spotted a figure in a tailcoat.


    He looked weird - sunken cheeks, pale face, middle-aged, with a mysterious vibe. His outfit didn''t match the surroundings at all. But cosplay was popular in this country lately, so most people ignored him. Only a few gave curious looks.


    "You must be a vampire, right?" I asked bluntly when he got close.


    "Didn''t expect to meet a human with such strong light energy in another world. Are you also a light mage who crossed over?" he replied in the common language of the other world.


    Could it be...


    "What do you think?" I answered in the same language. I don''t like giving straight answers to monsters. It''s more fun to play dumb.


    "No, that''s not right. A human mage wouldn''t be so calm seeing me..."


    But this guy was smart. He saw through my act right away:


    "Angels who hide their wings are almost the same as human mages. I''ve met many before. So you must be an angel!"


    No doubt, this vampire knew everything! From our chat, he was very likely the vampire ancestor I''d been looking for!


    "Well what do you know, the one I''ve been searching for comes right to me!" I said coldly. At first I thought he''d left the country. If he really left, it''d be hard to find him. But if he came to me himself, of course I wouldn''t let him go!


    "Sounds like you''ve been looking for me..." The vampire ancestor''s expression changed as he realized something.


    "So you''re the one who took out my subordinates? No wonder I came back to find the organization I worked so hard to build was wiped out by humans! Humans in this world don''t even know about elements. It must be you angels messing things up!"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Oh? And how did you find me?" I asked. After destroying the vampire den in the south, I never showed my wings again to save energy. How could he find me so precisely, even with strong senses?


    "Haha, do you even need to ask? What do you think?" He didn''t answer directly, but glanced behind me with an amused look.


    Could it be... I turned to look and finally understood.


    "That stupid Cyra!"


    The place the vampire pointed at was Tenda Flats Building 3, where Cyra was. To livestream, that idiot had her wings out the whole time!


    Angel form doesn''t lose much light energy, but in this element-poor Earth environment it really stands out. Over time it attracted monsters!


    If I hadn''t happened to run into the enemy in the shopping street, Cyra would''ve been the vampire ancestor''s first target!


    "I don''t know what your friend is up to hiding in that building. Lying in wait for me? Or too scared to come out? But tell me, do you really plan to fight me right here?" The vampire ancestor suddenly smiled evilly. Several figures emerged from the crowd behind him.


    "So you''ve already gotten to them!" I sighed. These minions were all residents from around Tenda Flats, newly turned into vampires. Clearly this ancestor''s handiwork!


    The one bit of luck was that he hadn''t been here long, so not many were infected yet - just a handful.


    The situation wasn''t too bad. As long as I took out the ancestor, the source of all evil, all the minions should lose their power!


    "Let''s go somewhere quieter!" I said, turning to leave. Afraid he might not follow, I taunted: "Or are you scared and want to run away?"


    "No problem... as you wish!" The ancestor smiled creepily. Thankfully he agreed and followed me away from the crowded shopping street.


    ...


    We went to a nearby hilltop, not far from Tenda Flats. It was a city park viewpoint, closed at night and deserted - perfect for our fight.


    "Nice place, great view! Too bad it''s only good at night..." The vampire ancestor looked up at the night sky, then suddenly turned vicious. "It''s all because of you! You wrecked the power I built in this city. Now I have to start over and lay low. I won''t let you off this time!"


    "Oh yeah? We''ll see if you''ve got what it takes!" I stuffed the last takoyaki in my mouth. No need to hold back now - I spread my wings.


    "An eight-winged angel? Not bad, not bad. Didn''t expect angels to be so deep into this world!"


    Surprisingly, he didn''t look scared at all when he saw my form. He even clapped, looking impressed.


    Is he just putting on an act?


    I was confused. Vampires are gifted, born at 4th level almost equal to angels. But they''re limited by dark energy side effects - very few surpass 7th level! Plus he''d made many minions here quickly, which should''ve weakened him. He shouldn''t look down on an eight-winged angel!


    But remembering that "Director" who was over 6th level, I didn''t dare underestimate him. I launched three purifying light orbs at him from different directions.


    "Heh..." With a scornful laugh, the vampire ancestor''s body suddenly scattered into a flock of bats, vanishing into the night sky.


    If I still had just two wings, I might not understand what happened.


    But now it''s totally different - this is actually one of vampires'' innate skills. They can transform into bat form to dodge in battle. They even make fake copies to confuse enemies.


    In that case, the next move should be...


    I drew my sword and stabbed behind me without hesitation!


    "You think a weapon like that can hurt me?" The vampire ancestor appeared behind me, pinching the blade between two fingers. But his smile froze as a thick beam of light shot down from above, engulfing us both.


    The sword was just bait. The real attack was still "Paradise Lost Shockwave"!


    With my magic badly depleted and hard to replenish, I can''t waste high-level spells. Every shot must hit the enemy!


    My earlier moves were all to ensure this by distracting him. Light magic doesn''t hurt me at all, but vampires sure don''t like it. Even if it doesn''t kill him, it''ll badly wound him for sure.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 86: Working Together to Defeat the Enemy

    "That really hurt! Guess I shouldn''t look down on angels. In the past, I''d probably be dead by now," said the vampire ancestor.


    But something wasn''t right. The weakened vampire suddenly got way stronger, his dark energy growing several times. He slowly stood up in front of me.


    This looked familiar! Just like when I fought Camille last night.


    No way! Does Earth''s environment make monsters stronger?


    I was shocked. This meant Camille''s power boost wasn''t a one-time thing. Since this guy was already stronger than a succubus, he recovered super fast. In seconds, he was back to full health and even stronger than before.


    "Haha, now it''s my turn to attack!" The vampire ancestor got real cocky. With a crazy laugh, he became a black blur, his claws coming right at me!


    I barely blocked with my weapon, but the sword couldn''t handle such huge power. It broke into pieces.


    Luckily I dodged in time and wasn''t hit directly! The claws just grazed my chest, leaving five bright red scratches. No big injury though.


    But the enemy didn''t give me a break. After powering up, this vampire got really strong, plus he was ruthless and experienced! He kept chasing and attacking me.


    Good thing I learned from past mistakes and kept extra weapons. I quickly pulled out another sword from my storage ring and faced him head-on.


    This ain''t gonna work alone!


    After a few exchanges, I realized I was in big trouble. The enemy was at least 7th level, super hard to handle. No wonder he was so cocky at first.


    But I had almost no magic left, just enough for one last "Paradise Lost Shockwave". I couldn''t even use low-level spells.


    My trump card, Blue Wing mode, was useless. There''s no water element on Earth, so I could never transform here.


    If Adrian was here, his help would give me the advantage. But he and Raydwin went off training somewhere. Since they can''t sense elements, they probably don''t even know about this fight.


    Should I run away?


    I could probably escape this fight. But I really didn''t want to after finally catching this ancestor.


    "Hang on, I''m coming!" Suddenly, help arrived! A shiny white sword flew at the vampire ancestor''s back.


    But it missed. Even while fighting me, the vampire noticed and dodged. The sword stuck in the ground with a "whoosh".


    I recognized that sword right away - it was Cyra''s element weapon from last night! So Cyra finally noticed our fight and came to help?Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The sneak attack missed, but it wasn''t over! A white figure swooped down from the sky, pulled the sword from the ground, and swung at the target again. The whole move looked super cool!


    "Argh!" This time the vampire ancestor got hit, but not fatally. The sword left a long wound on his right arm, glowing white and getting bigger. He screamed in pain and kept backing up.


    Light element weapons really hurt monsters, but you gotta hit them first. The vampire ancestor finally took some damage. It didn''t kill him, but it gave me a great chance to attack.


    "Paradise Lost Shockwave!" I used my last bit of magic without hesitation. The light beam hit the target dead-on again.


    The vampire ancestor fell again, bathed in blinding light. I was too tired to charge in, so I yelled at Cyra:


    "Quick! This won''t kill him. Finish him off! The weak spot is the heart!"


    "Huh?" Cyra looked back at me, shocked. But with a big enemy in front, she didn''t think too much. She flew to the enemy and stabbed him right in the chest.


    Now even God couldn''t save him! The heart is a vampire''s core. They look human, but they''re really bats inside, with the heart hidden in the left chest!


    "So this is what a vampire really looks like?" As the vampire ancestor died and turned to black mist, Cyra lifted her sword, amazed at the bat corpse on the tip.


    "What''s so weird about that? I told you before! Now come help me up!" I was a bit annoyed seeing her reaction. I used all my strength to stand up. Using up all my magic was rough. It''d take a long time to recover.


    "Oh... right!" Cyra suddenly remembered something. She tossed the bat corpse and ran towards me, but stopped a few meters away.


    "Feliciana?" She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, asking: "Is it really you? Am I seeing things? It''s really you!"


    "Huh? What do you mean?" I was confused and got a bad feeling. Was she still livestreaming for views? Did she broadcast my whole fight with the vampire?


    But things didn''t go like I thought. I looked around but didn''t see any cameras. Instead, Cyra''s eyes filled with tears. She dropped her sword and hugged me tight.


    "Thank goodness, it''s really you! I wasn''t mistaken! You''re not dead, thank goodness!"


    What? When did I die? Her reaction was crazy. Was she still acting for a livestream?


    But I couldn''t find any hidden cameras, and Cyra''s crying on my shoulder didn''t sound fake. I finally realized something was off. I pushed her away and asked worriedly:


    "Hey, stop crying! What''s going on? What happened?"


    But Cyra was still really emotional, like she''d been through something terrible. She said a bunch of random stuff I couldn''t understand. I only caught bits like "you saved me", "empire sneak attack", "lots of people died", "Nicola sent me back".


    "??????"


    I was totally lost. What was she talking about? Did it have anything to do with us?


    "Feliciana!"


    Luckily Cyra was calming down. I was waiting patiently when I suddenly heard Adrian''s voice from behind.


    "I saw a light beam like Paradise Lost Shockwave on this hill from far away. I guessed something happened to you, so I rushed over!"


    Adrian ran to me, looked worriedly at me and Cyra, and saw something was off. He asked: "You okay? Who were you fighting?"


    "We''re fine. Just a vampire. Cyra killed him," I shook my head and said, downplaying the fight so Adrian wouldn''t worry.


    "That''s amazing!" Adrian was surprised at Cyra''s performance at first, but then remembered her fight with Camille last night and understood.


    "Master! Wait for me... I can''t go on!" Adrian followed the light beam here, so Raydwin came too. But he was way behind, too tired. He finally climbed up slowly.


    "You''re pushing too hard! I said you don''t need to do so much exercise at first. It''s most important to build up slowly!" Adrian shook his head and reminded him.


    Raydwin caught his breath next to us. Seeing Cyra there, he excitedly bragged:


    "Tell... tell her how awesome... I am. I just... ran... about 3 km with Master... and climbed... this mountain! So you... you didn''t see wrong, I''m definitely... the chosen one!"


    That''s it? You''ve got a long way to go!


    I thought but didn''t say it out loud to discourage him. I just muttered to myself.


    No one else noticed, but the sword on the ground was still glowing white.


    "Oh yeah! Cyra, where''d you get this element weapon? I didn''t get to ask before..."


    I picked it up and looked closely. It seemed familiar. Suddenly I realized - isn''t this Elara''s sword?

 Vol 5/Chapter 87: The Real and Fake Cyra

    "Cyra..."


    I was just about to ask her about the elemental sword when I turned around and saw Cyra looking strangely at Raydwin, her face full of confusion.


    "Sorry, who are you? Do we know each other? And what do you mean by ''chosen''? Are you saying I chose you? You must be joking!"


    After saying this, she pulled at my clothes and pointed at Adrian, asking, "Who''s he? Why does he seem so familiar with you? When did you two meet? Aren''t these guys just regular humans?"


    What was going on? Everyone around us froze in shock.


    Did Cyra lose her memory? The thought suddenly crossed my mind, but before I could fully process it, she started questioning me about my wings.


    "And when did you grow eight wings? I remember you only having four! Sure, your talent is good, but this is a bit too much, don''t you think?"


    This all felt so familiar! Her reactions instantly reminded me of Vivianne!


    Honestly, this kind of thing wasn''t new. When I first entered the time loop space, Vivianne''s reaction upon seeing me was very similar to this! But this time, I didn''t think I''d fallen into another loop. Besides her sudden "memory loss," there was something different about this Cyra¡ªsomething... more mature.


    Compared to the tricky, unreliable Cyra I remembered, this one seemed much more dependable! Not to mention she successfully ambushed the enemy, giving me the perfect chance to turn the tables. And when we took down the vampire ancestor, she was quick to finish it off, making sure there was no chance for a comeback. Such growth¡ªcalling it impressive would be an understatement!


    Unless...


    "Hey! Why are you all gathered here?"


    Just as everyone was still in shock over Cyra''s strange behavior, another voice rang out. This time, it came from above. A six-winged angel descended behind Cyra, approaching us while casually asking, "Huh? Another angel snuck over from the other world? While I was live-streaming, I sensed a huge burst of light and dark energy here. I was too worried, so I flew over as soon as I ended the stream. Do you know what''s going on?"


    "Two Cyras?!"


    No one saw that coming. My friends were stunned, almost unable to believe their eyes. But my thoughts were a bit different.


    After all, I had been cautious before, and this wasn''t the first time I''d seen two of the same person. There was a precedent for this.


    Back when two Nicolas appeared, it was because of time travel, no doubt. But the question now was, where was Nicola? If one of these Cyras had traveled through time, where was the one who helped her travel? Or if Nicola wasn''t involved, how did Cyra manage this on her own?


    "What are you all talking about? Why are you saying that?" The second Cyra noticed the strange looks from everyone and turned to glance at the other Cyra beside her. That''s when she finally realized something was wrong. She jumped back about ten meters, pointing at the other Cyra and angrily shouted, "What the¡ª? Who are you? Is this some trick by Michelle?"


    "What does Michelle have to do with this? The real question is why you look exactly like me! Could it be that..."


    The first Cyra also sensed something was off. Her face changed, and she grabbed the elemental sword from my hand, eyeing the other Cyra cautiously.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Huh?"


    Now I was confused too. Is this really a ''real and fake Cyra'' situation? This wasn''t quite what I expected!


    "Which one of you is the real Cyra?" Adrian quickly calmed down and gave me a subtle look, wanting me to check for any traces of magic. But identifying disguise magic on angels or light magic users was nearly impossible, so I just shook my head helplessly.


    "Feliciana! Don''t be fooled by her. I''m the real Cyra! She''s probably pretending to be me to pull some kind of trick!"


    The second Cyra, desperate to prove herself, quickly accused the other.


    "What trick? If I wanted to pull something, I wouldn''t wait until now!"


    The first Cyra wasn''t backing down. Her calm demeanor was evident as she raised the elemental sword and argued logically.


    "Alright! If you claim to be Cyra, show us your sword! This is the Apollos Sword, the symbol of the highest authority among the angels!"


    "Who told you that you need to show a weapon to prove your identity? Besides, I don''t even have such a high-tech sword!"


    The second Cyra, of course, couldn''t produce the sword! To prove she wasn''t lying, she quickly called on Adrian for backup.


    "Ask Adrian if I''m telling the truth!"


    "Uh, yeah, I guess I didn''t see you using any sword before we came to this world..." Adrian, caught in the middle, wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered honestly.


    "How can this be? The Apollos Sword was a gift from Lady Elara herself. This can''t..."


    The first Cyra''s face turned pale at Adrian''s words. She looked completely shocked.


    "Are you two going to settle this with a fight, or what?"


    I couldn''t stand their pointless bickering any longer, so I stepped in to stop them. Honestly, the answer to the real Cyra''s identity was already pretty clear. There were just a few more details that needed clarification.


    Looking at the two identical faces in front of me, I couldn''t help but sigh. Cyra wasn''t the only one who shared this face!


    "Do either of you remember me?"


    Before I could reveal my thoughts, Raydwin, unable to wait any longer, jumped in, pointing at himself and asking the two Cyras eagerly.


    Earlier, he''d felt embarrassed by their cold reactions, and now he saw this as the perfect chance to redeem himself.


    "Great! No doubt, you are the chosen one! Raydwin, you must tell everyone that I''m the real Cyra! The master will surely reward you for this!"


    The second Cyra''s eyes lit up, as if she had found her savior. Finally, they matched signals.


    "You heard it, right? I can say for sure now¡ªthe one who spoke is the real Cyra! The other one is definitely an imposter!"


    Raydwin was overjoyed. He immediately reported to me and Adrian with great confidence.


    Was this really happening? He''s being used, yet he''s so happy to help...


    I wanted to say something about this ridiculous scene, but I had to admit¡ªRaydwin wasn''t wrong.


    The second Cyra was indeed the real Cyra we''d known all along. As for the other "Cyra" who held the elemental sword and helped me defeat the vampire ancestor, her true identity was still up for debate.


    "How did things end up like this... It doesn''t make sense..."


    The fake "Cyra" seemed deeply affected, muttering to herself after losing the confrontation.


    "Don''t worry! I believe you had no ill intentions toward us. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have appeared so many times to help when we were in trouble with the monsters."


    Seeing her like this, I thought for a moment, then walked over to gently reassure her.


    "How about this? Everyone''s tired from the fight. Let''s head back to the house and rest for a bit before we talk this through."


    Adrian, following my lead, also stepped in with a suggestion. "I''m sure you have a lot of questions too. Maybe if we talk it out, we can solve this!"


    "Yes, sitting down and talking might be the best idea."


    The fake "Cyra" didn''t object. She put away the Apollos Sword, hesitated as she glanced at both me and the real Cyra, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she held back.


    "Aren''t you being too relaxed around her? Don''t forget she looks exactly like me! Who knows what''s really going on? Be careful!"


    The real Cyra, falling behind, warned us nervously. But neither Adrian nor I paid much attention. Meanwhile, Raydwin kept following her, bombarding her with questions.


    "Wait, so this angel didn''t come from your heaven realm? It feels like things are way more complicated than I thought. Is there some secret involved?"


    "How would I know any secret?"


    Cyra clearly wasn''t in the mood for Raydwin''s questions. Frustrated, she snapped back at him, then used the opportunity to change the subject.


    "Mind your own business! If you''ve decided to become an apprentice, then focus on your training! Just don''t slow us down when we''re in danger!"


    "You don''t have to worry about that! I''ll work hard for sure... huh?"


    Raydwin puffed out his chest, confidently making promises, but by the time he realized, we had already walked far ahead. He had no choice but to chase after us, gasping for breath.


    "Wait for me!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 88: The Truth Behind the Lin Familys Downfall

    "So you live in this place now? Back in Shine Metropolitan 10 years ago, this would''ve been quite fancy!"


    Back in Raydwin''s small house, the fake "Cyra" was clearly here for the first time. She kept looking around, unable to stop herself from saying nice things about it.


    "Of course! This place has become the angels'' temporary base to fight against the demon invasion. There are still several empty rooms. If you like, you''re welcome to move in anytime!" Raydwin proudly answered before I could. He seemed very pleased with this "base" idea. Then he opened the fridge and kindly gave everyone a drink.


    "A base, huh?" The fake "Cyra" sat on the sofa and skillfully opened her bottle. She took a big gulp of cola, let out a long burp, then had a thoughtful look. "People nowadays are really easy to deal with. They accept the angel thing so easily!"


    "Why don''t you first tell us where you''re from?" I suddenly noticed many details in her words and actions. After thinking, I decided to start the conversation with the most familiar possibility.


    "First, you know me, but I don''t know you at all! But for some reason, my gut feeling tells me you should be a classmate I used to know, and you didn''t use any disguise magic! So there''s only one reason left for why you''re here..."


    Thinking of past experiences, I confidently told her the conclusion I''d already reached:


    "Is it because of time travel, coming back from the future?"


    "Coming back from the future? At first I thought so too, but later I found out things might not be as simple as you think..."


    To my surprise, she shook her head with a bitter smile, rejecting this guess. But she didn''t seem to want to hide her identity from us. She changed the subject and introduced herself openly.


    "But you''re right about one thing - my name is also Cyra! Just that in H-country language, the pronunciation and writing might be a bit different. To be exact, when I changed my name back then, it should be ''Cyrae''!"


    "Is there a difference?" Adrian, not very good at H-country language, asked in confusion.


    "Of course it''s different! Master, H-country culture is deep and profound. You''ll slowly understand after some time!" Raydwin immediately guaranteed proudly when this topic came up.


    "So you''re not from Earth either?" Cyrae seemed a bit surprised when she heard this. She didn''t think of Adrian as a foreigner at first, and had a thoughtful look.


    "I feel like I''ve heard the name Adrian somewhere before, but I just can''t remember..."


    "He''s my boyfriend. He knows basically everything about me!" I couldn''t help but roll my eyes. My purpose in saying this wasn''t to expose myself, but mainly to see if she really had Cyrus''s memories from before Cyra''s transformation, as I thought.


    Of course, I guessed right! Cyrae was shocked and kept looking back and forth between me and Adrian. But I didn''t dwell on this topic and continued to ask based on her previous answer:


    "So when you said you didn''t come back from the future, how exactly should that be explained?"


    "To be honest, I''m not sure either. Even now, there are still many questions..."


    But Cyrae suddenly seemed hesitant again. She looked around at everyone present, finished her cola in one go, and asked while holding up the empty bottle:Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Sorry, can I have another one? If there''s some alcohol, that would be even better!"


    "Uh... there''s no more. These were the last ones, and I don''t usually drink alcohol!"


    No one expected her to suddenly bring this up. Raydwin opened the fridge to check, and could only helplessly suggest:


    "The only way now is to go out and buy some, but the supermarket is quite far. Or we could order online delivery..."


    "Then please trouble you! I heard you''re trying to lose weight recently, right? This might be a good chance to show your determination to your master, and exercise yourself at the same time!"


    Cyrae rudely interrupted him, and even added fuel to the fire.


    "Well..."


    Now even if Raydwin was unwilling, he couldn''t refuse on the spot. He turned to look at Adrian''s expression, and seeing him nod in approval, could only reluctantly open the door and drag his fat body to make another trip.


    "He''s really easy to boss around!" Seeing Raydwin disappear around the stairs, I couldn''t help but sigh that Cyrae was indeed related to Cyra somehow. Although their personalities were different, they were quite similar in some small thoughts.


    "Hah, it''s all thanks to my looks!" Cyra leaned against the wall and snorted disdainfully. Obviously, she had done this kind of thing many times before, using her angel identity to boss people around. Luckily she met the good-tempered Raydwin. If it was someone else, they might have kicked her out long ago.


    "Now that he''s gone, tell us! What exactly is so hard for you to say?" After cooperating with Cyrae to send Raydwin away, he asked directly.


    "It''s not really a big deal. I just worried it would be too hard for a normal Earth person to accept!" Cyrae shook her head, then put on a serious face and revealed the truth:


    "If I''m not wrong, my experience should be the same as yours! I accidentally traveled to another world through a class reunion and was reborn as an angel. But different from your situation, after returning to Earth, I''ve been here for almost 80 years!"


    "80 years?!" Everyone couldn''t help but gasp. Cyra especially discovered the key problem:


    "But now on Earth, it''s only been a bit over a year since that class reunion! If what you''re saying is true, does that mean angels have been secretly living on Earth for 80 years? That''s impossible, right?"


    The answer was obvious.


    "Of course it''s possible! Don''t you remember the Lin family incident?"


    Suddenly I remembered a fact we had overlooked before. Before our travel, there were indeed some urban legends about angels appearing on Earth. The most recent one was the fall of Jason Lin, the provincial governer of Shine Metropolitan!


    Why did Cyrus join the True Church halfway through university? Wasn''t it because her ex-girlfriend was harmed by Jason Lin''s son, Liam Lin?


    Because of the ex-girlfriend, Cyrus''s whole family was later implicated. Her father even died in an accident during a demolition dispute.


    We thought this drama would end quietly with just an official compensation of over 100,000 bucks. But later there was a sudden big twist! The whole Lin family went crazy overnight. Jason Lin was reported to the central government for corruption and fell from power. Cyrus''s family got the compensation and redress they deserved!


    The root of everything seemed to point to the so-called "angel" mentioned by the Lin family''s housekeeper!


    "I did that!" Hearing me mention this, Cyrae was quite straightforward and admitted it without hesitation.


    "Really? Then... that ''Lord'' who appeared in the church, looked exactly like me, and promised to punish the culprit - was that you too?" Cyra stepped forward, asking the other person to confirm again in disbelief. This had been a thorn in her heart! To find the "Lord" in her heart, Cyra almost mistakenly thought it was Pope Cysper in the Holy City in another world, but was frustrated when he firmly denied it.


    "Yes, of course it was me!" As expected, the matter was confirmed once again from Cyrae''s mouth. She sighed, gathered her thoughts for a moment, then slowly told us the truth about that time:


    "Back then, when father died because of the Lin family''s behind-the-scenes manipulation, I couldn''t do anything! But this time when I came back and history repeated itself, although I knew history shouldn''t be changed casually, I was no longer my former self. Naturally, I couldn''t just watch the Lin family get away with it again!"


    So after Cyrae lived quietly on Earth for 80 years, seeing her past self - Cyrus - in extreme pain after losing her father, she finally couldn''t hold back and took action!


    Since she decided to do it, she had to do it thoroughly! Because she was born in a True Church family, Cyrae first used disguise magic to transform into Cyrus''s appearance and showed up in the church. She pretended to be "God" to comfort her past self. Then she flew to the Lin family and applied too much light magic on Jason Lin and his son, turning them into idiots. Finally, she flew to another city to the room of H-country''s president, personally handed over Jason Lin''s crime files, making the Lin family lose everything.


    This was the truth behind the fall of the Lin family!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 89: The Parallel Worlds Cyrus

    "So you''re saying you''re also Cyrus?" I blurted out, finding this story hard to believe.


    Even without saying it clearly, everyone probably guessed from the hints in her words. Plus, with looks exactly like Cyra''s, this Cyrae was likely Cyrus before the class reunion!


    "I don''t believe it! The ''Lord'' can''t possibly be you!" Surprisingly, Cyra didn''t seem to agree. She suddenly rushed forward, grabbed the other''s collar, and shouted:


    "If you came to Earth 80 years ago from another world, why did you just watch my dad get killed by Jason Lin? If you had acted earlier or finished off the Lin family decades ago, my dad might not have died! Why did you wait until everything was unfixable before slowly coming out to ''clean up''? You''re not my ''Lord''!"


    "Wait, this is someone else''s house. Don''t make trouble!" Cyra was too excited. Adrian and I didn''t expect them to clash so suddenly, so we hurried to stop the fight.


    Her dad''s death clearly hit her hard. But her doubt was also something we couldn''t ignore! From what I knew of Cyra, she really cared about her parents. If Cyrae was really Cyrus, she wouldn''t have done nothing when she could have stopped it early.


    "Because I''m not who I used to be..." Cyrae''s clothes were almost completely messed up. But she didn''t seem angry. Her gaze suddenly became sad as she looked at Cyra.


    "I''ve lived as a woman on Earth for 80 years. I even had my own family. You can''t imagine these experiences now! Actually, to avoid changing history too much, I shouldn''t have acted this time. But seeing how you were back then, I just couldn''t help it..."


    "Why can''t history be changed?" I cut in, surprised.


    History can be changed, as my experiences in Makalan and Parristol proved! But only with a Fate Breaker present.


    Never mind Adrian, but signs showed Cyra herself was likely a Fate Breaker too. So maybe Cyrae was also a Fate Breaker! But why didn''t she want to change things?


    "Because from what I figured out before, time might be linear..." Cyrae looked troubled at first. Only after I asked several times did she reluctantly share her real thoughts.


    "Actually, traveling to the past to change the future rarely happened before. When I studied in Edenmere, Lady Elara only mentioned that history simply can''t be changed. Any effort to change the past would just become part of history''s background! So I could only conclude that time is linear and can''t be changed from the past! Even if legendary Fate Breakers appear, changing my own past carelessly might make my current self disappear from the timeline! So unless I really have to, I don''t want to take this risk..."


    I see!


    This is why she used disguise magic to look like Cyrus in the church back then!


    Cyrae knew that Cyrus from that time would normally join the class reunion and travel later, just like herself. To prevent Cyrus from recognizing her after traveling to another world and transforming, which could greatly change the future and even affect her current existence, Cyrae decided to hide her appearance to reduce future uncertainties as much as possible.


    As for why she had to look like Cyrus, it was because only this way could the real Cyrus fully believe her words right away!


    Unfortunately, things didn''t go exactly as she planned. Although Cyrus traveled successfully as expected, when she changed her name, she didn''t call herself Cyrae, but Cyra.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Moreover, Cyra didn''t actually travel back to Earth 80 years ago...


    "What exactly did you experience after traveling to another world from the class reunion?"


    What factors caused such big differences in the two Cyruses'' experiences? To the point that Cyrae couldn''t bear to give up her current self, even willing to watch her father''s death happen again?


    Thinking about this, I became very interested. The whole thing wasn''t really that complicated - Cyrae was just Cyra from a parallel world!


    Although when she first traveled back to Earth 80 years ago, she probably had no idea that the world could have two completely different parallel paths. But her actual past experiences might have become totally different from Cyra''s after being reborn as an angel, not to mention living on Earth for 80 years!


    "When I stood alone outside Aurora Entertainment''s KTV seeing you all off, I even thought only Cyra could travel through the space tunnel and finally return to Earth. Now I finally understand... You''re not the Feliciana I knew! She wasn''t as powerful as you. She only had four wings, and she sacrificed herself to save me!"


    Hearing me say this, Cyrae''s eyes suddenly became wet. She stared at me, sighed deeply, then slowly began to tell her story.


    This is a story that happened in another world, to another Cyrus.


    "You''re awake? I have good news. The surgery was successful. You''ve become a girl now!" A familiar voice woke Cyrus up. Facing the bright sunlight, Cyrus finally opened her sleepy eyes with difficulty, and found that the speaker was actually Henderson, her middle school classmate and friend!


    "Get lost! Why is it you again?" Cyrus waved her hand impatiently and turned over. She vaguely remembered that at last night''s class reunion party, Henderson kept trying to make him drink while holding a beer bottle. Cyrus still hadn''t fully recovered from the shock of his father''s death one year ago.


    Thinking about how Liam Lin and his father Jason Lin, the main culprits, were still free and doing well, she became very frustrated. Henderson''s attempt to make him drink certainly made things get out of hand.


    The two seemed to find kindred spirits in each other. In the name of drowning sorrows, they kept pouring large amounts of alcohol down their throats, one cup after another. Cyrus couldn''t even remember when he completely fell asleep.


    "So it''s morning already? I stayed in the KTV all night?" He suddenly woke up completely. He hadn''t gone home all night and didn''t know if his mother, a devout believer, had come back from church.


    Since his father''s death, only Cyrus and her mother were left with each other. Although they got over 100,000 bucks in "compensation", it wasn''t enough without a permanent home.


    Because of this, Cyrus spent most of his last few college semesters working part-time to help with family expenses. But with a big mortgage to pay, they still lived very tight lives. He hadn''t found a formal job even by graduation.


    "Wait! This isn''t the KTV room?" He finally noticed something strange. KTV rooms are usually closed with no windows. There shouldn''t be sunlight coming in. Moreover, where he was lying wasn''t the KTV sofa, but a soft single bed! Everything around showed that things were not right.


    "Am I in a hotel... huh?" Looking at Henderson with confused eyes, Cyrus suddenly felt he was having an illusion - the guy in front of him seemed to have changed a bit too. He couldn''t say exactly how, but he just looked more handsome than before!


    Although she could still recognize his face overall, the wings flapping behind him showed that things were not as simple as he imagined.


    "What''s this? Cosplay?" Although everything seemed weird, this was the only guess that made sense for now.


    "Of course not. Don''t you have them too?" To his surprise, Henderson showed a strange smile and pointed at Cyrus''s back.


    "Damn! What''s going on? Why do I have wings? Wait, and my voice..." Cyrus finally couldn''t hold it anymore. Everything was developing in a way he never expected. A sharp scream suddenly sounded in the room.


    ...


    "That''s how it is! They say the place we''re in now is called ''Edenmere''! It''s all because of some accident with the Angel Descent Formation. Those of us who woke up first have already been told what''s going on. Sorry, you''re the last one to wake up!"


    After a while, with Henderson''s patient explanation, Cyrus slowly understood the truth.


    They had traveled to another world!


    Because of the Angel Descent Formation in this world, all the high school classmates in the KTV room at Aurora Entertainment had traveled! The Angel Descent Formation is how angels increase their numbers, so when their souls traveled to this world, they went through a rebirth process. In other words, all the former high school classmates had been reborn as angels!


    "But why are you still a man while I became a woman? That''s not fair!" Cyrus still couldn''t accept this point. Everyone was reborn, but if gender didn''t change, appearance usually wouldn''t change much either. Although her current look in the mirror was quite pretty, there was no doubt that she had changed so much that even her mom wouldn''t recognize her!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 90: Cyrus in the Parallel World (Part 2)

    "What can I do? It''s totally random, just fate! For example, some girls  seem to have turned into male angels, but I don''t think any of them are as handsome as me, the original!" Henderson shrugged and answered. Though he didn''t say it out loud, it was clear he actually enjoyed this change a lot.


    In some ways, it really was like that! This guy not only became better-looking after crossing over, but he also turned into an angel! They say angels are very respected in this world. They''re born with good fighting skills and can fly naturally. Compared to before crossing over, it was like he''d jumped straight to the top!


    "What about the others?" Cyrus couldn''t help but grab her hair hard, feeling frustrated. She looked at the soft golden hair in her palm and walked to the room''s exit without hesitating, opening the door.


    "The treatment we''re getting here seems pretty good! Everyone got their own room. The others are probably still in their rooms. The hallway outside has..."


    But before Henderson could finish, Cyrus had already rushed out.


    It was a long hallway. Because of how it was designed, they could see inside clearly with light from outside, without needing any lamps.


    There were many rooms on both sides of the hallway. Some doors were closed, some half-open. You could hear people talking inside. Obviously, all the classmates were living there.


    "You must be a newborn angel, right?" Just as Cyrus was wondering which room to enter, she suddenly saw a female angel with four wings.


    At that moment, she realized she wasn''t speaking the usual H-country language, but a language she''d never heard before. Strangely, she could still understand what she meant.


    "I''m sorry, but who are you...?" For a moment, Cyrus thought this person might be one of her classmates who had changed, but the next second, she introduced herself.


    "I''m Norma! I''m the head of internal affairs here. You can just call me that! So, you must be the last newcomer to wake up?"


    Norma recognized who she was right away and then kindly explained the situation.


    "Usually, newborn angels shouldn''t live in Tivi Palace, but something went wrong with this Angel Descent Formation. Maybe because it was interrupted, only about twenty or so were born, which is really too few! And you even kept your memories from before, so Lady Elara decided to make an exception and let everyone move into Tivi Palace. It''ll make it easier to manage everyone later!"


    "Tivi Palace? Elara?" Cyrus was completely confused. Just as she was about to ask more, suddenly all sorts of knowledge popped into her head.


    "Lady Elara is the leader of the angels in all of Edenmere! And Tivi Palace is where Lady Elara lives?"


    This strange development caught her off guard, leaving her standing there in shock.


    "The Angel Descent Formation gives newborn angels the basic knowledge and skills they need. So if you have questions, don''t worry too much. Just try to calm down and think about the memories in your head. You should be able to find answers to most questions!"


    She smiled and explained, then got ready to leave. Suddenly, she turned back and asked,


    "Oh right, have you thought of a new name? I''m collecting everyone''s info. You can use your old name since you have past life memories, but I wouldn''t recommend it. You''ve been reborn as part of the angel race, so your old name might not suit your new identity!"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "......Cyrus?" Cyrus didn''t bother with all that and tried to say her original name.


    "Cyrae? What a strange name! Is that what you used to be called?" Norma frowned when she heard it, struggling to repeat it, but it didn''t sound right at all!


    "It''s Cyrus, not Cyrae!" Cyrus corrected her several times, but after a while, the other person showed no signs of improvement. In the end, she had to give up. "Okay, you win... Yes, it''s Cyrae!"


    "See, that''s better! You know, it sounds quite nice when you say it a few times! Remember to come to the welcome party for new angels later!" Norma''s face immediately showed a proud smile, as if she''d won a victory. Then she took out a small notebook and wrote it down. After that, she turned and hurried away towards the end of the hallway.


    "To be honest, all the angel girls here are really hot! But why do they always like to give people names..." As soon as Norma left, Henderson came out of the room. It turned out he had been hiding in the room, peeking out the whole time. He only showed himself now, teasing with a meaningful look.


    "By the way, you look pretty good now too! You have a lot of potential for the future. I have high hopes for you!"


    "Sorry, but besides you, I''ve only seen one other angel. And right now, I don''t have time to think about these things!" Cyrae didn''t hesitate to show Henderson the international gesture of contempt. Suddenly, she heard the sound of an argument not far ahead. Her curiosity got the better of her. "What''s going on over there? Do you know who''s living in that room?"


    "I think it''s that playboy Reilly? Actually, I''m not too sure!" Seeing Henderson shaking his head helplessly, Cyrae could only move a few steps closer to her target. This time, she could finally hear the voices inside clearly.


    "Think about it! I''m a man in his twenties, stuck in a woman''s body. Don''t you know how disgusting this feels?" Sure enough, she hadn''t heard wrong. They were speaking H-country language, and obviously, there was more than one person in the room!


    A voice with quite a high pitch came from inside. Then the door opened, and a tall, beautiful female angel with a mature look rushed out, her face full of anger.


    "You guys?" When she saw the two of them standing in front of the door, she paused for a moment. But she wasn''t in the mood to say much and just turned and walked away.


    "Looks like that''s Reilly! His hair color after being reborn is different from most of us. It''s actually grayish-white, so it''s very easy to remember!" Looking at the retreating figure, Henderson shrugged.


    "If you hadn''t said that, I really wouldn''t have recognized him at all!" Cyrae could only keep clicking her tongue in amazement. She remembered singing a song with him at the class reunion!


    "Oh right, there seems to be another one with blue hair who''s also very special. I just can''t remember who they were before changing..." But then Henderson seemed to remember something and quickly added.


    "You must be talking about me!" This question was quickly answered. It was a very clear and pleasant voice. The person who had been arguing with Reilly in the room was her!


    "I''m Flynn!" They looked towards the voice. The speaker was the blue-haired female angel Henderson had mentioned. She first introduced herself and then, not surprisingly, her gaze stopped on Cyrae.


    "By the way, Henderson, who''s this beautiful woman next to you?"


    "What beautiful woman? It''s me! I''m Cyrus!" Cyrus felt her whole face turning dark. Actually, she and Flynn had always gotten along well in high school. But now, the former brothers were...


    "Uh, sorry, I didn''t know you had woken up too! Can''t help it, the situation now is just too chaotic, a complete mess!" When Flynn heard this, she quickly apologized with a guilty look. She put her hand on her forehead and mumbled to herself for a long time, looking very worried.


    It''s probably because of the transformation problem, right? Thinking about Reilly''s attitude earlier and the changes that happened to herself, Cyrae could only guess. So she quickly waved her hand, pretending not to care at all, and clarified,


    "It''s okay! Actually, I already have a new name. If we really can''t change back in the future, you guys might as well call me ''Cyrae''. This name was given by someone else!"


    "Cyrae?" Unexpectedly, when Flynn heard this, a strange look appeared on her face. She asked further, "It wasn''t given by that supervisor called ''Norma'', was it? She just gave me a name too, ''Feliciara''. It sounds really awkward!"


    "She gave you one too? Me too! She kept insisting I change my name to ''Levins''. I didn''t want to, but she kept chasing me around. I couldn''t even hide from her!" Henderson immediately joined the ranks of the "victims".


    "Speaking of which, the few of us used to be men. Do the girls have to change their names too?" Flynn suddenly thought of an important question and looked up to confirm with Henderson.


    "I heard Quinn seems to have transformed too, and even turned into a male angel! Is that true?"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 91: Showing Whos Boss

    "Hey, since we all used to be guys, do the girls have to change their names too?" Flynn suddenly thought of something important and looked up at Henderson to check.


    "I heard Quinn changed too, and became a guy... I mean, a male angel! Is that true?"


    "Haha, about that... I''m not really sure. You''ll probably have to go ask yourself to find out!" Henderson''s reaction was strangely awkward. He gave a forced laugh, brushed it off, and quickly made an excuse to leave the room with Cyrae.


    "Why are you avoiding the topic? Isn''t it good? Flynn always liked Quinn, so maybe now they can be together!" Cyrae was confused and kept asking.


    "You don''t understand at all!" Henderson had to tell her the truth.


    "The angels have a rule against male and female angels having any romantic relationships! We have to follow this rule now, or we might get punished badly!"


    Cyrae could only stay quiet about this strict rule. Even though she didn''t like it, she was also confused about her new angel body and couldn''t worry about others.


    Finally, it was time for the welcome party.


    "Are you missing someone?" Gwen, who was counting people, checked several times but still found the number of new angels sitting in the hall was off.


    "Must be Reed who''s missing," the high school classmates talked among themselves and figured out who the missing person was.


    "She probably went to the library. I heard there''s an old library in this city with the whole history of angels. Reed couldn''t wait, so she learned to fly by herself and went there alone," a female angel stood up to explain. Cyrae recognized her as Astrid from her face.


    Unlike the "handsome guy" Quinn sitting next to her, Astrid and some other girls were lucky and didn''t change gender when they came here. But her words made others restless.


    "Reed learned to fly so fast? I tried many times but couldn''t fly!"


    "As expected of the ''emotionless girl''! Even with the infused memory telling us how to fly, it''s still really hard to actually do it in a short time. They say you need to practice a lot!"


    "But it fits her smart-student character. Reed always had her nose in a book, and that didn''t change even after coming here."


    "I''m just jealous she could stay the same gender. Why couldn''t I stay a girl too? Now we''re not even human anymore, but some kind of angels. It''s crazy!"


    "Hey, if there are angels, do you think there are gods above us too? Like..."


    The room got very noisy as the classmates chatted in their H-country language. Cyrae watched coldly without joining in. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    A few others were quiet too, most noticeably Feliciara and Nicora sitting across the table. They stood out because of their unusual hair colors.


    "Nicora" was the new name Reilly chose for herself. Flynn didn''t seem to like the name "Feliciara" that Norma gave him, but Reilly convinced him to use it when they submitted their info. So now they officially changed names like Cyrus.


    "Quiet!"


    The higher-up angels sitting at the head table couldn''t take the chaos anymore. A female angel with five pairs of wings suddenly spoke up to stop them.


    "I know you new angels still have your human memories because of some accident. But now that you''re part of us angels, you better face reality and stop anything to do with your past!"


    The speaker was Yvonne, one of the three angel Elders. She didn''t shout, but everyone in the big hall could hear her clearly.


    But before the noise died down completely, she gave them another shock.


    "From now on, Edenmere has a new rule - all angels are banned from using any language other than the common language of the continent. Anyone who breaks this rule will be locked up for a month! If you break it many times, the punishment will double each time, up to death!"


    No one expected such a scary rule from the Elder. Now none of the new angels dared to speak, and the whole hall went dead silent.


    "Ahem, Yvonne! That''s not really appropriate, is it? They''re still young, you don''t need to be so harsh. It''s normal for new angels to be a bit lively!" Another high-ranking angel, Elder Meg, stepped in to smooth things over. She seemed to oppose Yvonne, making her look bad, but she didn''t take back the new rules. Instead, she added:


    "The biggest problem is that new angel Reed didn''t even come to this important welcome party. That''s really too much! I wonder what the Leader thinks about this and how she''ll punish Reed?"


    After saying this, Elder Meg looked at the third ten-winged angel sitting in the middle of the head table.


    Cyrae knew this person too - she was the current Leader of the angels, the highest ruler - Elara III. They say she''s over 5000 years old!


    "About Reed, I think it''s fine that she likes books and is interested in the library..."


    Elara''s attitude was clearly different from the other Elders. She hesitated for a while, but seeing all the high-ranking Elders staring at her, she finally sighed and reluctantly decided:


    "Of course, the Elders'' opinions make sense too. We need rules to keep order! Now that they''ve become part of us angels, no matter who they were before, they need to follow all our rules. Reed is so careless, she should be whipped as punishment. But since she''s a new angel and it''s her first time, let''s just put her in the jail for two weeks. Start right now!"


    "Yes, ma''am!"


    Norma, standing nearby, immediately passed on the order. Soon they saw guard angels flying out the window towards the library.


    Everyone knew what would happen to Reed now. Many classmates looked terrified. The smart ones quickly figured out why the high-ranking angels did this.


    It was because they didn''t trust these people who came from another world!


    Twenty-something new angels was just too many, especially when they still had their memories from another word. If even one or two of them had bad intentions, they could be as dangerous as a time bomb in Edenmere! It was expected that they would use the welcome party to show their power, even using Reed as an example to scare the others.


    "Maybe life will be tough from now on," Cyrae couldn''t help but give a bitter smile. But she had heard this world had all kinds of amazing magic! And angels themselves were very powerful. For her, this might be a huge opportunity!


    The only thing she wasn''t sure about was if she could find a way back to Earth later. Maybe she could even get revenge for her father...


    A month later.


    Cyrae was practicing sword skills in the training ground of Tivi Palace when she suddenly heard someone calling her name.


    "Cyrae, Leader Elara orders you to go to her office right away!"


    It was Norma, the head of internal affairs. In the month they lived in Tivi Palace, she took care of all the new angels'' daily needs, so they got to know her pretty well.


    Of course, a lot had changed in this month. The original 20-something classmates were slowly separated for different reasons and sent to different places.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 92: Special Mission

    Splitting up the new angels with past memories was clearly a way for the Edenmere government to divide potential troublemakers and reduce threats from inside.


    Some of the classmates with good talents joined the angel legion reserves. They could get better training and even go on missions to the main world. This included Henderson, Quinn, and others.


    Of course, Henderson changed his name to Levins now. Quinn also got a new name - Matora!


    They say Matora was the name of a character Quinn really liked in a book. A few weeks ago, when the First Legion that Matora joined was about to leave Edenmere, Feliciara rushed to the platform on top of Tivi Palace to see him off.


    Rumors say that when they said goodbye, one stood on the ground and one floated in the air. They stared at each other for a long time without saying anything. Too bad Cyrae wasn''t there to see it herself.


    Some other new angels with less talent or who didn''t follow rules well were sent to patrol corners of Edenmere. This was quite a lot of people, including most classmates like Astrid and Jaxon.


    The few left stayed in their old rooms in Tivi Palace. They mostly just chatted, napped, studied and exercised. But recently, because they were so good at sword fighting and improved so fast, Cyrae and Nicora got special lessons from Aetna, an teacher at Tivi Palace. They were some of the most talented among who came from another world.


    "Cyrae? Come in!"


    Cyrae was outside the office door. Before she could knock, she heard Elara call softly from inside.


    "Wow! You even knew it was me?"


    Even though she hesitated for a moment and felt a bit nervous, Cyrae still pushed open the door and went in.


    "Lady Elara, why did you want to see me?"


    The leader of all Edenmere was sitting at her desk. Cyrae gathered her courage to ask, while looking around the room.


    When they first came to this world, all the high-ranking angels joined together to show these newcomers who''s boss. But after living together for a while, everyone could feel that Elara treated them differently from the other elders.


    Maybe it was because she faced pressure from the elder council at first. Or maybe she was really worried about these new angels with memories from before. But after everyone got to know each other better, Elara reduced many of the rules limiting what they could do.


    Reed benefited a lot from this. Because she understood magic theory in a special way, she not only got out of jail early, but also got special permission from Elara to stay in the library and study. The others still ended up being split up and watched, but they could mostly move around the city freely.


    During this time, Cyrae was pretty active. She helped the angel guards finish a mission to get rid of "suddenly appearing nightmares". She also joined the Second Edenmere Fighting Tourment! Of course, for her, this competition was just about taking part. She never thought about trying to win a prize.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "First, congratulations on getting seventh place in the sword fighting competition a few days ago!"


    Elara stood up when she heard Cyrae''s voice. She smiled, looked at the papers in her hand, and praised Cyrae highly without beating around the bush. "Actually, that''s a really good result! Eight new angels from your group joined different parts of the competition. You have great talent!"


    "Huh?"


    Cyrae didn''t expect Elara to talk about this. She stood there stunned for a long time, then quickly said humbly:


    "Actually, I''m still far behind. You know, Nicora got fifth place in sword fighting. If she tries a bit harder, she might really win a prize!"


    "No! Her situation is very different from yours. Her speed of growth is definitely not normal. You shouldn''t look down on yourself!"


    The situation Elara was talking about was definitely how Nicora and Feliciara suddenly grew four wings in just a few days! Everyone knew that normally, new angels take at least years to move up levels. Such fast speed really shocked many high-ranking angels.


    For a while, everyone in Edenmere was guessing what was going on. But no one could figure out anything useful. At most, they could only focus on how those two had different hair colors.


    "I''ve been watching your hard work all along. Compared to those unknown powers that suddenly appeared in Nicora, in some ways I actually think you have more future potential. So keep working hard! I''m going to give you a new task next!"


    Elara clearly showed where she stood. She walked over from her desk and patted Cyrae''s shoulder to encourage her again.


    "Huh? How could it be me?"


    This really scared Cyrae. She never thought she''d get praised like this one day.


    "But I still think Nicora has the most potential! Let''s not talk about others, just in sword fighting she''s already as better than me... Oh right, there''s also Feliciara! Even though she didn''t join the fighting competition, she understands magic much better than me. She even learned some middle-level magic by studying on her own!"


    "So Feliciara is like that too?"


    Elara didn''t seem very surprised about Feliciara. But now wasn''t the time to keep talking about this. She had to wave her hand and get back to the main topic.


    "Anyway, we''ll need to keep studying to figure out why they''re growing so fast! So let''s not talk about that. I called you here to give you a new task!"


    The new task was because the Astralrealm Kingdom outside was being attacked by lots of monsters. Edenmere was really short on hands. So Cyrae would temporarily join a group called "Post-Event Clearing" under the angel guards. She''d go with them to the main world as a new observer for a special mission.


    "So I can finally leave Edenmere too?"


    When she first heard this news, Cyrae couldn''t believe her ears. Only when she saw Elara smile and nod to confirm did she finally calm down.


    "But this is just temporary permission to go out. After the mission is done, you must come back right away. Nothing can go wrong during this time!"


    Then Elara reminded her about some important things to be careful about. But Cyrae couldn''t listen anymore. She just quickly agreed and rushed back to her room to pack.


    In the parallel world of the Eldoria Continent, there were also many countries of different sizes and strengths. The entrance to Edenmere happened to be in the Astralrealm Kingdom. As soon as Cyrae and her angel guard teammates came out, they turned and flew quickly towards their mission target - Atlantis.


    Atlantis was a small city in the middle of the continent, controlled by the religious country Lumina Sanctum. They say this city''s history is very old, going back to ancient civilization times. It''s about two or three hours of flying from Norvale, the capital of Astralrealm Kingdom.


    Lumina Sanctum is a religious country created by the Ancient God Religion, one of the biggest religious groups on the whole continent.


    By the way, the Ancient God Religion believes some pretty special things. They teach that the ancient civilization long ago was actually a country of gods. But for some reason it suddenly died out. They think all the humans living on the continent now are definitely the descendants of servants left by those ancient gods. So in daily life, people should be super respectful to those ancient gods.


    "There are many different stories about how this world began. Maybe the Ancient God Religion''s teachings are a bit right! After all, they''ve grown to this size after thousands of years. Pure nonsense can''t last that long."


    Joyce, the male angel leading this mission, was looking at a map of the whole continent while flying. He heard his teammate explaining human religious stories to Cyrae and couldn''t help adding this.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 93: Traitor Angels

    "Are there other religions in this world?" Cyrae asked curiously.


    "Of course! There are many!" Melissa, a four-winged female angel, answered warmly, unlike the cold attitude of other angel guards.


    "There are at least a few human religious groups as big as the Ancient God Religion, like the Descent God Religion and the Primal Force Council. I think the king of Astralrealm Kingdom follows the Descent God Religion. Besides these, there are many small religious groups scattered around the world, like the Star Group, Jinzes Religion, True Church, Elan Church, and so on. There are too many to count!"


    "True Church?"


    This name reminded Cyrae of the biggest religion her mother believed in back on Earth. But she didn''t pay much attention to it, thinking it was just a coincidence.


    Anyway, things weren''t very peaceful in the main world right now. Monsters from the Barren Lands in the north were attacking Astralrealm Kingdom, making everyone in the northern part of the continent very worrying.


    The latest news said the monsters somehow got a powerful device to move through space. They could appear and disappear anywhere in the kingdom, making them very hard to defend against!


    Even though Edenmere had already sent several legions to help Astralrealm Kingdom, the enemy had attacked the capital city Norvale''s walls a few days ago. This made the whole kingdom''s situation very dangerous.


    Luckily, all this didn''t have much to do with Cyrae and her team''s special mission...


    The team''s route was mostly safe. But they saw many cruel war scenes on the ground. Sometimes they met a few flying monsters, usually around level 4 or 5.


    Thankfully, these enemies weren''t too hard to deal with. Cyrae''s stronger teammates quickly took care of them before she even needed to help.


    "Someone saw our target the night before last. This means it''s probably still hiding in the forest near Atlantis. So we don''t need to rush. We can prepare well outside the forest before going in !"


    Joyce, the six-winged team leader, finally relaxed as they crossed the border of Lumina Sanctum and got close to their destination. He quickly started explaining their next task.


    "Melissa! You''re in charge of searching. Try to find exactly where the enemy is. But remember, don''t go in alone. Make sure to wait for all of us! And Cyrae, take it easy. This is your first mission, so you don''t need to rush to the front. Just help Melissa with fighting support."


    This arrangment was clearly due to Cyrae''s lack of experience. But Cyrae found it strange and couldn''t help asking:


    "Huh? Isn''t our job to deal with traitor angels hiding in the main world? If we''re slow, won''t they notice us and run away?"


    The full name of "Post-Event Clearing" is actually "Angel Guard Post-Event Clearing Office". This group was created to catch traitor angels who left Edenmere and hid in the main world for various reasons.


    Usually, angels can sense light elements in each other. So it''s very hard to track these traitors without them noticing. That''s why Cyrae''s worry made sense.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Well... actually, this mission is different from what you might think. Whether we catch those traitors or not isn''t the main thing anymore. The most important thing is that they dared to break the taboo, hurting others and themselves, and..."


    The others'' reaction seemed a bit strange. Melissa was about to tell the truth, but the team leader Joyce stopped her.


    He looked at Cyrae deeply, sighed, and said:


    "Forget it. This shameful thing is hard to talk about! Since we''re here already, it''s better to let her see for herself. Lady Elara must have a reason for letting this new angel join us. If we try to explain now, it''ll take too long and might not be clear..."


    Of course, this made Cyrae even more curious. But the answer wasn''t far away. Without wasting time, all team members got ready and left. Soon they reached the edge of the forest where their mission was.


    Looking at the whole continent, this forest was very ordinary in every way. It wasn''t very big, but it was only about 10 kilometers from the outskirts of Atlantis. You can imagine that even though Atlantis wasn''t a big city, there must usually be quite a few people passing by here.


    But what they saw now was very unusual! The whole forest was completely silent. You couldn''t hear any birds singing, let alone see the travellers who should often be passing by nearby.


    "The light element feeling is so strong! Why does this place feel so much like Edenmere?"


    Before even entering, Cyrae noticed something strange. She quickly reported to the team leader.


    "As expected, you noticed so fast!" Joyce looked at her with approval, but also added worriedly. "Actually, if we go deeper inside, the light element will be even stronger! But for a four-winged angel to reach this level is really too much..."


    "Four-winged angel? Isn''t that one of the traitors we''re after?"


    Cyrae was surprised. Of course, she already had detailed information about the traitor angels. There were two targets, a man and a woman. The man, Peyji, had six wings. The woman, Pachira, had four wings according to the information!


    But the strange thing was, whether it''s four-winged, six-winged, or even eight or ten-winged angels, even the light element Elara usually gave off could never reach this level.


    "That''s why their careless breaking of the taboo is so scary!"


    Joyce nodded and gestured to the side. Melissa, who was already prepared, immediately dived into the forest to do her scouting job.


    "You need to take some protection measures too..."


    Clifford, the other six-winged male team member, looked at Cyrae and cast a set of defense magic on her head.


    "This is ''Light Shield''! It''s not as good as the highest-level ''Light Sanctuary'', but it''s definitely the best among mid-level magic. It should be enough to deal with someone like Pachira!"


    I need light defense magic to deal with angels?


    After so many days of hard studying, Cyrae of course knew that angels could completely resist light magic. She didn''t understand why her teammates did this, but she still politely said thank you.


    "I found Pachira! She should be hiding in a cave by the forest lake. But I couldn''t hold on anymore, so I didn''t go check myself..."


    Melissa came back soon, but she seemed to be in bad shape. As soon as she landed from the air, she fell to the ground, holding her head and breathing hard.


    "It''s okay, you did very well. Just rest here for a bit and then catch up with us!"


    Joyce went to check on her. Seeing she wasn''t too bad, he waved to the others and flew towards the target.


    "...Are you really okay?"


    Cyrae looked at Melissa, who was still lying on the ground. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and open her wings to fly into the sky with everyone else.


    Mist.


    At first, there was only a thin fog in the forest. But as they went deeper, the fog got thicker and thicker. It became harder and harder to see, until finally they couldn''t see anything.


    Luckily, these problems were nothing for angels who could fly in the sky. Just by feeling the light element, they quickly arrived at the lake cave Melissa mentioned.


    "These animals are so annoying! We can never kill them all. They keep rushing out, attacking once, and then hiding back in the mist!"


    Of course, there were some obstacles on the way. As soon as they landed, groups of birds and beasts came out of the mist to attack them.


    But because of the high concentration of light element in the area, these animals moved quite slowly. And their opponents were angels! Clifford alone could easily defend against attacks from most of them. Joyce and Cyrae could easily handle the rest.


    But at this critical moment, something unexpected happened!


    There was a dull "boom" sound. Suddenly, Cyrae felt a terrible headache deep in her mind. Caught off guard, she instantly lost all ability to fight. She fell to the ground, holding her head in pain!


    This looked exactly like what happened to Melissa earlier.

 Vol 5/Chapter 94: The Six-Winged Light Ball

    "Looks like the ''Light Shield'' don''t work so good on new angels, huh?" Clifford took a quick look while busy fighting. Too bad he couldn''t come help.


    "It''s a spirit attack! Cyrae, stay strong! Focus and don''t let the enemy trick you. If you get controlled like those animals, we''re finished!"


    Captain Joyce ran to Cyrae''s side, cheering her on. He put some magic on her that made things easier.


    But the danger wasn''t over. The biggest threat - the traitor angel Peyji - suddenly came out of the fog. He attacked Joyce from behind without warning.


    "His eyes..." Cyrae noticed something weird. Peyji moved fast, but his eyes looked blank and empty. Very strange!


    "Big trouble, he''s controlled too! Forget about us. Take this and run into the cave. Use it on Pachira. You''re the only one who can do it now!" Joyce fought hard against Peyji. He threw a magic scroll to Cyrae.


    Both were six-winged angels, about the same strength. But the captain was stuck fighting.


    Cyrae was shocked to be the team''s only hope. She didn''t really understand the spirit control or why the captain thought she alone could beat Pachira, a four-winged angel, with just a scroll. But there was no time to think...


    She grabbed the scroll and ran to the cave, even though her head hurt bad.


    But the enemy wasn''t done. Near the cave entrance, a bunch of humans stumbled out.


    "Zombies?!" Cyrae thought. They weren''t bloody like in stories. They looked like normal travelers, but mind-controlled like Peyji.


    They blocked the cave. The only way in was to kill them all.


    "But..." Cyrae hesitated. Killing animals was one thing, but killing people was too much for her.


    It would be a massacre...


    "Why you waiting? They''re mind-controlled humans affected by light magic. No hope for them!" Joyce yelled while fighting Peyji.


    "I really can''t do it!" Cyrae almost cried. She closed her eyes and stabbed the closest person.


    Warm blood splashed her face. The smell made her almost drop her sword. But then she heard:


    "I''ll handle this. You go in and finish the job!"Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Melissa had arrived with her big axe. She swung hard...


    The attack knocked down many "zombies", opening a small path to the cave.


    "Aaaargh!" Cyrae wiped the blood off her face and ran into the cave. She finally saw their target.


    Even though she knew what Pachira looked like, Cyrae couldn''t believe her eyes. Was this really Pachira? Anyone would doubt this was an angel!


    What Cyrae saw was a floating white light ball. It had three pairs of white wings that kept changing shape. The surface was covered in many eyes. It looked nothing like a person!


    It was super creepy and scary!


    "What the heck is that thing?!" Cyrae shivered and wanted to run away. But one eye on the twisting light ball suddenly flashed...


    The familiar bad headache hit her again. Cyrae passed out before she could react. Her mind went to a strange white space.


    "Stop fighting! As part of my body and will, God of Light Beluto, all of you must help me come back to life from my broken state!"


    This was a voice she never heard before, not in any language! It seemed to speak directly to her soul with absolute power. Cyrae''s mind couldn''t fight its orders. She almost gave in completely.


    But just then, the white space suddenly got dark...


    Cyrae felt like she was in total darkness. Her thoughts were free again, and she recalled what happened.


    "It said '' all of you''... Does that mean all angels?"


    Before she could think more, she woke up.


    "How? It''s you?" She opened her eyes and saw a two-winged angel in front of her. It was someone she knew - Matora, who used to be Quinn!


    Even more surprising, the six-winged light ball was cut in half, shaking and twisting faster!


    "Quick, open the scroll! My attack only stops it for a bit. Only the scroll can really kill it!"


    No time to catch up. Cyrae quickly picked up the scroll and opened it. A big black ball suddenly came out of the magic circle!


    "Be careful! That''s dark elements. Don''t touch it!"


    Cyrae knew what it was. They used these dark element balls for magic tests back in Edenmere. But this one was bigger and stronger.


    Matora knew it too. He jumped away as soon as the scroll activated.


    The dark ball floated in the air. It seemed drawn to the light elements and flew fast towards the six-winged light ball.


    The light ball twisted even more. If it was still whole, maybe it could fight back. But Matora''s sword cut it in half, and it didn''t have time to heal. Its many eyes flashed strangely. In the end, it could only watch as the dark ball hit it. Both light and dark disappeared instantly!


    Everything got quiet. Only six lonely angel wings slowly fell to the ground. Then they turned into lights dots and vanished completely.


    "Phew... Good thing we made it. If we were a bit later, it might have won!" Matora sat on the floor, patting his chest in relief.


    "So Pachira reached six wings just before getting pregnant. No wonder her change caused such big problems. It destroyed the whole forest!"


    Even though Matora had been a male angel for over a month, he still had some girly habits. Others might not notice, but Cyrae thought he seemed a bit... feminine.


    "You mean... that eye-covered monster really was Pachira?"


    Cyrae was surprised and wanted to make sure she understood Matora right.


    "Not exactly! From our ''Post-Event Clearing'' team''s experience, Pachira''s soul was probably eaten up when she first changed. That monster you saw was probably some strong, unknown will that took over her body. It''s what happened when light elements twisted and changed a lot!"


    Captain Joyce walked into the cave. It seemed Pachira was the cause of all this trouble! When she was destroyed, the other controlled creatures were freed.


    Soon Melissa and the other team members were free too and came into the cave.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 95: Different Paths of History in Different Worlds

    "Haha! Lucky the reinforcement came fast! When I saw the enemy was stronger than we expected, I quickly used the Spiritual Network to call the closest First Angel Legion for help. Otherwise, we might have failed big time!" Clifford was the last to enter the cave. He laughed loudly when he saw Matora. Seems Matora being here wasn''t by chance, but thanks to Clifford.


    Looks like this wasn''t the first time they worked together. Captain Joyce nodded and walked up to pat Matora''s shoulder, praising him: "Congrats! I heard you passed the training test super fast. Now you can go on missions alone, right? Seems Captain Serena really thinks you''re good, sending you to help us."


    "Oh, it''s nothing..." Matora felt shy. He waved his hands, being humble: "I was just patrolling nearby. Captain Serena probably just sent me because I was close. Plus, I didn''t help much. Cyrae''s the one who really beat Pachira in the end..."


    "Oh yeah, you''re a new angel too! So Cyrae must be from the same batch of new angels born about a month ago, like you?" Melissa greeted him friendly, then suddenly teased, pulling Cyrae along: "Hehe, didn''t expect Matora to look like a girl when he''s worried. Gives off a soft, pretty feeling. So different from when he tries to act cool!"


    "Ah, no, I''m not..." Even though he knew Melissa was joking, his face turned red. He couldn''t help looking a bit awkward.


    "Uh, he''s always like this. It''s normal!" If it was before, maybe Cyrae would tease her old classmate too. But she just went through a life-or-death fight and was still shaken. So she just laughed it off and helped cover for him.


    Pachira was gone, but Peyji was still alive.


    Next, everyone saw the male traitor angel still passed out outside the cave. Cyrae finally understood what happened to Pachira.


    Only Pachira really changed. Edenmere bans love between male and female angels for this reason!


    All angels are pure light beings. If two angels break the rules and join together, the baby in the female angel''s body might be affected by too much light elements. It could lose control. It might even make the mother lose control too, causing a chain of bad changes.


    The final result was the floating light ball Cyrae saw in the cave!


    In this case, when the runaway angels Pachira and Peyji got together, some unknown power made Pachira''s body break apart. The light elements that made up her angel body spread out, affecting everything around in a bad way.


    Peyji, being a male angel, luckily didn''t change. But he couldn''t escape the strong spiritual control that came after. That''s why he had to fight Joyce so hard!


    Good thing the spirit control stopped when Pachira''s body was destroyed. So Peyji''s just not awake yet. He saved his life, but now he''s lost his love and faces Edenmere''s harshest judgment.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "I haven''t seen such a serious rule-breaking in hundreds of years. Every so often, a couple of angels lose their heads over love and do something wrong. That''s why our ''Post-Event Clearing'' team is so important!" Joyce sighed, looking at the messed-up lakeside. The light elements in the forest was still strong.


    The effects of the light elements usually last at least years. But without someone controlling it, it''ll slowly go away. So the element balance here should get back to normal eventually.


    "So what was the mysterious power controlling Pachira?" Cyrae suddenly remembered what happened when she faced the six-winged light ball and lost consciousness. She couldn''t help asking: "I heard a voice calling itself the God of Light! What''s that? Do you know?"


    "God of Light? You accidentally went into Pachira''s mind? That''s super dangerous! Be really careful next time!" Joyce was surprised. But he didn''t seem to know much about the God of Light. He quickly connected to Edenmere''s Spiritual Network to report to Lady Elara.


    "The God of Light Beluto! He''s an ancient god sealed away by our angel ancestors 10,000 years ago. His existence caused serious damage to the whole world! For a long time, Beluto''s been trying to come back to life. The life created when male and female angels join gives his power a way to affect the main world. That''s the real reason why angels absolutely can''t have any relationships! You two should understand how serious this is after this mission, right?"


    In the Spiritual Network, Elara gave the full answer. Of course, getting Cyrae and Matora deeply involved was also to indirectly warn their other classmates.


    "What if an angel and a human get together?" Matora had been quiet. Cyrae thought he might have trouble accepting this because of his relationship with Feliciara. But she didn''t expect him to suddenly ask this question after being silent for so long.


    "Humans?" Even Elara seemed stumped. After a long pause, she finally answered: "Angels and humans getting together is very rare, but it has happened before. Although the God of Light can''t use it, the light elements still affects things, , it''s still really hard for them to have normal babies."


    "I see..." Cyrae suddenly felt like she understood. With everything she''d seen, this was the first time she really realized that light elements, which she thought stood for justice and holiness, actually had so many hidden bad effects.


    After all, there''s a reason angels have used the Angel Descent Formation as their main way to grow population for thousands of years. Probably only angels called by the Formation can keep the soul from being affected by light magic.


    The mission to catch the traitor angels was finally done. After a short time together, Matora left to report back to the First Legion.


    Cyrae and the others couldn''t relax yet. They still had to take the criminal Peyji back to Edenmere for judgment.


    But no one expected that in just these few days, the world situation would change completely.


    First, the capital of the Astralrealm Kingdom, Norvale, was totally taken over by monsters. The kingdom was gone!


    Right after, the monsters used space transfer celestial weapons to attack Edenmere!


    This was different from another parallel world. The monster leader Cyrae met was still Michelle, but this Michelle looked quite different from her!


    That day, all of Edenmere suddenly went dark. Cyrae had just come back from outside. She knew something was wrong and rushed to Tivi Palace. But what she saw was just ruins. All the other angels had run away.


    One of Michelle''s goals in attacking Edenmere was to kill Elara! Above the ruins of Tivi Palace, Cyrae saw this strange "angel" with twelve fiery red wings for the first time.


    In front of her, the ten-winged Elara looked super weak! They fought for less than five minutes before Michelle''s sword hit Elara in the chest. Elara fell down into the messy ruins below.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 96: Inheritance

    Strangely, when Michelle flew down to follow, she couldn''t find Elara.


    Actually, Cyrae was hiding nearby and saw things weren''t good. She  used illusion magic to move the hurt Elara to the underground space below Tivi Palace. Even a top fighter like Michelle didn''t notice and fell for her trick.


    This place was the underground jail built under Tivi Palace. Even though Michelle angrily destroyed everything above ground, Cyrae could still focus all her energy on using light healing magic to help Elara.


    But Elara was badly hurt. Her whole body was burned, and worst of all, there was a huge cut on her chest so deep you could see bone. She couldn''t heal herself at all! Cyrae''s little bit of help wasn''t enough to make a big difference.


    "Forget it, maybe this is my fate. You don''t need to keep trying," Elara suddenly coughed up blood. She waved her hand to stop Cyrae from using more useless healing magic. Then, to Cyrae''s surprise, she turned into a ball of light that wrapped around Cyrae.


    "Instead of dying and wasting all the light magic I''ve collected in my life, it might mean more to transfer it to you! This is a secret skill our angels have passed down for millions of years. As a new angel, you were so calm when facing Michelle - it really surprised me. Maybe someday, through you, we might see Edenmere rise again!"


    Cyrae seemed to hear Elara''s voice in her head. When all the light faded and she woke up, Cyrae opened her eyes and was shocked to find she had leveled up!


    Two new pairs of wings grew from her back. This meant she had reached the six-wing level!


    What Elara did was like passing on her skills before dying. She used the light elements that made up her body to give Cyrae a rare chance to level up.


    Even though Elara''s ten wings only raised Cyrae by about two wings, which seems inefficient, it was much better than other angels who just fade away into the air when they die. This was because some energy lost in the process of "skill passing".


    Most importantly - besides light elements, Cyrae also got a lot of Elara''s fighting experience and magic knowledge. These valuable memories didn''t make her stronger right away, but they would help her grow in the future.


    "This is like inheriting everything from me. Even though it was a bit rushed, by angel rules, from now on you''re officially Elara the Fourth! Michelle came to Edenmere to kill me, but from what she says and does, she doesn''t seem to hate all angels that much. Plus, you''re still not strong enough to fight her. So in the future, you must be patient, be careful, and don''t try to fight back. Don''t waste your only chance to survive."


    This was the last will Cyrae heard. After that, all she saw was the cold floor and Elara the Third''s weapon lying there alone - the Apollos Sword.


    "No way, you really died just like that? Come on, you''re not joking, are you...?" Cyrae didn''t expect things to end up like this. When she realized what happened, she was shocked. She sat there for a long time, not able to accept it.


    Actually, Cyrae had only been in this world for about a month or two. She did have some feelings for Elara, but not enough for Elara to trust her with everything like this when dying.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Even though Cyrae helped without hesitation in the dangerous moment, it was just the right thing to do. She never thought she''d get so many benefits from it, even Elara''s title.


    "Uh, how should I say... Well, I''ll accept your kindness for now, but entrusting me the future of all angels seems a bit rushed. How about I find a chance to pass the Elara name to someone else? Oh yeah... of course, an angel more reliable than me. Wouldn''t it be better for them to lead the angels to bring Edenmere back?"


    She talked to the air for a long time, but got no answer. Cyrae could only smile bitterly as she stood up. She put the Apollos Sword in the storage ring, then walked out of the underground jail.


    Outside in Edenmere city, things had mostly calmed down.


    The monster army won the war again. Michelle couldn''t find Elara the Third, so she just announced she was taking over Edenmere. All angels now belonged to her.


    Of course, some still tried to fight back. But the high-level angels left were even weaker. Michelle killed them all without mercy, including high-level ten-wing angels like Elder Meg !


    In the end, only the conservative group led by Yvonne survived. They were the first to bow to Michelle and volunteered to calm down the lower-level angels.


    With this, the fighting in Edenmere completely stopped. Most of those left were the conservative group and angels below level three. The angel legions stuck in the main world couldn''t come back because Edenmere''s entrance were closed. They weren''t a threat for now.


    "Everyone, don''t be so scared!" Michelle said. Michelle gathered all the angels who surrendered at the ruins of Tivi Palace. She floated in the air, showing her twelve red wings, and announced loudly:


    "Maybe your last queen, Elara the Third, didn''t tell you. I, Michelle, am actually the sister of your two ancestors - the Fire Angel. We used to be very close! I only came to Edenmere with my army for one reason. Elara the Third did bad things, working with humans for a long time. This made angels loss in number and close to dying out! I couldn''t stand watching her do this, so I had to intervene when the conservative group asked for help..."


    "Nonsense! All lies!" Suddenly, a six-wing angel in the crowd couldn''t listen anymore. He flew up to the sky, pointed at Michelle, and yelled:


    "You know why so many of our angels died! It''s because your monsters killed them! Now you''re pretending to care, like we''re all stupid!"


    After saying this, he pulled out his weapon and flew at Michelle without hesitating.


    But he only flew about ten meters before a tiny fireball hit him. The small flame touched the angel''s body and suddenly blazed up like gasoline, wrapping him in intense fire.


    Everyone knows angels'' bodies are very good at resisting magic. But this "flame" was clearly too strong for angel magic resistance. Once it stuck to the target, it couldn''t be shaken off.


    In just a few minutes, the six-wing angel who stood up to fight was burned to mush. He turned into light elements and disappeared without a trace.


    "This is a typical follower brainwashed by Elara the Third. Are there any more of you?" Michelle asked, not even looking at him. She looked over the crowd below. Seeing no one else dared to stand up, she continued explaining:


    "I''ve only been in charge of the Dark Continent for a few years. This isn''t a secret, everyone knows! So before that, everything the monsters did had nothing to do with me. Are you saying all the useless losses from wars between angels and monsters for hundreds of years are my fault? Think about it - if you just stayed in Edenmere and didn''t help humans, would angels be in this bad situation? Isn''t this clearly Elara the Third''s fault!"


    It seemed like Michelle had a point. Even Cyrae, hiding in the crowd, started to doubt.


    The other angels felt even more unsure. Actually, whether they should help humans had always been a sensitive topic in Edenmere. The angel leaders just kept it quiet.


    But in the noisy crowd, Cyrae noticed some different opinions.


    "Tch, this is just killing to show power and making herself look good! This trick only fools the angels in this world. If she''s so tough, put away those wings and fight me!"


    "Shh, be quiet! Don''t let them hear us. Let''s just leave!"


    These voices sounded familiar. Cyrae''s looked for where they came from, and found Feliciara and Nicora hiding in the crowd.


    She really didn''t expect these two to survive! They had reached four wings early, but compared to Cyrae now, that was way behind.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 97: Dealing with the Aftermath

    The monster attack surely killed many angels, both high and low rank! Among the high school classmates who came here together, not many survived.


    When Cyrae looked around, she only found a few familiar faces like Reed, Astrid, and Norma. They said they survived thanks to a magic spell Reed made up called "Five Light Ten Color"!


    From what people say, it seems to be an amazing spell that uses light to bend and twist. The spell itself doesn''t really hurt anyone, but it works super well.


    No matter what kind of monster it hits, or how many there are, everyone loses their sight. They all roll around on the ground in pain and can''t do anything!


    After hearing everyone talk it up, Cyrae felt a bit regretful she didn''t get to see it herself. Maybe someday when she has time, she could ask Reed to show it to her...


    "Hey look, isn''t that Cyrae? She''s still alive!" Nicora shouted excitedly, waving her arm as they got closer.


    "That''s great! Someone said they saw you fly towards Tivi Palace when the fighting started! That area was where Michelle and Elara were fighting. The whole palace got destroyed. How did you make it out okay?"


    Feliciara was super happy to see her old friend. The two of them squeezed through the crowd to pull Cyrae aside and started asking her what happened.


    "Well, I wasn''t totally fine. I was just lucky Michelle didn''t notice me at first, so I ran away fast..." Cyrae didn''t want to tell them everything in this noisy place, so she made up an excuse. Then she quickly asked them:


    "What about you two? Weren''t you supposed to be in Tivi Palace too? How did you get out in the end?"


    Cyrae thought Tivi Palace had started falling apart even before she got there, so she figured these two must have died. But now that they met again, she was shocked to see they were totally fine. It even looked like Nicora had more wings than before!


    "Wait, one, two, three... six! How did you get six wings already? That''s so fast!"


    She wasn''t seeing things - Nicora really did get stronger! Just before the monster attack, she only had four wings. Going from four to six wings usually takes angels hundreds of years, sometimes even over a thousand. It''s not something a new angel can do in just a few months!


    Of course, Cyrae was different because Elara gave her power, but that was special.


    "Haha, this is where I''m awesome - I grow super fast, I''m a genius! If Feliciara hadn''t dragged me to the library to find Reed, who knows what would''ve happened when Michelle showed up!"


    Nicora laughed and started bragging about herself.


    But the others were used to this and just looked at her like she was being silly. Nicora got embarrassed and cleared her throat, then told the truth.


    "Okay, I just leveled up while fighting the monsters. I don''t know why it happened, but it proves I''m pretty talented, right? Look, Feliciara is still at four wings. Just wait, if I have enough time, I''ll definitely beat someone like Michelle one day. I can''t stand how smug she looks now. I''ll teach her a lesson someday!"This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Clearly Nicora hated the invaders more than most other angels. Cyrae gave a bitter smile when she heard this. Compared to Nicora''s anger, the weight on Cyrae''s shoulders felt even heavier.


    Cyrae had already decided what to do about Elara''s dying wish. She thought taking back Edenmere would be too hard, so she wouldn''t force herself to do it. She even kept her wings hidden so no one would know she inherited Elara''s title.


    But she got so many benefits, so she felt guilty about ignoring her duty. Still, bringing the angels back to glory wasn''t something easy to do. In the end, it just made her feel more conflicted.


    While the three of them were catching up, Michelle finished her speech to everyone.


    To show she really meant to be "friendly", Michelle ordered all the monsters to leave Edenmere right away. She said she wouldn''t directly control Edenmere''s affairs, and gave all the power to the conservative group led by Yvonne.


    Yvonne was already one of the three angel elders and a leader in the angel council. Most angels there could see she was working with Michelle, but it wasn''t as shocking as having Michelle the invader take over directly. Plus, Yvonne didn''t say she was taking Elara''s title yet. So even though most angels weren''t happy, they had to accept it for now because they were scared of Michelle.


    "Maybe Michelle is lying to us. What if Elara isn''t really dead? When she recovers, she''ll definitely lead us to take back Edenmere!"


    "Yeah! Even Michelle and Elder Yvonne only said ''Elara is probably dead''. I think they''re exaggerating. Elara must still be alive. We need to save our strength and not fight hard now!"


    "That''s right, too many angels died in this war. And some of what Michelle said might not be all lies. We should wait and see what happens!"


    "Did we really do something wrong by helping humans?"


    ...


    Nicora and the others stood quietly for a while, watching angels walk or fly past. Then Cyrae suggested:


    "How about we leave too? If we don''t want that old witch to notice us..."


    The "old witch" meant Yvonne! Among all the angel leaders, Yvonne hated the angels who came from another world the most. Plus, the conservative group she led was behind this monster attack. They even used it to take over Edenmere. So the three of them disliked her even more now.


    "Do you know how the other classmates are doing? It can''t be just us three who survived, right?" Feliciara nodded, then asked Cyrae.


    "Well, not many. Besides the classmates who left Edenmere with the angel legions earlier, which I''m not sure about, Reed and the others are hiding in the library. We can go meet them now!"


    Cyrae had already thought about where to go next. Everyone agreed right away.


    Maybe Elara''s judgment about Michelle before she died was right. After taking control of the angels, Michelle really didn''t try to kill everyone. She kept her promise and took all the monsters out of Edenmere, giving full control to the conservative group.


    The conservative group behaved okay for now. Besides sticking to their usual "closed door" policy, they didn''t actively hunt down people who disagreed with them. For the next while, they focused on getting the angel legions still in the human world to surrender. They even made some policies to calm people down. In just a week, the tense feeling in Edenmere started to go away pretty fast.


    Of course, there were still some angels who didn''t give up and tried to fight back. But with Michelle backing things up, even big rebellions got stopped quickly. To show she was being nice, Michelle didn''t punish the rebels. She kept letting them go free to show how forgiving she was.


    Overall, a lot happened in Edenmere during this time, but the human world outside wasn''t so peaceful either.


    Even though Edenmere was mostly cut off from the outside world, people heard pieces of news from angel who came back.


    It turns out things didn''t always go smoothly for the monster army...


    Before attacking Edenmere, they had taken over the whole Astralrealm kingdom. But when they attacked a small country called Parristol on the eastern border, they had their first big problem!


    Usually the mighty monster army could easily take over a small country like this. But the weird thing is, the night before the monsters reached the city, there seems to have been a sudden change in power in the Parristol royal family.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 98: The Empire Strikes Back

    Nobody expected that when the country was about to fall, the old king of Parristol, who had been ruling for decades, would get kicked out by some secret rebel group!


    But news also said the rebel leader was actually a royal family member who had been living outside. When they got rid of the old king, they said they were cleaning up a bad ruler and saving the country.


    Too bad they had to face the monster army that even the big Astralrealm kingdom couldn''t stop! All the nearby big countries were shocked that Parristol had a rebellion at such a dangerous time. Even though the old king was really useless, everyone thought Parristol would surely fall.


    But soon, these people got a big surprise...


    The day after the new king took over and changed the flag, a bunch of crazy things happened that shocked the whole continent.


    Using some unknown method, the whole city of Parristol suddenly flew up into the sky! Where the city used to be, there was now a huge, bottomless hole.


    But that wasn''t all - when Parristol city went up in the sky, it triggered the legendary "Divine Punishment" power that existed only in old stories!


    People who saw it said they just saw countless pillar of light falling from the sky. It hit the enemy camp with huge power, scaring away all the invaders. The whole battle took less than an hour.


    A big disaster for humans was avoided so easily? Sadly, Cyrae couldn''t find out more details because the angel legion kept coming back.


    But rumors in Edenmere city said Michelle went back to the human world because of this.


    "If things keep going like they say, won''t there be trouble again? What should we do?" a group of angels were playing cards in a library room, looking worried. Feliciara finally couldn''t help asking:


    "I think Elder Meg looks like she can''t sit still anymore. With Michelle gone, it''s a great chance for her to fight back. It might happen any day now!"


    "Maybe not. After failing a few times, the angel resistance Elder Meg leads is almost falling apart. It''ll be hard for them to get organized again," Reed said, looking up from her book on the floor. She seemed interested in this topic too.


    "Don''t worry about that. I already said no to them clearly!" Nicora''s voice suddenly came from outside. She walked in with quick steps, smiling coldly. "That old witch Meg thinks she can trick us into being her cannon fodder? No way!"


    "That''s good, that''s good! Our goal now is simple - stay neutral and don''t cause trouble. To survive in this world, we need to keep our heads down and not do anything stupid!" Astrid said, patting her chest with relief, still holding her cards.


    Many people agreed with her. The mood in the room got much better, not so gloomy anymore.


    "You can''t do this..." Only Norma, sitting in the corner, looked like she wanted to say something. But in the end she held back.


    After all, she was alone. Almost all the other angels here were from another world. A "local angel" like her didn''t really have a say.


    Cyrae played cards happily with everyone on the surface, but she noticed Norma.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But she didn''t say anything either. She just sighed softly and threw down her strongest cards:


    "I win again! Pay up, everyone! Accept your loss!"


    For the past few days, the mood on Edenmere''s streets was very tense. Even though everyone was ready for something to happen, the big fight they thought was coming didn''t actually happen.


    The reason was simple - soon Edenmere itself was in big trouble like never before.


    That day, when any angel looked up, they could see the huge golden magic circle in the sky kept flashing between bright and dark.


    This golden magic circle was said to be part of what made up Edenmere. No one knew exactly how it worked, but people thought it kept this small world running and connected to the outside.


    Since angels existed, this golden magic circle never had any problems. Almost all angels just thought it was always there, like the endless bright sky. Now everyone was panicking. Even Yvonne, who was in charge for now, had no idea what to do.


    But the guessing and rumors didn''t last long. Michelle soon came back from the human world and told everyone why the golden magic circle was acting weird.


    "The Ilandra Dominion Empire secretly built a huge magic thing in their southern area. This thing is a tool to force open the entrance to Edenmere!"


    All the angels were gathered around the ruins of Tivi Palace again. Just like last time, the Fire Angel spread her twelve red wings and floated in the air, announcing loudly.


    "See? This is what the humans you''ve been helping are really like - mean, greedy, and not grateful at all! I just didn''t want angels to get hurt for nothing by helping them. These humans turned against you right away. They even want to invade your home. How can you stand for this?"


    Hearing Michelle''s angry words, most angels looked shocked. Some didn''t believe her, some were shocked humans would do this, and some who already didn''t like humans used this to support what they always thought. They raised their arms and shouted:


    "What are we waiting for? We must attack now and destroy that magic thing to save Edenmere. We can''t let those humans step foot in Edenmere!"


    "Is it true?" Cyrae quickly asked an angel next to her. She knew this angel - he was in the Sixth Legion that just came back with Michelle from outside. He should know what''s really going on.


    "It''s true! When we left the human world, that thing had been running for several days already. Our human friends in the Sage Council think if we do nothing, it''ll open the entrance to Edenmere in about half a month!"


    This angel was much calmer. He didn''t really believe Michelle''s "humans are the worst" talk, but he looked worried too.


    "Too bad we never had much to do with the Ilandra Dominion Empire. Their magic thing is in the south of the empire, far from the human countries we''re friends with. So they probably can''t help much right now."


    If Parristol hadn''t surprisingly beaten back the monster army, the Ilandra Dominion Empire, which neighbors Astralrealm kingdom, would probably have been next. Right at this time, the monster leader Michelle invaded Edenmere and took over the angels. She ordered all angels helping humans fight monsters to come back. So it kind of made sense that the Ilandra Dominion Empire saw angels as enemies too.


    But no one expected that so soon after the monsters lost in the north, the empire would try to invade Edenmere so quickly. Clearly this was a plan they had for a long time. No wonder even people who didn''t like Michelle were shouting to fight back.


    What happened next was easy to guess. They quickly decided to fight back. After Michelle left, the square was busy with war preparations like recruiting soldiers.


    But Cyrae didn''t leave with her friends. She decided to act alone. She had already decided her next target would be Michelle!


    Since she saved Elara from Michelle last time, Cyrae felt that even though Michelle was very strong, she didn''t seem to be good at sensing light magic.


    For example, in Edenmere where light magic was everywhere, Michelle couldn''t even spot the simplest illusion magic. So while Michelle was going back to the government hall, Cyrae turned invisible and followed her from far behind.


    The government hall was not far outside Tivi Palace. This is where the three elders and some council members usually handle angel affairs. Luckily it wasn''t destroyed when the monsters attacked, so Michelle was using it as her temporary base.


    "Your Excellence Lady Michelle, are you really sending the angel legion into the human world?"


    But soon after she got back, Yvonne rushed in and asked Michelle urgently what she really planned to do.


    "Is there a problem? Isn''t this what all the angels want? I''m just going along with it!"


    Michelle was confused. She turned to look at Yvonne, then pulled out a big crystal ball and threw it to her, sighing.


    "Take it. This is the ''Eye of Galadra''. The magic Galadra stored in it probably only works once or twice more. After that, we probably can''t put more magic in it."

 Vol 5/ Chapter 99: The Hero

    "Is this the celestial weapon made by the Ancestor?"


    Yvonne quickly took the crystal ball, not daring to be careless. She saw Michelle''s face and quickly tried to comfort her.


    "Don''t worry, Your Excellence . You and the Ancestor just had a small fight. She shook hands with you and freed you from the Cycle of Rebirth. She even gave you a celestial weapon to help control monsters. That shows strong sibling love. Humans can''t change that! Maybe in 1000-2000 years she''ll stop being angry?"


    "I hope so... I was wrong to attack humans without permission. But I had no choice! I never liked humans. Now that I have the monsters, it''s a rare chance. If we wait for humans to get stronger, we might not get this chance again!"


    Michelle liked this flattery. She nodded and called Yvonne closer.


    "That''s why I agreed to help you take over Edenmere. Angels always helping humans is so annoying! As a special reward, I''ll teach you how to use the ''Eye of Galadra''."


    The fastest way to enter the empire was to use the "Eye of Galadra". That''s why Michelle taught Yvonne how to use it.


    "Please think twice about attacking first, Your Excellence !"


    Yvonne remembered why she came and quickly gave advice.


    "We just called back all the angel legions. If we fight humans again now, we don''t know how many will die... I think it''s better to wait for humans to attack Edenmere first, then fight back. We''ll have the advantage of knowing the place, so fewer casualty."


    "How dare you! Wait for humans to attack Edenmere? I''m the great Fire Angel. How can I be scared of a few humans? No way! If... if my monster army could quickly go deep into the empire''s south, I might not even need to use you angels!"


    Michelle was clearly upset that her monster army lost. But she still strongly refused Yvonne''s request. She asked angrily:


    "Forget the other good things. I''m actually trying to help you angels. Aren''t you happy that I promised to help?"


    "No no, of course not! Thank you so much for your kindness, Your Excellence . We''ll follow you to death!"


    Facing such a harsh question, Yvonne didn''t dare say more. She quickly knelt down and "thanked the boss".


    Michelle''s face got better when she saw this. But she seemed to think of something else and asked:


    "Oh right, I want to ask about a human. Have you angels ever heard of someone named Fernando?"


    "Fernando?" Yvonne was surprised, like she remembered something from long ago. "That name sounds familiar! Could it be the human Hero  who had big trouble with us angels hundreds of years ago?"


    "Hero ? So humans really have this legendary role! But I''ve never met one..."


    Michelle got interested. She sat down and told Yvonne to continue.


    "What kind of trouble? Tell me more about it."


    "As everyone knows, before you came out, all monsters were led by the Demon King..."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Yvonne was clearly good at telling stories. After getting permission, she started talking non-stop about what happened back then.


    Basically, the first half of the story was a very normal magical world story about a Hero  leading humans to fight the Demon King.


    Hundreds of years ago, the monster army led by the Demon King invaded the Eldoria Continent for the last time. Back then, Edenmere didn''t always help humans. Usually, only a few angels came to the main world for special reasons.


    So to fight the powerful Demon King who rose up from countless monsters, the human world had to choose a Hero  from adventurers who were good with light magic, like they usually did.


    Fernando, from a noble family in the Ilandra Dominion Empire, became the Hero  because he was very good with light magic.


    We won''t talk about the details of the war. After trying very hard, and with help from some angels, humans finally beat the Demon King''s army! Hero  Fernando did the most work, no doubt. He killed the Demon King himself, ending the war completely. The monster army retreated to the Barren Lands and faced off with humans for a long time.


    But no one thought the peace would last for hundreds of years! Even though new Demon Kings came after, because the angel army appeared, the monster army couldn''t cross the line before the Fire God showed up. But the title of human Hero  slowly disappeared as time passed.


    The last Hero , Fernando, didn''t retire after becoming famous. He and his friends, along with some mages, established the Sage Council. Yes, he was the first head of the Light Magic School in Crescent City!


    He was successful in work and love. He became very famous for beating the Demon King alone and being called the great human Hero . Even some female angels living in Edenmere couldn''t resist his "magic". He quickly fell in love with an angel named Shariel.


    In other magic worlds, this love might be perfect! But in this world, Fernando wasn''t a normal human. If he wasn''t so good with light magic, it might not have been a big problem...


    But that''s exactly what caused trouble! Even though Fernando wasn''t an angel, the Edenmere leaders decided to break them up before things got too messy, because they thought it was too risky for him to be with an angel.


    Fernando couldn''t accept this decision! Shariel thought she loved a human, not an angel, so it didn''t break Edenmere''s rules. So she refused to go back to Edenmere.


    The two sides had a big fight. The "Post-Event Clearing" couldn''t easily kill Fernando. Even the eight-winged angels they sent couldn''t do it. They had no choice but to go after Shariel, who only had four wings. The result was very cruel...


    Just like when Cyrae did her job and killed the traitors Peiji and Pachira, this couple was successfully separated - Shariel died right there, Fernando escaped alive. From then on, he hated the angels completely, and soon disappeared from the human world.


    "Oh? Is all this true? This kind of problem happens when angels have babies with each other?"


    Michelle frowned after hearing this. But she wasn''t interested in the love tragedy. She seemed curious about the taboo of angels having babies with Hero es or others who were good with light magic.


    "It''s absolutely true! I remember I wrote the order to catch Shariel myself."


    Yvonne clearly didn''t understand what Michelle was thinking. She kept promising it was true.


    "Okay, forget it then!"


    Luckily, this old story didn''t seem very important. They had big enemies to face now. Michelle waved her hand to dismiss Yvonne, but suddenly thought of something else to ask.


    "Also, you said Fernando was born in the empire. Who''s the ruler of the Ilandra Dominion Empire now?"


    "Don''t worry, Your Excellency. It''s definitely not Fernando! He''s very strong, but he''s still just a human. Even if he could live until today, he''d be very old. The empire''s emperor has always been from the royal family - the Cedric family - for hundreds of years. It has been two or three generations since then!"


    Yvonne still didn''t know why Michelle was asking these things, but she clearly wasn''t brave enough to ask more questions. After answering, she bowed deeply and left.


    Now only Michelle was left in the big meeting room, deep in thought. Well, Cyrae was also there, lying on the roof beam. She wasn''t invisible anymore.


    When Yvonne came in earlier, it really scared Cyrae. Yvonne was a ten-winged angel! She could sense light elements very well, one of the best among all angels!


    To protect herself, Cyrae had to risk flying up to the roof beam to hide. She put away her wings too. That''s how she barely escaped, thanks to this place filled with light elements.


    But even she didn''t expect there were other angels listening nearby! She was about to open her wings and turn invisible again to leave. But then Michelle shout angrily:


    "Who''s there? Come out!"


    This scared Cyrae nearly to death. At first, she thought she got caught! But then she saw Michelle jump towards the side window. Michelle violently pulled in a four-winged angel who was hiding outside.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 100: Caught

    "Norma?"


    Cyrae was surprised to see who got caught. She didn''t expect this four-winged angel to risk her life to come listen!


    But then Cyrae remembered how close Norma was to Elara III, and how she acted in the library before. It made sense now.


    Cyrae could easily escape while Michelle was distracted. But she owed Elara a lot, and Norma was her friend in this world. After thinking hard, Cyrae made a risky decision.


    "So it''s a young angel. Who told you to do this? Do you have other friends helping?"


    Michelle clearly didn''t believe Norma had the guts to do this alone. She looked down on Norma but gripped her tighter, asking in a deep voice.


    "Nobody told me to do anything! You killed Lady Elara, you monster! Every angel in Edenmere hates you!"


    Michelle was holding Norma in the air like a chicken. Norma was struggling but still shouted at Michelle without fear.


    "Hmph! Another Elara fan?"


    Michelle got really angry at Norma''s insults. She looked mad. "Yvonne is useless! I let her run Edenmere for so long and she still didn''t fix all these problems!"


    Michelle was about to kill Norma. But suddenly, two six-winged angels wearing armor ran in from the main door. They bowed from far away and said politely:


    "Lady Michelle, we heard strange noises outside and came to check. Was there an attacker? Are you okay?"


    "What attacker! I''m the Fire God, why would I be scared? Didn''t I say only Yvonne can come in, no matter what happens..."


    Michelle was annoyed at the guards interrupting. She waved her hand and turned to tell them to leave. But she suddenly noticed something strange and stopped.


    "Wait!"


    She threw Norma down and rushed at the two guards super fast. She grabbed both angels by the neck, one in each hand, and lifted them up.


    "Light puppets???"


    Something weird happened. The guards'' bodies stretched really long, like white ribbons sliding from Michelle''s hands to the floor. Then they slowly turned clear and disappeared.


    Even Michelle, who was super strong, was shocked. After a while, she finally reacted and quickly looked back to where Norma was.


    Of course, Norma was gone.


    "You?" By now, Cyrae and Norma had escaped outside. Norma just got over her shock. She rubbed her eyes, not believing Cyrae saved her. Then she smiled big.


    "I knew you wouldn''t ignore Lady Elara''s wishes. You''re really different from the others!"


    "Who said that! I just happened to pass by and didn''t want to see someone die..."


    Cyrae didn''t hide how she saved Elara before. Now she could only laugh off. She was about to make more excuses, but suddenly saw a red flash. She quickly stopped.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Impressive! You really tricked me. But did you think you could escape like this?"


    It was Michelle again! She caught up so fast, surprising Cyrae.


    "This is crazy! She''s really tough. This is bad!"


    Cyrae thought but tried to avoid looking scared. She held Norma tight and looked around, ready to try escaping another way.


    But they weren''t lucky this time. Yvonne and other angels came quickly. The two were trapped, surrounded on all sides.


    "So she must be the one who told you to do this. Even though you''re only six-winged, you''re the only angel who could do this to me..."


    Of course, Michelle thought Cyrae and Norma were working together. But she remembered how Elara was rescued before. She looked fierce.


    "So you want to get revenge for Elara? Or do you have some other reason?"


    This question clearly had another meaning.


    "Can I say it''s really not what you think?"


    Cyrae knew Michelle was checking if she was the one who saved Elara. She didn''t want to look suspicious at all. With a sad face, she said "honestly":


    "I don''t really care who rules the angels. I''m not trying to get revenge for Elara. I came to listen because I was curious about what you said about the main world. I just saved her because I was there."


    At least the last part wasn''t a lie.


    "Hah, don''t think I can''t do anything just because you won''t admit it!"


    Michelle didn''t believe Cyrae''s made-up story. She was about to force Cyrae to tell the truth, but then Yvonne spoke, her voice filled with confusion.


    "Isn''t this Cyrae? How did you new angels level up so fast? You''re already six-winged! Is it like Nicora and Feliciara?"


    Cyrae thought she was definitely going to die, but this unexpected help came. It was like grabbing a life-saving straw. Cyrae quickly pointed at Yvonne and said:


    "The Elder is here! She can prove I''m telling the truth!"


    "What do you mean? You say she''s a new angel?"


    Michelle stopped moving. Yvonne''s words made her curious. She stared at Cyrae''s six wings.


    "Uh..."


    Not many angels knew about the group who came from another world. Only a few high level angels knew. But Yvonne was one of the three elders, so she definitely knew the basics. She didn''t dare hide anything and told Michelle everything.


    "Just over two months ago, this group of new angels came from the Angel Descent Formation. Strange things happened. They said they were humans and remembered their past lives. They didn''t follow rules and did whatever they wanted. It was crazy..."


    Yvonne was a conservative elder in Edenmere. She cared a lot about rules and manners. Cyrae and the others definitely had many problems with her. If Elara hadn''t protected them, saying it''s hard to summon new angels, Yvonne probably would have killed half of them for different excuses.


    Even so, they still got punished! Besides being locked up and whipped, many were sent outside the city, because the angel leaders didn''t trust them.


    Because they weren''t trusted, most of the angels coming from another world didn''t feel like they belonged to Edenmere. Many said they really missed home, including Cyrae.


    "This really happened? Angels who used to be humans, with their old memories, and some can grow strong really fast. It might be because of their human memories..."


    Michelle seemed to ignore the fact that Cyrae and the others might be from another world. She focused on them being humans before and having memories.


    "Are there still others alive who came with her?"


    "I think there are still a few... My surbordinates say they''ve all been in the library lately. Not Norma though, she used to work closely with Elara. I think Meg''s rebel group tried to talk to them a few times, but it looks like they said no!"


    Yvonne didn''t dare hesitate when answering to her boss. She quickly told everything she knew.


    "So it looks like you''re not lying..."


    Now Michelle seemed to believe Cyrae. But she didn''t look like she would let Cyrae and Norma go. She smiled in a strange way. Like she had another plan, she told Yvonne to take the two listeners with her to the library right away.


    "Does she want to catch everyone at once and kill all of us?"


    On the way, Norma was worried and quietly asked Cyrae. This all happened because of her. If that was true, it would be really bad.


    "I don''t think so..."


    Cyrae wasn''t sure either. Usually, if Michelle wanted to kill them, she would have done it already. But Michelle seemed to care a lot about them being humans before. Cyrae had a vague idea of what might happen.


    A few days later, in the main world.


    The big forest below was part of the Ilandra Dominion Empire in the human world!


    Because Edenmere''s entrance was invaded by the empire''s magic installation, the angel legion had to use the "Eye of Galadra" to move to the sky above the empire.


    Not far away, you could see a huge building shooting a thick light beam into the sky. It went into the clouds and looked like it had no end.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 101: Ambush

    "Wow, is that magic power? Earth tech can''t do that for sure!"


    It was Nicora''s first time in the main world, so she couldn''t help being curious about everything.


    "Shh, keep your voice down! Don''t forget we''re special," Feliciara scolded her. "Angels could be watching us anytime. Better shut up!"


    "I''m really sorry for dragging you all into this war, especially in the most dangerous frontline unit," Cyrae apologized again, feeling bad. "Michelle was only after me at first. It''s my fault for offending her..."


    Just as Cyrae guessed earlier, Michelle didn''t go to the library to kill. She just wanted to satisfy her own desires.


    The reason was simple - Cyrae and her friends were angels who had been reborn from humans and still had their old memories. So in this attack on the Ilandra Dominion Empire, Michelle picked all the reincarnated people to join the army.


    Of course, this wasn''t about patriotism. Michelle wasn''t that nice! She just wanted to see humans killing each other...


    While humans fighting each other wasn''t rare on the continent, it was a special treat for Michelle. Usually humans stuck together when facing monsters. So this unusual civil war Michelle cooked up was extra exciting for her.


    The angel clan led by Yvonne actually supported this decision too. The conservative higher-ups wanted to figure out where these reborn angels'' loyalties lay. Making Cyrae and her friends fight against humans was killing two birds with one stone.


    "No worries! We''re only fighting humans anyway. Angels aren''t affected by magic, and humans are way weaker than us in every way. Let''s just treat this as a chance to get out of boring old Edenmere and see the world!" Nicora waved her hand carelessly. She always thought highly of herself. When Michelle announced her decision to draft them, Nicora didn''t even object. She just shrugged and agreed right away, surprising everyone.


    "But that means we might have to kill humans. Are you sure you can do it?" Feliciara was still worried. They had only just been reborn, and now they had to fight humans right after arriving in the main world. This conflicted feeling was probably exactly what Michelle wanted to see.


    Seeing that no one replied, she brought up another concern: "Even if we''re okay, it''s harder to say for Astrid and the others..."


    By angel rules, two-winged angels usually weren''t allowed on the battlefield. Even in this special case, they were only put in the main force behind the front lines. Otherwise it would be suicide.


    As for Cyrae, Feliciara and Nicora, who had started leveling up early as "once-in-a-lifetime geniuses", they were of course assigned to the vanguard assault team. Almost everyone around them had six or eight wings. There were probably spies Michelle put there to watch them!


    "No use worrying now. We have to look out for ourselves," Cyrae could only shake her head helplessly. They had no choice but to charge ahead.


    She suddenly felt a bit envious of Matora who was still with the First Angel Legion and hadn''t submitted to Michelle yet. At least they could hide somewhere in the main world without being stuck in this dilemma.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "By the way, are you sure you don''t want to stay with Astrid?" Cyrae suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Reed.


    Reed only had two wings of course, but she didn''t want to stay in the back with Astrid. She insisted on joining Cyrae and the others in the most dangerous vanguard team, almost shocking everyone''s jaws off.


    "Didn''t I say before? Yvonne has good reason to worry. Just pledging we''re loyal doesn''t work. It''s more practical to prove it with actions. Besides, if it really affects the fate of all angels, I want to do my part as a new angel!" Reed rolled her eyes at Cyrae and repeated her stance. Among the group, she had benefited most from Elara III''s kindness when they first arrived, so naturally she made up her mind first on this issue.


    "Don''t worry, I have lots of ways to protect myself! This was my own choice anyway. You guys just need to take care of yourselves!" Seeing that everyone was still worried, Reed took out some metal balls to show them. She seemed to have made many preparations for today''s battle, carefully checking all her gadgets before putting them back in her storage ring.


    "Time''s up, let''s move out!"


    Soon, Michelle''s official attack order came down. Led by a ten-winged angel, all the angels around spread their wings and flew at top speed towards the Empire''s base.


    As the vanguard force, they only had about 100 people. But with mostly six and eight-winged members, the squad''s combat power was off the charts.


    These were the angel race''s most elite fighters. Their mission was simple and clear - break through the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s base defenses and destroy or capture the glowing magic device they planned to use to invade Edenmere!


    The fact that Michelle dared to make this decision showed that the angel leaders she led didn''t take humans seriously at all. They thought the vanguard alone could solve most problems.


    Of course, that should have been true in theory. The combat power of six and eight-winged angels was terrifying to humans. Not to mention a whole squad of them!


    But reality often turns out differently than expected.


    "We''re going too fast. Shouldn''t we slow down a bit?" As soon as they entered enemy defense range, Cyrae felt uneasy even though they hadn''t met any resistance yet. Plus the vanguard members had different individual strengths, so they were stretched out in a long line.


    Of course, she didn''t actually have any authority to give orders. But a few eight-winged angels at the front suddenly stopped and looked back. Thinking they might be supervisors, Cyrae quickly explained nervously:


    "It''s mainly Reed. She can''t keep up!"


    Reed only had two wings and couldn''t learn high-speed flight. This explanation made sense.


    "You two pull her along. She asked to join the vanguard herself. Don''t miss our chance because of her!" One of the eight-winged angels yelled at Nicola and Feliciara, who were closest to Reed. He showed no mercy at all.


    But just as he finished speaking, a crisp sound suddenly came from the front of the squad.


    "Bang!"


    Before anyone could figure out what happened...


    "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    "Boom!"


    ...the same sounds erupted one after another from the forest below. In an instant, the whole angel squad fell into chaos. Thick smoke rose from flames all around. Injured angels kept falling from the sky into the dense branches below, their fates unknown.


    "Human magic attacks?" The eight-winged angel supervisor suddenly turned pale. He realized they were probably ambushed, but quickly shook his head.


    "No way! Human magic can''t hurt us. Even if some high-level spells could, they definitely couldn''t use so many non-stop like this!"


    There was no time for angels to think about it. They had to respond and fight back. Without another word, the eight-winged supervisor grabbed a companion and dove towards a patch of dense forest where the sounds seemed to be coming from.


    "That doesn''t sound like magic at all?" Although she didn''t know what was happening up front either, Feliciara recognized the sound as something from Earth. She turned to Nicora, hoping for confirmation. "If I''m not wrong, that''s..."


    "Times have changed. This isn''t the magic world we imagined. Quick, find somewhere to hide!" Reed was the first to snap out of her shock. She yelled a warning and led the way down into the forest.


    Luckily they had fallen behind quite a bit due to their slow speed, so they weren''t in the thick of the attacks. After some scrambling, all four managed to land safely on the ground.


    Never mind the gunfire in the distance. The thick branches all around blocked the enemy''s view, so they should be safe now. But whether to keep following orders and advance on the Empire''s base became their main disagreement.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 102: Victory?

    "We definitely can''t turn back!" Nicora spoke up first. She thought she was the strongest, so she made this decision without hesitating.


    "Why don''t you guys run to somewhere first? There''s an Empire village nearby to the west. Let''s meet up there! I''ll stay behind to check if other angels are chasing us, then I''ll come find you!"


    "Why are you suddenly deciding things on your own..." Feliciara didn''t expect this move from her. But before she could fully react, Nicora had disappeared into the trees.


    "Forget it, don''t chase her! It''s chaos out there now, we can''t catch up anyway!" Cyrae didn''t expect this either. She quickly grabbed Feliciara to stop her.


    "But should we really run away? If we do, there''s no going back. Edenmere might hunt us down forever!"


    It was a tough choice. As a former member of the "Post-Event Clearing", Cyrae knew how angels dealt with traitors. But she couldn''t ask everyone to risk their lives in battle either. They were only average strength, and the enemy even had guns. They couldn''t handle it!


    "I still think we should keep following orders! Like I said, we''re angels now. We need to prove ourselves to clear up misunderstandings. This war is about the angels'' survival. The former Elara treated us well, so we should help fulfill her last wish. Plus we''re not ordinary people anymore..." Reed was quiet for a while, then shared her thoughts again. She looked at Cyrae meaningfully and asked, "What do you think?"


    "If that''s what you''ve decided, I have no objections!" Cyrae immediately understood what Reed meant. She knew she shouldn''t be the one to back out, so she just laughed dryly in response.


    With the others decided, Feliciara had no reason to run off alone. She actually agreed with Reed all along, but wasn''t confident enough to share her opinion before.


    With everything settled, the three continued towards the Empire base as ordered.


    The angels attacking from the sky suffered big losses from the Empire''s long-range weapons ambush. But their high rank still mattered. Even though many died at first from the surprise attack, quite a few high-ranking angels survived thanks to their experience and strength.


    They quickly organized counterattacks, diving into the trees like lightning to drag out Empire soldiers hiding nearby. But there was too much cover around, so they couldn''t clear the area quickly. This completely held up the vanguard''s advance.


    Except for three angels that no one really noticed! During this time, they snuck close to the Empire base''s outer area under cover of the forest.


    They didn''t get there without trouble though. Cyrae and the others still ran into quite a few Empire soldiers. Luckily, six-winged angels were incredibly strong. Normal humans were no match at all. Even some soldiers with "guns" were quickly defeated if the angels were prepared and used magic.


    "I didn''t know I was so powerful!" Feliciara was the most excited after taking out several waves of Empire troops. Unlike Cyrae who was battle-hardened, this was Feliciara''s first real fight. Though they all tacitly agreed not to kill enemies directly, the combat power they showed was still incredible.


    "So this is this world''s ''gun''?" Reed stayed calm as usual. She focused mostly on the Empire soldiers'' weapons that had ambushed the angel troops earlier. She now held one of the captured guns.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    It was a club-like object made of hard wood. At first glance it looked a bit like the muskets when firearms first appeared on Earth. But its power and firing speed were completely different.


    "It does use bullets, not just magic. There''s even some gunpowder residue in the barrel! But magic circles are involved in firing and loading bullets. No wonder..."


    She quickly found something fishy on the back of the gun and the bullets. There was a tiny magic circle carved there. Strictly speaking, this thing wasn''t a pure firearm. It was a "gun-like weapon" that mixed magic and technology. The gunpowder was just there to make up for the magic circle''s lack of power.


    Besides that, they also captured a larger one - a "magic cannon" that worked on similar principles.


    "Angels aren''t afraid of magic, but bullets shot by magic count as physical attacks. Looks like the Empire army made these guns and cannons specially to deal with angels. They must have prepared for a long time!"


    Cyrae quickly spotted the trick too. She''d been to the main world before, but never heard of humans having things like this.


    "I don''t think it''s that simple. Even with magic involved, designs like rifling are basically impossible for a world that''s never used guns before!" Reed clearly implied something, but they had more urgent affairs. She quickly packed away the spoils of war and cast a invisibility spell over the three of them. Then they quietly left the forest and arrived in front of the Empire army''s base.


    The base covered a huge area. But its main purpose was to maintain the space magic device in the center that was invading Edenmere. From far away, you could see a giant magic cannon with a very thick barrel placed in the middle of a huge magic circle. It kept shooting bright, dazzling beams into the sky!


    They were close enough now to clearly see that the beam was as thick as several dozen people holding hands. Of course, there were groups of Empire soldiers patrolling around the magic device. The walls were full of magicians. There were even many large airships flying around on guard! The whole base''s defenses were like a military fortress. It seemed really hard to sneak in with just invisibility magic.


    "What should we do? There''s only a few of us. Should we wait for the main force?" Feliciara was the first to hesitate when she saw this setup. But Reed shook her head. She took out some metal balls she had prepared from her ring and said:


    "I recognize that magic circle. It''s probably for collecting elements from the surroundings. If you can just attack the magic device up close, I''m confident I can destroy it!"


    "But just the three of us can''t possibly..." Cyrae shook her head, about to object. But suddenly she saw Reed had already rushed out alone.


    "Who''s there? Enemy spotted!" The Empire''s light mages quickly sensed something was off. They kept casting tracking spells to mark Reed''s position while sending warning signals into the base.


    But before a squad of Empire soldiers could fully charge out, they saw Reed, now forced to become visible, cast a spell.


    "Crap, turn around quick!" Cyrae and Feliciara knew this was "Five Light Ten Color". They quickly closed their eyes.


    "Five Light Ten Color" only lasted about 10-20 seconds, but all the Empire soldiers looking at Reed suffered huge mental attacks. They all fell to the ground, rolling around.


    Only Reed, who cast the spell, was unfazed. She took the chance to spread her wings and charge straight into the base.


    Of course Cyrae and Feliciara followed right behind her. Besides occasionally finishing off a few soldiers who escaped the spell, they found they didn''t have to spend much effort. Before long, they reached the Empire''s magic device.


    "What now?" Before Cyrae finished speaking, she saw Reed throw all the metal balls in her hand into the glowing "cannon mouth". Then she quickly turned around, grabbed the two of them, and retreated fast out of the base.


    "These are element collectors I made myself. Throwing them into this device should disrupt its operation and destroy it. I originally planned to do a research experiment with Nicora''s power, but I didn''t get the chance, so I had to use them all up here..." They vaguely heard Reed explain as they escaped.


    "Research? What experiment?" Feliciara was stunned. But the next second, an extremely bright light suddenly exploded behind them. Even with their backs turned, it still hurt their eyes.


    "It worked!" They heard Cyrae shout excitedly. When the bright light faded, they looked back. The Empire base had turned into a huge, bottomless pit. It was terrifying!


    No humans could possibly survive this explosion. The three angels only escaped thanks to their super strong magic defense and flying ability.


    "So... it''s all over? Just the three of us solved Edenmere''s crisis? Michelle and the angel leaders shouldn''t have any complaints about us now, right? We won?"


    Feliciara couldn''t help taking a deep breath. She rubbed her eyes, still not believing this was all real.

 Chapter 103: The Intense Fight

    "You''re right, we achieved great goal! Reed contributed the most, of course. I just hope Nicora is okay somewhere!"


    Cyrae couldn''t help but smile too. The angel''s front troops got trapped, so they won''t make it in time to take credit. Looks like their risky bet paid off. Even though she didn''t like working under Michelle, it''s better than always hiding.


    But Reed, who contributed the most, still looked worried.


    "Don''t you think the sky looks a bit strange?"


    She pointed up. They were shocked to see the once-clear forest sky was now full of weird dark clouds.


    "I feel like things aren''t as simple as we think..."


    Then something even stranger happened. Reed was talking to herself as she flew a few meters ahead. In the blink of an eye, she vanished!


    "Reed? Where are you?"


    The other two were stunned. Feliciara thought it might be some invisibility magic, so she went closer to check. But a second later, she disappeared too!


    "Feliciara!"


    Now only Cyrae was left. She finally realized this wasn''t just some invisibility spell. She had no idea what dangers might be ahead. Scared, Cyrae backed up a few steps.


    But then, suddenly, the scene in front of her changed. She was teleported to a strange place!


    Looking around, she was still in the same battle area, but her exact location was now several kilometers away. She also found herself near the ground.


    "Space transfer?"


    After experiencing it a few times, Cyrae started to figure out what was happening.


    The whole battle area had been split into many small spaces of different sizes. There were no clear marks to show where one space ended and another began! When you left one space, you''d randomly enter another. But these spaces weren''t connected. They could be very far apart.


    One second you might be in some bushes on the ground in the western part of the empire''s base. The next second, you could be in the sky above the eastern part, kilometers away. Why did it become like this?


    Was it because they carelessly blew up the empire''s magic device earlier?


    Cyrae didn''t know this was actually the Cycle of Rebirth descending. She could only guess it was because of Reed''s rash actions. Luckily, after bumbling through the messy spaces a few times, she finally saw other people.


    "Michelle!"


    Cyrae''s scalp tingled. What bad luck - had she stumbled into the main angel army?


    If she hadn''t seen two other angels facing Michelle, Cyrae might have run away immediately. But besides them, she didn''t see any other angels around Michelle.


    Wait a minute...


    "So you''re here too?"


    She almost didn''t recognize her, but looking closer, Cyrae realized one of the eight-winged angels facing Michelle was Nicora!


    "How is this possible? Weren''t you just six-winged?"


    It hadn''t been that long since she last saw Nicora, but she had leveled up again! Cyrae couldn''t help her curiosity and wanted to get closer. But Nicora saw her and held out a hand to stop her:Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Cyra? No, you''re not the one I know... Anyway, it''s very dangerous here. You''d better stay far away!"


    "Huh?"


    Cyrae had no idea what Nicora was doing. After a moment of confusion, she noticed the male angel floating next to Nicora had twelve wings, just like Michelle!


    His wings were brownish-yellow, very different from Michelle''s fire-red wings. They made quite a contrast.


    "Hmph! Galadra, I knew you were behind all this! I thought the Ilandra Dominion Empire must have had your support. Otherwise, they couldn''t possibly invade Edenmere!"


    Michelle ignored Cyrae, who had just stumbled in. Her eyes were fixed on the male angel, questioning him very cautiously.


    "What if I told you I never really helped the empire? I just used them to make sure you''d show up here. Of course, to prepare for this day, I called Liana to help me. With her help, I''m confident I can catch you in one go!"


    The male angel called Galadra was extremely handsome. Even Cyrae couldn''t help but stare for a while. It took her a long time to realize this yellow-winged guy was actually one of the legendary angel ancestors!


    "If he''s the Earth Angel Galadra, then the Liana he just mentioned must be..."


    Based on the situation, could the Nicora next to Galadra actually be another angel ancestor?


    This strange turn of events was beyond Cyrae''s imagination. But the conversation between them kept confirming her guess.


    "I can''t believe it''s you! No wonder Yvonne told me you leveled up so unusually fast. You''ve been hiding near me this whole time, and I didn''t even notice!"


    When she heard Nicora''s real identity was Liana, Michelle''s face showed disbelief at first. But she quickly recovered and said to Nicora with a cold smile:


    "You hid pretty deep. Looks like you two teamed up against me long ago. After more than ten thousand years, you''re still the same!"


    "Tch, you''ve got it wrong too! Actually, I just arrived in this world not long ago. The one you saw before wasn''t really..."


    Nicora seemed a bit impatient. She tried to explain but found she couldn''t explained clearly. So she gave up and summoned a beautiful gray transparent sword from her palm. Pointing it at Michelle, she announced loudly:


    "Forget it. I''m here this time because Galadra asked me for help! You broke your promise and did damage to the main world. You should be held accountable! Even though we two shouldn''t really have any grudges, unfortunately, I just don''t like you. Just blame your bad luck!"


    "What a joke! I did underestimate you two today, but that doesn''t mean I''m afraid of you!"


    Michelle got angry right away. A bright red light shone around her body. She also took out her weapon, ready to fight. "You should know that in front of absolute power, any tricks are useless!"


    Looks like things were getting serious! The energy burst from Michelle was so strong that someone at Cyrae''s level was immediately blown to the ground by a wave of hot air. She could barely even crawl.


    Nicora, still in the air, seemed to be struggling too. She raised her weapon, looking very serious as she tried to block the impact. Only Galadra stayed calm. He snapped his fingers, and a thin, strange light appeared in the space around them. He reminded Michelle:


    "Don''t forget, this is the special time when the Cycle of Rebirth is descending. I can keep most of my power working in the real world. With Liana''s help, you don''t have any chance of winning..."


    His words stopped suddenly. Cyrae found the pressure on her body was gone. At the same time, she couldn''t hear anything the three were saying anymore!


    It wasn''t just the sound. Even though she could see the three people still there, when she tried to fly closer, she passed right through them like they were ghosts. It didn''t feel real at all.


    All signs showed that their space had probably been separated from the current space! Cyrae quickly realized this might be a space barrier Galadra made to stop their intense fight from affecting the real world.


    Outside the barrier, she could see the three of them quite clearly, like she was right there. But she couldn''t touch or feel anything...


    What happened next was an intense fight scene!


    All kinds of dazzling explosion lights kept flashing. But sadly, Cyrae''s couldn''t keep up with the speed of their movements at all.


    Just as she was feeling hopeless, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.


    "Oh, Cyrae, you''re here too? What''s this place? It''s like some big 3D projection is playing?"


    It turned out some others had accidentally entered this space too. They also saw the super intense battle in the sky, which naturally made them very curious.


    Of course, these two were also familiar faces! One was Feliciara. But when Cyrae saw clearly who the other person was, her face showed great surprise.


    "Nicora, weren''t you just fighting Michelle? How did you get out here so fast?"


    She pointed at Nicora, hesitating for a long time. Then she looked back at the situation inside the barrier and couldn''t help but ask.


    "Fighting? When did I fight Michelle? I just met Feliciara on the way. She and Reed got separated by accident. That''s how we ran into you."


    Surprisingly, this new Nicora looked completely confused. She had no idea what Cyrae was talking about.


    "Uh, why do you only have six wings?"


    But soon Cyrae noticed something was off. Not to mention the difference in clothes, even this Nicora''s wings didn''t match! Based on how this Nicora was acting, she might actually be the familiar friend Cyrae knew all along!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 104: The Beta Shock Bomb

    "Wasn''t Nicora with me the whole time?" Feliciara quickly spoke up to support this.


    "That''s because there was another Nicora just now..."


    Cyrae was about to explain, but she saw the intense battle around them suddenly stop.


    Galadra, eight-winged Nicora, and Michelle, whose forms were completely blurry before, now became clear in the sky. They could hear them talking again, which meant the barrier was finally gone.


    "Damn it! Too bad I wasn''t at my best today. You guys caught me off guard..."


    The result was no surprise. Michelle was hanging in the air, completely exhausted. She was covered in wounds, and even lost several wings. Her weapon was long gone! But she still wouldn''t admit defeat, gritting her teeth.


    Eight-winged Nicora and Galadra didn''t look great either. Their clothes were torn, and they were breathing hard. They were hurt too, but clearly not as badly as Michelle.


    "How about that? Finally tasted how awesome I am, right? I told you I''d make you kneel at my feet and sing ''I Surrender''! Come on, do it now! Sing!"


    Even though her own clothes were full of holes, eight-winged Nicora didn''t care. She announced their victory, looking very proud.


    They didn''t seem to notice that not far below them, the six-winged Nicora who arrived later couldn''t hold back her curiosity anymore. Full of questions, she shouted:


    "Who are you? Why do you look exactly like me? And what''s with all the voices? Was that you talking?"


    "It''s you?"


    These words were clearly meant for eight-winged Nicora, but Galadra and Michelle heard them too and looked over.


    "So that''s what''s going on! People who mess with time are all weirdos!"


    Suddenly, it seemed like Michelle understood a lot. But surprisingly, she forced herself up and flew towards six-winged Nicora!


    "If I kill this weak one, the future you won''t exist. Then I''ll definitely win!"


    "Oh no! Don''t do that, things aren''t what you imagine...!"


    Eight-winged Nicora tried to stop her, but it was too late.


    Even though she was badly hurt, Michelle reached Cyrae and six-winged Nicora really fast. Before they could react, she kicked Nicora hard, sending her crashing to the ground.


    This attack was clearly full-force. After the dust cleared, they saw a huge crater where six-winged Nicora had landed. They couldn''t tell if she was alive or dead.


    "What are you trying to do?"


    Seeing that Michelle wasn''t done and wanted to go finish the job, Feliciara and Cyrae quickly rushed over to block her.


    "Get out of my way!"


    But Michelle had lost it. She didn''t care about these weak angels at all. Without even looking back, she slapped them both away.


    But this delay gave eight-winged Nicora and Galadra time to catch up.


    Galadra made a light yellow bubble that trapped Michelle inside, stopping her from continuing killing.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Let me go, you jerks! You only know how to play dirty tricks! If you''ve got real skills, fight me one-on-one again!"


    Michelle was still yelling, not giving up even though she was caught. But she couldn''t threaten anyone anymore.


    "Huh! What do you mean ''real skills''? Wasn''t what I did just now good enough?"


    Eight-winged Nicora kicked the bubble hard. "If Galadra hadn''t kept stopping me, I would''ve finished you off with one sword strike!"


    The bubble''s surface rippled when she kicked it, but it stayed floating in the air, not moving at all.


    "Didn''t we already explain this? Why don''t you ever listen?"


    Galadra was calmer. He sighed a little and patiently explained again:


    "This Nicora isn''t what you think. She''s actually..."


    But he didn''t finish. Everyone noticed something new happening¡ª


    A flying ship suddenly appeared in their small space without making any noise.


    Anyone could tell right away that this was an Ilandra Dominion Empire ship! But no one expected the empire''s ship to show up at a time like this.


    Cyrae, lying in the bushes, saw it too. At first, she thought the empire sent a ship for revenge because their base was destroyed. She wondered how the empire''s backup arrived so fast.


    But after a moment, Galadra''s face changed suddenly. He quickly waved his hand, making a foggy shield around himself, eight-winged Nicora, and Michelle. He shouted:


    "It''s a Beta Shock Bomb! Quick, use all your power to defend!"


    "Beta Shock Bomb?"


    Cyrae on the ground and eight-winged Nicora both looked confused. They didn''t know what to do.


    "Hurry! We''re running out of time!"


    Galadra kept warning them. Cyrae suddenly realized something was wrong. She couldn''t escape, so she quickly made several layers of light element shields around herself and her wings.


    The next second, a huge explosion happened.


    First, there was a bright white flash. Then, big shock waves came down from the sky, pushing Cyrae into the mud. She couldn''t move at all.


    But that wasn''t all. Even though she had put up defenses, Cyrae could clearly feel her light element shields being eaten away where the shock hit her body!


    No magic had ever done this before. Soon, the little bit of light element was completely gone, and the huge damage started hitting her body directly...


    After what felt like forever, the explosion finally stopped.


    Cyrae was completely buried in the soil. The damage from this explosion was really, really bad!


    She finally poked her head out of the hole and was shocked to see that the right half of her body, where the shields were destroyed first, was completely gone! Luckily, she was tough enough not to die, and she could use light magic to stop the bleeding and pain for now. Otherwise, she probably would''ve been screaming in pain.


    Of course, as long as she stayed alive and kept her wings, she could probably heal slowly using healing magic!


    But the problem was, she was hurt so badly that she couldn''t move at all right now. And she had no idea what was going on around her.


    As the smoke cleared, Cyrae looked up at the sky again. The place where Galadra had been was empty.


    But soon she found eight-winged Nicora and Michelle on the ground not far away.


    These two weren''t much better off than her. They could barely move, even though their bodies were whole. They were still covered in blood, completely naked and in a terrible state.


    Only eight-winged Nicora looked a bit different! Cyrae wasn''t sure, but her body seemed to be getting a bit transparent?


    "How are you doing over there?"


    Cyrae gathered all her strength to call out for help. She didn''t care that Michelle was there too. It was clear this bomb attack wasn''t Michelle''s doing, so she probably didn''t need to worry about her for now.


    "Cyra? Oh, no..."


    Eight-winged Nicora heard her and looked over. When she saw it was Cyrae, she shook her head and suddenly fell to her knees, looking weak.


    She looked like she was in trouble too, but she still managed to keep talking to Cyrae.


    "I might not make it either! Because of the explosion, Galadra can''t keep his power in the main world anymore. His mind has gone back to the Cycle of Rebirth, so I probably can''t stay here much longer! But don''t worry, there should be other people around here who can help you!"


    As she finished talking, eight-winged Nicora''s body became more and more transparent. In a moment, she disappeared completely, leaving only Michelle, who was still moaning softly nearby.


    "Huh? What''s going on? Other people? What other people?"


    Cyrae was totally confused now. So many weird things happened so fast that she couldn''t figure out what was really important.


    She looked around again and realized that the problem with space  seemed to be gone. A big area of trees nearby had been blown up by the explosion, lying all over the place. In the distance, she saw a group of empire soldiers with guns, along with the flying ship, slowly coming towards them.


    These soldiers and the ship stopped when they reached Michelle. It was clear she was their target! Then a voice suddenly came from the empire ship above.


    "Michelle, remember me?"


    "Fernando? It''s you! So you''re with the empire. What are you trying to do now?"


    Michelle clearly knew this voice. But before she could do anything else, a big net fell from the sky and caught her. Then she was slowly lifted up and taken to the bottom of the ship.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 105: Going Home

    "Let me go, you nasty humans! Just wait till I recover, I''ll wipe you bastards out!"


    The net must have been enchanted with special magic. With her remaining strength, Michelle couldn''t break free. She could only watch helplessly as the imperial airship carried her away.


    "Haha, we''ll see about that when the time comes! I even suggested an alliance to fight the angels together, but you refused. Looks like that won''t be necessary now!" Fernando''s smug laughter echoed in the sky, completely dismissing Michelle''s resistance.


    "Leave a few men behind to clean up. After multiple Beta Shock Bombs, there shouldn''t be much resistance left in the area!"


    Though he didn''t appear in person, Fernando seemed to notice Cyrae lying nearby. The airship didn''t stop but gave orders to the imperial soldiers on the ground.


    "Yes, sir!"


    Three imperial soldiers saluted as the airship flew away with Michelle. Then they approached Cyrae, holding their magic guns.


    "This angel''s body is half-blown away, but it''s still quite intact compared to others."


    After briefly examining Cyrae''s injuries, one soldier''s face twisted into a lecherous grin.


    "Look closely, she''s pretty cute. It''s a rare chance! Why don''t we have some fun while she''s still warm..."


    "Don''t you dare!"


    Cyrae couldn''t believe she''d face such humiliation. She blurted out a threat.


    Unfortunately, her words had no effect. Missing limbs and with most of her magic used for healing, she had no strength left to resist.


    "What nonsense are you talking about? The others aren''t far, and the premier can monitor us with magic. We''ve got a job to do!"


    Luckily, another soldier rejected the idea. They raised their magic guns, all three aiming at Cyrae''s head, about to pull the triggers...


    "Stop!"


    A sword suddenly flew over, piercing one soldier''s chest. It was Feliciara''s voice. She appeared like a heavenly warrior, pouncing from afar. The remaining two soldiers hurriedly turned their guns towards her, firing frantically.


    "Paradise Lost Shockwave!"


    A thick white light beam precisely covered the enemies. When Feliciara reached them, only two barely living bodies remained, collapsing with a light touch.


    "That''s great! You''re okay! How did you manage it?"


    Saved at the last moment, Cyrae couldn''t help but express her joy and gratitude. However, she was puzzled by how Feliciara seemed barely injured from the Beta Shock Bomb.


    "It''s simple! Ever heard of ''Light''s Sanctuary''?"


    Probably seeing her attack succeed for the first time, Feliciara turned back with a bright smile.


    Cyrae knew about this high-level magic from Elara''s memories. She was surprised that Feliciara, with only four wings, could learn it! But suddently, Cyrae got it.


    High-level magic consumes enormous amounts of energy. A four-winged angel could only cast it once in a short time. No wonder Feliciara wasn''t seen after the explosion; she must have hidden to recover her magic.


    "Wait, you''re shot?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Feliciara was crouching to check on her, but she suddenly collapsed to the ground! Only then did Cyrae notice several horrifying bullet wounds on Feliciara''s body.


    "It''s nothing! I''m not human now, so it''s fine. Besides, I''ve already used pain-relief magic!"


    Feliciara knew she was shot but tried to act tough. However, it wasn''t as easy as she claimed. Looking down, she realized a bullet had hit her left chest, near her heart. Feeling her strength fading, she collapsed beside Cyrae.


    Angels'' bodies are similar to humans in some ways. Once the heart is damaged, without immediate healing magic, death comes quickly.


    The problem was, both Cyrae and Feliciara had completely exhausted their magic. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have been humiliated by those soldiers earlier.


    "Ugh, I''m done for... Looks like my rank was too low, couldn''t dodge successfully. What a pity..."


    Thanks to the pain-relief magic, Feliciara didn''t seem to suffer much as she was dying. But as she lost blood, her life kept fading. Soon, she seemed to lose the strength even to speak and slowly closed her eyes.


    "Feliciara, hang on! Don''t give up!"


    Unfortunately, there was no one else around. No matter how Cyrae screamed, crawling onto Feliciara, it was useless. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as Feliciara''s body slowly turned into white light dots, dispersing into the night sky.


    This angel expedition ended with the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s complete victory. Due to the earlier Beta Shock Bomb, the angels were either dead or fled, whether it was the main force or other divisions. For surviving remnants like Cyrae, without self-healing abilities, death was the only outcome.


    After around one hour of continuous effort to recover, Cyrae finally felt she had accumulated enough magic to heal. However, at this moment, a voice came from afar.


    "Feliciara... She''s really dead, isn''t she?"


    It was Nicora, limping slowly towards them. She probably just managed to walk and rushed over! Of course, this was the six-winged Nicora who had been kicked away by Michelle earlier.


    Cyrae looked up at her but didn''t respond. Everything was understood without words.


    "Actually, I heard everything that happened to you earlier from a distance. I barely survived the explosion too, but like you, I couldn''t move afterward. Half-buried in the ground, I could only wait to recover until now..."


    "It''s all too late!"


    Nicora also showed deep sorrow for Feliciara''s death, but she seemed to control her emotions. As if she had more to say, she sat on a broken tree trunk next to Cyrae and asked,


    "Do you know why I left you earlier and insisted on staying behind while you escaped?"


    "Why?"


    Cyrae didn''t want to talk much, but hearing this, her curiosity was piqued.


    "It''s because I suddenly heard two voices talking in my mind. Although I had never experienced it before, based on some memories inherited from the Angel Descent Formation, this seemed similar to someone speaking in the Spiritual Network!"


    After pondering for a while, Nicora, perhaps not entirely sure, could only explain it this way.


    "Of course, later I realized this wasn''t actually a Spiritual Network, and I had never joined any Spiritual Network. This should be the voice of the Earth Angel Galadra speaking to another me through the soul!"


    "Another you? Oh..."


    Cyrae was confused at first, but she quickly remembered the fleeting appearance of the eight-winged Nicora and understood.


    "Probably because of the soul affinity, I accidentally intercepted their conversation. Although I couldn''t intervene between them, I gradually learned that their purpose was to capture the Fire Angel Michelle. That''s why I could later find the specific location of their battle. Of course, you experienced what happened after that..."


    This refers to when the six-winged Nicora and Feliciara burst into the space maze after Michelle started fighting with the eight-winged Nicora and Galadra. At this point, Nicora suddenly stood up from the ground.


    "After the explosion, the eight-winged one disappeared, and her soul''s voice vanished completely! Later, Galadra had no choice but to contact me directly. He told me that Fernando, for some reason, had mastered ancient technology, which led to this explosion and even capturing Michelle. He also revealed some huge secrets about my past and even granted me partial control over the Cycle of Rebirth to help me resist Fernando''s threats in the future!"


    "What secrets? And what control?"


    Cyrae was stunned, never imagining that Nicora had such experiences. However, Nicora didn''t answer her questions but spread her six wings, as if preparing for some magic.


    "You''ve always said you missed the Earth, right? Among the Cycle of Rebirth controls I received is the ability to send you back to Earth. Conveniently, this area still has a lot of Earth element residue after the Cycle of Rebirth descent, making it possible!"


    "Wait a moment!"


    Suddenly feeling the space around her start to distort, Cyrae hurriedly tried to stop her. However, she noticed that Nicora''s wings had somehow turned a misty gray, completely losing their previous snow-white color!


    Of course, Nicora didn''t stop the spell. Cyrae felt herself twisting along with her surroundings. Finally, she heard Nicora''s voice in her ear before disappearing into darkness.


    "This world is really cruel. Even with Elara''s inherited powers, your strength is far from enough. Since we crossed over, everyone has been suffering. Feliciara even died. I don''t want you to end up like her, so I decided to fulfill your wish¡ªto send you home!"


    When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a desolate world. However, it was her former home¡ªEarth!

 Vol 5/Chapter 106: Analysis

    "So, you went back to Earth 80 years ago?"


    After hearing Cyrae''s story, I still found it hard to believe.


    Using Nicora''s special power, Cyrae finally got back to Earth. But the timing was off, and even the place was way different - she actually ended up on Earth in another world, 80 years in the past!


    This crazy fantasy story was happening right in front of me!


    Also, H-country 80 years ago was nothing like now. It must''ve been super hard for Cyrae to hide her angel identity and live quietly all this time.


    "But you said you got married in these 80 years, and... even had kids?"


    Remembering the shocking stuff she told us earlier, Cyra frowned, looking upset.


    "Hey, 80 years is a long time. It can change a lot of things, including me!"


    Since Cyra was kind of another version of herself, her reaction made sense. Cyrae explained calmly with a smile, but then suddenly turned to look at me.


    "Besides, looks like someone here moved even faster. I only gave in after living on Earth for over 10 years, but this guy just transformed a few months ago and already..."


    "Uh, I couldn''t help it! There were special reasons, you don''t understand!"


    I quickly tried to explain, feeling awkward. But I was worried Adrian might misunderstand, so I sneaked a glance at him.


    Adrian seemed lost in thought, probably still thinking about Cyrae''s story. I had to change the subject.


    "Anyway, I think we need to check if your story is really true. Especially about what happened to the other me in that world. She... I mean, I... really died? That can''t be right! Are you just making this up to mess with me?"


    This was the most unbelievable part of the whole story. How could I, now with eight wings, only reach four wings in the other world and die after wasting a few months?


    "Something''s not right, definitely not right!"


    After thinking it over again, I became even more doubtful about Cyrae''s story. I just couldn''t accept that another "me" would die so easily!


    "How could I be so weak that I couldn''t even dodge a few bullets? Even if... it might be a bit hard with four wings, the part about the Ilandra Dominion Empire is just too crazy! How could the empire''s military suddenly get so strong? And Fernando was the one who kidnapped Michelle? That''s nonsense!"


    In my experience, Fernando was a high-ranking monster and Michelle''s trusted aide!


    Unless Cyrae was talking about a different person. But even that doesn''t explain the empire''s weird behavior in the other world. The empire I knew lost badly to H-country''s army, which also used guns. That''s why they were desperate for peace talks.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Maybe it''s possible. Don''t you remember? In some ways, it could happen," Adrian suddenly looked up and reminded me.


    "The Ilandra Dominion Empire in our world went through a big political change. The new emperor is Reider. There are rumors he ran away because the empire is losing power. But it''s totally different from the other world where Cedric''s family is still in control!"


    "There are so many differences! Way too many!"


    I rolled my eyes at him.


    I thought parallel worlds would only have small differences in history, but that''s not true.


    For example, in the other world, Feliciara and Nicora woke up in Edenmere, totally different from my experience. And there were both male and female angels. What''s up with that?


    As far as I know, angels are only female! New angels born from the Angel Descent Formation can only be female. Otherwise, Elara II wouldn''t have been so worried when the Pope, who was different, suddenly appeared.


    The angels were super careful with the True Church for years because they thought Cysper might be the God of Light Beluto. This only changed after we visited the holy city Jethrobaines.


    Of course, in my world, the Pope who lived for thousands of years suddenly died. Now other people are taking care of the church and the Cresthaven Papal Dominion.


    Thinking about this, I suddenly got an idea and blurted out:


    "Wait, what about the True Church in Cyrae''s world? Is Cysper, I mean the Pope, still alive?"


    Usually, since they didn''t have the battle at Chromos Tower that I experienced, and never met the other world''s Cyrae, the Pope should still be fine in the holy city.


    "But she didn''t talk much about the True Church, right? Seems like she doesn''t even know about the Cresthaven Papal Dominion?"


    Cyra seemed to be thinking the same thing. She cares a lot about this stuff, so she quickly asked similar questions.


    "True Church? What does the True Church have to do with anything?"


    Cyrae looked at us, confused.


    Since there''s a religious group with the same name on Earth, it took a while to explain what we meant.


    "So you''re saying there''s a True Church in the world you went to? And it''s really popular, all over the continent?"


    Cyrae was shocked when she heard this.


    "That''s impossible! Isn''t the Ancient God Religion the biggest one? The True Church is an Earth thing, it can''t be in another world, uh..."


    At first, she didn''t believe it. But then she seemed to remember something.


    "Wait, maybe I''m wrong. I think I heard about it once. It was probably when I was doing a job in the main world with the ''Post-Event Clearing'' team... I think?"


    Cyrus''s mom is a devoted True Church follower, so Cyrae and Cyra are the same in this.


    Cyra and I looked at each other. We understood that Cyrae, being so old now, might not remember everything clearly after so many years. So we didn''t push her more on this.


    "But if it''s true that the True Church didn''t exist in her world, or wasn''t as popular as we know it, that could explain a lot of the differences in history," Adrian said after thinking for a while. He seemed to catch something important.


    "Huh? There''s something fishy about this too?"


    I turned to him, curious.


    I could only figure out why the other world''s Feliciara and Nicora woke up with Cyrae in Edenmere.


    It''s simple. The reason why Feliciana (me) and Nicola ended up in Astralrealm Kingdom''s forest was because the Angel Descent Formation was attacked! Only Cyra and Reed were lucky enough to be saved and taken to Edenmere. The other classmates all died from the monsters!


    Why was only my Angel Descent Formation attacked? This is a bit complicated - in my world, Michelle, the monster boss, probably time traveled too.


    The future twelve-winged Nicola sent her back one year!


    From what I learned later from Michelle, this time travel made her want revenge on us. She told her past self where and when we''d be born, which led to the monster attack when we first arrived!


    But none of this big stuff happened in Cyrae''s world! Their Feliciara never went to Norvale, the capital of Astralrealm Kingdom. She wasn''t accidentally sent to the Dark Continent, didn''t meet Michelle, and wasn''t saved by future Nicola.


    Since there was no attack at the start, all the classmates who crossed over must have been fine. They were all brought back to Edenmere by the angels before waking up.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 107: Cyraes Worries

    "The True Church played a big role in our world''s history," Adrian said. "They even helped make the common language for the whole continent. But in the other world, things seem different..."


    Adrian glanced at Cyrae, and I remembered something I missed before. Cyrae was speaking H-country language, but sometimes she used words I didn''t know. Now I get it - the common language in her world is different from ours!


    This means things changed even before the KTV incident. Like how their world has both male and female angels. That''s not something that happens quickly.


    Adrian continued, "The language difference isn''t that important. What''s really big is how the True Church ended the dark times of religious fighting a thousand years ago. But in Cyrae''s world, another religion did this instead."


    "The Ancient God Religion was once as strong as the True Church in our world. They had a big fight in the holy city of Jethrobaines. But Pope Garrick''s knights beat them, and they disappeared from history. We hardly hear about them now."


    "So if they didn''t fight the True Church, the Ancient God Religion might have become like the True Church is now, just like in Cyrae''s world!" I said, suddenly understanding.


    "The True Church always looked for people with light magic to fight the monsters from the north. So in our world, humans didn''t have as much trouble with monsters. That''s why we never had ''Heroes'' to lead humans against monsters."


    "You don''t have ''Heroes''?" Cyrae asked, surprised. "Then what about Fernando in your world? Isn''t he the last ''Hero''? Did you meet him too?"


    "Well, we did meet that guy, but his position..." I didn''t know much about him, except that he was Michelle''s follower and maybe high up in the Dark Council. Very different from Cyrae''s world!


    Adrian explained, "Fernando is quite famous. Records say he joined the True Church hundreds of years ago because of his talent. He was even a bishop in a part of the Ilandra Dominion Empire. But later, for unknown reasons, he left the church and helped start the Sage Council."


    Adrian looked at me and said, "Remember I told you? He created ''demon-taming magic'' and was the first head of the Sage Council''s light magic school!"


    "But wasn''t the Sage Council started after he disappeared?" Cyrae asked. "And I never heard of ''demon-taming magic'' in our world... Oh, right..." She realized the worlds were different in many ways.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Fernando in our world disappeared too. People say it had something to do with the angels..." Adrian said.


    I didn''t know about this stuff, so I just shook my head.


    Suddenly, Raydwin burst in, out of breath and carrying lots of stuff. "I''m back! It was so hard to buy good drinks at this time. The shops nearby closed early, so I had to go outside. There were so many hills!"


    When he saw us still standing there not talking, he looked disappointed. "Are you done talking already?"


    "We''re mostly done. Did you want to hear?" I asked. Raydwin clearly wanted to hear the story, but he''s just a normal Earth man. I didn''t really want him to know too much.


    "It''s okay," Cyrae said. "We''re guests in his house, and he saved Cyra. I''ll tell him the story again. You came to Earth differently from me, and now even H-country''s army is involved in the other world''s problems. He should know more."


    Cyrae opened a beer and told me, "Don''t worry, I''ll be careful about the details you''re concerned about."


    "What do you mean, details..." I said, surprised she knew about the H-country army in the other world. But then I realized she must have been watching Aurora Entertainment for months.


    Cyrae told the story again, adding how we came through the wormhole to Earth. This helped Raydwin understand. She left out the part about changing gender when crossing over, to avoid problems.


    "Is it really that crazy? Time travel is real? You came from another world to Earth 80 years ago?" Raydwin was shocked, but he could accept it better because he''d seen angels fall from the sky before.


    "So you''re all from another world, coming through a space portal? That explains why Cyrae and Cyra look the same... Wait, Cyra!" Raydwin suddenly turned to Cyra. "Didn''t you say you fell to our world because the Demon King''s army attacked you?"


    Cyra was trying to sneak into her room. Caught off guard, she argued, "I didn''t lie! I was knocked down by the Demon King''s army!"


    Actually, there was no Demon King''s army, just monsters. Cyra had come out of the space portal, flown up, and been knocked down by a strong monster.


    "Then what about the final battle between the Heaven Realm and the Demon King''s army? You said I was chosen by the gods! And I see you pray to the gods every day!" Raydwin pressed on.


    "Well, that''s complicated... Oh, right! You were chosen by Adrian to be his disciple, remember? I was wrong before. It''s not the Heaven Realm, it''s the Royals! You''re lucky to be chosen by King Adrian from our world. That''s what I meant!" Cyra quickly went into her room and closed the door. "I have an important livestream soon. Can we talk about these small things later?"


    "Hey, this isn''t small! What about the Heaven Realm? Does it really exist?" Raydwin kept knocking, but Cyra didn''t answer.


    "Is she really my past self? She seems so different..." Cyrae looked awkward and drank more beer.


    "That''s her alright! She used to be even worse. When she first crossed over, she thought she could do anything because she had the Lord of True Church backing her up. But she''s calmed down a bit after getting some hard lessons from reality," I said, rolling my eyes. Then I started to laugh and told Cyrae about some of the silly things Cyra had done in the other world.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 108: Cyras Obsession

    "Is it really that crazy?" Cyrae couldn''t believe it. Time had made her very different from Cyra, not just in age.


    "I see! If I was still my younger self, maybe I''d do the same things," Cyrae said, suddenly understanding. "To be honest, I''m a bit jealous of her. If I had joined the True Church back then, maybe I wouldn''t have felt so much pressure after my father died. Maybe I wouldn''t have changed history."


    The biggest difference between Cyrae and Cyra before crossing over was that Cyrae''s father''s death wasn''t avenged. This drove Cyrae to learn sword skills and magic after crossing over. Even when she got back to Earth, it was 80 years in the past, and her father''s revenge troubled her for decades.


    Should she get revenge on the Lin family? In 80 years, Cyrae had many chances to deal with this grudge. But she knew that getting revenge might mess up the future. But could she really ignore it? These two thoughts kept fighting in her mind.


    "It''s not your fault," Adrian tried to comfort her. "Many things in our world would have changed even without you action on Earth. Your revenge for your father couldn''t cause all that."


    "But what should I do now? I can''t go back!" Cyrae said, suddenly looking lost. "Nicora, Reed, Matora, and Astrid are still in that world. I can''t use your space portal to go back to them." She finished her beer, looking down.


    "How did it turn out like this? Do I have to stay on Earth forever?"


    So that was her plan all along? Adrian and I looked at each other, surprised. Cyrae seemed a bit drunk and kept talking to herself.


    "I hoped history hadn''t changed too much because of my revenge. Then I could use the space tunnel to go back. That''s why I stayed hidden nearby after watching Cyrus and you leave through Aurora Entertainment, keeping an eye on what happened..."


    At first, we were confused why she did this. But after putting together her drunken words, we started to understand.


    The big explosion caused by the "Beta Shock Bomb" had effects far beyond what Cyrae saw!


    "Beta" is actually an old name for Dark Element! Cyrae didn''t cross over for long, but she got some of Elara''s knowledge and memories. She knew a lot about magic, elements, and other worlds. She didn''t have time to think about it at first, but later she remembered that only Dark Element could hurt angels so badly.


    Plus, the explosion happened right when the Cycle of Rebirth was descending...


    The Cycle of Rebirth descending is when Earth Element is strongest and most unstable on the continent. It let Nicora, with only six wings, send Cyrae back to Earth easily. With Dark Element involved, the explosion must have messed up space a bit! It might have opened other doors to Earth, maybe even making some nearby angels fall through. But these space tunnels are usually hidden and open for a short time, so they weren''t found quickly.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    So Cyrae was waiting near Aurora Entertainment to find these hidden space tunnels based on this theory!


    Unless someone made an exit on purpose, random unstable space tunnels from the explosion would most likely come out at Aurora Entertainment on Earth, where a crossing had happened before!


    "But she didn''t get the world she was from!" I said to Adrian, smiling sadly.


    I''m not sure if Cyrae''s theory would work, because in the other world, history had changed a lot. Our coming back was caused by a different accident. But Adrian and I did come out at Aurora Entertainment when we came back to Earth through the space tunnel, so maybe she''s onto something.


    "There are too many unknowns. We probably can''t figure it all out with the little info we have," Adrian said, shaking his head. He told me not to worry too much about it.


    He''s right! There are still many mysteries we can''t solve. I looked at Raydwin, who was still shocked, and Cyrae, who was now sleeping on the couch because of the alcohol. I could only sigh heavily.


    No matter what, suddenly having another Cyra from a parallel world might mean more trouble in the future!


    The next morning.


    When I woke up, Adrian wasn''t in the room. He left a note saying he took Raydwin out for morning exercise.


    I wasn''t alone though. Cyrae was still passed out drunk on the couch. Cyra''s room door was still closed. Knowing her, she was probably playing games inside at this time.


    Should I go find Adrian?


    I thought about it for a bit, feeling lazy. Instead, I took out my phone and started browsing the news.


    Yesterday''s commotion in the south city lockdown area was pretty big. I wondered if it made the news. That would be worth checking out!


    But strangely, I couldn''t find any related info on any news sites. The south city was still locked down. I guessed the info was either blocked or the impact wasn''t big enough to report.


    As I was about to close the app, I saw a small local news item.


    "From today, temporary traffic control on roads from the airport to the east city main road is lifted."


    At first glance, this short line didn''t seem important. But to me, it held hidden information.


    The road from the airport to the east city main road is quite long, and the east city main road is right next to Aurora Entertainment!


    Aurora Entertainment and the area around became a sealed military zone because of the space tunnel. I quickly checked older news and found that this road was closed yesterday evening, around when Adrian and I came to Tenda Flats. It reopened after just one night, which doesn''t seem like road work. Thinking about the vampire ancestor who suddenly showed up in the city when he should be far away, it seems like all these unrelated events might be connected somehow.


    But so what? Who cares! That vampire ancestor Bolifar was killed by Cyrae last night, super dead. Why should I worry?


    Thinking this way made me feel better. I put away my phone and went to Cyra''s room door.


    I thought it would be locked like last night, but surprisingly, it opened easily. I pushed it open and saw Cyra seriously praying towards the window.


    "Huh? You still believe in this? I thought you gave up on it!" I was surprised and couldn''t help teasing her. "Logically, the Lord you found is just another you, right? Why are you still praying?"


    I hadn''t seen Cyra for a long time. With all she''d done recently, and finally solving the mystery of her Lord''s identity, I thought her faith might have been shaken.


    That''s why I didn''t go talk to her all night, letting her calm down alone. I didn''t expect her belief to be so strong.


    "Hey! That''s not fair! Do I look like someone who''d just give up?" Cyra wasn''t happy to hear this. She stopped praying and jumped up to argue with me.


    "Let me tell you the truth. I used to think it was the Lord who avenged my father. But now I see I was wrong. Cyrae was just a tool sent by the Lord to save me. Her coming from a parallel world proves it! How could it be so coincidental that she crossed over to my world? And how could it be so coincidental that she decided to act right when I was praying to the Lord? All this just proves how powerful the Lord is! She might not be the Lord I was looking for, but that doesn''t mean the Lord doesn''t exist!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 109: Earths Special Nature

    "What nonsense is this? Cyrae struggled for decades over whether to take revenge, and you dismiss her as just a tool? How can you say that?"


    I was so annoyed my nose almost went crooked! I patiently reminded Cyra again:


    "Don''t forget what you said! You joined the True Church because your father''s revenge was fulfilled. Now that Cyrae admits she did it, you have no reason to keep believing in some god who had nothing to do with it and never showed up!"


    "Who says there''s no connection? In a way, he did show up... well, at least his voice did!" Cyra argued back stubbornly.


    After thinking a bit, she said confidently:


    "Remember the Divine Revelation I told you about? I got more instructions from the Lord later. The most recent one was right before I came back to Earth. That Divine Revelation is why I''m here now!"


    "Divine Revelation? What Divine Revelation?"


    I really didn''t expect her to bring this up. I was confused for a moment.


    After a while, I vaguely remembered Cyra telling me once in Edenmere about suddenly hearing a voice. But I forgot about it later and didn''t think much of it.


    But how was this Divine Revelation related to her return to Earth?


    "Actually, when that space portal suddenly grew bigger, I had enough time to run away..."


    Seeing I didn''t understand, Cyra sighed and explained more:


    "At that crucial moment, I suddenly ''felt'' the Lord''s voice! It wasn''t in any language, but I''m sure I understood his meaning directly: The Lord told me the true answer I''d been seeking was on the other side of that portal! So I followed the Lord''s will and didn''t run away. In the end, I came back to Earth!"


    "...Huh?"


    What did she mean? So Cyra got swallowed by the space portal on purpose because she listened to a Divine Revelation?


    I was stunned. It was hard to accept this crazy story. Things developed beyond what I could imagine. I stuttered and asked again:


    "What''s really going on? Does your... your whatever... Lord actually exist?"


    "Of course he exists! I''ve told you many times, you just don''t believe!" Cyra rolled her eyes at me, then sat back down in her chair and started her live streaming.


    To be honest, after all this time, I had almost given up on whether the so-called Lord of the True Church existed.


    Even though we faced many strange things during our adventures after leaving Edenmere. Especially that Pope Cysper - the mystery of his background, the various unexplained things about him, and his sudden, puzzling sacrifice at the end! But even so, we still couldn''t find any direct proof that Yawee existed! We didn''t even know if there was any connection with the God of Light Beluto.


    But now, Cyra suddenly told me she had received Divine Revelation more than once? I always thought it was just her imagining things because she was too into her role.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Unless something was really wrong with Cyra''s brain, the same kind of hallucination couldn''t happen over and over, right? And why was it only her could hear the Divine Revelation? Why had angels like me and Nicola, and even Reed, never experienced it?


    I felt like my brain couldn''t handle it. Seeing Cyra about to turn on her camera, I quietly left the room, my mind in chaos.


    Just as I got back to the living room, Cyrae was waking up from her nap on the sofa. Thinking that she might have some of Elara''s inherited memories, I hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask her more about this Divine Revelation thing. But then the front door open - Adrian and Raydwin were back from their morning exercise.


    "Master is really amazing! I can''t believe that on just the first day, I could easily run 2000 meters non-stop. It''s super impressive!" Raydwin ran over to us excitedly as soon as he entered, eager to share the good news.


    "2000 meters... you?" I looked him up and down in disbelief.


    Sure, running 2000 meters isn''t a big deal for many young folks. But for a couch potato like Raydwin, even running 1000 meters might kill him! How could his stamina improve so much so quickly?


    He must be joking, right?


    "Well, it''s not just my effort. It''s mainly thanks to Master''s amazing skills! He poked me with one of his arrows, and suddenly I felt full of energy. I could run the whole way without getting tired at all. Isn''t that cool? Master is truly incredible!"


    Seeing my confused face, Raydwin didn''t hide anything. He happily showed me a small wound on his palm, still going on about how awesome his master was, not caring that the wound wasn''t healed and looked quite painful.


    "That''s cheating!"


    It must be because of Adrian''s Battle Qi ability! If I''m not wrong, he probably used words like "heal" on Raydwin. But sadly, these effects are usually temporary. If that''s the case, Raydwin won''t really benefit from the exercise, so what''s the point of him going out to train so early?


    "I didn''t directly apply my Battle Qi ability to him! Raydwin''s stamina is really poor. Using the usual training method might take a lot of time. Considering that the ultimate goal of training in our world is to build up enough energy in the body - whether you''re a warrior, mage, or Battle Qi user - I thought of a quick method we could try on him. It''s also to test a theory..."


    Adrian came over to explain, seeming to read my mind. To prove his point, he took out an arrow with a word on it and showed it to me.


    The word on it clearly said ''absorb'', which means absorbing energy.


    "Remember I said I felt my Battle Qi was more abundant since coming to this world? It feels like my Battle Qi is endless, like I can use it without running out. So I''ve been wondering if this world might be full of Battle Qi, but Earth people just can''t use it directly."


    "Earth itself has a lot of Battle Qi?"


    After hearing his further explanation, I think I understood what he meant.


    It was really unexpected. To be honest, I had never thought about it this way before! After all, angels can''t sense Battle Qi, and ordinary humans probably can''t either. Who would have thought that Earth, a world with no magic, might be full of Battle Qi? Of course, we can''t be sure if it''s really true. I guess only a Battle Qi awakener like Adrian would know for sure.


    "But isn''t it too risky to use Raydwin to absorb Battle Qi from the environment to test this theory?"


    However, I didn''t agree with his method. After all, experiments of infusing Battle Qi into normal people had been done before. The Battle Qi Academy in Crescent City had records of this, and it was even taught as an important point in classes.


    The research results were not good. There were all kinds of side effects during the experiments. If it had been successful, it would have been used all over the continent by now, and there wouldn''t be so few Battle Qi awakener.


    "I think it''s worth a try!"


    Surprisingly, before Adrian could answer, Cyrae spoke up from behind. She had much more knowledge and experience than us. She walked over, put her hand on Raydwin''s head, and closed her eyes to sense for a moment. Then she opened her eyes, nodded confidently, and said:


    "As I thought, I don''t sense any signs of light element imbalance in this child! The essence of Battle Qi is actually a fusion of all elements. Only when the ratio of each element is perfectly balanced can they gather and fuse into Battle Qi. If you suddenly infuse it into a human body, it usually causes imbalance due to differences in individual element affinities, leading to various side effects like element disorder. The key point is that this child is a pure Earth human. He doesn''t have any element affinity in his body, so he won''t show any side effects. Simply put, he''s just like a Battle Qi awakener."


    She finished speaking and gave Adrian a meaningful look.

 Chapter 110: City Center Lockdown

    "Oh yeah, I remember now! Not having any element affinity is a must for awakening Battle Qi!"


    When Cyrae mentioned it, I recalled many knowledges. But then I noticed something that didn''t add up.


    If that''s true, wouldn''t all Earth people have the potential to become Battle Qi awakeners?


    Earth folks shouldn''t have any element affinity, right? And if Adrian is correct about Earth being full of Battle Qi, why haven''t we seen any Earth Battle Qi masters yet? This doesn''t match reality!


    "The training methods and awakening process for Battle Qi users are uncertain and random, but they''re still based on single-element training and changes in how elements are absorbed and stored," Cyrae explained, answering my unspoken question.


    "Earth is totally different from the other world. Even if Earth people could find a good way to train Battle Qi, their bodies are fundamentally different from people in the other world! We can''t be sure they can absorb or store energy the same way, and Earth people are very different from each other too. Remember, even in the other world, only a tiny number of people without element affinity have the talent to awaken Battle Qi."


    It seems Elara III, in whichever word, never stopped studying Battle Qi. To sum up her long explanation: Raydwin can use Battle Qi only because Adrian, who already has awakened Battle Qi, is helping him. If Earth people had to figure it out alone, who knows how long it would take!


    Battle Qi awakeners are already rare. The other world only developed a proper theory in the last few hundred years. Before that, people just thought it was some exceptional physical talent.


    "Luckily, you seem to have good fortune. Though the arrow''s absorption effect is probably temporary, the Battle Qi you absorbed earlier has stayed in your body," Cyrae said, patting Raydwin''s shoulder encouragingly.


    "All you lack now is a way to absorb Battle Qi, which your master can help with. Battle Qi isn''t just about running 2000 meters. It might even make you stronger overall, like other Battle Qi awakeners. But be careful not to absorb too much Battle Qi too quickly. It could cause all sorts of unexpected problems!"


    "What kind of problems? If it''s just pain, sickness, or a few wounds, I''m not scared. I can handle it!" Raydwin was super excited. He had a rare chance to get stronger fast and wasn''t giving up, even after hearing about side effects.


    "You might actually die, you know? If the Battle Qi leans too much towards fire element, you could go ''boom'' and explode. Scary, right?" Cyrae warned with a smile. Seeing Raydwin finally scared into silence, she shook her head, looking kind and grandmotherly.


    Gosh, it was weird! For a moment, I saw a bit of Elara in Cyrae! Then I thought about Cyra, still locked in her room, obsessed with live streaming...


    Okay, even weirder!


    They look exactly the same and have the same background. Just a tiny difference in what they went through, and they end up so different?


    We finished talking about Battle Qi for now. After breakfast, Cyrae said she had things to do and left early.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Raydwin is still a student, so he had to go to school. Now it''s just me, Adrian, and Cyra left in the house.


    It''s still early, and we''ve only been in this world for a few days. I can''t be like Cyra, stuck at the computer all day. After discussion, Adrian and I decided to go into town again to see if we could find any clues about Nicola.


    "What do you think Cyrae does for work on Earth? Even if she''s lived nearly a hundred years and is pretty strong, she must need money, right? Angels need to eat too. She can''t just rob people, can she?" I asked, curious about how rushed Cyrae looked when she left this morning.


    "Ah, that''s hard to say. Maybe she sells holy water?" Adrian scratched his head, not sure how to answer. We only know about Cyrae because of what we know about Cyra, but their personalities are totally different. If it was Cyra who''d been on Earth that long, she might actually do something like that.


    "But even selling holy water needs an ID in this country. Wonder how she got all that stuff!" I couldn''t help commenting. Cyrae didn''t say much about her daily life. We only know she used disguise magic to hide that she wasn''t aging from her family for a while. But she had to stop because it didn''t work well on Earth. To solve the problem, she even faked her own death in an accident decades ago. So shouldn''t she still be undocumented?


    "Not necessarily!" Adrian thought for a moment, then reminded me, "Angels have special magic that can change memories. Even though Earth doesn''t have much of any elements, don''t you absorb a bit of light element from the sun every day?"


    That''s true! Even though the amount of light element I can absorb daily is tiny, it adds up over time! If you sunbathe for long periods every day, it''s possible to gather enough magic power for a mid-level or high-level spell over several years.


    But I''m still not totally convinced about this method. It takes so long! Cyrae must have incredible patience to slowly make this happen!


    Plus, there''s one thing I can''t figure out¡ªelements either exist in a world or they don''t! So why is there just a tiny bit of light element in Earth''s sunlight? And Battle Qi, which should be rare, is really abundant on Earth. It feels like there might be some connection between Earth and the other world.


    We got off the bus when it reached the city center.


    Since Nicola''s old address in the south of the city is still under control, we came to her father''s company in the city center to try to get some information. I think it''s called Hawkson Trading Group, very famous! Her father is supposed to be a high-level manager there.


    "Will this really work? From what I know about Nicola, even if she came back, she might not reconnect with her father. Her old identity, like yours, is considered dead on Earth. Plus, this is where her father works," Adrian objected as we stood in front of the Hawkson Trading Group building.


    To be honest, I don''t have high hopes for this plan either. I met Nicola''s father once at a high school parents'' meeting. I only remember him wearing a suit, and I can barely recall his face. I doubt I could even recognize him if I saw him now.


    "But we don''t have any other options! Even if she doesn''t contact her father directly, she might try to reach out indirectly. We could ask if any suspicious people have been seen around the company recently," I said, not ready to give up. We might as well try since we''re here and have nothing else to do. I grabbed Adrian''s arm and headed towards the lobby of the building.


    "Sorry, our company is closed for the day! No one is allowed to enter, no matter how important your business or personal matters are. Please come back tomorrow!" The security guard at the door stopped us from going in.


    "Closing so early?" I checked my phone, surprised. It wasn''t even noon yet. Since when did this country''s office hours become so employee-friendly, working only half days? And it''s not even a holiday today!


    "We got an urgent notice from higher-ups this morning. From this afternoon until tomorrow, the city center, including the city library, is under temporary control. Except for street shops and public facilities that are approved to stay open, all office spaces are closed. The buildings must be empty, no one can stay inside," the guard explained, pointing to a notice on the door. "Almost everyone in this building has left. The police will be here soon to seal the doors. Please come back tomorrow!"


    "Why?" I was stunned. This sudden change was unexpected. After the guard''s reminder, we noticed that people on the surrounding streets were moving faster than usual. Everyone looked in a hurry, many shops were pulling down their shutters, and in the distance, we could see police cars with flashing lights urging people to leave quickly.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 111: The Visiting Delegation

    We had no choice but to turn back.


    "Could some vampires from yesterday still be around? Did survivors make their way here?" Adrian first thought of this possibility, given the special situation in the south of the city.


    "But that doesn''t make sense either! Even if there were survivors, the ancestor vampire is dead, so his minions would lose their magic source. Without dark element support, how could they keep spreading? Unless there''s a second ancestor vampire in this city?"


    I shook my head. Cyrae actually gave a rough estimate of how many monsters fell to Earth. She''d been hanging around Aurora Entertainment lately, so she could guess. When the portal connecting the two worlds reopened, besides the imperial soldiers who came later, she saw about 10 or so monsters enter Earth.


    These monsters weren''t all equally strong, but even the weakest ones were way beyond normal humans. At first it took Cyrae several days to find and kill off the weaker ones. But thre''s one or two high-level monsters above 6th rank were much harder to deal with.


    "The vampire ancestor from yesterday was probably one of them, right?"


    I thought. With Cyrae''s current power, dealing with monsters above 6th rank was still quite difficult. That''s why she ended up letting Camille escape. By my count, the only high-level monster left on Earth now should be that succubus.


    But succubi can only bewitch human minds, they can''t infect people on a large scale like vampires. It''s not realistic for her to control the whole city center. But the guard''s info also said public places like the walking street were still open. This suddenly made me think of another possibility ...


    "Could it be some big shot leader coming to inspect?"


    And since they clearly said the walking street could stay open, maybe that''s the main place the leader wants to check out?


    "Anyway, we can''t get more info today. Why don''t we go take a look and see what''s really happening?"


    I suddenly felt eager to convince Adrian. The controlled city center really piqued my curiosity. I wasn''t totally sure if a leader was really inspecting, but I just didn''t want to go back yet.


    "Uh, if that''s what you want, let''s do it!"


    Adrian usually won''t object to harmless suggestions. Plus he also wanted to know why things suddenly changed like this.


    With that decided, we grabbed some fast food to kill time. We waited until the control period started, then went invisible and slowly made our way towards the walking street.


    It was quite different from the controlled situation we saw in the south city. Though the big streets were still empty, there were patrolling police and soldiers around everywhere.


    Lucky they couldn''t see us, otherwise it''d be hard to even find a place to hide.


    "Could it really be a leader inspecting? If so, this leader must be super high-ranking!"This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    I couldn''t help suspecting. Then I remembered that notice I saw this morning about reopening the road from the airport to the east city. Could it actually be him?


    H-country''s top leader would definitely fit this security level. Not to mention they found a portal to another world in the east city - that huge value is definitely worth the supreme leader to come!


    The only thing that didn''t quite make sense was why the top leader would come to the walking street instead? Surely he doesn''t like strolling around shopping streets in his free time?


    Getting close to the walking street, more and more police cars for keeping order, but also a few vehicles belonging to TV stations. Now I was almost certain this must be because of a leader''s inspection.


    "Looks like there are suddenly more people over in that direction?"


    Adrian seemed to notice something and pointed ahead.


    The place he mentioned was of course the famous Shine Metropolitan walking street, which always has the most foot traffic in the whole city. And according to the notice, some shops on the walking street weren''t really affected by this control, the only difference from usual was there were basically no customers.


    But the scene wasn''t totally quiet. Not far from the entrance, we could see several groups of people slowly moving forward. Besides the guards, we saw a few camera crews that looked like reporters.


    "It''s right there!"


    I grabbed Adrian and we flew towards the biggest crowd, wings spread.


    Standing on top of a shop building, we could easily see everything.


    "How can it be them?"


    The result was a huge shock for me and Adrian.


    We never imagined that the people at the center of the crowd weren''t the H-country top leaders we expected, but Princess Katarina from the other world!


    I remember this princess coming from the imperial capital to Sifur to negotiate peace with the H-country army. But holding the negotiations on Earth''s side was really unexpected.


    Or maybe the negotiations went smoothly, and she''s just visiting Earth afterwards at the H-country government''s invitation?


    Of course we don''t know the exact reason yet. But clearly Katarina wasn''t the only member of the otherworld delegation visiting Earth. Besides H-country officials like Wayne Peng accompanying Katarina, I also saw several others in Ilandra Dominion Empire uniforms.


    Now the situation was obvious - this city center control was prepared for Katarina! For visitors from another world, touring a busy commercial area like this is probably the best way to show Earth''s civilian life. Plus Katarina is only around 30, "shopping" on the walking street really fits the typical interests of her age group.


    At least she looked pretty excited now, visiting different shops. As for the shop staff, to keep things secret, most were probably already switched out for government or military people.


    "Looks like there''s another group of people over there!"


    Following Adrain''s gaze, I saw another small crowd a bit far away, with less than 10 people. They only had one camera crew filming.


    I grabbed Adrian and flew towards where that other group was.


    "Since you''ve already decided this TV recording won''t be shown to people on Earth, what''s the point of coming to interview us?"


    As we got close, we were surprised to find the people at the center of the crowd were none other than Irene from the light elf tribe, and Reed! Reed seemed to be answering questions from the TV crew, but she clearly didn''t understand their purpose and was asking back with a blank face.


    "Uh, well..."


    After hemming and hawing for a while, reporter had to explain the reason behind it.


    "We''re from National TV, specially approved by the government! Although today''s interview won''t be made public for now, the discovery of a portal connecting to another world definitely can''t be kept secret forever. Sooner or later it will be revealed to the whole world! Our job is to prepare for that day, to record the efforts of H-country soldiers in protecting Earth and our country. At the same time, you otherworlders visiting Earth for the first time is also a very important moment worth documenting."


    Obviously this reporter didn''t know Reed wasn''t actually an otherworld "human", but Irene''s elf features were quite obvious. The cameraman kept focusing on her ears.


    Since our wings were still out, as soon as we got close, Reed and Irene immediately sensed something and glanced in our direction.


    "Huh?"


    A surprised look flashed across Irene''s face. She was about to speak, but Reed quietly pulled her sleeve.


    Of course I''d told Reed about coming to Earth when Adrian and I left. In Earth''s environment, she just needed a moment''s thought to realize such a strong light element must mean I''d arrived.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 112: Exchange Intelligence

    "Sorry, I''m not feeling well right now," Reed suddenly looked very tired. She was trying to create a chance for us to meet.


    She asked a nearby soldier who was guarding her: "Is there a quiet place nearby where I can rest?"


    "Of course! The walking street has good rest facilities for visitors. I can take you there," the guard replied. Then he turned to Irene, "Would you like to go rest as well?"


    "I''m not tired yet. Many shops here are selling interesting things, so I want to keep visiting." Irene understood Reed''s plan. To distract the guards'' attention and give me and Reed the best chance to meet, she went off in another direction with the other guards and the reporters following behind.


    Outside the visitor rest room on the walking street:


    "I''ll wait here by the door. If you need anything, just call me," the guard told Reed, then let her go into the rest room alone.


    As soon as the guard turned around, Reed quickly cast an anti-detection spell. With the magic in place, Adrian and I could safely become visible and meet Reed. Even though there was just a glass wall between us and the guard outside, he couldn''t see anything strange at all.


    "What''s going on here? Never mind Katarina''s group, but how did you two end up strolling around Earth too?" I asked right away.


    "Oh, it''s simple! Since I helped the Earth people solve the language barrier, they sort of owe me a huge favor. And Irene was really curious about Earth. So when Katarina''s imperial delegation was getting ready to visit Earth, I asked Wayne Peng to help us apply to go along too. They agreed. Of course, during this visit I''m also acting as Irene''s temporary guardian now."


    Reed explained straightforwardly, not holding anything back.


    "That works?" I was surprised and couldn''t help asking more. "Didn''t we just have a fight with the H-country army at their base? They still trust you?"


    "They''ve figured out that incident was a misunderstanding. After all, even though we angels have strong powers and could have easily escaped from the base, we didn''t try to hurt any Earth people. So in a way, that showed our good intentions. Plus, the angel race already has quite a high status and influence on the Eldoria Continent. Later, the Earth army even came to the light elf village specially to apologize. I guess letting me and Irene come through the space portal this time is also their way of making up for what happened!"


    After briefly explaining what happened after we left, Reed turned it around and asked us:


    "What about you two? How''s your mission going? Elara asked me about you later, she''s worried! Have you found Cyra and Nicola?"


    "We found Cyra, but still no sign of Nicola," Adrian quickly answered, then focused on the thing I cared about most.


    "Before we left, didn''t we mention that the portal connecting the two worlds would close soon? Did you tell the Earth side about that? How come they''re still letting the imperial delegation visit Earth like nothing''s wrong?"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Honestly, this confused me the most. The link between the two worlds was about to be cut off. Even if there was still some time before the final closure, the H-country army should have started pulling their people out after getting this news.


    But everything we saw today showed not only were there no signs of evacuation, but H-country''s diplomatic relations with the empire seemed to have gotten even closer! Like that reporter earlier - they didn''t seem worried at all about the portal possibly closing. Don''t they care?


    "Of course Elder Gwendolyn and I told Wayne Peng about it!" Reed shook her head and explained. "But the Earth''s response has been: their experts haven''t found any signs of the portal shrinking. At least on the surface, the space portal''s condition is still very stable. So they could only say they''d keep monitoring, but they haven''t made any changes to their long term policies. Besides, we only heard this news from you, we couldn''t actually provide any evidence. That''s one of the reasons I decided to come to Earth, to personally check the portal''s condition when crossing over."


    "So what was the result?" I quickly asked.


    "Unfortunately, I really didn''t feel any changes!" Reed looked at me seriously and sighed. "Even though it''s only been a few days, things are exactly like the Earth experts said - there are no signs at all of the space portal shrinking!"


    What''s going on? Wouldn''t the portal disappear after losing energy from the Cycle of Rebirth? Could Galadra have been wrong? But that doesn''t seem possible!


    Unfortunately, now that I''m on Earth, almost impossible to contact Galadra. Not to mention, after just going through such big events, that guy is probably still focused on the Cycle of Rebirth and doesn''t have time to worry about the main world.


    "Are you sure you didn''t make a mistake?" Adrian frowned and asked again. It''s understandable if Earth experts who aren''t familiar with elemental magic principles got it wrong, but Reed is an expert on this stuff. If she came to the same conclusion, it means the problem isn''t simple.


    "I''m over 90% sure!" Reed nodded seriously. Then she seemed to suddenly remember some details and added:


    "But maybe it was just my imagination? Unfortunately it''s not related to light elements, so I can''t say for sure. The only thing I can be certain of is that the portal''s elemental supply hasn''t been completely cut off like Galadra said. Even though the portal''s size hasn''t grown, when I was passing through I had a vague feeling that maybe some other energy source are keeping the portal stable. Or maybe some changes we don''t know about yet have happened inside it?"


    "What does that mean?" I was even more confused. Other energy sources supporting the portal? Or changes inside the portal? If even Reed can''t figure it out, how could I possibly understand!


    Opening a space portal connecting two worlds needs a huge amount of energy. As far as I know, only the Cycle of Rebirth that Galadra controls has that kind of power. If Earth people were behind this - since they definitely don''t want the portal to close so quickly - I don''t think Earth''s current technology could do something like this.


    "Let''s change the topic. Tell us more about what''s happening on your side," Adrian said, giving up on trying to understand.


    "Do you know the details of the imperial delegation''s visit schedule? When is Katarina''s group planning to start negotiations with Earth? What conditions has Earth given the empire?"


    This is also a tricky topic. Even though it looks like just negotiations between the Ilandra Dominion Empire and H-country, the interests involved actually affect both worlds. If the space portal can''t close automatically as expected, both worlds will inevitably face impacts from the other world head-on. We can even predict that someday in the near future, H-country will have to tell the whole world about this.


    "The content of the negotiations is still classified. How could an outsider like me know!" Reed couldn''t give us the answer we wanted, but she did add an important reminder:


    "But I can tell you, the negotiations should be finished already! Yesterday H-country''s top leader came from the capital, signed an agreement with Katarina in person, then quickly left overnight!"


    "H-country''s top leader already came?" This news was really unexpected. I had even thought today''s controls in the city center were prepared for H-country''s top leader. Now it looks like things developed much faster than we imagined. Katarina''s group is visiting the walking street because they''ve already finished their main tasks. Following that logic, the delegation probably won''t stay much longer before going back.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 113: Kidnapping

    We can easily guess that the H-country leader come to Shine Metropolitan not just to sign a deal with the empire. After all, the space channel is a big thing that could affect everyone on Earth.


    We were about to ask Reed more about what''s going on when we saw an soldier running towards the visitor''s room, looking very worried.


    "Big trouble! Someone from the delegation got kidnapped! How''s everything here?" the soldier asked the guard at the door urgently.


    "How can that be!" the guard was shocked, "Who got kidnapped?"


    "That elf girl, the one who was with you earlier!" the soldier went inside with the guard to check on Reed.


    Just before they came in, Adrian and I turned invisible. They only saw Reed sitting quietly in a chair.


    "Your friend had a bit of trouble! Very sorry, but it''s not safe here now. To be careful, we must leave and go back to the base right away!" the guard told Reed, ready to take her away.


    But Reed said no. "The elf girl you''re talking about must be Irene, right? Can you tell me more about what happened? Maybe I can help?" She knew Irene was quite strong, at least fourth level if not fifth. How could someone on Earth be powerful enough to kidnap her?


    "One of our guards turned out to be a traitor. It might be outside forces at work, or maybe he got infected by those creatures ... like vampires from your world! When none of us were looking, he made Irene faint somehow, then took her and ran past the police blocking the walking street." the H-country soldier explained.


    He tried to make Reed feel better, saying, "But don''t worry! We''re working with Shine Metropolitan Police Department to catch the culprit. He can''t run much farther! It looks like the kidnapper only wanted Irene, so she should be okay for now. We promise we''ll find her soon! But to make sure no other incidents happens, you need to come back to the base with us right away. Katarina and her people are probably in the car already!"


    "Since I brought Irene here, I can''t just let bad things happen to her," Reed said. She still wanted to save Irene herself, giving a good reason: "Plus, I''m an angel. You know how strong I am! Even if it''s some evil creature, I might be more useful than the police!"


    "But... we can''t let you do that..." the soldier and the guard looked very troubled. They knew Reed had a point! But their bosses only told them to protect Reed and take her away quickly. They didn''t know if they should break the rules.


    "How about this?" Adrian and I stopped being invisible and offered to help. "Reed, you go back with them first. I''ll take care of saving Irene. I might be better at this mission!"


    "Who are you? How did you get in here?" the two guys were so shocked they could barely speak. After a while, one of them asked, "Wait... you look like an angel too, but why do you have so many wings?"If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    They probably only knew about angels with two wings like Reed, and had no idea about high-level angels.


    "This is my job, I should handle it myself," Reed said. She seemed stubborn about this. "Kalati the elf leader entrusted Irene to me before we left. Of course I''m responsible for helping save her!"


    "But we can''t make things too hard for these two," I tried to convince her. "If you run off, they''ll get in trouble. It might even cause problems for the whole delegation!"


    I kept trying to persuade: "Also, Irene is actually stronger than you. If even she got caught, it might be dangerous for you to get involved. This might have to do with high-level evil creatures, so it''s better if you go along with them for now. I''ll have Adrian go with you!"


    It''s always better to chase culprit without other worries. Adrian understood and quickly said:


    "No problem, we''ll wait for news from you at the Earth''s base! But be very careful!"


    This wasn''t hard for me at all, that''s why Adrian was okay with me going alone.


    "If that''s how it is, then I''ll trust you!" Reed said. This is what''s good about her - she understands what''s important and listens to reason! .


    After asking the H-country soldier which way the kidnapper ran, I flew up right away to start chasing.


    From what they said earlier, they told the police outside the controlled area to block things off, so the kidnapper should still be hiding inside for now.


    There were military and police cars patrolling everywhere in the controlled area. But the city center is really big and the layout is complicated, so it''s hard to make sure the bad guy doesn''t find some way to escape. Also, since the kidnapper might be a spy pretending to be a guard, he probably already knew how everything was set up!


    All of this shows that this might have been a carefully planned trick. So I had to bring Irene back quickly!


    Luckily, the one who got kidnapped was Irene! Light elves give off a very clear light energy in Earth''s environment, making them easy to find! If it was Katarina or other humans who got taken, I might not be able to find them easily.


    Finally, near the edge of the controlled area in an empty alley, I found where the culprits were.


    But besides Irene, who was still unconscious and being carried on someone''s back, there were two kidnappers instead of one. What''s more surprising is that one of them was wearing H-country guard clothes, but the other one clearly looked like a foreigner!


    After looking carefully, I figured out that this foreigner must have snuck in to help.


    "Put down that elf girl, and I might let you live!" I warned them, coming down from the sky right in front of them and pulling out my sword.


    "High-level angel! Run!" their reaction was not what I expected. Even though they''re both Earth people, it''s like they already knew how powerful I was. They dropped Irene right away and turned to run back.


    "How is this possible?" I didn''t chase them right away because I needed to check on Irene. After getting close to them for a bit, I could clearly feel a tiny bit of dark energy coming from them. This told me one thing:


    They''re vampires! From how strong the energy felt, the foreigner should be the boss of the other one!


    But the question is, wasn''t the vampire ancestor already killed? How can vampires still spread? Even humans who got turned before should have gone back to normal after the ancestor died. All of this makes me wonder if there''s maybe a second vampire ancestor?


    At least Irene was okay. She was just made to faint, and would probably wake up soon. The kidnappers must have known that the light energy in light elves'' bodies makes it harder for drugs to work on them. So they used way more than they would on normal people.


    Anyway, no matter what the reason is behind all this, the rescue mission is finished now!


    As for those two vampires, if they hid in some building, I might not be able to find them right away. But those idiots panicked and ran back the way they came, which was a really dumb decision.


    There are H-country soldiers and police all over every street, and it''s not even night time yet! As soon as they came out of the alley, they were surrounded. They had no choice but to give up and get caught.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 114: Showing Up

    When I got to the H-country army base at Aurora Entertainment, Adrian, Reed, and the empire''s group had already come back.


    Of course, the army took over dealing with the two kidnappers who got caught.


    As soon as we got out of the car, we saw an H-country officer who looked like a boss coming out of a building with Wayne Peng, Adrian, Reed, and some others.


    "Hello, I think we''ve met before, right? But we found out later that what happened was just a misunderstanding, so please don''t mind! Also, you helped us a lot again this time, so we want to say thanks again!" Wayne Peng said politely, clearing things up. Then he asked someone to take Irene to the medical room.


    Irene still wasn''t fully awake, so Reed go with her.


    But it was different for me and Adrian. Wayne Peng knew us, so he took us inside a room. He gave us some tea before starting on the main topic.


    "Though our boss decided not to dwell on you coming to Earth without informing us, we hope you can help us looking into what happend. This includes how you got to Earth and how to deal with those changed infected people."


    I could guess that when they saw Adrian with the empire''s diplomatic group, it must have really shocked the officials. I could even hear someone yelling outside: "They just come whenever they want! If they didn''t show up themselves, we wouldn''t even know. Wait! Does this mean they can leave whenever they want too? It''s like a public toilet, any weird creature can come to Earth to take a dump. We''re protecting billions of people on Earth, what''s the base guard doing?!"


    "Uh... well..." Wayne Peng seemed to hear it too. He laughed awkwardly. "You probably know about the evil creatures causing trouble in the city lately? It''s giving the leaders a headache too!"


    "It''s okay!" I smiled a bit. Adrian and I were ready, so we nodded and agreed to help.


    Then a few more H-country soldiers came in from outside. They sat down in front of us with a big pile of papers and started asking the questions.


    "First, yesterday afternoon we saw a really bright white light in the controlled area in the south of the city. It came from an old factory. But when our people got there, they only found a few dozen local people who should have been moved away, and a few vampire-infected people who had run away. Later, we saw that those infected people''s symptoms were just gone, and they were back to normal..."


    The soldier looked up at us. "Did you have anything to do with this?"


    "Yes, we did it!" Adrian said right away.


    "Then about how to cure it..."


    "Can you explain a bit about that light elements and dark elements?"


    "What''s the deal with angel wings?"


    "How did you get past Earth''s army and into the space channel?"


    "Are there any other creatures from your world on Earth?"


    "How can we find enemies who are invisible?"


    ...


    It was clear the army had a lot to ask, and the investigation wouldn''t end soon. But we were planning to work with them anyway.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    We didn''t need to show ourselves just to save Irene, but after hearing from Reed about the space tunnel changing, Adrian and I had to change our plan.


    The best expert on space stuff is definitely Earth Angel Galadra herself. If we want to talk to her, we probably need to go back to the other world or get close to the space channel.


    At least the H-country army controlling the space channel seems okay lately. The empire''s group, Reed, and Irene are all at the base now, so we don''t need to sneak back.


    Also, the most important thing now is finding Nicola, and we need to try a different way.


    After about two or three hours, Adrian and I finally came out of the questioning room.


    Things went about how we thought. We got put into the empire''s diplomatic group temporarily. Like Reed, we''ll probably go back to the other world together tomorrow, following the plan.


    Of course, to help more, I agreed to stay at the Earth base to help them deal with the vampire problem. Even Earth people know angels are better at getting rid of evil creatures. Since we haven''t found Nicola yet, this will give me more chances to come and go from Earth in the future.


    "They sent people to Tenda Flats to get Cyra, and they''ve sent Nicola''s picture to police stations. With Earth people''s abilities, we should get a report on where she is soon. But are you sure you don''t want to tell them about Cyrae?" Adrian asked, not understanding.


    "Cyrae has been living on Earth for so long, no doubt this is her real home now! It''s right and fair not to make her leave with us. Plus, the world on the other side isn''t her original world either." I said, shaking my head and walking to the window to look outside.


    The building with the space channel was just about ten meters away. There were several soldiers with guns guarding the door.


    The row of houses we were in was clearly for the empire''s diplomatic group to stay in. Katarina and the others were all living there too.


    "Princess, I found something good in the walking street shops! They were selling the second half of that story you didn''t finish! But their magic... I mean, their way of storing videos isn''t just on phones. This time I found a round, shiny disk. The Earth people say you need a special magic tool... I think it''s some tech thing called a computer to see what''s on it!" We were going to visit Irene in the medical room, but as we passed a room, we could hear someone talking inside. It was probably Katarina''s maid.


    "Really? Is it ''Pink Life and Death Love''?" Katarina''s excited voice came next. "That''s great! I thought there was no hope. Not knowing the ending was killing me! Actually, in that walking street, I only found a bunch of similar stories. A shop worker said they''re all from another country on Earth, very close to where we are now! I think it was called Hanguk or something?"


    "Yes, yes!" the maid agreed right away. "The shop worker I met told me almost the same thing! They say the stories from this country are very popular on Earth, especially with women! I guess even in different worlds, women like similar things!"


    Then Katarina''s proud voice: "Actually, I managed to get that computer thing too. They say these disk things aren''t used much now, you need a special old computer to play! Look ¡ª this is an ultrabook! It''s so small, right? Like a metal plate, totally different from the big computers the Earth people here use every day. It cost me gold worth tens of thousands of silver, and this was the last one!"


    "That''s amazing! As expected of the princess, you can get even such rare things!" The maid was so excited she almost shouted, then lowered her voice and sounded unsure. "Um... um... can I watch these stories with you?"


    "Of course, it''s more fun watching together! We just found the second half of ''Pink Life and Death Love'', let''s try to finish it tonight! After we go back to the empire, it''ll be hard to get that electricity thing. Go tell those Earth soldiers outside to bring dinner to our room."


    I quickly pulled Adrian away to hide, pretending we didn''t know anything.


    By the way, the two worlds could deal with language problems so fast thanks to Reed! She first made a magic design for learning the common language of the continent. The Earth people copied the whole design into a camera. They can''t use it themselves, but it''s not a big problem for the empire''s diplomatic group. They can even make it work the other way to let empire people learn H-country language.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 115: Breakdown

    When Adrian and I arrived at the medical room, we were surprised to find it empty. Reed and Irene had already left.


    As expected, despite being injected with a massive dose of anesthetic, Irene didn''t suffer any side effects. She was completely fine, just sleeping longer than usual.


    The military doctors were curious about the light elf''s high drug resistance. They secretly took some blood samples but couldn''t figure out why, probably because they didn''t understand the properties of light elements.


    We returned to Reed''s place and finally met them.


    "Have you been cleared of suspicion?" Reed asked emotionlessly, looking up from her book.


    "Yeah, I guess so," I replied, glancing around the room. It was similar in size to mine, but I noticed Irene huddled in a corner, focused on something.


    I went over and saw she was playing with a smartphone! It looked like a recent full-screen model - I was jealous since I''d never used one. She must have gotten it from the shopping street yesterday.


    Like Earth kids her age, Irene was full of curiosity and couldn''t resist the smartphone''s appeal. She might have seen them before through Earth people.


    Kids usually play games or watch videos on phones. Irene was completely absorbed in a short video app called "Tiki Toki". I wanted to warn her not to get too addicted.


    "You should be careful..." I started to say, but then I remembered Irene would probably go back tomorrow, so I swallowed the rest of my words.


    "Mm, I know," Irene mumbled without looking up. Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and went back to talk to Reed.


    "Now that we have time, there''s a lot I wanted to ask you about. Like when I met Camille in my neighborhood - she suddenly got much stronger. And we met Cyra from a parallel world. Isn''t that crazy?"


    Besides checking on Irene, Adrian and I wanted to understand the mysteries we''d encountered on Earth. We were eager to hear Reed''s thoughts.


    "Cyra from a parallel world? Are you sure you''re not mistaken? Even if she is from a parallel world, why would she appear on Earth?"


    These strange experiences quickly piqued her curiosity. The usually expressionless girl put down her book and listened attentively.


    Reed couldn''t explain the concept of parallel worlds. But when Adrian mentioned the abundance of Battle Qi in this world, I noticed a subtle change in her expression.


    "Do you know why?" I blurted out.


    "Battle Qi? No, I don''t know why there''s so much Battle Qi on Earth," she denied, but her tone suggested otherwise. She quickly clarified:


    "But Battle Qi itself should be a very rare energy, usually released by Battle Qi Awakeners. If what Adrian says is true, I might have found out why the space tunnel hasn''t closed normally!"


    "Why?" Adrian and I were stunned, not expecting her to connect these two things.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The space tunnel has always been a concern for me. Normally, Galadra shouldn''t make mistakes with the Cycle of Rebirth. Since she cut off the earth element supply for the Cycle of Rebirth, the portal connecting the two worlds should gradually shrink and disappear due to lack of energy.


    But Reed said she had confirmed that the portal seemed to be getting extra energy from somewhere else and wasn''t shrinking yet.


    She thought it might be due to the Battle Qi on Earth.


    Battle Qi is a fusion of all elements. It''s energy, but very different from elements. In Eldoria Continent, elements dominate, so Battle Qi is extremely rare in the environment.


    This means Battle Qi Awakeners can''t enhance their strength by absorbing environmental Battle Qi like magicians can. Even if they could, it wouldn''t be enough.


    The only way is to be self-sufficient and synthesize it themselves. This is a prerequisite for awakening Battle Qi.You need to fuse equal amounts of various elements together.


    From Adrian''s experience, the process sounds simple. Most of the internal energy synthesis happens naturally in the body. The only factor affecting speed is whether the Battle Qi Awakener can effectively absorb various elements from the outside world in a balanced way.


    So ultimately, although Battle Qi isn''t an element, it''s closely related to elements. Because it''s synthesized from elements, it naturally exhibits some special properties of elements under certain conditions. The most representative example is Adrian''s word arrows, which have countless possibilities.


    "Since the element ratio in Battle Qi must be very balanced, Battle Qi usually has a very stable structure and properties. If an external-type Battle Qi master releases Battle Qi directly from their body to harm enemies, this energy is generally difficult to break down into elements," Reed continued explaining.


    "But what does this have to do with the portal connecting the two worlds? Could the Battle Qi on Earth have broken down into earth elements, providing energy to the portal again? But didn''t you say Battle Qi is very stable?" Adrian seemed to have found the key point but wasn''t sure.


    "It is indeed very stable," Reed nodded firmly. "Normally, it would take at least tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand years for Battle Qi to slowly break down into various elements. But the problem is that not long ago, something unusual happened near this base, so I suspect..."


    "Something unusual?" I was confused. The formation of space portals requires earth elements, so it can''t directly use Battle Qi. The only possibility is as Adrian guessed - the Battle Qi around here broke down into elemental state for some reason. The key question is, what could make Battle Qi break down into elements, bypassing tens of thousands of years?


    "Actually, when we first arrived on Earth, the H-country military consulted me about the monster invasion. They mentioned that when the portal first formed, several extremely powerful monsters attacked the base," Reed said hesitantly, as this was secondhand information. "Monsters are much larger and more defensive than humans. They said the monsters once almost charged into the portal under heavy fire, but were ultimately stopped on Earth''s side."


    "Tch, isn''t that normal? Uh..." I scoffed, not surprised at all. I wondered why she brought this up, but quickly realized what she meant.


    Of course! Although not purely made of light elements like angels, higher-level monsters have more dark elements accumulated in their bodies. Monsters that could pass through the space portal to Earth must be at least level five, with some even reaching level six! Once these monsters die, the large amount of dark elements in their bodies would spread across Earth.


    Dark elements have properties opposite to light elements - they greatly activate matter and energy! The death of one or two monsters might not be enough to make Battle Qi cross the hundred-thousand-year gap, but if many die in one place, the concentration might be high enough...


    Add to that the abundance of Battle Qi on Earth, and if decomposition does occur, with surrounding Battle Qi continuously replenishing, it might trigger a large-scale chain reaction!


    Could this be where all those elements floating around the base came from? I fell into confused thought. I had previously assumed they all came from the other world through the portal, but now it seems there might be too many for that explanation.


    After all, even though I''m near the portal now, I still can''t contact Galadra. This can only be because the amount of elements seeping through the portal is too small. Even using the Spiritual Network to communicate with Elara in Edenmere is nearly impossible - not that we can''t connect at all, but the "call" quality is so poor that I can''t hear what she''s saying clearly.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 116: The Mysterious Expert

    Even though the idea of Battle Qi breaking down sounds scary, it shouldn''t cause too many problems in theory.


    After all, the six main elements from the breakdown are balanced. As long as they stay balanced, no disasters should happen. The only trouble might be the dark elements that caused the breakdown in the first place, besides the earth elements that the portal might use.


    "About a week after fighting the monsters, all the soldiers at the base got a strange sickness. Their skin got bad, their bodies worked too fast, and they aged quickly," Reed said.


    This confirmed what I thought. I knew dark pollution well. When I went with Selene to Tethys town before entering the Dark Continent, the people there had the same sickness.


    "How did the Earth people fix this problem?" Adrian asked, confused. We''re in the Earth base now, but there''s no sign of dark pollution spreading, except for a bit of dark elements from the portal.


    The H-country soldiers don''t look sick at all.


    "This is the most unbelievable part!" Reed said, tilting her head as she thought hard. After a while, she answered, "The H-country military told me they found a medical expert who could cure this sickness. The expert found out it was caused by a virus from another world that the monsters brought. They made a special medicine to cure it in a short time. All the sick people got better in just a few days. Then the expert made a special spray that kills the virus."


    "What! Dark pollution is caused by a virus?" This was shocking news to me! When did Earth experts get so smart that they could fix dark pollution with modern science?


    Adrian thought it was unbelievable too. He thought for a bit and then asked, "Can we get a sample of that spray?"


    "I already thought of that. The spray isn''t restricted, so it''s easy to get from the medical room. But there''s not much, so each person only gets a small bottle ," Reed said. She took out a small bottle from her storage space.


    As I expected, a strong smell of light elements came out. This bottle was full of holy water! But how could an Earth doctor make this?


    Could that medical expert actually be Cyrae in disguise?


    This weird thought popped into my head. I thought for a bit and asked, "Is there any way I can meet this doctor?"


    "Sorry, she''s not at this base now! The military hired her as a civilian expert to help study the other world. She should be on the other side of the portal now," Reed said.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "She''s in the other world?" I was surprised again. Maybe the guess of the expert being Cyrae was wrong? But how to explain this bottle of holy water? Surely there wasn''t another angel hiding on Earth?


    The clues suddenly stopped here.


    But there was some good news. At least now we knew why the portal didn''t close.


    The medical expert cleaned up the high amount of dark elements, so the Battle Qi breakdown would stop.


    Even though we didn''t have a mage who knows earth elements, if Reed''s guess is right, the portal should lose its power source soon. It closing is just a matter of time.


    All we can do now is going back tomorrow as planned.


    After leaving Reed and Irene''s room, we were about to reach our own room when we saw Wayne Peng waiting for us.


    "We went to the address you gave to pick up your friend, but we couldn''t find her. The neighborhood cameras didn''t see anyone go in or out." he said right away. Our earlier "teamwork" was pretty good, so he didn''t waste time.


    "Cyra''s not home? She went out?" I was surprised she wasn''t just staying home to stream. I suddenly felt a headache coming on.


    Raydwin was probably still at school. Cyra has wings, so of course she wouldn''t just walk on the ground. The cameras wouldn''t catch her. This made things tricky.


    I was about to tell Wayne Peng to be patient and wait a bit longer. But then I had a sudden thought about where she might be.


    "I need your permission to look up someone''s address! Maybe I can find her and bring her back! Of course, I''ll need approval to leave the base for a bit!"


    Wayne Peng was surprised, but this request wasn''t too hard for someone of his rank. He just said, "I''ll go apply for you right away!"


    After that, things went very smoothly. In less than an hour, I was already flying above where I wanted to go. Since this was a special mission, Adrian didn''t come with me.


    It was evening now. Below me was a ordinary neighborhood in Shine Metropolitan, a bit different from where I grew up.


    This was a relocation housing area, built just a few years ago. It''s where Cyrus''s family got a new home after their old one was torn down unfairly.


    I guessed Cyra might have come here to see her mother. I don''t know how she did it, but since we''re going back to the other world tomorrow, I thought it''s better to find her and take her away soon.


    After all, Earth isn''t our home anymore. This will also stop the H-country higher-ups from worrying about strong beings from another world living here.


    "Huh? No one''s home here either?" When I knocked on the door at the address I found, no one answered for a long time.


    "That''s weird! Did the mother and daughter go shopping?" It''s hard to imagine how Cyra would face her parents. I stood at the door talking to myself. Finally, I had to turn invisible and fly up, looking around.


    I saw a church nearby earlier. Since Cyra''s mother believes in the True Church, maybe they went there.


    Luckily, I guessed right this time! Near the church, outside a primary school, I finally saw Cyra among the crowd on the street.


    It looked like she and her mother just left the church and were about to go home.


    But unlike what I expected, Cyra didn''t change to look like her old self. She was using her current face to meet her mother.


    "I didn''t expect the community volunteer to also believe in the True Church. It''s rare to see young people like this now. How wonderful!" I got closer behind them without showing myself and finally understood what was happening from their talk.


    "It''s nothing! The community learned about you''re alone and having a hard time after losing your family. So of course we sent a religious person like me to visit and help you," Cyra said.


    She was totally making this up, but she sounded very natural. Clearly, this wasn''t the first time she met her mother like this.

 Vol 5/Chapter 117: The Option of Staying Behind

    The two were just chatting. Looks like they get along quite well.


    "You know, the way you talk reminds me of my son! He''s also in the church, but he joined when he was older, not young like you..."


    Cyra''s mom kept talking to herself for a while. Then suddenly she remembered something and asked, "Oh yeah, didn''t you say you''re in high school? So you''re working part-time now? Which school you go to?"


    "Haha, West City... Ninth Middle School!" Cyra laughed nervously. The questions were getting too personal. Afraid of slipping up, she quickly changed the topic. "It''s getting late. Let''s go back and make dinner. The traffic is messy now with parents picking up their kids."


    "Not today!" her mom said, waving her hand. She pointed to a nearby bus stop. "Actually, I''m meeting a friend later. She might want to donate a big sum to the church through me. If this works out, it could really help our parish''s financial problems. We might even fix up that old church building. So you don''t need to keep me company tonight."


    This was super rare! In H-country, not many people believe in the True Church. Finding someone willing to donate, especially a lot, was very unusual.


    "Oh? Someone''s being so generous?" Cyra was surprised. She didn''t know the details, so she was just happy for her mom''s chance. "If you can make this donation happen, your position in the True Church should get much stronger."


    "We''ll see if it works out, but I think there''s a good chance!" Her mom looked excited. She walked towards the bus that just arrived, turning back to say, "Really, the community doesn''t need to do any help for me. Even though my family had bad luck, I''m only in my fifties. I can take care of myself. You all should care more about people who really need help."


    "Uh, We''re just following the rules..." Cyra waved her arms, still trying to explain as her mom got on the bus. She acted like she didn''t want to say goodbye.


    But while Cyra was caught up in the goodbye, I noticed a black car parked across from the bus stop. It looked strange.


    The car seemed to be an expensive brand. There was a primary school nearby, and it was pickup time, so there were lots of parents'' cars around. If I hadn''t accidentally sensed a faint trace of light element aura from the car, I probably wouldn''t have noticed it at all.


    Was it just my imagination? I didn''t have my wings out, so my ability to sense light elements was weaker. After catching my attention, I couldn''t feel that light element aura anymore.


    "Okay, have you seen enough?" Surprisingly, after the bus drove away, Cyra suddenly said this without turning around.


    I thought I was far enough from them, and I even disguised my looks to avoid being recognized. But Cyra was an angel after all. She must have noticed me.


    "Seen enough, seen enough..." Luckily there weren''t many people waiting for the bus. I stepped forward quickly, embarrassed at being caught. I whispered to her, "I didn''t expect you to be so careful dealing with your family. I thought you''d just tell your mom who you are!"This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Don''t be silly, I''m not stupid! Even if I told her the truth, would she believe me? Of course I have to take it slow... Hey, how did you find me anyway?"


    Cyra seemed in a good mood and talked back to me like usual. But when I told her why I came, her face suddenly froze.


    "So it''s finally time to leave? I didn''t expect it so soon. You just got here, right?"


    "..."


    I could see she wasn''t very willing. Thinking of how well she just got along with her mom, I suddenly felt unsure.


    Did I really need to force Cyra to go back?


    "If you really don''t want to go, you could stay..." I tried suggesting another option, but I wasn''t sure if it would work.


    Realistically, if Cyra as an angel stayed on Earth, she''d face a lot of problems without light element supply. Especially now that the Earth government knows angels exist, the chances of her being found might be even higher!


    Of course, the space channel connecting the two worlds hasn''t disappeared yet. As Earth people explore the other world more, it''s possible they''ll build better relations with angels. If Cyra is found hiding on Earth then, there might be room to negotiate.


    Unfortunately, Reed thinks that day might never come. Once the space channel uses up all the earth elements from breaking down Battle Qi, it''ll start shrinking and disappearing again. When the channel closes completely, Cyra will never be able to go back.


    This is definitely a risky move, but we have one example to learn from - Cyrae, who lived as an angel on Earth for 80 years!


    But I don''t think Cyra can be compared to Cyrae - they''re very different in personality, experience, and knowledge. Just in survival skills, Cyra is probably far behind Cyrae, who has thousands of years of Elara''s knowledge. Of course, if Cyra is willing to swallow her pride, she could ask Cyrae to take care of her.


    "Forget it! I''m already happy seeing my mom living well. To her, I''m just a community volunteer now. If I keep pretending, I''ll probably slip up sooner or later. Even using spiritual magic, I can''t guarantee fooling her every time. It uses too much magic power. Maybe she''s right that she doesn''t need any help."


    Seeing that I was also stuck in a dilemma, Cyra sighed. In the end, she said she''d accepted it and would come back to the other world with me.


    "You sure? You can resist the temptation of staying home?"


    This was really unexpected. Cyra used to always talk about going home! Hearing her say this, I felt very relieved. To be honest, if she really decided not to go, I''d have a headache explaining to the Earth military and Elara.


    "Of course! I''m not like you, always hesitating and worrying. Besides, looking at both worlds, the Lord is more likely to be in the other world than on Earth!"


    Probably to reassure me, Cyra patted my shoulder and started walking back. "But before that, we need to say goodbye to that fat otaku!"


    The "fat otaku" was Raydwin, of course. I didn''t expect Cyra to call him that in private.


    I couldn''t help smiling wryly. I almost forgot about that guy! Too bad his apprenticeship is ending in less than a day. Wonder how long the little bit of Battle Qi he got through Adrian''s help will last.


    There were too many people around, so we were looking for a quiet place to spread our wings and fly. But unexpectedly, as we passed by the primary school gate, something happened.


    "Tingting! Someone''s kidnapping a child! Quick, catch them!"


    It was pickup time after school. A middle-aged woman in office attire was walking out slowly with a little girl. But just as they were about to cross the street, a van suddenly appeared out of nowhere!


    It was just an ordinary van, but it suddenly braked hard right in front of the woman and girl waiting for the green light. The door opened and a hand reached out to grab the little girl, pulling her into the van. The woman was kicked to the ground. Caught off guard, all she could do was shout for help.


    This was clearly a child kidnapping in broad daylight! The bad thing was, the kidnappers planned it well. They had a car and escaped very fast. Even though people around saw it happen, they couldn''t catch up in time.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 118: Heroic Act

    "Don''t try to be a hero! This is Earth. If you show your true self in public, it''ll cause big trouble!"


    I quickly grabbed Cyra as she was about to spread her wings and chase the kidnappers.


    "So you''re just gonna let it be? Doesn''t great power mean great responsibility? How can you stand this?"


    Cyra clearly didn''t agree with me. But she couldn''t break free from my grip, so she just got anxious.


    I didn''t expect her to be so kind-hearted in some ways. I smiled and explained:


    "Don''t worry! When they were grabbing the kid, I put a light element magic mark on their van. As long as they don''t go too far, we can find them anytime by following the mark''s aura."


    We were in the city, and it was rush hour. Shine Metropolitan''s traffic was super complicated. The light element mark only worked within 1000 meters, but the van probably couldn''t leave quickly. We could fly after them later. This way, we could save the kid without revealing who we are!


    We didn''t waste time. After we turned invisible and flew up, we found the van just 200 meters away, at a street corner.


    But the van wasn''t looking good. For some reason, it had crashed into a power pole. There was a long, clear tire mark behind it.


    "What the heck? How can they be so bad at driving and still try to kidnap someone?"


    Cyra looked surprised. She landed first in some bushes by the road.


    When we came out again, we saw the street was full of curious onlookers. The van driver and the kidnappers - two foreigners - had been tied up by the road.


    Foreigners again! I thought it was strange, but I didn''t sense much dark element aura from them. They probably weren''t vampires.


    Most people were looking at the kidnapped girl. She was surrounded by some kind old ladies asking her questions.


    Wait, was I seeing things? When I got closer, I sensed a tiny bit of light element aura from the girl. It was so little I could almost ignore it. If I wasn''t so sensitive as an angel, I''d think she was just a normal person.


    "I don''t know exactly what happened. I just saw the van run a red light. There was a boy hanging onto the back, yelling that something was wrong with the car! Maybe that''s why the driver couldn''t control it. The van ended up hitting a power pole and stopping. Then people went to check and found they had kidnapped a little girl. That boy is a hero!"


    After some bystander explained, Cyra and I finally understood what happened.


    The kidnapped girl was crying. She confirmed it was a kidnapping, but she couldn''t give clear info about her parents. Everyone was yelling to call the police. It was really chaotic.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    But some people were focused on something else - the boy who acted heroically. Some were even holding up phones to take pictures, trying to see the hero''s face.


    "Who''s so awesome that they were faster than us?"


    Cyra and I looked at each other, very curious. It took a few minutes to push through the crowd. We were shocked to find Raydwin in the middle, scratching his head awkwardly.


    "What are you doing here?"


    We were actually going to look for him, but we didn''t expect to meet like this. Cyra ran up and grabbed Raydwin, asking in a low voice.


    "Uh, I was actually looking for you. But when I was waiting at a red light, I heard a little girl crying for help from a van next to me. So I knocked on the window to ask what was wrong. Then they ran the red light to escape. I had to hold onto the van to stop them from running. I didn''t expect them to crash into a power pole... That''s what happened!"


    Raydwin was clearly very excited, his face full of emotion. He was still amazed at his own "heroic act".


    To other people, it looked like he was dragged by the van. But we knew the van stopped because of Raydwin''s incredible strength.


    Honestly, I didn''t expect the little bit of Battle Qi Adrian gave him to be so powerful.


    "Too bad one guy got away. He was just too fast, not like a normal person. I couldn''t catch up!"


    Surrounded by admiration, Raydwin got a bit carried away. He talked about the one thing that wasn''t perfect.


    With his enhanced body, it''s not too strange for him to stop the car. But I''m more concerned that one of the kidnappers was even faster, so fast that even Raydwin couldn''t catch him!


    "Wait, you said you were looking for me? How did you know where I was? Were you following me?"


    But Cyra wasn''t focused on this. She suddenly grabbed Raydwin''s collar and asked angrily.


    This action scared the people around us. But since we clearly knew each other, they just tried to calm us down.


    "You''re famous now! A fan saw you on the street by chance. But you weren''t wearing makeup, so he wasn''t sure. He posted in the fan group."


    Raydwin looked wronged and took out his phone, explaining proudly: "Other people might not recognize you right away, but I can tell it''s you with one look."


    "Tch, it''s none of your business where I go. This is private stuff, you know? You can''t just post it... Wait a minute!"


    This explanation made sense. Cyra''s face looked better. She was about to let go, but then she noticed something wrong. She grabbed Raydwin''s phone and started looking through it.


    "How come I have a fan group and I never knew? What kind of group is this..."


    "What''s going on? You''re the group owner? And your posts... your intentions are too obvious!"


    Now things were bad. Even though he tried to stop her, Raydwin had stirred up trouble again. As they kept arguing, I was about to go stop them. But then I saw a familiar black car driving up.


    The middle-aged woman who was pushed down earlier, who seemed to be the girl''s mom, rushed out of the black car. She ran into the crowd and hugged the crying girl. After asking what happened and saying thanks, she quickly took the girl to the car.


    The little girl and that black car were clearly connected. Obviously, there were more people in the car than just the woman and the driver. Through the open door, I could clearly see the girl talking to someone in the car. But because the view was blocked and it was far away, I couldn''t see clearly.


    Soon the police came. In the end, the police decided to take everyone involved back to the station to sort things out.


    Of course, Raydwin had to go too as an important witness. Cyra and I had special identities, so we didn''t go with him. We just promised to pick him up at the police station later.


    But Cyra didn''t plan to keep this promise from the start. The fan group thing made her want to avoid Raydwin, so she wouldn''t go meet him.


    "That jerk! We had an agreement when I started staying at his place. I even pay rent. The only condition was he couldn''t reveal who I am or have bad intentions. I didn''t expect him to agree so easily but then do something else behind my back, making a fan group! He has no integrity at all!"


    She still wasn''t over it. Even though Raydwin had gone with the police, Cyra kept complaining to me about all his "bad deeds".

 Vol 5/ Chapter 119: The Clone

    "Relax, you tricked him at first too! Anyway, only normal people would get improper ideas, right?"


    I couldn''t help laughing and took the chance to tease her. "You can only blame yourselves for living together. I think he''s actually quite nice to you in some ways."


    "Where else could I go if I didn''t stay with him? At first, those monsters knocked me out of the sky. I had nowhere to go and no money! Only an idiot would turn down a kind person willing to keep my angel identity secret and take me in!"


    Cyra didn''t seem to regret it. She knew what I was hinting at, but kept complaining. "Don''t worry! After that nasty landlord incident, I''ve been super careful! Even though Raydwin really annoyed me this time, I''m sure he''d never dare try anything improper. He knows I''m an angel - the power difference is clear. Unless he has a death wish! Anyway, we''re leaving tomorrow."


    Okay, I had to admit she had a point.


    "So how will you explain to him that we''re leaving?" I asked. Since Cyra was upset and didn''t want to see Raydwin again, the original plan to say goodbye in person was obviously not happening. Was she planning to just disappear? That didn''t seem very nice.


    "I''ll just leave him a letter! We can let the police station pass it on. Even if he''s not happy, there''s nothing he can do!"


    Cyra''s eyes lit up as she quickly made up her mind.


    By now it was getting dark. The tow truck had come to take away the wrecked van, and the crowd of onlookers was starting to disperse.


    Surprisingly, even though the little girl and the middle-aged woman had been taken away by the police, the black car was still there.


    What happened next was even more unexpected. The driver suddenly got out of the car. He crossed the street and walked straight towards me and Cyra.


    "Excuse me, my boss was wondering if you''d like to have a chat in our car?"


    "Who''s your boss? And why do they want to talk to us?" Cyra asked in surprise. She hadn''t paid any attention to the black car, so this sudden invitation was quite shocking.


    Of course I was very surprised too. Although I had noticed the car earlier, I never expected them to come ask to talk to us.


    "I''m not sure about the details. Why don''t you ask her yourself?" The driver was clearly very professional. He smiled slightly and gestured towards the black car, inviting us again.


    "Let''s just go! What are we afraid of?" In the end, it was Cyra who bravely made the decision. She tossed out those words and walked towards the car first.


    When Cyra and I finally sat down inside the black car, the driver gently closed the door for us. Then he walked away, showing he wouldn''t eavesdrop.


    I have to say, luxury cars are expensive for a reason! When the door closed, there wasn''t even a sound. The interior wasn''t huge, but we could still sit face-to-face. And the leather seats were so soft and comfortable. Once you sank into them, you didn''t want to get up again.


    "Now can you tell us who you are? And why you wanted to talk to us?" After enjoying the comfort for a moment, Cyra suddenly opened her eyes and asked the middle-aged woman sitting across from us with a cold smile.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Now that we weren''t separated by the car or distance, we could easily see what was unusual about this middle-aged woman!


    Although it was far weaker than an angel''s, there was a clear aura of light element coming from her. It felt very similar to a low-level mage from another world. Specifically, probably no higher than level 2 or 3 - very low-level. Could she be one of the imperial soldiers who survived coming through the portal?


    But even if that was true, how could an imperial mage gain so much wealth on Earth in just a few months? Unless it wasn''t obtained legally!


    "Hmph, don''t pretend! We already know where you''re from! Tell us, where did you get this car and all your money from? It definitely wasn''t through legal means!" Cyra clearly had the same thoughts as me. Before the woman could answer, she directly called out her background. Of course, she didn''t forget to point at me and add:


    "But if you want to live, you''d better listen to my advice. Quickly hand over all your illegal gains to us! I may be easy to talk to, but my friend here really hates evil! Those 6th level monsters were tough, right? But she killed them just like that! If you dare to be dishonest, who knows if she''ll turn you to dust in the next second!"


    As she spoke, she kept elbowing me.


    "What?" I leaned over and asked quietly, really not understanding.


    "Stupid! Play along! Hurry up and make a fierce face to scare her. At the very least, this car will be ours!" I heard her urge me impatiently.


    Was that really necessary? I couldn''t help but feel both amused and exasperated by her antics. Although the middle-aged woman''s background was certainly suspicious, we were about to leave Earth anyway. What was the point of coveting the car? Surely Cyra didn''t plan to take it back to another world to drive around?


    "Oh? I''m so sorry, but could you tell me how exactly she plans to turn me to dust? With a ''Paradise Lost Shockwave''? Or a ''Holy Cross Slash''? Or maybe a ''Aurora Mega Explosion''?"


    Unfortunately, Cyra''s mix of threats and sweet talk couldn''t scare the woman at all. She suddenly burst out laughing. She even rattled off a bunch of skill names like reading a menu.


    "Huh? Why isn''t she scared?" Cyra was puzzled and could only look at me in shock.


    Seeing her reaction, I also felt that something was very fishy. How could a mere low-level mage know so much? All those magic names she just listed were high-level light magic by the angel race! In the human world, these were all considered god-level magic. Not only was it impossible for one person to learn them all, some were things you''d never even hear of in a lifetime.


    Following this logic, the only possible identity for her was an angel! But there were only a few angels on Earth, you could count them on one hand. Unless...


    "Are you Cyrae?" Although I still couldn''t quite believe it, I tentatively voiced the guess in my mind.


    "No way! How could Cyrae look like this? If she''s Cyrae, I''ll eat this car!" Cyra was stunned for a moment, then immediately denied it without hesitation. After all, it involved another version of herself, so of course she had to try to disprove it.


    Her doubts made sense. Leaving aside appearance, even if an angel didn''t show their wings, the light element aura they gave off shouldn''t be this weak. If you weren''t paying attention or were a bit far away, you''d hardly feel it at all.


    "Of course the person sitting in front of you isn''t me. My real self is sitting in the office. So what you see now should be my clone," Seeing our doubts, she gave a direct answer.


    "Oh? So it''s a clone technique?" Cyra was stunned again. After a while, she turned to me and asked quietly, "Hey, how come I''ve never seen this kind of clone technique before? Is it easy to learn?"


    "That''s high-level magic, of course you haven''t learned it!" I couldn''t help but roll my eyes. Actually, very few use light-element clone techniques, so even I was seeing it for the first time.


    Clone techniques don''t only exist in light magic. But the requirements are so high, usually only angels can use them. So humans created another low-budget version in water magic.


    But the low-budget version has many flaws. For example, the movements are slow and clumsy. At most it can only briefly confuse enemies.


    "If this really is a high-level clone technique, the magic consumption must be incredible! This is Earth - don''t you have to worry about magic energy when using it in daily life?"


    I still had many doubts. Legendary high-level light clone techniques were said to be able to create clones with exactly the same power level as the original. But there was no mention of being able to freely change appearance. The actual effect we were seeing now was too different!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 120: Research on Consciousness Transfer

    "It''s true that light elements are hard to get on Earth, but I never said I was using a light element clone technique!" Surprisingly, Cyrae suddenly covered her mouth and laughed softly, dropping another bombshell. "This isn''t the magic you''re thinking of. It''s a low-level light puppet! The magic consumption is totally different!"


    "Light puppet? No way!" Even Cyra was shocked by this unexpected twist. Light puppet magic was actually quite simple for her.


    "But what''s the point of doing this?" To me, it seemed a bit like taking off your pants to fart.


    Light puppets use less magic and can be controlled remotely with mental power if used properly. But that requires full concentration and isn''t flexible or comfortable. Unless it''s a special situation, using a light puppet to go out while staying inside to control it remotely is basically just wasting time and magic! Light elements are already so scarce on Earth - I couldn''t see any benefit or need to do this.


    "Because my real body''s light puppet can move on its own without control. And since it uses less magic, I can have more than one clone existing at the same time!" Seeing that we indeed raised this question, Cyrae couldn''t help looking smug as she revealed more details. "Let me put it this way - this consciousness is a branch separated from the main body''s consciousness! Except for occasionally needing to go back to sync information and replenish elements, I can move around completely independently without any limits. So you can treat me as a separate consciousness!"


    "Impossible, absolutely impossible!" I was totally confused. Did this mean the light puppet Cyrae summoned wasn''t an ordinary one? Never mind that the solidity and duration of a light puppet can be adjusted by using more light elements - that''s barely acceptable. But what''s this about separating consciousness? I''ve never heard of magic like that!


    "I have all the memories and personality of Cyrae from before the separation. But after separating, because this light puppet body started having completely different experiences from the main body, I''m both Cyrae and not Cyrae. You might as well call me by my clone name - Cylaren!"


    By now, Cyra and I were dizzy from all these shocks, totally unable to figure out what was going on. Cylaren seemed to have expected this reaction, so she didn''t mind and just kept explaining.


    "After syncing today, I''ve heard about your descriptions of your world. You probably know that light elements have the hidden ability to communicate with spirits and souls, right? Actually, for the past thousand years, Lady Elara has been privately researching a high-level mental magic that can transfer consciousness and even transfer souls. The inspiration came from the Angel Descent Formation. Accurately speaking, this should be a specialized research area of one of the Angel Descent Formation''s built-in functions."


    The Angel Descent Formation again? This part I could finally relate to! From what we saw of Elara''s attitude in our world, she did show great interest in the Angel Descent Formation. She even got Reed involved, although Reed''s research on formations didn''t seem to have much to do with spirits and souls.


    "So did it succeed in the end?" Cyra couldn''t help interrupting. From the looks of things, it should have succeeded.


    "Unfortunately, she failed," Cylaren shook her head. "Although she didn''t fully figure out how the Angel Descent Formation''s principles work to transfer souls and consciousness, Elara didn''t come away empty-handed after a thousand years of research. She accidentally developed a half-finished product that can separate part of her consciousness through a spiritual connection - that is, the ''Spiritual Convergence'' magic - and extend it into the Spiritual Network. As for the actual use of this half-finished product, it''s not that great. At most, it allows some multitasking during remote conversations, so you don''t have to keep switching between reality and the Spiritual Network."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Yeah! I have to keep switching back and forth now. It feels so dangerous! When I''m in a spiritual conversation, it feels like I''m lost in thought. I can''t notice anything happening in the real world - my subconscious just ignores it all." Hearing this, I slapped my thigh in agreement. When I often have spiritual communications with Edenmere, I always have to find a safe place first. It''s super inconvenient. "So Elara had already researched this high-tech stuff! Why didn''t she make it public earlier?"


    "Maybe because this magic didn''t seem very useful to her! And she didn''t really think it was a successful magic - just a failed product! Moreover, compared to the Elara in your world, the two Elaras might not think exactly the same!" Cylaren answered with a wry smile. Having part of Elara''s memories, she undoubtedly had a lot to say on this. There''s a good chance that the Elara in our world might think the same way.


    "But what does that have to do with you possessing a light puppet now?" Seemingly unhappy with my digression, Cyra quickly brought the conversation back on track. It was clear she was very interested in this magic.


    "Of course it''s related. Lady Elara thought it was useless mainly because she had many affairs of the angel race to deal with every day. Combined with the psychology of failure, she really didn''t have the energy to spare for related application research. But after my main body crossed back to Earth, she had a lot of free time over these decades, and most of the related knowledge was preserved." Cylaren turned to her with a smile and explained soothingly.


    "So you''re saying Cyrae inherited Elara''s final research and completed the consciousness transfer magic?" This time I finally understood, suddenly realizing. Not bad for a perfect combination of Earth thinking and thousand-year-old knowledge. A magic creation problem that even Elara couldn''t solve was solved by Cyrae, her successor who had only lived for a hundred years.


    "In some ways, you could say that! But it''s not perfect - it hasn''t reached the initial goal of unconditional, complete consciousness transfer." Cylaren pondered for a while before nodding and adding, "Considering that part of the consciousness can be uploaded to the spiritual network and downloaded back to the main body when the magic ends, my main body spent decades finding a way to download the consciousness stored in the spiritual network to another self. And that other self is of course what you see now - me!"


    In other words, this consciousness transfer magic can only transfer between oneself and the light puppet one creates. And because the consciousness transfer is incomplete, it accidentally achieved the effect of creating a clone.


    Although creating a spiritual network through the "Spiritual Convergence" magic usually requires an angel with eight wings or more, Cyrae''s situation is very special, so it shouldn''t be too difficult to use it even at the six-winged level.


    "Damn! Isn''t this clone method super simple, cheap, and useful? Hurry up and teach me!" This time Cyra finally stopped doubting and instantly changed her attitude, becoming friendly and chasing after the other party to learn the magic. She put her arm around Cylaren''s shoulder as if they really were the same person. "We''re so close! Cyrae is me, you are Cyrae, so you are me, I am you, so of course what''s yours is mine too!"


    "Can you even learn it? I spent decades researching this, you know. You''re still learning intermediate magic all crooked. Why don''t I give it a try instead?" I couldn''t help but snort, advising her to give up.


    After all, a clone that can move on its own and has an independent consciousness is just too cool. And because it comes from an extension of the spiritual connection magic, it can be remotely controlled and recalled anywhere light elements exist. Moreover, since half of it is part of your own consciousness, you don''t have to deal with the various drawbacks of spiritual connection magic when actually operating it!


    "Actually, the threshold for this magic isn''t too high. A six-winged level can easily use it. I don''t mind telling you the method and tricks, but the problem is that separating consciousness requires a very high understanding of light elements. My main body inherited most of Elara''s memories, so this wasn''t a big problem. But due to the scarcity of light elements on Earth and the limits of consciousness, she can create at most two clones at the same time. For newbies like you, it''s quite troublesome!" Sure enough, there''s no free lunch. Although Cylaren generously sent the magic-related information to our phones, I knew it was hopeless after reading it.


    My understanding of light elements is above average, I guess. Those few limited high-level magics I use quite smoothly. But once it comes to the realm of spirit and soul, I haven''t learned any of the highest-level related magic.


    "I heard that! The Lord told me this magic is very useful. If even Cyrae can use it, I''m sure I can learn it too!" But Cyra obviously wouldn''t give up so easily. She stared at the long string of text on her phone, desperately trying to memorize it, as if simply memorizing it would allow her to really learn it.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 121: Horayze Medical

    Huh? I suddenly noticed Cyra muttering to herself. Was she indicating she''d received another divine message? Or was it just a casual remark?


    Soon, the driver came over and knocked on the window to report to Cylaren.


    "Boss, Tingting, and Chloe are in the clear! The police knew about our connection, and since they were victims, they just took a brief statement and let them go."


    "Good! Have the company security team escort them home. We''ll handle the rest after I finish with my guest," Cylaren nodded and instructed the driver to relay the orders.


    "By the way, is Tingting the little girl who was kidnapped earlier? What''s your relationship with her?" Cyra asked eagerly, catching the key information.


    "Tingting? Well..." Cylaren stared at her with a mysterious smile. She paused deliberately, building up suspense before slowly continuing.


    "She''s my great-granddaughter, of course!"


    "What?"


    This revelation was like a depth charge, shocking both Cyra and me. No wonder I''d sensed a tiny bit of light element from that little girl. It must be due to her angelic bloodline!


    "No way, that''s Cyrae''s child?" Cyra gaped in disbelief. After all, her relationship with Cyrae was almost like being the same person, so in a way, Tingting could be considered her own descendant, a direct blood relative! Even though she''d been somewhat prepared for this possibility, seeing the real person unexpectedly still had a profound impact.


    "Don''t get it wrong! She''s not Cyrae''s child, but her child''s child''s child!" I corrected seriously, trying hard not to laugh at her expression.


    "Is there a difference?" Cyra glared at me fiercely. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and waved her hand, stating, "Cyrae and I are two different person. Just because she got married and had children doesn''t mean I would do the same."


    "The main body only had one child in her marriage, which was already very lucky due to the light element''s influence. Tingting is the only remaining descendant! Although the main body had officially cut ties with the family due to her fake death, Tingting''s parents died in a car accident a few years ago, so I had to adopt her," Cylaren explained, smiling as she recounted the past memories.


    "It''s normal that you haven''t experienced this feeling. When you truly fall in love with someone, all your previous concerns become insignificant!" Cylaren advised in a tone almost identical to the main body''s.


    "I think you''ve misunderstood! I''m not like Feliciana; I''ve dated before. What I''m worried about isn''t what she cares about!" Cyra''s attitude suddenly became very calm, emphasizing her stance decisively for the first time.


    "I won''t fall in love with anyone else in this life. Now, my heart only belongs to the Lord!"


    This declaration was quite unexpected. I realized there were aspects of Cyra''s thoughts that I didn''t understand well. I exchanged a glance with Cylaren, knowing it wasn''t appropriate to dwell more on this topic.


    "So what''s the story with Tingting''s kidnapping? Did the kidnappers target you for money?" The conversation shifted to the kidnapping.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "It doesn''t seem likely," Cylaren shook her head. "Because I''m too busy with work, Chloe is the nanny I hired to take care of Tingting. From her description, the two kidnappers seemed to be foreigners, so I suspect this might be the work of our rival company, the Miaten Group!"


    "The Miaten Group? You mean Miaten Medical from the M-Country?" I had some recollection of the Miaten Group and struggled to recall the exact information about these terms.


    Miaten Medical is one of the world''s top medical companies. How could it be involved with Cyrae in this way... Wait a minute!


    I hadn''t paid much attention to it before, and after being in this world for some days, it seemed like I''d heard the name Cylaren somewhere before.


    "You keep mentioning your company, but after all this talk, we still don''t know what kind of business you run. What industry is it in?" Cyra interjected, seeming to have noticed this point as well.


    "Oh, I almost forgot!" Cylaren exclaimed, suddenly realizing. She quickly took out a business card from her handbag and handed it to us, then proudly began to reintroduce herself:


    "Horayze Medical, founded 22 years ago, with its headquarters now in Shine MetroPolitan, H-country. It''s a science-based, innovative, patient-focused multinational biopharmaceutical company. Our goal is ''to bring new life and hope to patients''! I, this avatar, have always been the nominal legal representative and chairman, Cylaren. As for the main body, she belongs to the business department at the company headquarters, holding the position of an ordinary market sales personnel."


    "Damn!"


    "Holy crap!"


    It''s actually Horayze Medical! Looking at the business card, I never imagined it would be this big!


    Even before I came to this world, Horayze Medical was already well-known as a famous emerging multinational medical enterprise from H-country. Although the company hasn''t been around for long, its subsidiaries are spread worldwide, involved in numerous fields, and its scale is enormous, no less than old-established giants like Miaten Medical. No wonder Cylaren views them as competitors!


    "Why is the main body just a sales person? Why doesn''t she be the boss?" Cyra first couldn''t understand this point.


    Initially, I was also puzzled why Cyrae would have her avatar be the boss while being an ordinary employee herself. However, after some thought, I quickly understood her intentions:


    "Because it helps hide her identity!"


    You see, light puppets are created and can freely adjust their appearance to simulate a slow aging process, but the main body can''t. If she doesn''t want to live under a disguise spell all the time, the best way is to avoid being in the spotlight.


    "But Horayze Medical has developed incredibly fast, reportedly growing from a small local clinic to its current scale in just over a decade! Most people think it''s a miracle, but I suspect you must have used some special methods, right?"


    After calming down a bit, I quickly realized there were quite a few suspicious aspects behind this company.


    With so many pharmaceutical and medical companies in the world, Horayze Medical''s initial success mainly relied on its flagship medical product, the PureBalance Gold Pill! This formula, claimed to be developed by combining traditional medical prescriptions, gained an international reputation for curing all diseases!


    Of course, the actual effects weren''t as exaggerated as the claims. However, unlike other traditional medical products, the PureBalance Gold Pill did successfully pass strict clinical trial verifications. It has been proven that as long as the disease isn''t too advanced and systemic like cancer, most symptoms can be effectively alleviated. The range of its therapeutic effects and the number of cured cases are simply countless!


    This is where the problem arises. Even though Cyrae has lived much longer than Cyra and me, it''s still only a few decades. Her experience and knowledge still haven''t transcended the human realm. And Cylaren, as an avatar, has only inherited Cyrae''s memories. For them to lead a medical company in developing such a groundbreaking medical product, apart from luck, they''ve clearly used some undisclosed methods!


    Like magic, perhaps?


    "That''s right. Although an excess of light element can be dangerous, when used properly, it''s actually quite powerful in treatment!" Cylaren nodded, acknowledging my guesses. She then candidly began to reveal the story behind their entrepreneurial journey.


    "At first, we just wanted to make a small business to get by. The main body created me initially just to have an extra helper in the clinic. But later, relying solely on the medical knowledge learned during the war as a nurse made it difficult for the clinic to continue. So she had to take a risk and start selling holy water under the guise of traditional medicine..."

 Vol 5/ Chapter 122: Light Element Resources

    Holy water again!


    Holy water is just normal water mixed with light element. Cyra sold it before in Norvale. Now, we hear Cyrae from another world also started her business selling holy water on Earth. It feels like their fates are so alike.


    But even if it was decades ago, with all the tech, it was very different from Cyra''s simple marketing.


    "You know how light element magic has many low-level healing spells, right? They use light element to slow down tissue decay. At first, we just sold holy water saying it was a lost recipe that could help sick people live longer. We didn''t think much beyond that. Even when we grew from a clinic to a company, we couldn''t expand more because we couldn''t make enough. Then one day, I, the avatar, found out we could use tech and magic circles together to target tiny amounts of strong light element directly on the sick parts. This became the PureBalance Gold Pill! It solved the problems of holy water''s side effects and costing too much light element. The main body didn''t have to sit in a bathtub making holy water every day anymore!"


    As Cylaren finished, Cyra handed me a magazine, pointing at a logo.


    It was a medical magazine. Cyra was pointing at Huaray Medical''s trademark.


    Before, I might not have noticed anything odd. But now, I could see the complex design was actually a magic circle! They say each PureBalance Gold Pill has this mark. It looks simple, but when it mixes with the light element in the pill, it does much more.


    "That''s amazing!"


    I couldn''t help but be impressed that Cyrae alone combined magic and tech, in a field no one had tried before.


    Of course, even with this "cheat code", Huaray Medical didn''t always have it easy. Modern medicine is based on science, so Huaray''s products were often criticized because no one could explain how they worked. But the effects were clear, and the belief in traditional medicine helped. Other companies couldn''t copy it because they didn''t have the elements.


    "But where do you get so much light element? Light puppets are one thing, but Huaray Medical makes countless PureBalance Gold Pills every year. The sunlight on Earth couldn''t possibly have enough light element for that, right?"


    I suddenly thought of a key question and asked.


    "Earth''s sunlight doesn''t have much light element, true. But what if we leave Earth?"


    Cylaren pointed up. She didn''t mean the car roof or the sky outside, but space!


    "Is there a lot of light element in space?"


    Cyra looked surprised, staring at the car roof, confused.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Earth only gets a tiny bit of the sun''s energy. Earth''s thick atmosphere blocks most invisible and harmful light. So space sunlight might have lots of light element!"


    I understood what she meant. "Maybe if we fly higher, we can feel the difference!"


    "Flying higher does give a bit more light element, but not as much as you think!"


    Cylaren shook her head, bursting my bubble. "A few years back, we made progress with magic circles. The main body wanted to set up light element collectors in low Earth orbit to solve our supply problem. She wore a special spacesuit and risked going to near-Earth space. Absorbing light element directly from space sunlight was several times more than on the ground, but at most only one-tenth of Eldoria Continent''s sunlight, maybe even less! I used to think light element was ultraviolet or some other energy in sunlight, but that doesn''t make sense now. It also can''t explain how other elements exist!"


    I realized she was trying to explain magic with science!


    This reminded me of Reed. Both were willing to take risks for their goals, just with different motives.


    I felt Reed might be more expert in theory. Even Cyrae with Elara''s experience might not match up. Maybe one day we could get them to talk?


    After hearing her story, I could imagine how hard it was to start the business. Looking back at Cyra, the difference between these two was huge! Cyrae had expanded to space, while Cyra was stuck doing livestreams!


    "We started with PureBalance Gold Pills, but even getting light elements from space, we can''t keep up with demand. So the company''s been trying to move into other medical fields too. We can''t put all our eggs in one basket. If something happens to the main body, the whole company might collapse. Now our rivals are making moves. I hope we have enough time!"


    Cylaren sighed. Huaray Medical wasn''t just about her anymore. It fed tens of thousands of workers. Light element gave them a big advantage, but they couldn''t solve the supply problem perfectly. Sustainable growth was the most important thing now.


    "Now that there''s a portal between the two worlds, and there''s plenty of light element in the other world, why don''t you try to get it from there? Earth governments are exploring it non-stop."


    I suggested, thinking it might help in the short term at least.


    "Of course we''ve tried! But Earth people don''t understand elements, and the portal''s only been open a short time. We can''t expect help from official channels. So I''ve already sent people through the portal secretly to look for other ways on the other side."


    Cylaren gave me a meaningful look, hinting at a big secret.


    She''d already sent people to the other world? Sneaking past Earth''s army into the portal wouldn''t be hard for an angel. Adrian and I did it too. But Cyrae''s main body was still on Earth!


    "Ah - it must be her!"


    I suddenly realized who it could be. Someone who had the chance to go through the portal to the other world, and we knew the plan had worked.


    "Impressive! I can''t believe you planned this far ahead. You really are a crafty old monster!"


    I was amazed by Cylaren''s foresight. Even though we hadn''t adventured together, she was my high school classmate, so I didn''t want to sound too formal.


    "To Earth people, aren''t we both monsters in a way? I''m just a bit older!"


    She clearly guessed what I meant and smiled back in the same tone. Only Cyra looked confused, glancing between us.


    "What plan? What are you talking about?"


    "It''s nothing. You don''t know because you haven''t been to the H-country military base. Let''s talk about it later!"


    This was a long story.


    "Now that you know I''m involved, don''t tell anyone! Huaray Medical didn''t get the chance to work with the military at first because of complicated reasons. If the government finds out, it could destroy the company!"


    As we finished talking, Cylaren warned me again, still worried.


    "I have one more question!"


    Just as we got out of the car, Cyra suddenly thought of something. She turned back, poking her head in the car to ask:


    "I''ve been thinking it''s really hard to find such a rich Christian in H-country these days. That mysterious donor who''s been in touch with my mom... is that you?"

 Chapter 123: Farewell Ceremony

    "Your mom is actually my mom too. Before you came here, I was scared to help much ''cause I didn''t want to change history. But now that''s not a problem anymore. For sure I''ll take care of mom a bit!"


    Even though Cylaren didn''t say it straight, the meaning behind her words was clear.


    "So every time I went to see my mom, you knew about it?"


    Cyra finally realized what was going on. Her face turned sour.


    I just remembered too - Cyrae and Cyra had this complicated relationship. Maybe when Cylaren parked that fancy car at the school gate, it wasn''t just to pick up her great-granddaughter.


    "I was wondering why a mysterious girl who looked just like me suddenly showed up near mom. I even thought it might be some Miaten Group trick. Only today I found out it was you!"


    Just as expected, Cylaren then spilled all the details about Cyra''s time with her mom. Seems like Cyra''s secret actions weren''t so secret after all.


    "Don''t worry, even when you''re not with mom, me and the main body won''t try to steal your good daughter spot, Miss Community Volunteer!"


    Seeing Cyra looking all shocked and awkward, Cylaren added one last burn.


    "Why are you still sitting here? Didn''t her mom leave for the meeting long ago? If you don''t go now, you''ll definitely be late!" I could see the veins popping on Cyra''s forehead. Worried she might explode right in the car, I quickly stepped in to smooth things over and hinted for Cylaren to leave.


    "That''s the good thing about having a clone! You can get lots done without doing it yourself, but it''s almost the same as doing it yourself." With a string of light giggles, I watched the fancy car slowly drive away. All that was left was Cyra''s angry cursing.


    "Tch, think you''re so great ''cause you''re rich? It''s just a clone, acting all high and mighty. Don''t forget me and your boss are the same person. Even the real one has to show me some respect! One day when you get taken back, you''ll be nothing!"


    "Uh, being rich is pretty great in some ways. But we''re not short on money now, so it doesn''t feel like such a big deal anymore. But if we could have clones too, that would be really awesome!"


    They used to be the same person, I don''t know why she''s still competing. I tried to reason with her. Suddenly meeting Cyra''s angry glare, I quickly jumped far away into the air.


    It looks like Cyrae''s story really shook her up. Even after we went to the police station together to leave a goodbye note for Raydwin, Cyra still seemed down the whole flight to the H-country military base. This was totally different from her usual hot-tempered self.


    The stuff that happened after we got to the base was pretty boring. We had to go through all the same procedures as before. After Cyra finally got through all the base''s checks and questioning, on the second morning, we were ready to openly return to the other world with the imperial delegation.


    "I heard this space portal will stay open for a while longer. Do we really have no chance to come back to Earth?"


    A big crowd was standing in front of the gate built for the portal, waiting for the time. Cyra suddenly came close and asked me, sounding reluctant to leave.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "You having second thoughts?"


    I glanced at her sideways. Of course I knew why she was asking.


    "It''s not that I regret it... just feels like the two worlds aren''t going to be totally cut off right away, so... uh... never mind!"


    She hemmed and hawed for a while. Anyone standing nearby could pretty much understand what Cyra meant.


    "Don''t worry! Since Earth is still under threat from vampires, Feliciana already used that as an excuse to get permission from the H-country military for friendly visits to Earth! And since you''re also a six-winged angel, she added your name to the list last night!"


    Unable to keep hiding it, Adrian finally told her about my follow-up plans.


    I was actually planning to tell Cyra about this after we got back to the other side, as a nice surprise.


    "That''s great! So we don''t have to leave Earth with them right away?"


    Of course Cyra was super happy to hear this. "Them" obviously meant Katarina''s imperial delegation not far away. There were about a dozen people total, each dragging one or two huge suitcases filled with all the  stuff Katarina bought yesterday on the walking street.


    This visit was pretty successful for the empire. Not only did they sign a ceasefire treaty with H-country, they also set up all kinds of future trade deals. This was definitely great news for both sides.


    Of course, everything depended on the space portal staying stable. Even though Reed and I already warned the H-country higher-ups that the portal might shrink and close in the future, since it stayed open, the military brass probably won''t change any policies based on a few words unless the portal starts acting weird.


    "We still need to go back first, because I have a lot of things I need to figure out on the other side!"


    Watching Katarina''s group looking all triumphant and excited like they just won a war, I shook my head and shared my next plans.


    Actually, since we already got Cyra permission to pass through, there''s no real problem if she wants to stay on Earth for a while. But the main reason I want to keep Cyra with me is in case something unexpected happens on Earth and they need her help. With her current abilities, she might be okay dealing with some vampires, but she''d have a hard time against the high-level monsters hiding behind.


    As for me, the first person I need to visit when I get back is definitely Galadra. The big question of exactly when the space portal will close is super important. It affects the future of both worlds.


    Also, Elara is probably waiting for me to report on this Earth trip. Considering what happened with the parallel world Cyrae, should I tell her about that part?


    "Warmly send off the Ilandra Dominion Empire delegation on their return!"


    While I was still unsure, the scheduled time finally arrived.


    But before that, we still had to go through the whole farewell ceremony that the H-country government prepared at the gate.


    First the honor guard in charge of the send-off took the stage. Then in a familiar melody of instruments, Katarina went up front as the empire''s representative. She held the mic and gave a goodbye speech, copying what she''d seen others do. Then it was the H-country leaders'' turn to give speeches...


    "So boring, I''m about to fall asleep. When are they gonna open the gate? Why do you have to do all this fancy stuff? It''d be so much easier to just go invisible like you and Adrian did at first!"


    Cyra yawned and couldn''t help complaining. Unlike Katarina and those experienced imperial diplomats, us three "extra personnel" standing in the entourage were bored to death. We couldn''t even move around freely without messing up the empire''s neat image. It was really frustrating.


    "No choice. The space portal''s acting weird, so we can only know what''s really going on with it by directly dealing with the H-country military that controls it! Plus, even though sneaking through invisible does work, I can''t guarantee we''d get past the tight security every time. Instead of risking conflict if we get caught, it''s better to set up proper cooperation with the military early on."


    I was also super uncomfortable standing there. I could only quietly answer Cyra''s question so she''d understand what was at stake.


    "Wayne Peng told me to remind you guys to hang in there a bit longer. The farewell ceremony will be over soon. Whatever you do, don''t let the higher-ups notice you''re here. If anyone starts asking questions about how you snuck in, it''ll be big trouble. The whole base would probably get in hot water."


    Just then Reed came over. Unlike us, she was officially invited to come along. She didn''t have to suffer like us, mixing in with the followers to avoid being spotted by the leaders.


    But right at this crucial moment, a series of sharp gunshots suddenly rang out from the base buildings behind us. There were even occasional explosion sounds mixed in.


    Everyone on stage and off, including the leader in the middle of his speech, all froze. Everyone turned to look where the sounds came from.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 124: The Rebels

    "What''s going on? What happened inside the base?"


    The farewell ceremony suddenly turned chaotic. Wayne Peng was in charge of the event. He ordered someone to quickly escort the big bosses away, while calling around on his phone to find out what was happening.


    "How did you guys mess up so badly? Even with such tight security, you let them secretly plot and form a rebel group!"


    Wayne Peng soon got some news. He angrily scolded the person on the phone. But then he seemed to hear some good news. His tense face relaxed a bit. He gave several orders:


    "Oh, that''s good! Find those people quick. This has already alarmed the higher-ups. We can deal with punishments later. But now you must make up for your mistake. Search harder and guard every exit. Don''t let any criminals escape!"


    "Rebels?"


    I don''t know how others reacted, but I was really surprised Wayne Peng used that word. What could make the H-country military have a mutiny? And in the Shine Metropolitan! It made no sense at all!


    Unless...


    "Sorry, this is so sudden. Can you stay a bit after the farewell? I might need to borrow the angels'' power after we finish the send-off!"


    Wayne Peng put down his phone. He told someone to calm the crowd, then walked straight over to me and Cyra.


    "Vampires, right?"


    I nodded and got straight to the point. Of course we''d help. It was an easy way to earn goodwill, so why not?


    "This is really embarrassing!"


    Since I figured it out right away, Wayne Peng couldn''t hide it anymore. He could only admit it with a bitter smile.


    "Those two criminals we brought in yesterday somehow infected a bunch of soldiers guarding them! They not only secretly freed the criminals, but also tried to gather forces and break out of the base! Luckily, the troops stationed outside stopped and suppressed them. Now the base is working hard to count everyone involved. Also, those two escaped vampires haven''t been caught yet. We don''t know where they''re hiding. We still don''t really understand this light element, dark element stuff you talked about. To solve this quickly, I guess we can only ask you angels for help!"


    "How could you be so careless? You knew about vampire powers but didn''t pay more attention!"


    Cyra couldn''t help scolding them after hearing this. It was a bit harsh, but I agreed with her this time.


    The H-country military had dealt with vampires before. Vampires are much stronger than normal people. If you''re not careful, they can easily take advantage!


    These two criminals were the ones who kidnapped Irene yesterday. I think since they knew how dangerous they were, they shouldn''t have kept them alive in the first place. Why bother with interrogations?


    "You''re absolutely right. We''ll definitely learn from this mistake!"


    Since he needed our help, Wayne Peng was very flexible and polite. Seeing him so agreeable, Cyra felt bad about being lazy. She generously promised to help them find those two vampires!


    "What exactly happened? Are we in danger? And is this farewell ceremony still going on? Your government officials left early, but what about us? We were supposed to go through the portal soon. How long do we have to wait?"This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Katarina and her group couldn''t wait anymore. They led the imperial delegation over to us.


    As an imperial princess, and one who might rule in the future, she spoke a bit meekly to the Earth people. But for her own safety, she had to ask what was going on.


    "Of course we''re continuing! There was just an incident in the base, but it''s perfectly solved now!"


    After the bigwigs left, Wayne Peng was probably the highest-ranking person left. He couldn''t avoid it, so he quickly turned to reassure the imperial princess.


    In this situation, anyone would have a hard time dealing with it. Wayne Peng made several calls to his superiors. Finally, he gave the imperial delegation a clear promise:


    "Trust me, you''re very safe. Our H-country will send you back according to the original plan!"


    "Fine, since you have the angels'' help now, you probably won''t lie to us about this!"


    Clearly Katarina knew something about the vampire problem on Earth. She gave us angels a meaningful look, then did a royal curtsy to Wayne Peng before leading her people away.


    Of course, even though the ceremony continued, there wouldn''t be any more long speeches from leaders to waste time.


    The cheerful farewell music started again. Finally, the big iron door hiding the portal opened, revealing the strange, colorful sphere entrance inside.


    To avoid more accidents, Wayne Peng simply skipped to the final part of the ceremony to be safe.


    Naturally, Katarina and her trusted aides went into the portal first. Of course, people on the other side would be there to meet them.


    Our group stood at the back, watching the delegation line up and enter the space portal one by one. Suddenly Adrian couldn''t hold back his doubts:


    "Something still feels off! Humans infected by vampires should keep all their memories and abilities. Probably the only change is who they''re loyal to. Those infected H-country soldiers should know that exposing themselves early is useless. Why attack so rashly? Is it because Earth people are different from people in our world?"


    "Yeah! Why are they in such a hurry to escape? If they hadn''t been discovered, wouldn''t it be better to secretly grow their numbers?"


    His words made me think of this too. But I didn''t think Earth people were that different from normal humans in our world. According to various records, vampires usually hide for a long time. They only reveal themselves when they''re sure they can fully control the whole base.


    This was totally opposite to what Wayne Peng told us. Unless something forced them to take this risk and expose themselves! Or maybe they wanted to use this to hide something else?


    "They chose this exact time to act. What do you think their goal is? Vampires have a very strict hierarchy. Those H-country soldiers infected later are just at the bottom. Of course they did this to cover for their superiors and distract attention!"


    Reed also heard Adrian''s doubts. Her mind worked faster than mine. She poked my back and quietly reminded me:


    "In the second spot right after Irene, that imperial light mage wearing a cloak - did you notice? I accidentally found that the light element aura around him seems unstable. I''m afraid something''s wrong!"


    She wanted me to go check it out, just to be safe.


    "But aren''t we looking for vampires? Even if the light element aura is unstable, how could that connect to vampires?"


    I couldn''t understand right away, but since Reed said so, I naturally showed complete trust in her judgment.


    "See you all on the other side soon!"


    It was Irene''s turn now. She finally put down the phone she''d been glued to. She turned back to wave goodbye to Reed and us.


    "Bye bye!"


    What''s the point of saying goodbye for such a short time? I shook my head and talked to myself. But in that moment, a strange feeling suddenly popped into my mind. It felt like we might never see her again after this goodbye. But that was probably just silly thinking. I didn''t pay much attention to it, and waved back to her with everyone else.


    Just as Irene was about to enter the space portal, Adrian and I exchanged a look. We split up and approached the target from both sides.


    "Excuse me, the Earth military asked us to check your identity. Can you cooperate?"


    We each held a list of the delegation members that Wayne Peng gave us. Of course it had everyone''s photos. Adrian looked at me, then very politely asked the person to take off his hat. But surprisingly, as soon as this cloaked mage heard the request, he turned and ran towards the exit without a word. He was incredibly fast, running tens of meters away in the blink of an eye.


    "Stop him!"


    Wayne Peng''s voice rang out instantly. After Reed''s warning earlier, he''d been closely watching everything over here. Unfortunately, the H-country soldiers'' reactions were too slow. They couldn''t keep up with the mage''s escape speed at all. Just as the mage was about to rush out the door, someone grabbed him hard from behind!


    Come on! Don''t forget Adrian is a big shot who awakened his Battle Qi! Letting him get close to the door was already a careless mistake!


    "Check his body! He must have used some trick to hide the dark element aura!"


    I quickly ran over too. As the cloak hood was pulled back, a very obvious dark element aura revealed.


    Looking at his face, sure enough, it was the criminal who kidnapped Irene earlier!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 125: Sudden Change

    "This thing looks like the disinfectant Reed showed us before, the one they use in the base," Adrian said.


    He quickly searched the guy and pulled out a small bottle from his pocket. He wasn''t sure, but he tossed it to me anyway.


    "You''re right, this is holy water! This fella was damn brave to cover his whole body with this stuff. Must have hurt like hell!"


    I rolled up the vampire''s sleeve and saw his arm was all messed up from the liquid. Looks like he killed the real light mage and tried to sneak into the other world using the base''s disinfectant.


    "Didn''t they say there were two criminals? Where''s the other one? I remember you said the other one was a foreigner, kinda special, maybe helping out?" Cyra butted in, reminding us.


    Everything happened so fast. Just as Irene stepped into the portal, Adrian caught the vampire at our feet. But like Cyra said, there was probably another baddie hiding nearby, waiting to make a move.


    Before we could start looking, someone suddenly dashed out from the back of the group. He zoomed past everyone, desperately trying to jump into the portal!


    This guy was even faster than the first one! Must be that foreign vampire who slipped through.


    "Don''t let him get away!" Wayne Peng yelled. Even though there were H-country soldiers on the other side, it was safest to catch him here on Earth.


    The problem was Adrian and I were still by the gate, at least 30 meters from the portal. The vampire was about to reach it - we were too late.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Thank goodness for guns! Wayne Peng whipped out his pistol and fired several shots at the target. He hit the head and heart - even a vampire can''t survive that!


    But even though he died instantly, the guy''s body kept moving. The vampire''s corpse fell right into the portal entrance.


    "Oh no! Don''t let him die inside the portal!" Reed shouted.


    But it was too late. The normal people from the imperial delegation were closest to the portal, but they didn''t have the power to stop it. They were too scared and backed away even more!


    Everything changed so fast. A few seconds after the vampire''s body entered the portal, something weird started happening.


    From the outside, we could kinda see black mist swirling and spreading inside the portal. Soon it all disappeared, like nothing ever happened.


    "Is it okay now?" I asked, not really believing it. This was totally unexpected. The portal was still there, open like before. It didn''t seem that different.


    Was I seeing things, or did the portal get a bit bigger?Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Even so, after Reed''s shout earlier, nobody dared to enter. Most of the imperial delegation had already gone through. The only ones left were the servants, probably in charge of Katarina''s daily life stuff.


    These people didn''t understand H-country language and had no clue what was going on. But some saw the dark element going crazy in the portal earlier. Now they all just stood there looking at each other. Nobody wanted to be the fool who went first.


    "Are you sure the vampire affected the portal?" Wayne Peng asked. He walked up and stared into it for a while but couldn''t see anything wrong. He thought the dead vampire just fell into the other world, no big deal. But Reed strongly disagreed.


    "Dark element is super active. When it gets concentrated enough, it speeds up changes in all other elements, causing unpredictable problems. The portal has the most earth element anywhere. A monster dying right inside is way worse than just the little bit they give off normally. Plus, this vampire was probably level 5, maybe even from the top bloodline. Wayne shot him in the heart - that''s where monsters store their magic power. When it broke, all the dark element in his body went out! This much dark element getting into the portal never happened before. I have no idea what would happen, but maybe nothing. Still, We should stop all portal activities until figuring it out!"


    "Not this again! I''m just in charge of security for the farewell ceremony. Even if everything you say is true, I gotta ask the bosses before deciding!" Wayne Peng said with a bitter smile. This wasn''t the first time the angels warned them. He made a few quick phone calls to explain what happened.


    A few minutes later, the base''s top officials showed up. Unlike the bigshots from the capital giving farewell speeches, these were all military guys in charge of stuff in the base. This included Wayne Peng''s boss, a general named Lee or something. He might even be the head honcho of the whole base.


    General Lee checked out the situation and told one of his guards: "Go find some animals, tie them up with ropes, and test the portal first. If it''s okay, then we''ll send people in."


    This was pretty careful. I had to agree with his decision, given the situation.


    While we waited for the soldiers to find animals, the portal started acting weird again. A twisted human shape suddenly appeared on the surface of the ball-shaped entrance. It kept twisting and getting bigger. From past experience, this meant someone from the other side was coming through.


    Everyone relaxed a bit when they saw this. If someone could come through, it meant the portal was fine and working normally.


    "Is it really okay? The chances of that are nearly impossible - harder than winning the lottery multiple times!" Reed muttered to herself, clearly doubting it.


    "So can we keep going through as before?" the leftover imperial servants asked General Lee and Wayne Peng.


    "Well, we''re supposed to observe first. But if you really can''t wait and want to go in yourselves, go ahead!" Wayne Peng said after thinking for a bit. He looked at his boss, but General Lee didn''t say anything, so he stopped objecting.


    If these guys wanted to be guinea pigs, that was their problem. Plus the portal really did seem fine now.


    But just as Wayne Peng answered, the visitor from the other world finally arrived on Earth. To everyone''s shock, an eight-winged angel stepped out of the portal! Looks like there was another person behind them too.


    "Huh?" I gasped. Even Adrian squeezed my hand hard. We were both super shocked.


    "Fe...Feliciana! Isn''t that you? Why are there two of you!" Cyra kept poking my back, too excited to stop.


    "And another Adrian?" I turned to look at the person next to me with a bitter, helpless smile.


    Looks like Reed was right all along - the portal really did have a problem. And it might be a super big one!


    "Huh? Didn''t I go back through the portal? Why am I still here?" the Feliciana from the other world asked, looking around in confusion.


    "Did we never actually enter the portal in the first place?" the Adrian from the other world wondered. He looked back doubtfully, then saw my Adrian. His eyes went wide with surprise.


    "What the heck is going on? Why is there another me here!"


    Two voices asked the same question at the same time. But everyone just looked at each other blankly.


    Haha, I wish I knew what was going on too! This is totally messed up!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 126: Discussing Unknown Intruders Memories

    "So these folks still say they''re Feliciana, Adrian, and Reed? They claim that earlier today, they left with the imperial diplomatic group to go back to Alpha world as planned. But somehow they ended up back here in the portal hall?" General Lee asked, putting down the notes and taking a deep breath.


    "What do you think?"


    Alpha world was what the H-country bigshots called the newly found world for now. As the first country to discover a new world, especially one with magic so different from Earth, they weren''t gonna ignore any possible threats.


    That''s why when the other Feliciana and Adrian arrived, General Lee locked them up right away to be safe. He had them questioned too.


    What''s more, a few minutes after those two were taken away, another Reed also came out of the portal. She got the same treatment and was quickly sent to another interrogation room.


    "Could this be a trick? Maybe it''s that ''disguise magic'' the empire people mentioned. They know they can''t beat us in a fight, so they''re playing dirty?" one H-country military officer asked, unsure.


    "Let''s not talk about Katarina and the empire folks who left earlier. But we didn''t actually see these three enter the portal. That doesn''t match what happened! If you''re right, why would they tell such a dumb lie?" Wayne Peng disagreed, pointing at me. As important witnesses and Earth partners, me, Adrian, Cyra, and the real Reed were trusted and invited to join the meeting.


    "I''ve said it many times - this isn''t magic or a disguise! It''s because that vampire died inside the portal, causing something weird to happen! Now it looks like the other end of the portal might be connected to a parallel Earth. I didn''t expect this at all!" Reed sighed and explained her view again. She had read the three people''s interview reports carefully and come to this early conclusion.


    "We Earth people have heard about parallel worlds before. This theory does explain some of the confusing parts..." General Lee said, frowning and picking up another file. "But I remember you''re an angel from Alpha world, right? People there use magic and many don''t know basic science. So how do you know about parallel worlds and tech stuff?"


    "Uh..." I suddenly felt nervous. This question touched on the secret that Reed and all of us actually crossed over from Earth. But Reed didn''t seem to want to reveal this secret. Instead, she tried to explain it away:


    "Earth element is closely related to space. Angels can''t directly sense or use earth element magic, but I can control it indirectly with magic circles! The portal connecting two worlds and instant movement magic are applications of earth element theory. Only earth element can do space stuff! Our world''s space research isn''t worse than Earth''s. Magic has many uses, and you''ve only explored a small part of the wild south in the Ilandra Dominion Empire!"


    Reed was hinting that even though Earth''s army was winning in the empire so far, it was only because they were new and hadn''t gone far. There were many strong people in Eldoria Continent. Just one vampire gave the H-country government trouble. If they met stronger fighters later, guns might not be enough.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    General Lee wiped sweat from his forehead after hearing this. Maybe the H-country army had some setbacks with exploring, or got important info from the empire group. Reed''s words clearly hit home, and he finally accepted the parallel world idea.


    "Okay, since you say you''ve studied space and correctly predicted the portal problem, I''ll agree with you for now! To be honest, space and magic are not our strong points. We hope you can provide us advice."


    "If these three really are you guys from a parallel world, does that mean our people would end up on the parallel Earth if they go through the portal?" another H-country military officer asked.


    "That''s possible, but it''s very dangerous. I really don''t think you should do it!" Reed answered after thinking a bit. She warned, "The portal is very unstable after the dark element got in. We can''t be sure it''s two-way anymore. Coming out safely is one thing, but going in is another! The people you send might get lost in unknown space gaps. They might not even make it back to this world!"


    "But you need to know, we have lots of H-country people on missions at the base in Alpha world! If we can''t fix the portal, they''ll be stuck there forever!" General Lee said with a serious face. With Earth''s current tech, they knew almost nothing about space. He seemed to be putting all his hope on Reed and us outsiders to solve this. "I''m sure you don''t want your way back to be blocked forever either? I can give you access to most areas in the base, including research ficilities. But you have to fix this problem no matter what. Otherwise, even you guys will be stuck on Earth forever!"


    "...I''ll do my best!" Reed agreed after hesitating for a moment.


    But I didn''t think she could easily solve this difficult problem. Her earlier explanation had some boasting in it. Space issues aren''t like light element. Not being able to directly sense earth element is probably the trickiest part.


    But knowing Reed, since she took on this task, she probably had some way to deal with it.


    "I told you guys before! Why didn''t you kill those two vampires earlier? Then we wouldn''t have all this trouble now!" Cyra finally got a chance to speak and complained, slapping the table. But this was just saying ''I told you so'' after the fact.


    "That dead foreign vampire had a sensitive identity. He was a top member at the M-country consulate in our Shine Metropolitan! We can''t just kill diplomats. Plus there''s the issue of keeping the portal secret. So even though we knew he was infected, we could only lock him up for now. We were hoping you angels could cure him later," Wayne Peng explained with a bitter smile. Now this diplomat was dead, without even leaving a body! H-country didn''t know how to make up a good excuse to deal with pressure from M-country.


    But why M-country again? This seemed too much of a coincidence. I remembered Cylaren once said the foreigners who kidnapped her great-granddaughter Tingting were probably from M-country''s Miaten Medical Group. The guys who escaped from Raydwin could very well be vampires too.


    I couldn''t figure out what connection there was between Miaten Medical and the M-country government. But it''s pretty normal for the government to work closely with big companies and financial groups.


    Could vampires have infiltrated M-country on the other side of Earth too?


    "The other vampire looks like an H-country person, but he probably shared info with the M-country consulate, right? This is an important clue! You guys better watch him closely this time. Don''t let him escape again!" Adrian reminded them, a bit worried.


    "We''ve learned our lesson. We''ll use stricter isolation measures from now on. When everything''s ready, we might trouble one of you angels to help purify him," Wayne Peng promised, finally thinking of our angels'' special abilities.


    "Leave it to me. Purifying is super easy!" Cyra volunteered eagerly. With her rank, she could easily do this job. But she was probably trying to make a good impression on General Lee.


    It seemed she didn''t have much hope that Reed could fix the portal problem either.


    "I just thought of something - why isn''t she among the people from the parallel world?" General Lee asked with interest, his eyes fixed on Cyra ever since she started speaking up.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 127: Talking to Myself

    "That''s right!"


    Suddenly, I realized something. Since we all came from parallel worlds - me, Adrian, and Reed - Cyra should logically have been part of the plan to return to the Alpha world. So why was she the only one who didn''t arrive here through the portal?


    "Could it be because of the slight differences between each parallel world?" Wayne Peng chimed in before Reed could speak. "Actually, I''ve also got a silly question!"


    "Oh?" General Lee glanced at him curiously.


    "Sorry! Your question was actually very good, General. Mine is the truly silly one," Wayne Peng quickly corrected himself, wiping his brow before continuing. "Let''s say people from a parallel world accidentally come to our world. If they don''t realize their mistake quickly, could that lead to more people from their side coming through the portal to our world?"


    Reed paused for a moment before answering, seeming unsure. "Theoretically, that''s possible. But we can''t underestimate the effects of the dark element. I don''t think that energy would just disappear, so the portal probably won''t remain stable and passable for long. That''s why I advised against sending people through the portal. As for whether more people from parallel worlds will come through, we''ll have to wait and see."


    "Alright. It''s a bit embarrassing, but you might be our only expert on spatial research here. For now, we''ll have to follow your advice. I hope you can find a solution to this problem soon," General Lee said, standing up to conclude the meeting. "If needed, you can question the three newcomers further to see if you can spot any inconsistencies. But don''t forget our main task is to restore the portal''s function. The base in the Alpha world has probably noticed the malfunction by now. According to Reed''s theory, if they enter the portal now, they''re unlikely to make it back to Earth successfully. To avoid unnecessary losses, I hope you all work together, keeping the bigger picture in mind. Use all available resources if necessary."


    "I can''t believe you accepted the reality of parallel worlds so easily. I''ve been nervous about it this whole time!" I said admiringly to Wayne Peng as we left the meeting room.


    Honestly, I thought it would be difficult for these military types to accept the idea of parallel worlds. But surprisingly, General Lee and Wayne Peng were quite open-minded about it.


    "It''s not really a big deal," Wayne Peng said, gazing at the portal gate visible through the hallway window. "Compared to a space wormhole appearing out of nowhere in Shine Metropolitan and connecting to a magical world, the parallel world theory is actually quite acceptable!"


    At that moment, I think I understood how he felt. For most ordinary people living in both worlds, they might never encounter such an extraordinary experience in their lifetime, let alone be deeply involved in it.


    "Since General Lee has granted me permission to conduct research in the base, I shouldn''t waste time. But before that, I think we need to add one more helper," Reed said expressionlessly as she approached us.


    "Who do you need? As long as it helps fix the portal, I''ll do whatever I can to make it happen!" Wayne Peng replied without hesitation.


    "Could it be her?" Adrian anticipated Reed''s intention and quickly asked for confirmation.


    Reed nodded, confirming his guess. "Yes, but before that, I need to make sure these people genuinely want to help us, to avoid unnecessary trouble later."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Cyra, standing nearby, was completely confused about the situation, almost mistaking the target as Cyrae.


    Of course, that wasn''t the case. Although Cyrae inherited Elara''s legacy and also came from another parallel world, she might not be particularly skilled in spatial research.


    "I never expected you''d be the one questioning me," a familiar voice said as I entered the interrogation room.


    It wasn''t my first time in this place, but now my role was reversed. I was the one asking questions, and the person being questioned was myself from another world.


    "Well, to be precise, I''m not here to interrogate you. I just want to conduct a more in-depth investigation," I said, feeling strange as I sat down across from a face so familiar yet different.


    I placed a cup of tea on the table, feeling my head buzz slightly under Feliciana''s watchful gaze.


    "Gyokuro tea, huh? Looks like we share the same taste in tea. That''s not too different," Feliciana said, her expression softening slightly as she glanced at the cup.


    She took a small sip of tea, leaned back, and asked with a hint of annoyance, "So, what do you want to ask? I''ve already repeated many of the same things several times."


    Repeating the same questions multiple times is a tactic to test if the interviewee is telling the truth. Having experienced this myself, I knew it wasn''t pleasant, so I quickly asked my first question:


    "Where is Cyra?"


    "Cyra? You mean the Cyra from our world?" Feliciana was clearly taken aback, not expecting this to be my first question. After a moment, she answered, "Where else would she be? She''s with Raydwin, of course. She decided to stay on Earth, so I didn''t bring her back this time..."


    Suddenly remembering that she had seen our world''s Cyra when exiting the portal, she added with realization, "I get it! Your Cyra must have agreed to go back, so that''s where the divergence happened."


    "So that''s how it is," I said, feeling enlightened. This explanation seemed plausible. Cyra hesitated for a long time before deciding to go back with me. Choices like this often come down to a single moment.


    "In your world, were those two vampires caught?" I asked curiously, as this was another key point. It was because of these two vampires causing trouble that the portal malfunctioned. I wondered if the same thing had happened in the parallel world.


    "Of course not. I''ve already answered this question," Feliciana said impatiently. Realizing I might not have read the latest interrogation report, she repeated herself. "Although I kindly warned Wayne Peng that there might be monsters mixed in with the group, when he went to check personally, those two discovered they were exposed. They escaped from the portal hall with extraordinary speed. This sudden change caused a huge commotion among the imperial diplomatic group. The imperial people rushed into the portal, trying to return to their own world. Adrian, Reed, and I just didn''t bother to compete with them, so we stayed at the back to enter. We never expected to end up here!"


    "No way, they were monsters. Didn''t Wayne Peng ask you to check... personally?" Finding this turn of events hard to believe, I hesitated halfway through my sentence.


    I realized I had overlooked an important factor: the subsequent reaction caused by Cyra''s decision to stay.


    Clearly, bringing Cyra back was my promise to the H-country military. If I failed to bring Cyra back to the base, I would inevitably lose the trust of the H-country military. This would make any subsequent cooperation impossible in the short term, and being sent back to the other world would essentially mean deportation.


    Without this cooperative relationship, when the vampire riot occurred, Wayne Peng would have every reason to remain suspicious of us angels. He might have given up on asking for our help on the spot, and Earth people alone would certainly be unable to catch those vampires!


    "So you caught those two vampires?" Feliciana instantly picked up on this information from my expression. She hadn''t received any information about our world from the H-country personnels conducting the interrogation. This was probably the first time.


    "Not exactly. We caught one, but the other died inside the portal. That''s what caused the problem with the space portal, though we didn''t expect it to connect to a parallel world," I decided to tell her the whole truth. "That''s also why you ended up here."


    The other me was stunned for several seconds after hearing this. She seemed to understand what I was thinking and tentatively asked, "I guess your next question is whether I''ll help you resolve this incident? But you should also know that I''ll probably answer: I can''t really help much with spatial issues. You should ask Reed instead!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 128: A Chaotic Situation

    "As expected of myself!"


    The other me really understood me well!


    By now, it was clear that their parallel world wasn''t too different from ours. There was no need to be overly suspicious of them, so I decided to be straightforward about my real intentions.


    "Actually, it''s enough to know that you''re willing to help. Adrian is in another interrogation room confirming this with his counterpart. Of course, whether we can solve this problem depends on Reeds..."


    Before I could finish, a knock on the door interrupted me.


    "The situation has changed! We just got word that there''s movement in the space portal again. Looks like someone is trying to come through. We better hurry over and check it out!" Wayne Peng burst in, looking urgent as he glanced at both of us.


    So soon? It seems Wayne Peng''s prediction came true. I immediately turned to Feliciana for confirmation: "Did your Earth send more people into the portal?"


    "I''m not sure about that," Feliciana shrugged. "You know, unlike you, I didn''t establish a partnership with Earth''s base in our world. Even if they had plans, they wouldn''t tell me."


    "After questioning, we''re pretty sure you folks aren''t a problem. But given the special circumstances, if you want to return to your Earth, you''ll need to wait here patiently for a while," Wayne Peng explained hurriedly to the other Feliciana before leading me out of the interrogation room.


    When we arrived at the space portal, Adrian, Reed, and others were already there, having been notified earlier.


    "Can we tell who it is?" I asked, feeling oddly excited. My gut told me it was probably someone familiar. Could it be the parallel world''s Wayne Peng?


    "Can''t see clearly from outside, but they''re about to come out. No need to rush," Adrian shook his head, pointing at the shadowy figures emerging from the portal.


    Surprisingly, the first person to step out was Cyra!


    "Is this the other side?" The parallel world Cyra looked around, then spotted me and Adrian. She ran over, looking confused. "Strange, you two were behind me. How did you get here first? Can you overtake in the space portal?"


    "Huh?" Everyone present was bewildered. Our world''s Cyra wasn''t here due to a purification mission, but didn''t the other Feliciana say their Cyra decided to stay on Earth? So why was she here? And what did she mean by saying Adrian and I were behind her?


    Before I could voice my questions, more people emerged from the portal.


    "Finally arrived! I accidentally opened my eyes midway and got dizzy from the high-dimensional space scenery in the portal. Really can''t stand that feeling..." It was that familiar voice again, but this time with a hint of complaint, turning coquettishly toward someone behind. "Adrian, I feel so sick. Why aren''t you coming to help me? I''m about to throw up!"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Pfft¡ª" I was the one about to throw up! The sight nearly made me spit blood.


    Everyone sees. Following Cyra were Feliciana, Adrian, and Reed - familiar faces, but clearly from a different parallel world than before!


    Notably, this parallel world seemed to have greater differences. This Feliciana''s personality was quite different from mine, and their starting point wasn''t Earth, but the Eldoria Continent.


    It was clear that Reed''s worries were justified. The dark element''s anomaly had involved multiple parallel universes, no longer a simple one-to-one situation.


    "Looks like you might need to receive guests from multiple parallel worlds," our Reed spoke to Wayne Peng, expressionless.


    "...Are you sure this space portal can be fixed?" Wayne Peng responded with a bitter smile. He seemed at a loss for words, but who could guarantee an answer to his question?


    As for handling the newcomers, they were handed over to the H-country military as usual. We could already foresee how frustrating the upcoming interrogations would be.


    Things didn''t improve. As Reed predicted, more groups from parallel worlds kept arriving through the space portal.


    While there were some unfamiliar faces, most were versions of me, Adrian, Reed, Cyra, and occasionally even Nicola. However, those worlds were so far from our timeline that we couldn''t get much useful information from them.


    As numbers grew, General Lee tried forcing newcomers back into the portal. But they''d immediately reappear, showing the portal had become one-way - exit only!


    The base''s space portal had become a crossroads for multiple parallel worlds. All General Lee could do was restrict everyone to the base and hope Reed would find a solution quickly.


    Luckily, most visitors were cooperative once they understood the situation, joining efforts to solve the portal problem. Others who couldn''t help wandered the base in small groups, chatting and exchanging experiences from their worlds.


    As for me, facing so many versions of myself from parallel worlds, my initial discomfort had long since faded.


    To be honest, every Feliciana I passed felt like a stranger, unless I happened to notice the numbered tag they wore.


    These tags were made by base personnel to distinguish us from different worlds, with numbers indicating which wave they arrived in. As a "native," my tag number was 0.


    By now, if I hadn''t miscounted, about nineteen groups of parallel world visitors had arrived on Earth, with more likely to come.


    Walking briskly through the base, I was looking for Cyra when I noticed two people huddled in a corner. One looked like our world''s Adrian from his clothes.


    Wasn''t Adrian supposed to be in the security team Wayne Peng formed? Curious, I quietly approached them...


    What I saw made my blood pressure spike!


    A Feliciana from some world was passionately kissing Adrian. If I''d arrived a moment later, who knows what else I might have seen.


    "Hey, what are you doing?!" I shouted, thinking Adrian might be taking advantage of the situation with different versions of me.


    But when they turned around, startled, I realized my mistake. Though dressed identically, this Adrian''s tag number was 12 - I''d accused the wrong person!


    "Sorry, carry on!" I apologized awkwardly, turning to leave.


    "What''s your problem? If you''re jealous, go find your own Adrian!" the other Feliciana complained, annoyed at the interruption. But then I noticed her tag number wasn''t 12, but 7!


    "Wait! You''re not from the same world?" I asked incredulously, pointing at the Feliciana from world 7. What was going on? Feliciana and Adrian from different worlds getting together?


    I vaguely remembered that when this Feliciana 7 first arrived, she was with an Adrian from her world. So why was she now with Adrian 12?


    "Adrian and I are legitimately a couple." Feliciana 7 replied dismissively, wiping her mouth. "They''re all Adrian, does it matter which world they''re from?"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 129: Felicina Number 14

    How could it not be important? When this Feliciana, who looked exactly like me, said those words, I nearly lost my mind.


    "Oh, so you''re not the Feliciana from our world?"


    To my surprise, this Adrian Number 12 was a real oddball. Seeing the situation going south, he quickly made up an excuse and ran away.


    "Damn, what a coward!" I couldn''t believe it.


    Suddenly, it was just me and Feliciana Number 7, who looked very unhappy. Of course she wasn''t in a good mood after her secret lover ran away. She looked at the number on my chest and said meanly:


    "Don''t tell me you''re still single in your world? No wonder you get jealous... Hmph! Even if it''s myself, does jealousy make me this ugly?"


    "Are you crazy? Of course I have my own Adrian. Don''t talk nonsense!"


    I was so angry! I never thought I''d see the day when I''d be arguing with myself from another world. I suddenly understood how Cyra felt before.


    Anyway, why am I arguing with myself? The most important thing right now is to fix the space tunnels. We don''t need any extra fights, especially silly ones like this!


    It''s hard to believe how different the same person can be in different worlds because of different experiences! I shook my head, suddenly thinking there must be other Felicianas who think like Number 7. What if there are other badly behaved Felicianas in the base and my Adrian from my world meets them?


    What would that be? Cheating on myself with myself? If I have to blame someone, it''s that unreliable Adrian Number 12. I was really worried, so I walked faster.


    By chance, I saw Wayne Peng when I passed by the base canteen.


    It was already past dinner time, but there were still quite a few people in the canteen. The base decided to extend the canteen''s opening hours because more and more outsiders might keep coming in.


    It looked like Wayne Peng and his team came here to rest after their patrol. When they saw me, they waved and said, "Perfect timing, why don''t you join us?"


    The patrol team they put together wasn''t very big. Besides one or two other base members, I finally found Adrian among the few people sitting there!


    "Adrian... oh, no!"


    I got excited for nothing. The number on this Adrian''s chest wasn''t 0, but 1!


    "That''s right, he''s Adrian from World Number 1, the first group we questioned!" Wayne Peng quickly explained when he saw I didn''t look happy. "Come to think of it, you two probably haven''t met yet. Since world one isn''t too different from ours, I decided to let him join the patrol team."


    Compared to other parallel worlds, World Number 1 was one we could trust for now. Wayne Peng had seen Adrian''s strong abilities, so when they had to deal with so many outsiders, he chose him.


    Even though I thought this wasn''t enough, that wasn''t what I was worried about right now. "Then where''s my Adrian? Wasn''t he with you?"Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "This canteen actually has sour fish soup. I just saw it and got you a bowl." Suddenly, a plate appeared on the table in front of me. It turned out my Adrian had went to get me some food. He sat down and said, "Try it and see how it tastes. Maybe because it''s leftover food, I think it''s not as good as what you make!"


    "Really?"


    To be honest, after all the surprises, I felt touched by this. I picked up the bowl and tried some fish...


    It''s quite delicious! No matter what, it''s made by army chefs, so it can''t be worse than my amateur cooking.


    "What do you mean, pretending to be me?"


    But just then, there was a big commotion in the canteen! Two Felicianas were arguing, and another Adrian with them looked completely confused.


    These two Felicianas were so excited that they spread their wings, and one of them even had ten wings! This sudden change caught everyone''s attention, including some other mes in the canteen.


    "Since it''s rare to have a chance like this, of course I want to try something exciting! We''re all the same person, why angry about it?"


    That sounds familiar. It looks like quite a few people think this way. The one saying this was the Feliciana with ten wings! This ten-winged Feliciana was from World Number 14 and was quite powerful. But she did something ridiculous - she changed her number tag to pretend to be Feliciana Number 11 and tried to seduce that world''s Adrian!


    "What are you standing there for? Help me catch her!"


    Feliciana Number 11 was about the same as me with only eight wings, so she was no match for the other one. Plus, they couldn''t just start a fight in the base, so she could only ask her Adrian for help.


    "Huh? But you''re both Feliciana... and she has ten wings. Even if you tell me to catch her, I might not be able to!"


    Adrian Number 11 had just come to his senses and was really worried about this difficult task. He didn''t know what to do, but he still took out his weapon.


    "Everyone stop right now! Fighting is not allowed in the base. You were told this rule when you first came to this world. If you don''t listen to our warning, don''t blame us for being harsh!"


    Seeing this situation, Wayne Peng couldn''t just sit there. Isn''t this why they made the patrol team? Under his lead, two Adrians, me, and a few armed H-country soldiers all surrounded them.


    Of course, Wayne Peng didn''t know the difference in power! We didn''t have enough force to face that ten-winged me. But luckily, Feliciana Number 14 didn''t want to make a big scene. After all, she wanted to go back to her own world soon. So with the base getting involved, both sides came to an agreement.


    "Faking your number tag is not allowed. If I catch you doing this again, I''ll have to put you in confinement!"


    Feliciana Number 14 was about to leave, but Wayne Peng stopped her to give her a serious warning.


    "Hmph!"


    She was clearly in a bad mood. Feliciana Number 14 looked back at Wayne Peng. Then she suddenly disappeared from in front of Wayne Peng, and the clothes he was holding in his hand mysteriously turned into a chair!


    This chair looked exactly like the ones in the canteen, but it wasn''t actually any of the chairs around. It was a completely new chair that appeared out of nowhere!


    "Huh? What''s going on?"


    I was really surprised. What Feliciana Number 14 just did was unbelievable. If she used magic, I''m almost certain that there''s no similar magic in either water or light magic.


    It''s a bit like the "switching objects" trick I''ve seen in some cartoons! But in theory, even for switching objects, there should be an original object to switch with. After checking, we confirmed that the chair in Wayne Peng''s hand didn''t belong to any chair in the whole canteen.


    Besides that, the only other difference at the scene was probably the faint water element energy that wasn''t there before.


    I suddenly realized that even I couldn''t tell how powerful this Feliciana Number 14 really was. She seemed much more mysterious than I thought, far beyond the level a ten-winged angel should have.


    "We''re going to start patrolling again. The canteen should be open 24 hours, so if you want to eat something, talk with the kitchen staff."


    Adrian had to go with Wayne Peng to continue the patrol team''s job. Before leaving, he reminded me:


    "Um... take care of yourself out there, okay?"


    I was lost in thought, those words just came out of my mouth. Or maybe I should go with Adrian? That might be the safest option.


    But right after Wayne Peng and Adrian left, someone came up to me with coffee. She was trying to be nice and gave me a cup too.


    "Hi, I heard you''re the me from this world?"


    This was Feliciana from World Number 5.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 130: The Strange Cyra

    It was clear that Feliciana Number 5 was trying to be friendly. After checking the number on my chest, she took a big gulp of coffee and said with a sigh:


    "Great! I''ve been looking for you for a long time! When can we finally go back?"


    " Doesn''t Reed from your world help with the research team? You can just ask her!"


    I glared at her, annoyed. It''s useless to ask me about this. Besides, I don''t even like coffee. Doesn''t this Number 5 know that? How ridiculous!


    "Well, the situation with Reed is quite messy too..."


    Number 5 had a good temper. She didn''t get angry after being snubbed. She just stared at me for a long time, biting her cup. When she saw she couldn''t get an answer from me, she continued sadly:


    "Don''t you think it''s dangerous? Many of us from other worlds look very scary... especially that Number 14 just now. You saw what she could do, right? It was incredibly powerful. And she''s not even the craziest one here. That Nicola who''s with her is even more terrifying when she gets angry!"


    "Nicola?"


    Hearing this, I got interested. So I sat down and took a sip of coffee. "So, what else do you want to tell me?"


    You know, Nicola doesn''t appear in many parallel worlds. There are only one or two worlds where she exists! This means World Number 14 is really special. If Number 5 Feliciana really knows some inside information, maybe I can figure out why Number 14 Feliciana is so powerful.


    "Yeah, I have some important news about them. I bet you don''t know this!"


    Her face lit up with a gossipy smile. Number 5 leaned close to my ear and whispered: "I''ll only tell you, don''t tell anyone else! Number 14 Feliciana actually had a fight with Number 14 Nicola. I overheard it by myself! They were a couple in their original world. I guess it''s because Number 14 Nicola couldn''t change her ways and went after other worlds'' Felicianas. So Number 14 Feliciana got angry and pretended to be Number 11 to flirt with Adrian and make Number 14 Nicola jealous! Of course, you saw what happened. She got caught in the act..."


    "Cough cough cough..."


    What a mess! This coffee was already bitter and too hot. I almost spit it all out.


    "How about that? Pretty juicy, right?"


    Seeing me in such a state, Number 5 Feliciana misunderstood. She bragged proudly: "No joke! My new invisibility spell using water elements is the best tool for spying! Want to learn about it?"


    "Wait, you found me just to tell me this stuff?"


    Luckily, I didn''t dirty my clothes. I wiped my mouth, almost speechless from this girl''s behavior. I don''t have the energy to care about other worlds'' relationship drama anymore. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Of course not, they say that Adrian from their world..."


    Obviously, Number 5 Feliciana had more to say. But suddenly she shut up and ran away, sitting at a far table and pretending to focus on drinking coffee.


    "What''s going on?"


    I didn''t understand at first. But when I turned my head, I suddenly saw Cyra!


    This Cyra was in a very strange state. I didn''t notice when she came into the canteen!


    Her mind seemed really confused. She just stood there quietly. The only thing that seemed to catch her attention was the faint trace of water element still in the air.


    So, is this a Cyra from another world? Unfortunately, I didn''t see any number tag on her chest. I was about to go over and ask.


    But before I could stand up, I suddenly noticed this Cyra was attracted by something behind me. Her eyes turned sharply towards my back, and the next second she disappeared into thin air.


    "Damn! What''s going on now?"


    I couldn''t help rubbing my eyes! If it wasn''t for the slight trace of water element left at the scene, just like with Number 14 Feliciana, I would have thought I was seeing things.


    But before I could go investigate, another voice came from behind me.


    "Seeing you so lonely, you probably haven''t gotten mixed up with that idiot Adrian like in other worlds, right?"


    I heard a voice that wasn''t my own, but Nicola''s voice, which I hadn''t heard in a long time!


    This Nicola didn''t hold back at all. She sat down next to me while flirting, casually putting her left hand on my waist.


    "Since we''re both from worlds without Adrian, do you have time to chat?"


    "Sorry, I already have a boyfriend!"


    The bright Number 14 tag on her chest really caught my eye. Speak of the devil! I gently moved that disgusting hand off me. I didn''t dare upset this dangerous person too much, but I still made my position very clear.


    "Tch, so you''re Number 0! That means you''re this world''s Feliciana, right?"


    Obviously, she knew my general situation in this world. Number 14 Nicola looked me up and down, then showed a very disappointed face. Without another word, she stood up to leave.


    "Wait! Didn''t you see a Cyra appear here just now? And she didn''t have a number tag!"


    Thinking that the mysterious Cyra must have looked in Number 14 Nicola''s direction, I quickly grabbed her and asked.


    "Oh? A Cyra without a number tag?"


    Surprised by my question, Number 14 Nicola turned back to look at me with an intriguing expression. She thought for a second, then sat back down and nodded:


    "I heard someone mention a Cyra appearing and disappearing in this base... uh, not long ago!"


    "Really? Do you know what''s going on?"


    "The answer is pretty obvious. Before the space tunnel had problems, you never saw this person, right? If this Cyra really exists, she must be from one of these nineteen worlds!"


    Number 14 Nicola put her hand on my back and warned me seriously: "I believe you should know better than me what happened in World Number 18 after we crossed over to this Earth."


    "World Number 18?"


    I do remember something about World Number 18! It''s one of the very few worlds without me, Adrian, or any of us!


    I remember the visitors from World 18 were just two ordinary humans from the Eldoria Continent. They didn''t know anything about the situation, and we didn''t know them at all.


    But according to Wayne Peng, at first they saw three figures enter the space tunnel. But strangely, after these two humans, they never saw anyone else come out of the tunnel.


    Of course, there could be many explanations. Maybe the third person behind them turned invisible. Or maybe Wayne Peng saw wrong. After all, looking into the tunnel, the light is all twisted. It''s pretty normal to mistake two people for three.


    "So you think this Cyra without a number tag is from World Number 18?"


    I wasn''t there when World 18 arrived so I can''t be certain about whether it''s invisibility. But I''m sure that Cyra''s disappearance just now definitely wasn''t light magic!


    "Of course we can''t rule out that possibility! After all, parallel worlds can change in countless ways. Otherwise, there wouldn''t be so many Felicianas obsessed with that jerk Adrian!"


    Number 14 Nicola answered my question, then shrugged. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she leaned in and asked me: "I heard someone say that the time in your world is about a year after Michelle attacked Edenmere, right?"


    "Why bring that up suddenly?"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 131: Catching a Cheating

    "You know, in our world, Michelle also attacked Edenmere. But guess how long ago that happened?" Number 14 Nicola asked.


    She didn''t wait for my answer. She just held up three fingers.


    "Three months?" I guessed.


    But her answer completely surprised me!


    "Wrong, it''s three years, lah!" she said.


    "Three years..."


    At first, I didn''t understand what this number meant. But when I realized, I almost jumped out of my chair. "How is that possible?!"


    A space tunnel made only of earth elements couldn''t cause time travel. That''s why time in Eldoria Continent and Earth flowed at the same speed.


    But Number 14 Nicola didn''t look like she was lying. If she really came from three years in the future, there was only one possibility...


    "Your space tunnel must have mixed with a lot of wind elements when it formed!" Number 14, the "time expert," concluded with a playful look.


    "That can''t be, right?" I questioned, not really believing it. Wasn''t this space tunnel between two worlds created by accident when Nicola and Adrian fought in the Cycle of Rebirth? It was only supposed to involve earth elements!


    But then I remembered something. Even though the fight was a big part of it, the real cause was probably the necklace that twelve-winged Nicola gave Adrian!


    Could it be that the space tunnel connecting to Earth, and everything we experienced here, including the parallel time mess, was all planned by twelve-winged Nicola?


    I started to feel uneasy. This idea was crazy. It meant that everything I went through for so long, from Edenmere to Parristol, from Crescent City to the Empire, was all under twelve-winged Nicola''s control!


    Even if she was super powerful, she couldn''t have planned that far ahead, right?


    "Oh yeah, I heard you''re pretty strong. You''re from the same world as that ten-winged me..." I suddenly remembered there was a Nicola right in front of me. Even though she wasn''t from my timeline, maybe she could give some useful thoughts?


    "How do you see time? Is it really possible to know exactly everything in the future by time traveling?"


    "First, I have to say that my world is very different from yours. So my experience can''t really help explain what your world''s Nicola can do!" Number 14 Nicola thought for a bit before answering seriously. "Then, as a Wind Angel, because I don''t have twelve wings, I can''t get full Authority. So I can''t give you a 100% accurate answer. But with my current power, because of parallel worlds, I think it''s almost impossible to know the future exactly by time traveling! Unless you look at all possible related timelines, or if there''s no observer affecting things, then maybe it''s possible!"


    "When you say observer, do you mean Adrian?" I was surprised. The twelve-winged Nicola also mentioned this word a lot. Later, I found out that Fate Breaker was actually the observer. But in real life, except for that prophecy event in the Makalan city, I didn''t feel like the observer had much actual effect on reality.


    "Of course he''s not the only observer!" Number 14 Nicola answered quickly. Then she moved closer to me and continued mysteriously. "Let me tell you something! Actually, after coming to this Earth, I can clearly feel countless timelines splitting from the current time. Most of these timelines will form another parallel universe, but the differences between them are very small. Because of time''s inertia, they should all eventually come back to the same timeline, the same big future direction. Unless something big happens that changes the future, like the special event that''s about to happen in M-country..."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "What special event?" I was confused when Number 14 Nicola suddenly stopped talking halfway. I''ve never seen someone tease like this! While I was still puzzled, I suddenly felt a hand on my waist being grabbed.


    "Finally caught you!" The one who grabbed that hand wasn''t anyone else, but Number 14 Feliciana who left earlier! She had come back quietly without us noticing. Now she was looking angrily at Number 14 Nicola. "Just as I thought, you didn''t leave the canteen. This time I caught you red-handed. Let''s see how you explain yourself now!"


    "How is this possible?" Even though she could see through time, Number 14 Nicola clearly never expected this. She looked completely confused as her arm was grabbed. It took her a while to come back to her senses. "Don''t tell me the future I saw where you lost track of me was actually a fake image you created?"


    "Hmph, wind elements are so rare on Earth, and you waste them on silly things like this! Since my bait to lure you out didn''t work, I had to find a way to make your foresight fail." Number 14 Feliciana seemed like she had been waiting for this moment. The two of them kept pulling each other in front of me for a while. Their relationship was clearly unusual.


    "Doing this might create new timelines!" Number 14 Nicola warned, unable to break free.


    "So what? New timelines are always being created in this world anyway. Plus, this isn''t Eldoria Continent!" Number 14 Feliciana didn''t care at all. Instead, she kept pulling Number 14 Nicola towards the exit. You could see her strength was actually a bit greater than Number 14 Nicola''s. As they walked, she urged, " You can''t escape this time. I think we need to have a good private talk!"


    "That''s ridiculous. Romance is my life''s pursuit! Besides, I haven''t been unfaithful. After all, these Felicianas are all you, right?" But Number 14 Nicola wasn''t one to give up easily. She suddenly took out a crystal ball and waved it in front of Number 14 Feliciana. "Even though I can''t use time to escape because wind elements are scarce, you probably forgot I always carry my celestial weapon. See you later!"


    As soon as she finished speaking, Number 14 Nicola instantly disappeared from the spot.


    "Oh no, I forgot she has the ''Eye of Galadra''! Now who knows which corner of the world she''s run off to!" Seeing the prize slip away right under her nose, Number 14 Feliciana stomped her foot in frustration.


    "Um..." Even though I didn''t really want to get involved in these two''s drama, the mention of the "Eye of Galadra" at the end made me curious.


    "Was that crystal ball really the Eye of Galadra?"


    In my world, I remember the Eye of Galadra was supposed to be a machine. Although it combined the power of Galadra''s magic, its outer form was still just a machine. But the Eye of Galadra in the Number 14 world was a crystal ball. This suddenly reminded me of Cyrae''s world, where the Eye of Galadra seemed to have this form too.


    "That''s right! Because Galadra is part of the Cycle of Rebirth, he doesn''t have a real body and can''t come to Earth through the space tunnel. So he gave us the Eye of Galadra for protection." Number 14 Feliciana looked back at me, probably noticing the number 0 on my chest. She stopped and warned, "Don''t easily believe Nicola''s nonsense. She''s always playing around! At most, she just wants to witness major timeline changes, that''s why she''s hanging around this place with me. That crystal ball stores a lot of earth elements. It can provide enough energy for us to travel through space many times. Parallel worlds are no exception! So if we want to, we can go back to our own world anytime!"


    This was definitely explosive news. I never thought visitors from the Number 14 world had the ability to freely return. But her words didn''t reduce my confusion. They actually increased it.


    "She said earlier that you came from a world three years in the future. Is that fake too?" I couldn''t help asking about what concerned me most, seeking confirmation from Number 14 Feliciana.


    "That''s actually a false question!" I didn''t expect this Feliciana, although intimidatingly powerful, to be quite patient when answering questions. She stared at me for a good while, then after thinking for a bit, replied:


    "Actually, I don''t know much more about time than you do. I only know that similar events of Michelle attacking Edenmere happened in many parallel worlds, but the exact time isn''t the same! So even though we come from three years after that event, it doesn''t mean we time-traveled back to this Earth. We can only say that to some degree, this possibility exists! But don''t forget, the difference between our two worlds is really too big. For example, I''ve never even seen that Adrian in my world. If you''re hoping to get some information about the future from me, you''re definitely barking up the wrong tree!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 132: Cyraes Visit

    "That''s not the reason! I just want to understand what''s going on!" I said with a bitter smile, clearly being misunderstood.


    "Don''t worry, Nicola already checked. The mess caused by this space tunnel shouldn''t be too big. Even though the future has many possibilities, they all have a good chance of being fixed properly. There might be some trouble later, but I''ll try my best to help then!" Number 14 Feliciana seemed to have many concerns about time and didn''t want to talk more about it. After saying this, she disappeared right in front of me.


    "Wah, another me so powerful! You think I can reach her level in the future?" Feliciana from world number 9 was sitting nearby and heard our whole talk. Even though she looked confused, she still couldn''t help but admire at the end.


    "If you mean three years from now, maybe you need to work harder!" I said gently, looking at her four-winged back.


    "Eh, they serve food here all night? That''s great!" I heard someone who sounded like Cyra from some world say. Another group of people came in. The canteen had become a good place for people to chat and kill time.


    "You don''t know yet? I have some secret info from world number 14. Don''t tell anyone else!" As for Number 5 Feliciana, she was still happily selling her "exclusive" gossip in some corner.


    After getting Number 14 Feliciana''s promise, I felt much better. Finally, I wasn''t so worried about Earth having a "population explosion" crisis.


    Just kidding! With so many of us from different worlds working hard in this base to fix the space tunnel mess, I''m sure we can solve even the craziest problems!


    After leaving the canteen, I passed by Cyra''s bedroom by chance. I found the door wasn''t closed properly!


    This room belonged to the Cyra from my own world, of course. Because of limited resources, only those with number 0 tags like me, Cyra, and Adrian, as "local residents," had their own rooms.


    The work of helping the base clean up vampires should have finished long ago, but I hadn''t seen Cyra since then. Now I could hear that there were clearly people in the room, and it sounded like quite a few!


    "Cyra, you there?" I asked while pushing the door open.


    But as soon as I opened the door, countless eyes turned to look at me.


    "Wow... this is dazzling!"


    I saw about ten Cyras kneeling on the ground, all praying devoutly to a simple cross on the table.


    These Cyras from different worlds, with different clothes and hairstyles, had almost the same religious beliefs. I found I couldn''t quickly tell which Cyra had the number 0 tag. I could only smile and greet them, then explain more clearly: "I mean, is the Cyra from my world here?"


    "I don''t think I''ve seen number 0."


    "She seemed to be here just now, but I was focused on praying, so I don''t know when she left."


    "Could number 0 be with that group planning to do a joint livestream?"


    "Oh yeah, some of us who don''t have any faith were talking about doing some kind of multi-person livestream..."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "But this base shouldn''t allow using phones randomly, right?"


    "Huh? You have a phone? Where did you get it?"


    ...


    Unfortunately, the Cyra I was looking for wasn''t among this big group. Many Cyras started whispering to each other. It looked like most of them didn''t know where number 0 Cyra went.


    "You mean the me who originally existed on this Earth?" Finally, one Cyra stood up. She glanced at the number tag on my chest, then walked right up to me and pulled me outside. It looked like she wanted to kindly show me the way.


    "She''s very generous, letting us use her room freely. But before you came, I saw some soldiers take her away. Seems like there was some urgent matter they needed her to handle..."


    "Urgent matter? What urgent matter needs her specifically, and why don''t I know anything about it?" I was confused. Right now, the most urgent matter in the base was the flood of parallel world visitors caused by the space tunnel mess. For anything involving us angels, the base would notify us to come immediately.


    But when I saw clearly that the number tag on this Cyra''s chest was 13, my suspicion immediately got worse. I vaguely remembered that world number 13, like worlds 1, 14, and many others, was a parallel world where no Cyra had come to visit! In other words, this number 13 Cyra was probably a fake!


    But the question is, who in this base would bother pretending to be a Cyra from another world? After all, Cyra doesn''t need to fight for attention like other me and Adrian, who always end up doing all kinds of silly things. This reminded me of that mysterious Cyra with no number tag I saw in the canteen earlier. Could there be some connection between them?


    "Okay, finally a place where no one else can see us..." After leaving Cyra''s room and turning a few corners in the hallway, we finally reached a quiet corner. Seeing no one around, the number 13 Cyra suddenly changed from her previous manner. She turned around and started questioning me fiercely. "What''s going on with you guys? How did a perfectly good space tunnel suddenly turn into a parallel universe connector, and one that keeps sending people here without any limit! Don''t you know if this continues, Earth will be in total chaos?"


    "You... you''re Cyrae! But how did you get in here, and how do you know all this?" I stood there stunned before finally recognizing who she was.


    "Didn''t you guys already meet my avatar not long ago? Then you should know I planted many spies in this base beforehand. Although the space tunnel here doesn''t lead to the world I traveled to, it still connects to another Eldoria Continent. With such a big thing happening in the tunnel now, how could I not know? Of course I had to come check it out myself!" Unlike Cylaren before, this Cyrae was undoubtedly the original one I first met. Thanks to the special situation in the base now, she didn''t even need any disguise. She just mixed in easily with a group of her own kind.


    "So, have you found any useful conclusions? You know, several parallel worlds without Cyra have appeared so far. Is the world you''re from among them?" Thinking that apart from arriving on Earth 80 years early, there''s really no difference between Cyrae and the other Cyras, I couldn''t help but ask her curiously.


    "Probably not yet! At least I haven''t met any Cyra who has a different name like me after traveling. This means the space tunnel''s shift hasn''t reached the level to connect to my world." Cyrae shook her head and gave a negative answer, looking disappointed. Actually, the number of parallel worlds is theoretically almost unlimited. The chance of the space tunnel randomly connecting to a specific world is like finding a needle in the ocean!


    I knew that for various reasons, she really wanted to go back to her own world, even though 80 years had passed since she first arrived! But even if her world did appear, the faulty transport tunnel only goes one way, so there''s really no possibility.


    "In that case, do you have any way to fix the space tunnel?" Even though I didn''t have much hope, now that Cyrae herself was standing in front of me, I still wanted to try a little, as a last hope.


    "Sorry! In the Elara memories I inherited, there''s not even much understanding of the term ''parallel world.'' Angels knew very little about earth elements. Although I really don''t like to admit it, I''m really not as good as Reed in this area!" As expected, she shrugged and gave a negative answer.


    This made things awkward. I thought Cyrae''s unexpected appearance might bring some breakthrough to our stuck research!


    If Reed really can''t solve the space tunnel problem, the only hope left might be the "Eye of Galadra" that Number 14 Nicola has.


    The problem is, Number 14 world''s Nicola and Feliciana always appear and disappear mysteriously. It is hard to find them, and whether they''re willing to help is also a big uncertainty.

 Vol 5/Chapter 133: Strange Happenings in M-country

    "Great! It''s Feliciana from our world! And Cyra from World 13 is here too..."


    Just then, an H-country soldier walked over. When he saw the tag on my chest, he looked happy and quickly passed on an order.


    "General Lee just gave instructions. He wants all of you to go to the meeting room now! It''s an emergency meeting, so please hurry!"


    By "all of you," he meant the four of us who were originally from this world: me, Adrian, Reed, and Cyra. After hearing this, I quickly took out my phone and checked my messages. Wayne Peng had already sent out this notice in the group chat.


    "How many parallel worlds are there now? Did another special parallel world appear?" I asked, feeling a bit confused. Since more and more people had been coming out of the space portal, the base had almost treated it as normal! Usually, when visitors appeared, they didn''t need such a big fuss.


    "I think about 20 or so... But I''m not sure what the meeting is about. My job is just to pass on the message," the H-country soldier answered honestly. But Cyra from "World 13" next to me was clearly not included.


    "Why are you looking at me? Go quickly! I want to keep reading the Bible with the other me," Cyrae pushed me hard from behind and gave me a look, hinting that we''d talk more later. Then she walked away.


    "Does it feel weird? Do you often run into this kind of thing in that other world full of magic?" the H-country soldier asked me out of the blue as he watched Cyra leave. Seeing that I didn''t understand, he explained, feeling a bit shy: "Actually, I met another colleague from a parallel world before. He was from World 3. You should know, that feeling is really strange... Oh yeah! He also mentioned that in their world, H-country has a superman with amazing powers like the people in your world! I think his name was Ray... ?"


    "Raydwin?" I said, surprised.


    World 3 was one of the first parallel worlds connected. Its history wasn''t too different from our current world, so it was normal to sometimes see H-country soldiers from other worlds coming over too!


    But what was this about Raydwin being a superhero in World 3?


    "Yes, yes, that''s the name! Do you know this Raydwin too?" The H-country soldier was surprised and looked excited. "That''s awesome! So superhumans can appear on our Earth too, right? And it''s even an H-country superhuman! Do you know where he is?"


    "Uh, I''m not sure. I think I just heard that name before, so I guessed." I didn''t want to get Raydwin involved in this, so I just made up an excuse.


    But when we brought Cyra back, Raydwin was probably still at the Police station and hadn''t come out yet. I suddenly had a bad feeling about it.


    "Why are you the only one here?"


    When I finally got to the meeting room, I was shocked to see only Adrian and some high-level officials like Wayne Peng there. Cyra and Reed, who were supposed to come, were nowhere to be seen.


    "I''m not sure either. Let''s just wait and see what''s going on!" Adrian shrugged.


    "Alright! Looks like everyone is here. Let''s start!" General Lee walked in, holding a bunch of documents. He announced without looking up.


    "This emergency meeting is about a very tricky issue. We''re going to discuss some important intel we just got from inside the M-country consulate!"


    "M-country?" I felt confused. M-country was on the other side of the Earth, very far from H-country! Even if there was suddenly some conflict between M-country and H-country, what did that have to do with the space portal crisis the base was facing?Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "You''re from another world, so you probably don''t know much about the situation here, right? M-country is another big country in our world. They have very strong power and military strength..." Seeing my reaction, General Lee clearly misunderstood. He first explained the situation on Earth, then moved on to the main point. "According to what the purified traitor told us, his orders came from the M-country consulate, and his direct boss was the Consul General."


    "If that''s the case, why haven''t you taken action against the M-country consulate yet?" I asked, confused. The H-country should know how dangerous vampires are by now. Is it because they''re afraid of causing diplomatic problems? But things have already gotten this bad. All signs point to the M-country consulate probably being a vampire stronghold. If they hesitate, it will only make things worse.


    "Actually, we have taken action!" Wayne Peng joined in, telling me everything. "After trying to communicate with the consulate many times without success, a few hours ago, the Shine Metropolitan police, together with the health control center, forcibly entered the consulate under the excuse of preventing a highly infectious disease. They successfully caught all the members in the consulate! Of course, all this was done in secret!"


    "So what was the result?"  since they caught people, they must have found out a lot, right?


    "It was pretty much as we expected. Almost everyone in the M-country consulate had turned into vampires! We immediately let Cyra purify them..." General Lee had just received the intel about the operation not long ago. He continued, looking at the report in his hand. "Unfortunately, the results of the interrogation weren''t very good. Most of the consulate staff had memory loss. They only knew that they rarely left the consulate, so the infection must have happened inside the consulate¡ªalmost all evidence points to the Consul General himself!"


    This Consul General was, of course, the foreigner who Wayne Peng had shot dead in the space portal earlier. He had reportedly only been assigned to Shine Metropolitan half a month ago. Now his death not only caused the space portal to change strangely but also made almost all the clues we had come to a dead end.


    Now there were only two possibilities left to investigate the origin of the vampires in the consulate: One was that an consulate staff was infected, then spread it to everyone else in the consulate, including the Consul General . But this scenario doesn''t match well with the investigation results showing the Consul General  as the vampire superior who infected others.


    The second possibility was that the source of infection came from M-country! Although this guess seems a bit contradictory at first¡ª the vampire ancestor came from the other side of the space portal, and the portal is in the heart of H-country, so how could we suspect something on the other side of the Earth? But connecting it with the intel we got, we found that vampire ancestors had already left Shine Metropolitan! Although one was killed, we can''t rule out the possibility that other vampire ancestors crossed the ocean to M-country.


    At least in my eyes, that Consul General ''s fighting skills were really impressive, maybe even as good as the female "Director" we met. He didn''t seem like a low-level vampire who had been infected several generations later!


    "We should demand an explanation from M-country! No matter what, it was their people causing trouble on our land, and they even made a mess of our base!" Wayne Peng suddenly stood up, unable to hold back his call for action.


    "Isn''t that a bit too risky? Remember, we just invaded their consulate. If M-country decides to seriously pursue this matter, it will probably be very hard to deal with," one of the base''s high-level official immediately opposed this view, reminding everyone, "After all, the existence of the space portal is our country''s top secret. We don''t know how much M-country already knows, and we can''t carelessly risk leaking this secret!"


    "If they can send out infected diplomatic staff, it means M-country is probably suffering badly from this too. I think at this stage, we don''t need to worry about all that!" Wayne Peng argued. His view on this issue was quite similar to mine! No matter where it is, getting rid of the vampire threat early is the most important thing.


    "But revealing top secrets to M-country isn''t something we can decide. It must be approved by the supreme leader!"


    "M-country probably already knows about the space portal! Do you think the world''s number one superpower''s spy abilities are useless? Moreover, finding traitors in this base is a fact we can''t deny. The information has already leaked. Now it''s just a question of how much has leaked!" General Lee suddenly slammed the table, stopping the two from arguing further.


    "The situation now is very complicated. This is also the main reason why I called this meeting: About ten minutes before the meeting started, I received a search report from the M-country consulate. They found an email in the Consul General ''s trash folder. It was a call for help from the M-country President to him!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 134: The solution

    "The M-country President?"


    I was shocked. You know, M-country is the top superpower on Earth. But this M-country President skipped the embassy in H-country''s capital and chose to send a call for help to the consulate in Shine Metropolitan instead. The meaning behind this is really interesting.


    As for what the call for help was about, it must be about vampires spreading, right?


    "For some reason, vampires have indeed started spreading in M-country, and it''s gotten really bad!" General Lee''s words quickly proved I was right. He read from the report in his hand, explaining the real situation happening on the other side of the Earth. "In the letter, the M-country President said their country''s two spy agencies, ICA and FIB, were first affected by vampires to different degrees. Then it spread very quickly among M-country''s top officials. Even though some people tried hard to warn the President, he found out he had no one left around him that he could trust..."


    The M-country President didn''t know how to handle it. He remembered that vampires first came from the Shine Metropolitan in H-country. Even though Shine Metropolitan was affected by vampires, it didn''t completely fall. So he had no choice but to take a risk and ask the Shine Metropolitan consulate for help.


    "But sadly, the Shine Metropolitan consulate had already been taken over by vampires. His email was received a few days ago, but it was deleted to the trash folder..."


    "This means M-country has been watching us closely for a while. They probably know about our base too. Maybe they even know all about the other side of the space portal!" one of the base''s high-level official said, looking upset. He angrily suggested, "It''s time we must thoroughly check for traitors. Otherwise, we might wake up one day and find our secret all over the international news!"


    "Leaks are small problems now. M-country''s spies are everywhere, but they probably don''t know the real secrets inside the base yet. If they did, M-country wouldn''t have just been waiting and watching without telling the world about this," Wayne Peng disagreed. The M-country President''s letter never mentioned the space portal. He was probably just asking for help because he knew the vampires came from Shine Metropolitan.


    And of course, the M-country government controlled by vampires wouldn''t want to tell the whole world about this!


    "I agree with Wayne Peng! M-country''s problem shows that now even the whole Earth has to face the threat of vampires from another world. We can''t just care about our country anymore. We must look at this event from the perspective of all humans!" General Lee suddenly cut in, reminding us. "Don''t forget this letter was sent a few days ago. By then, M-country''s military had already fallen. A nuclear superpower being controlled by vampires is extremely dangerous! I''ve already reported this situation to top leaders and asked to approve taking action!"


    "So what exactly should we do? You mean you want us to go to M-country to get rid of the vampires there?" At that moment, I quickly caught the hidden meaning in his words.


    After the military was infected, there''s no doubt that M-country has fallen. If the vampire ancestors want to increase their numbers, the infection rate of their followers could grow really fast. The only solution we can see is probably for us angels to step in. But the problem is, even I, an eight-winged angel, can''t guarantee I can successfully purify M-country with its hundreds of millions of people and who knows how many infected!Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Moreover, this base is having all kinds of troubles now. We still don''t know how to fix the out-of-control space portal!


    "I don''t have a solution either. I hope you can help with this! Actually, those diplomats from the M-country consulate also asked our country for help after they were purified. As a member of Earth, our H-country naturally can''t ignore this and let those vampires do whatever they want!" General Lee understood the situation well. He looked at me deeply, kind of agreeing with my guess.


    But I didn''t expect him to suddenly change the topic and move the focus of the meeting to Reed''s research.


    "But before that, I want to put M-country''s issue aside for now. This is a good chance for all of you to learn about Reed''s results!"


    As the door opened, we saw one Reed after another, wearing different clothes from different parallel worlds, walking in from the hallway. Soon, the not-so-big meeting room was packed with people. Looking around, almost everyone was Reed!


    I counted quickly. There were about thirteen Reeds. Basically, all the Reeds from the parallel worlds were standing in front of us now.


    "Have you finally found a solution?" Adrian asked. He was stunned for a while before he couldn''t help asking.


    "You could say that!" The Reed wearing the number 0 badge, from our world, was naturally standing at the front of the group. Since many people weren''t familiar with magic and elements, she kindly started explaining:


    "As we all know! In our world, space portals are usually opened by earth mages. So even if something goes wrong with the portal, mages can close it anytime. We rarely see situations like what we have here, where it keeps connecting to other parallel worlds..."


    "That''s because this space portal wasn''t opened by magic following the normal process. It was an accident!" Suddenly, Reed from World 12 cut in. You could tell this world''s Reed had a clearly different personality, at least she liked to jump in and talk more!


    "...We must start by dealing with the root cause of the problem, which is how to get rid of the dark element inside the portal!"


    "Let me interrupt for a moment!" Just as she paused, one of the base''s high-level official suddenly raised his hand.


    "Actually, we''ve pretty much known what you just said. But I''m really confused about something. I met some Empire mages, and they say that if monsters die, that dark element will disappear on its own! So why didn''t the dark element from that vampire who died in the space portal disappear? Why did it stay in the portal?"


    "Because it''s a vampire! A vampire''s magic power, which is dark element, comes directly from its ancestor. That''s why we can only use light element to purify vampires!" Reed from World 12 immediately answered.


    I actually know a bit about this too. After all, vampires usually can''t be killed! This is why humans in Eldoria Continent suffered so much from vampires long ago! Even if a vampire is killed, after some time, it will ''come back to life'' because of the dark element. But when it comes back, it will probably lose some memories.


    If a vampire dies and comes back many times, it becomes a real "zombie", just like humans who die from dark pollution! By that time, the vampire''s intelligence is probably only left with the instinct to bite and infect others, which comes from its ancestor''s will. Even if it''s purified by light element, it will just die and can''t go back to how it was before getting infected.


    "So from what you''re saying, if we put light element, which is the opposite of dark element, into the portal, wouldn''t that purify the dark element inside? Moreover, aren''t you angels really good at using light element?"


    To be honest, this high-level offical is pretty smart. I actually thought about this idea myself, and even considered it as a last resort! But unfortunately...


    "Unfortunately, we don''t know exactly how much dark element that vampire who died in the portal had. So we can''t use the right amount of light element to purify it! Also, the inside of the space portal is very complicated. Even if we put in the same amount of light element, it might not balance out the dark element spread across different times and spaces. Plus, we don''t know how light element might affect the space portal. Unless we have no other choice, there''s no need to take this risk!"


    This time, it was Reed from World 1 who spoke. She probably has been doing research for as long as our world''s Reed, and her personality is very similar too. Then she gave everyone the final solution.


    "The only way out now is to find and kill the vampire ancestor hiding behind all this! Once the ancestor dies, the dark element left in the space portal will disappear with it, and the portal will naturally go back to normal!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 135: Vampire Radar

    Killing the vampire ancestor to solve the problem was exactly what Earth side wanted most. After all, fixing the space tunnels was the most important thing for the H-country right now!


    As for the visitors from parallel worlds, they couldn''t go back for a while. But that wasn''t Earth''s main worry now. Once we return to our Eldoria Continent, we believe there will be a solution in the magic world.


    "But is this all you could come up with after researching?" I said.


    To me, Reed''s results this time were a bit disappointing. With so many versions of her from different worlds working together to solve this problem - something that never happened before! But the result was just what we knew from the start.


    Transport is super developed on Earth nowadays. It''s totally normal for vampires to run off to other countries! I pointed out the biggest problem with the plan: "I get that killing the ancestor will make all the dark elements disappear. But where to find him? Earth is so big, if that guy really wants to hide, it''s basically impossible to find him fast!"


    "We already know M-country got infected by vampires, so that ancestor is probably hiding somewhere in M-country, right?" Wayne Peng said.


    "M-country is still very big, and we can''t rule out the neighbor countries yet. We might be able to narrow it down somehow, but it''s still super hard to find exactly where that ancestor is hiding," General Lee said.


    Even though going to M-country was for sure, General Lee didn''t seem very hopeful. The top officials in M-country now were probably all replaced already, so it''s even harder to get in. Vampires aren''t like humans - they''re super loyal to their bosses. So using spies to get info is almost impossible now.


    "That''s why we made a special gadget that can track down the ancestor!" Reed number 0 suddenly said after being quiet for a long time. She took out a phone from her pocket and gave it to me.


    "A Pear phone?"


    I knew this phone super well. It was a top brand I always wanted but could never afford before.


    But it was kinda awkward - with everyone watching, I played with it for a while but couldn''t find anything special. It had the usual apps, nothing fancy. Did Reed mean we could just call the vampire ancestor''s phone directly or what?


    "Try the compass feature!" Reed number 6 couldn''t take it anymore and told me.


    "The compass?"


    I opened the compass app. But besides the needle always pointing in one direction, I still couldn''t see anything different. Adrian was more careful and noticed something weird.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "This direction seems wrong. I often look at maps of your world, and I don''t think that''s south, right?" Adrian said.


    "It''s not north either!" Wayne Peng added.


    The needle on Reed''s phone was stuck pointing east. That''s super weird - it seemed to be pointing roughly where M-country is!


    "So the needle is actually pointing to where the vampire ancestor is?" I asked.


    Even a dummy would get it by now. To make this change, they must have messed with the phone''s hardware! After checking carefully, I could feel a tiny bit of dark element energy inside the phone.


    "The vampire ancestor must use some dark element trick to connect with his followers from far away! You can think of it like the light magic ''Spiritual Convergence'' spell. Once we figured out how it works, we used the dark element sample from that vampire we caught before Cyra purified him. That let us track their boss - the ancestor!" Reed number 12 explained proudly. She was clearly very pleased with herself as she told us how it works. "How is it? It took us lots of time to combine Earth tech with magic. This is a groundbreaking invention! I guess only by working perfectly with all versions of me could we come up with this. It''s super rare to have a chance like this!"


    True... The potential from so many Reeds of different worlds coming together is amazing. I totally believe in their "research" skills!


    "But if the distance is too far, it gets pretty inaccurate. Just using the needle to search isn''t very user-friendly! And it seemed wasteful to  use this only to find the ancestor''s location. So we made a more people-friendly software!" our Reed number zero said more emotionlessly.


    "Now when you open the maps app, it can show all vampires within 3 km as red dots on the map! The darker the color, the more dark element they have, and of higher rank!"


    "Wow, that''s awesome!"


    Looking at the 2-3 light pink dots that showed up north of where we were on the map, I realized once again - Reed never disappoints. This isn''t just some Pear phone, it''s a full-on vampire radar!


    Vampires have always been super tricky because they can hide so well! They keep all the memories and personality from before they turned, so every vampire can hide perfectly without anyone noticing!


    Until now, only human light magicians and angels could sense them directly through the dark element energy. There was no other good way to spot them! But sensing dark elements has distance limits and you might not notice if you''re not careful. Often, if the vampire is low level, even angels might not notice them up close!


    "See that? There should be a few targets that slipped through about 2km from our base. Hurry to tell Shine City police to help catch them. Don''t let them get away!" General Lee said.


    This invention was clearly not what General Lee expected at first. As soon as he saw those red dots show up on the map, he immediately ordered Wayne Peng to go catch them.


    This was actually the first time Earth people could actively track vampire locations. Wayne Peng was super excited when he got the order. He quickly remembered where those red dots were and hurried out of the meeting room.


    "Three kilometers!" I couldn''t help but say in awe.


    That range is huge, basically covering half of Shine City! I suddenly realized that even I, an eight-winged angel, might not be as good as this combo of tech and magic.


    But Reed said 3km is already the limit for accurate detection. Once it''s over 3km, the vampire locations can''t be very precise.


    "Can we mass produce it?" General Lee asked. That''s what he cared about most right now.


    Wayne Peng just left, but General Lee already got several calls from him asking if the targets moved at all.


    "Sorry, normal humans can''t sense elements at all. At most we can rush to make one more before the mission start!" Reed said.


    H-country is deep in the vampire disaster too. Reed wanted to help, but she had to shake her head and crush that idea.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 136: The Scouting Mission

    "Is this element thing really so amazing? Our scientists still can''t figure out what it is!" General Lee said, clearly disappointed they couldn''t mass produce the vampire radar.


    But the radar was just a nice surprise. Since they couldn''t force it, the focus went back to how to kill the ancestor vampire.


    There weren''t many vampires that snuck into Earth from the start. Besides the one Cyrae and I killed before, only a few were probably left.


    From all the info we got, I didn''t think there was a third ancestor vampire on Earth now! Almost all the vampires still active in H-country seemed to come from the M-country consulate. So M-country was likely the only vampire group left!


    Even though the problem was on the other side of the world, H-country had to do something.


    Earth isn''t just H-country and M-country. To succeed, they might need some international teamwork and deals. But that wasn''t my problem to worry about.


    Reed''s invention made the mission way easier, but even with the radar, finding the ancestor vampire hiding in M-country wouldn''t be easy.


    Earth was lucky! The angels they met were mostly us who crossed over. If it was others, they probably wouldn''t want to help!


    "First, we need to scout properly!" General Lee said. "You said vampires can sense that light element from angels, no matter their level. That might warn them early! So we need to send a human for this job. And we can''t use our people already in M-country, because we don''t know if they were turned!"


    General Lee quickly made the next steps of the plan. Even if we guessed the ancestor was in M-country, H-country''s military wouldn''t let us big shots just charge in without knowing what''s going on there!


    But sending a normal human meant they had to bring the vampire radar.


    But Earth people are pretty weak fighters, so I still disagreed:


    "There''s only one radar! If a bunch of vampires surround the scout, knowing where they are won''t help. We''d just lose this rare, important asset for nothing."


    "We have to try our best to avoid that," General Lee said firmly. "We need to prepare for the worst - M-country''s vampires might have full control of their nukes! I don''t doubt angels'' abilities, but for all humans'' safety, we can''t push the enemy into a corner right away. If that ancestor sees he''s in trouble and decides to launch nukes to destroy himself and all humans on Earth, H-country can''t take responsibility for that."


    General Lee was super firm about not alerting the enemy. He wanted the takedown to be quick and clean! To completely get them without them noticing.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Usually, big countries have nukes just to scare others. Using them needs lots of complicated unlocking steps. But all vampires only listen to the ancestor, so that safety measure doesn''t mean much!


    "Plus, we have some super strong people among us Earth humans. We can handle those situations just fine!" a base official added.


    I don''t know if he was just bragging, but after seeing how strong vampires are, it was surprising he could say that.


    This time we might face top fighters from another world! The ancestor''s power isn''t something Earth''s normal weapons can handle.


    For a second, I almost couldn''t stop myself from showing them what it''s like to rip apart a tank or use magic to stop big canons. But I held back to keep a low profile.


    Fine! Even if vampires notice, they might not run into the ancestor. Plus, Reed said she could make another radar if this one''s lost. H-country''s military seemed to have someone in mind for this scouting job, so I stopped arguing and the plan was set.


    "Our world''s Cyra should be at the 19th Legion outside the base. I''ll give you a special pass so you can find her there," General Lee said when I asked where Cyra was after the meeting.


    "Outside the base?" I was really surprised!


    The 19th Legion guards the area around the base. When vampires caused a rebellion in the base, the 19th Legion stopped the traitors who were pretending to attack outside for distraction.


    After the rebellion, to prevent it from happening again, the 19th Legion stopped low level communication with the base unless neccessary. Later, when visitors from other worlds kept showing up, this group also had to stop them from wandering around.


    Now the base is totally surrounded. They watch carefully, and no one can pass without the general''s permission.


    But why did Cyra go to the 19th Legion? I really couldn''t figure it out, but since General Lee didn''t explain, I guess I''d find out when I got there.


    "You only have one hour. You must come back to the base right away when time''s up!" the guard said after checking my pass carefully and making a phone call.


    Soon, a guide came to take me to a building outside the base.


    "Hey, aren''t you from inside the base too?" I asked. The soldier looked familiar. I think his name was Chan Layne.


    I remembered seeing him when Wayne Peng first visited the elf village, and often around the base later!


    "I came to handle a special event in Shine City. Usually Wayne Peng would do this, but he''s busy, so I''m filling in," Chan Layne explained.


    As Wayne Peng''s assistant, Chan Layne knew us pretty well, so he told me straight up.


    I knew Wayne Peng left the meeting to catch vampires on General Lee''s orders and hadn''t come back. But what big event in the city needed special handling at the base?


    Maybe it''s about vampires too?


    I didn''t ask more. I just wanted to find Cyra. I followed him to what looked like a reception room.


    "Hey, there you are!" I said when I saw Cyra at the reception room entrance. We hadn''t seen her for quite long! But she looked really worried. As soon as I saw her, I complained, "What are you doing here? You know the base blocks phone signals. It''s super annoying trying to find someone!"


    "Oh, you came too?" Cyra said, taking a while to notice me. She just gave a quick reply and went back to thinking about something.


    "Of course! I came all the way here just to find you!" I said, almost mad at how she was acting.


    Actually, I mainly wanted to talk about Raydwin. We left in a big hurry, he must''ve felt really sad after reading Cyra''s goodbye letter, they spent so much time living together.


    Raydwin already knew we came from another world. And secrets always get out somehow. What if he followed the clues and found out about this base? Especially at this special time, if he came, that''d be a huge problem!


    Usually we wouldn''t worry much about this small issue after leaving Earth. But the space tunnel problem got us stuck on Earth. Plus, Raydwin isn''t really a normal person anymore.

 Vol 5/Chapter 137: Special Recruitment

    In the eyes of the H-country government, Raydwin was just a regular guy, the landlord of Cyra''s temporary home. Of course, that''s because I only told the base this info at first!


    To keep this fella out of dangerous state secrets, I lied to Wayne Peng, saying Raydwin knew nothing. But later, while bringing Cyra back, I noticed Raydwin seemed closer to her than I thought. So I didn''t stop Cyra from leaving without saying goodbye, just sending a letter.


    Anyway, I never told Raydwin where the space portal was, and the place was heavily guarded. Even if he found it, no way he could get in with his current skills!


    The key thing was Cyra and Raydwin''s relationship. Now that I finally met her, I spilled all my worries to her.


    "I don''t want to talk about this stuff now. Go see for yourself!" Cyra nodded towards the room, not explaining more.


    "What do you mean?"


    Feeling uneasy, I quickly walked into the room. Chan Layne was already there, talking one-on-one with someone.


    "How did you get here?"


    It was none other than Raydwin, who we just talked about!


    I felt my heart sink. Raydwin had shown up right under our noses! No wonder Cyra acted like that. Looks like she wanted to keep distance from him, but it didn''t work.


    Worse, if the base found out I lied, it might mess up the trust we''d built.


    "You two know each other too? Right... you and Cyra were together before!" Chan Layne looked surprised when I walked in. Then he seemed to figure something out and asked Raydwin, "Does this mean you hid something from us?"


    "Huh?"


    Raydwin looked shocked to see me too. But when Chan Layne questioned him, he got nervous, glancing at Cyra. Cyra ignored him, so he finally admitted, "My master told me not to reveal anything about them. I just wanted to find Cyra, but I didn''t expect..."


    "Master? Didn''t you just say your power was a gift from God, maybe from being around an angel for a long time?" Chan Layne quickly caught the holes in his story, making Raydwin look even more uncomfortable.


    It''s clear Raydwin didn''t rat out me and Adrian at first. When Adrian agreed to teach him, he warned Raydwin to keep it secret, no matter when or where!


    Of course, this rule wasn''t super strict. It was mainly to stop him from blabbing and drawing attention. Once we left Earth, it wouldn''t matter if he told.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    But surprisingly, even when caught by the H-country government, Raydwin still tried to follow this rule. I had to give him some respect for that.


    "How did you find him anyway?" I couldn''t figure out how Raydwin got caught if he was so careful about secrecy.


    "The base got a message from Shine Metropolitan police. They caught someone who might have the new Type A hepatitis. So we brought him here, but it turns out he''s not a vampire!" Chan Layne explained, sounding frustrated.


    After hearing both sides, I finally understood what happened.


    The "new Type A hepatitis" was just the H-country government''s cover story for vampire infections. Only the base and some Shine Metropolitan big shots knew the truth. Regular folks, even the cops making arrests, didn''t know much!


    So for these cops, the easiest way to spot this "hepatitis" was to look for super strong people acting crazy and unreasonable.


    As for Raydwin, after reading Cyra''s goodbye letter, he naturally wanted to find her and get answers. But he was at the police station as an important witness in the kidnapping case. Even though he wasn''t a suspect, he couldn''t just leave!


    "I didn''t commit any crime, I did a good deed! Why can''t I leave?" Raydwin argued, still upset about it. Relying on his newly improved skills, he tried to force his way out, causing a scene at the police station.


    In the past, the police might have been caught off guard by such a "skilled person". But after the vampire incidents, Shine Metropolitan police had beefed up their forces and training.


    No surprise, Raydwin''s current abilities were far from bulletproof. He was quickly subdued.


    Given his abnormal physical abilities and his yelling about finding Cyra from the letter, the police naturally connected him to the recent vampire activities. They immediately locked down the area according to emergency plans and notified our base, which handles vampires.


    Actually, when Raydwin first arrived at the base, vampire experts like Wayne Peng and Chan Layne were already suspicious of his identity. He had no motive, he exposed himself stupidly, and he mentioned Cyra!


    But right then, the base rebellion was breaking out, so nobody had time to deal with him. So Raydwin was kept in the 19th Legion. Only after the rebellion was totally crushed did Chan Layne remember they had a prisoner here...


    At first, during questioning, Raydwin tried to dodge questions about his power source by saying he''d trained in martial arts since childhood. But that lie could only fool kids. The H-country military, with all of Raydwin''s personal records, saw through it immediately.


    Since he kept mentioning Cyra and was indeed her former landlord, Chan Layne brought Cyra from the base. When Raydwin saw Cyra, he finally realized who he was dealing with and changed his story¡ªnow he claimed he mysteriously got superpowers from being around Cyra... He was really being difficult!


    Luckily for him, they figured out he had connections. More importantly, since Raydwin wasn''t a vampire, the H-country military higher-ups were bound to be interested in his abilities. After all, they needed manpower right now.


    "So as I thought, your power must be related to another world!" Chan Layne didn''t push further about the true source, trying to ease the awkward mood. After all, he had a mission and needed Raydwin''s help. He pulled out a contract-like paper and put it in front of Raydwin, finally revealing his real intention.


    "We''ve thoroughly checked your background. You seem pretty normal, very clean! So now you have a chance to serve your country and all of humanity. You have power that normal people don''t. Why not think about it?"


    "Oh, it''s a confidentiality agreement? And... you want to recruit me into the H-country military! It says here if I really don''t want to, I can temporarily join for an important recon mission?"


    Raydwin carefully read the contract, asking Chan Layne about the terms.


    He knew too many secrets and was "gifted," so it wasn''t surprising the H-country military wanted to recruit him. But when I heard "recon mission," I finally understood why General Lee gave me that special pass to find Cyra myself.

 Vol 5/Chapter 138: Memory Alteration

    "Great! You agree to be special recruited. Shows you got good thinking!"


    The H-country military offered really good benefits to attract talent. Raydwin didn''t even think twice before choosing, making Chan Layne smile with satisfaction.


    Clearly, when General Lee talked about "super strong individuals among Earth people," they meant Raydwin! Maybe they knew about his situation already and saw he wanted to join up. That''s why they insisted on sending their own people for this recon mission.


    "From now on, you can''t leave this base for a while. Get ready for that! First, go to logistics to get your stuff. There''s lots of army things you gotta learn too!"


    Joining the H-country military meant following all their rules. Even though Raydwin was specially recruited, he could skip some of the steps.


    "Yes, sir!"


    Raydwin was super excited. He wanted to join the army before but couldn''t ''cause of his health. Now his dream came true.


    But special recruit or not, they still needed to know more about his skills. Especially since Raydwin was still pretty over weight, even old army hands like Chan Layne couldn''t guess his actual level.


    "After you finish learning, follow your guide to the training ground for physical tests!" Chan Layne called an soldier to show Raydwin around.


    "What''s really going on between you two? Since they called you here early, you must''ve talked to Raydwin alone, right? How''d it go?"


    Before leaving, Raydwin kept looking back at Cyra. I couldn''t stop worrying, so I pulled Cyra aside to ask privately.


    "He was locked up. I got nothing to say in front of others. Anyway, I''ve said what I needed to say many times. We''re nothing and shouldn''t be anything. If he wants to follow me, what can I do?"


    Cyra seemed annoyed that I brought this up again. But things were getting way out of hand, and even she could see Raydwin''s feelings weren''t as simple as she said. She just waved her hand, made some excuse, and ran off.


    "A beautiful lady, a gentleman''s pursuit! I can tell Cyra''s not totally against it. If they could get together, that''d be great!"


    As an outsider, Chan Layne could guess what we were talking about, even if he couldn''t hear clearly. After Cyra left, it was just me and him. Seeing no one talking, he felt awkward and spoke up to break the silence. Then he remembered to ask, "Oh yeah! I heard angels are super rare. In your world, do humans and angels ever get together?"


    "...Very rare!"


    My head was a mess, so I just gave him a quick answer. Raydwin joined the H-country military and might become important later. Would his ideas affect how the H-country military and angels get along?


    But Chan Layne seemed really interested. He started talking big about how if they got together, it would help the two worlds become closer.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    This guy''s thinking too big. We haven''t even fixed the space portal problems, and he''s already this optimistic? Suddenly, I had a thought and asked, "Have you been in charge of questioning Raydwin since he came to the base?"


    "Of course! Wayne Peng should do this job, but he''s busy with base stuff. Plus, the base is going crazy with visitors from other worlds!"


    For H-country, Raydwin was a rare talent. Chan Layne, who discovered him, did a big service. He couldn''t help bragging, "Without the space portal, Earth probably wouldn''t have superhumans like Raydwin. When I found out Raydwin, an Earth guy, had powers way beyond normal people, I quickly reported it to General Lee! Now it looks like his relationship with Cyra is even much more than we first thought. We gotta pay more attention to this!"


    Don''t know what reward the higher-ups promised him, but after tasting success, Chan Layne seemed more fired up. Since I always liked working with the H-country military, he even tried to get me involved. "Too bad Cyra''s being too careful. Why don''t you, as her friend, help get them together? They''re perfect! As proof of friendship between both sides, they might become the unbreakable link between our two worlds!"


    "Really? I think you''re being too naive..."


    I get what Chan Layne means. If it was normal angels living in Edenmere, who knows! But he doesn''t know Cyra and I both came from another world and turned into angels. Plus, Raydwin''s no Adrian! Honestly, I don''t think they''ll hit it off.


    The problem is, when this kind of thing gets mixed up with politics and the interests of states or even the whole world, it usually doesn''t end well! Forget about what Cyra really thinks of Raydwin. As her friend, I can''t just watch things go that far. Gotta nip this trouble in the bud!


    "Huh? Why''d you suddenly spread your wings?"


    Right then, there was nobody else around the room, just me and Chan Layne. He didn''t react at first. Seeing me suddenly spread my four pairs of wings, he was curious and reached out to touch them.


    "You know, up close these wings look kinda strange..."


    But while he wasn''t paying attention, I quickly touched his forehead with two fingers. A bright white light flashed from my fingertips into Chan Layne''s mind.


    "Raydwin and Cyra barely know each other. They''re just a normal tenant and landlord. They only met me and Adrian once. You think there''s nothing special to mention, so you won''t put this in your report to your bosses!"


    I repeated this several times to really plant these changed memories. After thinking a bit, I added more: "About where Raydwin''s powers come from, after checking, we can only guess it''s because of the space portal opening, for some unknown mysterious reason!"


    "Huh? Why''d you suddenly spread your wings?"


    When I took my hand away, Raydwin went back to normal right away. But seeing the wings on my back, he looked shocked again. "You know, up close these wings look really beautiful in a strange way!"


    "It''s nothing. Just haven''t spread my wings in a long time. Stretching them out a bit!"


    I let out a long, quiet sigh and quickly put my wings away, making up some excuse. Of course, I couldn''t tell him what just happened!


    That wasn''t normal light element magic. It was high-level mind magic!


    It''s a typical kind of high-level magic invented by humans, but human abilities alone can''t use it perfectly.


    No doubt its effects are amazing. This magic can easily control, change, or erase key parts of someone''s memory to do what the caster wants. The effect is permanent and can''t be undone. Since it involves the mind and soul, plus basic moral rules, not many can actually use it, even among angels.


    If it wasn''t for Cyra, I wouldn''t use it in this situation. This magic uses up a lot of power, and it''s the first time I''ve used it since learning it. I''m not good at it yet, and it''s really risky - I can''t be sure if it worked exactly how I wanted. Just gotta take it one step at a time.


    Also, because this magic used up most of the light element stored in my body, and it''s hard to recharge magic power on Earth. Especially now with problems with the space portal. Even staying near the portal, I can''t absorb much light element.


    I figure the only way left is to find Cyrae...


    "Alright then, let''s head back to the base!"


    Suddenly Chan Layne interrupted my thoughts. Obviously, he didn''t doubt my excuse and couldn''t tell his memory was changed. He led me out of the room, sincerely thanking me.


    "Thanks to you and Cyra''s help, I found out the space portal opening might affect Earth humans somehow. From Raydwin''s condition, we can say it''s positive for now. Hope there''s no negative effects. Even better if more superhumans like him show up later!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 139: I Killed Myself

    "This is what we should do!" I smiled, thinking the magic worked well, just as I hoped. Usually, changed memories mix with real ones, and people can''t tell the difference.


    "Huh? Where did Cyra go? When did she leave? Strange, I can''t remember at all..."


    But then, Chan Layne suddenly started thinking hard about this question he couldn''t explain. My face turned dark right away!


    Looks like magic for the mind is still too hard for me.


    But it''s okay, these small issues don''t matter much! It''s not a big deal if Chan Layne can''t figure out why Cyra left. Also, with my guidance, he didn''t get too suspicious. In the end, I managed to fix this dangerous situation caused by Raydwin using some unusual methods.


    Of course, more importantly, now all the lies I told the H-country military leaders about Raydwin finally match up.


    In the next day or two, the H-country military did various tests and training for Raydwin. Without Adrian''s help later on, he could only use the little bit of Battle Qi he absorbed to grow stronger, so his progress was very slow.


    But even with just this little bit of power, Raydwin already reached about level four, which was enough to deal with normal vampires! As for those special skills used for spying, he learned them very easily.


    "We''ll arrive at M-country''s capital in about ten hours. We''ll find a chance to contact you then!"


    At the waiting area in Shine Metropolitan International Airport, Wayne Peng said goodbye to me, Adrian, and the others while carrying his suitcase. He then turned and walked into customs. Behind him were Raydwin, Chan Layne, and several other H-country military people who were sent together.


    For such an important mission, they couldn''t just send one person. To keep it secret, they pretended to be a business group going to M-country. Wayne Peng was obviously the leader, and Raydwin''s job was a bodyguard.


    "Actually, we don''t need Raydwin. Just let me go with Wayne Peng. It''s just about protecting the spies, right? I''m human too, so vampires usually won''t notice me!"


    Adrian sighed, seeing the clear footprint on Raydwin''s backside from being kicked hard because he kept bothering Cyra until the last minute before leaving.


    "It''s because you''re not from Earth! How could General Lee trust an outsider at such an important time that will decide Earth`s future? Also, he doesn''t know how strong you are, so of course it''s safer to send his own people!"


    I told him matter-of-factly, my face turning a bit red. "Besides, to be honest, I''d be worried if you went alone to the other side of Earth. You''ve only been on Earth for a few days, and it''s a different country too!"


    "I see, so you don''t want me to leave, that''s why you didn''t recommend me to General Lee?"


    Seeing my expression, Adrian looked like he understood and asked me this question on purpose.


    "No way, that''s not it! Absolutely not! Besides, how could the H-country military allow an outsider from another world to join?"


    Hmph, how could I fall for such a dangerous question? Of course I had to strongly deny it!


    "Could it be that you''re starting to feel threatened after seeing us from other worlds?"


    But he acted like he didn''t hear what I said at all and started analyzing. "But if that''s the case, wouldn''t it be safer to send me to M-country?"


    "That''s not it..."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    I felt a bit desperate, feeling like he could see right through me. I could only weakly try to defend myself one last time.


    Okay, I know he''s doing this on purpose! Everyone knows about the mess in the base these past few days. I''ve been trying so hard to stop some bad versions of myself from taking advantage of the situation. It feels like Adrian has me all figured out now!


    "..."


    Looking at Cyra, she''s been staring at the sky the whole time with a sour face.


    But when we left the airport and got back to the base, we found that the ground of the base, which was fine before, was now full of holes everywhere. There were plants and broken tiles flying around.


    Obviously, something big had happened here! We finally found General Lee and understood that the anger that had been building up for a long time finally exploded when we left...


    "What? Feliciana from World 11 killed Feliciana from World 7!"


    I couldn''t believe my ears. I killed myself? What kind of crazy story is this?!


    "That''s right, many people saw her do it. They say World 7 Feliciana''s body disappeared right after she died, which fits the description you gave about how angels die! As for the reason... well, it seems to be about love problems between the two worlds!"


    General Lee rubbed his bald head, looking at the report from his staff. "I''ve gotten several similar complaints before, but at least people from other worlds were more controlled. But this Feliciana from World 11 has a really bad temper. When she got angry, she not only killed World 7 Feliciana, but also hurt several innocent people who tried to stop the fight. This includes Feliciana from World 5, Adrian from World 8, and others. Even some of our H-country soldiers who were keeping order in the base got hurt!"


    This was the first time such a big fight happened. And because friends from two worlds were there helping their sides, the report says that World 7 Adrian and Cyra were also hurt by their opponents, but luckily their lives aren''t in danger.


    "What about World 11 Feliciana? Where is she now?"


    Cyra finally came back to her senses after being shocked for a while and asked.


    This Feliciana must have broken the base''s rules by doing something so crazy, but she has eight wings like me, so it''s hard to imagine how the base''s military power could easily catch her.


    "I guess she knew she made a big mistake, so after killing World 7 Feliciana, she tried to run away alone. But even so, our base''s defense systems couldn''t stop her! Just when it looked like she was going to get away, suddenly she seemed to be held back by some invisible force and fell straight down from the sky. She collapsed on the ground and couldn''t move..."


    A military officer who was there to help catch her described what happened to us in detail.


    No one can explain what exactly happened at the end, not even World 11 Feliciana herself. She just kept shouting that someone used some sneaky, unknown magic to trick her.


    "How is that possible?"


    I was really surprised to hear such a strange story. I know my own strength very well. With eight wings, I can not only dodge gun and cannon attacks easily, but I''m also much stronger in many other ways. But now they''re telling me that someone could use an invisible force to pull me down from the air, and I don''t even know what happened or who did it?


    In the end, the base''s security team used extra measures to restrain World 11 Feliciana. They put several sets of handcuffs and leg irons on her and locked her in a special cell made for vampires.


    Could it be her? Earth people definitely can''t have such amazing powers. Thinking about it, probably only those two from World 14 in the whole base could do something like this.


    "By the way, what about Reed from their world?"


    Adrian from World 11 and Cyra from World 11 were deeply involved in this incident. Even though they tried to stop the fight, they still got the same punishment. All other people involved were locked up in different cells. But my Adrian clearly remembered that Reed from World 11 also came to visit, but he wasn''t sure if Reed got in trouble because of this.


    "Reed from World 11 said she had nothing to do with this. She''s not very close with the others from her world, they''re just normal companions. Considering that this was true based on what happened, and Reed from World 11 didn''t even know about it beforehand, we didn''t do anything to her..."


    General Lee smiled bitterly as he answered. It''s clear that Reed from World 11 wanted to use this chance to separate herself from the others. This World 11 is really strange.


    Actually, even though they caught the killer, dealing with what happens next is very difficult for the H-country military. Because World 7 Feliciana who died and World 11 Feliciana who killed her are not H-country people, not Earth people, and strictly speaking, not even human. So even though World 11 Feliciana is confirmed as the killer, the H-country government can''t use H-country laws to punish her!


    We can say that because of all these parallel worlds showing up, the things happening in this base now are basically outside of all laws. Although fewer new worlds have been coming lately, the total number is almost 30 now!


    The only thing the H-country military can do now is to lock up the troublemakers and limit what they can do, while also making the rules stricter to try and stop more problems like this from happening. Once they can finally solve the problem with the space tunnels, I believe the first thing General Lee will do is find a chance to send all these troublemakers back to their own worlds!

 Vol 5/# Chapter 140: A Complicated Plot

    "Wayne Peng and his team got on the plane successfully, right? Now we just wait for the results of this mission!"


    General Lee let out a deep sigh. Seeing him sit down in his office chair, looking tired, Adrian and I couldn''t help but look at each other. We were about to leave with Cyra when we opened the door and found someone standing there.


    Looking at the name tag, it was Reed from World 7! She wasn''t with the other Reeds talking about deep research topics. Her being here probably meant something special.


    "I think something''s not right! Our world''s Feliciana might have been wrongly accused!" she said, suddenly grabbing my arm and speaking seriously.


    Things were getting complicated. Someone was speaking up for a dead person! Cyra, standing nearby, didn''t want to criticize what World 7 Feliciana did before. She just kept trying to kindly persuade Reed from World 7.


    "I''m not just talking nonsense. You''re all from the same world, so you should know her personality well, right? Almost everyone in this base knows what your Feliciana is like! Don''t tell me you came here just to ask us to kill World 11 Feliciana for revenge? That doesn''t seem right. Lord teaches us to be kind. We should at least give people a chance to change, right?"


    "It''s exactly because I know very well what kind of person our world''s Feliciana is that I came to find you! I''m not trying to do anything to World 11 Feliciana. I want to tell you there''s another killer behind all this!"


    But Reed from World 7 didn''t really want to listen to Cyra. She knew we "outsiders" weren''t the ones who could really make decisions. She stepped into the room and explained directly to General Lee.


    "I know our world''s Feliciana usually acts a bit... wild! But I know very well that when it comes to relationships, she always believes in mutual consent. She would never force or trick anyone, let alone do something as crazy as pretending to be someone else!"


    "Moreover, World 11 Feliciana has eight wings, which is a whole level higher than her. You should understand this well, being the same person! If it were you, would you easily risk messing with someone stronger than you?"


    Those last few sentences were clearly meant for me. She said all this in one breath, seeming a bit emotional. It''s rare to see this kind of expression on Reed''s face. This unwillingness to back down is a bit similar to the Reed from my own world.


    "Of course I wouldn''t!"


    I had to admit that Reed from World 7 seemed to make some sense. I nodded, agreeing with her analysis.


    But then again, since it''s Feliciana from a parallel world, there must be some differences in personality between us! So even if Reed from World 7 thought she had good reasons, I still shook my head.


    "But unfortunately, we''re not the same person. Actually, all the ''me'' from each parallel world should be considered different people. So how I think doesn''t mean World 7 Feliciana thinks the same way!"


    "Of course there''s a point! I have enough reasons to suspect that our world''s Feliciana was set up. If we don''t fully understand the truth of this whole thing, it will only let the real mastermind behind this get away! This won''t just make the base unstable, but as a friend, I also have a duty to clear our Feliciana''s name."


    Reed from World 7 still insisted very firmly on her request. We could only turn our eyes to General Lee, who was still sitting in his office chair.


    "Since you''re so insistent, do you have any solid evidence to prove what you just said?"


    General Lee stayed quiet for a while, looking down and thinking, before he finally spoke. He really didn''t want to deal with this troublesome matter, but he still patiently asked her.


    "Of course I do!"This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He was hoping she would give up, but unexpectedly, Reed from World 7 really did have evidence! The next moment, she took out a name tag and handed it over while explaining. "This is our world''s Feliciana''s name tag. I got it from a soldier who was cleaning up the scene. They say this was also the evidence that exposed World 11 Feliciana''s disguise at first because it was accidentally left with World 11 Adrian! But the biggest doubt is right here - if our world''s Feliciana was deliberately disguising herself to get close to World 11 Adrian, why would she do it in such a clumsy way, and carelessly leave behind something so important that could prove her identity? Moreover, we checked with Adrian from our world, World 7, and Feliciana''s name tag had mysteriously gone missing not long before this happened. There''s clearly a big conspiracy here!"


    The name tag Reed from World 7 showed us was indeed number 7, but I could see very obvious signs of tampering on it.


    Anyway, this method was really too clumsy. If it were me pretending to be someone else, I''d at least use some magic! Adrian can''t sense light elements, so he wouldn''t easily notice the presence of disguise magic. So why use such a simple method of altering the tag? Were they really afraid he wouldn''t notice easily?


    As for the specific details of the conflict, the base had already investigated thoroughly. It was indeed World 11 Feliciana who first found World 11 Adrian and discovered someone pretending to be her and getting intimate with her Adrian. Although at first they didn''t know who was pretending to be her, and that person had already found a chance to leave early. But the two of them found this name tag at the scene, which the impersonator had carelessly left behind, disguised as number 11. This is what finally led them to target World 7 Feliciana.


    Looking at it this way, the suspicion of framing someone else does seem quite high!


    "I think to be safe, we should go and ask more people from World 11 about the real mastermind behind this. If they really got the wrong person, it proves there really is someone manipulating everything from behind the scenes!"


    The evidence Reed from World 7 presented was hard to ignore. Adrian couldn''t help but share his thoughts.


    "If that''s the case, please also go and confirm with World 7 Adrian. I''ll give you permission to enter each detention room for investigation. Clear this up as soon as possible!"


    Even though he really didn''t want to deal with it, being pushed to this point, General Lee couldn''t say much more. He immediately gave orders to reinvestigate this matter!


    Of course, I knew there was a deeper reason why General Lee did this. Reed from World 0 had told me before that Reed from World 7 had put in a lot of effort when developing the vampire radar, and her technical contribution was the biggest! Now the old radar had been taken to M-country by Wayne Peng for reconnaissance, and everyone needed to continue working together to make new ones! Since they couldn''t casually refuse a reasonable request from Reed of World 7, naturally, they had to try their best to appease her.


    With things settled, Adrian and Cyra were sent to verify information with Adrian from World 7 and Cyra from World 7. Meanwhile, Reed from World 7 and I went straight to the heavily guarded detention room, originally used to imprison vampires, to question the prisoners from World 11 as ordered!


    First was Adrian from World 11...


    "At first, I felt a bit strange, after all, my own Feliciana isn''t usually so forward! But World 7 Feliciana had already thrown herself at me, so naturally, I couldn''t act too weak, and she was really good at it! So at the time, I didn''t look closely at whether the name tag was real or fake... It wasn''t until later when she made an excuse to leave that I suddenly felt something wasn''t quite right."


    As an accomplice to World 11 Feliciana, although he acted more calmly throughout the whole incident, considering his close relationship with the main culprit, Adrian from World 11 was still locked up here separately. Now sitting in the cage, he was vividly describing to us the detailed process of the incident he personally experienced.


    "Even after all this, don''t you feel there was any difference between the impersonator and our world''s Feliciana... I mean, World 7 Feliciana?"


    Seeing that I had been showing a hard-to-bear expression, Reed from World 7, who had been listening and felt there wasn''t any useful information, couldn''t help but interrupt and ask.


    But why did her words sound a bit odd to me? Could it be that World 7 Feliciana and World 11 Adrian had also...


    "What differences? I''m very loyal, you know. Don''t go around making false accusations! Besides, I rarely even talk to people from World 7, let alone see them much. How could I notice any differences?"


    However, Adrian from World 11 was very alert and didn''t take the bait. After all, he is Adrian, even if he didn''t understand Reed from World 7''s intentions at first, he quickly caught on. "Are you saying the impersonator wasn''t from World 7? How is that possible!"


    "Forget it, next one!"


    At this point, I knew we really couldn''t get anything more out of him. I sighed and stood up from the chair, saying nothing more as I dragged Reed from World 7 to continue towards another detention room on the other side of the underground.


    The person locked up in this detention room was, of course, Feliciana from World 11. As the main culprit who "caused havoc," her treatment was much worse than Adrian from World 11. Besides being in a cage, she was chained up almost everywhere on her body. It was like treatment for a death row inmate!


    Although the effectiveness of these chains was unknown, looking at her, I really couldn''t bear to watch.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 141: Refute from "Justice"

    "It''s you? Makes sense...you''re originally from here, so of course you have permission to come. Do you come just to laugh at me?"


    Number 11 Feliciana, who had tasted the bitter fruit of her actions, now looked totally deflated. When she saw the number on my chest, her face showed a very sour expression.


    "When you were dealing with another version of yourself, didn''t you feel any pity? How could you be so cruel!"


    Even though she has the same face as me and is also at the eight-winged level like me, she ended up in this situation. I can only say she brought it on herself!


    "Nonsense! Why should I let anyone else touch my Adrian, even if it''s a version of me from a parallel world!"


    Maybe I hit a sore spot. Number 11 Feliciana''s voice suddenly became much harsher. It made my whole body almost shake. I suddenly understood her true personality a bit better.


    "If it was your Adrian, could you just stand by and do nothing? Of course I had to get revenge, not just on Number 7, but also on that Number 14!"


    Even though she was in such a bad situation, Number 11 Feliciana still argued back without backing down. She didn''t show any regret at all.


    It''s really hard to imagine that in other worlds, I could be such an unreasonable and domineering person! Though I have to admit, I also couldn''t stand Adrian being intimate or having a relationship with someone else. But I definitely wouldn''t casually kill people like her, and act like it''s perfectly normal.


    "You mentioned Number 14. Do you mean someone from World 14 also pretended to be you?"


    Number 7 Reed''s focus was different from mine. She seemed to have caught an important point.


    But of course I understood, she was talking about Number 14 Feliciana!


    This Number 11 Feliciana really got the short end of the stick. It wasn''t just Number 7, there was also Number 14 Feliciana who had pretended to be her before. It''s just that she couldn''t beat such a strong opponent.


    "Of course! If it wasn''t for that Number 14, I wouldn''t always be laughed at by others!"


    Her hatred for Number 14 seemed to have reached a terrifying level, carved deep into her bones, her fierce expression looking really scary.


    "Just earlier today, I accidentally ran into Number 15. She mocked me in a nasty way, saying I can never keep my man under control, that I''m not only weak but also stupid! And it was because of her hint that I realized Adrian had been tricked again by someone pretending to be me. That''s right, I''m talking about that damn Number 7!"


    That Number 15 Feliciana seems pretty suspicious!


    Hearing this, I quickly gave a look to Number 7 Reed. Getting such an important clue really perked me up.


    According to what Number 11 Adrian said before, Number 11 Feliciana arrived a while after the impersonator left. It was because their words didn''t match up that he realized he''d been tricked. The time in between was totally enough for the impersonator to mislead Number 11 Feliciana!


    Could the real impersonator be Number 15 Feliciana? The next thing to do was to find the person involved and question her. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    But just then, Adrian and Cyra came, the news they brought was no doubt explosive. "General Lee said they''ve caught the criminal!" .


    "Who is it?"


    I was stunned for a moment. Just now I was suspecting Number 15 Feliciana, but she was caught so quickly? How did General Lee''s side figure out it was her?


    "Not sure! Just heard someone helped catch them. If we hurry to the general''s office we''ll understand!"


    Cyra urged. This answer made me even more curious.


    "How''s the questioning on your side going?"


    On the way back, I suddenly thought of this question.


    "No progress! Basically no difference from what Number 7 Reed said. The people from World 7 only got involved after their Feliciana died, so they don''t know much about how it started!"


    Adrian shook his head as he answered.


    "But one thing, Number 7 Feliciana offended a lot of people from other worlds by flirting around. Cyra from their world often complained that troubles followed because of it. So we can''t rule out the possibility of someone taking revenge!"


    Cyra thought for a bit and added the information she got.


    So now all the clues were pointing to Number 7 Feliciana probably not being the impersonator. I couldn''t help thinking to myself, finally coming to a conclusion.


    But what we totally didn''t expect was, when we arrived at the general''s office, we suddenly saw Number 12 Feliciana and Number 14 Feliciana there.


    "It''s this one! She''s the real culprit you''re looking for!"


    Number 14 Feliciana is known for being elusive, rarely seen around. But this time she showed up for one reason - to identify the suspect.


    As for Number 12 Feliciana, she was no doubt brought here by Number 14. But right now she looked very unwilling. Her hands could move, but she kept swinging them around like they''d been tied up for a long time. But there were no marks from ropes on her wrists.


    "It''s not Number 15?"


    I couldn''t help blurting out. This twist was too unexpected! I was almost certain the whole frame-up was done by Number 15 Feliciana. I couldn''t help doubting if Number 14 Feliciana made a mistake.


    "That Number 15 Feliciana that Number 11 met was actually also her pretending. This girl planned very carefully!"


    Number 14 Feliciana kicked Number 12. This kick looked gentle, but Number 12 Feliciana instantly lost her balance and fell to her knees.


    "She''s talking nonsense! I''m innocent, this person is bullying me and framing me! Don''t forget it was this Number 14 who first pretended to be Number 11, she''s the real impersonator!"


    But Number 12 Feliciana didn''t admit to the accusation.


    But mostly she just smeared her opponent. For example, based on the impersonation incident that happened in the cafeteria before, she labeled Number 14 Feliciana as being sly and cunning, so her words can''t be trusted.


    " Oh right, I heard that you, Number 14, once pretended to be Number 11. So what''s really going on here?"


    Cyra was confused. After all, she wasn''t there and didn''t know the whole story, just like General Lee. So hearing this, she immediately turned her gaze to Number 14 Feliciana.


    "Me pretending to be Number 11 that time has nothing to do with this. What we''re talking about now is who framed Number 7 Feliciana!"


    Facing the accusation, you could see Number 14 Feliciana''s face showed a bit of anger. She restated her position. "This girl is the one who pretended to be Number 11 behind the scenes, deliberately leading everyone to suspect Number 7!"


    "Everyone! Most of you saw with your own eyes how rudely this Number 14 behaved when Colonel Wayne Peng questioned her! Right now we''re stuck in H-country''s territory on Earth, so of course we should respectfully treat every kind H-country soldier who''s sheltering us!"


    Seeing that me, Adrian and the others still looked unmoved, Number 12 immediately started appealing to emotions. She suddenly stood up, pointing at Number 14 and passionately accused her.


    "And her! Relying her strength, she never follow the rules, . Every time they count people, she and Number 14 Nicola are never there. Who knows, maybe they''ve secretly snuck out of the base, planning to cause trouble in this world!"


    At this moment, Number 12 Feliciana''s expression could be described as righteous. It was like her identity had returned to being an Earthling. At the same time, Number 14 Feliciana''s crimes kept escalating. "What''s more, we can reasonably suspect that now it''s not just vampires. Maybe the people from World 14 are also planning to overthrow H-country or even Earth! I strongly demand that we arrest all the people from World 14 right now and treat them all as spies! We can''t let the whole Earth be in danger!"


    "Wait a minute, what you''re saying seems totally unrelated to what we''re discussing now! True, there are many mysterious things about World 14. But what does that have to do with her saying you framed Number 7 Feliciana? Moreover, you should know that what you just accused Number 14 Feliciana of is very serious. You need to show real evidence!"


    Couldn''t take it anymore, Adrian finally stood up and criticized her for not only going off topic, but also making baseless accusations.

 Vol 5/Chapter 142: The Defeat of "Justice"

    "What''s your position? I''m speaking from Earth''s perspective to you outsiders. I represent all of H-country and even Earth''s 8 billion humans! You''re speaking up for this Number 14 spy now. Does that mean you dare to go against all of humanity? I''ve recorded everything on my phone. Just based on what you said, there''s enough reason to think you''re also working with World 14!"


    At this point, Number 12 Feliciana seemed to have forgotten she was also an "outsider." She pulled out a phone from her pocket, waving it arrogantly in front of us. Then, switching to a serious tone, she turned to General Lee and requested respectfully:


    "General, I have good reason to suspect your world''s Adrian has secretly turned traitor. Please arrest him along with the people from World 14 as a warning to others!"


    "That''s enough!"


    I couldn''t stand it anymore and shouted to stop her. My blood pressure was rising rapidly.


    Number 14 Feliciana was one thing, but going after my Adrian? That''s not okay!


    I really couldn''t believe that in some parallel world, I could have such an annoying personality. Did everyone here have to let her ramble on?


    "Speaking of evidence... perfect timing!"


    But just as I was about to scold her, Number 14 Feliciana suddenly stepped forward. She went straight to General Lee''s desk and put down a USB drive, calmly explaining: "All her crimes have been clearly recorded here."


    "Ridiculous! How is that possible? I''m very careful..."


    Number 12 Feliciana burst out laughing, as if she''d heard the biggest joke. She responded disdainfully: "I strictly follow all the base''s rules. You couldn''t possibly catch me doing anything wrong! General Lee, this is slander, blatant slander! I''m speaking for Earth now. World 14 likely has bad intentions for Earth. You can''t trust her, you must punish her immediately!"


    "I''m sorry, but even if an Earthling committed such crimes, it can''t be tolerated! As the commander in the base, I must get to the bottom of this!"


    General Lee was clear-headed and didn''t just believe one side of the story. He quickly plugged the USB drive into his laptop. Soon, a video appeared on the screen.


    "It must be boring always being with your world''s Feliciana, right? It seemed that you and your Feliciana weren''t getting along well. Why don''t we go sit in the restroom for a bit? It happens to be our world''s turn to use it. Maybe we can have a deep discussion about the differences between Felicianas from different worlds?"


    Surprisingly, the first thing we saw was a Feliciana and Adrian from some world greeting each other.


    The numbers on their chests showed they were Number 7 Feliciana and Number 12 Adrian. In the video, this Feliciana was clearly making a seductive move, and Adrian quickly fell for it.


    "Really? That topic sounds interesting. But shouldn''t all the people from your world be in the rest room now? Wouldn''t we be interrupting?"


    "Don''t worry, I''ve already found a reason to make them all leave. This time, the rest room will be just for the two of us!"


    We saw Number 7 Feliciana putting her arm around Adrian, acting very intimate. The two of them slowly walked away, disappearing around a corner.


    "Damn it! How dare she go behind my back and steal my man! And looking so cheap, it makes me sick. Just wait, I''ll teach her a lesson!"


    Next, two girls walked into the frame. The one speaking was Number 12 Feliciana, and the other was the Cyra from her world.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Number 12 Feliciana''s face turned pale when she saw this video, but she still tried to act calm, laughing coldly without caring.


    "Ridiculous, this must all be acted! We all look exactly the same. It seems real, but can this be evidence? It''s insulting our intelligence!"


    "Please stay quiet and keep watching. You''re not allowed to leave without my permission!"


    However, General Lee wasn''t buying her act. He loudly reminded everyone present. Number 12 Feliciana had no choice but to shut up, so everyone''s attention quickly returned to the computer screen.


    "This Number 7 has six wings, so she''s much stronger than you. If we try to fight her directly, we might both lose. Not to mention she has her own world''s allies!"


    Number 12 Cyra looked at Number 12 Feliciana, who was about to rush over, and reminded her not to act recklessly.


    "It''s okay, if we can''t use force, we''ll use our brains! She''s only got six wings, there are plenty of people stronger than her here. We just need to find the right reason to ruin her reputation, then take the chance to let others do our dirty work!"


    I couldn''t believe that one day, such an ugly expression would appear on my own face! In the video, Number 12 Feliciana''s whole face was almost twisted into a knot as she said viciously, "Even though we were once the same person, anyone who dares to touch my Adrian must die!"


    "That''s right! Even if we can''t directly go after Number 7, her friends and allies could be a good starting point!"


    Number 12 Cyra agreed.


    What followed were scenes of the two of them spreading rumors about Number 7 throughout the base. Their targets included many people, like Number 5 Feliciana and Number 13 Cyra.


    The later part of the video froze on a dark corner, where we saw Number 12 Feliciana secretly remove her own number tag, use correction fluid on a stolen Number 7 tag to change it to Number 11, then put it on her own chest. She then turned and went to the rest room that World 11 was using, where Number 11 Adrian happened to be...


    Of course, I already knew what happened next. When we questioned Number 11 Adrian, he had already told us almost everything in detail. The content on the USB drive undoubtedly recorded almost the entire "crime" process of Number 12 Feliciana. The end even included her walking out of the rest room, pretending to be Number 15 Feliciana and greeting Number 11 Feliciana warmly.


    "Such a carefully planned conspiracy. If not for this USB drive as evidence, I might not have been able to convict you!"


    After watching the whole thing, General Lee couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    However, by this time, Number 12 had unconsciously backed up to the office door, which was already quietly open!


    Luckily, the guards outside had already received orders not to let anyone leave without permission. They immediately pointed their guns at her and forced her back into the office.


    "Take Number 12 Feliciana and all the visitors from World 12 to the detention room. Guard them strictly and wait for further instructions!"


    Now that the true mastermind was finally revealed, General Lee immediately gave this order. To prevent any accidents along the way, Adrian volunteered to go along with the guards as extra security.


    "Actually, I''ve already used a special binding technique on her. Now she can''t do anything except walk and talk!"


    Number 14 Feliciana kindly reminded us. If she hadn''t mentioned it, we wouldn''t have noticed at all. At some point, Number 12 Feliciana had been affected by some mysterious force, becoming bound by invisible ropes. But she didn''t seem surprised at all, just muttering non-stop about how the other person had used some despicable, shameless magic.


    Perhaps this was how Number 14 Feliciana had forced her to come to the office earlier...


    "This looks familiar. So I guess you were also the one who subdued Number 11 Feliciana?"


    Combining this with the earlier report about the base officials arresting Number 11, Adrian easily connected the dots. Even General Lee only realized at this point that it was thanks to Number 14 Feliciana''s secret help that they had successfully maintained order and safety in the base.


    "But this girl is too cunning. Even with your technique, I don''t think it''s safe enough. It would be a shame if she escaped!"


    As a victim of Number 12 Feliciana''s groundless accusations, Adrian had been holding in a lot of frustration. Since she was so scheming, he didn''t feel comfortable letting just a few H-country soldiers handle the escort.


    Regarding Adrian''s insistence, Number 14 Feliciana seemed to have expected this situation. She just shrugged, showing no objection.


    "What kind of technique is it really? Does such a thing exist? I feel like the spell you put on Number 12 has a water element aura?"


    After Adrian left, I couldn''t help but look at Number 14 Feliciana with some confusion.


    "Although I don''t know what this magic is, I need you to understand one thing. My choice to believe you instead of Number 12 Feliciana this time actually involved some risk!"


    However, General Lee also had a lot to say. He interrupted my question and looked at Number 14 Feliciana very seriously, reminding her:


    "So can you tell me how you got the video on this USB drive? After all, if you were really hiding at the scene recording all this, it doesn''t make sense without predicting the future. How you knew she would appear at that place at that time. I need a reasonable explanation to make sense of all this!"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 143: Calling for Help Across Worlds

    General Lee had good reason to doubt. As the top boss in the base, he needed to know everything to explain to his higher-ups.


    "Can I say I overheard Number 7 Feliciana and Number 12 Adrian talking by chance? My gossipy heart got curious, so I wanted to secretly record what they said," Feliciana from World 14 answered coolly, like no problem.


    General Lee thought a moment at his desk. This simple answer didn''t have any holes. As long as the video was real, it was enough. So he nodded and waved his hand, accepting it without more questions.


    "Who just happens to overhear people talking at a critical time like this? Don''t you think it''s nonsense? What crazy luck - why not go buy lottery?" Cyra whispered in my ear, complaining on the sly.


    True, after hearing No. 12 Feliciana''s harsh words at first, it made sense to keep following and recording her. But like Cyra said, how could the first overhear be so lucky?


    I knew General Lee just didn''t want to dig deeper and chose to ignore this issue.


    As for the real truth... I saw Feliciana from World 14 turn and give me a mysterious smile. Suddenly I remembered Nicola from World 14 who came with her! They say Nicola from 14 is really good at controlling time. Now I understood everything.


    "General, Cyra from World 27 is giving a speech to people she gathered in the square without permission. Should we stop her?" A guard on patrol opened the office door and came in, very nervous, asking for instruction. After all, it''s a dangerous time now. Any little thing could affect the whole base or even Earth''s fate.


    "World 27?" I was surprised. This parallel world appeared very late. Visitors from there have been in the base for at most 10-12 hours. How did they start causing trouble so fast?


    "It''s hard for our H-country soldiers to deal with you people from other worlds. Right now, the main goal is to keep peace. If it''s just normal talk, don''t make a big fuss. But we still need to break up the crowd quickly. Let''s go check out first"


    He didn''t dare make rash decisions, having seen the true power of high-level angels. So he turned to me very cautiously with this suggestion.


    Luckily No. 14 Feliciana, me, and Cyra hadn''t left yet. I wanted to go see what was happening, so of course I was happy to take on this job.


    "...I''ve already explained all the details," Cyra from World 27 was finishing her speech when we got to the base square. She stood on the high parade stand, bowed deeply to everyone watching below with a choked-up voice.


    "Everyone, our world''s Eldoria Continent is suffering a huge disaster! Almost all the resistance forces are used up. I had no choice, so I came to ask for your help. Thank you so much!"


    There were still many people standing in the square. This was after H-country soldiers already asked people to leave once. But some people didn''t want to go. Maybe on purpose or by accident, 27 Cyra opened her six pairs of super shiny wings on her back. This was also why other guards didn''t dare come close to her.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    But behind 27 Cyra, I surprisingly saw 14 Nicola. This made people feel strange again.


    I looked back at 14 Feliciana next to me. Unlike me, her face showed she knew all this would happen. This means World 14 might be deeply involved too.


    "Don''t worry, this is good news! It should be exactly what your world wants," 14 Feliciana comforted me first, then told me to keep listening.


    But the H-country soldiers around the square didn''t think so. There were even snipers on the roofs, aiming at the heads of the two on the parade stand, ready to shoot if anything weird happened.


    "Aren''t you stuck here like us? How can you take us to your world?" Finally, a Feliciana in the crowd shouted out what I was thinking. Other people left in the square started talking among themselves.


    "She must have a way, right? Why else would she risk coming here to ask?"


    "But she only has six wings. How could she have that power? Even if Elara came, it''s impossible. Otherwise we wouldn''t be stuck here so long!"


    "This World 27 should be very different from our own worlds. We can''t totally rule out she has this power. But even if she does, would you want to go? We''d just be stuck in another world, and it''s dangerous too."


    "But their world''s disaster is kind of our business too, right? Even if it''s another world, it doesn''t feel right seeing another version of ourselves like this..."


    "Hey! Other worlds'' me isn''t me. Are you me? Why do you care so much? There are millions of parallel worlds - can you take care all of them? Give it a rest!"


    "But if she can send us there, can''t she send us home too?"


    ...


    At the same time, the noisy mood made the base guards more worried. The loudspeaker started too:


    "All visitors from different worlds, please leave quickly and in order. The base is in emergency status now. Don''t gather in one place..."


    But the loudspeaker was suddenly cut off. Yes, the loudspeaker was cut off! Then No. 14 Nicola stepped to the front of the stage and started talking:


    "No. 27 Cyra doesn''t have a way to take you away, but I do! And I can definitely take all of you!"


    This words was like causing huge waves instantly. Not only did the voices below go silent, even the H-country soldiers couldn''t help turning to look at her.


    You should know the base is already full of people. Even I started to wonder whether No. 14 Nicola made the loudspeaker go quiet, or the person talking stopped himself.


    Of course, I understood very well why No. 14 Nicola was confident saying this. She immediately took out her crystal ball in front of everyone, holding it up high with both hands.


    "This is the ''Eye of Galadra''. Some of you should know it very well! It has the power to travel through time and space freely. With this celestial weapon, I can send everyone back to their own parallel worlds. But there''s only one condition - you must help World 27! I''ll say clearly, this world is really dangerous. Even I''m not totally confident we''ll win. Of course, it''s up to you if you want to go..."


    "Why must we help her? What''s so special about that world?" I really couldn''t understand and ask loudly.


    Why did 14 Nicola only take out this celestial weapon now? Before, I could never find her no matter how hard I looked. Clearly this was all on purpose! Maybe from the start, she was waiting for the chance to help World 27!


    "There''s no special reason! Just because World 27 is a bit special among all these parallel worlds. Of course, thinking about my own reasons, I definitely don''t want to see the person I love become like that. So I have to find some way to pull her back from the abyss!"


    But her answer was totally unexpected. Her eyes suddenly turned gentle, unconsciously looking behind me at No. 14 Feliciana...


    What does this mean? Shouldn''t No. 14 Nicola''s loved one be No. 14 Feliciana? And she''s right here! Why suddenly say such strange things?


    "Oh right, you probably don''t know who''s really behind the disaster in World 27 yet, do you? The big boss?"


    No. 14 Nicola suddenly looked like she just remembered something. Then she nudged No. 27 Cyra next to her, telling her to say it herself.


    "It''s you! In our world, after Feliciana got her power back, her personality suddenly changed. She wants to remake the continent into her ideal world. Now she''s already destroyed dozens of countries for no reason. No one else in our world, including Elara and Nicola, is a match for her!"


    27 Cyra took a deep breath and said that name everyone already knew.

 Vol 5/Chapter 144: The Rescue Mission Begins

    "Impossible! No way!"


    For me, there''s no way I''d want to destroy a world! It makes no sense, and I don''t even have that kind of power, even in other worlds!


    "There are endless parallel worlds. We only know a tiny bit of them! There could be millions of me who went through totally different joys and pains. This leads to totally different futures, maybe even going down wrong paths! Even though Feliciana from World 27 isn''t really connected to us, if we can put her back on the right track, we might save a whole world of lives and souls. Isn''t that like saving another version of ourselves?"


    No. 14 Nicola on stage was still trying hard to convince everyone. Maybe it was really for the reason she said.


    Hearing her words, I thought of No. 12 Feliciana''s angry face. Maybe No. 12 Feliciana went through some bad things in the past, like she said.


    "If we can go home, I''ll join!" Finally someone in the crowd stepped up. Even though it''s a bit dangerous, the "Eye of Galadra" is really famous. At least if they join, they won''t be stuck in this world anymore. Slowly, more and more people started asking to join.


    The H-country security boss saw things going well for them. He quickly stood next to No. 27 Cyra on stage, waving his arms to keep order:


    "Everyone please be quiet. We understand what World 27 needs! Of course the base supports what she''s doing. So we''re starting a sign-up committee right now! I promise, every world will have a chance to sign up.!"


    "Even if we haven''t fixed the space portal problem yet, the pressure of more visitors coming will be much relieved!" Cyra sighed.


    "We''re all us from different worlds, but why are we so different!" I still hadn''t recovered from the shock. Now I finally understand how Cyra felt facing Cyrae. I still feel like I can''t accept it.


    "It''s true that in most parallel worlds, we have very strong powers. which can decide if thousands of lives live or die at any time!" No. 14 Feliciana stood behind me, suddenly saying something meaningful. "Of course, we can''t control how other world versions of us use these powers. Some worlds'' versions of us might not have power, but have wisdom or other ways. But when facing tough challenges, there''s only one thing we can really control ourselves!"


    "What thing?" I was about to leave the square, but stopped when I heard her words.


    "Whether to choose good or evil."


    This was a very simple, even shallow thing to say. But for some reason, it hit me hard.


    When I suddenly turned around, the space behind me was empty. I couldn''t see any trace of No. 14 Feliciana anymore...


    I felt like maybe this No. 14 Feliciana knows something about me. Or maybe she saw some of my future through No. 14 Nicola?You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Why did she only say these things to me, not other Felicianas? Am I special?


    Well, I am a bit special. I''m from this Earth, and my tag is number 0... But it still doesn''t make sense!


    Things went very smoothly. With the base''s big help, No. 27 Cyra''s plan to get help from other worlds moved ahead quickly. Over 90% of parallel world visitors chose to go with No. 14 Nicola to World 27.


    But since they said it was totally voluntary, a few people from some worlds chose to stay. This included World 1 and World 9.


    World 1 was mostly because it''s very similar to our world. So the M-country situation might happen in their world too. It makes sense they didn''t join, to see how this world develops.


    World 9 stayed because they were weaker, so they didn''t have much confidence.


    Besides these, World 11 and World 12 in the jail also chose to stay. I didn''t expect this at first.


    "Why not take this chance to leave? Then you won''t suffer here! Look at World 7 that you messed with - they''re smart. The cuckold king agreed to lead their people to help World 27. So why stay?" Cyra asked No.11 Feliciana in the jail cell, very confused. The "cuckold king" means No. 7 Adrian who was jailed with her before!


    This made me quickly glance at my Adrian. Luckily he doesn''t know what "cuckold" really means yet, so he didn''t act weird.


    "Because the real mastermind who got me caught, No. 12 Feliciana, isn''t dead yet! As long as she''s on this Earth, I won''t let her go easily! Don''t forget she''s the one who pretended to be me. I''ll find a chance no matter what, even if you guys try to stop me!"


    After learning the truth, No. 11 Feliciana put all her hate on No. 12 Feliciana. She still hasn''t reflected on how much damage her extreme actions caused to World 7. In the end, it wasn''t No. 12 Feliciana who got her jailed, but herself!


    If  No. 11 Feliciana wasn''t so stubborn and angry, No. 12 Feliciana wouldn''t have caught her weak point to use her. Instead, World 7 who suffered the most decided to let go of this grudge, not seeking revenge.


    As for No. 12 Feliciana, after being jailed, she suddenly changed and started acting comfortable.


    "Now that you''ve exposed the truth, I guess everyone in the base including other versions of me knows what happened! Helping World 27 isn''t going straight home. If I go there, won''t I be in an awkward spot? I might even get isolated and beaten up!"


    No wonder she''s still only at four wings. No. 12 Feliciana is too focused on scheming. She''s very small-minded, always thinking the worst of others. In the end, she just imagined other world versions of herself to be like her.


    "Anyway, it''s better to stay in this place. The jail is pretty safe! After you locals fix the space portal problem, your world''s Galadra will find a way to send me back to my world safely."


    Looks like she made up her mind and won''t change easily. She turned to lie on the floor, facing inside with her back to us. Clearly this was a silent way of telling us to leave.


    "Nothing we can do!" I could only shake my head, leading Adrian and others out of the jail.


    Our attempt to convince them totally failed! Actually, General Lee wanted most to get rid of these unstable factors in jail. But World 12 and World 11 just wouldn''t agree. I can''t force No. 14 Nicola to drag them away.


    So the problem went back to where it started - the space portal.


    As time went on, fewer new visitors came. By the time rescuers were set to leave for World 27, only one or two new worlds'' guests had arrived.


    Most of these worlds were just normal people from Eldoria Continent. When they heard about helping World 27, they all chose to stay without exception.


    The way to leave this world was pretty simple. We didn''t need to open a new space portal.


    No. 14 Nicola had everyone joining the rescue mission touch the crystal ball one by one. They''d disappear right away, sent straight to World 27.


    There was a long line in the square.


    I stood on a tall building nearby, watching it from high up. I really wanted to go help, to see what this Feliciana who wants to destroy the world is like! But my mind told me my own world still has big problems to solve. So I could only wish them good luck!

 Vol 5/Chapter 145: The Ability to Change Reality

    "Relax. With so many helpers from parallel worlds, the problem in World 27 will be solved soon!"


    Before I knew it, Feliciana from World 14 silently appeared beside me. It was like she knew exactly what I was thinking. She smiled and comforted me.


    "Even if each person only says a few words, it''s a challenge for another me in World 27! You can think of this as Nicola saving World 27 while also helping your world¡ªa win-win."


    Honestly, I''m used to her disappearing and reappearing like that. But right now, she didn''t join the team below, which seemed to hint at something big.


    "But I just can''t understand why you chose to stay."


    Most people had left the square by then. I glanced at her and asked curiously.


    You know, Nicola from World 14 would definitely go with the main group to World 27, but No. 14 Feliciana seemed like she was staying here alone.


    "I told you, I''ll do my best to help you solve the space portal problem!"


    Turns out she really keeps her promises! She even gave up her chance to go home? Seeing my surprised look, No. 14 Feliciana looked a bit embarrassed and explained more.


    "Actually, crossing parallel worlds isn''t a big deal for people like Nicola and me. Maybe Nicola still needs the Galadra Eye''s help, but I can bypass the space limits and go back on my own! It does use a lot of energy, but luckily I''ve found a way to gather enough power to cross time and space."


    "How is that possible?"


    I thought Nicola from World 14 would come back to get her after the mission, but she said she could return on her own. I couldn''t help but gape in disbelief, staring at her.


    Since coming back to Earth, I''ve lost count of the impossible things I''ve heard. It''s almost become a saying.


    "You just don''t understand water elements deeply enough!"


    Unexpectedly, No. 14 Feliciana turned to look into my eyes and asked seriously, "With your Eight Wings'' power, you should have already awakened the ability to control water elements. To what extent do you understand water elements?"


    "Understanding water elements?"


    I didn''t expect her to ask that. I was caught off guard and didn''t know what she meant. I tried to explain simply: "Isn''t it about changing element types, usually for healing and recovery?"


    Of course, I know something about this. I remember using water elements to fend off Michelle''s attacks several times! But since being told about my soul''s defect in Crescent City, I lost hope of truly mastering water elements like Nicola.


    "Changing element types?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    No. 14 Feliciana seemed surprised by my answer and thought for a moment before explaining more.


    "Yes! Changing element types is a surface trait unique to water elements. But stopping there means you don''t truly understand their essence!"


    Essence? What is the essence of water elements?


    I frowned, confused. Suddenly, I saw a crystal ball appear from No. 14 Feliciana''s palm, similar to one No. 14 Nicola had shown in public. I looked curious.


    "Huh? Do you also carry a Galadra Eye?"


    "Of course not! This is just a fake I made using water elements. It looks similar on the outside, but it lacks the true earth-element core."


    No. 14 Feliciana shook her head, took a small gadget from her ear, like wireless earbuds, and continued.


    "This is a micro personal computer modified by Reed from our world, based on ancient technology found on the Eldoria Continent. It helps me with various calculations, including the molecular and elemental data of the Galadra Eye, so I can recreate it in reality with my abilities!"


    "?????"


    At this point, I could only have a puzzled look.


    What do molecular composition and elemental data mean? How does this relate to water elements?


    "Since you know that water elements can change other element types, let''s take it further. If you can materialize the changed elements, what would be the result? It should be easy to imagine!"


    Thankfully, with her guidance, I finally understood.


    As known, all materials on Eldoria Continent are made of elements. Different materials require specific element types, like water elements for water, earth elements for soil, etc. But elements have hidden traits, like wind elements relating to time, earth elements to space, and water elements can transform into any element type!


    If you can convert omnipresent wind elements into earth elements, then materialize them into a crystal ball, it''s like creating one out of thin air. That''s exactly what No. Feliciana''s crystal ball is!


    Of course, the process of materializing elements is complex, involving precise molecular and atomic arrangements. Usually, magic circles are used¡ªcommon in Eldoria Continent.


    But if a single person does this, the calculations are immense, impossible for humans or angels, let alone celestial weapons! No. Feliciana''s micro computer replaces the magic circle''s function.


    Since she can materialize elements, she can also reverse the process. The crystal ball disappeared after use, showing she directly converted elements into materials! I''ve been practicing, but haven''t improved much.


    "From my guess, a complete water angel''s soul not only includes precise element control but also incredible calculation abilities! Though my case is similar to yours, our world''s Reed used technology to help me compensate for that."


    No. 14 Feliciana pointed to her ear.


    She likely has the same soul defect as me. But she''s much better, thanks to this micro computer.


    "So, your earphone... computer is still simulating the Galadra Eye? If successful, you can create a real Galadra Eye anytime with water elements?"


    I tried to explain my understanding, and she agreed:


    "Yes! It''s just a workaround. The Galadra Eye is relatively simple, but it exceeds the micro computer''s calculation limit. It took several days to barely simulate the model! Of course, if I can fully free up the computing power, I might even return to my own world without the Galadra Eye! That involves calculations between two parallel worlds..."


    Return directly to her own world?


    Suddenly, my mind was a bit confused, not sure what she meant. But on second thought, if water elements can manipulate elements and materialize them, what can''t be created out of thin air?


    Imagine a substance made of elements can be transformed into any element and materialized into something else... if fully realized on a large scale with enough computing power, the result is only one¡ª


    Changing reality!


    "So, this is the true power of water elements?"


    Finally, I understood the confusion. Under the premise of changing reality, water element magic''s healing and resurrection are weak! No wonder No. 14 Feliciana could use incredible abilities like teleportation and revival. These are no longer earth elements'' monopoly. The only thing limiting her is the micro computer''s computing power.


    But on the other hand, since this computer is Reed''s creation from World 14, who hasn''t really been to Earth, without it, could I materialize or transform elements like No. 14 Feliciana?


    The answer is no... and I don''t even have a clue!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 146: A Dangerous Situation

    "Actually, you can try to practice controlling water elements starting with smaller things," No. 14 Feliciana said. "Sometimes, just a tiny change in the real world can make a big difference overall!"


    Even though she knew my abilities weren''t good enough, No. 14 Feliciana was still very eager to give me advice. She even showed me some key tricks for changing between matter and elements.


    I remembered everything she said, but I couldn''t actually do any of it myself!


    I couldn''t help but laugh at myself. Maybe it''s because I don''t have that macro computer. Even if she gave it to me right now, I wouldn''t know how to use it! And Reed from our world never made this kind of amazing tech anyway.


    To be safe, No. 14 Feliciana later told me where they found this far-future tech thing in Eldoria Continent. That way, if I ever go back, I can try to find it.


    She said it was in some ancient ruins in Crestvale Republic. Of course, I''ve never been to Crestvale Republic.


    "Do I really need to get that macro computer to make it work?" I wondered.


    After we split up, I went back to my room and tried many times, but still couldn''t do anything.


    Changing the shape of elements is something you can only do after you get really, really good at controlling them. No. 14 Feliciana used technology to find a new way to improve, but I think the difference between us is more than just that.


    Looking at it another way, No. 14 Feliciana is already one level higher than me! Of course her understanding and control of elements is much better than mine.


    "With your current abilities, it''s not enough. No matter how much you practice, you can''t fully control elements!" Adrian said after I told him about it.


    But then I realized something - if Adrian understands this, No. 14 Feliciana must know it too! So why did she bother telling me all this stuff and teaching me tricks? What''s the point?


    "She means for you to use it after you get that high-tech macro computer thing," Cyra explained. "It doesn''t hurt to practice early."


    That made sense! So I needed to check with Reed to be sure.


    But when I went to ask Reed about it, I got totally shut down.


    "No time! Can''t you see I''m busy? Don''t bother me if it''s not important!" Reed snapped.


    The research lab was already missing a lot of people. After most of the Reeds left, almost all the work fell on our world''s Reed Number 0.


    Luckily, before the main group left, she learned enough key tech from the other Reeds. So even with just a few Reeds helping, she can still finish new vampire radar on schedule.


    Plus, the vampire situation is a big deal! Once I realized what was going on, I didn''t want to bother her anymore. I had to put this issue aside for now.


    The scouting mission was going well! A few days later, we finally got an update from the H-country "business delegation" in M-country.


    "It''s pretty much like we thought - there seem to be fewer vampires here than we expected!" Wayne Peng reported. "You might run into one or two vampire signals on the street sometimes, but without outside pressure, they clearly haven''t tried hard to increase their numbers."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The video call background showed they were indoors. Wayne Peng and the others had safely reached M-country''s capital. To be safe, they were using H-country''s military encrypted satellite channel.


    Obviously, even though vampires had totally taken over the other side of Earth, M-country still wasn''t in chaos. There wasn''t even any strange news. Everything seemed normal.


    Of course, this might be because the vampires haven''t spread out yet! Plus, M-country has so many people that even if an Ancestor vampire has a lot of power, they still can''t infect everyone.


    Based on the info we have, we think the vampire leaders are probably focusing on infecting government higher-ups first. It looks like their plan to take over M-country''s leaders might not be going as smoothly as they thought. We can tell this from what Wayne Peng said.


    "Yesterday we managed to contact a congressman friendly with our country," Wayne Peng continued. "The vampire radar shows he''s not infected yet. He told us some important info. He and several of his colleagues got a warning from M-country''s intelligence departments a few days early, so they made up an excuse to hide in a mountain villa. They''re avoiding everyone, no matter who it is. They''re only communicating by internet and phone."


    This congressman is supposedly an important member of M-country''s Senate, so he''s pretty high-ranking. People at this level usually have their own security teams. If what he says is true, then some government leaders might be able to avoid the vampires for a little while!


    But even so, this kind of hiding can''t last long. Vampires are really good at sneaking in everywhere, and national leaders can''t stay out of sight for too long. Once the whole country''s system is controlled, there''s no point in hiding anymore.


    "What about the President? If M-country''s President has survived until now, our mission will have a much better chance of success!" General Lee asked, even though he didn''t have much hope.


    Ever since finding that cry for help at the M-country consulate, H-country had tried to contact M-country''s President through diplomatic channels. But sadly, they never got any response.


    "I''m really sorry, but the radar shows the whole M-country Presidential Palace, the ''Blue Palace,'' is basically covered in red dots. The President''s chance of survival is almost zero!" Wayne Peng replied, confirming what we feared. "To be safe, we didn''t dare get too close to that place. We just took a few long-distance photos and left."


    Wayne Peng sent these surveillance photos over the network.


    These photos used zoom lenses to capture all the entrances and exits of the "Blue Palace," plus wide shots of the whole estate. All the security guards, gardeners, and staff looked totally normal, still working "diligently" at their jobs. If it weren''t for the radar, you''d never know they''ve all been turned into vampires.


    "What do you think - could that Ancestor vampire you talked about be hiding in the Presidential Palace right now?" General Lee asked, staring at the photos for a while before handing them to me for my opinion.


    "It''s hard to say for sure. We can''t tell anything just from these photos," I admitted honestly.


    "The radar can show how strong vampires are. If the Ancestor is in there, you should be able to see it right away. So what exactly did you observe?" Adrian asked Wayne Peng directly.


    "We can''t tell at all! The whole Presidential Palace is covered in a big red blob. We can''t make out how many vampires are in there or what level they are. That place has probably become the vampires'' lair!" Wayne Peng answered, looking frustrated. His grim expression made the situation seem even more serious.


    "General! According to that congressman we contacted, he get some news from M-country''s top-level communication network. There''s evidence that M-country''s military leadership is moving lots of regional commanders around. This might mean vampires have totally spread through the military. The situation is really bad!" Wayne Peng added, looking worried.


    "Did you check any specific places? Like the most important nuclear missile silos?" General Lee asked urgently, seeming a bit panicked.


    "All the M-country military bases we know about have fallen!" Wayne Peng answered after a slight pause, giving us the brutal truth.


    Even though we expected this might happen from the beginning, seeing it actually come true was incredibly heavy news.


    This means vampires now fully control weapons that could wipe out all humans on Earth!


    According to Reed''s analysis, low-level vampires probably aren''t immune to nuclear radiation. The dark element might even make it worse for them!


    But mid to high-level vampires are totally different. Because their bodies are so much stronger, it''s hard to say how much radiation would hurt them. The high concentration of dark element might even cause some good changes for them! And all vampire minions put the Ancestor''s interests first, so the low-level ones could easily be sacrificed...

 Vol 5/ Chapter 147: Intelligence

    So now, nuclear weapons aren''t just for super powers to keep each other in check anymore. They''re like a big sword hanging over all humans! If the Ancestor vampire feels threatened, they might just throw nukes around. At least they''d be safe.


    We don''t know how many humans and vampire would survive. But for now, the vampires probably don''t want to use nukes. Even the Ancestor wouldn''t want to be all alone on Earth with just a few followers, right?


    "We must kill the Ancestor vampire quickly!" General Lee said. "If we don''t, not only will we can''t fix the space portal in the base, but the whole world will face a big threat from a race that hates humans!"


    "I know!" Wayne Peng said. "But we just got here. It''s really hard to find other ways to get info!" He explained to us: "The senator is not sure about helping more. Giving us more info would mean leaking M-country secrets. He needs more time to think about it."


    On the surface, M-country looks the same as before. The real changes are happening behind the scenes in the government. Now the infected people are totally loyal to the Ancestor vampire instead of the country. This secret change makes it hard for survivors who don''t know what''s going on to understand. It''s not just about countries fighting anymore.


    "So you haven''t told other countries about this yet?" I asked General Lee. In this serious situation, all humans should work together to fight the vampires. State interests should come second.


    "The top leader wants to wait for the scouting report," General Lee sighed. "If we really can''t handle it secretly, then we''ll tell other countries and ask for help." The space portal is too valuable to give up easily. He has to follow orders. But from Wayne Peng''s attitude and what they found out, it looks like we might have to tell others soon.


    "Good news! Morrison finally agreed to our request. He sent what we need!" Chan Layne, Wayne Peng''s assistant, suddenly called out excitedly. He walked into view and handed Wayne Peng a phone.


    "It''s the locations of all M-country''s nuclear facilities!" Even Wayne Peng couldn''t hide his shock. This info is super important. Soon, the satellite network sent it to us.


    "From this data, it looks like M-country has about a hundred land-based launch sites," General Lee said after looking it over quickly. "They''re all over the country, with a few in other countries too. There are dozens of navy ships that can move around... This matches pretty well with what we knew before!" He gave the information to his staff for experts to study in detail.


    It seems that even without being told about vampires or the space portal to another world, Senator Morrison from M-country figured out something was wrong from the info he had. He decided to help us, even though it means going against his country.


    "Morrison''s background shows he worked in M-country''s Defense Department before," an H-country military officer said. "Does he have anything else to say?"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Not for now," Wayne Peng replied, checking the phone again. "But he did mention one thing about nuclear submarines. Recently, M-country''s military ordered all units abroad to come back for repairs and checks. This includes the nuclear submarine fleet."


    Obviously, this is another way for vampires to spread. But from what Wayne Peng said, the recall deadline hasn''t passed yet. So we can guess that the nuclear submarines and other M-country forces abroad are still safe for now.


    "This is good news!" I said, finally feeling a bit relieved. "It means things aren''t as bad as we thought. The Ancestor''s control over M-country is still mostly in the capital and nearby areas!" It''s only been a few days, after all. Even vampires can''t spread through all of M-country that fast. This gives us a great chance to fight back.


    "But the info also shows the recall lasts three days. They must reach port by tomorrow morning at the latest," General Lee said, still looking worried. "And the ''Blue Palace'' already sent out orders to welcome them back. I really suspect that infected officials are already in place, ready to spread the infection."


    Even though Wayne Peng brought some good news, the situation still isn''t great. General Lee shook his head and said, "Let''s wait for the full data analysis before we decide what to do."


    ...


    A special team at the base analyzed the info about M-country''s nuclear facilities. They worked fast and finished by evening, before it got dark.


    "The info Senator Morrison gave us is the most detailed, up-to-date data on M-country''s military we''ve ever had!" the military analyst explained. "From this, we can reasonably suspect that the Patlic and Merlific Fleets that returned early are probably infected. So we need to watch their nuclear weapons very carefully! The Unobon Fleet is scheduled to arrive in port tomorrow morning, so we can assume they''re not affected yet. But we must stop them from contacting the vampires. To avoid misunderstandings between our countries, we hope all actions can be done secretly..."


    All the officials at the base and people from other worlds were packed into the meeting room, listening to the military expert talk.


    This meeting was kind of like a pre-war rally, so everyone involved had to be there.


    Suddenly, a Cyra from some world raised her hand and asked, "What''s the point of all this extra stuff? Why don''t we just use all our fighting power to charge into M-country''s Presidential Palace and kill the Ancestor? That would solve everything!"


    "But can you really kill the Ancestor that quickly?" General Lee asked, looking at her. He showed a defense map of the "Blue Palace" on the screen, pointing at all the red dots.


    "Almost all the guards in the palace are infected," he explained. "Probably only you angels could face the Ancestor directly. And I believe you could do it! But as soon as you get close, these guards would sense you and tell the Ancestor. If the Ancestor gets desperate and decides to launch nukes, can anyone guarantee they can kill them before they press the nuclear button?"


    Everyone went quiet. Adrian could sneak in silently, but killing the Ancestor instantly would be hard.


    In the vampire hierarchy, the Ancestor just needs to think an order, and it quickly passes down to all their followers everywhere. There''s no checking or questioning! Even the ultimate safety measure of nuclear codes might have been removed already.


    Since we can''t kill the enemy leader right away, H-country''s military leaders decided not to make that the main mission.


    But I knew something - maybe there was one person in the base who could kill the Ancestor instantly, without even getting close! That''s Number 14 Feliciana!


    Number 14 Feliciana can change reality a bit. If she wanted, she could just erase the Ancestor from existence! There might be some limits I don''t know about, like distance or how strong the enemy is. But from what I''ve seen, she could definitely kill one vampire easily.


    But right now, Number 14 Feliciana was lost in the crowd. I couldn''t see her in the meeting room.


    I don''t know if it was on purpose or not. She agreed to help us with the vampire problem, so she shouldn''t miss such an important meeting!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 148: Do You Believe in God?

    "The only option we have now is to start with the intel we''ve gathered on the nuclear weapons," said General Lee.


    The screen switched back to the map showing M-country''s nuclear weapon sites. The analysis was mostly done, so the map now showed bases in two colors: white and red. General Lee pointed to the majority of white bases and continued:


    "Although M-country has many nuclear bases, most haven''t been infected yet. Since normal nuclear attack orders are very complex, we can ignore these white bases for now and focus on the red occupied areas."


    M-country''s nuclear facilities were like arms threatening the whole world. If we couldn''t take out the brain in one hit, cutting off the enemy''s arms was a common tactic.


    "Even though we have precise coordinates for almost all of M-country''s nuclear facilities, we can''t attack the infected targets right away. This could cause panic in other countries. Also, according to our leader''s instructions, we can''t let the outside world know about the space portal yet. So to solve this crisis, we have only one option¡ª"


    Finally, we''d reached the core topic of this meeting. It was clear the H-country military had already made a detailed plan, which they were now revealing to everyone.


    "We''ve decided to send people to intervene directly. We''ll infiltrate and clean up all infected nuclear facilities. This must be done quickly and all at once, taking control before the Ancestor can react. This will set us up nicely for the follow-up ''Blue Palace'' decapitation plan."


    As for who would attack the nuclear facilities, General Lee were very clear. They needed people with excellent skills who could work in secret without being easily discovered. Even with special training, normal Earth people couldn''t reach this level, especially not with so many nuclear facilities to take over at once.


    This was why the base leaders had called everyone to this meeting. They needed lots of manpower to help. The only ones who could meet their requirements were us visitors from other worlds.


    Driven by everyone''s desire to get home quickly, even the weakest from World 9 were willing to join in. After all, the enemies were just low-level vampires, not nearly as threatening as World 27.


    In theory, the H-country military''s plan seemed solid. If we could deal with the nuclear launch terminals, even if the Ancestor was still alive, they couldn''t do much for a while.


    But many people still thought we didn''t have enough manpower. Even after narrowing it down, there were still too many targets. I couldn''t help but object:


    "The M-country fleet hasn''t left yet. They''re mostly docked in a few ports, so we don''t need many people to clean up the fleet leadership. But what about the infected nuclear bases on land? Even though we''ve narrowed it down to less than twenty, they''re spread out over a huge area. We only have people from a handful of worlds. It''ll be hard to quickly deal with all the vampires in these bases without the Ancestor noticing!"


    After recruiting across worlds for World 27, only a few capable worlds were left in the base. Except for the World 1, which had people about as strong as me who could handle the cleanup alone, the others seemed too weak.


    "We''ve discussed the manpower issue thoroughly, and there shouldn''t be a problem," General Lee said, rejecting my view. "I know many of you could easily clean up a base on your own. If we reassign everyone and split up, dealing with the nuclear facilities around M-country''s capital should be no problem!"


    I was surprised that General Lee suddenly seemed to understand our abilities much better.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Of course, he had good reason to be confident! General Lee made a quick phone call, and Number 14 Feliciana soon walked out from the intelligence analysis room.


    The intelligence room had been packed with military staff working overtime since they got the M-country info. But Number 14 Feliciana''s appearance proved one thing - she''d been involved in planning this operation.


    When did she get so close to the H-country military? Was it because she helped catch the culprit, Number 12 Feliciana? I couldn''t help but wonder in confusion.


    Number 14 Feliciana came up to General Lee and calmly told everyone:


    "I can guarantee this plan has a very high chance of success. Not just because I know everyone''s strengths and weaknesses, but more importantly, I''ll be personally involved in this plan, providing all kinds of help you might need!"


    She''d clearly worked out all the details with the H-country military beforehand. She pointed at the M-country map in the meeting room and boldly promised: "You only need to focus on the nuclear facilities around the capital and along the east coast. I''ll take care of all the rest by myself! As for whether I can do it, I''m sure none of you doubt my abilities, right?"


    Of course, we could be certain about that. The stories about Number 14 Feliciana''s abilities had spread like wildfire through the base.


    The meeting went on to make many more decisions about the operation, including details like how the H-country military wouldn''t send actual troops due to international concerns, but would provide necessary support with equipment and logistics.


    After the meeting ended, I caught Number 14 Feliciana and asked the question I''d been holding back.


    "If you have this ability, why don''t you just help us completely solve the vampire Ancestor problem and get everything back to normal? Why bother with all these useless moves and team up with the H-country military to plan this mission?"


    "......"


    To my surprise, she stared into my eyes silently for a while, then suddenly came out with a strange question:


    "Do you believe in fate? Do you believe there are gods in this world?"


    "Huh? Gods?"


    I couldn''t imagine another version of me asking this kind of question. This kind of topic was usually Cyra''s specialty - when did I become a religious nut too?


    Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Number 14 Feliciana could only sigh and change the subject:


    "First, this M-country incident isn''t what you think. It''s not a problem you can solve just by killing the vampire Ancestor. Second, this world is actually quite special in the multiverse. There are a few other worlds with the same status, but there''s no denying that your world is quite important! The historical development here affects the progress of many other worlds, so we can''t let our presence push things too far off the set track!"


    "Huh?"


    I still hadn''t wrapped my head around it. Her words were even more confusing.


    So Number 14 Feliciana''s whole purpose was to maintain the set historical course of our world? But why would she do that? Strictly speaking, wasn''t she herself part of history? What harm could changing it do? At most, it would just create another parallel world. And what did this have to do with gods?


    "Actually, we''re all just pieces on God''s chessboard. You and your companions don''t just hold thousands upon thousands of lives in your hands, but your own futures too! So I''m really sorry I can''t reveal more, but you should understand why Nicola, as the Time Angel, must shoulder the responsibility of maintaining time, even though she has ''Authority''."


    When mentioning Number 14 Nicola, Number 14 Feliciana''s face suddenly showed a gentle smile. It was clear that although the two of them often argued, their feelings for each other in some ways were quite good.


    If what she said was true, then Number 14 Nicola leading people from parallel worlds to World 27 earlier was actually a way of correcting history. Although she never stated this explicitly, it undoubtedly implied a fact - the chaos of the space portal was likely the original set direction of history that Number 14 Feliciana mentioned. But because it involved too many parallel worlds, she and Number 14 Nicola had no choice but to take on the task of maintaining history, guiding this Earth towards a certain set future.


    But then again, there were too many Fate Breakers involved in this space portal chaos incident. For ordinary people, it would definitely be impossible to find a specific future direction in the mess of multiple worlds interfering with each other.


    "The twelve wings are said to be the realm of gods. Even Lady Elara, with all her lifelong efforts, couldn''t reach that height. At most, she could only stay at ten wings," Cyrae said, sitting in a chair and commenting on Number 14 Feliciana''s words that I had relayed, while showing a very doubtful attitude.


    "Even though Number 14 Nicola is the Time Angel and has found her origin, she still hasn''t reached the divine realm of twelve wings. Without getting full time ''Authority'', it''s almost impossible to untangle all these intertwined threads, at least as far as I can see. The only explanation left is that there must be some other external force interfering!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 149: The Secret Gets Out

    "What other external force? You saw those other worlds. None of them had twelve wings! Not even one stronger than World 14. Maybe we''re thinking too much," I said, shaking my head.


    Cyrae''s words meant she thought someone else in the base, besides World 14, was helping keep Earth''s history on track. I didn''t agree.


    When I got back to my room, a human mage suddenly came knocking. But this wasn''t a real mage - it was Cyrae in disguise.


    She didn''t follow World 13 to World 27, because she wasn''t really from World 13. But when Number 14 Nicola held up the Eye of Galadra and said she could send everyone home, I saw Cyrae moved.


    "It''s too sudden! If I left now, I couldn''t explain things to my other self (Cylaren) and the company," she told me later, smiling sadly.


    In theory, Cyrae''s other self was part of her soul. It''d be okay in the same world, but going to another world and being split for a long time could cause big problems, maybe even losing part of her soul. So it made sense she didn''t want to leave in a hurry.


    Number 14 Nicola was eager to help World 27 just to find a good reason to send people home, following history''s path. But Cyrae wasn''t part of this space portal accident. She might already be part of the set history! So even if she wanted to go to World 27, she might get stopped.


    Since she decided to stay for now, to avoid being found out, Cyrae changed into a human mage from World 31.


    Later, more people from other worlds came through the space portal. They weren''t very strong fighters, but they helped Cyrae hide better.


    "I think you should just tell General Lee the truth! Parallel worlds aren''t so special now. Maybe you can go back to your world with everyone else later!" said Cyra, who had come to join the gossip. She was trying to convince Cyrae to stop hiding.


    "I don''t know..." Cyrae looked confused when this came up.


    She must have grown attached to this world after living here for so many years. If she revealed herself, she might have to leave. Only she could decide what to do.


    "I''ll tell you a secret. Only Cyrae and I know this!" Cyra whispered in my ear after Cyrae left, still unsure what to do.


    "What secret do you have now?" I was tired of all the gossip lately. I didn''t care about so-called secrets anymore.


    But Cyra didn''t let me leave. She talked fast: "I heard that one big reason Cyrae wants to go back to the Eldoria Continent is because of her husband!"


    "Her husband? Didn''t he die long ago?"


    I have to say, this caught my attention. We didn''t know much about Cyrae''s husband. She didn''t like talking about him.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The only info we had was that Cyrae''s husband was a normal worker. He got sick and died many decades ago.


    But Cyra bringing this up now, showed she and Cyrae must have talked a lot in private. It was probably true!


    "Yes! Her husband died a long time ago, but his soul is still kept safe," Cyra said, dropping another bombshell. "Cyrae told me that souls on Earth don''t just disappear quickly after death like on the Eldoria Continent. She couldn''t let go, so she''s been wanting to take her husband''s soul to the Eldoria Continent. That way, after he enters the Cycle of Rebirth, they might meet again!"


    Angels have lots of high-level light magic that deals with souls. So keeping a soul after someone dies might be possible. Like using magic to lock a soul in an urn. I believe Cyrae could do it!


    But taking an Earth person''s soul to the Eldoria Continent, hoping to meet again after rebirth in another world? That''s crazy!


    I really underestimated how much Cyrae cared about love. This was next-level stuff! Is this what they call being together forever, life after life? I learned something...


    Now that I knew this big news, it seemed more likely Cyrae would leave Earth. But she still had ties here, so it depended on how strong her determination was.


    "What do you think? What will Cyrae choose?" I asked Adrian excitedly. But I saw he was sitting quietly, thinking hard with a frown.


    "What? Cyrae?" Adrian clearly hadn''t been listening to me and Cyra talk. He was lost in thought. When I interrupted him, he looked confused and blurted out:


    "Do you think the external force Cyrae mentioned might be the god Number 14 Feliciana talked about?"


    "Huh? What god?"


    So that''s what Adrian was thinking about! Cyra and I both looked puzzled.


    Number 14 Feliciana did ask if I believed in god. But I thought it was just because of different personalities in different timelines. I didn''t think much about it. But Adrian connecting the two ideas surprised me.


    "That makes sense! Why didn''t I think of that? Please forgive my stupidity, Lord!" Cyra suddenly got all religious. She kept praying for forgiveness and muttering: "The Lord can do anything. So the Lord must be guiding World 14''s people. But why didn''t He choose me? Is it because I''m not good enough? But that can''t be right, I already have six wings..."


    It''d be weird if you got chosen for something so big and complex!


    I didn''t agree with Cyra''s complaints. But it seemed too quick to just accept there was a God. I still needed more direct proof!


    But soon after, the exact jobs for sneaking into M-country''s nuclear bases were decided.


    The H-country military leaders gathered all the fighters left in the base. They split people up based on what they wanted to do and how strong they were. This even included people from Worlds 11 and 12, who had been in jail before.


    Even though these two worlds had done bad things before, they agreed to help make up for not having enough fighters. They wanted to go home too.


    They say Number 14 Feliciana suggested this first...


    As the strongest fighters from this world, Adrian and I got the job of going to M-country''s capital, the "Blue Palace," to fight the vampire Ancestor at the end.


    Really, it would be safer if Number 14 Feliciana did this job. But she firmly refused, saying she couldn''t do it.


    As for Cyra, surprisingly, she didn''t join any team. She had a special rescue mission instead.


    "Not long ago, Wayne Peng''s scouting team was attacked by vampires!" General Lee told us this bad news. The attack happened while they were talking on their regular call. They think the M-country congressman Morrison, who was giving us information, might have let the secret out.


    Before it happened, Wayne Peng was reporting anxiously that they''d lost contact with Congressman Morrison. Then there was a loud explosion. Chan Layne, who was always watching the vampire radar, didn''t even have time to give a full warning. He only shouted "Not good, there''s an enemy-!" before the whole camera view went crazy...


    All the signs showed the vampires who attacked were very fast and strong! They might be as strong as the "Manager" I met before. Maybe even the Ancestor came!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 150: Haunted

    This time, the scouting team wasn''t completely wiped out. Although there were some casualties, most of the team members were captured. Among the captives were Wayne Peng and Chan Layne, which immediately put the entire plan at risk of being exposed!


    Fortunately, the scouting team had left early and wasn''t fully aware of the specific arrangements on H-country''s side. So even if the vampires learned that we might take action against M-country, it didn''t affect the overall situation!


    However, the attack also showed that we couldn''t delay any longer. The information about the angels cooperating with H-country had already leaked. We needed to resolve this crisis quickly before the vampire Ancestor could come up with a countermeasure!


    Another bit of luck was that later, two members of the team managed to escape during the attack!


    According to one of the surviving scouts, he saw a monster with bat wings spread out, hovering in the sky. Raydwin, filled with anger, tried to attack it, but he was no match. The monster grabbed Raydwin by the neck and dragged him away!


    Hearing this, it''s easy to see why the enemy didn''t kill Raydwin on the spot. They must have noticed something special about him. Such a strong human is rare on Earth. The vampire Ancestor must have seen his potential. Maybe he kept Raydwin for his own use. Although we don''t know where Raydwin is now, it''s likely he was taken to the vampire lair, which the presidential office probably turned into.


    "This person is a rare talent. Please make sure to rescue him!"


    General Lee, a key member responsible for attacking the "Blue Palace," earnestly requested this of me and Adrian. It became an additional objective.


    Even if General Lee hadn''t asked, I would have tried my best to help Raydwin. However, Cyra''s strong insistence on joining was surprising.


    "It''s really unfortunate! Even though Feliciana from World 14 took care of most targets, we still don''t have enough manpower. Many teams have to handle several nearby bases, so we can only assign you to another rescue team."


    Considering the bigger picture, General Lee refused her request.


    The two scouts who escaped used their excellent tracking skills to locate the captives, even without vampire radar. They found out that the prisoners were turned into the enemy''s camp, and sent to an abandoned military base east of M-country''s capital.


    "This base isn''t within any known nuclear base we have intel on. But we saw a nuclear submarine heading this way earlier, so it might have been turned into a temporary docking spot."


    An H-country intelligence officer explained while pointing at a large map. This meant that even if the captives weren''t taken there, we still had to target that location. Cyra, being one of the few angels capable of purification, was an essential part of the rescue mission.


    "Alright! Make sure to rescue him. Just as long as he''s alive, it''s fine!"


    After I and Adrian reassured her, Cyra reluctantly agreed. Maybe she felt her earlier behavior could cause misunderstandings, so she added, "After all, that guy saved me and let me stay for so long without paying rent. If I can''t repay him, it would feel terrible!"This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    When we decided to leave earlier, why didn''t you mention the debt?


    I couldn''t help but mutter under my breath. After Cyra left, another Cyra from World 12 approached me and asked indirectly:


    "Have you watched the attack''s recorded video?"


    "I''ve seen a bit. Why?"


    This Cyra from World 12 was the one who helped Feliciana from World 12 trap Feliciana from World 7. I was wary but still responded, somewhat confused.


    The full footage of the M-country scouting team''s being attacked was sent to everyone. However, since the cameras weren''t fully destroyed, the video was very long. Most of it was just blank screens, and halfway through, I got too lazy to watch.


    "Do you know that in the second half of the video, Raydwin is seen picking up a camera and leaving a message? Unfortunately, he only said, ''I will survive and come back to you,'' and nothing else. It was vague and didn''t mention who he was talking to. Others might be confused, but if Cyra from your world saw it, it would be different¡­ You know her best. What do you think she would do? Does she really not care at all?"


    I didn''t know about these tricks in the second half of the video. Hearing it from Cyra from World 12 felt strange, so I complained:


    "Even if Raydwin said those words, they weren''t meant for you! How would I know what Cyra is thinking? You should worry more about Feliciana from your own world!"


    To make up for the lack of manpower, both World 11 and World 12 were sent to assist in the mission. Now, people from both worlds were in the same room.


    World 12 was fine, but Feliciana from World 11 kept staring at Feliciana from World 12. It was clear she still held a grudge and wanted revenge.


    "After all, she''s another version of me from a different world. Isn''t it normal to keep an eye on her? Or have you seen another you being unfaithful and not felt anything?"


    Cyra from World 12 wasn''t happy to hear this. She gave me a dirty look and retorted but eventually returned to her position.


    Aside from that, Feliciana from World 7 died unjustly, and it had bothered me several times. But I''m always forgiving and didn''t want to argue with Cyra from World 12! Unexpectedly, when I turned around, I saw Feliciana from World 14 having a private conversation with Cyrae.


    They were in an unnoticeable corner. It seemed Cyrae approached her first. When I tried to get closer, I could barely understand Feliciana from World 14''s response:


    "Your world is too far from here. Even Galadra herself might find it hard to send you back successfully. It seems you were sent to this Earth because of some powerful force''s intervention! I can''t be sure what that force is, but there must be a hidden purpose behind it. You''ll have to uncover the truth yourself. As for your surviving companions from your world, don''t worry too much! They have their own missions to complete, and leaving you doesn''t mean they can''t survive. I''m sorry, but I can''t help you with that¡­"


    What a surprising twist! Does this mean Cyrae''s hope to return is completely lost?


    But looking at it another way, it''s not such a bad thing! Besides not being able to send her husband''s soul back to Eldoria Continent, she''s already lived on Earth for so long. Staying here peacefully might be a good place for her.


    Looking at Cyrae''s attitude, she didn''t show much disappointment. Instead, she looked thoughtful. I didn''t know what she was thinking, and their conversation seemed to end there.


    With the situation changing quickly,  the Ancestor vampire might have learned some of our plans from Wayne Peng. We needed to start our mission in M-country immediately and secure all targets before the enemy could change their strategy!


    The mission was set for the night in M-country, which was the next day in H-country.


    As for the free time tonight, it was meant for everyone to rest well before the battle.


    After saying goodbye to Adrian, we each went back to our rooms. I opened the window and took a deep breath of the clear suburban night air, ready to wash up and go to bed. But suddenly, I felt a faint water element aura around me¡­


    I remembered that I had encountered this strange situation more than once before. Most of the time, it happened when Feliciana from World 14 was acting mysteriously!


    "So why look for me again?"


    I wasn''t sure why Feliciana from World 14 was visiting me late at night, but based on past experiences, I naturally thought it was this case. I turned around and asked.


    But things weren''t as I expected. When I looked behind me, a huge version of Cyra''s face suddenly appeared just a few centimeters away.


    It was a lifeless face with no expression. The worst part was that Cyra just stood there staring at me like a dead person, making the atmosphere extremely eerie.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 151: Starting the Mission

    For sure, that person wasn''t Cyra or Cyrae, and definitely not Feliciana Number 14.


    It was a ghost! I got so shocked, I kept backing up until I hit the bed. Luckily that it didn''t follow me. I managed to calm down a bit.


    Suddenly I remembered something. "Wait, I''ve seen you before..."


    Yeah, it was that mysterious Cyra I bumped into at the canteen! Same blank look, appearing and disappearing from nowhere. If Nicola Number 14 was right, this must be the Cyra Number 18 she talked about!


    But then Feliciana Number 14 told me Nicola was talking nonsense. I didn''t know who to believe.


    "Hey there... Cyra!"


    I decided to say hi first, even though she was just standing there not moving.


    "Cy...ra?" she looked confused, like she never heard that name before. Then she just stared at me blankly.


    Super weird! I started to wonder if she was right in the head. Both times I saw her, she acted really strange. Maybe she hit her head in her world?


    "So why did you come find me?" I tried talking to her again. At the same time, I sent a weak magic signal to the room next door.


    "I don''t know... but you have... a feeling... similar to me..."


    She finally answered, but real slow and choppy. At least she said a full sentence. Did she mean we''re both angels?


    There were still lots of angels left at the base, even after most visitors went to World 27.


    I didn''t think she''d come just for that. But when she slowly reached out her hand, I suddenly had an idea!


    "Water element?"


    Not many people could control water. I held her hand tight.


    Now it was super clear! I could feel tons of water element coming from her body, almost hiding her light element. It was even stronger than Feliciana Number 14!


    "No way!"


    I was so shocked. She''s a Cyra! Never heard of a Cyra who could use water element.


    With Cyrae coming from such a far world, could a messed up portal caused by a dead vampire really connect to such a different parallel world?Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I realized my guess might be totally wrong! Actually, I''m not the best at water element among all the Felicianas. If the mysterious Cyra was looking for that, she should''ve gone to Feliciana Number 14 first, right?


    "Feliciana, you sleeping?"


    Suddenly there was knocking - it was Adrian. Looks like my magic signal worked!


    "Perfect timing! I know a water element expert, let''s have her take a look at you!"


    Feliciana Number 14 would know what''s going on for sure! So I answered Adrian and started pulling the mysterious Cyra to the door.


    But after just a few steps, my hand felt empty.


    I turned around and the mysterious Cyra was gone! Everything in the room looked the same as before she came. It was like I imagined the whole thing.


    "..."


    I stared at my hand, stunned for a long time.


    This disappearing act was just like Feliciana Number 14''s, but even better! No trace of water element left at all. Maybe this is what you call perfectly erasing yourself from reality?


    "Did something happen?"


    I had to open the door. Adrian came in looking confused. He looked at me, then around the room, even out the dark window. His face was full of question marks.


    Of course there was nobody there now. Who knows where that Cyra went. If this was just random, maybe there won''t even be a next time!


    "What if I said I saw a super weird Cyra, different from any world''s Cyra we''ve seen before, who can teleport and control water element like me, but I have no idea where she came from..."


    I felt bad not telling Adrian anything, since he looked so worried. But what happened was so crazy, I had zero proof. So I asked nervously:


    "Would you believe me?"


    "Of course I believe you! So what exactly happened?"


    Guess only Adrian would answer like that without hesitating. I smiled and started telling him everything that happened.


    Next morning, time to start the mission.


    "Didn''t those two humans from world 18 go to world 27 already? Even if that Cyra you talked about is from world 18, why didn''t she go with them?"


    When I told Feliciana Number 14 about last night, She still said the rumor about Cyra Number 18 was made up by Nicola Number 14.


    "But this Cyra seemed really slow to react. I think she might have some mental problems..."


    For some reason, I felt like Feliciana Number 14 was hiding something from me. Her eyes kept darting around. I tried to argue a bit, but it made someone else unhappy.


    "Who are you saying has mental problems?"


    Of course our world''s Cyra had to complain. I was too lazy to explain to her again, so I just brushed it off.


    ...


    "Finally, I hope this mission will solve the portal problem and get everyone home safely!"


    Standing in the base square, General Lee finished his speech, then nodded to the Reeds. "I believe you have no problem dealing with M-country vampires, but still, have a safe trip!"


    As soon as he finished, the few Reeds left all pulled out a bunch of scrolls - teleport scrolls.


    Yeah, it''s not a short trip from H-country to M-country. Even the fastest plane takes hours, not to mention all these people going to different places.


    Since speed is key in battle, the fastest way to travel now, while avoiding enemy detection, is using magic to teleport!


    "See you in M-country!"


    No need to worry about Reed''s teleport circles. But when it was Cyra''s rescue team''s turn, she put her arm around a "human mage''s" shoulder and waved to me.


    This brings up a little surprise this morning. A human mage from another world asked to join Cyra''s team.


    Usually weak fighters like human mages aren''t expected to help much. But since she volunteered and passed the strength check, they approved it to increase the chances of winning.


    But this so-called "human mage" is actually Cyrae!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 152: Setting Off on the Mission

    Cyrae is pretty strong on her own. Since there''s not much hope of going back, and she might have to stay on this Earth forever, she doesn''t want vampires taking over. So she wants to help out extra in this mission, even hiding who she really is. All that makes sense to me.


    But asking to join the rescue team seems like a waste. She could handle a whole base by herself! Why tag along with Cyra?


    "We can''t guess how strong Raydwin is after getting infected. They say bad guys get ten times stronger. Even normal people can jump to level 4 or 5 after becoming a vampire. I''m just being careful," Cyrae told me when I asked, after thinking for a few seconds.


    "Is that really the only reason?" I felt like she had something else in mind. She looked like she wanted to say more, but just added:


    "Cyra is another me, so of course I don''t want her in danger! She''s way weaker than you and me, right?"


    "Alright then..." I nodded, believing her. Cyra''s team was kinda weak, so having Cyrae there made me feel better about the rescue mission.


    "Cyra chose to go back with you, but she''s still not sure. Maybe Cyrae is going to make sure about that," Adrian said thoughtfully.


    "Huh? You mean Cyra might decide to stay?" That was surprising. Everyone knew Cyrae was homesick. The portal problem made things uncertain again. I realized it could the the case.


    But what did Cyra leaving have to do with Cyrae? I couldn''t figure it out, but it wasn''t a big deal.


    "Here''s a new vampire radar we just made - only one! We have lots of angels on our side, so you guys can use it to deal with the ancestor," Reed said, handing me the radar. All the Reeds from different worlds were split up into different teams.


    When Adrian and I came out of the teleport scroll''s portal, we were in an alley corner in M-country''s capital. An H-country soldier named Luke Channing was with us.


    Luke was from the military, assigned to help our team with logistics. Angels would do most of the work in M-country, but these military guys could help coordinate between teams. They also had military communication gear so we could stay in touch with other teams and headquarters.


    Reed picked a bad spot to teleport us. It was supposed to be an empty factory according to satellite maps. But some local gang had taken it over as their base. They were so rude!This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Who are you? Where are you from?" As soon as we appeared, a bunch of thugs with guns spotted us. They barely finished asking before they got scared and started shooting at us.


    "Damn! They''ve got machine guns - split up and take cover!" Luke Channing yelled. We had some weapons too, but not enough for all these bullets coming at us!


    "Don''t worry..." I quickly spread my eight wings and used magic to block the bullets. I was about to fight back when Adrian stopped me.


    "This is enemy territory. There might be vampires hiding nearby. You''ll attract their attention. Let me handle it," he said.


    He was right - angels with wings out are easy for vampires to spot. I almost forgot in the rush. I hid my wings again.


    I could still use low-level magic like "Light Shield" without my wings, but it wouldn''t last long against lots of bullets.


    I ran through the gunfire to protect Luke Channing. Soon I felt the pressure easing up.


    Adrian was like an invincible warrior from a movie! He moved through the gang''s base like nobody was there. The gunmen barely made a sound before they fell. In less than a minute, he cleared the whole area.


    "These guys seem to be the bosses," Adrian said. He didn''t go easy on these humans who attacked us, leaving only a couple of leaders who were hiding in the back.


    "Don''t be afraid, we are from H-country, we are saving the world!" Adrian brought the two guys to us, one in each hand. They kept yelling "fuck! fuck!" I tried to calm them down.


    "What the mother fuck! Oh no! Why do angels come from H-country?" The two bosses must have seen me turn into an angel earlier. Even though I was trying to be nice, they still looked terrified. With Adrian''s amazing skills too, they started thinking of movies.


    "Are you the Avengers or the Justice League?"


    "But I''ve never heard of an angel joining in!"


    "Maybe that''s a fucking hidden new character, and that grim reaper too!"


    ...


    "Forget it. We wanted to ask about vampires nearby. Infected vampires change a lot. But seems we can''t get anything useful." Luke Channing said.


    "Okay, I checked all the bodies. No signs of dark element infection around. Should be fine," I said. This base could be our temporary hideout, and the two silly gang bosses were too noisy. I waved for Adrian to take them away.


    But Adrian had his own idea. He asked them:


    "Have you ever noticed anything abnormal among the people around this community?"


    The grim reaper scared them more than the angel. The two gang bosses stopped babbling and shook their heads. But then one remembered something and said:


    "Oh yeah! A gang called ''Blood'' that used to be our enemy is suddenly close to the government. It makes no sense! They shouldn''t be favored by the government. But I''ve seen their boss hanging out with government officials many times and getting lots of good weapons!"


    "So this ''Blood'' gang sounds suspicious? Maybe one of their leaders got infected?" I looked at Adrian. It''s rare for gangs and the government to work together openly in M-country.


    But Luke Channing asked more and found out the "Blood" gang usually operates far from here. If they really got infected, they wouldn''t care about normal gang territory fights anymore. So as long as we don''t alert them, it shouldn''t affect our mission much.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 153: IAA Headquarters

    "All clear!" I sighed with relief, looking at the vampire radar in my hand. It showed no vampires within a few kilometers.


    It was nighttime in M-country. Almost all the teams were in position. In half an hour, the H-country military bosses would give the order, and everyone could attack their targets.


    According to the plan, we had to take over almost all M-country''s nuclear bases very quickly. If not, the vampire Ancestor might have time to do something crazy and start a nuclear war!


    My team with Adrian was different. We had to wait until the "denuclearization" was almost done before we could face the vampire Ancestor. So for now, we were hiding in this factory (an old gang hideout) waiting for our chance.


    "Don''t know why, but we still can''t contact the two scout team members who escaped earlier," Luke Channing said. He was a H-country soldier assigned to join us. He quickly set up a whole communication base and got more instructions from the base in H-country.


    "Next, we should cause some trouble right under the vampire Ancestor''s nose to distract him!" Adrian said. "He probably won''t decide to destroy everything as soon as he finds out about the invasion, but the other teams still don''t have much time. Hope they do well!"


    The vampire Ancestor and his followers definitely had some kind of mental communication. This communication was almost impossible for outsiders to cut off, but it had many weaknesses. For example, only higher-ranking vampires could start the communication, and the lower the rank, the weaker the communication. This meant that even if the attack on the nuclear bases started, the vampire Ancestor probably wouldn''t know right away.


    "But if we want to get attention in such a big city, the trouble we make can''t be too small," I said. "But it also can''t feel too threatening to the vampire Ancestor, or he might press that nuclear button you talked about if he feels in danger."


    Adrian thought for a moment and looked at me. I understood he was hinting that I should keep a low profile. Facing a eight-winged angel, no vampire would feel safe.


    "Hey, everyone! Big news! About ten minutes ago, the M-country president made a public speech on TV!" Luke Channing said as he opened his laptop.


    "Wasn''t the M-country president supposed to be under vampire control already?" I turned around, surprised. Usually, I don''t care much about international politics, but this was different. After all, we were here for them.


    The president''s speech was fast and long. Basically, the speech said: M-country had told the world about Wayne Peng and others being spies, and gave a serious warning to H-country.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Looks like they''re a bit scared. After all, we have an angel on our side. They''re using M-country''s international influence to pressure H-country," Adrian said. Considering the president was already a vampire, anyone could see what was really going on.


    "Right! Normally, the president wouldn''t need to make a speech about this. M-country''s intelligence agencies would handle it quietly!" Luke Channing nodded. "And they even announced how they''ll deal with Wayne Peng. That''s not normal either!"


    "Wait a minute! Did the M-country president say all the caught spies are now in IAA headquarters for questioning? That''s different from what we knew before! Weren''t Wayne Peng supposed to be in an abandoned base on the east coast?" I suddenly noticed the contradiction.


    "This could be false information from the vampire Ancestor," Adrian said. But talking about prisoners reminded us about another less important goal.


    "Could Raydwin be locked up there?" I guessed. I thought Raydwin was probably taken back to the "Blue Palace." But since he had Battle Qi, he might be harder to turn into a vampire than normal people.


    "Whether he''s there or not, we can use this to distract them," Luke Channing said. He opened the local city map on his computer and found the IAA headquarters. It turned out to be near us.


    In the end, the IAA headquarters might just be a trap. The vampire Ancestor was probably watching that place closely in case someone tried to rescue the prisoners. But as long as the vampire Ancestor wasn''t there himself, Adrian could easily handle any of his followers. Even if he couldn''t win, he could definitely escape. Plus, we might rescue Raydwin. It was a great deal ¨C we could distract them and buy time for the other teams!


    "Ah... guys!" Franklin, the local gang boss who was massaging Adrian''s shoulders, suddenly spoke up when he saw the map.


    "What''s wrong?" I looked at Franklin.


    After we took over the factory, we spared the two gang bosses because they cooperated well. They were kept in a small room. But Franklin seemed restless. He really admired Adrian''s superhuman skills and kept asking to learn from him. He promised to help us and not run away.


    Franklin couldn''t understand H-country language at all, so he couldn''t understand what we were saying. Even if he ran away, he wouldn''t be a big threat to us. Since he was just a normal human and easy to control, Adrian finally agreed to let him out.


    "That place might be in the ''Blood'' gang''s area!" Franklin said. "Since they got involved with government officials, we often see their members around there!"


    Franklin seemed very scared of this "Blood" gang.


    "Let your master help you get rid of this rival completely!" Adrian said, standing up to leave. He felt bad about always getting free massages.


    "Wait a minute!" I quickly stopped Adrian. Since coming to Earth, I think Adrian got too much into this "taking disciples" thing. First Raydwin, and now this Franklin guy. I reminded him quietly, "You''re not really going to teach him, right? Don''t forget, he''s a gang boss! He just tried to shoot us earlier!"


    "Of course not! I just want someone who knows the area well to be my guide," Adrian replied, shaking his head. He was thinking ahead more than me. We didn''t know M-country well. We couldn''t always have Luke Channing with us for communication. Franklin, who often dealt with the "Blood" gang, could give us a lot of useful information for our mission to the IAA headquarters.


    "Don''t show off too much. Try to stay within what Earth people can do," Luke Channing warned. Since we were just trying to get the enemy''s attention, we had to play the part well. The most important thing was not to make the vampire Ancestor too alert. Luke Channing offered various modern military equipment to choose from, but Adrian didn''t like them much. In the end, he chose to use the submachine guns the local gang had used before.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 154: IAA Headquarters Falls

    "Why not use the better stuff?" Luke Channing couldn''t understand. The gear from H-country was top-notch, but Adrian picked the beat-up weapons that street thugs love.


    "Very nice choice, that''s also my style!" Franklin said, trying to please Adrian. He didn''t really get what we were up to, but he still praised the choice.


    What weapons Adrian used didn''t really matter. I thought for a bit and handed him our only vampire radar.


    "The elements in M-country are much stronger than in H-country. This means vampires here are more powerful. The vampire Ancestor is even worse! With this radar, you can at least sense if the vampire Ancestor shows up. It might also help find Raydwin," I explained.


    We couldn''t guess how strong the upgraded vampire Ancestor was. Since I meant well, Adrian took the radar without arguing and left with Franklin.


    About ten minutes after they left, H-country military gave the order for all teams across M-country to start their missions.


    "They''re still on the way. It''ll be a while before they reach IAA headquarters. Want to check on the other teams?" Luke Channing suggested. Adrian''s video feed was boring - just two guys in a car driving to their target.


    "Sure!" I nodded. Modern tech is amazing, especially military tech.


    "Amazing! Feliciana from World 14 has already taken down several dangerous nuclear facilities in such a short time!" Luke Channing exclaimed. "The contact personnel with her said it was like a whirlwind tour. At each base, they only stayed for a few seconds before Feliciana said it was done, then she''d drag him to the next target!"


    "What about the other teams?" I asked. I wasn''t surprised by Feliciana from World 14''s performance. I knew how strong she was, and she could teleport.


    "Most teams have sent in their reports. Overall, things look good. Some have taken their first targets and are moving to the second!" Luke Channing shared more good news. Most teams had high-level angels like me, so big problems were unlikely. If this kept up, we''d soon remove the nuclear threat from M-country.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "How are the people from World 11 and 12 doing?" I asked, worried. Feliciana from World 11 was especially dangerous, and Feliciana from World 12 was too cunning. With everything going so well, I was most concerned about those two causing trouble.


    "No unusual situations so far..." Luke Channing shook his head. Even though the teams with Feliciana from World 11 and 12 were closer to each other now because they changed targets, thankfully nothing weird happened. Their contact personnel were reporting regularly, and everything seemed normal.


    "Uh... Teams 6 and 8 say they''re having a harder time. They''re facing tough resistance! But they still promise to finish on time!" Luke Channing reported some not-so-good news a few minutes later.


    These two teams were mostly lower-level angels like Reed from World 9 and other worlds. They weren''t as strong in a fight. But with Reed there, I wasn''t too worried. Even Reeds from other worlds probably had amazing tricks up their sleeves.


    The only team we hadn''t heard from was Cyra''s rescue team.


    "They haven''t sent any updates - no text, voice, or video. Headquarters is really worried. We can only wait," Luke Channing said, checking the software again. He switched the screen back to Adrian''s feed.


    We had no idea that Adrian''s situation was super intense. While we were focused on other teams, he and Franklin had reached IAA headquarters and were in a fierce gunfight with the guards.


    "Yeah! It''s amazing! Shoot! Shoot them!" Franklin cheered excitedly. Adrian left him in the car, but he could still see what was happening. Through Adrian''s chest camera, it looked like a shooting game to me - like playing with invincibility and auto-aim on.


    The fight was intense. We planned not to upset the vampire Ancestor too much, so Adrian had to use Earth weapons. We wanted them to think it was just humans trying a rescue.


    But Adrian was way better than normal Earth people. At his level, guns weren''t very dangerous. No matter how many enemies or how many bullets, he could dodge them just by listening and sensing where they were.


    When Adrian shot back, his super-sharp sense of space and control meant he didn''t need to aim. Even while jumping and moving, he could easily hit one target per shot. Luke Channing kept shaking his head, saying Adrian was wasting his talent with a submachine gun - he could use a sniper rifle with no problem!


    Just like we guessed, vampires controlled most of IAA. The whole headquarters was full of red dots on the radar. The security guards included many from the "Blood" gang Franklin mentioned earlier. There were so many of them! The whole building was like a fortress. Even a regular army would have a hard time taking it.


    But Adrian was making IAA headquarters a bloodbath with just one old submachine gun. He didn''t even get dusty. I grabbed the microphone and kept reminding him:


    "Take it easy! Don''t forget to hold back! Can''t you miss a few shots?"


    But it was too late. The security people rushing to help were almost all gone. In just a few minutes, Adrian accidentally wiped out most of the enemy forces. In the end, he had to pretend to roll around, acting like he barely dodged the few bullets left, before charging into the headquarters building.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 155: The Rescue Team

    "Taking it easy is so hard! This is my first time using Earth weapons in real fighting. To be honest, they''re much better than bows and arrows! ... I wish I had bent the gun barrel a bit before starting!"


    Adrian, running wild in the building, explained over the radio. He quickly took care of a few IAA staff trying to stop him.


    "Never mind that now! You''ve already dealt with most of the guards around! Keep a close eye on the radar. If you see the Vampire Ancestor coming, run away fast!"


    Nobody knew if the Vampire Ancestor had noticed something wrong. My mind was a mess as I kept warning Adrian.


    There were plenty of well-armed people guarding the IAA headquarters. It should be enough to deal with Earth people. If they notice that place has fallen, it will make them very suspicious. The Vampire Ancestor will surely come, just like when they attacked Wayne Peng before. Even if Adrian is strong enough to win, he must avoid meeting the Vampire Ancestor. Adrain can''t kill him quickly, and we can''t let the Vampire Ancestor feel any real danger to their life before the other teams finish their jobs.


    "I don''t understand what Number 14 Feliciana is thinking! If she had come to quickly kill the main culprit from the start, we wouldn''t be in this mess now!"


    The situation had become quite dangerous. I hit the table hard in frustration and complained, "I don''t get it at all!"


    "Careful..." The old table in the gangster hideout couldn''t handle the hit and started shaking. Luke Channing quickly steadied the expensive computer equipment. As he warned me, he suddenly looked confused.


    "Can Number 14 Feliciana really kill that Vampire Ancestor so easily?"


    "Maybe. You don''t know?" I looked at him, annoyed. But thinking about it more, it made sense that Earth people might think Number 14 Feliciana was about the same level as me.


    "Of course I don''t know! The mission details only said that she volunteered to General Lee. She said she learned a special magic that could kill many low-level enemies quickly. Her other selves from other worlds can''t do it. Plus, she showed it using animals, so we agreed to her mission idea!"


    Luke Channing looked confused. I wasn''t surprised. The whole mission was Number 14 Feliciana''s idea. It was probably to achieve her goal of "fixing the world line" or something. Everyone was just a piece in her game!


    But being used is fine! As long as we all want the same result in the end, it''s okay. Even if I wanted to object, I don''t have the power to do so.


    So even if things are tough, we have to follow the plan step by step and try to do our part as best we can.


    "Next, we need to find the jail and rescue people. The IAA headquarters is very complicated inside. The floors above ground are mostly offices and labs..."


    Luke Channing took out a map and skillfully guided Adrian through the headquarters building over the voice channel. "Based on the information we got before, the intelligence department''s jail cells are probably underground. You need to find an elevator or emergency stairs going down first!"


    This process would take several minutes. Plus, there were always people in the building trying to shoot at Adrian. As someone who had never been there before, Adrian would likely take even more time.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Wait a second, I think someone just... came online! Is that what this light means?"


    I suddenly noticed that a green dot had lit up on the video overview screen.


    "That''s the video signal from the rescue team. It means someone on their team just turned on their camera!"


    Luke Channing quickly switched the live video feed.


    It was really them! We saw Cyra and Reed right away. Of course, this Reed wasn''t from our world, but probably from World 12.


    But the rescue team didn''t look like they were doing well. Most of them were covered in wounds. They must have been in a very fierce battle before.


    "This is bad. They can''t hear us!"


    Luke Channing tried calling on several voice channels but got no response. This meant the rescue team''s communication equipment was either lost or broken. Luckily, we could at least watch remotely to understand their situation.


    "This is crazy! Who would have thought this abandoned military base had so many vampires? It''s completely different from the information we got before! Are your people reliable at all? Even angels have a hard time dealing with bullets, not to mention having to watch out for grenades and other heavy weapons!"


    This was Reed from World 12 complaining. Her background looked like it was in front of a row of military warehouses.


    From the others'' conversation, we learned that several people on the rescue team had died soon after the mission started, including the communication personnel like Luke Channing!


    "It''s not so bad. This is just a small matter in our world''s adventures! Besides, we''ve already made it through, right? The enemies are all cleared out now, aren''t they? But we haven''t seen any sign of Wayne Peng. We can only head towards the dock area next. There seems to be a very big submarine stopped out there on the sea... So that''s a nuclear submarine?"


    Cyra, with six wings spread behind her back, was the Cyra from our world. She still had that carefree attitude, making the sign of the cross on her chest and bragging. But compared to when she first left Edenmere, she was much stronger now.


    The rescue team was probably the strongest of all the teams. After all, their main goal was to rescue people. They had the most angels, and they also had a few H-country soldiers with lots of fighting experience.


    In a way, the Vampire Ancestor guessed right that the H-country army would come to rescue, so they set a trap on purpose. But unfortunately, they guessed wrong about the target. H-country''s rescue target wasn''t the IAA headquarters, but this abandoned base.


    But now it looks like even with two six-winged angels and one two-winged angel in charge, the rescue team still ran into big trouble - they had casualties, and the people who died included the important communication officer!


    "How did this happen? Are you sure your information is correct?"


    I couldn''t help feeling worried and turned to ask Luke Channing. Even though everyone knew from the start that there would be casualties, it would be one thing if it happened to some other teams. But this was the rescue team, with three angels!


    "That place has always been an abandoned military base! We can only guess that after M-country was taken over by vampires, it was secretly put back into use. With a nuclear submarine docked there, it makes sense that they would increase security. But we didn''t expect it to be this strong..."


    Luke Channing looked confused too, having seen the angels'' terrifying fighting power firsthand. Since we could only watch one way and couldn''t ask questions through the voice channel, we had no idea what kind of battles they had been through.


    No matter how you look at it, this abandoned military base is definitely not a normal place, to have so many vampires gathered there! Suddenly I had a bad feeling, thinking Cyra might run into even bigger danger later...


    "Why did you take that thing out? Using a camera means the H-country headquarters can see everything. I don''t mind, but are you sure the others won''t care?"


    Obviously, Cyra noticed someone turning on the camera. She came right up to look curiously at the lens, blinking her big eyes, which was quite cute.


    "Uh... it''s required by the higher-ups. If the situation allows, we must always wear the camera! Unfortunately, all the communication equipment is broken, so we can''t contact the command center for now. But they might be able to understand our situation through the camera!"


    The person wearing the camera must be one of the surviving H-country soldiers. Their voice was shaking a bit after surviving the danger. Although we couldn''t see their face in the video, we could hear them speaking clearly.


    "Don''t worry! If you don''t want to be filmed, I''ll try not to put you in the camera frame!"


    Seeing that the others didn''t respond, he quickly added this.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 156: An Unexpected Turn

    "In real danger, who has time to worry about being filmed?" Reed from World 12 was clearly one of those people Cyra said would care, but she just quietly moved herself out of the camera frame.


    "That''s great!" Luke Channing finally let out a long sigh of relief when he saw this. The only camera they managed to turn on was kept safe. Otherwise, the rescue team would have lost contact again.


    To be honest, Cyra was in a special situation. What secrets were hidden in this abandoned M-country base? Not just us, but many people, including the H-country command center, were very interested.


    "I think I found the interrogation room!" Just then, Adrian''s voice came through the short-range radio.


    As Luke Channing said, the interrogation room in the IAA headquarters was on the lowest underground level of the building. There were also many jail cells there.


    "Strange, they all seem empty!" But after checking several jail cells, he didn''t see any prisoners. Adrian started to doubt if Raydwin was really being held here.


    "In such a big M-country intelligence agency building, there''s not even one prisoner?" I wondered if the Vampire Ancestor set this trap hoping to catch us.


    "That shouldn''t be the case! Usually, anyone caught by the IAA would be locked up there..." Luke Channing had switched the video back to Adrian''s side. He carefully studied the IAA building map again. Suddenly, he noticed a familiar-looking body lying on the jail floor and quickly asked Adrian to move the camera closer to it.


    "I know him! He''s one of the scouts survived after being attacked by vampires!" This was shocking. After Wayne Peng''s team were attacked by the Ancestor himself, two team members did manage to escape. Those two members worked hard to track down where the other captured prisoners were taken, which led to the rescue team being quickly put together.


    Shortly before our mission started, they lost contact again. Given how dangerous M-country was now, this seemed normal and expected. After we came here, we kept trying to contact them, but we never thought we''d find traces of them among the enemy bodies.


    "They must have known I was coming to break people out of jail, but they still shot at me without hesitation. This shows they had already been turned into vampire!" Soon, they found another body nearby. If Luke Channing hadn''t pointed it out, Adrian wouldn''t have recognized these two guys.


    The situation had clearly become more complicated. When exactly were they infected? Maybe the spies the M-country president mentioned being arrested in his public speech weren''t actually Raydwin and Wayne Peng, but these two!


    But if these two had already fallen when Wayne Peng''s team were attacked, then the later information about where the prisoners were taken would be very suspicious - maybe the abandoned M-country base was just a trick by the enemy!


    "We must find a way to warn the rescue team. They might face even more danger!" Thinking about how Cyra and the others had already been through an unusually tough battle, I quickly warned Luke Channing.


    But the problem was that the rescue team''s communication system was already broken.


    "They seem to have found something new!" Surprisingly, when Luke Channing switched the screen back to Cyra''s side, he saw the camera had moved to a very open indoor space, and there seemed to be more people around.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    One of them was undoubtedly Cyrae. Disguised as a human mage from a parallel world, she hadn''t been seen on screen before.


    From their conversation, we could roughly understand the part of the story we had missed. It turned out that when Cyrae was searching the buildings in the abandoned military base, she accidentally found a huge magic circle in a warehouse!


    Then, according to Reed from World 12, this magic circle seemed to be a kind of space transfer magic circle. In other words, were the vampires trying to build a new transfer channel on Earth?


    In theory, this should be impossible. After all, Earth is extremely lacking in earth elements. Dreaming of building a new transfer channel to another world is just wishful thinking! But the situation in M-country was a bit different. The gathering of many magical creatures caused a large-scale breakdown of the Battle Qi that was originally very rich in Earth''s environment. This was why I felt a rise in elemental energy after coming here.


    The extra earth elements could, to some extent, make the space transfer magic circle work. Although it still couldn''t reach the level of connecting to another world, if the target was set on Earth, it should be no problem.


    "So, the vampires actually wanted to open a space transfer channel directly to H-country, and we accidentally stopped them?" Cyra concluded. As for why they wanted to do this, it was easy to guess. After all, H-country was the only country with angels who could threaten the vampires, and the space channel connecting to another world was also there. It made perfect sense for the vampires to want to counterattack.


    "That was my achievement, okay!" But the voice that cut in was Raydwin!


    Wow, he actually appeared on the rescue team''s side! "If I hadn''t used my wit to escape from the vampires and hide in the nearby forest, and then managed to take out their truck transporting magic circle materials, this magic circle might have been completed early!"


    Unlike Reed, who had deeply studied elemental principles using scientific methods, the space transfer magic circles commonly used on the Eldoria Continent are actually very complex elemental manipulation systems. The whole magic circle area is designed to be quite large and needs some special materials.


    Some materials like Mithril simply don''t exist on Earth. Although they can be replaced by more common items to some extent, even for vampires who control all the resources of M-country, gathering everything isn''t easy. Raydwin''s actions could indeed have caused the whole plan to end early.


    However, what I cared about most right now wasn''t this issue, but the fact that we saw Raydwin with the rescue team!? This meant that after he was captured by the Ancestor, he wasn''t kept in the M-country capital, but was taken to this abandoned base by the sea along with Wayne Peng''s team.


    "This is ridiculous. You call that escaping on your own? It was clearly Chan Layne who let you out! If Chan Layne hadn''t been with you, with your beginner-level skills, you couldn''t have hidden in this wild area for so long, let alone destroy the enemy''s transport truck! So why did you have to come out and be a soldier? Wasn''t it good enough to sit at home and play computer games?"


    Although Cyra had been very eager to join the rescue mission for Raydwin but failed, now that they unexpectedly met during the mission, she still behaved like she didn''t welcome him. It was clear that she was actually a bit unhappy about Raydwin''s decision to join the H-country military.


    "Mind your own business! What''s wrong with me making a contribution to my country and humanity? Although I''m not as good as my master, I''m much stronger than ordinary people now. I''m more than capable of dealing with regular vampires! Moreover, Officer Chan Layne said so too. Without me, it would have been impossible to successfully intercept that truck!"


    Raydwin''s face turned red immediately. I have to say, he really cared about Cyra''s attitude towards him. The two of them argued back and forth, and no one else could get a word in.


    Next, the camera showed Wayne Peng and other main rescue targets going through the purification process. It seemed the operation was going more smoothly than imagined! Luke Channing and I could roughly understand the whole picture from their conversation.


    It turned out that the turning point came from Chan Layne, the deputy leader of the scout team. Although the entire scout team, except for Raydwin, had indeed been infected and controlled, only Chan Layne somehow woke up on his own after a while.


    Of course, no one else, not even he himself, knew exactly why this happened. But I suddenly remembered that I had once used memory alteration magic on Chan Layne! Although only a small amount of light element remained in his brain, it was enough to resist the mind control of low-level vampires.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 157: Where Did the Vampire Ancestor Go?

    After Chan Layne got his mind back, he didn''t run away right away. Lucky for him, the other vampires didn''t notice. This gave him a chance to rescue Raydwin.


    Raydwin survived because his Battle Qi was so strong. They say the Ancestor really wanted Raydwin''s power and tried to make him a special vampire, but it didn''t work.


    When the two got free, they knew that even if they could save Wayne Peng, it wouldn''t mean anything if they couldn''t purify. They knew H-country would send people to help later. Also, this M-country base was in the middle of nowhere and hard to get to. So they decided to hide near the base and wait for a chance to act. They only came out when Cyra and her team arrived and made a lot of noise. Raydwin followed the sound and happened to meet Cyrae.


    Then he quickly took the rescue team to where Wayne Peng and the others were "working" - the magic circle warehouse we''re seeing now.


    "A nuclear submarine docked at the port a while ago. The infected people might have gotten on it. There are probably more strong vampires at the port. We must go there and clean them all!" Raydwin said.


    Seeing that Wayne Peng was finally awake, Raydwin stopped arguing with Cyra and started leading everyone towards the sea. This old base was very big. Without someone knowing the way, it would be hard to know where to go first.


    "Wait a minute, don''t rush!" Cyrae suddenly called out to everyone. She seemed to notice something wrong and asked nervously, "You said the Ancestor was trying to control Raydwin in this base. So where is he now?"


    "Don''t worry, since we destroyed that truck of magic materials, the Ancestor hasn''t shown up for a long time!" Raydwin waved his hand. He had already taken weapons and gears and was fully armed.


    "That''s right. We think the Ancestor might have left this place because the magic circle isn''t working anymore," Chan Layne explained further.


    So the Ancestor might not be in the old base now? Hearing this, I couldn''t help but feel relieved. When I first saw Raydwin appear, I was worried about this possibility too. After all, infected humans couldn''t make things like magic circles. Only real vampires from another world could do that.


    "No, wait! I think I can feel a strong dark energy coming this way!" Cyra suddenly looked towards the side, very worried.


    Right after she said that, there was a huge boom. The whole video on the laptop became a mess. The H-country soldier wearing the camera was clearly attacked suddenly. After just a few seconds, the signal was completely cut off.


    "Oh no, what happened to them? Was that the vampire Ancestor?" Luke Channing kept trying to adjust different settings on the software, but it didn''t work.


    I have to say, it was almost exactly the same as when Wayne Peng was attacked while talking to us before. And from a corner of the screen, we seemed to see the shadow of the Ancestor''s bat wings!


    "How''s it going at the IAA headquarters? Did the enemy send more help?" I quickly picked up the radio and asked Adrian on the other side.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Uh... just like you guessed before, the enemy figured out something was wrong. The radar shows several new red dots leaving the ''Blue Palace'' and moving quickly towards me! From the size and color of those red dots, these should be pretty strong vampires, about level five. I guess this means our plan to get their attention worked!"


    Adrian had finished his job and was heading back, almost at the IAA building exit.


    "Are any of those the Ancestor?" After all, this is the capital of M-country, and most of the high-level vampires are gathered here.


    "I''ll have to check..." But this question stumped Adrian. After all, he had never actually seen what the Ancestor''s radar signal looks like.


    This new vampire radar that Reed made has fixed some problems from the old version. It''s easier to see how strong the enemies are from the size and color of the red dots, and it can see further too.


    After looking for a bit, Adrian came to a conclusion: "It doesn''t look like it. They''re all about the same size and color, which means they''re the same level. They should still be servant vampires!"


    Through the camera on his chest, Luke Channing and I could also clearly see what the radar showed. With the bigger range, it could just cover the "Blue Palace". After those red dots Adrian mentioned left, we could finally see a bit of the president''s house area that used to be full of red dots!


    At the same time, a circle much bigger than the other red dots, and so dark it was almost purple, finally showed up on the edge of the radar!


    "Whoa, what''s this purple circle... pancake thing? This must be the Ancestor, right? So he''s been hiding in the M-country president''s house the whole time?" Luke Channing was shocked. He saw what happened to the rescue team, but the radar shows the Ancestor is still in the "Blue Palace". Which one is true?


    "This isn''t right at all. From the size of this purple mark, the Ancestor must be at least level seven or higher. How is that possible?" Adrian said this in disbelief.


    I suddenly thought of something. We don''t know where Wayne Peng''s old vampire radar is. We can''t rule out that the enemy found it and figured out how to trick it. So could this be a trick to make us think the Ancestor is still in the M-country president''s "Blue Palace"?


    "Could the radar be wrong?" Thinking about this, I quickly turned and asked, "How are the other teams doing?"


    "Most of them are done their jobs. There are only one or two teams left, including team of Number 11 Feliciana..." Luke Channing looked at the report from the H-country command center. Halfway through, he frowned. "They haven''t contacted us for a long time. The latest update shows they''ve reached the last target base, but there''s no sign the Ancestor tried to stop them!"


    "This is still too strange!" Adrian''s confused voice came through the radio. He and I basically had the same thoughts.


    Earlier, we guessed that big purple circle on the radar might be a trick. But doing that doesn''t help the vampires at all! If the Ancestor wanted to sneak in to attack us, it looks like it only affected the rescue team. This doesn''t make sense!


    "Guys, here''s the question now! If the Ancestor is really with the rescue team, shouldn''t we go help them right away?" After all, our team''s job is to wait for the right time to completely destroy the vampire Ancestor! Luke Channing had no idea what to do. He''s just a communication soldier. He could only look at me for an answer.


    Actually, based on what happened to the rescue team, even if we go now, we might be too late! But what if the radar isn''t wrong?


    "This M-country problem isn''t as simple as you think. It can''t be solved just by killing the vampire Ancestor!" For some reason, I suddenly remembered something Number 14 Feliciana once told me.


    Back then, I didn''t pay much attention to what this sentence meant. But in this confusing situation now, I suddenly felt cold sweat on my back. I had a very bad feeling.


    "I need to go check myself!" I can''t think about too much now! Most of the M-country nuclear bases have been cleaned anyway, and the rest probably won''t take long. To confirm my guess, and to find out where the real Ancestor is, I have to go to the "Blue Palace"!


    "Take this with you!" As I was about to run out the door, Luke Channing quickly threw a small box to me.


    It was a tiny communicator that looked like a Bluetooth earpiece. You can''t really see it from the outside when it''s in your ear! It can connect with satellites and all kinds of radio waves to talk anytime, anywhere. It''s one of H-country''s top military technologies.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 158: Meeting an Old Acquaintance Again

    "We should stay in touch all the time!" Luke Channing, the communication officer, always remembered his job.


    When I got outside, I spread my wings and flew up high above the city.


    Since it was time for the final showdown, I didn''t need to worry about hiding who I was anymore.


    The trip was surprisingly easy. Maybe most of the vampires nearby were attracted by Adrian. Soon, I arrived alone above the M-country president''s house, the "Blue Palace".


    "I heard you left early? Looks like one or two teams haven''t finished their jobs yet. Is this really okay?" Adrian''s voice suddenly came from the small earpiece.


    "Those worries don''t matter now!" I turned on the microphone to answer.


    Before, Adrian''s worries would have been important. We were supposed to wait until all other teams finished their jobs, to avoid making the Ancestor feel threatened and launch nuclear bombs in desperation.


    But now, things are totally different! Suppose the Ancestor really showed up where the rescue team is. That means he already knows what we''re trying to do! Since we can''t get there in time to help, we need to find out the secrets hidden in this "Blue Palace" as soon as possible.


    As for the other possibility, if the Ancestor is actually still in this mansion below me, then the radar shows he might be stronger than me!


    In this case, the idea that the Ancestor would feel his life is in danger is nonsense! Even if it''s true, I can''t just sit by and watch him threaten the whole Earth without doing anything!


    "I''m coming right now, wait for me!"  Adrian clearly realized how serious the problem was.


    But it''s quite far from the IAA headquarters to here, and Adrian can''t fly. It''s not something he can do in just a few minutes.


    Moreover, enemies kept coming out of the "Blue Palace", and I couldn''t pay attention to anything else. I had to put the communication aside for now and focus on dealing with these high-level vampires who seemed to be the Ancestor''s personal guards.


    "It''s really an angel attacking! Everyone, quickly guard all the important passages. We must protect the President''s safety!"


    Soon, I heard many noisy shouts from below. Even though I was floating hundreds of meters high in the sky, the enemy noticed me.


    "President?" Could they be protecting the M-country president who was turned into a vampire? When I heard this, I was stunned for a moment, but soon thought it was nonsense.


    As the president of M-country, it''s not surprising if the Ancestor treated him specially and made him a high-level vampire. But he definitely can''t be the "purple pancake" target I''m looking for!


    These vampires changed from infected humans don''t have any flying abilities. The only thing they can do against an eight-winged angel high above is defend. They use their bodies to block every entrance and exit of the "Blue Palace" tightly.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    But I didn''t come here to waste time with these servants.


    "The light elements around here are quite plentiful. They can help me use large-scale magic!" I snapped my fingers twice without hesitation. Two thick "Paradise Lost Shockwaves" covered the whole area of the "Blue Palace". In just a moment, the whole purification process was done.


    As for the magic power inside me, without any doubt, these two big moves used up most of it. But light elements quickly filled it up again through the wings on my back.


    According to what Reed said before, after the Battle Qi in Earth''s environment is broken down faster by dark elements, it should keep producing more equal amounts of different types of elements through chain reactions. The light element feeling around the "Blue Palace" is so strong, which means the matching dark elements have probably been absorbed, used to make the vampires stronger.


    "Was that noise just now you? It looked like your magic?" Adrian''s worried voice came from the earpiece again. Two bright beams of light came down from the sky. Like other local M-country people, he saw this beautiful scene from far away.


    "That''s right!" I tapped the communicator and answered. After two rounds of attacks, they all lost consciousness and turned back into humans. They can''t be any threat now.


    But things weren''t over yet...


    The biggest problem now is that the dark element feeling around the "Blue Palace" didn''t get weaker. Instead, it all gathered in one place inside the "Blue Palace", on some strong monster that''s still alive.


    In other words, is this the "President" the servants wanted to protect?


    Sure enough, Adrian immediately told me what he found out in a very worried voice:


    "Almost all the small red dots have disappeared, but that purple pancake the radar showed before hasn''t gotten any smaller!!"


    "I know. Now we can be sure this isn''t a radar mistake!". As soon as I landed on the ground, I noticed something was wrong. After getting rid of all the small fry''s interference, feeling the "President''s" real energy up close, it was really hard not to be shocked.


    It''s just too strong, much stronger than expected! Compared to this, those small fry really were just small fry!


    Actually, no matter how strong a monster is, it''s impossible to take a "Paradise Lost Shockwave" head-on without any damage. But now the enemy clearly did this. All signs show they''re not only much stronger than me, but also have some special way to resist light magic!


    The only thing that fits all these conditions must be a monster from another world!


    Of course, it wasn''t this strong at first. It''s hard for me to imagine that after coming to Earth, a monster could grow this much by breaking down Battle Qi!


    But this guy''s attitude seems a bit strange too. Even at this point, it''s still so calm! It keep staying in the room and won''t come out. It''s like they''re waiting for me to come into the "Blue Palace".


    "Things have changed. The enemy is tough. You''d better prepare more before coming!" I gritted my teeth quietly warned Adrian about the situation here. Then I reluctantly lifted my foot and finally stepped into this famous building for the first time.


    No exaggeration, this is the strongest dark element energy I''ve felt in my life! Compared to all the strong enemies before, this "President''s" power is not only beyond level seven, it even seems to be beyond Fernando, who I fought before!


    This kind of scene would be very rare even in another world. According to historical records, in the whole Dark Continent, there''s probably only one monster who could reach this level - that''s the first generation Demon King, Hadan!


    But of course, I''m not facing this so-called Hadan now.


    "How come it''s you?" I walked through the empty hallway and came to the door of the legendary president''s office. After pushing open the door, I finally saw the "President" sitting at the presidential desk.


    "Finally here, you''re so slow!" The president''s chair turned around, and my old acquaintance Camille was smiling at me like a powerful female CEO. At the side of the desk, the real M-country president was standing straight like a professional servant, waiting for orders anytime.


    "How did you get to M-country?" You can imagine my face must have been very interesting at this moment. No wonder we hadn''t heard any news about her since our first fight. But I never expected to meet her again in this place!


    "In the end, it''s all thanks to you and that six-winged angel holding Elara''s Sword of Apollos!" The Camille now looks completely different from when she was in my neighborhood in H-country. After hearing her explanation, I learned that she had gone mad before, but luckily got her mind back because of the light element attack from the angels.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 159: Camilles Dream World

    "We succubus usually face a big danger when we reach 6th level - we lose control and go crazy. Not many can survive this challenge. I''m lucky I made it!"


    Camille seemed in a good mood. Even though we''re enemies, she didn''t attack right away. She asked me to sit on the sofa in the president''s office. The M-country president brought me tea as she ordered. Then she started talking.


    "Don''t all monsters face this challenge?" I asked with a cold smile, sipping the tea. I knew very well about dark elements''s side effects. But I wanted to figure out what she was up to. So I tried to buy time for Adrian to arrive.


    Succubus are special monsters. Unlike others who only get smart after reaching a certain level, succubus are born smart like humans. This helps them use their charm powers better. But it also makes their minds weaker against dark elements''s bad effects. When they get too strong, they easily go wild and crazy.


    Of course, it''s not just succubus. All high-level monsters face this sooner or later. That''s why there are so many monsters, but very few top experts.


    "You don''t understand! I could have reached 5th level years ago. But I had to hold back because of this challenge! Then I got sent to this new world by accident. I couldn''t resist the huge amount of dark elements here..."


    She shook her head, looking frustrated. Even though I mocked her, she stayed calm. She explained what happened to her recently.


    Among Michelle''s elite followers, Camille used to be only 5th level, quite low. But things changed on Earth. As we knew before, the rich Battle Qi here started breaking down into six elements because of the monsters.


    Even Camille didn''t know why she could easily absorb the dark elements in the air. This made her power grow super fast. She couldn''t hold it back like before. In the end, she entered the "Inner Demon" stage.


    "So how did you recover?" I asked.


    The "Inner Demon" is just my way of describing it based on experience. Once you''re in it, it''s not easy to get out. It makes you do many stupid things and get into danger. For Camille, who held back her power for so long before it burst out, recovering should be even harder.


    But she was very lucky to escape when she met Cyrae.


    "It''s thanks to you guys!" she said with a smile. She pointed at her smooth forehead, there used to be a sword wound there, but it''s all healed now.


    The Apollos Sword Cyrae got from Elara is made of light element. When it touches monsters, it causes huge damage. When Camille fought Cyrae, she barely dodged a blow to her head, but got a small cut on her forehead.


    No one expected that the light energy entering her head, though very painful, slowly had a calming effect. It helped stabilize Camille''s messed up mind.


    Once monsters pass this "Inner Demon" stage and get used to dark elements''s side effects, they don''t need to worry about it affecting their brains anymore.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Now Camille has passed that stage. With the endless Battle Qi on Earth supporting her, her growth became super fast. In just a day or two, she''s almost reached 7th level!


    But getting her mind back made her think further ahead. Unlike other monsters, she doesn''t really like fighting and doesn''t hate humans that much. Her next moves are more for her own benefit.


    "After I escaped that day, I realized I probably couldn''t beat you two angels alone. But I wasn''t sure I could break through the humans'' blockade and go back to Eldoria Continent through the space portal. So I decided to leave that city and hide in other parts of this new world. Luckily, I met a friend coming back from another country..."


    This friend was the vampire ancestor that Cyrae and I killed in Tenda Flats! It turns out some monsters had already left Shine Metropolitan long ago. They even used modern transport to leave H-country and go to other countries.


    Unlike succubus, vampires pass the mind demon stage much more easily. This Ancestor, who was also part of Michelle''s elite team, told Camille about one of his kind. Another vampire had already set up a new base on another continent in this world. He needed more people. So Camille decided to join him.


    "Don''t you think this is an amazing world? There are so many humans here. They''ve made many awesome and useful things. But they''re so easy to control. To me, it''s like a dream world! And Rasambla told me the highest leader of this country is called a president. If we control him, we control the whole country! Suddenly, I don''t want to go back at all. I''ve decided to stay in this world and enjoy all the cool tech stuff!"


    At this point, Camille got really excited. After leaving H-country, she truly discovered a whole new world! In this most advanced country on Earth, she found that people here know nothing about the other world. It''s totally different from the Dark Continent.


    Another one who wants to stay! I thought to myself as I drank my tea. I didn''t show any reaction, but I had a lot of thoughts.


    I wasn''t surprised Camille felt this way. Though she''s not a vampire, she''s been causing trouble on Earth all along. M-country falling to the vampires definitely has something to do with her.


    "This Rasambla is the vampire ancestor you wanted to join, right?" I asked. I remembered the name she mentioned and connected it to my final mission target. But some things didn''t make sense.


    The vampire radar tracks vampires by their bloodline. Why was the succubus identified as a vampire Ancestor? And how could she control those vampire minions?


    "That''s right! When I first got here, Rasambla had already controlled most of the country''s leadership. But there were too many people to control. Even his magic wasn''t enough. So I helped him out!" Camille nodded proudly.


    There''s a limit to how many minions vampires can have. They say each personal guard takes a bit of the ancestor''s power. But M-country has way too many people. To control the whole country, one vampire''s magic is far from enough, even with the boost from Battle Qi! So Camille, whose power had grown way beyond before, didn''t hesitate to help.


    "Hmph! We''ve almost controlled all of M-country together. But that Rasambla guy keeps thinking about attacking H-country to get the space portal back and return to Lady Michelle. He has no vision or ambition at all!"


    When I asked where this vampire ancestor is now, Camille got really angry and snorted.


    At first, she just worked with him, sharing power. But later, she found Rasambla''s goals were totally different from hers. After the magic circle was destroyed, they couldn''t find new materials to replace it in M-country. He even wanted to attack other countries to expand. This made their conflict over dark elements worse.


    Whether Rasambla succeeded or failed, Camille couldn''t accept the result. She decided to take over. She used the succubus charm power to totally control Rasambla''s mind, including his previous minions!


    Now she''s become the true ruler of M-country, just like she wanted. Maybe we can call her "President" too?


    "So you monsters can use your powers on your own kind?" I was shocked. In theory, there''s nothing wrong with this infighting. But something still felt weird. What''s the deal between succubus and vampires?

 Vol 5/ Chapter 160: Watching the Battle remotely

    Among monsters, succubus and vampires are great at controlling others. People usually think vampires are stronger because they can spread their "bloodline" to many. But if there''s a big power gap, a succubus can easily beat a vampire with her charm!


    After all, Camille only needed to deal with one guy! Rasambla didn''t suspect his helpful friend at all. He wasn''t prepared, so he fell for her trick easily. He got lost in bed and lost his mind, following all her orders.


    You know, Camille was already deep in the vampire group. So it was easy for her to take over all the minions through the magic connection.


    "Now Rasambla is your man. Is he at the base by the east coast?" I asked eagerly. The truth about the ancestor was clear now. In a way, there were two ancestors, right? One was in front of me, and the other was probably the one the rescue team met.


    "The base by the sea?" Camille was confused for a moment, then quickly remembered. "Yes! I stopped him from making more portals, but Rasambla really liked a human he caught. He kept wanting to find the two H-country prisoners who escaped. By chance, I heard the base was under attack, so I let him go back to check."


    Hearing this, I got worried. So she knew about Cyra and the others attacking? But how did she know? Did H-country''s secret plan to attack the nuclear base leak out?


    But Camille''s next move confused me again. She suddenly remembered something and took out a remote from her desk drawer. She tempted me, saying, "Want to watch? He should be there by now. Shall we enjoy the live show together?"


    She pressed the remote before I could answer. A huge TV on the wall of the president''s office lit up. It showed what was happening inside the abandoned base.


    "What''s going on?" I was shocked. The rescue team lost contact when the cameras broke during the sudden attack. I never expected to see them again like this.


    At first, the camera showed a quiet corner of the base. But Camille switched between a few cameras and quickly found Cyra and the others.


    "This military base had lots of remote cameras before it was abandoned. When I found out Rasambla was using this place and making a space portal, I had my tech guys secretly send the video to me. I wanted to keep an eye on how the magic circle was going. But that''s not needed anymore," Camille explained as she adjusted the view.


    Even though they stopped using the magic circle, the cameras inside were still working 24/7. After all, the H-country prisoners were all in there. And some humans had woken up and escaped before!


    "So that''s how you noticed?" I understood now. To prevent more surprises like Chan Layne escaping, and to watch for H-country rescues, Camille definitely added more guards. She even connected the cameras to the TV in the president''s office so she could check anytime.


    This meant she still didn''t know about the attacks on other M-country nuclear bases.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    At first, she used the M-country president to set a trap. She wanted to lure the rescue team to the IAA headquarters. But that plan didn''t work at all. Instead, she saw Cyra and the others on the cameras!


    The rescue team faced tough resistance at first, but those were just low-level vampires. Cyra and her team could handle them.


    But Rasambla showing up changed everything. Like I saw before the signal cut off, they were in a hard fight now.


    "One six-winged angel can''t win! Don''t worry, I ordered to catch them alive. Your angel friends shouldn''t be in life danger!" Camille said casually, leaning back in her wheelchair. The real vampire Ancestor with bat wings was winning, even though it was one against many!


    Maybe there was a chase that I didn''t see earlier. Now the battle had moved to the port by the sea.


    One camera showed the whole fighting area. I could only see Cyra, Cyrae, and Raydwin.


    I didn''t know if Chan Layne, Wayne Peng, and the other H-country soldiers were alive or dead. I looked all over the screen but couldn''t see Number 12 Reed anywhere. Maybe she died in the first chaos.


    As the camera zoomed in, Camille suddenly stood up and hit the table. She almost couldn''t believe her eyes...


    "Lady Michelle?! Impossible, how can she be here? And she''s fighting Rasambla!"


    Michelle was probably the person Camille feared most in the world. One reason she liked Earth and didn''t want to go back was probably because of Michelle''s harsh rule in the Dark Continent.


    She just decided to betray Michelle, but suddenly saw someone with the same face as Michelle on Earth. Anyone would be shocked.


    "Didn''t you meet her before? How can you think she''s Michelle?" I almost laughed. The person on screen wasn''t Michelle, of course. It was Cyra!


    Unlike usual, Cyra was holding a shining white sword to fight the vampire ancestor. It looked like Cyrae lent it to her.


    "You say we''ve met? Is she the six-winged angel who almost killed me last time?!"


    It seemed Camille''s memories from her "Inner Demon" time were fuzzy. When I mentioned it, she vaguely remembered something.


    The Apollos Sword was very eye-catching and left a deep impression. Plus, Cyra''s six white wings were very different from Michelle''s. Even though she couldn''t understand why someone looked exactly like Michelle, Camille slowly sat down. She tried to cover up her shock by saying:


    "I should really thank her. Without her sword, I probably wouldn''t have woken up! But she really looks too similar..."


    Actually, she should thank Cyrae, not Cyra.


    Of course, I didn''t tell her the truth. Cyrae was still pretending to be a human mage, just helping from the side.


    I never expected to see Cyra as the main fighter one day. Her sword skills definitely couldn''t beat Rasambla. Her magic was always so-so. The only good thing she had was the "Source Magic" she just learned!


    Luckily, the base had some light elements in the air. So she could use this skill. But even Source Magic, if it doesn''t win in one hit, gets weaker each time!


    The light elements left in the air were almost gone. Even when Rasambla got hit by accident, it didn''t hurt much. At this rate, Cyra would definitely lose soon.


    "Strange! You say I fought her before, but she seems so much weaker than I remember! And her moves are very different. Did I remember wrong?" Camille started doubting herself again after watching for a while.


    Even Raydwin, watching from the ground, could see it now. If the Apollos Sword wasn''t so good against monsters, and if Rasambla wasn''t being careful and holding back, Cyra would''ve been knocked out of the sky long ago.


    Of course, it was pretty amazing that Cyra lasted this long. Another reason was that "human mage" helping her from far away. Whenever Cyra was in deadly danger, the mage would shoot a spell or two, really messing up the enemy''s attacks.


    "Is that guy... really a light mage?" Soon, the sharp Camille noticed too. A small, unnoticeable "human" could cast most spells with very little chanting. That was too strange.


    "Cyrae, if you don''t come help, I''m gonna die!" In the end, Cyra couldn''t hold on anymore. Through the cameras, we could clearly hear Cyra''s panicked cry for help as she blocked the claws.


    Rasambla was getting impatient after attacking for so long. He stopped holding back.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 161: The Deal

    "So the other side was deliberately holding back too!"


    Seeing Rasambla''s speed and power suddenly increase, making their situation even more dire, Cyrae turned to Raydwin and ask, "Are you sure all the cameras, microphones, and other monitoring devices have been destroyed?"


    She had been reluctant to use full force mainly because she feared H-country would discover her true identity. But they had no idea that this military base was already full of hidden surveillance cameras. As long as the underground control room hadn''t been damaged, the live feed to the President''s office thousands of miles away wouldn''t be cut off.


    "Everything''s taken care of, just like you asked!"


    Of course, Raydwin thought she meant the personal equipment they''d brought from H-country, so he nodded without hesitation and gave a thumbs up.


    The next second, a dazzling light filled the entire screen.


    Witnessing a second six-winged angel appear out of thin air, Camille couldn''t sit still anymore. Pointing at Cyrae in disbelief, she shouted, "How come there''s another one?! How can there be two people who look exactly like Lady Michelle... Oh, right!"


    She seemed to suddenly remember the latest information she had extracted from the infected prisoners.


    The information had seemed too incredible for Camille at first, but now that she was witnessing the truth with her own eyes, she finally recalled the details.


    "They say something went wrong with H-country''s space portal, it completely went crazy! And many visitors from other worlds came through. They not only look exactly like you but also have the same names. So all that stuff was true?"


    "Wayne Peng told you, right?"


    At first, I was a bit shocked that Camille, all the way in M-country, knew about this so clearly. But I quickly realized it would be stranger if she didn''t know!


    "I think Earth people have a term for this... parallel universes? It means there might be countless versions of myself living in places I can''t see, in other worlds! If I hadn''t accidentally come to Earth, I''d never have known about this stuff! This world is really fascinating!"


    She didn''t deny it, but her thoughts were clearly still absorbed in the information Wayne Peng had provided, unable to calm down from her excitement.


    "In the end, it''s all thanks to you guys! If your minion hadn''t died in the space portal, none of this would''ve happened!"


    Thinking about all the unresolved issues, I felt annoyed and couldn''t help complaining.


    At this point, in the rescue team, Cyrae had reclaimed her inherited weapon and joined Cyra in a new round of battle. It would probably take a while to determine a winner.


    But now that I''d seen what I needed to see, it was finally time for me to lay my cards on the table.


    "Tell me! Why did you lure me to this place and make me watch the live feed of Cyra''s team? What''s your real intention? Do you want to capture my companions to force me to surrender to you?"


    In terms of power, Camille had already surpassed me at this point! The opponent''s purpose in sending Rasambla, the big "boss," to the rescue team''s location should have been quite obvious¡ªof course, it was to defeat the team sent by H-country in one fell swoop, and then use this to threaten me and even all the countries on Earth.


    If there had been only one angel, Cyra, in the rescue team. But now it''s different. Cyrae''s unexpected appearance has ruined their plans!


    Strengthened by Earth''s Battle Qi, Rasambla''s combat power was indeed incomparable to ordinary vampires. However, compared to Camille who had a long time cultivation, it was still far behind!


    But Cyrae''s combat experience was no less than mine, and she had the elemental weapon to boost her power. Although only at the six-winged rank, with the help of Cyra and even Raydwin, she should be able to hold her own! At least Camille''s plan to quickly subdue them was unlikely now.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    As for me, I had to figure out the enemy''s true intentions as soon as possible, before Cyrae''s side potentially ran into trouble.


    "Surrender? You''re overthinking it! I''m very clear about how deep the grudge and hatred between your angel race and us monsters has been for thousands of years! I never expected you to surrender, nor do I need to force you!"


    To my surprise, Camille suddenly laughed when she heard this. She walked straight to the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the President''s office, looked at the scenery outside, and sighed before continuing.


    "Actually, it''s just like what I told you back in the Dark Continent. I don''t want to fight, nor do I like fighting! Back then, I had to follow Lady Michelle''s orders! But now it''s different. I''ve basically broken free from her control, and Earth is the world where I truly want to live in the future! That''s why I brought you to this office, to avoid unnecessary conflict with you, and to propose a deal to you!"


    "A deal? What kind of deal?"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but gape in surprise. I never thought there would come a day when a monster would bring up a deal with me, and in the M-country President''s office!


    However, given that she clearly knew her strength far exceeded mine, if she tried to force things, I probably couldn''t win against her. The fact that she brought this up voluntarily did seem quite sincere.


    "You and your companions came to this far-away country on Earth at the request of H-country, right? Whether your ultimate goal is to rescue your companions or to eliminate me and Rasambla to restore the normal operation of the space portal, I can promise to let bygones be bygones for all past grievances..."


    With the intelligence provided by Wayne Peng, she had indeed guessed quite accurately! Then she very generously expressed that she wouldn''t hold grudges and even agreed to release the captured H-country soldiers. Finally, she stated her own position:


    "My condition is simple. I''m willing to cut off the blood connection left in the space portal, allowing it to return to normal! But you must promise me one thing: as soon as you go back, immediately and permanently close the space portal, completely cutting off all connections between the two worlds!"


    The so-called blood connection actually referred to the dark element left in the space portal after the death of the minion, which hadn''t completely disconnected from the vampire ancestor. It was precisely because of this connection that the dark element continued to gather inside the space portal, unable to dissipate into some parallel time-space.


    According to her, sending Rasambla did have some intention of forcing me to comply and increase her bargaining power. But now that the situation at the base had changed, she had to state her purpose in advance.


    After solving the "Inner Demon" problem, Camille''s power had now skyrocketed to above the seventh level! As long as Earth''s Battle Qi resources didn''t run out, her power would theoretically continue to climb endlessly! But if there was anyone she particularly feared, it was probably only Michelle left, so wanting to permanently close the space portal was naturally understandable.


    Now that she had the vampire ancestor under her control, cutting off this blood connection from the source was theoretically feasible. Plus, she didn''t know that if it weren''t for this accident, the space portal would have slowly disappeared on its own...


    Such tempting deal conditions!. For me, being able to easily restore the space portal to normal without risking my life should be considered a great benefit!


    "What about you? And how will Rasambla be dealt with? Once the portal is closed, you''ll be living on Earth forever, right? And I guess you''ll continue to be the President of M-country, ruling the country?"


    But unfortunately, I didn''t immediately give an affirmative answer. In fact, if I were just an Edenmere angel born and raised there, with no memories of life on Earth, I might have agreed to Camille''s sincere request for a deal without hesitation.


    However, allowing high-level monsters to stay on Earth from now on, given what they''ve done so far, I highly doubted what kind of hardships future Earth humans would face.


    "Earth people have such a prosperous civilization, but they know nothing about the power of spirit and magic! If I were to be the president of the strongest country in this world, I think I could make this country even better! One day, when we fully understand what the technology here is all about, as long as we completely integrate magic and elements, we might even be able to make this entire Earth, this entire world, into the most perfect world!"


    I have to say, Camille''s goals were indeed quite grand! At this moment, it was as if she had already pointed out the direction for Earth''s future, just waiting to wave her hand, and her faithful minions and subordinates would execute her will, sacrificing themselves to build her ideal homeland!


    "What about the humans on Earth then?"


    I pointed directly to the key issue. Her words sounded very nice, but undoubtedly, there was nothing simple behind them.


    "Your angel race has no agreement with the humans on Earth. From an ethical standpoint, you actually have no obligation to help them! And although I''m a monster, I have no personal grudge against you. I simply want to stay here! As long as the space portal disappears, from now on I won''t have to worry about being controlled by Michelle, and you and I will no longer have any reason to be enemies."


    Camille clearly had no idea about my special connection with Earth. Hearing me asking about her future plans, she thought I was still stuck in the mindset of the thousand-year-old hostility between the two sides, and continued to persuade me earnestly.


    "I am truly negotiating with you in good faith. I personally have never intended to be enemies with you or any member of your angel race! Once you return to your own world, we''ll be people from two different worlds! Don''t forget, Earth itself has nothing to do with you, right?"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 162: Defeat

    Actually, Camille said she didn''t want to kill all the Earth people. She even promised that she''d only control M-country and wouldn''t let vampires enter other countries. She wanted the two countries to be friends.


    She needed Earth people''s knowledge to build her ideal world, so she had to keep them alive for now.


    But I could tell from her words that she saw Earth people as tools. Once they weren''t useful anymore, they''d be in big trouble.


    "You don''t expect succubi to grow on Earth, right? Just you alone? You know about breeding problems?"


    I couldn''t help but make fun of her. If monsters might replace humans one day, how they have babies is a big issue.


    "Breeding problems?"


    Camille looked confused for a moment. Then she waved her hand and said without care:


    "We succubi are only female, but we can have pure succubus babies with any race! And a scientist I control says dark element can make some parts of genes change fast, so we don''t need to worry about this small problem..."


    What a joke! How could I just sit and watch these crazy outsiders take over Earth?


    Before she finished talking, a big light beam came down from the sky. It broke through the President''s office roof and covered Camille completely.


    To get the first hit, I secretly gathered lots of magic power. My "Lost Paradise Shockwave" was the strongest ever against monsters!


    Normal monsters would die from this attack. Even Rasambla would be badly hurt if not dead! But I was shocked to find the dark element in the light beam didn''t seem to go down much...


    "I see, you decided to say no to my deal? That''s too bad! I''ve been so nice to you!"


    In the end, Camille''s voice came out. I was surprised she wasn''t hurt at all by my strongest attack!


    A see-through black shield covered her body. Camille slowly walked out of the light beam. The M-country President, her servant, was also protected.


    "So this is how you defend? It''s quite rough!"


    I said this, but I felt really bad. This black shield looked like a dark version of "Light Shelter", but it had very little magic - it just used dark element to cancel out light element. It''s like hitting hard with hard!


    But I used almost all of my magic power, plus the extra power from high-level magic. Camille still looked calm, which means she probably has way more power than I thought.


    But I couldn''t be sure. Maybe she was pretending to be strong like me? I quickly changed to blue wings.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Try this one!"


    Calling Water Abyss Sword was my only big move left! The blue Water Abyss Sword appeared in my hand. It looked way cooler than normal weapons.


    "Huh? Your energy almost disappeared. Angels can change wing color? What''s this sword? I''ve never seen it before."


    Camille was surprised by my blue wings. It''s not strange she didn''t know, but this is what I wanted - to surprise her and kill her!


    Right after saying that, I lifted Water Abyss Sword and tried to cut her head!


    But just when it was about to hit, she easily moved aside and dodged it.


    "That''s all?"


    Even Camille was surprised. At first, she thought my change might be super powerful, but then she saw I could only hit her with a weapon, which wasn''t dangerous at all.


    Water Abyss Sword is special, but it''s useless if it can''t hit.


    "Come on, try getting hit once!"


    I turned and swung my sword to chase her. I only knew some healing water magic, and the element change I just learned was only for defense. So I could only fight hard.


    But she wasn''t pretending to be strong like I thought. She still had lots of power left! No matter how close I got, I couldn''t even scratch Camille''s skin with my sword.


    Monsters are naturally stronger in body, and she''s even stronger than me.


    "How about I show you something new too? Don''t worry, I won''t kill you!"


    We fought all around the "Blue Palace" hallway, but I couldn''t get any advantage. Camille could see how weak I was. She pointed a finger, and a black "light beam" came down from the sky, covering us both.


    This was her dark version of "Lost Paradise Shockwave" that she just learned from me. It wasn''t as strong as high-level magic, just using her strong power to make a black pillar, but it still hurt a lot!


    It felt like ants biting all over my body. My whole body got swollen and rotten. This was even after I changed to blue wings with water element all around me.


    Just this one move made me unable to fight! I could only lie on the ground, slowly healing myself.


    "Finally learned your lesson? I think it''d be better if we sat down nicely like before, drinking tea and chatting."


    Seeing me lying on the ground, Camille didn''t attack again. She sighed and tried to convince me again. "How about thinking about my offer again? You''re not planning to stay in this world, right? I heard from H-country prisoners that you were going to leave, but got stuck because of the space portal problem. Earth humans have nothing to do with you, unless there''s something I don''t know that''s keeping you here. So why make trouble for yourself?"


    "You''re right, I have nothing left to care about in this world..."


    Hearing her say this again, I suddenly remembered my parents, and why I chose to leave with Adrian and go back to Eldoria Continent.


    I have to admit, Camille''s sincere attempt to make peace moved me a bit.


    Now I know I can''t beat her, so of course I won''t be stupid and fight for nothing. But if I can''t use force, how can I stop her!


    "Don''t give up! Letting Camille stay on Earth will destroy the Earth''s history. Surely you know why. You must keep fighting, believe in yourself! You can totally beat her!"


    For some reason, or maybe because I was hallucinating while healing, I heard Feliciana No. 14 talking to me.


    Then I opened my eyes, and really saw a Feliciana No. 14 sitting next to me! But Camille was still standing where she was, completely ignoring this new person, like she couldn''t see her at all.


    But if I looked closely, I could see this Feliciana No. 14 was see-through. This means she wasn''t really here, but was having a one-on-one "video call" with me.


    "Come on, you tell me to keep going? Easy for you to say! Why don''t you come here yourself? With your power, beating Camille would be super easy for you, so why don''t you come save this world?"


    Seeing her suddenly made me angry, and I couldn''t help but talk back.


    It seems like everything I''ve been through was part of her plan. I don''t know exactly what her plan is, but clearly, Feliciana No. 14 must have known about Camille, and set things up for me to meet her and fight her.


    "Were you just answering me? No! You seem to be talking to someone else? But there''s no one else around. Or did you get hit in the head?"


    From Camille''s view, I suddenly stood up and started cursing at the air. This strange thing confused her.

 Vol 5/Chapter 163: The Demon-Slaying Gatling Gun

    "Sorry, I can''t help you! The correct history should be you stopping Camille. No doubt you have this ability!" said the image of Feliciana Number 14, shaking her head calmly while still encouraging me to keep fighting Camille.


    I don''t know why she''s still insisting on this nonsense at such a critical moment. Besides, what''s the difference if I defeat Camille or if she does it?


    "But it''s impossible for me to win! Camille has absorbed too much power from Earth''s Battle Qi. You should know this, right? Do you think I can beat her with willpower?"


    The situation wasn''t that I didn''t want to, but that I really couldn''t do it!  Camille had reached or even surpassed the peak level of all demons in history.


    I collapsed on the ground again. But hearing this made Camille even more suspicious.


    "What''s going on? Who are you talking to? Is there someone else hiding here?"


    These strange things finally made her lose patience.  Camille grabbed me off the ground and threatened me with an ultimatum:


    "I''ll ask you one last time! Do you agree to my deal? You have nothing to do with this world anyway. Why force me to take action? Isn''t it better if we all get what we want and go our separate ways?"


    I could tell she really wanted to cooperate with me. Even now, she hadn''t tried to kill me. But after asking this question, it would be hard to say...


    I couldn''t help looking back again at the image of Feliciana Number 14, still sitting on the ground smiling at me. I could only grit my teeth and answer:


    "Sorry, not interested!"


    "You..."


    This time Camille was truly disappointed. She raised her right hand, gathering a ball of pitch-black energy in her palm. Just as she was about to strike me down, she suddenly sensed something behind her. Her whole body froze in place.


    "See, the reinforcements have arrived," said Feliciana Number 14 with a playful voice.


    I tried to look past Camille blocking my view. Finally I saw two fully armed figures in the bright light at the end of the corridor!


    "How can it not matter? Humans on Earth worked so hard to build such a brilliant civilization. Of course I won''t let you demons destroy this world!"


    The newcomer was Adrian. He had finally arrived from IAA headquarters, his body covered in ammunition! But I was completely surprised to see Franklin, the gang boss who had been clamoring to follow Adrian as an apprentice, right behind him.


    What could an ordinary human do in a battle of this level? And how did Adrian allow him to come along?


    "You two think you can show off by popping up here?" said Camille.


    Of course she wouldn''t fear two humans appearing before her, even if one was a rare Battle Qi Awakener.


    But when she turned and saw the weapons they were holding, she couldn''t help but ask in a very strange tone:


    "That thing, I think it''s... a Gatling gun?!"


    Obviously, there were no Gatling guns among the weapons brought from H-country. The only possibility was that Adrian had seized them from inside IAA headquarters.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Master, it''s amazing! I never thought I''d get my hands on such a legendary weapon, and to use it against the demons of lore!" Franklin spoke up first from the back. Even seeing a succubus in the flesh for the first time, he wasn''t afraid at all. Instead, his face showed extreme excitement!


    At the same time, the gun barrels in their hands began to rotate and warm up. Though they hadn''t fired yet, flashes of white light could be glimpsed deep inside the muzzles.


    "Demon-slaying... bullets?!"


    It was too obvious. Camille recognized them immediately. But she had only ever faced demon-slaying arrows with light magic attached by mages before. Enchanted bullets were a first.


    "Feliciana, get down!" Adrian roared a warning.


    I gathered all the strength I had recovered and kicked forward with all my might.


    Camille, whose attention had already been drawn away, was caught off guard and I broke free from her grasp. My whole body fell straight to the ground, then rolled to a corner.


    In the next second, the gun barrels began to roar violently! Metal shell casings flashed with residual light, carrying large amounts of heat and gunpowder, jumping out of the guns in an endless stream, hitting the ground with crisp clanging sounds.


    Normal Gatling guns are known for their strong firepower, but they''re clearly not enough to deal with an opponent of Camille''s level. However, Adrian the Battle Qi awakener was skilled at adding various special effects to arrows. The demon-slaying effect added by Battle Qi was far beyond what ordinary light elements could do. Now he had simply replaced arrowheads with bullets!


    "Damn it, the power is so great!"


    Each bullet that hit the enemy would explode in a dazzling white light. Although Camille was hit quite a bit, it couldn''t cause fatal damage.


    But judging from her reaction, a certain degree of pain and bleeding was unavoidable.


    "Hahaha, that''s so cool!"


    Even the huge gunfire at the scene couldn''t cover Franklin''s crazy shouting. I hadn''t expected that ordinary humans could play such an important role at the critical moment!


    It could only be attributed to the continuous output of the two demon-slaying Gatling guns! Even a demon above the seventh level couldn''t come up with an effective countermeasure in such a short time.


    After all, unlike the pure magic attacks before, Camille''s once proud dark element barrier couldn''t do much against the strong kinetic energy carried by the bullets themselves! But she wasn''t willing to just turn and run away. All she could do was rely on her speed advantage to dodge around, hoping to take as few hits as possible while looking for an opportunity to strike back.


    I carefully stood up against the wall, afraid of being hit by stray bullets, and took advantage of this precious time to speed up my healing. Suddenly I noticed the image of Feliciana Number 14 walking slowly towards me through the hail of bullets, while reminding me:


    "You should understand that although Adrian''s appearance has taught Camille a lesson and bought some time, this kind of offensive can''t last long. Once the bullets run out, everything will return to square one!"


    "Then what exactly should I do?" I couldn''t help but sigh and ask her.


    I knew that of course. I''m just a pawn! Since she''s unwilling to help, I can only rely on myself.


    "You''ve just switched to the blue wing state. Do you remember the method I taught you?"


    Seeing a bullet fly through her forehead without any hindrance and head straight for Camille, Feliciana Number 14''s image disappeared without a trace, leaving only this sentence in my ears.


    So she just ran away? I almost jumped up in anger. But looking back, Adrian and Franklin were still helping me suppress the target, and the Gatling gun barrels were already starting to turn red, showing signs of overheating.


    With no choice, I turned around, took a deep breath, and aimed my palm at the moving Camille in the distance.


    The so-called method refers to the conversion between matter and elements, which to some extent can also be seen as reorganizing external material elements. In a broader sense, it means changing reality.


    This is a unique ability of water angels. Feliciana Number 14 had taught me quite a few related techniques and tricks before. But once it involved controlling and calculating huge amounts of elements, the only result was dizziness.


    After all, without her miniature computer, I couldn''t reach her level by myself. But now I was being forced to use this move against Camille. Could I really succeed?


    "Pour all your mental focus into the target matter you want to control. At first, you can try using your own water magic as a carrier to modify its material element composition. Yes! Just like how you used to convert element types, except this time the target is no longer free energy, but much denser real matter. If you get good at it, the next step is to control external water elements to achieve this effect..."


    These were all contents I had already memorized, but I hadn''t even truly completed the first step before.


    But under the current situation, my goal was only to cause as much destruction as possible. If I only needed to destroy matter and break it down into elements, skipping the subsequent complicated steps of reorganizing elements into matter, the pressure was much less.

 Vol 5/Chapter 164: The Ultimate Move

    "How can I let these crappy human weapons stop me!"


    After being suppressed by two demon-slaying Gatling guns for a while, Camille lost her patience and started to go wild.


    Even though the enchanted bullets hurt when they hit her, they couldn''t do much damage. She endured the pain and bleeding, rushing forward until she was only a meter or two away.


    Just as she was about to succeed in destroying the Gatling guns, Adrian proved he wasn''t to be underestimated. At this critical moment, he suddenly raised the muzzle angle slightly, and the situation suddenly reversed.


    "Aaaaargh!"


    What followed was a true face-to-face barrage. Even though Camille had reached the seventh level, she simply couldn''t withstand such heavy weapons firing at point-blank range.


    Caught off guard, she could only cover her bloody, battered head and retreat over ten meters, hurriedly backing into the President''s office.


    "Don''t let her escape! Chase her!"


    Seeing this, I quickly jumped out and shouted. I hadn''t expected human weapons to be so powerful. Adrian adding Battle Qi to the Gatling guns had undoubtedly given us a glimmer of hope for victory.


    The M-country office was a complete mess! Half the roof and wall had been blown away, exposing the mansion garden outside. Amazingly, the big screen display on the broken wall hadn''t been damaged. Even the wires behind it were mostly intact, still stubbornly broadcasting the rescue team''s battle.


    "You won''t be cocky for long!"


    Seeing Adrian and me quickly chasing after her, with two shiny Gatling guns aimed at her again, Camille took a deep breath and yelled at us angrily, covering her face. She jumped onto the desk and looked down at us, glancing at the screen on the wall.


    The monitor happened to be showing Cyra being targeted by the vampire ancestor, punched out of the sky and struggling to get up. With this major loss to the rescue team''s fighting power, the situation looked very bad!


    "So, want to reconsider my offer? If all your people get wiped out, you''ll have even fewer bargaining chips later!"


    Rasambla clearly had the upper hand, almost certain to win. Camille smiled with satisfaction, trying one last time to persuade me.


    It seemed she''d changed her mind about running away. But no one expected what happened next -


    In the live video feed, Raydwin saw Cyra get hurt and immediately broke away to check on her. But Rasambla spotted him with his back turned - an obvious weak point! So he feinted at Cyrae who''d been tangling with him, then dove down from the sky to try and take out another target.


    "Raydwin, watch out!"


    Cyrae was frantic, but even with the Appollos sword, she still wasn''t quite a match for Rasambla.


    Although Rasambla had calculated all this, the moment his claws were about to reach Raydwin, he never expected Raydwin to suddenly pull out a flash grenade, turn around, and detonate it right in his face...


    If it had been a regular grenade, the vampire ancestor might have only gotten some flesh wounds. But a flash grenade was very different!


    Those of us in the President''s office only saw blinding light fill the whole screen. When everything dusted down, we saw the shocking scene of Cyrae''s weapon piercing through Rasambla''s heart, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    This was it - Rasambla was completely done for. Even though he fell to the ground not quite dead yet, Cyrae was very careful and quickly rushed forward to stab him in the head!


    "Impossible..."


    Seeing her subordinate revert to bat form, Camille forgot to cover her injured face, hardly believing her eyes.


    Although the vampire ancestor''s final attack had badly hurt Raydwin too, it wasn''t fatal - just a serious injury. This unexpected turn of events was a huge win for us!


    But with Rasambla''s death, we suddenly heard piercing alarms go off throughout the military base on the monitor.


    We didn''t know why yet, but our spirits were lifted.


    "What are you waiting for? Keep shooting!"


    Strike while the iron is hot! Adrian and Franklin immediately opened fire again. The dense fire from two Gatling guns forced Camille to scramble around, unable to find a chance to counterattack. She could only leave the President''s office and fly into the sky outside.


    This was the moment I''d been waiting for!


    Just as she steadied herself in the air, I finally locked onto Camille''s exact position and shot a small ball of water element energy I''d prepared into her body.


    According to what Feliciana Number 14 taught me, this water element ball was a medium to change the element type of her body. Once the elements making up her body changed, she naturally couldn''t maintain her original form and would fall apart.


    But in reality, Camille just frowned slightly, seeming to feel a bit uncomfortable, and then... nothing else happened!


    Such a tiny effect, but the backlash on me was huge. My head felt like it was splitting open, very similar to the side effects I got after entering memory fragments at the Soul Academy in Crescent City.


    "Your target area is still too big! The amount of elements to convert requires more energy and calculations than you can handle right now. You must reduce the target area! Focus the element conversion on her vital points, step by step!"


    Feliciana Number 14''s guiding voice suddenly rang in my ears again. Although her image didn''t appear this time, it showed she was closely watching my situation.


    "Reduce the area even more?"


    Hearing this, I could only mutter to myself. Making it even smaller would require much more precise control of water elements, which is harder to master. But where''s the time for all this on the battlefield?!


    Luckily, although Camille glanced at me several times, she couldn''t figure out what I was doing standing there. The demon-slaying Gatling guns were clearly a bigger threat, so she had to focus on dealing with Adrian.


    As for Franklin, for an ordinary person, even a gang boss, it was already amazing that he could carry a Gatling gun and charge into battle here with Adrian.


    Of course, this was thanks to Adrian''s protection and light magic defensive spells, which kept him from getting hurt!


    But now his luck seemed to have run out. Soon after the battle moved to the mansion garden, his Gatling gun ran out of bullets first. All he could do was drop the weapon and run for his life!


    Unfortunately, he didn''t get far before Camille knocked him down with some pebbles she had ready.


    Without his firepower support, Adrian quickly started to struggle alone. Camille had been dodging around in the sky for so long, waiting for just this chance!


    She dove down from the sky again, braving the hail of bullets. But this time Adrian couldn''t use his old trick to fight back. He could only raise his weapon and barely hold his ground! The outcome was obvious - the last Gatling gun couldn''t survive. Camille hated this weapon so much, she grabbed it and stomped it to pieces.


    "Feliciana! Are you ready yet?"


    Now we were back to our original disadvantage. With Adrian''s remaining power, like me, he obviously couldn''t hold out for long. But even though I didn''t have time to explain, he keenly sensed that I must be preparing some kind of ultimate move!


    But Camille wasn''t going to show mercy anymore. She pummeled him with punches and kicks, her strength unbelievable! After a few rounds, Adrian was clearly about to collapse. He couldn''t help shouting: "Whatever big move you''ve got, use it now! Right now!"


    "What big move?"


    Hearing this, Camille was startled. She quickly turned to look at me, finally seeming to realize she''d been deliberately drawn away and stalled.


    Fighting the splitting headache, I''d spent several minutes condensing the water elements in my palm into an unprecedentedly fine needle shape. This target area should be small enough now, right?


    I was going to aim for her heart, but then I thought, who knows how many hearts a succubus has? So I changed to target her head instead.


    "You''ve got to be kidding!"


    Although she still didn''t know exactly what was happening on my end, Camille''s high-level demon instincts clearly sensed a whiff of unusual danger.


    She didn''t hesitate to abandon Adrian, who she''d almost cornered, and flew towards me! At the same time, she fired off that black light pillar she''d copied from me earlier, hoping for a double attack.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 165: A Sudden Turn of Events

    "This is my last move!" I thought.


    Things looked bad, so I threw my thin needle with all my strength.


    It was easier the second time. The water element needle went right through Camille''s head like it was nothing.


    She even put up a dark element shield in front, which could usually stop my "Lost Paradise Shockwave" easily. But it didn''t seem to do much against the water element.


    Everything happened in less than a second - first a tiny hole appeared in the dark shield, then Camille''s whole body froze in mid-air and fell to the ground at my feet. In a flash, she was lifeless and didn''t move at all...


    I did it! Even though only a tiny bit of matter-changing water element got inside her, it took all my energy to make it happen. The nasty side effects were already kicking in again.


    "Move away..." I heard Adrian yelling from far away. He must have seen the whole thing, and was running towards me fast.


    But halfway here, something weird seemed to happen. He suddenly stopped, stared behind me for ages, then finally came to my side.


    "Didn''t we already win?" I was so happy I didn''t get why Adrian was acting so strange. But I couldn''t think about it much - the side effects were hitting me hard and I felt like I was about to fall over.


    Next thing I knew, I lost my balance and fell into his arms.


    Even lying down, I could see Camille''s face close by, eyes wide open in shock. Gross red, white and black stuff was leaking from the hole in her forehead. It was a bit yucky, but I felt it was worth it no matter how bad I felt!


    "You used the Water Angel''s power just now, right? That''s way too dangerous. Why didn''t you talk to me first? Your soul is already not whole - using that kind of power could really mess it up!" Adrian sighed. He sat down on the ground holding me, and started lecturing me like the old Soul Academy principal after checking Camille''s body and figuring out what happened.


    When the water element needle with the element-changing rule went through Camille''s head, it changed all the brain parts it touched into the light element structure I set up beforehand. This light element immediately reacted with all the dark element in her body, like a chain reaction. It bypassed her super tough outer defenses that even a Gatling gun couldn''t break, and destroyed her mind from inside her vulnerable brain. No matter how strong she was, it didn''t matter anymore.


    By the way, the target element to change into wasn''t just light. The Water Angel can actually change any element into any other element - that''s its special reality-changing power. What I can do now is less than 1% of that.


    But as long as I limit the number of elements involved to what my mind and calculating power can handle, I could even pull the water element out of her body to dry her out, in theory.


    "Number 14 Feliciana told me I was supposed to be able to do this stuff in this world''s original history. That''s why she kept teaching me tricks and methods!" I perked up after resting a bit, feeling the headache slowly fading as my energy came back. I quickly reassured Adrian: "So you don''t need to worry. Too bad it looks like I''ve already reached my limit now..."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Even so, the side effects are way too much, especially in the middle of a fight!" Adrian still sounded really serious, pointing out something I''d totally forgotten. "You know what? Not only was using the Water Angel''s power dangerous, but that dark element blast Camille shot at you at the same time didn''t disappear when she died!"


    "Oh yeah! What happened with that?" I suddenly remembered - when Camille rushed at me, she also released a ton of dark element, making a black "pillar" fall from above me!


    If that powerful element attack had hit me in my super weak state after using my trump card, I might have died or at least been badly hurt!


    No wonder Adrian kept yelling for me to dodge. But in the end that deadly danger never actually hit me. I almost forgot about it completely if he hadn''t reminded me!


    "Just when the attack was about to hit you, I saw that black pillar suddenly vanish into thin air for no reason, like it had never existed! Then a Cyra appeared silently behind you out of nowhere. I don''t know which world she was from - she wasn''t wearing any number tag and didn''t even have her wings out! But she only showed up for a few seconds before disappearing again. She probably left already."


    Adrian described what he saw that shocked him so much he couldn''t figure out what was going on. No wonder he was acting so strange.


    "It was really Cyra? But which Cyra has the power to erase Camille''s trump card like that?"


    At first even I couldn''t help questioning it, wondering if he saw wrong. But as I started thinking more, I suddenly remembered - could it be that Number 18 Cyra who kept popping up out of nowhere, like in the base cafeteria and my bedroom?


    That Cyra is totally different from Cyras from other worlds! She always has a water element aura, hardly ever talks, and when she does it''s all choppy and never makes sense. Like there''s something wrong with her mind.


    But whether she has the power to easily cancel an attack from a 7th level monster... Although I''ve never seen this Cyra''s true power, my gut tells me we can''t rule it out, given how she pops in and out like Number 14 Feliciana!


    "Ah whatever, let''s not worry about that now! Since the big boss is confirmed dead, the vampire crisis in M-country should be totally over! If nothing else goes wrong, the space portal should be back to normal now, right?"


    Since we just finished a big battle, I decided to focus on some happy stuff. With Camille dead, all that dark element gathered in her body would slowly scatter in the air, and the magic source controlling the whole vampire bloodline would be gone for good.


    I finally managed to stand up again. To be honest, it was hard to leave Adrian''s arms after cuddling for so long, but I had to force myself to think about how to clean up this mess.


    I bet it won''t be long before nearby M-country humans who got their minds back discover their president''s house got totally wrecked! I don''t want to cause any misunderstandings or chaos, and I definitely don''t want my special identity or Camille''s body exposed to Earth humans.


    "I just got intel! There''s evidence that M-country already started their nuke launch a little while ago!"


    But just as I was about to use my mini-communicator to contact Luke Channing, he interrupted me with this bad news in a super serious voice.


    "No way!"


    Adrian and I could hardly believe it at first. Of course we suspected Camille first - maybe she wanted to take all of humanity down with her as she died!


    But the problem is, things were so quick, and I killed her instantly at the last second. Once she died, her control over her minions would be gone too. She couldn''t possibly have time to pass on orders to the launch site.


    "Uh... This urgent update came directly from Number 0 Cyra on the rescue team - the Cyra from our world! She says she beat the original target, the ancestor, but when investigating the base afterwards, they found some leftover vampires had activated the nuke network launch program! Even though they took out those operators right away, the launch is already in countdown now!"


    The answer came quickly as Luke Channing told us more details.


    Looks like Rasambla might have given the nuke launch order on his own just before he died!

 Vol 5/ Chapter 166: First-Level Attack Status

    Of course the vampire ancestor gave the nuke launch order to his minions through mind-talk. So all the minions under his control in M-country would follow the order exactly, unless someone stopped them!


    "By now, all our teams in M-country must be almost done with their jobs, right? Even if the ancestor gave the launch order, it shouldn''t really matter much, right?" Adrian thought about this and quickly used his communicator to check with Luke Channing again. "Have we taken over all the military bases that can launch nukes?"


    "Most of the teams have reported ''mission complete''! The only ones left are..." Luke Channing answered while checking the military network.


    "Number 12 Feliciana''s team was in a tough fight, but there''s no sign the nuke launch process started there. And just now, they confirmed the enemy is waking up and choosing to surrender!"


    "Great news!" I felt relieved. Of course once Camille died, all the controlled minions would lose their fight and go back to normal. I could finally relax a bit.


    "But there''s another urgent message from Number 11 Feliciana''s team a few minutes ago! It says when Number 11 Feliciana was cleaning up the last target base, she suddenly went crazy, hurt and knocked out the other team members, then flew off alone towards Number 12 Feliciana''s mission location!"


    "What? Number 11 Feliciana ran off?" I got a bad feeling. Most likely their team''s communication officer accidentally let slip Number 12 Feliciana''s location, and Number 11 Feliciana finally couldn''t hold back and went to get revenge. This must be why their team lost contact before! So I quickly asked, "Did they finish the mission in the end?"


    "Unfortunately not!" After a moment of silence, Luke Channing could only sigh and give a negative answer.


    Even though progress showed Number 11 Feliciana''s team had already reached the last target base, they had too many casualties. The remaining team members couldn''t stop the base''s missile launch countdown!


    The H-country mission command center could easily figure out Number 11 Feliciana''s goal, just like I did. But at that time, Number 12 Feliciana''s team was in a fierce fight with enemies at another base. The command center couldn''t let Number 11 Feliciana mess things up at such a crucial moment, so they had to ask Cyra from the rescue team, who happened to be between the two, to go stop her.


    "No way? Cyra volunteered for this job? What about the nukes in the base?" I thought it was weird. Wasn''t Cyra badly hurt and couldn''t get up? How did she have the energy to volunteer to go so far to stop Number 11 Feliciana? And did she have the confidence and ability to do it?


    Also, since the rescue team found the nuke launch countdown in the abandoned base, it means there must be nukes ready to launch there. How could she choose to leave at such a dangerous time?


    Unless someone else stayed behind to help deal with these things!


    "Though the rescue team found the underground launch control panel, they couldn''t find a way to cancel the nuke launch in such short time - canceling needs a password, which was probably changed after the vampires took over! So the command center could only have Raydwin stay behind to work with our military experts on cracking it!"Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Luke Channing''s answer still had many things that didn''t make sense, and even seemed deliberately hidden. For example, Cyrae''s existence was never mentioned at all.


    So we had to check on the rescue team''s situation ourselves! Adrian and I couldn''t help looking at each other, both thinking of the real-time monitor in the president''s office!


    When we fought Camille earlier, most of the president''s office roof was blown off, but that monitor was still working.


    Later when the fight moved outside, the monitor couldn''t have been damaged more. When we got back to the president''s office, we weren''t surprised to find it still showing images from the abandoned base.


    "They''re gone?" Adrian asked, a bit lost. Right now, the camera showed the battlefield where they fought Rasambla was empty. Only a loud warning kept playing through the whole base:


    "First-level attack status, nuclear launch has entered countdown phase."


    ...


    Clearly after the fight, the rescue team left their original positions because of this warning.


    The situation seemed basically the same as what Luke Channing said!


    "There are lots of cameras in that base. Looks like there''s a remote control for them!" I quickly found what I was looking for in a pile of rubble nearby. So glad it still worked! After pressing a few buttons to switch views, we finally saw two familiar faces in what looked like a control room full of gauges and buttons.


    It was Raydwin and Cyra!


    In the earlier close-range flash blast, Raydwin awakened his Battle Qi and was prepared, so he couldn''t have been badly hurt. But Cyra was still lying on the ground with other dead vampire bodies, looking seriously injured. Her healing magic clearly wasn''t working well after using up all her magic power. Someone else must have moved her here.


    "So the one who contacted command and flew off to stop Number 11 Feliciana was actually Cyrae?" Adrian and I had the same guess, since Cyrae was the only one missing.


    Cyrae had destroyed almost all her communication devices to keep her identity secret. She and Raydwin probably realized something was wrong later, then used the control room''s equipment to contact H-country.


    But sadly, the control room''s comm gear was pretty old and outdated, only good for audio. Even with control of the nuke launch panel, cracking the cancel password still didn''t look good!


    Raydwin was a total newbie at cracking passwords. He didn''t dare touch all those buttons and gauges on the control panel. If H-country command didn''t send any instructions, all he could do was wait there.


    Other than that, he just chatted a bit with the injured Cyra.


    "There''s a camera in this room. You think anyone''s watching us right now?"


    Yep, Raydwin spotted the camera we were using to watch them, but he didn''t know who was on the other end. He was just trying to make conversation.


    "It''s just an abandoned base. Who''d watch the monitors all day? Look at all this dust... Even if vampires started using it again, the guy watching monitors is probably dead by now!" Cyra grumbled. Though she was still badly hurt, she could talk a bit. After staying quiet for a while, she spoke again, this time apologizing.


    "I''m sorry. If you weren''t here, I wouldn''t know what to do! Maybe I was wrong when I said you shouldn''t join the army..." She clearly had a change of heart after the brutal fight with Rasambla. But halfway through, she added, "Just to be clear, this doesn''t mean I accept your flirting!"


    "Um... actually you don''t need to take what I said to the camera seriously... Remember when I almost got controlled? So maybe it was actually those vampires messing with me... I couldn''t help it!" The nuke launch program was already started, time was running out! Raydwin didn''t have the mood to dwell on relationship stuff, but he couldn''t think of other topics. He stammered for a while before finally changing the subject. "Hey, don''t you have healing magic? Why haven''t you fixed yourself after so long? If you could get up, at least I''d have some help. Right now I can''t do anything!"


    "What can I do? I used up almost all the light element around here with my source magic. Now I can''t recharge my magic power properly. Even if I use healing magic, it barely does anything!" Actually, even if she was fine, her skills wouldn''t help at all with cracking the nuke password.


    But back in the president''s office, Adrian and I watching through the camera couldn''t be as relaxed as those two. We were super anxious.


    How much time was left? Which places had nuke launch programs started? What were the targets? How powerful were the nukes, and how many bombs in total? We knew nothing! We had no clue! Was this the end?

 Vol 5/ Chapter 167: Reading Memories

    You can imagine the H-country command center must be in total chaos now!


    They just got the good news that all the monsters in M-country were wiped out. But the biggest worry- the nuke problem - still ended up starting the launch countdown.


    Right now, H-country''s top military code experts were all gathered trying to crack M-country''s changed nuke cancel codes. But that kind of thing ain''t so simple!


    "We can rule out the bases that were already cleaned out. That should narrow down the possible targets a lot!" Adrian was staying calmer, trying to comfort me. "If we can find exactly where the missiles are and destroy them before launch, there shouldn''t be any problem, right? Maybe things aren''t as bad as we think!"


    "The problem is we don''t know how many nukes are in each base, or where the missile silos are!"


    Sadly, Adrian hadn''t been on Earth that long, so he was thinking too simply about nuclear deterrence. "If we accidentally miss even one unknown missile, it could lead to the whole Earth being destroyed! Plus we don''t know exactly how much time is left before launch!"


    At first I couldn''t understand what the warning about "Level 1 attack status" meant. But after Luke Channing''s explanation, I got the gist of it: This status is designed for when international tensions are super high, and the government believes the enemy is definitely going to launch a nuclear attack. It''s basically a preemptive strike, trying to take out the enemy''s ability to hit back before they can destroy us - mutual destruction.


    Once the countdown ends and the attack order is carried out, all the nukes under M-country''s control will fly towards their preset targets at the same time! This was left over from when the two super powers were in a Cold War standoff, and had pretty much been abandoned. But clearly Rasambla and Camille reactivated and changed the whole emergency response system when they took control of M-country. Now the only perfect solution is to input the cancel code!


    But only the vampire ancestor would know what that code is, and now the two bosses were gone...


    "If missiles carrying nuke warheads land in other countries with nukes - like W-country - the chance of the whole Earth getting hit with nukes is super high. We can''t rule out an early start to the end of the world!"


    Thinking of this, I could only say helplessly. H-country actually shares some blame for things ending up like this. Because they wanted to hide all info about the space portal to another world so badly, H-country officials still haven''t officially told other countries about the invasion M-country suffered, or that they''ve totally lost control of their nukes.


    Based on what General Lee hinted at privately, I personally think H-country''s top brass might have had some bold ideas about indirectly controlling M-country through this operation! Even though that''d be really hard to pull off, even if it didn''t work in the end, as long as they could wipe out the vampires, they could use that as leverage to threaten and negotiate with M-country''s leadership when they woke up. The secondary goal was to get them to agree to keep it all secret.


    Of course, worst case scenario - if us angels can''t even take out the vampires, then humans themselves are in big trouble! No point worrying about whether the space portal secret gets out then... You can see H-country''s top brass thought they had it all figured out at first, but things didn''t go quite how they planned.


    Right then, I suddenly thought of Number 14 Feliciana again!Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    With Number 14 Feliciana''s abilities, I believe she should be able to solve our current predicament, right? But even at this point she still hasn''t stepped in, which clearly shows she''s not going to interfere for now!


    I remember Number 14 Feliciana promised me several times that all the problems caused by the space portal should eventually be resolved properly. In other words, she thinks there''s no need to step in yet? Does that mean we can break through our current difficulties on our own?


    After all, I never imagined before that one day I''d be able to successfully use the Water Angel''s power to one-shot monsters above level 7! Angels aren''t really afraid of nukes, but I don''t want Earth to face the threat of nuclear apocalypse. Suddenly my confidence came back a bit.


    "Quick! Camille''s body!"


    The next second, an idea flashed through my mind. Spirit magic can control memories and even souls to some degree. Even though Camille is totally dead, after the dark elements in her body dissipate, a small part of her brain tissue should still be preserved. Maybe we can extract some useful information from it!


    "Use magic to read her brain!"


    Of course Adrian got it right away when he heard that. But when he brought the body in front of me, seeing the hole in Camille''s forehead where the water element needle pierced through earlier, he couldn''t help worrying. "Will it affect the reading?"


    "We''ll try our best!"


    Of course it would have some effect. I understood that too, but now we had to try anything we could, no matter how unlikely.


    Luckily the full rest earlier let me build up quite a bit of light element again. When I finally managed to inject magical power into the corpse''s head, I only felt my vision go black for an instant. It was like my whole self fell into the world of Camille''s memory fragments.


    "What a weakling! Other succubi her age can already fight human warriors on the battlefield, but Camille can''t even fight back. Is she the descendant of some cave dweller?"


    What I saw next really shocked me. I found myself on some unknown street, being pushed to the ground by a young minotaur. Clearly this when Camille was bullied as a child. Looking around at the crowd of monsters watching, not one of them stepped up to help. They all had looks of disdain on their faces.


    "Didn''t I arrange for you to learn fighting skills under Celia at the ''Crimson Garden''? How can you still get bullied like this? You''re really hopeless!"


    Then the scene suddenly changed. An older succubus appeared in front of me, sounding a lot like Camille''s mother. But this mother was really angry at her daughter for being bullied, and she wasn''t mad at the bullies.


    "I''ve said it before, I hate fighting! Why do all the creatures on the Dark Continent have to solve everything with fighting? Can''t we use slightly more peaceful methods? Everyone knows the stronger your power gets, the shorter your life becomes. But they''re not afraid of dying at all, they just keep killing each other to prove who''s stronger! Why make things like this?"


    After getting lectured, young Camille clearly couldn''t take it anymore. She yelled at her mother, then turned and ran out the door. Suddenly I understood a bit why she kept forcibly holding back her own power growth all these years.


    "You know what? Last month some powerful guy with red wings on her back suddenly showed up. She looks a lot like an angel, but also not quite the same as angels. You can hardly sense any light element aura from him. This guy took out the top rulers of several cities in a row. She claims she wants to unify the whole Dark Continent, but she''s not willing to take the Demon King position."


    The next scene that came was from when Camille was an adult. The surroundings suddenly changed to that bar where I first met Camille. The minotaur Kurnel who used to bully her had now become a good friend. He was drinking and complaining: "She calls herself a god who can control fire, and the god of the whole planet! Is she really that amazing... By the way, what''s this ''planet'' thing she''s talking about?"


    But Camille''s reaction seemed pretty flat. She only absent-mindedly answered:


    "I don''t know what a ''planet'' is! If there really is a god who can unify the whole continent, doesn''t that mean there''ll be less war and pointless fighting in the future? If that''s true, it''d be great..."


    Sadly her wish didn''t come true. After Michelle unified the Dark Continent, things didn''t calm down at all. The internal fighting between monsters basically ended, but what came next was a full-scale invasion war against the human world.


    Since way fewer monsters were coming to her bar, the little tavern Camille had worked so hard to run also fell into crisis. On the Dark Continent, if you''re not strong enough and don''t want to get bullied, you can only rely on following someone powerful to get safety.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 168: Divine Revelation Again

    After being beaten down by reality over and over, Camille wasn''t as naive as before. Thanks to her natural succubus charm, she''d always done okay in City Wal.


    No doubt her luck was still pretty good. After that time when she spotted me and Selene sneaking into City Wal, even though she didn''t catch us, Camille used that chance to get Michelle''s attention.


    The memories I saw showed that while things were still hot with the "Fire God", Camille tried more than once to subtly convince Michelle to stop the pointless war against humans. But every time, she failed. Eventually Michelle got fed up. In a fit of anger, she stuck this "support staff" who wasn''t even level 6 into the team fighting for the Cycle of Rebirth, leading them into Ilandra Dominion.


    The next part was harder to see. Maybe because her brain was damaged, most of what I could read was old memories. Just as the magic was about to wear off, I finally got to some bits from more recent times.


    "I saw the order sent to each nuke control unit. You increased the ''Level 1 attack status'' countdown to over 10 minutes. What''s your game? That''ll put us at a huge disadvantage if humans notice and try to hit back. Don''t you know that?"


    This was some time after they took over M-country''s leadership. Rasambla came storming in to confront Camille. He slammed his hand on Camille''s desk, smashing it to bits, and got in her face, yelling: "You better get this straight! There''s only us two left now. If we can''t wipe out the humans on Earth, how are we gonna fight our way back into H-country and take control of the space portal anytime soon?"


    "We only know about these world-destroying weapons from humans. We don''t really know what they''ll do. So I decided to be more careful when using them," Camille explained.


    She quickly caught the laptop before it hit the floor. She didn''t seem angry. Instead, she walked up to Rasambla very sweetly, wrapped her arms around his neck and said in a soft voice:


    "Plus, this world''s international situation is totally different from what we thought. Earth humans aren''t nearly as united as you imagine! And you know H-country''s space portal seems to have big problems, right? We might be stuck in this world for a long time. If that''s the case, carelessly firing off nukes will only cut off our own path. At least in the future, none of us want to live in a world where nothing can grow, right?"


    "Uh... I guess that makes some sense..."


    For a moment, Rasambla seemed enchanted by her sweetness. His attitude softened right away. Then he eagerly grabbed Camille''s waist, picked her up and headed for the bedroom. What happened next was cut off completely...


    "How''d it go? Did you find the nuke cancel password?" Adrian asked anxiously when my mind came back to reality. Even though it felt like I spent a long time in Camille''s memories, less than a minute had passed in the real world.


    "No..." I shook my head and sighed a little, looking at the body in front of me.


    The memory magic probably ate away a lot of the monster''s brain tissue. There probably wasn''t much left of Camille''s brain by now.


    But I''d picked up on that tiny bit of key info left in her last memories.


    "Even though I didn''t get the cancel password, I know where all the nuke launch silos are. Combined with each team''s targets for this mission, we can pretty much be sure the only nukes ready to launch are the one Number 11 Feliciana didn''t destroy, and one in that abandoned base where the rescue team is!"Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    In that last memory fragment, the laptop screen Camille caught showed the whole nuke layout plan for M-country. The basic info matched what Wayne Peng got from Senator Morrison, but it was way more detailed. It even clearly showed all the preset targets!


    "So there are only these two left?" Adrian perked up when he heard that. Honestly, this was pretty good luck. Only one nuke in launch mode at each of the two bases - way better than we''d guessed before.


    "No, there should be one more!" I suddenly remembered something Cyra mentioned at the start, which Wayne Peng also confirmed after we rescued him. "There was a nuclear sub docked at the port in Cyra''s base!"


    According to the original mission plan, Number 14 Feliciana was supposed to handle all the nuclear subs by herself. But sadly, the initial intel missed this sub that was already docked at the abandoned base. Now we had to pass this important info to the rescue team through Luke Channing!


    "The nuke in the rescue team''s base is aimed at W-country''s capital? And the missile launch base where Number 11 Feliciana''s team was before is targeting H-country''s Shine Metropolitan area? Both of these are carrying megaton-level strategic nuclear warheads!" Luke Channing repeated to confirm after getting my report, then immediately passed it up to command.


    Since it''s pretty complicated to change targets for missiles in fixed launch sites, we can be pretty sure the intel from Camille''s brain is accurate. But nuclear subs are more flexible. We don''t know if that missed sub is carrying nukes, how powerful they might be, or what the target is.


    "How''s the password cracking going?" I couldn''t help asking worriedly. We now knew Camille had set the nuke countdown to over 10 minutes on her own, and there probably wasn''t much time left.


    "Looks like it''s not gonna happen! Seems like there was an argument at command center just now. M-country''s password tech isn''t that easy to crack. Some experts suggested just blowing up the control units - that might stop the countdown. But others were totally against it. They said M-country set up safeguards for that kind of thing way back in the Cold War. Trying to force it might make them launch right away. It''d be safer to just blow up the missiles!"


    Luke Channing hesitated for a while, but still told me the truth. Actually, H-country experts had already guided Raydwin to get the exact time left through the comms - it showed on a gauge on the control panel. Less than 5 minutes left.


    But finding the exact location of the underground missile silo was still too hard for Raydwin, a soldier who''d only just learned about this stuff. Not knowing the base layout, he''d already checked several possible places but hadn''t found any sign of the missile.


    Meanwhile, H-country''s top brass were urgently meeting with ambassadors from other countries...


    In other words, H-country really had no options left. The leadership was already preparing for the nukes to finally launch, trying to minimize the damage. Of course, they had to try to delay the missile launch as much as possible.


    "Is this really all we can do?" I still wasn''t satisfied. At least two strategic nukes launching! And both targets were big cities packed with people! Even if they could work together internationally to avoid all-out nuclear war, it would still cause countless deaths. This definitely wasn''t what Adrian and I wanted to see.


    On Raydwin''s side, the remote monitoring system was still working. We could clearly see him and Cyra''s situation.


    But after learning there was pretty much no hope of cracking the cancel password, these two seemed even more down than me. In their free time, they''d started talking about what happens after death.


    "You''re an angel, so does that mean God really exists? So after people die, can they really go to heaven? Is that how it works for humans in your world?" Of course Raydwin wouldn''t pass up the chance to ask this super classic question, with a legendary creature right in front of him.


    "I don''t know... The ''Lord'' never mentioned any of this to me. Actually, I have a lot of questions too, but the ''Lord'' hardly ever answers," Cyra shook her head.


    Problem was, Cyra was pretty religious, the really passionate kind.


    "No way! You''re an angel! I heard angels can talk to God directly. Don''t tell me it''s just you who can''t?" Raydwin was really surprised and started questioning her.


    "What do you mean ''can''t''! I''m one of the few angels who can receive Divine Revelation! I''ve gotten instructions from the Lord more than once. Other angels haven''t had that experience!" Cyra got upset right away. This was questioning her faith - she had to clear things up! But her injuries were so bad she couldn''t even stand up. She could only spread out her six wings, trying hard to prove who she was.


    "Calm down, calm down! I was just saying. You can do it, you''re good!" Raydwin quickly tried to calm her down. But right at that moment, I saw through the camera that Cyra''s expression seemed to pause for a second. Then she grabbed Raydwin''s shoulders and blurted out:


    "Quick! The password is 34517511754356!"


    "Huh?" Raydwin was totally confused, not understanding what she was on about all of a sudden.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 169: The Submarine Exploded

    "Hurry up! I just got the Divine Revelation with the cancel password - 34517511754356!"


    Cyra was getting more anxious as Raydwin stood there not moving. She grabbed him with both hands and kept pushing him towards the control panel, telling him to quickly enter the code to stop the nuclear launch.


    "You sure? This is the code? You''re not tricking me, right?"


    Raydwin took a while to react to this crazy talk. Of course he wouldn''t easily believe it.


    But Cyra looked dead serious, she was just saying numbers. It made Raydwin hesitate.


    "Idiot, why would I lie? We''re almost out of time!"


    Cyra was so mad at Raydwin for not trusting her, she kicked him hard.


    Seeing only 3 minutes left on the countdown, with no other choice, Raydwin finally decided to go for it. He didn''t even have time to tell H-country command center. He just followed Cyra''s instructions and boldly typed in the long string of numbers...


    "It stopped! It actually stopped!"


    What happened next was totally unexpected. Raydwin almost jumped for joy. Even Adrian and I watching from outside couldn''t help hugging each other excitedly.


    No one could''ve guessed Cyra''s random guess would be right! The countdown on the control panel instantly stopped after entering the cancel password. It meant the nuke that was about to fly to W-country''s capital from this base was completely shut down.


    But this was only one of three nukes. In theory, the other bases and the nuclear sub also needed to enter this code for all the launch programs to be fully stopped.


    "We found the code! Quick, tell command center to let Raydwin know he needs to enter it in the sub by the shore too!"


    Time was running out. We didn''t know how far the control room was from the shore, but with Raydwin''s enhanced body, he might make it if he ran.


    I couldn''t help yelling to Luke Channing on the comms: "Other teams that haven''t finished their mission can also enter this cancel password. The exact code is..."


    "34517511754356!"


    Adrian has a good memory to remember such a long random string of numbers.


    But right then, a weird thought popped into my head. This number seemed familiar somehow, like I''d seen it before. But I just couldn''t remember where.


    "The only team that hasn''t completed their objective is Team 3 near Histon city in M-country. Latest report shows that after their captain left on his own, the other members tried to find the nuke control panel in the base as ordered. But the guards who woke up stopped them, and they''re fighting again!"


    Luke Channing sent out the code while telling me about the other unfinished teams'' progress.


    Camille had been dead for a while now. The M-country soldiers who got their minds back found the nuke launch program mysteriously activated, while unknown fighters invaded the base. Of course they thought these guys were the bad guys!This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The Histon base was supposed to be handled by Team  led by No. 11 Feliciana. But things changed, and the remaining team members were way too weak.


    Now that the M-country soldiers were human again, low-level purification spells didn''t work much on them. Seeing they''d have to fight with real guns to complete the mission, Team 3 was in big trouble!


    Can''t be helped. Most team members weren''t pro soldiers. It''s already good they weren''t killed when things suddenly turned bad!


    But the Histon base nuke was aimed at H-country''s Shine Metropolitan City. Command center definitely wouldn''t easily order a retreat. So both sides were stuck.


    Luke Channing said they''re looking for a chance to break the deadlock through talks. No idea if it''ll work.


    But the rescue team was in a similar spot...


    Raydwin got the order from command center and didn''t dare slack off. He immediately prepared to go to the nuclear sub. But Cyra couldn''t move by herself quickly. Taking her would slow him down.


    The situation was super urgent! After thinking for a sec, Raydwin decided to give Cyra the comms in the control room, then go alone.


    Luckily the nuke control room exit wasn''t too far from the sub. I switched camera views back to the shore area and saw him sprinting all the way there, finally climbing to the sub''s hatch entrance.


    Only a bit over a minute left til launch! Surprisingly, the tightly closed sub hatch suddenly opened from inside.


    "Who are you? How''d you get here?"


    Of course, the ones rushing out of the sub were two M-country soldiers! They got all alert when they saw Raydwin standing outside.


    No doubt vampires had taken over leadership in this sub. When the vampires'' magic source disappeared and all the minions went back to normal, the chain of command in the sub naturally returned to its original state too.


    Looks like the people inside were about to come out, but unluckily ran into Raydwin.


    "I''m here to cancel the nuke launch! Has the launch program in this sub been activated?"


    Perfect timing! Raydwin''s skills were way beyond what one or two normal humans could handle. He snatched their guns in a flash and asked urgently.


    "Uh... huh...?"


    The two M-country soldiers had no idea how their guns got taken. But they knew something was off before coming out, so they cooperated and explained the situation inside:


    "It did activate! We originally came here to do repairs, the sub''s power system broke down! But as soon as we docked, some higher-ups boarded and took over the whole sub. They wouldn''t let anyone leave. A while ago they ordered the nuke launch program activated, but then they all suddenly passed out. When they woke up, it''s like they became different people and had no idea what happened! Since there''s not much time left on the countdown and we don''t know the cancel password, we had to break the rules and come ashore for help..."


    Raydwin dragged the guy along to show him to the command room.


    Seems like since Raydwin claimed to have the nuke cancel password, these two M-country soldiers probably thought he was a new commanding officer for now. Though they doubted, the nuke about to launch was way more urgent!


    Too bad there were no connected cameras to use after entering the sub. Adrian and I were totally in the dark, no idea what happened inside next. All we could do was stare at the camera outside the sub, waiting for them to come out.


    But after almost a minute, a white light suddenly flashed on screen. The nuclear sub docked at the port suddenly exploded!


    No doubt the sub and everyone inside had zero chance of survival...


    "What happened?"


    I asked in shock. Couldn''t imagine this happening at all! We already had the cancel password, it was just a matter of entering it. Even if something went wrong, the nuke would launch at most. How did the whole sub blow up?


    "...Could someone have set it off on purpose? Looks kinda like a bomb blast?"


    After a long silence, Adrian finally sighed softly. He tried to stay calm as he analyzed, frowning.


    Raydwin was basically his first disciple. Even though Adrian didn''t show it, I could tell he must be really heartbroken.


    "Set it off on purpose? Who''d do that? Was there someone in the sub trying to stop him from canceling the launch? But why go that far!"


    I couldn''t imagine any reason. Too many unknowns. We could only tell Luke Channing about it for now.


    "Raydwin''s dead? How can this be!"


    Luke Channing was stunned for a moment too when he heard. But his mental strength was way better than mine. He quickly recovered and continued:


    "At least the sub''s totally destroyed, so the nuke launch was successfully stopped! I''ll report to General Lee right away. Raydwin definitely deserves the highest military honor!"

 Vol 5/Chapter 170: Raydwins Still Alive?

    While Luke Channing was reporting to his bosses, the missile launch countdown finally ended.


    On the rescue team''s side, one nuke was stopped by entering the code, the other blown up with the sub.


    But the "Blue Palace" got badly damaged in the earlier fight. Many guards who woke up and curious onlookers started noticing something fishy and coming closer. Some even entered the area to check things out.


    I didn''t want to put on another show of "miracle" or "mysterious creature taking off" for regular Earth people. So I decided to leave the M-country presidential mansion area for now.


    As for Franklin, Adrian checked and found he wasn''t dead, even though Camille knocked him out earlier. He was just in a deep coma, but his body was fine.


    We didn''t want to lug this deadweight around though, so we left him for the rescue workers to deal with.


    Just as we were about to leave and meet up with Luke Channing, Adrian and I saw something through the camera in the president''s office. Where the sub had exploded and sunk, leaving the sea calm again, a white light suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It slowly rose into the air, then vanished in a flash!


    "What was that?"


    I couldn''t help but shout in surprise. It looked just like an angel''s body turning back into light when they die!


    Except for one difference - angel light should slowly fade away. But the white light on the monitor disappeared in an instant.


    This means it didn''t merge with its surroundings. It was more like teleporting?


    "No idea. There can''t be angels in that sub, right?"


    Adrian shrugged, not really caring about these little details. After all, it''s hard to be sure what we saw on camera wasn''t affected by something else. I switched the monitor view back to the missile control room where Cyra was.


    Now we could see two Cyras in the room together. This meant Cyrae had returned!


    Even though the nuke launch countdown ended, Cyra''s injuries still hadn''t healed. She still couldn''t leave.


    But with Cyrae back, things were easier. We saw her using healing magic on Cyra. With her there, Cyra should be up soon. I didn''t need to worry about the rescue team''s situation anymore.


    "Let''s go quick!"


    Not far outside the president''s office, we could hear guards getting closer! Adrian quickly took out a "Invisibble" arrow and gently poked both our cheeks with it. We instantly turned invisible.


    I quickly shut off the monitor. With one arm around Adrian and the other carrying Camille''s body, we finally escaped the "Blue Palace" area without anyone noticing.


    But something still bothered me on the way. The last time we saw Cyra, she looked sad and dazed, like she''d been hit hard by something. She wasn''t like that before Raydwin left. This made me wonder more if it had to do with Raydwin dying.


    We hadn''t flown far when Luke Channing sent more bad news:


    "The nuke launch from Histon base wasn''t stopped! Team 3 finally managed to talk with the M-country soldiers who woke up. But even though they agreed to enter the cancel code, there wasn''t enough time!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Nothing we could do about that! If we had to blame something, it''d be the long-standing bad blood between the two countries. The earlier fighting wasted way too much time!


    But this nuke was headed for H-country''s Shine Metropolitan City. This made the H-country bigshots super nervous!


    "This intercontinental missile carries a hydrogen bomb close to 10 million tons! There''s still some time before it reaches the target. H-country command center already told Shine Metropolitan''s government to quickly evacuate everyone and start emergency intercept measures. But there''s not enough time. The chances of successful interception are super slim!"


    After hearing this, things looked really bad. I suddenly remembered Cyra''s mom lived in Shine Metropolitan City like my parents. She was clearly in the nuke''s blast range too. So I quickly asked:


    "Does Cyra know about this?"


    "You mean the angel Cyra who survived on the rescue team? I got news that she finally managed to stop Number 11 Feliciana, and got in touch with us after."


    Luke Channing and H-country command center got their info from the same place. They had no clue it was actually a nobody "human magician" on the team pretending to be Cyra who stopped Feliciana.


    Cyrae never wanted to reveal she was on Earth. So after she left earlier, Raydwin was the only one talking to H-country command center.


    Unlike Adrian and me who could watch the monitors, the command center could only hear voices. They still didn''t know there was an injured real Cyra with Raydwin the whole time! Even when they found the cancel code, they thought Raydwin just got lucky and guessed it somehow.


    "Oh right! Cyra mentioned something. She said she still had some kind of connection with Raydwin after he went into the sub. So she told us the last things she knew before the sub blew up."


    Suddenly Luke Channing changed the subject, going back to talking about Raydwin who died.


    Hearing this made me remember the communicator Raydwin threw to Cyra earlier.


    From what Luke Channing said, soon after Raydwin got to the sub''s command room, he told Cyra the sub''s nuke launch system was totally different from the control panel on shore. First, two people had to turn two keys at the same time to unlock the control panel. Only then could they enter the code to cancel the launch.


    But they only found one key in the sub. The other key was missing! Raydwin thought the higher-up officers who took over the sub earlier might have hidden it, or even destroyed it!


    There wasn''t enough time left before the sub''s nuke launch to make any other long-term plans. Raydwin had no choice but to blow up all the explosives he was carrying, taking out the whole sub with him!


    He found out the nuke in this sub was actually aimed at where the sub itself was - this whole base area!


    Launching a nuke at yourself? Obviously this crazy thing would never happen normally. It must''ve been the vampire ancestor Rasambla giving orders to change the sub''s target before he died. This was to get revenge on Cyrae who killed him.


    Even though that''s all Cyra said she knew, I could tell she was hiding some details.


    Thinking carefully, there weren''t many people left on the whole rescue team. If this nuke launched, the sub couldn''t move to escape the blast zone! They''d die either way. In the end, blowing up the sub to stop the launch would only really help Cyra!


    When angels are almost out of light element magic power, even they''d have a hard time surviving a nuke blast. And this wasn''t some half-baked nuke like Reed made before. This was the most advanced strategic nuke weapon made by modern Earth people.


    I suddenly understood why Cyra looked like that at the end! Knowing Raydwin, he probably gave Cyra some long-distance "passionate confession" before blowing himself up. But this time, he really was dead for good...


    "Cyra''s reaction was kinda weird. When we told her Raydwin was confirmed dead, she acted totally different. She kept insisting Raydwin wasn''t dead, that he was still alive..."


    But then Luke Channing continued in a troubled voice. This confused me again. I couldn''t help blurting out: "What do you mean exactly? Does she think Raydwin can''t be killed by explosions?"


    This guess made sense. Raydwin wasn''t a normal person, he was a Battle Qi awakener. Even though his Battle Qi ability was still weak, his body was way stronger than normal people.


    But when it comes to surviving explosions, I personally thought it''d be really hard to survive blowing up all the strong explosives he was carrying!


    "Not exactly... She mentioned God in her message. I guess it''s some kind of belief in your world? Cyra kept saying her ''Lord'' stepped in to save Raydwin''s life... But she couldn''t give any proof. She just kept repeating Raydwin should be with her ''Lord'' now... Isn''t that the same as being dead?"


    Luke Channing''s voice started sounding more and more troubled. Mostly because this stuff was way beyond what he could understand. He stumbled over his words for a while before finally explaining it all clearly.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 171: God?

    "Raydwin is with her ''Lord'' now?"


    I was shocked when I heard this. Before today, I would''ve been 100% sure I''d react like Luke Channing and not give a damn about Cyra''s crazy talk.


    But after seeing Cyra magically say the nuke codes, and that white light coming out of the sea, I started thinking. When I put it all together, I got this wild idea I never had before!


    Then I quickly asked:


    "The nukes heading to Shine Metropolitan already launched. Did Number 14 Feliciana say anything special or suggest how to stop them?"


    "14 world''s Feliciana?" Luke Channing sounded surprised I brought her up. He replied, "Nope! She finished all her planned tasks. We haven''t heard anything from her since!"


    I thought Number 14 Feliciana planned this whole mission. If we follow her plan, I reckon she already set up an ending that''s not too bad.


    But I can''t accept H-country''s Shine Metropolitan getting nuked. I don''t believe No. 14 Feliciana would let her hometown get totally destroyed by nukes! But since she didn''t react, maybe the nuke won''t actually blow up in H-country''s Shine Metropolitan? Maybe there''s still hope to fix this?


    "Look, there''s something flying in the sky over there! Doesn''t look like an Earth plane..." Adrian suddenly spotted something. His eyesight was as good as binoculars! He pointed to a trail way up in the sky southwest of us and asked, "That''s not the missile going to H-country, is it?"


    Looking at the map, M-country''s capital was right between Histon Base and H-country''s Shine Metropolitan. Luke Channing told us the nuke was still climbing and speeding up. It would go into space after passing over us, then come back down.


    I suddenly realized - this might be our only chance to stop that nuke!


    "What, you want to stop that nuke?!"


    Adrian strongly disagreed when he heard my idea. "That''s crazy! You''re almost out of magic power, right? And unlike around the president''s house, it''s hard to get light elements other places on Earth. Trying to stop a nuke explosion with just your body is suicide!"


    "He''s right! Our intel says this missile will blow up automatically if the shell gets damaged at all, even if it doesn''t hit the target. You can stop the attack that way, but are you sure you want to risk your life?" Luke Channing also tried to talk me out of it on the radio, but he wasn''t as forceful as Adrian.


    After all, he didn''t want his country to get nuked either. If a mysterious angel from another world could stop it, that would be great.


    "It''s not as bad as you think. I still have a tiny bit of magic left, and angels are super resistant to energy attacks. Don''t forget I have eight wings now! My defense is way stronger than before. I''ve taken nuke blasts before, so I''m used to it. No need to worry!"


    The problem was Adrian just wouldn''t listen. Even though I tried to make my situation sound good, he still didn''t believe me.


    But time was running out. It wasn''t easy to explain all my reasons for this decision! For the first time, I realized Adrian could be as stubborn as a kid when he wants to be. He was stuck to me like glue in the air and wouldn''t let go! I had no choice but to kick him down and fly towards the target by myself.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    With Adrian''s strength now, falling from a few hundred meters is about as bad as a slap on the butt. But the nuke was over 10,000 meters up, and it wasn''t easy to get in front of it in time.


    Angels fly fast, but not as fast as missiles. If I missed it, I''d never catch up.


    The biggest problem was that the air gets thinner higher up. Angels need some oxygen too. As I started running out of air, my brain got a bit slow.


    The cold didn''t bother me much. Then I heard some static on the radio - probably a message from Luke Channing.


    "You''re almost out of my signal range... You have to catch the missile before it leaves the atmosphere... You have a gun, right? It''ll be really hard to hit and damage the shell of a fast-moving target... you can do it?"


    "Of course... I can!" I wiped the ice off my face and answered quickly. Actually, I didn''t have a gun! It all happened so fast, I didn''t have time to go get one. The only way to damage it was to crash into it head-on.


    "I''m sorry! Maybe I was too emotional earlier... This time I decided to trust your judgment! You''re not the same clueless four-winged angel anymore. You''ve really grown up. Now I just want to say, I''m proud of you! And make sure you come back alive!"


    Then Adrian left a message. I was pretty touched. But because of the pressure around me, the radio couldn''t work anymore. I just kept flying towards the target in silence.


    I didn''t have enough magic power left to survive a close-range nuke blast. Using high-level magic to look at Camille''s memories used up all my magic. I got a little bit back, but like Adrian said, Earth''s environment can''t give me enough magic to handle a multi-megaton nuke blast! There was more light elements up high like Cyra said, but with so little time it was just a drop in the bucket.


    It would be really hard to completely block a strategic nuke''s power, but that doesn''t mean I suddenly went crazy and wanted to die for nothing.


    First of all, if I was definitely going to die, Number 14 Feliciana should show up to help me now, right?


    And the main point: Destroying the nuke attacking H-country was definitely my main goal. But all the weird stuff with Cyra during the mission showed one thing - it''s not that simple! There might be some unknown being somewhere, in some realm, watching everything we do!


    Cyra mentioned the god she worships more than once. Number 14 Feliciana talked about a god too... And the Pope, who suddenly sacrificed himself to save Cyra for no reason. Thinking back, when the Pope had his "revelation" at the end, it looked just like the Divine Revelation Cyra talked about!


    Actually, I really suspect that white light that came out of the sea carries Raydwin''s soul. That''s probably why Cyra insists he''s not really dead.


    Light elements can connect with souls. All the weird stuff is connected to light elements, so all the clues point to light elements itself! If some being can only communicate through light elements, either actively or passively, maybe I can meet the conditions too?


    No. 14 Feliciana hinted many times that I definitely didn''t die in the correct history. If something is quietly watching us, how would these "outside forces" Cyra mentioned handle it if I was really going to die in this messed-up history No. 14 Feliciana is trying so hard to fix? Would they step in to save me?


    This was my final confidence in deciding to intercept the nuke. It was also the boldest plan of my life! Betting everything on Cyra''s "Lord", and figuring out what this "God" hiding behind the scenes really is.


    The moment finally came!


    The chase went pretty smoothly. I finally got in front of the nuke''s path when I still had a bit of consciousness left from lack of oxygen.


    Too bad the little bit of magic power I got back still wasn''t enough for high-level defense magic. I decided to do the same thing as last time - spread light elements all over my body and use all my strength to throw myself at the incoming missile.


    ...


    I don''t know how long it was, but when I slowly felt myself regain consciousness, I realized I was sitting in a chair.


    The surroundings looked kind of like a company meeting room. There was a huge long conference table in front of me with lots of chairs. This scene felt a little familiar... Maybe it was where I had an interview before I got transported to another world?


    "Sorry I''m late! Hope you weren''t waiting long!"


    Just then, the door behind me opened. A guy in a business suit hurried into the room.


    I suddenly remembered that during my interview back then, something similar happened - the interviewer had a sudden stomach problem and had to use the bathroom. So he left me in this meeting room for several minutes. This was just like when he came back.

 Vol 5/Chapter 172: Meeting the "Holy Ones"

    "Let''s talk about your situation," the interviewer said.


    He sat down across from me, flipped through some papers, then looked up at me to start the real talk.


    My situation? What situation?


    In a normal interview, this question would be pretty standard. But right now, it felt super weird.


    Actually, since I realized where I was, I started remembering more details about this interview from before I got sent to another world.


    I remembered all the questions in the interview were just for show. After I answered, they''d just tell me to go home and wait for news.


    But this time was different. Unlike when the Light God controlled my mind before, I remembered everything, including crashing into the nuke high in the sky!


    So I realized right away that this place probably wasn''t real.


    "Where is this? Who are you?" I finally got the courage to ask what I was thinking. This was totally different from how I remembered things going.


    But the interviewer just smiled, like he wasn''t surprised. He answered:


    "Everything here is a random scene picked from your memories. In terms you can understand, your soul is temporarily separated in a higher dimension. I''m the one you were trying to find before you lost consciousness..."


    So he''s the "Lord" Cyra always talked about?


    I couldn''t believe I was actually meeting the legendary "God"! I felt nervous, of course. This was a huge discovery! I proved God exists, and I''m not even a believer?


    But unlike Cyra, I never really believed in God. Would he give me a hard time because of that? That was something to worry about after actually meeting God.


    "What about them?" I finally calmed down a bit. I had lots of questions, but I was so nervous I didn''t know where to start. So I just pointed at the open door, where over 10 "people waiting for interviews" were in the hallway.


    In my real memory, there weren''t that many people waiting for the next interview. And they were all staring at me the whole time. I realized they weren''t just fake NPCs - they clearly had their own minds.


    "They''re like me - beings from higher dimensions that you wanted to find out about. We''re not just one individual, but many separate beings. But only I need to handle this meeting with you, so they''re just watching."


    His answer confused me a bit. Did he mean there''s not just one "god", but a whole race of them?


    It made me think of the 12 Greek gods, a bunch of gods ruling over humans from above. Their relationships were super messy.


    "Cyra said Raydwin''s soul is with you guys, right?" That was the first question I could think to ask.


    "That''s right. Raydwin is special - his sacrifice was necessary for history. After that, we''ll give him a chance to join us. It''s a reward for his brave act!" The interviewer nodded.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "What? Join you?"


    I couldn''t believe my ears! From what I understood, Raydwin just blew himself up and got to become a god? So many people sacrifice themselves - why does he get special treatment?


    Just because of some "historical necessity"?


    "That''s right! Strictly speaking, he''s joining us." I didn''t hear wrong - he gave the same short answer again.


    "So I got killed by the nuke? Are you giving me this chance too?"


    Since there was a precedent, I couldn''t help thinking about my own situation and asking to make sure.


    I didn''t know if it was good or bad. At first, I just wanted them to save my life. But now they''re talking about making me a god?


    It was too big a jump... I wasn''t ready for this at all!


    "You''re not dead. Actually, you''re much stronger than you think. An eight-winged angel''s body can''t be easily destroyed by a nuke! And after you understood how water energy works, you''re close to leveling up. The strategic nuke just knocked you out - your life wasn''t in danger. We''re granting your wish while you''re unconscious. Your soul will return to your body soon."


    The interviewer''s answer shot down my wild guess. Good thing I was just overthinking.


    "I don''t get it. Why do you guys always hide what you''re doing? Never mind other people, but what about your believers? Like Cyra - why don''t you help her when she''s in danger? Why don''t you answer her prayers?"


    I finally got the courage to ask the biggest question I had about God. It was also my biggest complaint about so-called gods.


    "First, we need to be clear - we''re not the ''God'' you''re thinking of. We''re definitely not ''Yawee''! We''re totally different from those made-up wish-granters. We''re not all-knowing or all-powerful. In our dimension, we have lots of problems and unknown things to explore and fix. You can even think of us as just another kind of life form."


    The interviewer''s answer was way beyond what I expected. Seeing I was still confused, he explained more:


    "For the lower dimension world - the real world where your body is - we have to follow one absolute rule: Unless it affects our own safety, we absolutely can''t interfere with anything in the lower dimension world!"


    "Huh?" I was totally lost again. In just a few seconds, I got way too much information. Now he''s saying they''re not gods, but what are they then?


    "If you need a name for us, you can call us the ''Holy Ones''!"


    Before I could ask, the interviewer answered my little question. Looks like in this soul communication world, they can see all my thoughts clearly. I can''t hide anything.


    The interviewer, who was one of these "Holy Ones", kept talking:


    "We always try not to interfere with your world. But sometimes we have to, or some of us break the rules. So we do have some influence in your world. The name ''Holy Ones'' was given by some lower dimension beings who are spiritually closer to us. We prefer this name because it doesn''t get mixed up with those made-up beings in people''s heads."


    If I''m not mistaken, the "lower dimension beings who are spiritually closer to them" probably means angels.


    Only souls can reach higher dimensions. Angels and some light magicians can use light elements to communicate with souls easily. At a certain level, they might be able to talk to higher dimension beings, like Elara.


    So it makes sense that stories about the "Holy Ones" are so rare. First, they can get mixed up with other beliefs. Second, not many people can find out they exist.


    But even though they call themselves "Holy Ones", my first impression was still that they''re like the Light God Beluto - a higher-level spirit being. I don''t know why, but I just had that feeling.


    The interviewer noticed my worry and kindly explained:


    "We''re different from the Light God you''re worried about. Beluto''s mind is in a dimension similar to ours, but he can only control light element. In theory, we can control any element, any type of energy, and time and space. That''s because the dimension we exist in is kind of like energy itself..."


    Suddenly, his voice was cut off.


    One of the "interview candidates" watching stood up and said seriously:


    "You''re going too far! Don''t forget our rule about not interfering too much with the lower world! This meeting is allowed, but we can''t let her know too much. That''s the rule - no one can break it!"


    "It''s not that serious. Even if I say too much, we can just erase those memories, right?"


    The interviewer seemed a bit hurt by the scolding, but he stopped talking.


    To be honest, hearing that they could just erase my memories made me feel pretty scared.


    But I was facing beings way more powerful than me. I didn''t dare question or fight back at all.


    Even so, the interviewer''s unexpected behavior showed me how they''re different from what people usually imagine gods to be. They seemed to have some "human" traits and could make mistakes.


    Too bad I don''t know if this part of my memory will be deleted too...

 Vol 5/ Chapter 173: Becoming "Holy Ones"

    The "candidate" who stood up was very strict. It felt like everything in this meeting should follow a set plan, every little detail must go by the rules.


    "If that''s the case, can I ask..."


    When the interviewer sat down again, I quickly raised my hand. There was something I really couldn''t understand, so I asked again.


    "The ones hiding behind number 14 Feliciana , helping her guide world history back on track - that was you guys, right? So why help her? And the Divine Revelation Cyra heard, doesn''t that count as meddling in the lower world''s growth?"


    The "Holy Ones" say they can''t mess with lower world rules. But it''s clear that a lot of my past experiences are tied to them.


    Isn''t this saying one thing and doing another? If they can''t really do it, why did the interviewer get scolded for slipping up earlier?


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t tell you the deep reasons! But you''ve probably guessed part of it - Earth''s future absolutely can''t fall into monster hands! If we''re just doing some actions, that''s part of set history. We''re not actually interfering."


    As expected, the interviewer was much more careful now. They didn''t deny it, but didn''t give much info either.


    This answer was so vague! I felt like a herd of angry horses was running through my mind.


    When they don''t want to say or help, it''s against the rules to interfere. But when they secretly do stuff, they argue it''s just history taking its course. So they can decide everything?


    What exactly the "right history" should look like is still something I''m not allowed to know. How''s this different from bullying?


    "The meeting can end now! As thanks for stopping the nuke, we fixed your body and gave you a little extra. We won''t stop you from telling others about us, that''s not against our rules. But after you leave, we''ll delete all the memories you''re not supposed to have!"


    Maybe the interviewer felt guilty and was scared I''d ask more questions and mess up. They suddenly stood up, acting all "helpful" and saying they''d send me off soon.


    "Wait, let me check one more thing! Did Raydwin really become one of you? Can I talk to him?"


    Seeing they were about to run off, I quickly asked for one last bit of info.


    In other words, if Raydwin could become a "Holy One", doesn''t that mean we''d have an insider with the "Holy Ones" from now on?


    "Sorry! Raydwin chose not to join us! So you don''t need to think about meeting him here!"


    The answer I got was totally unexpected. After they said this, everything went black and I passed out again.


    ...


    In another part of the higher dimension, Raydwin''s soul was slowly waking up on a table.


    "Huh? Why am I here? Wasn''t I just on a submarine in M-country... How did this happen?"


    In his head, his last memory was blowing himself up. Looking at the familiar surroundings, he was confused for a moment and couldn''t help looking around.


    This was a very ordinary cheap restaurant, the one Raydwin often went to near school. But after looking closely for a while, Raydwin noticed many strange things. Like outside the restaurant was all foggy, you couldn''t see anything through the clear windows. And all the other customers were busy looking at their phones, no one was actually eating.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Weird, this can''t be a dream, right? So was the M-country experience a dream, or am I dreaming now?"


    There were too many things he couldn''t figure out, so he ended up wondering about deep questions.


    "What would you like to eat?"


    Just then, a waiter came over. They were holding a small notebook, asking the familiar question like usual.


    "Ah..."


    Raydwin felt his pocket and found his phone was still there. He asked back, not sure:


    "Can I see a menu first?"


    "No problem!"


    The waiter immediately threw a huge thick book on the table.


    "Are you sure this is a menu?"


    It was clearly very different from what he''d seen before. What restaurant needs such a thick menu? Raydwin stared at the book for a good while, and finally couldn''t help opening the first page.


    "Please note, you are now in a soul state after death! But you have one chance to upgrade your life form. Please read the terms carefully, then choose whether to accept this chance and become a member of the ''Holy Ones''?"


    After reading every word on the first page of the menu, Raydwin suddenly looked up and asked the waiter, confused:


    "What does this mean? So I really did die? But what are these ''Holy Ones''?"


    "Everything is written in the menu. Read it all, then tell me your choice."


    From the second page on, the words in the book suddenly got very dense.


    But strangely, it seemed like he didn''t need to try hard to understand. Raydwin could easily remember everything on it. As he kept turning pages, he also learned how things happened, how he got here, a rough explanation of upgrading his life form, the process, benefits, and so on.


    "I''ve finished reading. Becoming a ''Holy One'' is like becoming a god!"


    Putting down the "menu", it only took Raydwin a few minutes to finish reading everything. But there were still some things he didn''t quite understand, so he carefully asked:


    "The conditions are too good, but I don''t get why you chose me? So many people died in this mission, how come they''re not here?"


    "This is history''s necessity. We must give you this choice!" the waiter answered with a smile.


    "I know it''s written in the book! But what exactly is this historical necessity?" Raydwin asked, very unsatisfied.


    "You can''t know more specific details now. Unless you choose to join us, then all your questions will be answered!"


    Unfortunately, they still wouldn''t reveal anything, just kept rushing Raydwin to make a decision.


    "Fine, I''ll join! Only an idiot would say no!"


    After all, these great conditions were like pie falling from the sky! Raydwin immediately reached for the waiter''s notebook to write down his choice and name.


    But halfway through writing, he seemed to suddenly think of something. He couldn''t help stopping and asking again:


    "Let me check one more thing. When I become one of you, can I do lots of things, including helping upgrade other people''s life forms like you''re doing for me now?"


    "That''s right! You''ll have that power. You can control any form of energy, space, time, and know lots of things you''ve never heard of. Energy life forms can do countless things humans can''t. Strictly speaking, we''re not that different!"


    The waiter clearly saw what he was thinking. They nodded and agreed, but also seriously reminded him to follow the rules.


    "But you can''t interfere with anything in lower worlds. And you definitely can''t upgrade those people you''re thinking of to become one of us!"


    "Huh? Not even angels? Cyra is clearly an angel, not human. And it seems she heard your Divine Revelation. Aren''t you on the same side? Even that''s not allowed?"


    Raydwin was confused. He thought the god Cyra worshipped was these guys. But the answer was still "no", making him hesitate.


    Only he could become a "Holy One", not his family and friends. And he couldn''t go to lower worlds anymore. He couldn''t even help with small problems. Raydwin felt awful thinking about this, like it wasn''t much different from being dead.


    "What if I agree first, then secretly upgrade Cyra to this dimension? Would they find out? Even if they do, it''d be too late! At worst, we''d both be stuck in this high dimension. That''s still better than being bored alone!"


    The chance was too rare to easily refuse. After thinking hard, Raydwin thought he found a way to have it all. He was about to sign his name in the notebook.


    "Sorry, you broke the rules! Your decision will be seen as automatically giving up the choice."


    But the waiter suddenly stopped him, grabbed the notebook, and put it away.


    Strangely, they looked happy, like they''d completed an important task.


    "What? When did I decide? I haven''t become a ''Holy One'' yet, how did I break the rules?"


    Raydwin finally realized they could read his thoughts. He quickly argued loudly.


    At that moment, all the other customers who were looking at their phones suddenly turned to look at Raydwin and the waiter.


    "You''re right, you haven''t broken the rules yet..."


    Seeing this, the waiter had to take out the notebook again. But when handing it to Raydwin, they still seriously warned him:


    "Those little tricks you''re thinking of won''t work at all when you really become a ''Holy One''. You must think carefully. If you really decide to become one of us, I advise you to be ready to give up everything from your human life. Don''t have any hopes for old friends!"


    "This... I... But..."


    Hearing this, Raydwin suddenly felt uneasy. He was holding the pen, but just couldn''t make it touch the paper.


    It''s not clear how long passed. Everything went black, and he lost consciousness too.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 174: Waking Up

    When I woke up again, I found myself back at the base near H-country''s Shine Metropolitan City. But Adrian said it had been three days since I stopped the nuke high in the sky.


    "What? Three days? Are you kidding me?"


    I almost jumped out of bed. I remembered talking to the "Holy Ones" for only about 10 minutes in the higher dimension. How did so much time pass in the real world?


    "It''s true," Adrian said calmly, sitting by the bed. "I followed where you fell after the explosion and finally found you knocked out in a pile of rocks. You were completely naked, almost all your clothes were gone except for a few bits of fabric. But luckily, you didn''t have any injuries. Then Luke Channing quickly called for backup troops. While M-country was in chaos because of the sudden explosion in their airspace, they picked up us and the other mission teams from the other side of the Earth and brought us all back."


    "Oh, I see... Haha..."


    Since there weren''t many teleport scrolls, we had to come back using normal military transport. But right now I wasn''t really thinking about that. When I heard that Adrian found me without any clothes on, I felt really embarrassed.


    My relationship with Adrian wasn''t at the "seeing each other naked" stage yet. This was the first time it happened after I changed, so of course I felt shy.


    "Um..."


    Adrian was smart and quickly realized what I was worried about. But he was too embarrassed to say anything, so he just turned his head away with a red face. The room suddenly felt super awkward.


    But in the end, this kind of thing couldn''t be helped. Of course I didn''t want to make a big deal out of it. Thinking about our relationship, I just sighed a little and waved my hand to tell him:


    "It''s okay... Keep going!"


    The rest wasn''t very interesting. Just some celebration parties that already happened, and how Reed and the H-country military doctors at the base tried to figure out why I wasn''t waking up and how to treat me.


    It''s actually really easy to tell if an angel is dead. As long as the body doesn''t turn into light and disappear, it means they''re not dead and can still be saved.


    The main problem was they couldn''t find anything wrong with my body, so Reed thought my long coma might be related to my soul. And Earth people''s medical skills are even worse, so the base could only give me basic care, keeping me in the room and just giving me some IV fluids.


    "Now everything''s calm again. The space portal is confirmed to be working normally again, and we''ve finally made contact with the base in the other world. Earlier today, Cyra came to visit you. General Lee even said he''d ask his superiors for a special reward for you..."


    As I listened to Adrian, I pulled out the needles from my hand and stood up from the bed. But when I tried to open my wings, he suddenly stopped talking and froze.


    "You''ve leveled up?! So fast?"


    Yes, when I looked back and saw I had ten wings now, even I was surprised for a moment.


    "Could this be the extra reward they gave me?" I mumbled quietly to myself.


    They say after I understood the rules of water elements changing matter, I was already close to leveling up.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The "Holy Ones" kept their word! And it''s not just leveling up. The reason I could survive a close-range nuclear explosion and fall from 10,000 meters without any injury was probably thanks to them!


    "Who? Who gave you a reward?" Adrian caught what I said. He quickly asked, very confused.


    "It''s like this. When I was unconscious, my soul really did leave my body and went to a place they said was another dimension..."


    I didn''t want to hide anything from Adrian. I told him about my doubts about Cyra''s Divine Revelation, why I chose to stop the nuke with my body, and everything I remembered about meeting the "Holy Ones".


    "...So there really are gods in this world? Even though they''re not the kind the True Church talks about, they still sound pretty powerful. But if they were guiding this whole thing from behind... that''s just unbelievable!"


    After hearing about what happened to me, Adrian of course believed me without question. But it still shocked him mentally. He came closer and asked uncertainly, "Do we need to pray to them every day like Cyra or other True Church followers? If we don''t, will they hold a grudge and cause trouble for us?"


    Adrian was a non-believer like me at first, but now it looks like he''s pretty good at accepting these supernatural things. As expected of a human from a world full of god and demon stories.


    "I don''t think we need to. These ''Holy Ones'' might not really be gods in the true sense. You know, even they said they won''t interfere in our world, and they admitted they can make mistakes too. We can even think of them as creatures living in a higher dimension in another form of life..."


    I still stuck to my view that there are no real gods in the world. But even though I said this, I found that I couldn''t remember some parts of the second half of the meeting, like I''d forgotten something.


    "Oh yeah, did Number 14 Feliciana come back? Have you seen her?"


    I shook my head to get rid of some confused thoughts. Now that I was awake, the most important thing was to meet the person who helped me most in the fight with Camille.


    All the signs showed that Number 14 Feliciana probably had a very close connection with the "Holy Ones". I couldn''t wait to ask her for more information about them.


    "Uh, Feliciana from the 14th world?"


    But when Adrian heard what I said, he was surprised for a moment. Then he explained what happened:


    "At first, they said everyone came back safely. But later, when the base had a celebration party, they found that only the people from the 14th world didn''t show up. You know what happened next - no one could find her anywhere in the base. Because number 14 Feliciana did so well in the mission, the H-country higher-ups finally started to pay attention to this. Some people think she ran away from the base alone, others think she might have sneaked into the fixed space portal and gone to the Eldoria Continent. But they haven''t found real proof for either guess yet. You know, the whole base area is watched closely, in the air and underground. General Lee is ordering his people to check all the surveillance carefully, to find out how she really disappeared!"


    Basically, she''s not in the base!


    Of course I knew that with number 14 Feliciana''s abilities, she could come and go easily. Earth people had no chance of finding her with their technology.


    But my plan to visit Number 14 Feliciana failed. Then the after-effects of waking up from a long coma finally showed up -


    I felt my empty stomach growling. For the first time since becoming an angel, I felt really hungry.


    But Adrian said the celebration party was already over. In that moment, I felt like I missed out on a fortune! Without another word, I grabbed Adrian''s hand and ran towards the base cafeteria.


    "Cyra?"


    We hadn''t gone far, not even out of the living area, when we turned a corner and ran into Cyra coming the other way. I saw from her badge that she was the Cyra from our world.


    I said hello, then suddenly remembered I''d also learned some news about Raydwin from the "Holy Ones". So I quickly went up to talk to her.


    "Feliciana, you''re awake? That''s great! Are you okay?"


    Cyra, who I hadn''t seen for a long time, was happy to see me.


    "About Raydwin, I mainly want to talk to you about him..."


    I was about to get straight to the point, but as soon as she heard me say "Raydwin", she suddenly cut me off like she was having a reaction. She shouted like she was out of control.


    "I''ve said many times, Raydwin isn''t dead! Why won''t you all listen..."


    After saying this, Cyra turned and ran back to her room. She slammed the door shut. It all happened so fast.


    "This..."


    Everything was quiet again. I turned to look at Adrian, confused.


    "Can''t be helped. These days, the H-country military leaders are talking about giving Raydwin a title, and how to hold his funeral, tell his family, and so on. Cyra feels like no one is listening to her opinion. And she keeps talking about how her ''Lord'' saved him in time and took his soul to heaven, but there''s no proof for any of that. So when this keeps coming up, she gets a bit crazy about it."


    Adrian was also surprised by her reaction. But he already knew the news about Raydwin that I brought back from the "Holy Ones", so he shrugged and explained.

 Vol 5/Chapter 175: Coming Back to Life

    "So that''s how it is..."


    I knew Raydwin''s soul probably didn''t really die, like Cyra said. But I never thought she''d react so strongly to his "death"!


    I only knew bits about Raydwin. I heard he turned down a rare chance to become one of the "Holy Ones". But it was hard to guess what would happen next.


    He had no body left to come back to life. Even the strongest revival magic on Eldoria Continent - mixing water and light magic - couldn''t help. Would his soul just float around Earth as a ghost until it faded away?


    I bet the "Holy Ones" could fix this problem easy. But Raydwin never showed up after he "died". Looking at Cyra now, maybe even she was starting to lose hope. Wonder how long she can keep holding on alone.


    "Ah well, better leave her alone to cool off for now. Maybe tomorrow we''ll hear good news that Raydwin came back to life in M-country?"


    Anyway, filling our stomachs was most important right now. I was about to drag Adrian to the canteen.


    But then, out of nowhere, something crazy happened again.


    First there was a loud "Ahhhh!" scream. Then after a few seconds, a bunch of "Damn!", "Holy crap!", "What the hell!", "Get lost!", mixed with a man yelling "Help!" real loud. We couldn''t help stopping and looking back.


    I recognized one voice right away - it was Cyra for sure. But I never heard her yell so loud before. And what was all that noise after? Didn''t sound like she was just in danger!


    "That guy shouting for help... doesn''t it sound a bit like Raydwin?" Adrian asked me, sounding unsure. The noise was coming from Cyra''s room. Maybe she was hiding a man in there?


    Even if he came back to life, how could Raydwin show up here? This place is thousands of kilometers from where he died, in a H-country army base.


    I looked at Adrian. Something felt off about this whole thing. So we turned around and ran to Cyra''s door. I kicked it open without thinking twice.


    "Holy shit!"


    Even I couldn''t help cursing.


    There was a naked man lying on the floor of Cyra''s room, with nothing on at all! And Cyra was angrily punching and kicking him.


    No mistake, the young man was Raydwin! I guessed he''d probably come back to life, but I never imagined it''d be like this, appearing in this time and place on Earth.


    "This idiot just popped up in my room out of nowhere. I was about to take a nap and nearly jumped out of my skin when I opened my eyes! And he''s not wearing anything, pointing that thing right at me. Looks like he finally couldn''t hold back and decided to be a pervert! Is that all he''s got?"


    Cyra didn''t look too surprised to see us burst in. She kept yelling about making him feel pain worse than broken bones, but she did ease up on hitting him a bit.


    Good thing six-winged angels aren''t much stronger than normal people with their wings tucked in. Raydwin''s tough skin didn''t seem too badly hurt.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    But hearing Cyra say that, Raydwin shouted back while dodging on the ground:


    "It''s not fair! How was I supposed to know I''d come back naked? Those guys asked where I wanted to revive, and of course I didn''t want to stay in M-country. The first place I thought of was you... I mean, this base where your room is! Then I somehow dropped right in here. I really didn''t mean to!"


    Finally got it. Even though Raydwin didn''t join them, the "Holy Ones" kindly made him a new body out of thin air. This body should be like Raydwin''s before he died, and it seems he kept some memories from after death too.


    "Those guys? Who are you talking about?" Cyra suddenly didn''t understand. At least she stopped hitting him and asked.


    After all, until now she thought everything was done by her "Lord". She couldn''t miss a chance to learn more about the "Lord".


    "Uh... it''s a long story. It felt like a dream, but I know it couldn''t have been!"


    Talking about what happened, Raydwin looked confused. He seemed to be trying hard to remember, and stood up slowly covering his lower half. He continued uncertainly:


    "After I blew up the bomb in the submarine, I somehow ended up in a weird place like a restaurant near a school. Then a waiter there gave me a menu full of info about their race. There was a lot, but I can''t remember most of it! I vaguely recall they called themselves ''Holy Ones''? Seems they''re a special kind of life form that lives on energy. They can exist in different space dimensions and times, and freely control anything in lower dimensions. It''s thanks to them I could come back to life."


    "That''s it? Didn''t they invite you to join? So why did you refuse?" I blurted out. Raydwin''s soul should have stayed in the higher dimension longer than me, but he only remembered this little bit.


    "Huh? They invited me to join? You mean become awesome like those ''Holy Ones''?" Raydwin was surprised too. He shook his head firmly. "No way! Absolutely impossible! If I had such a great chance, how could I give it up? It sounds just like becoming a god, only an idiot would refuse! Otherwise I wouldn''t be here getting beat up by Cyra the fraud angel. You must be joking, right?"


    "..."


    Did Raydwin just forget because too much of his memory was erased, or were the "Holy Ones" actually lying to me about what happened to him?


    I really couldn''t figure it out!


    "Wait a second, who are you calling a fraud angel? And when did you rename my ''Lord''? It was the ''Lord'' who saved your life, but you thank those ''Holy Ones'' instead of the ''Lord''! Even if you don''t believe in the ''Lord'', the fact that you''re alive again is right here. How can you be so ungrateful!"


    But Cyra couldn''t sit still anymore and started questioning him. Faith is always without reason, and she never doubted her god. She wouldn''t allow anyone to disrespect her Lord carelessly.


    "Is there a chance... I mean, just a possibility - that your ''Lord'' and the ''Holy Ones'' are actually the same thing?"


    Seeing Cyra about to rush over and hit him again, Raydwin stepped back and tried to explain from beside Adrian. But he quickly noticed a hole in what he said, so he hurried to add:


    "Uh, no! There were multiple ''Holy Ones''. I''m not really sure which one is your ''Lord'', or maybe it was that waiter I saw..."


    Of course this careless explanation wouldn''t satisfy Cyra at all. Seeing things getting worse, Raydwin could only borrow some clothes from Adrian and run out of the room like his life depended on it.


    "..."


    The farce was finally over. I suddenly felt a headache from these two troublemakers. When Raydwin ran out, the H-country army and others in the base who thought he was long dead would see him. Their understanding of the world would probably get turned upside down, right?


    After all, there''s never been a case of someone coming back from the dead on Earth! Let alone someone whose body was blown to bits. It might cause a huge uproar.


    "About why Raydwin came back to life, telling the truth about your ''Lord'' or the ''Holy Ones'' doesn''t seem very suitable. There''s no proof to show others they exist! And Raydwin can only describe it with words, which isn''t convincing at all. Why don''t we keep it simple and just say an angel used magic to bring him back?"


    After thinking hard for a while, Adrian finally came up with a good way to explain this.


    "That angel should be me, right? Since it''s all made up anyway, why not give Cyra this chance?"


    I quickly caught on to his idea and suggested pushing Cyra forward.


    Actually, water elements could theoretically rebuild Raydwin''s body too. But my level is far from being able to do that.


    "No need, it can be anyone! Earthlings have no idea what angels can do anyway. Your rank is higher, so it makes more sense for you to take on this trouble. I''m going to take a nap!"


    But Cyra wouldn''t fall for it so easily. She turned and flopped on the bed, waving at us to go out and remember to close the door.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 176: Strange Camera Footage

    I don''t think Cyra knows I have already leveled up to ten wings. When you think about it, for Earth people, a ten-winged angel bringing the dead back to life doesn''t sound so crazy.


    After leaving, Adrian and I went straight to the base canteen.


    Finally I can  eat some yummy food. Suddenly all the hard times we went through don''t seem so bad.


    But halfway through eating, someone I know came into the canteen - it was Wayne Peng!


    I remember seeing Wayne Peng get rescued on the security camera in the M-country President''s office. But then the vampire ancestor Rasambla attacked, and I didn''t see Wayne after that.


    I thought Wayne Peng might have died, but he''s still alive!


    He''s not totally okay though. His left arm and half his head are wrapped in big bandages. But his legs are fine and he can still walk.


    "Feliciana? You''re finally awake! Why didn''t you tell the base office? You shouldn''t be walking around so soon! Are you really okay?" Wayne Peng came over looking very happy.


    "Can''t you see I''m starving? Can we talk after I finish eating?" I said with my mouth full of beef and rice. I grabbed another plate of fried noodles.


    But Wayne Peng sat down next to us anyway and ordered the same food as me. He didn''t bother me but talked to Adrian about stuff happening at the base.


    From their talk, I found out Wayne Peng and Chan Layne got knocked out when Rasambla attacked and the warehouse fell on them. When they woke up, the fighting was over and the H-country army rescue team found them.


    Most survivors were badly hurt. Adrian looked at Wayne Peng''s missing arm and remembered:


    "I heard Number 1 Feliciana and some human magician agreed to use magic to heal people hurt in this mission. Can''t they fix your arm? Why haven''t you gone to see her?"


    Number 1 Feliciana is about as strong as I was before the mission. She can control water elements too, so she can heal people easily. Most visitors from other worlds can''t do that yet.


    "I''m not too bad. There are many friends in worse shape, like Chan Layne! Number 1 Feliciana can''t heal people non-stop without rest. I can wait a bit longer!" Wayne Peng explained. But I could see he was having trouble using forks. I started to think maybe he snuck out of the hospital to get food.


    "The hospital food must not be very nice, huh?" I sighed. I called him out and put my hand on his broken arm.


    If Number 1 Feliciana can heal, of course I can too. Now that I''m stronger, I can control water elements even better. I don''t even need magic - I can use the rules of changing elements to heal Wayne Peng.


    Luckily there weren''t many people around. Blue light went from my hand into his wound. Wayne Peng''s left arm, which was only half there before, grew back quickly, breaking through the bandages!If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Amazing! I heard magic in your world could do this, but seeing it is something else... it''s unbelievable!" Wayne Peng''s new left arm was whiter and smoother than his other arm.


    Since I learned how to change elements, I don''t need to change to blue wings to use water magic. I don''t even need to show my wings.


    Angel wings are mainly for taking in elements from outside. If there''s enough magic power inside or you can control air elements directly, that''s enough to heal this kind of injury.


    "This is high-level healing. It''s much faster and better than normal healing magic!" I sat back down heavily, breathing hard. I still felt a bit proud and bragged a little.


    But really, using element changing rules to heal for the first time took way more energy than I expected!


    It''s different from just destroying things in battle. Healing means rebuilding matter with elements, which puts a lot of pressure on the body.


    If I hadn''t become a ten-winged angel, I probably couldn''t do something this complicated!


    Now I really see how amazing magic is - you just need to follow some rules and formulas and say some words, and you can use high-level element rules very easily. The people on Eldoria Continent might have found out some of the deepest secrets of the world.


    "If it''s you from a parallel world, can all of you do this easily once you reach your level?" Wayne Peng stopped looking at his arm. He remembered something about other similar people at this base and asked with a frown, "Like Number 14 Feliciana?"


    "Feliciana is a bit over streched! But Number 14 Feliciana can do it, even better actually. Too bad she''s probably not at the base now." Adrian saw I was tired. He thought Wayne Peng wanted me to help Number 1 Feliciana heal injured people, so he quickly explained for me.


    "It''s very hard to find out where Number 14 Feliciana is. But I heard you were close to her. Didn''t you ever think something was strange about her?" But then Wayne Peng suddenly turned the conversation to me.


    "No, why?" I was confused. I didn''t know what he meant.


    Of course, I knew General Lee was probably ordering people to investigate why Number 14 Feliciana disappeared. Wayne Peng or his people might be working on this, so he wanted to get information from me.


    But even if he asks me, I don''t know the answer!


    "Well, this whole thing is very strange..." Wayne Peng hesitated for a few seconds, then decided to trust Adrian and me. He smiled a bit sadly and told us the weird thing he found out:


    "My people checked all the security camera footage related to Number 14 Feliciana. But they found something impossible - there''s no footage showing visitors from World 14 arriving. We looked at all the videos from before and after, and we''re sure nothing is missing. But there''s only footage of people from World 13 and World 15. We don''t know how people from World 14 got here!"


    "What? That''s impossible!" Adrian and I shouted in surprise. We felt a chill go down our backs.


    If no one from World 14 really came through, then who were Number 14 Feliciana and Number 14 Nicola who left with some people? Ghosts?


    Then Wayne Peng used his phone to show us some security camera footage from when the portal was messed up.


    We could see in the video that after people from World 13 appeared, no one else came through the portal! Until the next group of visitors arrived, the soldiers guarding the portal in the video reported to their bosses on their radios:


    "Visitors from World 15 confirmed. Visitor number increased to 15!"


    That means they skipped World 14! No one in the whole base noticed this weird thing. It''s like someone changed everyone''s memories.


    The later footage is normal. The Number 14 Feliciana and Nicola just showed up at the base like nothing was wrong. It wasn''t until everything was over and the portal was back to normal that someone noticed this strange thing at the beginning when they looked at the old footage.


    "Could it be..."


    I first suspected Number 14 Feliciana herself, who can change reality. But thinking carefully, she didn''t need to do this, and changing so many people''s memories would be hard with just water magic that can only change reality a little.


    But if those "Holy Ones" behind Number 14 Feliciana did it themselves, that might be a different story...

 Vol 5/ Chapter 177: Success and Fame

    "Oh?" Wayne Peng''s eyes lit up when he heard me mumbling to myself. He leaned in and asked eagerly, "Did you figure something out?"


    "No, nothing..." In just a few seconds, I understood a lot of things I hadn''t before. But there''s not much real proof about the "Holy Ones". And I don''t know that much anyway. If I told Wayne Peng the truth, he probably wouldn''t believe me.


    So it''s better to say nothing! But I know the H-country military is trying hard to find Number 14 Feliciana. They won''t find anything. So I tried to explain to Wayne Peng:


    "Actually, Number 14 Feliciana is way stronger than me. She can even go back to her own world by herself. She only stayed here to help us. So don''t worry too much about her staying in this world. Maybe she finished her job and left already. If she''s not even in this world, you won''t find her no matter how hard you look!"


    "But how she and Number 14 Nicola got here is so strange. I can''t explain this to my boss!" Wayne Peng said, looking very stressed. World 14 helped a lot with the space portal problem. Like how Nicola from World 14 took many visitors from other worlds away early. Wayne Peng couldn''t deny that, but he was still very worried. "Now even the central government knows about this. They ordered us to check all the security footage of visitors from parallel worlds coming in. We can''t let any ''illegal immigrants'' slip by, including the rumors about World 18."


    "World 18? You mean that rumor where three shadows were seen entering the space portal, but only two humans arrived, and then someone at the base said they saw Cyra from World 18?" Adrian understood right away. This rumor was all over the base. The human visitors from World 18 had already left with Nicola from World 14. But later, many people, including me, had weird experiences of meeting a "mysterious Cyra"!


    But sadly, no one here could explain the truth about World 18. Wayne Peng himself saw three shadows enter the space portal. So he could only guess it was somehow related to the mystery of World 14, but he couldn''t be sure.


    Just as we were about to leave after eating, Wayne Peng suddenly got a phone call. It sounded like it was from one of his bosses.


    "Really? I''ll come right away! My injury was completely healed by Feliciana... Yes, the same person. They''re right here with me! I''ll bring them along!"


    Wayne Peng kept looking at me while he was on the phone, looking very surprised. After he hung up, he tried to calm down and explained to Adrian and me:


    "Raydwin is alive again, and he''s somehow here at the base! We heard he was dead before, and there wasn''t even a body. But they say when they found him, he kept talking nonsense about some god-like beings called ''Holy Ones'' who saved him. Then Cyra showed up and explained that you used some special magic to bring him back to life! That''s amazing, you really are an angel! Not only are you not afraid of nuclear bombs, you can even bring people back to life!"


    I have to say, Wayne Peng''s praise at the end made me feel a bit embarrassed. Actually, I can''t bring people back to life. If those "Holy Ones" heard that I took credit for their work, would they strike me with lightning?


    But then again, for Earth people, bringing someone back from the dead is a big deal! Adrian and I looked at each other. We knew it was time for me to step up again. Wayne Peng had clearly been told by General Lee to bring us to deal with Raydwin coming back to life.


    But we weren''t going to the research lab like I thought. We were going to the base''s office building. They said Raydwin was there now.Stolen story; please report.


    I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t curious about the body the "Holy Ones" made for Raydwin out of thin air. Who knows if they gave him any special powers?


    On the way there, I wondered meanly if Raydwin had run out and been recognized quickly, then taken to the research lab to be studied.


    So had they finished studying him already? Or did they not have time?


    But strangely, there weren''t many people around the office building today. We followed Wayne Peng to the lobby. When we opened the door - can you believe it? All the officials from the base were there. Even some visitors from other worlds, including Cyra and Reed from our world, were all gathered inside.


    "Huh? What''s going on here?"


    I was totally confused. Weren''t we supposed to see Raydwin first? It felt like we walked into a party. There were even balloons around.


    Suddenly, there was loud clapping. A banner opened up above, saying "Warmly Congratulating Lady Angel Feliciana on Her Recovery!"


    "What does this mean?"


    This sudden change scared me. I asked Wayne Peng next to me.


    "Don''t forget, you''re the hero who saved all of Shine Metropolitan!"


    Wayne Peng explained, not surprised at all. It seemed they had planned this behind my back. Only then did I realize this was the first time I''d appeared in public since waking up.


    "If you made such a big sacrifice, of course you deserve a reward!"


    Even Adrian gave me a little push from behind. Soon, a girl came up and gave me a bunch of flowers. I was so shocked my scalp was tingling. Finally the clapping stopped.


    "Okay, okay, that''s enough everyone. Can''t you see she''s about to faint? Let''s skip the speech!"


    These simple celebration ceremonies in the military are usually just for show. Luckily, General Lee saw my face. He quickly waved his hand to tell everyone to leave. The space around me finally cleared out. Of course, some people still couldn''t resist peeking from outside.


    "This wasn''t your stupid idea, was it?"


    I glared at Cyra. I''d never been through anything so embarrassing in my life! At the same time, I let out a long sigh of relief. The only people left were friends from my world, General Lee, Wayne Peng, and an H-country official I didn''t know.


    "How could it be! Didn''t we already meet after you woke up?"


    Cyra quickly explained, sounding very wronged.


    "I told you before that you''d be fine. At first they thought you might be dead!"


    Reed was probably the calmest person there. She walked over with no expression and gave me a light hug, whispering a complaint.


    "I''m so sorry. Feliciana, you did such a great job on this mission. We wanted to surprise you, so we planned this. But we didn''t know you wouldn''t like it. We won''t make this mistake again!"


    Finally, it was the H-country official''s turn to come apologize to me very sincerely. He introduced himself: "I was sent here by the highest command to check and summarize the mission. I heard angels usually live very long lives, so you can call me Winslow!"


    This Mr. Winslow was clearly sent from the H-country central government. His rank must be as high as General Lee''s! And it looked like he knew I could bring people back to life.


    "Weren''t we supposed to talk about Raydwin?"


    I sighed and brought the topic back to the original purpose. I didn''t see Raydwin in the crowd earlier, which means he''s probably still being controlled.


    "We''ve already checked Raydwin''s body. We didn''t find any problems. He''s almost exactly the same as before the mission! Now he''s in another place being questioned further. If you want to see him, we can go right away! Of course, we also want to talk to you privately in General Lee''s office about some things related to our cooperation!"


    Mr. Winslow''s attitude was incredibly friendly. After all, they needed my help.


    You know, I just showed them how I could hit a nuclear bomb with my body and "bring someone back to life" out of nowhere. If that didn''t shock Earth people, nothing would!


    "Let me be clear, don''t ask me to bring anyone else back to life! Only high-level angels can use this magic. It can only be used once a year, and there are many limits. Plus, this world doesn''t have much magic energy. This time was special. It can''t happen a second time!"


    I could guess what they were thinking. To prevent trouble, I quickly made up an excuse.


    "Ah... well..."


    When he heard what I said, Mr. Winslow''s plans were clearly ruined.


    Luckily, General Lee jumped in. He smiled awkwardly and smoothed things over: "That''s fine! Seeing an angel''s miracle once in a lifetime is enough!"


    Actually, at first I was just going to make up some cooldown time for the skill to deal with it. But I was surprised they didn''t say anything like "Let''s try again in a year". I suddenly realized that since the space portal was fixed and the monsters'' effects were gone, some things that should have happened long ago might finally be starting to show up.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 178: Training Cooperation

    I finally saw Raydwin being questioned behind glass in the renovated basement of the office building.


    At first, many people thought he might be a Raydwin who snuck over from another world. But he kept saying he was the real Raydwin from this world who came back to life. He even claimed he saw something like God after dying. So the security folks thought he had mental problems and locked him up.


    Thanks to the discovery of another magic world, people in the base got used to weird stuff like this. They didn''t send Raydwin straight to the mental hospital or cut him open to study.


    But Raydwin lost too many memories. He couldn''t prove who he was or what happened to him. The questioners almost thought he was part of some unfinished plan of the monsters we destroyed. Luckily Cyra came when she heard the news and saved him from trouble.


    Now that they know magic brought Raydwin back to life, they still have to do tests and research on him. As soon as I entered the basement, many Earth scientists came to ask me questions.


    "Well... simply put, water magic fixes the body, and light magic guides the soul back. So resurrection magic in our world is actually high-level magic combining water and light elements..." I explained what I knew about resurrection magic when they asked.


    Actually, the two types of magic are totally different! Even in Eldoria Continent, it''s very hard for one person to do resurrection magic alone because it uses two elements in complex ways. For someone like Raydwin whose body was blown up, making a new body from nothing is almost impossible in theory.


    Of course, as an angel, if I said I could do it, no one could argue.


    "Anyway, this is the first time we can study what happens to consciousness after death. It might really help research on near-death experiences!" an older professor-type concluded disappointedly after listening.


    With Earth''s current technology, they haven''t even figured out if souls exist. So telling them how resurrection magic works doesn''t mean much.


    Anyway, it looks like they''ll keep studying Raydwin for a while. As for me, I was taken to General Lee''s office along with Winslow.


    "Miss Feliciana, is it really impossible to use that resurrection magic again soon? Many important officers died in this mission. If not, can we ask Cyra or angels from other worlds to help?" Winslow asked eagerly as soon as the door closed.


    "Sorry, I already explained why before! I''m a special kind of angel, so only I can barely use this magic. The me from other worlds hasn''t reached that level yet!" I shook my head and crushed his hopes again.


    "What about Feliciana from World 11? She''s kind of the same person as you, right?" General Lee couldn''t help asking.


    The higher-ups remembered World 11 Feliciana well because she caused trouble at the base before. They saw her as the next strongest after me among the parallel worlds.


    "She''s nowhere close!" I sighed. What can you expect from someone who can''t even beat Cyrae?


    During the mission in M-country, World 11 Feliciana almost caused big trouble by leaving to fight World 12 Feliciana. Good thing Cyrae stopped her and caught her. So she''s still locked up now. But because of the information gap, others think Cyra did it.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "In that case, let''s talk about something else!" General Lee smiled helplessly, seeing the discussion was going nowhere. He went back to his seat, took out a document, and handed it to me.


    I flipped through it. The document had names and info on almost all the parallel world visitors. I could guess why they called me here - to prepare for the next step in dealing with these parallel world "refugees".


    The space portal is finally back to normal, so it''s time to send troublemakers like World 11 Feliciana back to their own worlds. The problem is, theoretically we need Galadra from our world to do this. Now it seems only I can contact her directly.


    "I might need to go back to our world to talk about this," I said after thinking a bit. The Earth situation is finally solved, so after so many days, I''m actually quite worried about Eldoria Continent.


    "No problem!" Winslow agreed right away for General Lee. Then he got serious and shared his real purpose. "Next is the cooperation I want to discuss with you. This is why I came to this base on orders from the highest command..."


    "Huh? You want to send a group of scholars to our side to learn magic?" I was surprised when I heard their plan. But thinking carefully, it makes sense.


    After what happened in M-country, the H-country leaders have seen how powerful magic is. Angel abilities are way beyond what those empire troops could do. Plus, magic can do many things modern tech can''t, like bringing back the dead. Of course the H-country government would love to learn magic if they could.


    "That''s right! Actually, after the space portal was fixed, we already contacted the Ilandra Dominion Empire delegation. Princess Katarina agreed to give us basic magic training. But for higher level stuff, like light magic, I think angels would be better teachers, right?" Winslow nodded and explained more. So they had already started working on this.


    "For systematic magic training, you should ask the Sage Council in Crescent City, not angels, right?" I suggested after thinking for a bit.


    "We''ve heard of the Sage Council''s reputation. But to contact them and set up cooperation quickly, we probably don''t have enough time. We have no choice but to ask you!" General Lee joined in to convince me, looking very sincere as he made his request.


    "Not enough time?" Hearing this, I suddenly realized something important. No wonder Earth people are in such a rush to learn magic.


    "The space portal is slowly shrinking! A few days ago, after the portal was confirmed fully recovered, our experts discovered this during tests. It''s exactly like you warned us before. We estimate the portal will disappear completely in less than a month!"


    Sure enough, General Lee hesitated for a long time before finally telling me the truth.


    I remember Galadra clearly told me before returning to Earth that the space portal could only last less than a month without the Cycle of Rebirth''s support. But when I got to Earth, I found lots of Battle Qi here. Plus the effects of monsters and other problems meant the portal wasn''t actually observed shrinking.


    Now that the monsters causing changes are finally completely eliminated, the Battle Qi in the environment can no longer break down into earth element to support the portal. The exchange between our two worlds is entering its final stage.


    "If you want to cooperate with all the angels, I don''t think they''ll easily agree based on what I know. Plus, the magic knowledge in Edenmere has rules against sharing freely..." I explained the situation, now understanding the key points.


    "As payment, H-country will definitely provide many rare resources your world doesn''t have. We can negotiate the specific terms. Is that not enough sincerity?" Both of them looked disappointed, but Winslow still tried hard to convince me.


    "I have to ask Lady Elara about the details first. The final decision depends on her!" I had no choice but to pass the ball to the ruler of the angels. After all, I can''t decide alone.


    Actually, I personally would be happy to teach some magic knowledge to Earth people. There''s almost no element on Earth, but don''t forget examples like Reed. Who can say for sure that combining Earth tech and magic won''t create new sparks?


    In the end, that''s how we left the negotiation for now.


    A few hours later, I went alone through the space portal to the Earth military base in Eldoria Continent.


    Coming back to this element-rich environment after so long immediately made me feel energized.


    Because the space portal is shrinking, I could see the H-country soldiers at the base here seemed very tense. Everyone was walking fast! Almost no one noticed me arrive.


    But the purpose of my return this time was nothing else - mainly to communicate about cooperation.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 179: The Original Celestial Weapon

    While the space portal on Earth was acting strange, the portal entrance on Eldoria Continent didn''t disappear. But it got weird - if you went in, nothing happened. It just looked like a round, see-through ball.


    When H-country''s military suddenly found out they couldn''t go back, they got really scared! They didn''t know how the portal worked, so there was some trouble here.


    Luckily, most of the important people from the Ilandra Dominion Empire delegation had come back. One of the magic experts with Princess Katarina knew a lot about earth element portals. After checking things out, they said that since the portal entrance was still there, the connection to Earth wasn''t totally broken. There was still a chance it could work again. This helped calm down the worried soldiers a bit.


    Of course, after the portal started working normally again, all this became old news. When I went to the base office to report to the top commander, General Lange, and explain why I came back, I found out something surprising.


    "Irene didn''t come back here?"


    I remembered Irene was the last one to go into the portal before that vampire died inside. But nobody from the empire group or anyone else saw her come out of the portal. At first, everyone thought she didn''t enter the portal in time, but that''s not what happened...


    "I heard light elves are really good at turning invisible. Maybe the little girl didn''t like it here, so she used her power to go back to her village right away?" Princess Katarina thought for a bit and guessed, even though it wasn''t very likely.


    There was an old, secret light elf village near the empire''s border. The empire officials knew about it, but they never figured out exactly where it was.


    "I''ll go to the village and ask about it," I said. But I wasn''t very hopeful. Irene wouldn''t leave without waiting for Reed. But after the portal went crazy, who knows what happened to Irene inside. Maybe she got sent to some unknown parallel world, or even died in there!


    But before I could fly far from the base, someone suddenly appeared in front of me in the air.


    "You''re finally back! It''s been so long! What happened on Earth?"


    "Galadra?"


    For different reasons, Galadra''s copy couldn''t go through the portal to Earth. She looked a bit worried.


    After I left, she kept watching the portal closely. Of course she saw when it started acting strange. But the problem wasn''t on this side, so she couldn''t figure out what was wrong.


    "We found Cyra, but now there''s a big problem that only you can fix!"


    It was good timing - I didn''t have to spend time looking for her. I didn''t waste time and told her everything that happened on Earth, and that I needed her help to send a group of people back home.


    "That''s so complicated! Dealing with weird stuff happening across many universes is a big headache for me too!" Galadra frowned after hearing the whole story. Then she surprised me with her answer.


    "So if you want me to send all those visitors from parallel worlds back to where they came from, I can''t do it!"Stolen novel; please report.


    "Huh? That''s impossible!"


    I almost hurt my back from the shock. Never mind the rest, but Nicola from World 14 took a Galadra''s Eye and volunteered to take most people home. But now the real Galadra from our world is saying she can''t do it?


    "Are you a fake... or maybe your soul isn''t complete, like mine?"


    I looked at her, confused and annoyed.


    Even if she''s just a copy, this Galadra is much stronger than me, even after I got stronger. I can feel a bit of her power to control Authority now.


    But she''s the famous Earth Angel in charge of space. How could she not be able to do this simple thing?


    "Oh? You got stronger again?"


    Galadra didn''t answer my question. She stared at my wings, finally noticing the difference. She smiled meaningfully. "Looks like you had a breakthrough on Earth. Now you should be able to use some of Gisphrael''s powers."


    "Do you know about the ''Holy Ones''?"


    Her words reminded me to ask. I don''t know much about this mysterious, super powerful race. But Galadra''s been alive for over 10,000 years, so she should have heard of them, right?


    "''Holy Ones''? Who are they? I don''t know!"


    Surprisingly, even Galadra looked confused when she heard the name. She blinked and shook her head, looking lost.


    I was shocked. If even Galadra doesn''t know, it''ll be hard to find info anywhere else.


    "But with your incomplete soul, ten wings is probably your limit. Unless your soul becomes whole again, you can''t really get better at controlling Authority."


    After looking at me closely, Galadra came to the same conclusion as before.


    I remembered this, but when she sighed and suddenly made a crystal ball appear in her hand, I was surprised.


    "This is the original ''Galadra''s Eye''. It''s a bit different from what Michelle made - she got some unknown tech from somewhere and combined it with the Eye''s magic to make a big machine that can swap spaces. But if you just want to cross between worlds and send other travelers home, this original version is enough!"


    "Huh? Didn''t you say you couldn''t do it? Were you lying to me?"


    I quickly took the Galadra''s Eye and played with it, feeling happy inside.


    This was my first time seeing the original, complete Galadra''s Eye up close. Looking carefully at the center of the crystal ball, I saw it was super deep inside - you couldn''t see the end! For a moment, it felt like my whole soul could get sucked into the ball and sent to some other space somewhere...


    "I didn''t lie!"


    Suddenly a finger snap brought me back to reality. Galadra explained seriously:


    "My power is only enough to send those guys back to Eldoria Continent in their own worlds. This Galadra''s Eye can do the same thing. But if it''s parallel Earth worlds, I can''t send them all back by myself."


    "..."


    Is there a difference? I didn''t know why she cared so much about the exact words. A bunch of question marks popped up in my head. But even if she could only send people back to Eldoria Continent, that should be enough. So I didn''t ask more.


    It''s true that quite a few visitors came directly from parallel Earth worlds to our Earth - like World 1. But if they could come here, it probably means their original worlds also have portals connecting Eldoria Continent and Earth.


    Now that the source of the problem - the vampire''s magic - is totally gone, not just our world''s portal should be back to normal. Almost all the parallel world portals affected should work again too.


    So if we just use Galadra''s Eye to send them back to Eldoria Continent in their own worlds, there shouldn''t be any problem with them going back to Earth later if they need to.


    In other words, now that I have Galadra''s Eye, one of the reasons I came back is solved easily?


    I knew Galadra cared about me!


    "After the portal goes back to normal, it''ll disappear. Remember, there''s less than a month left. If you have anything left to do on Earth, hurry up and do it! Also, the celestial weapon can only store so much magic. Return it to me right after you use it!"


    Before she disappeared, Galadra nagged me one last time.


    "So stingy, I have to give it back?"


    I felt a bit disappointed. But I still had a bunch of things to do, so I quickly turned and flew towards the light elf village.


    ...


    Of course, Irene''s disappearance wasn''t as simple as we thought!


    In the light elf village, I saw the village chief Kalati, Elder Gwendolyn who happened to visit, and even Serena leading the First Angel Legion camped around the village. But no Irene!


    "So that child is almost certainly lost in the space portal, sent to who knows which world?"


    Elder Betty from the elf village sighed, sounding sad as she accepted this fact. Of course, this was thinking positively. Even if Galadra came herself, she couldn''t bring Irene back because we don''t know which parallel world she''s in.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 180: Deciding to Stay

    The last job was to tell Elara through the Spirit Network about working with Earth people on magic. But who knew, even though it was already afternoon, I still couldn''t get into the Spirit Network. I asked Serena and found out why.


    "The space portal''s been acting weird lately, and things in the empire haven''t changed much. So Elara''s been busy with stuff in Edenmere. Now she only checks in through the ''Spirit Convergence'' magic every three days. You probably can''t reach her now!"


    Serena led the First Angel Legion to watch the space portal and keep an eye on outsiders. But when she heard what the Earth people wanted and how much they''d pay, she offered to help.


    "We don''t need to ask Elara about teaching Earth people magic. Edenmere has rules to prevent magic from leaking out, but they''re mostly for medium and high-level magic. Low-level magic is okay. Maybe I can help!"


    An angel legion has dozens of angels ready to fight! When I heard this, I felt relieved.


    Edenmere''s low-level magic is about the same as mid-level magic for humans. That should be enough to teach Earth people who know nothing for a month.


    We agreed to work together in this unexpected way.


    For the angels, this was a great chance to get high-tech weapons from Earth without spending much.


    All the free angels in the Ilandra Dominion Empire and Crestvale Republic, including the First Legion and us three - me, Cyra, and Reed - started teaching Earth people light magic.


    We taught at the Earth military bases near the space portal entrances on both sides - the Eldoria Continent base and the Shine Metropolitan base. We finished teaching around the same time the Earth military left.


    The angels asked for personal high-tech fighting gear, lots of weapons and ammo, and science books as payment. These things were sent over during the month and given to the First Legion.


    Next, we had to send everyone from the other worlds back home.


    The first version of the "Eye of Galadra" was easy to use, like the one Nicola from world 14 had. You just turn on the mode Galadra set up and touch the crystal ball. Then it sends you back to your own world.


    But Galadra said the celestial weapon doesn''t have much magic power. So the person has to be on the Eldoria Continent, and their world can''t be too far from this one.


    "This thing is great! I''ll ask Galadra to give me one when I get back!"


    World 1, which is most like our world, was last in line. After everyone else went home, it was finally time for Feliciana from World 1.


    Before she left, we talked for a long time, mostly about how our worlds are different. But when I found out Feliciana and Adrian from World 1 had already slept together, I was surprised to learn our worlds weren''t as close as I thought...


    "It''s normal, I totally get how you feel! When I fell from New Parristol that night, I couldn''t help myself and let Adrian have his way!"


    Lucky Adrian wasn''t next to me. Feliciana from World 1 saw how I reacted and patted my shoulder like she knew better. "You two are already dating, so this will probably happen sooner or later. Maybe one day it''ll just happen naturally!"This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    After saying this, she put her hand on the crystal ball. Her body started to fade. Just before she disappeared completely, she said goodbye casually.


    "Take care! Goodbye forever, other me from another world!"


    "Goodbye..."


    I quickly raised my arm, but what she said a few seconds ago kept bothering me.


    Will that day really come?


    To be honest, I wasn''t sure! If I think about how I feel right now, I don''t think I''m totally ready for that yet.


    But we still have a long life ahead, so why worry about it now!


    I shook my head hard to get rid of these thoughts and focused back on what''s happening now. Feliciana from World 1 leaving marks the end of the space portal problem. Now we just have to wait patiently for everything to end.


    For the past two weeks, as the portal entrance got smaller, things were okay on the Eldoria Continent. But on Earth, the world situation changed completely.


    Because the space portal was revealed during the mission in M-country, many countries, including M-country after it recovered, asked to send experts to visit and learn from the other world before it''s too late.


    At the same time, videos, pictures, and information about the Eldoria Continent were shared online. All kinds of news, spread to every corner of Earth. The whole world was watching what the Shine Metropolitan base was doing.


    But one post stayed really popular. It had a long title: "About how I begged to learn from a master from another world, but in the end was cruelly abandoned."


    The post told almost everything that happened with me and Adrian from when we arrived in M-country to when we killed Camille. I could guess who wrote it.


    "Franklin posted our experiences in M-country online! Looks like he''s pretty upset we left him behind. Too bad the situation and his background didn''t let us have other options. Maybe this ending is best for both sides!"


    A lot of information about the other world is public now, and Adrian was Franklin''s teacher for a while. After reading the whole post, Adrian just sighed.


    Actually, Adrian did teach Franklin some basic fighting methods as a symbolic gesture. But Franklin is on Earth and can''t use Battle Qi from the environment like Raydwin, so he probably can''t improve much more.


    Speaking of Raydwin, he''s pretty special! Without Adrian''s "Absorb" arrow, the little Battle Qi in his body would''ve run out and not come back.


    But for some reason, maybe because the "Holy Ones" gave him a new body with some special talents, in just two weeks, Raydwin learned how to take Battle Qi from the environment by himself. Now he''s a real Battle Qi awakener, and the only one born on Earth!


    All these changes in Raydwin made Earth scientists very interested again. He probably visited the base research center the most during this time. Even though Raydwin''s Battle Qi ability just woke up and is still weak, and we can''t even tell what type it is yet, if it can figured out how he woke up, maybe there will be more Battle Qi users on Earth in the future...


    Of course, I probably won''t see that day.


    As for Cyra, even though Raydwin still bothers her all the time with fancy excuses after he came back to life - like helping the military look for Feliciana from World 14 - Cyra''s attitude has clearly changed. She doesn''t push him away like before.


    Visitors from other parallel worlds have all been sent back, except for Feliciana from World 14, who disappeared right under the H-country military''s nose!


    The search for Feliciana from World 14 never stopped. One day I couldn''t help but ask Cyra:


    "What are you planning to do? You should know we angels can''t easily find Feliciana from World 14 by sensing light energy! The H-country military is just following orders from above, but what about you? Are you really just doing this to pay back Raydwin for saving your life, like you said?"


    Their relationship is clearly getting closer fast. I guessed this might make Cyra not want to leave Raydwin when it''s time to go back to our world. So I had to check what she was thinking again.


    "I''ve decided not to go back. I want to stay on Earth!"


    After thinking for almost half a minute, Cyra finally made up her mind and said seriously to me.


    Just as I thought! At first, I thought she might take Raydwin to the Eldoria Continent, but after hearing this, I wasn''t really surprised.


    "But will the H-country government agree to let you stay?"


    I didn''t rush to say no to her decision. The problem is that a six-winged angel is way too powerful compared to Earth humans.


    In the long run, someone who isn''t even afraid of nuclear bombs would have a huge impact on Earth society! We can see how much Earth people fear this from how the H-country military keeps trying to find Feliciana from World 14. Unless Cyra hides among humans with a fake body like Cyrae.


    But Cyra''s name is already on the list of visitors from another world. In the end, she''ll be sent back like me.


    Right now, I really can''t see how she can stay on Earth openly.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 181: Swapping Identities

    "I don''t care, I''m staying this time! I''m a six-winged angel now, even if they find out, they can''t do much to me!"


    Sadly, Cyra wouldn''t back down this time. She thought it was okay to fight with the H-country government because she could use magic.


    "You really want to do this?"


    I was worried. Angels can easily hide on Earth, like Cyrae, who can come and go in this base easily.


    But things might be different now. The whole Earth knows about magic and angels from other worlds. If they really want to, with a country''s resource they might be able to find her.


    "I have a way to solve this problem that works for everyone!"


    Suddenly, a voice came from behind me. I turned and saw someone who looked like an H-country soldier leaning on the door, speaking calmly.


    Of course, if you look closely, you can see it''s not a real H-country soldier, but Cyrae using magic to look like one!


    After the M-country fight ended, Cyrae''s official identity - a human magician from another world - died in battle and they couldn''t find the body. So she had to go back to H-country alone and sneak into the Shine Metropolitan base with a new identity.


    "You finally showed up!"


    I was wondering why I hadn''t seen her for days. When she appeared, I quickly took out the crystal ball and said:


    "Where have you been? I''ve sent everyone from other worlds back! If you want to go back to your world, we can try while I still have the ''Eye of Galadra''."


    Galadra said if the target world is too far, we might not be able to send someone back. But since Cyrae has been on Earth for a long time, I thought we could try anyway.


    "After this mess with parallel worlds, my ideas have changed a lot..."


    Surprisingly, Cyrae shook her head. She barely looked at the celestial weapon in my hand and refused my offer. "First, I don''t think this celestial weapon has enough magic to send me back! Second, it''s been decades since I came here. There''s no point in going back to the world I left now. Plus, there are things on Earth I can''t leave behind..."


    I never expected to hear this from Cyrae. Does this mean she''s decided to stay on Earth forever?


    "But what about your husband''s soul? Didn''t you say you wanted to take his soul back to the Eldoria Continent and put it in the Cycle of Rebirth? If you stay on Earth, doesn''t that mean your husband''s soul will disappear someday!"


    Cyra asked in disbelief.


    "Of course I won''t give up my husband''s soul easily. I won''t leave him behind! But how to solve this problem goes back to the win-win solution I mentioned earlier!"


    Cyrae smiled mysteriously. She came into the room, closed the door tight, and checked that no one was outside. Then she continued telling Cyra her plan:Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "I''ve been thinking about this since the space portal appeared. Now that you want to stay, it fixes some problems, like no one to take care of my mother and granddaughter, and the Horayze Medical company..."


    Cyrae''s plan wasn''t too complicated. Basically, she and Cyra would swap identities.


    She would go to the Eldoria Continent in our world using Cyra''s name, while Cyra would take over all her stuff on Earth and handle her leftover business.


    "Everything else is fine, but I don''t know how to run a company, especially a medical company!"


    When Cyra heard Cyrae wanted to give her the big multinational Horayze Medical company, she panicked a bit at this big opportunity.


    But Cyrae had already planned for these details. She calmly reassured Cyra:


    "Don''t worry, I''ll teach you what you need to know, like how to make PureBalance Gold Pills and get light elements from space. These aren''t too hard for angels. Also, remember my other self, Cylaren, is the company''s chairman. She can help run most of the daily business. All you need to do is give her body light elements regularly!"


    "Is this really okay?"


    I couldn''t believe it. This Cylaren is a part of Cyrae that''s been separate for a long time, with a small part of her consciousness and most of her memories.


    But now she wants to leave this part on Earth to help Cyra, while her main self goes to the Eldoria Continent forever. This means separating and losing part of her soul, which is very risky.


    "There''s no other way! Wendell''s soul has been sealed for too long and can''t last much longer. So a few days ago, I put it in the Cycle of Rebirth in your world. Now I can''t stay on Earth anymore."


    Cyrae shrugged and answered sadly.


    This "Wendell" must be her husband who died long ago. Since her husband''s soul is in the Eldoria Continent now, it makes sense that Cyrae doesn''t want to be apart from him.


    Swapping identities was good for both of them, so they agreed. With the little time left before leaving Earth, they both worked hard to learn about each other''s situations while pretending to be each other.


    I kept working with Serena to teach magic to the Earth people, as we promised.


    The details in between were not worth mentioning.


    Time flew by, and soon it was the last night of our teaching plan.


    The Ilandra Dominion Empire delegation left Earth first. They only taught basic magic, nothing too deep.


    Of course, to help Earth people understand magic scientifically, element theory was important. Reed, the genius new angel from Edenmere, took on this big job!


    I asked to stay on Earth until tomorrow morning, saying I was helping Reed teach.


    But I had another important reason - to say goodbye to Cyra.


    After they swapped identities, Cyra rarely came to the base. Cyrae had no official identity here. And Cyra wasn''t as good at disguise magic as Cyrae, often showing small mistakes that might get her caught.


    So to be safe, she left the area and went to the Horayze Medical company to find Cylaren, as Cyrae told her to. Today was the day we agreed to meet for the last time.


    Since everyone''s leaving tomorrow, except for a few angels still teaching, people like Adrian and Cyrae who weren''t involved had already gone back to the Eldoria Continent.


    After class, I walked quickly to my room. On the way, I passed the warehouse with the space portal and glanced at it.


    There were still many soldiers guarding the warehouse door, but the big space portal was now smaller than a person''s height.


    If we wait a few more days, it''ll probably be too small to use. That''s the main reason the H-country army decided to close the entrance completely starting tomorrow.


    "You''re finally back! A bunch of patrol guys just walked past the window, I was so scared!"


    My room was empty when I went in, but then Cyra appeared from a corner.


    She used invisibility magic after all!


    "Didn''t I tell you not to sneak in invisible? They added a lot of infrared cameras in the base recently, just to catch people like you!"


    I shook my head, feeling helpless. Of all the disguise magic, invisibility is probably what Cyra''s best at. But even so, she always leaves small clues, like bending light weirdly. No wonder she''s afraid of being found in the room.


    They''re both Cyrus transformed, but Cyra is so much weaker than Cyrae in power and mind. But if we''re talking about friendship, only Cyra is my real high school classmate and the troublemaker friend who went on adventures with me in another world.


    "Don''t worry, it was Raydwin and I who set up the cameras near this dorm. How could I get caught so easily!"


    As expected, Cyra didn''t care about my warning. Instead, she bragged proudly.


    To be honest, I''m used to her personality, so I didn''t bother saying more useless stuff. Instead, I changed the topic to how we''ve both been doing lately.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 182: Farewell

    Cyra first talked a bit about what she''d been learning from Cylaren. Then she shared her plans for the future, like how she would keep her faith and work hard to spread the True Church. Finally, she couldn''t avoid talking about Raydwin.


    Of course, Raydwin only found out later about the identity swap. After all, who could be sure if a guy who always looked for Cyra to kill time would really notice she''d been replaced?


    So after a few mix-ups, Cyra just decided to tell him the truth.


    No need to worry about keeping it secret. Raydwin for sure didn''t want Cyra to leave Earth. But seeing Cyra smile a little when talking about him, I couldn''t help asking:


    "So have you two decided to be together?"


    "No way! I''m going to be the boss of Horayze Medical Group. How could a homebody poor guy like Raydwin catch my eye?" Cyra quickly denied. "Even if I had to find a man, it wouldn''t be him! I''d at least want a handsome guy. Does Raydwin deserve me?"


    This stubborn attitude was so familiar. I guess I was probably like that before too.


    Listening to her go on and on listing Raydwin''s faults to prove her point, and thinking back to how she used to have girls on both arms in the elf village, I couldn''t help saying:


    "You''ve really changed a lot!"


    "...Haven''t you too?"


    We both went quiet for a while. Then Cyra suddenly stood up and gave me a really long hug for the first time.


    I knew we didn''t have much time left to talk. From now on we''d all go our separate ways, maybe never to meet again.


    "Classmate, if you see Nicola, say hi to her for me!"


    Before leaving, I think I saw tears in her eyes. I didn''t expect Cyra to mention Nicola. I only put my raised arm down after she turned invisible and flew up into the sky.


    "Woo-woo-woo!"


    Suddenly a loud alarm went off all over the base, ruining the quiet farewell.


    Oh no! I knew right away what that sound meant.


    Lately the H-country military had learned more about elemental magic. To defend against invisible outsiders like angels, they put infrared cameras all over the base and even in the airspace nearby.


    Cyra must have let her guard down when saying goodbye and got caught on camera.


    In an instant, bright spotlights all pointed to where she was in the air. All the H-country soldiers in the base started running around, like a battle was about to start.


    I was so worried I almost flew up to help. But then a second later, the alarms stopped and all the lights went out...


    Everything went back to like nothing had happened. People in the base just kept doing what they were doing earlier.


    "What''s going on now?"


    I didn''t believe what I saw before was all in my head. But I could feel Cyra''s light element aura slowly flying away. I couldn''t help rubbing my eyes and ears.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I wasn''t dreaming while standing here, was I?


    But when I turned around, I happened to see someone with wings standing alone in a quiet corner, waving at me.


    "Is that..."


    Before, I might have thought a person appearing out of nowhere at night was a ghost. But now I''m braver. I followed where she was pointing and finally saw her clearly.


    She looked exactly like me, and also had 10 pairs of wings. After thinking for a bit, I realized it was Feliciana from World 14, who''d been missing for days!


    "Long time no see! The space tunnel is about to close. I came specially to say goodbye!"


    Seeing no cameras around and that no one would come to this place, Feliciana from World 14 smiled and greeted me first.


    "Did you make those alarms disappear?"


    Suddenly understanding, I quickly asked her.


    "You can think of it as a farewell gift! I just changed the result of Cyra almost getting caught, and replaced the reality that would have happened. Of course, I can''t do something this big on my own right now. I needed God''s help!"


    Feliciana from World 14 nodded and explained.


    The "God" she mentioned should be the "Holy Ones" I met before!


    Actually, if you have to call the "Holy Ones" gods, I don''t think it''s too crazy. "Holy Ones" have really reached the level of true gods in some ways!


    But they''re still not all-knowing or all-powerful. Since talking to the "Holy Ones" once, I prefer to see them as a race with higher level powers. I definitely don''t want to be controlled by them carelessly.


    "So you didn''t really come from a parallel world, right?"


    The mystery about World 14 had been a hot topic for a while. The H-country government really wanted to find Feliciana from World 14 but hadn''t had much luck. Now that she was right in front of me, I couldn''t miss this chance to figure things out.


    "That''s right. Nicola and I don''t really exist in this world! We were made as tools to try to put this world''s history back on track when the space transfer tunnel got messed up. To make it go in the set direction. You could also see us as real messengers from heaven!"


    Feliciana from World 14 seemed to expect I''d have lots of questions. She admitted these things. Then she added a bit apologetically:


    "But to not be noticed easily, our memories include what really happened to Feliciana and Nicola in some parallel world. So a lot of what I told you about other worlds wasn''t all lies."


    "If that''s the case, your job must be almost done. So why come back specially to see me? Don''t tell me even my future plans have to be decided by God?"


    Even though Feliciana from World 14 really helped me a lot, to be honest I still felt a bit uncomfortable. After all, having someone else arrange your fate makes you feel like you''re living in the shadow of the "Holy Ones".


    It''s one thing for people like Cyra who believe in God. Luckily I didn''t disagree with them much in this event. But what if I face other big decisions in the future and don''t agree with the "Holy Ones"? Do I just have to give in?


    "Don''t worry! This time was special. It''s a specific period when God can step in to fix the direction of history. After today, they won''t ask about what you do anymore! And because of some rule limits, even if some of them wanted to interfere, they might not get the chance."


    Seeing my worries, Feliciana from World 14 quickly explained.


    Of course I knew the "Holy Ones" have rules about not messing with the lower world carelessly. But I still don''t really understand why they can interfere now but not later.


    Clearly she hadn''t finished talking. I could see Feliciana from World 14 looked unsure for a bit. Finally she took a deep breath and said the rest:


    "As for why I came back to see you, it''s mainly because since I was created, even though I have some info about the lower world in my planted memories, that''s just part of someone else''s memories. Only after meeting you could I really feel I exist here. And you''re one of the originals I had the most contact with because of my mission. After the mission is done, I''ll probably be ''recycled''. So God kindly allowed this last request of mine."


    "Huh? Isn''t that ''recycling'' pretty much like dying?"


    I was shocked. I never thought she''d tell me these things.


    But it''s not hard to imagine. As a tool made just to finish a mission, it''s not strange for Feliciana from World 14 to have these thoughts.


    But even knowing this, as an old friend I still can''t change her fate. If Gisphrael with the full Water Element Authority was here, maybe there''d be a way. But I could only step forward and hold her hands, trying to comfort her a little.


    "Don''t worry too much! My real life is less than a month anyway. I don''t feel like being ''recycled'' is hard to accept. As a messenger from heaven, finishing the mission successfully is already my biggest pride. It really feels just like going home! The point of saying goodbye to you today is just to prove I really came to this world. If in the future anyone can remember I existed , that would be even better!"


    Seeing the sad look on my face, Feliciana from World 14 seemed to take it better. The situation flipped, and now she was comforting me.

 Vol 5/ Chapter 183: Departing Ceremony

    Since she said that, I stopped thinking about sad things.


    I brought my mind back to reality and asked her something I''d been wondering about since saying goodbye to Cyra.


    "If I''m not wrong, you can get some extra info straight from the ''Holy Ones'', right? Our world''s Nicola has been missing since the space tunnel showed up. Can you tell me where she is?"


    At first, I came to Earth to find Cyra and Nicola. But so much kept happening on Earth, I didn''t have time to look for Nicola.


    Even when the space tunnel went crazy and vampires took over M-country, I still didn''t hear anything about her. That''s not normal!


    "She didn''t come to Earth! As for where she went, I''m not allowed to tell you that."


    As I thought, Feliciana from World 14''s answer proved my guess. Nicola never fell to Earth! So no matter how much we looked, we couldn''t find her.


    So do we have to start over and figure it out from Eldoria Continent?


    But so far, Nicola hasn''t shown up in the other world. Is she hiding from us on purpose? If so, things might be easier!


    Since Irene disappeared in the space tunnel, I''m most worried Nicola had the same problem and fell into some random parallel world. That would make it really hard to bring her back.


    "Even though with Adrian by your side, your future has endless possibilities, always remember what I said. Only by using your power well can you find the true path to a good future!"


    I was thinking about whether I''d need Galadra''s help to solve this, when I suddenly noticed the voice next to me had disappeared. I quickly looked up.


    But all around was empty and quiet. No sign of Feliciana from World 14 anywhere.


    "You''ll never be forgotten..."


    I stood there stunned for a long time, my heart unsettled. I could only softly say my feelings to the air.


    ...


    Finally, the next day came.


    Today was the big day when the tunnel connecting the two worlds would officially close. Even though it would take a few more days to totally disappear, it couldn''t be used after this. So the H-country government held a big farewell party. They invited members from both worlds to join and exchange gifts.


    First, even though the Ilandra Dominion Empire had fought with the H-country military as the losing side, Princess Katarina led the imperial envoys to earn some trust from the H-country government.


    They didn''t get any weapons, but they did bring back lots of blueprints for basic industrial equipment and science books. These outdated technologies can still keep the empire busy for years!


    Besides the agreed payment to the angels from the H-country government, I got extra rewards as the "hero" who saved Shine Metropolitan.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    As for the specific rewards, H-country money was useless to me since I was leaving Earth anyway. But we''d need to survive and adventure in Eldoria Continent, so Earth''s high-tech gear was what really tempted us!


    I didn''t want much for myself, just some phones, computers, solar chargers, and stuff like that. But the list I made for my friends filled a whole page!


    Luckily the H-country government was generous enough to meet a lot of my unreasonable requests. So Adrian finally got the Gatling guns he wanted - two of them!


    These weapons have great firepower, but they''re really heavy. Good thing we both have storage rings so that''s not a problem. And Adrian looked pretty comfortable holding one in each hand.


    The only thing to watch out for is ammo. As long as we have enough ammo, it should work instead of his bow and arrows for a long time.


    The biggest issue was the color...


    "Your boyfriend has unique taste!"


    Somehow Cyrae had quietly come up beside me. Since she was leaving Earth pretending to be Cyra, she didn''t ask the H-country government for any gifts through me. But seeing Adrian happily waving the Gatling guns around, she couldn''t help teasing.


    "Haha, ''Golden Gatling'', you know!"


    I laughed awkwardly. At Adrian''s level, gun bullets don''t really make him much stronger. The main reason is he thinks it looks cool!


    But here''s the problem - why does a guy who never really used guns before love Gatling guns so much now? And which H-country official had the awful idea to paint both guns bright gold? The name sounds impressive, but it looks super tacky.


    Nearby, Reed was checking out her new top-of-the-line computer and generator. She saw us talking, listened quietly for a bit, then walked right up to Cyrae and asked bluntly:


    "You''re a fake, right? But all the other Cyras from other worlds were sent back. I heard Feliciana mention there was a Cyrae who came from another world and stayed on Earth for decades. So are you Cyrae?"


    "...She figured it out?"


    Cyrae was surprised. Seeing she couldn''t hide it anymore, and feeling no need to deny it in front of me, she looked at me questioningly.


    "I didn''t tell her!"


    Of course I hadn''t told anyone about Cyra and Cyrae switching places, except Adrian.


    But Adrian definitely wouldn''t tell Reed about this for no reason. So the only possibility was Reed guessed it herself, and guessed pretty accurately!


    "Even though you''re supposed to be the same person from different worlds, your personality is so different from Cyra''s. Anyone who knows her well could easily tell! Also, Raydwin''s been acting weird lately - he stopped looking for Cyra. So I''ve been suspicious for a while, but I saw Feliciana was involved too, so I kept quiet..."


    Reed explained her reasons, then glanced at me. After all, Cyra and I were clearly on the same side.


    We were all high school classmates who came here together. Of course she didn''t want anything to go wrong with Cyra at this critical time. She kept pushing: "Where did the real Cyra go?"


    The problem was, this wasn''t a good time to explain everything to her. After today when we leave Earth, we won''t need to keep it secret anymore. For now I could only give a simple answer:


    "Cyra couldn''t resist the temptation to stay home. And Cyrae wanted her husband''s soul to enter the Cycle of Rebirth, so it worked out for both of them!"


    "...I see!"


    With Reed''s smarts, of course she understood what I meant right away. I''m not sure if she was sad about the sudden seperation, but after hearing this she was quiet for a bit. Then she turned and left alone to pack her things.


    "Yeah! Reed had a chance to stay on Earth too. Why did she decide to leave with us? What about her parents? I don''t think I''ve ever seen Reed go visit them. Doesn''t she miss them?"


    Watching Reed walk away, I suddenly thought of something and couldn''t help asking Cyrae beside me.


    Actually, I knew very little about Reed''s family before. I''d only heard they weren''t very well off.


    "The world I was in might be different from this one, but I remember Reed mentioning once after we transmigrated to the other word that she never had parents. She probably grew up in an orphanage..."


    Cyrae''s voice seemed heavy. Only now did I really learn about Reed''s past. I didn''t know what to say.


    ...


    After the farewell party, Wayne Peng and his group took us all to the Eldoria Continent side before going back.


    Standing by the one-person-high tunnel entrance, after the other followers went in, Wayne Peng and I shook hands one last time. But then he showed a weird smile. His tone suddenly changed and he asked me:


    "I''ve always been curious - which of my high school classmates are you? Can you tell me a little bit at the end?"

 Vol 5/ Chapter 184: Going Home

    "What? How... This can''t be!"


    I was really shocked this time. My mouth dropped open, unable to say anything for a while.


    The key thing is, how did he know? None of us would have told him about the cross over, right?


    "Actually, it wasn''t hard to figure out. The space portal appeared exactly where my high school classmates supposedly had their reunion accident. And ''Reed'' was our top student - hard to forget that name! I talked to her privately. She didn''t deny she was my classmate who traveled to another world. But she wouldn''t tell me details about the others, except that most had died. She used ''privacy'' as an excuse..."


    So he first got suspicious because of Reed. Wayne Peng didn''t hide anything. He told me step by step how he investigated, ending with a bit of pride as he revealed the truth.


    "So those angels who appeared with her - could they be my old classmates too? It was just a guess in my head, until I saw your reaction just now. That confirmed it."


    Looks like he tricked me into revealing the truth! It was too late to deny it now. I could only ask helplessly:


    "Since you found out, didn''t you report it to your boss?"


    "I told you, I only suspected until now! Besides, even if you are my old classmates, I don''t think you mean any harm to Earth or H-country. I just want to do my duty to protect the nation!"


    His logic made sense. But now I''d have to deal with Wayne Peng asking about everyone''s identity. It was awkward facing an old classmate like this.


    But since we''d probably never meet again, I decided to give in.


    "No way! You''re really Flynn?"


    Wayne Peng clearly couldn''t believe it. He looked me up and down again. Then he quickly turned to Cyra behind me, like he suddenly understood something. "Then is she..."


    "Cyrus!"


    I confirmed what he was thinking without hesitation.


    "Nooo!"


    His wail made everyone else look at us.


    "Damn, why did I have to have a crush on her back then! And she looks so cute now too..."


    Wayne Peng seemed really shocked. It took him a while to calm down, but he was still muttering to himself.


    "Of course, besides me and Cyrus, there''s also Reilly, Henderson, Jaxon..."


    Just joking - if I''m going down, everyone''s coming with me! I mercilessly added fuel to the fire, listing all our classmates who came here. But when I got to the end, I felt sad.


    Wayne Peng was mostly asking out of curiosity, not bad intentions. When he heard about the classmates who died, he finally sighed too. He patted my shoulder and said:


    "I should go back now. But you have to keep living in this world. Work hard and do great things, for the sake of those who died too!"


    "What do you mean ''do great things''?"


    I couldn''t help laughing. But thinking back, wasn''t what I did on Earth already pretty great, or even crazy?


    "My lips are sealed! Don''t worry, I''ll keep your secret forever."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    He was still promising as he entered the portal.


    "What secret?"


    Adrian came over and asked, confused. He was curious after seeing me talk to Wayne Peng for so long.


    "Nothing much, just catching up with an old classmate," I said, shaking my head.


    "Oh, he''s your classmate too?"


    Adrian was surprised to hear that. He turned to look at the portal again.


    Holding Adrian''s hand, I slowly explained the twists and turns as we walked to where everyone was gathering.


    Like on Earth, a crowd had gathered to watch as the portal between worlds was about to close on this side too.


    Most were from the First Angel Legion and the Empire.


    The Ilandra Dominion Empire had been beaten badly by Earth in the war. They''d just gotten out of that shadow. Before leaving, Katarina arranged a whole regiment to watch the portal''s every move until it closed completely.


    "The abandoned Earth military base has many houses we can use. By Elara''s orders, we angels will stay here to keep observing," said Serena, the First Legion commander. She came over to briefly report the plans.


    I''m a ten-winged angel now, equal to Elara in power. Serena, with only eight wings, suddenly became much more respectful to me.


    "It shouldn''t take long, right?" I said, thinking but not sure. The portal was shrinking faster as it got to the end. It would probably disappear completely in two or three days.


    "But we still can''t find Lady Nicola..." Serena seemed hesitant, but finally brought up this tricky topic again.


    Nicola''s official title in Edenmere was "Inheritor of the Founder". She might not have much real power, but her spiritual influence was big.


    They say Elara asked about Nicola''s whereabouts many times. But last night, I heard from Number 14 Feliciana that Nicola never went to Earth. All the clues were gone.


    "I''ll try to figure things out..." I rubbed my head, troubled. Looks like I''ll have to ask Galadra for help again!


    But the most important job now was stopping any last-minute problems with the portal closing. We had to put the Nicola issue aside for now.


    It wasn''t easy having the angel legion and imperial army - a weird combo - stay in the same place for long.


    The empire was already on bad terms with the angels. Edenmere kept asking them to pay alliance debts to fight the monsters from the north. Lately there was lots of proof the empire was secretly dealing with monsters too...


    The two sides kept having conflicts, at the Earth military base the past couple days. We barely made it to the third afternoon, when the portal finally shrank until we couldn''t see it anymore. All the trouble was finally over!


    Me, Serena, and the imperial army commander all breathed big sighs of relief. We could finally say goodbye to this cursed place!


    "Get out of imperial land, you shameless invaders! You''re probably the True Church''s dogs!"


    The portal was gone. The imperial army was leaving for a nearby base. But before going, they made rude gestures and yelled nasty things at us.


    "Say that again and I''ll chop your head off so bad it can''t find its way home!"


    This broke all the angels'' taboos. A little angel couldn''t take the insults, and was about to rush over and fight.


    Luckily Serena kept good military discipline. A few orders stopped her.


    "Forget it, let''s all go back..." Serena sighed and was about to head home.


    But right then, a huge thunder crashed down from where the portal was, with a massive boom.


    It hit the ground! Suddenly there was fire and flying rocks. Thick smoke went everywhere. The whole First Legion, me, Adrian, and everyone else were in a mess.


    "What''s going on?!"


    My mind was blank. I got up all dirty and dusted myself off.


    At least it was just lightning. But how could there suddenly be thunder in such clear skies?


    "Look, there''s someone inside... No, it''s an angel!"


    Luckily no one got hit directly. At most they just got dusty like me. One angel suddenly noticed something and pointed at where the lightning struck.


    In the middle of the big crater made by the lightning, we saw an angel with ten wings slowly climbing out. Unlike us, she looked clean. I recognized her right away.


    "Nicola?!"


    Is this Nicola from our world?


    She looked the same, but the number of wings was wrong - though maybe she leveled up like me recently.


    The biggest question was, she seemed to have many wounds, like she''d just been in a tough fight.


    "Feliciana? Are you okay?"


    Nicola recognized me too and ran over. But she stopped halfway.


    She saw Adrian next to me. She finally seemed to realize something and happily shouted:


    "I''m back? Great, I''m finally home!"


    "What happened?"


    I had so many questions. It seemed Nicola went through some big things I knew nothing about.


    "Listen to me!"


    Nicola took the water bottle Serena handed her and drank it all in one go. Then she wiped her mouth, cleared her head, and started telling her story:


    "At first, just as that portal was about to suck me in, I saw everything change suddenly! Later I found out Galadra... well, the Galadra from another world, forcefully pulled me into their world. It was a parallel world. I saw how things turned out totally differently there - many of our classmates survived. They all became angels, including us two, and Cyra..."


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    End of Vol 5.

 Vol 6/Chapter 1: The System

    No wonder we couldn''t find Nicola anywhere! While Adrian and I were stuck on Earth, Nicola had been in another world all along.


    And from what I heard, that world was almost exactly like the one Cyrae came from!


    "Could it be... did you go to my world?" Cyrae, who had taken Cyra''s place here, couldn''t hold back her excitement as she stepped forward. "How are they? I mean, how is Nicola and everyone else doing there?"


    "Cyra?"


    Nicola turned around, surprised. After recognizing who was asking, she looked confused. "Why you suddenly asking about this?"


    Of course, she didn''t know this Cyra had been replaced. But now that the portal to Earth was completely gone, there was no need to keep such secrets anymore.


    "Well, it''s like this..."


    I quickly stepped forward to help explain everything to everyone.


    "She''s not the real Cyra? How are we going to explain this to Lady Elara?"


    While others were okay with it, Serena and the First Legion angels were shocked. They couldn''t help but whisper among themselves.


    "So in the end, Cyra couldn''t resist wanting to go home and chose to stay on Earth?"


    But Nicole seemed to understand this well. She let out a long sigh, then turned to Cyrae with feeling. "Don''t worry, your friends in that world are doing fine. We even fought together side by side. About Feliciara''s death - they say with Galadra''s help, they can bring back her soul and revive her. When I left, everyone was working very hard for this. Just one more step to success!"


    I remembered Cyrae mentioned that in her world, Feliciara only had four wings and died saving her before Cyrae came to Earth. This was why for decades Cyrae had been torn about going back.


    Between Cyrae and Nicola, they must have met in that other world too. Probably Nicola remembered this, that''s why she specially mentioned it.


    "Really? Feliciara can be revived? That''s so good..."


    Hearing this news, Cyrae got so emotional tears almost came out. Years of bottled-up feelings finally burst out. She just sat down on the ground, taking long time to calm down.


    "..."


    Seeing this, I felt a bit worried. I quickly pulled Nicola up and dragged her aside to ask quietly. "What you said just now true or not? The me in that world really can be revived? You not just making up story to comfort Cyrae right?"


    I mean, revival isn''t something easy. Angels don''t leave bodies when they die, which makes using magic to revive them very difficult! Except for the "Holy Ones", I don''t think anyone in the real world can do this easily.


    "Of course it''s true! You think I''m that kind of person who likes to make up stories?"


    Nicola answered very firmly. As someone who was actually there, she even explained all the details to me. "The Galadra in that world told me that using the Angel Descent Formation can revive Feliciara. But the problem is, the Formation needs lots of energy and materials to work. That''s why angels can only use it once every few decades! If we want to use Angel Descent Formation again quickly, we must ask Michelle, the Fire Angel who controls energy. But in that world, Michelle was kidnapped by the Empire. So for a long time, our main goal was to rescue her from the Ancient God Religion!"


    This Ancient God Religion was supposedly the mastermind in that other world, and the "Beta Shock Bomb" that Fernando used to attack Michelle was also from them.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Rescue Michelle?"


    To be honest, hearing this felt a bit weird. After all, the Michelle in our world was totally fine. Fernando, who supposedly kidnapped her in that world, was even one of her top assistants here. Hard to imagine she needed rescuing...


    "The world where Cyrae came from must be quite far from ours, even the names are different! None of the parallel worlds we''ve seen before had this feature, so it''s normal for things to develop differently."


    Unexpectedly, Reed overheard my conversation with Nicola. It was the first time she jumped in so eagerly to share her thoughts. After thinking a bit, she added, "But the power difference between Cyrae and Cyra is too big. Maybe we can study this in the future."


    What did she mean by "study"?


    Considering how much Cyra had already suffered under Reed, hearing her mention this now made me worried for Cyrae too.


    "Speaking of world differences, I actually encountered something strange in that other world..."


    As if Reed''s words reminded her of something, Nicola suddenly had a weird expression on her face. She hesitated for a long time before finally saying:


    "I think I saw Irene!"


    "Irene?!"


    Remember, Irene got lost in the space turbulence right when the portal started malfunctioning. We still couldn''t locate her. Hearing this, Reed and I immediately got interested:


    "Which world''s Irene did you see? Was it the Irene from Cyrae''s world?"


    I added this to avoid confusion. Since parallel worlds have another version of me, meeting another Irene there wouldn''t be too strange.


    "Actually, I''m not sure..."


    Nicola had a bitter smile on her face. She lowered her voice even more and briefly explained what happened.


    This happened before Cyrae came to Earth, during the confrontation with Michelle.


    Because of Fernando''s "Beta Shock Bomb" sneak attack, even Nicola couldn''t handle the power and passed out for a while.


    But when she woke up, she wasn''t where she had been. Someone unknown had brought her to a small room she''d never been to before.


    From the looks of it, this was just an ordinary civilian house in the Empire, not very big. She could hear angel gathering signals from outside, so she probably hadn''t been taken very far - must be somewhere near the explosion site.


    Feeling she hadn''t been out for long, Nicola just got up from the bed and took out a water bottle from her storage ring to drink. But right then, a girl who looked both familiar and strange opened the door and walked in.


    Familiar because she really looked like Irene, and her aura was definitely that of a Light Elf. But age-wise, she looked much older than when Nicola had converted her from Dark Elf to Light Elf - almost an adult already!


    You know, Light Elves are like angels, they live very long. So for Irene to grow to almost adult age, you can imagine how much time must have passed.


    But Nicola knew she was in a parallel world, so at first she just thought this might be this world''s Irene. She didn''t realize anything strange about it.


    But then this girl just hugged her straight away and even introduced herself.


    "Nicola, I''m Irene! Don''t you recognize me? I missed you all so much! I finally found you!"


    "Pffft¡ª"


    Nicola, who was drinking water, spat it all out. Before she sent Irene to the church in Norvale, though Irene''s attitude had softened towards her, it was definitely not this close!


    For a moment she even wondered if maybe this world''s Nicola had some connection with this Irene, and that''s why she was mistaken.


    But then the girl went on to say that she was actually the same Irene that Nicola had converted from Dark Elf. She said she came to this world because she was following something called "System" that randomly transported her here.


    "Wait wait wait, what are you talking about? Let me sort this out first!"


    Nicola''s head was completely confused.


    According to Irene, she seemed to have gotten some kind of mind-sensing ability from this "System" - in other words, she could freely access the mental conversations between people. This included overhearing when this world''s Galadra first summoned Nicola and asked her to help deal with Michelle.


    It was because she "eavesdropped" on many details of their conversation that Irene realized this Nicola might be the one she knew. So when Nicola got knocked out by the "Beta Shock Bomb", she secretly transported her to this room.


    "Did you get this teleporting power from the ''System'' too?"


    Nicola asked with a wry smile. From what she heard, it seemed like Irene had been in this so-called "System" for a long time. The System would randomly connect to some parallel world every now and then, then give out tasks or grant special abilities, letting its users improve their power through these means.


    But Irene''s goal was to use this to find her way home. Of course she had been to a few similar worlds before, but this was the first time she met someone she knew.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 2: The Change

    "The ''System'' is very powerful. Its main purpose is to train humans from different worlds until they become strong enough to kill gods..."


    Earlier, Irene was too excited and her words were all mixed up. But now that she''s calmer, her story finally starts making sense.


    From their talk, Nicola finally learned a bit about the "System". Like how Irene''s powers were actually quite normal, and there were many other people with the "System", not just her. The System chose them automatically from different worlds. They worked in teams too - quite a few teams.


    This means Irene probably has teammates!


    "I don''t know how you got into this ''System'', but if you want to go back to your world, Galadra of this world promised to send me back someday. I''m sure he won''t mind taking one more person!"


    Thinking about how she got attacked by the "Beta Shock Bomb" earlier, Nicola knew she had to hurry back, so she made this suggestion.


    Right now, Irene was using her powers to hide where they were, so Galadra couldn''t find them.


    "I can''t just leave the ''System'' as I like! Even though I have some special rights and can make a deal with the ''System'' to leave automatically if I find my original world, until then, even I can''t break the System''s rules. If I do, I''ll be punished or even killed!"


    Irene shook her head as she answered. Then she turned her head like she received some message, and suddenly looked worried.


    "This is bad! Because you weren''t there, this world''s Galadra gave Nicora some Cycle of Rebirth authority and is trying to convince her to send Cyrae back..."


    She turned back to Nicola and spoke quickly: "My time in this world is almost up! You must remember what I''m about to say: ''Cyrae'' is a very special name. We''re not sure yet if all our problems come from this world, but I brought you here not just to meet you - there''s something more important. We must stop Cyrae from going back to Earth! Don''t let Nicora send her back. You better go stop this world''s Nicora now, or it''ll be too late..."


    But before she could finish, Irene''s body started becoming see-through, then disappeared right in front of Nicola.


    Seeing this, Nicola couldn''t understand what happened for a while. After several seconds, she tried asking the air:


    "...Irene? Did you turn invisible? Or did you teleport?"


    But there was no answer. She was alone in the room, and she could feel her connection with Galadra coming back too.


    "We''re facing threats from the Ancient God Religion, and behind them are demons not from this world! Even though Cyrae inherited some of Elara''s power, she''s still too weak compared to those demons! Since she misses her old family so much, maybe she''s not really fitting in this world. So let''s take this chance to send her back to her Earth!"


    Because Nicola shared the same soul frequency as this world''s Nicora, when Galadra was talking mentally with Nicora, his "voice" also flowed into Nicola''s mind. This was just like how Nicora accidentally heard them talking before.


    "Actually, when I first got transported to that world, Galadra told me about this too. The enemies we had to face were just too strong, so at first I totally agreed with sending Cyrae and other travelers back to Earth for safety. In fact, I was supposed to be the one doing this task..."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Back in reality, Nicola explained everything to me.


    The biggest threat in Cyrae''s world was the Ancient God Religion, but because their Nicora was awakening too slowly, Galadra had no choice but to spend lots of energy looking for help from other parallel worlds, which is how they got Nicola.


    They say the ''Beta Shock Bomb'' in Fernando''s hands might be from the Ancient God Religion too. Only the four Elemental Angels working together could fight against the enemies behind the Ancient God Religion!


    The problem was, nobody expected that after Nicola got knocked out by the bomb, Irene, who came to that world with the "System", would secretly take her to that small room to meet. This made the weaker Nicora end up with the task instead.


    Later when Nicola got back to the scene after Irene''s warning, Cyrae had already been sent away, so she couldn''t stop it.


    "With that world''s Nicora''s power then, she probably just barely touched Liana''s source. To be honest, even with borrowing the Cycle of Rebirth authority to send Cyrae back to Earth, I think it was too much for her abilities then. Something could have gone wrong..."


    Since nobody really understood why Irene wanted to stop Cyrae from going back to Earth, and since they couldn''t stop it anyway, plus thinking Nicora might have failed, Nicola didn''t push the matter when she found Nicora passed out on the ground, totally drained.


    Of course, we all know now that Nicora actually succeeded - she just sent her back to Earth eighty years ago...


    "Strange, why couldn''t I be sent back to Earth? If me going back would cause something bad, it looks like nothing serious has happened!"


    Cyrae, who was right here, immediately asked when she heard Nicola''s words.


    But nobody could answer this question...


    You see, Cyrae had been hiding on Earth for decades, and besides getting revenge for her father, she hadn''t really changed Earth''s history much. But if it''s about her later replacing Cyra and coming to my Eldoria Continent, well, that hasn''t happened yet, so it''s even harder to judge.


    "At least now we know that Irene must be the same Irene who got lost in the space portal!"


    After Nicola finished talking, I thought for a bit and shared my thoughts with Reed.


    Since coming back from Earth, we thought we''d never find Irene again, but surprisingly, we learned about her from Nicola.


    As for Nicola, she didn''t know at first that Irene was adopted in an elf village at the empire''s border. She only learned about how Irene disappeared from me and Reed just now.


    But when we heard that Irene joined some mysterious "System" to find her way home, it reminded me of Emperor Reider who we met before! He also had a "System" - could it be the same one as Irene''s? Or are they connected somehow?


    And also, would Irene really be able to come back to this world?


    "Anyway, it''s great that Lady Nicola is back safely! Now I can properly report back to Lady Elara!"


    While we were all still confused about everything, outsiders like Serena and the First Angel Legion were even more lost. For Serena, finding Nicola and bringing her back was part of her mission. Even though there were some complications, this was definitely the best outcome.


    "So does that mean we all have to go back to Edenmere now?"


    To be honest, when Serena said she needed to take us back, I really didn''t want to go.


    Even though we''d been away from Edenmere for a long time and finished everything we needed to do, so we probably should go back and report. But Adrian couldn''t come with us to Edenmere, and I didn''t want to separate from him.


    "Don''t worry! Because of all the cooperation with the Astralrealm Kingdom, I got news that Lady Elara came down here a few days ago to handle diplomatic stuff with various countries! So we don''t need to go back to Edenmere yet - we can just fly to the capital Norvale to meet her. You can tell her everything you want then!"


    Looks like Serena saw right through me. She kept looking between me and Adrian meaningfully several times before smiling and explaining the situation.


    Oh, we''re going to Norvale? Then Adrian can come too!


    I nervously patted my chest, then remembered there were still two people whose situation wasn''t completely sorted out.


    "Meet Elara? Sure! I actually have some things I need to talk with her about!"


    Surprisingly, Nicola agreed without any objection, just thinking for a moment.


    Looking back, this was so different from her attitude before she was taken to that other world! Even though she still seems a bit cold towards Adrian, it''s way better than before when she''d attack at the smallest thing.


    Maybe something happened during these past few months that changed her?

 Vol 6/ Chapter 3: A Private Talk

    "You''re right, Elara in your world is still alive! Since I''ve decided to come to this world as Cyra, sooner or later I''ll have to meet her face to face."


    Cyrae readily agreed when she learned about the purpose of her journey.


    As the successor of the deceased Elara from another world, Cyrae''s relationship with our world''s Elara was quite complicated.


    You see, it wasn''t just about inheriting power and experience - Cyrae even kept some memories from the other world''s Elara!


    Though the histories of both worlds were quite different, she had taken up the mission to revive the angel race from the deceased Elara. Coming to this world, she definitely stood out like a sore thumb. Her presence felt extra, some people would even reject her.


    For example, many angels didn''t value much of Cyra in Edenmere. Among the newest batch of angels, not only was she the most ordinary in strength, she even "invented" things like poker and mahjong, distracting angels in Edenmere!


    Even Elara kept complaining to me that her subordinates now spent all their free time gambling, and they weren''t as quick to follow orders as before.


    Heaven knows what weird tricks this strange "Cyra" might pull next!


    So even though Cyrae and Cyra looked exactly the same, and I personally vouched for her, Serena still wasn''t at ease. She sent at least three angels ranked sixth-tier to watch her every move.


    Well, the commander made this decision based on usual military practice and caution, so I couldn''t stop it. But seeing how they treated Cyrae made me feel quite bad.


    "No worries, they just not used to me. After some time they won''t be so worried anymore!"


    Instead, Cyrae comforted me, acting very understanding.


    "But you''re not dangerous at all..."


    I suddenly felt like crying from being touched. If only the previous Cyra had been this thoughtful and understanding, I would have had way less headaches.


    Before leaving, we needed to rest one night at the Light Elf village near Sifur City.


    That place had been the angel legion''s temporary base recently. Since we decided to leave, we naturally had to say proper goodbyes and thank the villagers.


    "I didn''t expect to hear anything about Irene anymore, but now hearing she might still be alive somewhere, I feel so much better!" said Betty, the retired Light Elf elder, who was sitting under an elf tree chatting with Elder Gwendolyn while enjoying the sun.


    Village Chief Karati got even more excited and came over to grip Nicola''s hands tightly, asking for more details.


    You see, among magical creatures, there weren''t many pure dark element beings. So once Dark Elves transformed into Light Elves, it was very hard to change back! Since these transformed folks often had trouble adjusting both mentally and physically, the village chief and elders always paid extra attention to Irene.


    "I''ve said everything Feliciana asked me to explain. This is the Light Elf village that took in Irene, right? Let me look around by myself, okay?"


    You could tell Nicola wasn''t comfortable with such close contact. She pulled her hands away and quickly ran off with an excuse.


    "Even though she hasn''t said a word to me since coming back, not even looking at me, her attitude is much softer now! If she hadn''t explained everything about what happened earlier, I would wonder if this Nicola isn''t the same Nicola we used to know!" Adrian whispered in my ear. After all, we had met the Nicola from the parallel world before, so I totally got what he meant.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    If this was the Nicola from before she crossed over, with her overinflated ego, she probably would have pulled out her Condensation Sword by now and told them to scram.


    "You all flying to Norvale tomorrow? I won''t join you! Although I''ve been quite free lately, in a few days, the capital will send more officials to Sifur to discuss leftover issues like moving troops along the border and space portals. As the noble family''s dedicated maid, I''ll be super busy!"


    When Serena invited Gwendolyn to go meet Elara together, she got rejected as expected.


    This angel Elder who had been staying in the human world for so long was quite famous in Edenmere, though most angels didn''t know exactly where she was in the lower realm.


    When the First Legion members first met Gwendolyn, most thought she came to investigate because it was such a big deal. Only now did they realize she was actually working as a maid for an empire noble!


    This truth stirred up another wave among the First Angel Legion members. Many angels couldn''t imagine how a respected Elder would become a maid for humans.


    But Gwendolyn herself didn''t care that this got exposed. Of course, those gossips still reached her ears, so she jumped up angrily into the air and announce loudly:


    "This is a long-term monitoring mission in the empire! None of you can do this job except me! Whoever dares to gossip about me behind my back will be arrested right away for disrespecting an Elder according to angel laws and thrown straight into prison!"


    Now even Serena and I didn''t dare make a sound. We could only watch as the Elder in the sky turned around and flew proudly towards Sifur lord''s castle.


    "Gwendolyn? I remember in the other world she was also hiding somewhere in the empire as a maid. Didn''t expect both worlds to be so similar in this way!" Nicola commented meaningfully after she left.


    The history of Cyrae''s world was very different from ours, so having such similar developments in certain details was quite rare.


    But that wasn''t the main point! The important thing was that Nicola''s words suddenly made me realize she must have experienced other things during her stay in the other world, things she hadn''t told us about at first.


    After dinner, the sky gradually turned dark.


    Members of First Angel Legion mostly prepared for sleep except for those on patrol duty.


    After sending Adrian away, I stayed alone in the elf treehouse prepared for high-ranking angels, but couldn''t fall asleep.


    Mainly because too many things happened during the day, I couldn''t calm my mind. Just then, someone knocked gently on the door. With light element aura even stronger than Serena''s, I knew it must be Nicola.


    "Door not locked, just come in!"


    "Actually, I want to talk to you privately about some things..."


    Nicola seemed hesitant, standing at the doorway for a long time after opening it before finally deciding to come in.


    "I''m quite curious - in Cyrae''s world, besides meeting Irene, you must have experienced quite a lot of other things later, right?"


    Since we were old friends, I didn''t need to beat around the bush and just asked about what had been puzzling me.


    Don''t forget she was forced to spend several months in another world! If the timing matched when our space portal opened, then whatever caused Nicola to change might be in the parts she hadn''t told us about, which was what I''d been wondering about.


    "You noticed? Actually I also don''t if I should come find you tonight or not, but since I already came, let me explain my situation first..."


    Hearing my words, Nicola wasn''t surprised. She lowered her head and stayed quiet for a while, then sighed before trying to explain:


    "Different from your incomplete soul situation, after reaching ten wings, some of Liana''s memories started appearing in my head. Although most of these memory fragments are quite scattered and need lots of effort to organize and understand, I really got this feeling - that ten thousand years ago, Liana seemed to have done many amazing things for the past you, that is, the Water Angel Gisphrael. Some things could even be described as sacrifices! Too bad I still can''t completely remember the specific details of that part. But regarding the current you, after so much time has passed, I''ve slowly understood something - that no matter if you can eventually accept me or not, as long as you feel your choice was right in the end, all I need to do is protect your safety from behind. Of course, this should also be the first thought that popped into my head when I first saw you..."


    "When you first saw me?"


    Was she talking about when we first met on the street in high school? Suddenly bringing up such distant past honestly made me feel quite confused.


    And seeing how Nicola kept rubbing her forehead, maybe Liana''s memories were affecting her right now.


    However, she didn''t respond to my confusion. After introducing her situation, what she described next was the series of events that happened after Nicora sent Cyrae back to Earth in the other world.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 4: Captured

    The Ancient God Religion was an organization that didn''t exist in our world at all.


    From what Galadra told Nicola, this organization was incredibly powerful, with a history stretching back thousands of years.


    Their teachings claimed that the ancient civilization was actually a kingdom of gods, which suddenly disappeared for some reason. They believed that some gods might still be alive in another far-away world. As for the humans living on the Eldoria Continent today, they were supposedly all servants and descendants of these ancient gods. Therefore, they should show ultimate respect to these ancient gods to receive their protection.


    At first, the Ancient God Religion was quite normal. They had many followers and were among the top three largest religious groups. They even established their own territory called "Lumina Sanctum."


    However, about a hundred years ago, the Ancient God Religion suddenly announced they had finally contacted their ancient gods. This marked their entry into the radical era of "True Gods'' Return."


    They started demanding that all humans must have absolute faith in their gods. They began suppressing other religious groups and even launched "holy wars" to try to control the entire continent. Anyone who refused to convert was killed without mercy.


    "Those demons finally found this place! Luckily, they can only influence their followers through spiritual power for now. Their actual arrival will take some time, but the future is uncertain," said Galadra from the Cyrae world, summarizing the gods behind the Ancient God Religion. She also mentioned that as these gods got closer to this world, the Ancient God Religion would become stronger.


    As for what these so-called demons looked like, Nicola had never actually seen them. They were clearly different from the known monsters living in the Dark Continent.


    To fight against the demons behind the ancient gods, Galadra believed the four Elemental Angels must reunite and work together.


    Unfortunately, Michelle was difficult to control due to her stubborn personality. However, her power was essential for using the Angel Descent Formation to revive Feliciara, so rescuing Michelle became the top priority.


    In the weeks after sending Cyrae away, the two Wind Angels and Galadra made a counterattack plan. They believed Michelle might be imprisoned in the underground buildings of the Ancient God Religion''s branch in Ilandra Dominion Empire''s capital.


    But even with three Elemental Angels fighting together, the battle was incredibly difficult!


    The regular followers weren''t too tough, but the higher-ranking priests and bishops could use powers far beyond normal humans!


    These included psychic attacks, space cutting, time stopping, and more. These powers were said to be forbidden divine powers given by their supreme gods, but using them had consequences and side effects, so they rarely showed them.


    Nicola had never faced enemies of this level before. If not for Galadra''s avatar helping her escape danger many times, she would have died by now! And this was just the power of one branch of the Ancient God Religion...


    In the end, they couldn''t find any trace of Michelle in the building - the mission was a failure. They didn''t even see Fernando. However, Galadra''s earthly avatar was damaged and couldn''t affect the lower realm anymore, only able to communicate through soul connection.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    This setback made all three realize that the enemy boss''s threat was getting closer. Their power alone wasn''t enough to rescue Michelle - they needed to find more allies in this world.


    Nicola first thought of returning to Edenmere, where some of her classmates remained. She especially remembered Reed asking her to collect elements from the air to make nuclear weapons, which gave her an idea.


    Here''s something special about Nicora that needs mentioning. Although she was weak at first, after Feliciara''s death and sending Cyrae back to Earth, she was determined to get revenge on the mastermind. After just one battle, she quickly reached eight-wing rank.


    But that''s not all. Since the angel clan in the other world lost two powerful leaders, Elara and Michelle, the tension in Edenmere finally exploded into a civil war against Yvonne. During this chaos, Nicora surprisingly rose to power. She united all her high school classmates who had crossed over, successfully killed Yvonne, and became the new leader of the angel clan as the Ancestor''s Inheritor. She then reached ten wings. Her power grew incredibly fast in just over a month, like riding a rocket!


    Unlike the symbolic title of Ancestor''s Inheritor in my world, Nicora had real power as the angel clan''s leader! Under her leadership, with Reed and other classmates'' support, the angel clan finally fought to rescue Michelle, but that''s a story for another time.


    Back to Nicola, who still had eight wings when she left with Nicora. Following Galadra''s request, she went to contact a city I knew very well - New Parristol, also called Lantine Oasis.


    In the other world, Adrian had single-handedly reclaimed Parristol''s throne and protected this floating city, making him perhaps the most influential person on the Eldoria Continent.


    However, Galadra didn''t know about the history between Nicola and Adrian in this world. At first, Nicola definitely refused, as she couldn''t stand to see Adrian''s face at that time!


    But after Galadra repeatedly emphasized Lantine Oasis''s importance in fighting the Ancient God Religion, and mentioned he needed to recover after the last battle, Nicola reluctantly agreed, showing her "dedication to the greater good."


    Actually, she had her own plan - she would beat up this world''s Adrian first to vent her anger, then make him sing "conquest" while standing on him. That way, she''d successfully take control of New Parristol, right?


    But surprisingly, Adrian, now King of Parristol, didn''t seem to recognize her at first.


    The entire city of Lantine Oasis, floating thousands of meters in the air, went into defensive mode against this strange angel seeking alliance. They wouldn''t even lower their shield.


    "Go back. Parristol only wants to recover peacefully now. We''ve promised not to target any country on the continent and don''t want enemies!" A sci-fi-looking floating hologram of Adrian wearing a crown appeared before Nicola, stating his position.


    "I''m here representing the angel clan to form an alliance with you! What do you mean? Shouldn''t you at least properly welcome me first?"


    Seeing her "revenge" plan failing, Nicola couldn''t swallow this anger. After yelling outside the city for almost an hour with no response, she finally lost her temper. She treated this world''s Adrian like her enemy too, punching and kicking the city''s shield in frustration.


    Usually, bare hands couldn''t affect Lantine Oasis''s shield, but Nicola was a reincarnated Wind Angel with a celestial weapon! Just a few slashes with her Condensation Sword opened several huge gaps in the city''s outer shield.


    As she kept striking, these gaps grew large enough for someone to enter. But she never expected what happened next - a light particle suddenly shot down from above, hitting her head precisely...


    The explosion''s shockwave made her dizzy, and Nicola fell several dozen meters from the sky.


    "What was that? Damn, you dare fight back! You forced me to do this - let''s see who can help you now!"


    Seemingly forgetting which Adrian she was talking to, Nicola endured the pain and used her newly learned time control powers to restore her body to its pre-injury state. Then she immediately raised her Condensation Sword and charged toward the shield''s gap again.


    But as soon as she spoke, three more light particles flew over her head. This time, multiple "Divine Punishments" combined were too powerful to ignore. Nicola couldn''t reverse time fast enough and was knocked unconscious!


    Everything went black, and she passed out.


    ...


    Who knows how much time passed before she finally regained consciousness. She found herself in a luxurious room, lying on a large bed in the center.


    "Your Majesty, she... seems to be awake!" Just then, a maid-like girl opened the door. Seeing Nicola open her eyes, she quickly closed the door and retreated, reporting through what looked like a communication device.


    Hearing her speak, Nicola noticed her whole body was in extreme pain. She felt very weak, barely had any strength, and could hardly move. She must have suffered nearly fatal injuries.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 5: Chance to Turn Things Around

    The servant girl must have been talking about Adrian the King. So he was the one who saved me?


    When Nicola first noticed something was wrong, she had already tried to reverse time to heal herself. But she didn''t have much wind elements left in her body, and her wings were completely destroyed, making it impossible to absorb from her surroundings.


    So now all she could do was lie helplessly in bed. She should already be grateful that she didn''t die from her severe injuries.


    But Nicola still couldn''t figure out what those exploding light particles were. As someone who came from Earth, she thought they were similar to missiles, but their flight paths were different. Each one had power close to a small ''Beta Shock Bomb''!


    She could only guess that it must be some defense system that Adrian created to protect the floating city.


    Thinking carefully, Nicola realized she never really knew much about Lantine Oasis. Galadra only told her this city was left behind by an ancient civilization and might help fight against the Ancient God Religion. That''s why she wasn''t prepared for how difficult it would be to deal with.


    Of course, this information wasn''t really a big secret to me anymore. But for Nicola, who had never lost a battle before, this was her first major defeat and the reason she ended up in such a humiliating situation.


    Just imagine - she had never fallen so low since birth. If she hadn''t been rescued in time, she would have been in an even more miserable state when she woke up.


    Addiontionally, she had watched too many wild videos before, and Eldoria Continent itself had many extremely dark and questionable aspects. Thinking that she might be humiliated by this world''s Adrian in various ways, Nicola, who always had a strong prejudice against him, couldn''t help but shed tears of regret for the first time.


    "I heard you''re awake? I''m really sorry for hurting you like this. How are you feeling now?"


    A familiar holographic image appeared in the middle of the room - it was Adrian. Although he was speaking words of concern and apology, Nicola couldn''t see any real "sorry" in his appearance.


    Seeing that she looked unhappy, Adrian sighed and didn''t wait for a response. Instead, he formally announced his position:


    "Anyway, we in Parristol don''t want to be enemies with any member of the angel race, and we don''t want to cause any unnecessary trouble. So I not only saved you, but I also promise to let you rest here safely. During this time, I will send messengers to look for your people to take you back. Please rest well for now!"


    After all, Nicola''s intention to force her way into New Parristol was very obvious, so Adrian''s decision to take care of her despite this was quite generous.


    However, he also gave her a warning at the end, telling her not to cause trouble in the city again. If there was any disturbance, the Divine Punishment would completely eliminate those threats immediately.


    After saying everything, the holographic image disappeared from the room without leaving any trace.


    "So tell me what exactly is this Divine Punishment thing!"


    At this point, Nicola was still very unwilling to accept the situation, but she couldn''t even move now, let alone cause more trouble!


    As they say, when under someone''s roof, you have to bow your head. She could only follow the advice and behave for now.


    However, as an angel, she still had some light element magic left. She was forced to try using "Healing" magic, which she used to look down upon, to slowly heal her body.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The angels'' "Healing" magic was a basic survival magic that every newborn angel must master. It was specifically used to heal angel bodies made of pure light elements and could only be learned by angels. It was so important that it was included in the memory implantation of the Angel Descent Formation.


    Although Nicola and the other newborn angels from our batch didn''t receive these memories because the Angel Descent Formation was interrupted, we were later forced to learn some theoretical knowledge when we returned to Edenmere.


    However, unlike me and Cyra, she had almost never used this magic before, which led to very poor healing effects. Even after using up all her light magic, Nicola barely managed to ease the pain a little, let alone heal her injuries.


    At this moment, she regretted again - why did she insist that stupid magic wasn''t worth learning?


    Fortunately, since Adrian chose to save her, he naturally wouldn''t leave her injuries untreated. The girl she met earlier was one of the staff assigned to take care of Nicola''s daily bandaging and medicine changes. They even took care of all her meals!


    Several days passed peacefully, even though both sides remained suspicious and cautious of each other.


    "Lady Angel, it''s time for your meal."


    Several servant girls carried food through multiple layers of protective shields into the room. Although they were all very respectful and polite, for some reason, Nicola, lying in bed, suddenly felt like she was being kept as a pet.


    "Get out! Even if I starve to death, I won''t eat any more of your food!"


    She shouted at the group with all the strength she had barely recovered, but unfortunately, her voice wasn''t very loud.


    Although her condition had improved a lot after several days of care, being unable to contact Galadra for help and feeling "stranded" made Nicola''s hatred for the culprit grow even stronger.


    Adrian, as the king of Parristol, seemed to understand that he was being resented, so he never came to visit her in person. At most, he only checked on her situation through "remote video," which left Nicola with no way to vent her anger even if she wanted to.


    What''s worse was that several hours after the servants left with the food, her constantly growling stomach made her regret again, so she had no choice but to call them back.


    "This is so good!"


    Sitting on the bed and taking big bites of bread, Nicola was surprised to find that this bread was completely different from the black bread common in Eldoria Continent. It felt a bit like refined pastries from Earth, but tasted even better.


    In front of good food, she finally realized how stupid her earlier thoughts of hunger strike were. Looking at the servants standing nervously in front of her, afraid she might get angry again, she suddenly made a malicious guess.


    "You must all have been forced by Adrian, right? I can guess - that guy probably used his royal status to force you to come to this city. Moreover, he''s always been best at luring girls!"


    After all, Nicola had heard some things about what happened in Parristol. In her view, New Parristol was completely barren and couldn''t survive in the sky for long without outside resources. Following this logic, she concluded that normal humans wouldn''t want to leave the rich and prosperous Astralrealm Kingdom to join this fallen royal family''s restoration effort.


    "Not at all! Before the new city rose into the sky, we were all original Parristol residents who had been oppressed by the Astralrealm Kingdom for a long time. Thanks to His Majesty for not forgetting his people and rescuing us, successfully escaping both the empire and kingdom''s pursuit. Otherwise, who knows how long our suffering would have continued!"


    However, the servants'' answers were completely unexpected - it seemed Adrian was indeed well-supported by these people.


    While talking among themselves, the girls also mentioned that New Parristol had a large automated crop-growing ecological system underground. This system was not only amazing but also had complete processing facilities, enough to meet the entire city''s food needs. Everyone said life now was much better than before.


    "......"


    This made Nicola suddenly lose interest, and even the food in her mouth didn''t taste as good as before.


    No wonder Galadra valued this city''s role so highly. However, her plan to cause trouble and seek revenge not only failed but also made a normal alliance even more impossible.


    Of course, Nicola understood in her heart that her conflict with Adrian was basically centered around love rivalry and jealousy. After suffering this painful lesson, she somewhat realized that it wasn''t really fair to take out her anger on this world''s Adrian, who knew nothing about it. To put it bluntly, she was just asking for trouble...


    However, having grown up in a privileged environment and always being proud, she wasn''t willing to accept this self-critical conclusion. So in the end, she inevitably pushed the root cause onto Adrian.


    In Nicola''s eyes at that time, all of this could be attributed to his failure to recognize the situation that led to her current predicament. Adrian had only defeated her using external forces, but she was completely different - as long as she was still alive, it meant she still had a chance to turn things around!


    Nicola made up her mind again - she must let this world''s Adrian see her true power and make him realize what a terrible mistake he had made. Who exactly was he messing with!!!


    A small setback was only temporary. With strong power, even the worst situation could be turned around!

 Vol 6/ Chapter 6: The City Under Attack

    From my point of view, Nicola was too obsessed with getting revenge at that time.


    But thinking again, given how arrogant she had been since coming to this world, it would be weird if she didn''t try to get back after such a big loss.


    She even prepared for a long time. Since direct attack didn''t work, she decided to break through from the inside!


    Like pretending her body was healing very slowly, making Adrian think she was still badly injured and had to stay in bed. This made him let his guard down.


    Actually, by this time Nicola''s leg was almost healed and she could walk normally. After all, having awakened the Wind Angel Authority meant she could absorb wind elements directly from the environment to slowly restore her magic power, even without wings. But sadly, the recovery speed was still much slower compared to when she had wings.


    So the time wasn''t right yet. She just needed to rest and wait one more day, using her time reversal power to fully restore her wings. Then she would definitely succeed in killing him!


    But heaven didn''t seem to give her this chance...


    That night, while Nicola was lying in bed trying hard to gather spirit power to recover her magic, she suddenly felt the whole bed start shaking violently.


    The shaking only lasted a few seconds, but the continuous bright flashes outside showed this wasn''t just some accident. Seems like explosions were happening all over the floating city. Luckily they were blocked by a very strong barrier, and warning sirens started echoing across the whole city.


    This meant New Parristol was probably under attack!


    At first Nicola didn''t care much, thinking it wasn''t her business. But the huge commotion outside finally made her unable to ignore it anymore. She had to shout loudly to ask the guards outside what was happening.


    But there was no response...


    "Don''t tell me the fighting is so bad they had to send everyone to defend?"


    Even though enemy''s enemy should be friend, Nicola wasn''t happy at all.


    Even if Adrian got defeated or killed, if it wasn''t by her own hands for revenge, she wouldn''t feel satisfied at all.


    "Damn it, which idiot dares to steal my prey..."


    Looking at the situation, probably no one would come to her room for a while. She had to find a way to go out and check! Nicola couldn''t help but curse as she got up from bed. No need to pretend to be weak anymore. She pressed what looked like a light switch on the table beside her.


    But the room lights didn''t respond at all.


    From her daily observation, pressing this button would usually make the whole room''s walls light up. But now nothing happened, showing the city''s power system was probably down too.


    "This means..."


    Thinking of this, Nicola quickly opened the door and went to the corridor outside. The multiple security barriers set up to keep her trapped in the room had disappeared, just as she expected!The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    This meant she was now free to go anywhere in Lantine Oasis! Of course, since her wings hadn''t recovered, she still couldn''t fly.


    But Nicola wasn''t happy about this. The explosions outside were getting more and more frequent. She had a bad feeling and quickly went to the window to look outside carefully. Finally she figured out her room was located in the upper floors of the Chromos Tower in central Lantine Oasis.


    However, most of the city lights were gone, making it impossible to see the ground situation clearly from up high. She looked even higher up, and could make out the shapes of many airships surrounding the city in all directions, firing non-stop, thanks to the light from explosions on the barrier.


    So that''s what''s happening! Though she couldn''t tell who the attackers were, any force that could launch such a huge military attack must be pretty powerful.


    It''s easy to imagine that New Parristol, this new power floating high in the sky, was too eye-catching. To some countries it was like a sword hanging over their heads. It''s not surprising they would try to take it down or take it over when they got the chance.


    "But looks like we can''t hold on much longer!"


    After watching a bit more, she noticed something worrying - the huge barrier covering the city was visibly getting thinner and thinner!


    Although Lantine Oasis''s barrier was much more advanced than any technology from the great nations of Eldoria Continent right now, there were just too many enemy ships. Their continuous heavy bombardment together was enough to cause real damage.


    Moreover, the bombardment was way beyond what normal airship magic cannons could do in both power and firing speed. Nicola vaguely felt these uninvited guests might not be simple either.


    "Damn it! Why pick this time to attack..."


    The most annoying thing was they ruined her perfect chance for revenge. Nicola cursed while turning to look for the stairs exit.


    After all, with her not fully recovered body and power, she couldn''t take any heavy attacks. Once the barrier was broken, the next target of those magic cannons would definitely be the central Chromos Tower.


    Now she regretted not practicing running before. Even though she could run much faster than normal people, just using legs was still too slow.


    Especially going down stairs from such a high tower. After just a few minutes she had only reached the middle levels, when a magic cannon shot broke through the barrier and hit the central tower directly.


    "BOOM¡ª"


    Of course one cannon shot wasn''t enough to destroy the thousand-year-old Chromos Tower. But Nicola, still inside the tower, felt like she had the worst luck ever. The violently shaking floor made her lose balance. Once she fell, she kept rolling down the stairs.


    "Adrian, this is all your fault, you bastard!"


    If it was a normal person rolling down stairs from such height, they would probably be dead already. Even though Nicola''s Eight-Winged Angel body meant she wouldn''t die from this, it still really hurt since she had just recovered from serious injuries.


    While rolling and raging helplessly, she felt someone catch her body midway.


    "What were you shouting just now? I didn''t hear clearly, were you talking about me?"


    A pair of eyes appeared very close to her face. Nicola couldn''t recognize who it was at first, but from the body contact she could feel she was being carried princess-style.


    Of course their voices quickly let them recognize each other, and an awkward atmosphere spread.


    "Go to hell! Why do I have to meet YOU again!"


    Finally Nicola broke the standoff that lasted several seconds. She threw a punch that hit Adrian''s face. With this burst of strength, she broke free from his arms and landed on the ground.


    Actually at this time Nicola was in constant pain and couldn''t even summon her Condensation Sword. She could only make meaningless attacks with her body strength. She also kept cursing angrily, releasing all the frustration she had felt during this time.


    But with her actual physical condition, she got tired really quickly and had to stop to catch her breath.


    As for Adrian, these punches were just like scratches to him. His face did look a bit red, but it wasn''t clear if that was from the punches or something else.


    "Done hitting? I understand how hurt you''ve felt these days, but I had no choice back then, and I already apologized! I came here to save you. If you''re done hitting, let''s quickly leave this place!"


    Seeing Nicola''s condition was much better than he imagined, he quickly explained his purpose and tried to pull her back to retreat.


    "Don''t touch me! You''re the one who beat me up like this, and now you talk about saving me? Don''t forget we''ve always been enemies, who would believe you!"


    Though Nicola had no strength left to hit him, she could still push his hand away.


    From her understanding, it was impossible for Adrian to come save her when the city was in such emergency situation. It was just like a fairy tale.


    She refused to believe it no matter what!

 Vol 6/ Chapter 7: The Enemys Identity

    "Huh? What do you mean we''ve always been enemies? Have we even met before?"


    Adrian couldn''t help but freeze when he heard this. But he didn''t have time to think much about it, assuming Nicola was still angry about being hurt by Divine Punishment, so he explained further.


    "This attack came unexpectedly. The servants who were taking care of you forgot about you while helping others evacuate. None of them are strong enough to handle this situation, so I had to risk coming to save you! Besides, if anything happened to you, how could I explain it to the Angel race?"


    At this time, Edenmere was probably having serious internal troubles, so the messengers Adrian sent out couldn''t find any other angels. Of course, neither he nor Nicola knew about it.


    "......"


    Hearing his serious explanation, Nicola finally realized she had mixed up the Adrians from two different worlds again! Her intense emotions slowly began to calm down.


    To be honest, this world''s Adrian hadn''t done anything to her before they met! Moreover, his explanation made sense - an Eight-Winged Angel would definitely have high status in Edenmere. There wasn''t much reason to doubt him.


    Just then, another cannon shot hit the area where they were. The violent shaking made both of them have to lean against the wall to stay standing.


    "Let''s get out of this place first!"


    Under the pressure, Nicola had no choice but to accept reality. After all, the person in front of her wasn''t the one she used to know. Even though Adrian had hurt her before, now she had to follow him to escape first.


    Finally reaching agreement, they continued moving quickly towards the tower exit.


    "What''s really happening? Don''t tell me this city is about to be destroyed! What if we fall from the sky?"


    While running, Nicola tried to calm down and asked about the situation.


    In our world''s history, the floating city had fallen before. She had heard about such stories from Cyra and me.


    But now Nicola had no wings and couldn''t fly. If this world''s Lantine Oasis was going to fall too, she really worried whether she could survive this disaster.


    "It''s not that bad! Actually, even with such heavy attacks, it''s not easy to completely destroy the city! In theory, as long as the core power system underground stays okay, it can keep the city running and slowly repair itself..."


    But Adrian''s answer surprised her. As for why they were in such trouble? Simply put, the city hadn''t been maintained well for years, and the enemy''s attacks were too strong, more than the barrier could handle. So the auto-defense system had to use almost all city power for the barrier - but looks like even that wasn''t enough!


    So Adrian had to order everyone to move to the underground spaces, which had enough shelter and escape equipment. The tower actually had elevators, but they couldn''t use them because of low power, so they had to use emergency stairs.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "You have such an amazing city but can only take hits? Don''t you have any way to fight back? At least mess up their attack rhythm! Like that Divine Punishment thing you used to attack me, why not use it now?"


    Nicola asked in disbelief. After all, her wounds still hurt, so it was hard to forget about that.


    "Divine Punishment is all used up, it has limited uses! And when enemy ships spread out, it can only destroy very few enemies each time. It''s useless against such a large-scale attack!"


    At this point, Adrian could only smile bitterly and tell the truth. Not only was the power output less than half of the original design, but most other defense weapons also couldn''t be used properly.


    Lantine Oasis had faced battles before since rising to the sky. They hadn''t even finished training their first batch of ancient weapon experts when merciless cannon fire came again, and stronger this time, almost breaking through the barrier.


    According to Adrian, though the barrier couldn''t hold anymore, the underground space still had working auto-defense systems. As long as he kept highest control of the city, better to defend first and wait for chance to counter-attack. This was his next strategy as king.


    But things didn''t go as planned. When they finally reached the tower''s bottom floor, they found the stairs to the underground shelter blocked by rocks!


    Probably a cannon shot had hit the tower base, and some collapsed outer wall unfortunately blocked their way down.


    "Don''t worry, there are other ways, but we need to leave the central tower and take some risks outside!"


    Even with Nicola and Adrian''s strength, digging through would take too long. With no choice, Adrian had to look for other entrances.


    They had just crossed the nearby plaza into a street when they saw several enemy ships break through the barrier and land on the ground nearby.


    "That''s Lumina Sanctum''s army!"


    Seeing the flame-shaped badges on the soldiers coming out of the ships, Adrian instantly recognized the enemy.


    "Ancient God Religion?"


    Nicola frowned when she heard this. These flames were supposedly from Lumina Sanctum''s flag. Though she had dealt with Ancient God Religion before, it was mostly in Ilandra Dominion Empire''s territory, so she rarely met them.


    "Though Ancient God Religion has been starting ''holy wars'' against others for decades, they usually target other religious groups. We New Parristol never had problems with them. So their real target must be this city?"


    Adrian understood the saying about how having treasures brings trouble. He probably was prepared for this since becoming New Parristol''s king.


    But he never imagined Lantine Oasis, which stood strong for thousand years, would be broken by a single religious regime! Before this he even thought multiple countries had joined to attack.


    But for Nicola, if the enemy was Ancient God Religion, everything made more sense - no wonder these ships had firepower beyond normal level, and dared to send so many troops to attack Lantine Oasis even after other countries had failed. They must have known they could break the city''s barrier!


    "Normal soldiers are okay to deal with, but meeting bishops would be big trouble!"


    Still fresh from her last near-defeat, Nicola couldn''t help muttering.


    From previous fights, she deeply knew Ancient God Religion''s high-level members mostly had "special abilities", able to use very special attacks when pushed to limits, really troublesome!


    And that was when she was at peak condition. Now without wings, she could only run.


    As Galadra explained, Ancient God Religion''s god could give followers any abilities beyond normal human understanding. Those super-grade ships attacking Lantine Oasis weren''t even worth mentioning!


    But more surprising was that a group of people suddenly appeared from another direction, looking like New Parristol civilians, slowly moving towards the central tower...


    Great! These two groups would definitely meet.


    "These people, I told them to stay safe in the underground shelter until I return!"


    Adrian recognized these people right away. Turns out his trusted subordinates were worried about the king going alone to save Nicola, so they gathered people to come help.


    Problem was, these people clearly weren''t very strong, making it very dangerous in this heavy bombardment. Of course Adrian couldn''t abandon them, so he had to pull Nicola along to intercept them.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 8: Fighting Together

    Due to years of oppression from the Astralrealm Kingdom, not many citizens in New Parristol had ranked powers. But somehow, more than ten people had come out searching for their king.


    "Thank goodness you''re safe, Your Majesty! What would we do without you in New Parristol?" In an empty building where both groups finally met, everyone started catching up. A maid-looking lady held Adrian''s hands tightly, not wanting to let go.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve awakened Battle Qi, right? This kind of thing won''t stop me! But you all shouldn''t have come out to find me - it''s too dangerous!" Adrian calmly comforted them.


    "Hey, if you know it''s dangerous, why keep talking? Shouldn''t we be running away?" Nicola, who knew well how dangerous the Ancient God Religion was, stood aside with folded arms watching. She couldn''t stay quiet anymore and urged them to move.


    She was quite surprised - she never thought Adrian would be so popular and loved. But there were too many people here, even civilians mixed in! It would take forever if everyone came up to greet him.


    "Your Majesty, the enemy forces outside the city have stopped firing! We think they might be running out of ammunition. Some ships are already retreating," a scout rushed over to report to Adrian. Then came the bad news: "But some troops that entered the city are heading towards this area. We must move quickly!"


    The Lantine Oasis defense system proved its worth. Even though enemy fire had torn some holes in the shield, by gathering the whole city''s power output, it managed to block most of the enemy attacks!


    "How many enemies are left?" Adrian asked worriedly after thinking for a moment. The Lumina Sanctum forces outside were probably clearing the way for the airships that got in.


    "Three large airships, all carrying Lumina Sanctum Royal Guards! They''ve gathered at Central Tower Plaza and are now spreading across the city!" the scout reported seriously.


    "Three airships..." Everyone sighed hearing this. Three airships meant hundreds of soldiers. New Parristol, having just escaped from Astralrealm Kingdom, probably couldn''t even gather one-fifth that many fighters. Things were still looking bad.


    "The nearest entrance should be within a few kilometers, where they came up from underground. Let''s retreat that way!" Adrian wasn''t panicking since he had planned to lead the enemy into Lantine Oasis''s automatic defense system. He signaled everyone to move and explained the plan to Nicola.


    "What about the Ancient God Religion''s leaders? How many bishops and priests are there?" Nicola wasn''t worried about the Lumina Sanctum Royal Guards - to her they were just normal humans. She was more concerned about the Religion''s powerful leaders, so she asked the scout since the report hadn''t mentioned them.


    "There should be only one bishop, in theory. For large military operations like this, the Ancient God Religion usually sends just one regional bishop to command from a safe position in the back..." The scout hesitated, looking at Adrian as he explained this common knowledge.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    As for priests, according to him, a Lumina Sanctum Royal Guard squad usually had fighting power beyond that of priests! Plus, priests normally worked alone on special missions, so they didn''t need to worry about running into any priests.


    "Better safe than sorry! Ancient God Religion bishops are said to be incredibly strong, at least sixth rank. We should assume the bishop commander might have entered the city with the airships. If that happens, we''ll need to lure them into the underground defense facilities," Adrian added, not minding Nicola''s questioning despite her being a former prisoner.


    Generally, a bishop commander wouldn''t come this far forward, but given Lantine Oasis''s special nature and how many resources Lumina Sanctum had committed to this invasion, it was worth preparing for unexpected developments.


    "So really just one bishop at most? I was so worried - if I wasn''t injured, I would''ve gone and wiped them all out already." Nicola sighed with relief. Her previous attack on an important Ancient God Religion base had been different. While one bishop would still be tough to handle, they had a good chance of success if they planned carefully, knowing what they were up against.


    Of course, that would only work if she was at full strength. For now, her only option was to follow Adrian underground to hide.


    "I''ve heard that angels like you are born at least fourth rank, and eight-winged ones are close to seventh rank! Maybe you alone could barely beat a bishop, but the remaining hundred-plus Royal Guards aren''t pushovers! Ancient God Religion troops are famous for their tight coordination and strict discipline - they won''t let their leaders fight alone! When they work together, it''s not just simple addition. Besides, you''re not fully recovered, right? Better stick to the plan!" Adrian patiently explained, worried Nicola''s overconfidence might cause problems.


    "Don''t worry, I''m actually more interested in seeing how amazing this automatic defense system you keep praising is." In Nicola''s eyes, Adrian was clearly underestimating her abilities. But since she couldn''t even heal herself properly right now, she just snorted dismissively instead of bragging.


    The retreat started smoothly, but with civilians in the group, they couldn''t move very fast. When they were just a few hundred meters from the underground entrance, urgent horn signals rang out - the Royal Guard had caught up!


    "Get the non-combatants into the underground passage first. The rest stay with me to hold off the enemy and buy time!" The Lumina Sanctum Royal Guards had already half-surrounded them. In this desperate situation, Adrian took out his bow while hiding behind a building and calmly ordered his subordinates, also pushing Nicola.


    "You go with the others! I can see you''re still badly hurt. Don''t know how you''re managing to walk, but you''re clearly unsteady when running - I can even hear you breathing hard! There''s no point staying here!"


    Adrian''s observation was incredibly sharp! Though Nicola had healed her limbs, she was forcing through her other injuries with willpower and her high-rank angel constitution. She could handle normal movement, but intense fighting would be too much.


    "What? You want me to run with the civilians - you think I''m Feliciana or something?" But Nicola, even badly injured, couldn''t easily agree. The words just slipped out. After all, she was facing Adrian - even if she really couldn''t fight, she instinctively couldn''t show weakness in front of him.


    "Who''s Feliciana?" Adrian''s confused response immediately poured cold water on Nicola.


    "...Never mind! Just give me a weapon... a sword will do. I won''t run away - it''s not my style!" After taking a second to calm down, she sighed and spoke more softly to one of Adrian''s subordinates.


    "Why are you so stubborn! His Majesty isn''t even punishing you for attacking the city before, and lets you run first, but you insist on staying!" This subordinate, probably fourth or fifth rank and one of New Parristol''s top fighters, was clearly unhappy with Nicola''s attitude and suspicious. "Who knows if you''re actually working with the Ancient God Religion?"


    "Enough talk - give her the sword. The enemy is charging!" Adrian suddenly spoke up, though not because Nicola''s determination had convinced him. He took out an arrow, which soon glowed red with the word for ''explosion'' appearing on the arrowhead. He nocked it to his bow and shot hard while shouting:


    "For New Parristol!"

 Vol 6/ Chapter 9: The Dwindling Trump Cards

    The Lumina Sanctum Royal Guards were known as one of the strongest religious military forces on the continent. Only after facing them directly did Nicola truly understand just how powerful this army was!


    No wonder the Ancient God Religion had been winning battles everywhere these past decades. Just looking at a small team of less than ten people - every soldier was already at fifth rank or close to it! In other countries'' armies, someone at this level would be leading troops. But in the Lumina Sanctum Royal Guards, they were just the lowest-ranked soldiers.


    As for their squad leader fighting at the front, his power was even more amazing - at least fifth rank or maybe even sixth rank! Just in terms of power, he was already stronger than some ordinary priests. Luckily, they didn''t have those special abilities that Nicola met before.


    Looking at Nicola now - even though she used to have eight wings and was even the reincarnated Wind Element Angel with some Time Authority, after losing her wings she just didn''t have enough magic power to use these abilities!


    If just talking about physical strength, she wasn''t much different from a normal angel who lost their wings. Right now, being at fourth rank was already giving her face, not to mention she was injured!


    Of course, the reason she dared to join the fight was because she still had some trump cards left.


    Too bad she really didn''t want to use them in normal situations...


    "Damn it, you small soldier, why come after me! Did you spot that I''m the most unlucky one now, so you''re doing this on purpose?"


    These religious enemies usually became super crazy during fights. Seeing a church guard muttering words she couldn''t understand while charging at her through an opening, swinging his blade without mercy, Nicola felt huge pressure and quickly raised the sword she had borrowed to block...


    "Crack!"


    But the next second, the weapon in her hand just broke cleanly in two. This scared Nicola so much she cursed at the poor quality product. In panic, she rolled backwards before barely dodging the remaining force of the enemy''s attack.


    "Damn it, if I had my Condensation Sword, how could you act so proud!"


    After all, she had survived countless battles. Even if her speed and strength weren''t keeping up now, she still had her reactions and battle experience.


    After that she very messily dodged around. Though she barely avoided the enemy''s attacks, she had no way to fight back effectively, plus the difference in powers, she felt more frustrated than ever.


    But even so, she still didn''t want to easily use her trump cards. This made the situation become more and more dangerous.


    No way? Was she really going to die in this place? Maybe she shouldn''t have insisted on staying behind earlier...


    Soon she paid the price for being careless. Seeing herself cornered with the enemy''s killing blow about to hit her, she almost fell into despair. But suddenly an arrow shot in from the side, nailing straight into the opponent''s head and carrying the whole body several meters away before exploding.


    "That arrow''s attack... could it be?"


    Just when Nicola got blown to the ground by the strong explosion wave, She saw a hand suddenly appear in front of her - it really was Adrian!


    "Are you okay? Quick, get up! Everyone else has already gone into the underground tunnel safely. We need to retreat right away!"


    So in just those few minutes of fighting, they had successfully blocked the Ancient God Religion''s pursuit forces several dozen meters away from the underground entrance. With their side being weaker overall, continuing to fight definitely wasn''t what Adrian wanted to see.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "If I wasn''t injured, if I was in my normal state, I would have beat all these people long ago!"


    Having survived another close call but still not willing to accept his kindness, Nicola forced herself to get up from the ground. Feeling uncomfortable in her heart, she couldn''t help explaining to him.


    "Yes yes yes, you''re an eight-winged angel, I know very well how strong you are! Back then you alone cut a big hole in my barrier - these Ancient God Religion people probably couldn''t even do that!"


    Adrian couldn''t waste time talking with her now, since another wave of church guards was closing in, and the rest of their people had almost reached the underground entrance. Seeing Nicola could barely stand steady, he didn''t say anything more and just picked her up onto his shoulder and started running.


    "Sorry about this! You understand we''re in a hurry to escape right now, right? Please put up with it for a bit!"


    Adrian didn''t forget to explain along the way. Actually Nicola was very shocked and angry at first, but thinking about how she had barely any strength left to run such a long distance at full speed after nearly dying, she could only helplessly stay quiet on his back.


    Also she could see that carrying her was really the fastest way right now! This world''s Adrian had also awakened Battle Qi, so he should be at least mid-sixth rank in power.


    "Stop them! Don''t let them escape like this!"


    The enemies left behind obviously figured out Adrian''s plan. A voice came from far behind - though not very loud, almost the whole battlefield could hear it.


    This voice somehow sounded familiar to Nicola. As the words fell, many Ancient God Religion mages who had just arrived started throwing all kinds of attack spells from far away. Adrian and Nicola running at the back naturally took most of that pressure.


    This was reality after all - unlike novels and animations where long-range magic attacks all miss their targets. And these were the Ancient God Religion''s elite forces.


    Nicola couldn''t move while being carried on Adrian''s back, and very unluckily took most of the attack. But how could her current body condition handle non-stop crazy bombing?


    Even though angels'' bodies had resistance to most magic, without wings supplying light element, it was almost impossible!


    "Really no choice now!"


    Thanks to secretly gathering wind element during the healing process these past few days hoping for a final comeback, Nicola had no choice but to grit her teeth and use this trump card to save her life. Otherwise who knows what state she''d be blown into.


    Without wings, the wind element gathered over several days was only enough to heal her limbs, not enough to reverse time for her whole body or wings back to before being injured.


    But dealing with those spells and ranged attacks didn''t need much magic power - she just needed to keep speeding up or slowing down time in a small space behind her to make all the attacks strangely miss their target!


    "Such a waste, my magic power being used for this kind of thing! Adrian you bastard, this is all your fault. When I recover I''ll definitely cut you into thousand pieces!"


    The price of using super skills was naturally rapid magic power loss. Nicola was definitely bleeding inside from the pain, especially since this meant the time for revenge would be delayed much longer. While blocking the enemy attacks, she finally couldn''t help shouting and cursing.


    "Bang!"


    With Adrian''s speed, that distance only took seconds to run. He was the last one to charge through the underground entrance gate. However, the final explosion hitting the ground behind them sounded especially loud, seeming particularly powerful.


    "Huh? So you''re not dead? Hearing your voice you seem quite energetic! If I knew earlier I would have put you down to run by yourself, probably would have saved energy that way!"


    As the heavy underground gate closed tightly behind them, Adrian finally couldn''t help taking a heavy breath. While putting Nicola down he didn''t forget to tease her.


    "Stop wasting words with me!"


    But the next second, a foot directly kicked his face, slamming his head straight into the shaking iron door. Then Nicola''s very fierce voice came close as she warned him:


    "Since you and I didn''t know each other before, I''ll consider this a special case and forgive you once, but don''t hope for a next time! Understand?"


    "What are you doing? His Majesty just saved your life, are you trying to repay kindness with revenge?"


    After saying this she slowly moved her foot away. But some of Adrian''s subordinates saw this scene and were very surprised. Though they could tell Nicola was probably just putting on an act, they all came forward to stop her.


    "It''s nothing, I''m fine, and her strength right now couldn''t hurt me anyway!"


    Maybe because they had barely escaped with their lives, Adrian clearly knew Nicola had helped block many enemy attacks along the way. So even with a shoe print on his face he still acted very graciously, wiping the dirt off his face and waving away his subordinates without any blame.


    "But it''s strange why you''d forgive me because we didn''t know each other before? That reason is too weird... Are all you angels this strange?"


    Looking at the situation, this was probably his first time dealing with angels. After thinking about it, he  couldn''t help turning back to ask very curiously.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 10: The Underground Defense System

    "......"


    How could Nicola easily answer this question! Should she honestly tell him she wasn''t from this world, and that they had big problems before because he stole her love?


    Nicola felt she shouldn''t have carelessly said so much earlier. Actually, even if she didn''t want to let Adrian off now, she really couldn''t do anything to him anymore.


    Sadly, her trump cards were almost used up. She vaguely realized she was in a really bad situation! And this world''s Adrian seemed even harder to deal with than she imagined - he totally knew she couldn''t do anything to him because of her injuries! He didn''t take her so-called threats seriously at all.


    "Your Majesty, are we safe now?"


    At this time, a New Parristol soldier couldn''t help walking forward to ask Adrian.


    Though everyone had safely escaped into the underground tunnel, the Ancient God Religion outside hadn''t stopped attacking. But now their target was the underground entrance door, trying to break through it by force!


    After some time, you could see the dark door starting to bulge a bit - who knew how much longer it could hold.


    "Don''t worry. Though this door can only hold for a while, we have New Parristol''s automatic weapon defense system. The real show is still coming! Let''s continue to the safe area first!"


    At this critical moment, as king he definitely needed to give his people enough confidence. Moreover, Adrian really seemed to believe in what he said, comforting everyone while leading them deeper into the underground tunnel.


    The path ahead was a very narrow and straight long corridor that could just fit one person to pass through.


    "What exactly is this automatic defense system you mentioned?"


    This was already the second time Nicola asked this question. Adrian''s reply was just pointing at the walls around them.


    To put it simply - the defense devices were hidden inside these walls!


    At first, Nicola thought maybe it was some kind of trap arrows, but she looked everywhere and couldn''t find any holes for arrows to shoot from.


    She only saw that the whole tunnel walls were very smooth and clear, like they were covered with glass panels. A mysterious soft light shone through from inside the walls from all directions, lighting up the whole tunnel. It didn''t seem much different from other lighting in Lantine Oasis buildings.


    But after looking more carefully, she surprisingly found that the wall material used here was unusually strong!


    When she hit it with an iron tool, it didn''t even leave a tiny mark. Nicola had to admit that ancient civilization''s buildings were really different!


    "So don''t tell me later these walls will automatically split open and bring out dozens of gatling guns to shoot enemies?"


    The narrow tunnel was definitely perfect for setting up all kinds of traps. Since the whole city had a very sci-fi style, Nicola made some careless random guesses.


    "Gatling? What''s that thing? Is it better than my exploding arrows?"


    Adrian didn''t understand when he heard this. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to tell what kind of defense devices they were. According to him, there were many types of traps, almost every area had different attack modes. Moreover, most weapon effects were beyond his knowledge - he didn''t know how to describe them!This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Soon everyone finished walking this path and stood in a relatively spacious room. Several identical corridor entrances gathered around this place, making it look like a meeting point of a huge underground maze network.


    However, in the center of the room was something that looked like a terminal control. Adrian walked over and pressed some buttons, opening several virtual projection screens in the air, all showing surveillance of the surrounding tunnels.


    Though most of the entrances looked similar, only one direction led to another underground road that was wider.


    "Following this big road and turning a few corners should take us to the underground shelter!"


    Adrian and some of his subordinates clearly weren''t planning to continue forward. He immediately showed the remaining path to the other New Parristol civilians. But after a while he noticed Nicola still standing there, so he turned and asked:


    "Why are you still standing here? The entrance door is probably about to break now. All non-combat personnel need to go to the underground shelter! Do you still have questions?"


    "You want to chase me away? Since when can you control where I stand?"


    Nicola first got stubborn out of habit, but after hearing Adrian''s words, two subordinates immediately came to pull her out.


    "This is now a military restricted area! You''re an unrelated person - why are you hanging around here!"


    This really made Nicola angry, but she had too little strength left to resist. However, they had a point - with her identity she really had no reason to stay here.


    "How am I unrelated! I have lots of experience fighting the Ancient God Religion. You probably don''t understand how scary they are as well as I do!"


    To be honest, this argument didn''t have much power given Nicola''s performance on the ground earlier. Unfortunately, curiosity got the better of her - she didn''t want to miss this chance to see what defense system Adrian mentioned. After thinking hard, she could only lower herself and remind them loudly:


    "Don''t forget my original purpose coming here was to join forces with you against the Ancient God Religion. These people aren''t simple!"


    "Fine then, let her watch from the side!"


    Hearing this, Adrian hesitated for a moment but finally decided to let her stay.


    According to the following explanation, several similar terminal control rooms existed around the underground shelter. They had similar functions, monitoring the entrances to the surface.


    Of course, Lantine Oasis''s underground space was huge - Adrian alone couldn''t possibly handle all the surveillance of every area. So he still had to let other subordinates split up to different control rooms to share this task.


    "Your Majesty, we detect enemy advance forces entering Tunnel 2..."


    No need to detail all the arrangements made during this time - after a while everyone was in position. All control terminals could communicate and report situations to each other. Obviously they must have practiced this before.


    "Everyone must stay alert, especially don''t easily enter defense zones, to avoid friendly fire!"


    After hearing his subordinate''s report, Adrian activated the underground automatic defense system, with his crown being the master control switch for the whole system.


    "This is..."


    Nicola stood right next to Adrian, very "luckily" witnessing the tragic fate of those church guards who broke in.


    One tunnel surveillance screen showed that when a line of people went deep into a corridor they just passed through, the surrounding walls suddenly blazed with bright light!


    A blindingly white "light net" suddenly appeared in front of these people out of nowhere, then passed through the invaders at very high speed. Everywhere it passed, everyone''s movements stopped, then they were cut into countless pieces of meat and blood scattered on the ground.


    The whole process was very smooth and brief, but also extremely bloody! The church guards at the back of the line didn''t even understand what accident happened in front before silently losing their lives.


    "Isn''t that a laser?"


    Seeing all this, Nicola felt quite unbelievable. This was countless times more advanced than gatling guns! After all, some Earth movies had similar, but she didn''t expect to personally witness it all in reality in another magic world.


    "Oh? You actually know what this thing is? So it''s called ''laser''!"


    Though Adrian was the operator of the whole defense system, he didn''t know what exactly that terribly scary white light was. With his knowledge, he at most felt these bright white lights were very similar to many light magic effects. So when an angel called out this weapon''s name, it didn''t seem too strange.


    Of course it wasn''t over yet - that was just what happened in one tunnel. The Lumina Sanctum guards clearly forced their way through more than one underground entrance. Images showed that when another group of enemies flooded into Defense Tunnel 6 in another area, the tunnel gates in front and behind them suddenly closed, creating a sealed space.


    Soon after, the gates automatically opened again, and all the soldiers in that space fell down one by one grabbing their necks, never getting up again. This batch was clearly killed by having the air sucked out and suffocating!


    In just two defense system activations, in less than five minutes, several dozen lives were taken! The Lumina Sanctum guards instantly lost over half their numbers. After this, even if the remaining guards still dared to go in, they clearly became more careful, and fewer and fewer people dared to explore further.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 11: Special Powers

    Without doubt, Adrian''s strategy worked well - Lantine Oasis''s underground defense system successfully fought off the invasion! Watching the enemy numbers drop on the virtual screen, he couldn''t help but smile proudly. He turned to Nicola, the so-called "expert" on Ancient God Religion, and asked:


    "What do you think they''ll do next? Stay on the ground or retreat?"


    "......"


    Even Nicola had to admit that this victory came too easily! Nobody expected that Lantine Oasis''s thousands-year-old defenses would still work so well.


    Based on the death count, some enemies probably survived above ground, but they had learned their lesson - no one dared to enter anymore.


    "If it''s just soldiers entering the city, Ancient God Religion might have to retreat! But if a Bishop comes in, that''s different..." Nicola said with concern.


    Actually, she wasn''t sure whether she said this because she couldn''t accept Adrian''s good luck. Plus, they hadn''t seen any Bishop show up yet, - maybe only soldiers had entered the city...


    "Nonsense! Ancient God Religion''s Bishops always hide at the back of their army to give orders. Why would they risk coming forward? Even if they did come, they''re still made of flesh and blood! They''d die just like those soldiers when going through our underground defenses!" one of Adrian''s men sneered. They had finally gained the upper hand, but she kept being negative, which hurt their morale.


    "Your Majesty, there''s movement in Channel 8 again. Someone''s trying to break through!" suddenly, a voice came through the control panel.


    Channel 8 used the same defense system as Channel 6, which had killed enemies by removing all the air. Adrian quickly used his crown to switch the monitoring screen to Channel 8. Now they could see what was happening - only one person had entered!


    But this person looked different from the other church soldiers. He wore loose, plain gray clothes not like the battle gear worn by soldiers. He also held a long staff.


    "That''s a Bishop!"


    While others didn''t recognize, Nicola immediately knew who it was.


    "Oh really? Perfect timing! Let''s see what he can do!" Adrian seemed unimpressed. He zoomed in the camera and watched excitedly. After all, so many enemies had died in this channel, everyone totally trusted the city''s defense system.


    But they had forgotten what Nicola mentioned before - Ancient God Religion''s leaders usually had special powers...


    When the gray-robed Bishop entered the channel, as expected, doors closed in front and behind him, creating a sealed space.


    But unlike the church soldiers earlier, he didn''t panic. Instead, he planted his staff firmly on the ground, closed his eyes, and started loudly chanting some religious words.


    Through the microphone, Nicola could hear clearly:This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Thank you, great Spring, for giving divine power to us mortals. May Spring''s glory shine on every corner of this world and guide me on the path to the holy kingdom..."


    "I thought Ancient God Religion always said their god was the ancient creator? They never seemed to have a specific name. How come they suddenly have this new god ''Spring'' and want the whole continent to worship it? Is this new god related to the ancient creator?" one of Adrian''s men asked curiously.


    "About a hundred years ago, Ancient God Religion supposedly contacted some of their lost gods and announced that the gods would return! Spring is probably one of these so-called gods they contacted, but the exact connection isn''t known!" Adrian explained. This was old news. Back then, Ancient God Religion didn''t reveal any details about these returning gods. At first, people on the continent didn''t take it seriously, until they started expanding everywhere.


    Usually, after the doors closed, the air would be removed. But the gray-robed Bishop in the defense channel kept chanting more and more excitedly, showing no signs of suffocation. Then he opened his eyes and shouted - his hair suddenly stood up straight, and his staff began glowing so bright it made the whole monitor screen turn white. They couldn''t see what happened next.


    "What''s going on? Did the defense system work?" seeing this, everyone was shocked. Nicola felt something was wrong and quickly asked Adrian.


    "I just got a report from the man watching Channel 8. His control panel started smoking from the inside. The whole area''s defense system probably got burned out." Adrian''s crown had its own communication system. He seemed to have received very bad news and told everyone with a serious face.


    This was ancient civilization technology! This clearly wasn''t an accident - it probably had something to do with what the Bishop just did.


    A few seconds later, the bright light on the screen finally faded, and the monitoring system worked again.


    They could see that the doors at both ends of the channel had reopened, and the gray-robed Bishop wasn''t dead! He didn''t even look out of breath. He just walked confidently through the channel, somehow destroying an entire area''s defense system core.


    "Not good, someone''s coming to our area too!"


    Before Adrian''s group could figure out how to deal with this person, their control panel started alarming. Another channel''s monitoring screen popped up.


    "Another Bishop!"


    This time everyone easily recognized who it was, and they all gasped - a second Bishop? This one wore yellow clothes instead of gray.


    Having two Bishops in one battle was very rare in Ancient God Religion''s history. It showed how determined they were to take over Lantine Oasis, this ancient city.


    This yellow-robed Bishop would face laser defenses! Like the gray-robed Bishop, he also kept chanting religious words, and walked into the channel without hesitation.


    "How is this possible? Is he even human?"


    What happened next made everyone, including Adrian, cry out in shock.


    Unlike before, there was no white light filling the screen. Though his staff also glowed, it was a gentle yellow light. Under this yellow light, the yellow-robed Bishop somehow wasn''t afraid of the laser. He walked through three laser nets!


    In the end, his clothes were completely burned off, but his exposed body was perfectly fine, without even a scratch! They could barely see a faint golden glow around his body.


    "That''s invincibility!"


    Nicola blurted out. She had experienced this special power before.


    During the earlier fight at Ancient God Religion''s branch in the empire, three Elemental Angels'' combined power was so incredible that even Ancient God Religion had to back off temporarily. When they finally caught a low-ranking church member and forced him to tell them that high-ranking church leaders were taking Michelle''s prison away, a guard priest blocked their chase alone, which meant they never even saw Michelle.


    This guard priest had the special power of invincibility!


    Nicola and Galadra tried everything but couldn''t hurt him at all or teleport him away. He stood like a rock blocking their way. Though his attacks were quite ordinary and couldn''t really hurt them, the yellow glow around him had a special effect that made enemies want to attack him mindlessly even though they knew it was useless. Not just six-winged Nicora, even Nicola fell for it.


    In the end, only Galadra wasn''t affected by this glow. She watched helplessly as the other two kept pointlessly hitting a "hard rock" and couldn''t stop them, but she couldn''t leave alone. Only after the invincibility effect wore off did they manage to kill the priest. But by then, it was too late.

 Vol 6/Chapter 12: Weakness

    Of course, even though invincibility was an extremely powerful skill, it came with many costs.


    First, the skill seemed to use life to work. After the effect ended, the once-young guard priest had aged to middle-age. According to Galadra, this side effect was probably permanent. Almost all enemy special powers they''d seen had this kind of limit, and some side effects were even more extreme.


    In Nicola''s memory, her opponent couldn''t move at all while invincible, but this Bishop could slowly move forward. This showed he was clearly stronger!


    Though he probably couldn''t destroy the laser machines by breaking the walls, getting through the channel was just a matter of time.


    "Not good, I must stop him!"


    Adrian couldn''t stand watching anymore. He grabbed his bow, quickly rushed to the channel.


    "Wait! You can''t just rush in against enemies with special powers! You need to wait for the right moment to hit their weakness!"


    Unlike Adrian''s men who usually just followed orders, Nicola couldn''t just do nothing when she saw him rush off alone. She knew Adrian knew nothing about these enemies, so she quickly chased after him.


    The gray-robed Bishop earlier at least used some unknown trick, destroying the defense system from far away to get past the traps - so he didn''t seem completely unbeatable.


    But this yellow-robed Bishop''s way of getting through was just incredible. Adrian knew how strong the enemy was, but he absolutely couldn''t let the enemy reach the shelter on the other side! Though he didn''t stop, he asked hopefully, like grabbing onto a lifeline:


    "Weakness? Do you know how to break this... this invincibility skill?"


    He remembered that Nicola did say she had lots of experience fighting Ancient God Religion.


    "Um, direct attacks definitely won''t work! We think it''s some kind of absolute defense at the natural law level, impossible to break head-on - that''s why it''s called invincibility..."


    Since she obviously couldn''t handle Bishop-level enemies with her current power, everything depended on Adrian. Nicola quickly explained what Galadra had figured out about this skill.


    Usually people wouldn''t know this stuff beforehand. When fighting up close, it''s easy to get tricked by the yellow glow and stubbornly attack mindlessly - very dangerous.


    Luckily Nicola had learned this the hard way before.


    "Even the most incredible power must have a time limit! Just wait patiently until his invincibility runs out. He''ll naturally become weak then, and with your strength, you can finish him easily!"


    By now they''d reached the end of the laser defense. There was a bend where they could hide where the enemy couldn''t see them.


    Adrian carefully peeked around the corner. Far down the tunnel, he could see the yellow-robed Bishop with half-closed eyes, slowly walking his way while mumbling prayers.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Every couple steps, a new laser net would appear in front of the Bishop, who''d push through it stubbornly. The super powerful laser beams only stopped him for a moment and didn''t really do anything. Adrian turned back and whispered doubtfully:


    "I just saw his body has some burn marks from the laser cuts! If that''s real, maybe if I time my strongest explosive arrow with the next laser hit, aiming at his wounds, we might break through his defense!"


    "Don''t do it! That''s an illusion to trick you, at least rule-level mind control... anyway, it''s way beyond normal magic! You must avoid looking directly at enemies while they''re invincible. Remember - invincibility means absolutely no damage! If you see any wounds, they''re fake. Our only option is waiting until the effect runs out. He''ll be weaker then because of aging!"


    From Nicola''s experience, that guard priest had led her on step by step, making her think she could actually kill him - that''s how she fell for it. Thankfully she was very careful this time and didn''t dare look at the yellow-robed Bishop at all. Plus Adrian only glanced quickly, otherwise they both might have fallen for it already!


    "How long until the invincibility ends?"


    Seeing how "professional" Nicola seemed, Adrian stopped questioning. He probably realized that against such a weird enemy, he had to rely on this expert to get through this crisis.


    "About fifteen minutes, but since he''s a Bishop, probably longer... at least twenty minutes!"


    Nicola seemed unsure about this answer and thought for a while before giving her estimate. Since the yellow-robed Bishop was bald and far away, she couldn''t judge by looking, but based on his condition, he probably wouldn''t die anytime soon.


    "Twenty minutes? At his speed, he''ll reach the underground shelter in just over ten minutes!"


    Adrian''s blood pressure shot up when he heard this. The yellow-robed Bishop wasn''t fast, but you could see him steadily moving forward.


    Plus they say invincible enemies can still cast spells and attack from far away - he was like a slow-moving but untouchable cannon. Not to mention a Bishop''s attacks were too powerful for normal people to handle. If they let him continue, more innocent people would die!


    "Isn''t there any way to stop him here?"


    Protecting the few remaining Parristol people was Adrian''s top duty as king. He really didn''t want to retreat. Plus another Bishop had probably broken through the underground defenses too - they absolutely couldn''t let a second one in.


    "What can I do? That''s why I told you not to be so optimistic at first. Quick, go evacuate everyone! Avoiding direct contact with the enemy is probably our best option right now. Unless..."


    Remembering various strategies they''d figured out after past battles, Nicola added uncertainly: "Unless you can use mind control, like spiritual magic. This invincibility probably only covers physical stuff, might not protect the mind at all - but you''re a Battle Qi awakener, you probably don''t know magic, right?"


    Usually only high-level light mages and angels could use spiritual magic. Nicola definitely hadn''t learned it, and she didn''t have the magic power for high-level spells anyway. As for Adrian, she didn''t think he could use it either, so she hadn''t mentioned this option at first.


    "Mind control? I don''t know magic, but I do know some basic mind control techniques!"


    Surprisingly, Adrian stood up right away and pulled out two arrows, holding one arrowhead in each hand. Soon the arrowheads were marked with the words for "confuse" and "illusion".


    "I''m not sure whether ''confuse'' or ''illusion'' works better on enemies, so I''ll use both! Or maybe other words would be better?"


    "What the hell, so your Battle Qi awakener can do more than just make arrows explode?"


    Having fought Adrian many times before and seeing mostly explosive arrows, this was Nicola''s first time seeing such an "unusual" technique. Feeling like she''d been deceived, she cursed out loud.


    Had that bastard Adrian not used full power against her? He was holding back!


    By now the yellow-robed Bishop had almost walked past the last laser-covered area and was very close to them. There was no time to waste. Adrian didn''t even look at his target - he just shot both arrows from behind the corner. A second later came two clear "ding" and "tang" sounds.


    Anyone could guess that the slow-moving yellow-robed Bishop couldn''t possibly dodge these arrows. Of course, he probably wouldn''t even try since the arrows couldn''t hurt him at all!


    In the end, the arrows were just tools to transfer Battle Qi - what might actually work was the special effect on the arrowheads. And special attack effects converted from Battle Qi were theoretically much stronger than low-level magic effects.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 13: Psionic Energy

    Nicola could clearly feel that the light element from the arrow had stuck to the Yellow Bishop''s body.


    But after that, all sounds disappeared completely. Even footsteps vanished. It was so quiet around that you could hear a pin drop!


    "Are you sure those two arrows can really affect him?" she whispered uncertainly. The Yellow Bishop had clearly stopped moving forward for some reason, but he didn''t show any signs of mental disturbance.


    "I actually wanted to make him hallucinate and turn back," Adrian said with an awkward smile. "If he has some resistance to it, at first his mind might try to fight against the Battle Qi''s confusing effects. But I''m confident in my Battle Qi ability! Usually there''s no big problem with targets who are around my level or weaker. Of course, if he''s much stronger than me, that''s another story..."


    Adrian couldn''t risk peeking out to see what was happening. Ancient God Religion bishops were usually sixth rank or above, though they shouldn''t be too much higher than that.


    But just as he finished speaking, they heard the Yellow Bishop''s heavy breathing echoing through the corridor. The breathing got louder and louder, quickly turning into terrible screaming. However, the screaming didn''t last long before everything went quiet again.


    "Is it working?"


    The situation changed so suddenly that Nicola couldn''t control her curiosity. She carefully peeked around the corner.


    What she saw was a pile of neatly cut-up meat pieces at the end of the laser corridor. She got excited and quickly pulled Adrian back the way they came.


    "Great! He must have accidentally turned off his invincibility while his mind was confused, and got hit by the laser!"


    Slow and steady wins the race - and this time it worked perfectly! Although they were weaker than the Ancient God Religion, thanks to knowing the enemy''s weakness beforehand, dealing with the Yellow Bishop was much easier than expected.


    Thinking about this made Nicola more confident about using Adrian to fight against the Ancient God Religion''s invasion.


    "But why are you running so urgently? Is something wrong?" Adrian wanted to check the body, but Nicola didn''t give him time. He could only follow behind her and ask.


    "Don''t forget there''s another bishop who broke in from another area! Unlike this guy in yellow, that one might be our real threat!"


    "The other one is stronger?"


    This made Adrian feel uneasy.


    He was starting to feel something wasn''t right. To people who didn''t know the full story, the Gray Bishop''s methods seemed weird, but at least it showed he was afraid of the traps, and he didn''t seem as impressive as the Yellow Bishop.


    But the problem was - because they couldn''t understand him, they couldn''t tell how scary the Gray Bishop really was! After seeing what the Yellow Bishop could do, Adrian began to realize that the way the other bishop destroyed the control center from far away probably wasn''t going to be easy to handle!


    "That''s Psionic Energy! It''s a special ability different from magic - it controls all types of energy directly from their source to affect reality!" Nicola explained.


    She had seen this ability used once before, by the dark angel Claudia that Michelle summoned using the converted Angel Descent Formation.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Actually, although Claudia that Michelle created using dark elements could only reach six-wing level, what made her really powerful was her Psionic Energy ability!


    This came from Michelle, who controlled energy Authority. When she used the formation to summon Claudia, she gave her some of that power! When Claudia died, this Authority automatically returned, letting Michelle know instantly even though she was thousands of miles away.


    But Ancient God Religion bishops were just humans - they couldn''t copy this method! The only way they could control Psionic Energy was through their absolute faith in their "Spring" god that they always talked about!


    "Even though I don''t really understand what this ''Psionic Energy'' does exactly, since it''s given by gods like invincibility, doesn''t it have the same weakness? Like that Yellow Bishop?" Adrian asked. They had just killed one enemy using mental control, so he thought they could do it again the same way.


    "How could it be that easy! Although Psionic Energy users don''t have crazy strong body protection like invincibility, their mental defense is definitely not something your little wooden arrows can break!" Nicola said with a cold laugh.


    After saying this, she ran back at full speed to where the control room was. But it was too late - their "home" had been robbed!


    The Gray Bishop had reached this place easily while they were gone. The results were terrible - several people were lying all over the floor in pools of blood. It was impossible to tell who was still alive.


    "Tell me how to control the underground traps! You can avoid the pain that''s coming!" The Gray Bishop stood there casually with his hands in his sleeves, questioning one of Adrian''s men who was "hanging" high on the wall by air.


    "Let Karl go!"


    Adrian had just rushed out from the passage entrance. He couldn''t handle this shock - he got so emotional he was about to charge forward to save Karl.


    "Idiot, hide!"


    Luckily before he could move, Nicola grabbed him around the waist and pulled him hard into another nearby corner, successfully hiding where the bishop couldn''t see them.


    "Oh? So there are still some that got away..."


    The Gray Bishop''s voice hadn''t even finished when Adrian felt an extremely strong wind brush past his cheek and hit the control panel behind him.


    The control panel was instantly smashed to pieces by some invisible force. Obviously Nicola had just saved his life!


    Right after, several more invisible force came whistling toward the passage entrance. Each attack was incredibly powerful - even the super strong walls got some dents from the continuous hits.


    "Is that the Psionic Energy you talked about?" Adrian was shocked and took several seconds to recover. But hearing the Gray Bishop drop Karl and slowly walk toward them, he said with some struggle:


    "But they''re all my men. If I don''t go save them..."


    Actually from that brief encounter, Adrian could feel that the Gray Bishop''s actual strength shouldn''t be much different from his! After all, he was a Battle Qi awakener. If it was just one-on-one, as long as he was careful about the Psionic Energy, it seemed like he might not lose.


    "Forget it! Even if he was actually weaker than you, once he uses special abilities, don''t try to fight head-on unless you''re above seventh rank!"


    But Nicola didn''t let him argue, dragging Adrian deeper into the passage.


    According to her, since Psionic Energy users could control invisible energy, they could easily control people from far away through walls - this was one of Psionic Energy''s biggest advantages! Of course, this required the Gray Bishop to know their exact location.


    So they needed to hide where he couldn''t see them while they planned what to do next! Although theoretically Psionic Energy should also be able to sense strong energy flows, as long as she and Adrian didn''t use any magic including Battle Qi to attack, it shouldn''t be a big problem.


    Sure enough! Because this passage had many corners, and the control panel being destroyed took down the whole lighting system making it pitch black inside, the Gray Bishop only followed for a short distance before turning back to continue questioning his prisoner.


    "How do you know it so clearly? Have you met these Psionic Energy users before?" Adrian felt a bit relieved and couldn''t help admiring how knowledgeable Nicola was.


    "You could say that..."


    Actually compared to the Gray Bishop, Claudia''s Psionic Energy now seemed much weaker to Nicola and wasn''t very useful as reference! After all, the difference in their basic strength was huge - even at his weakest, this Gray Bishop was still above sixth rank!


    But she couldn''t tell him that she actually learned most of this knowledge from novels and media in her past life on Earth, and wasn''t even sure if it would work. So she just vaguely brushed it off.


    The Gray Bishop was definitely the first Ancient God Religion enemy with Psionic Energy that Nicola had met. She hadn''t dragged Adrian back just to run away - she quickly summarized the ways she could think of to defeat the enemy:


    "We have only two ways to kill someone with Psionic Energy! One is to completely overwhelm them with stronger power, and the other is to catch them off guard!"

 Vol 6/ Chapter 14: Another Selene

    "The first way is impossible with our current abilities, so you mean we must use a sneak attack?"


    Adrian nodded in agreement, remembering how the Gray Bishop had only attacked after they rushed into the control room.


    But the problem was, even though the bishop wasn''t chasing them now, he must be on guard. When the power gap wasn''t too big, sneak attacks were hard to succeed without some special trick.


    But now Nicola knew the truth about Adrian''s ability. With his smarts, she believed he probably already had a plan.


    "These are ''Swift'' and ''Quick''. With these two arrows, I can increase my speed by three or even four times!" Adrian said, holding two arrows he just made with Battle Qi.


    Since Battle Qi only worked on living things, he decided to go in himself again.


    His idea was simple - if he could move fast enough that the Gray Bishop couldn''t react in time, it wouldn''t matter how careful the bishop was.


    "That much faster? It could work in theory! But this way only your speed increases - won''t your reaction time and other abilities stay the same? Could there be accidents... like your body not being able to handle it?" Nicola frowned.


    After all, what if his reactions couldn''t keep up? What if he went too far, or couldn''t really kill the target? Everything would be wasted! She suggested he try using the word "Strong".


    Actually, in her eyes, Adrian''s ability might somehow touch at rule level. Too bad he was human, so there must be many limits. But maybe they could find some loophole.


    But Adrian said he''d already tried! His ability could only give targets precise meanings. "Strong" was vague - it wasn''t clear if it meant stronger body strength or stronger in other ways, so it wouldn''t work at all!


    Simply put, without finding better words, greatly increasing speed was the best way to deal with Psionic Energy users right now.


    Soon, they snuck back near the control room entrance. They didn''t dare peek out to look at the enemy, but they could hear the Gray Bishop questioning Karl again about Lantine Oasis and the underground space.


    Time was running out - Karl''s voice sounded like he couldn''t hold on much longer. Adrian checked around while pulling out his dagger and tried to comfort Nicola:


    "Don''t worry too much. I''ve actually tried ''Swift'' and ''Quick'' once or twice before. With some practice and experience, even with both arrows working at once, hitting the target ... should be possible!"


    "Should be? Possible?"


    Nicola''s mouth twitched, but before she could react, Adrian had already stabbed both arrows into himself and rushed out at an incredible speed.


    "Coming?"


    As expected, the Gray Bishop had been watching the passage entrance. As soon as he noticed someone appear, he gathered a huge amount of Psionic Energy and sent it sweeping toward the target.


    But what he saw next was a shadow dodging to the side, easily avoiding the Psionic Energy attack, then using the wall to bounce back and aim at his position with lightning speed.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Ah¡ª"


    When the cold flash reached his eyes, the Gray Bishop had no time to react. He only felt a chill on his left arm as his painful scream rang out.


    Unfortunately, Adrian missed! He had aimed for the neck, but the high speed made him lose accuracy. The bishop was pushed several meters away. Adrian had to slow down, and the dagger was stuck too deep to pull out quickly.


    "Damn you, die in the name of Lord Spring!"


    Even with one arm gone, the bishop could still use his power. Fighting through the pain, he quickly grabbed his chance and lifted Adrian into the air when he had to stop in the corner. No matter how Adrian struggled, it was useless. It looked like the bishop was about to use all his power to crush him...


    "Hey, you got the wrong person - I''m your opponent!"


    Seeing this, Nicola couldn''t hold back. She rushed out from the corner and shouted at the Gray Bishop, distracting him for a split second.


    When the bishop turned his head, Adrian pulled out an "Explode" arrow from his storage ring. He kicked hard against the wall behind him and broke free from the Psionic Energy with all his strength, finally managing to stab the arrow into the bishop''s neck.


    "Bang!"


    No one expected such a huge explosion in this narrow underground space. Nicola was blown away instantly, only stopping when she hit a wall behind her hard.


    Adrian had it worse. Even though he escaped at high speed the moment it exploded, he was still badly hurt. He lay not far from Nicola with both legs blown off, but at least he was still alive.


    "Not bad, the most important enemy is dead!"


    But to Nicola, all this was acceptable loss. Although she knew this Adrian hadn''t really wronged her before, seeing him in such bad shape still made her feel better. Plus the Gray Bishop was already blown to pieces, so she felt much happier. She walked up to Adrian on the ground and comforted him:


    "You must have subordinates who know healing magic, right? Just let them heal you later!"


    "No need for others, I can myself... help me a bit..."


    But before Adrian could finish, Nicola suddenly felt something wrong. An unusual "wind" started blowing from somewhere.


    To be exact, this wasn''t real "wind", but the flow of time.


    Time flows forward constantly. Usually, no matter which direction it flows, normal people can''t feel it. Only human wind mages at very high levels or Wind Angel who control Time Authority can sense it.


    Although Nicola was too injured right now - she might not even beat a rank 4 or 5 human - she could still sense unusual time flow perfectly.


    Without doubt, time was being quickly reversed by some power. Everything she saw was playing backwards like a rewinding tape. The Gray Bishop came back to life, Adrian''s legs "grew" back, the explosion happened again then disappeared back into the "Explode" arrow...


    Although she wasn''t strong enough now to stop time from going backwards, she could easily keep herself from being forced to go back with time. But Nicola didn''t do this since it was pointless. Instead she chose to go with it and hide herself, wanting to find out who was behind this.


    Everything kept rewinding until she was back at the passage entrance, when Adrian was about to rush out. Only then did time''s flow and speed return to normal.


    "Tell me! What other traps are there on the road to the city''s energy center?"


    The Gray Bishop was still questioning Karl, but this time he was interrupted.


    "Bishop Gilbert, never mind that you carelessly destroyed another area''s underground control center, causing trouble for future repairs. The key is that even with Lord Spring''s power, you still ended up in such a state - it really hurts our church''s reputation. If I hadn''t arrived in time, you might have been killed!"


    Everyone present heard these words.


    Nicola found this voice strangely familiar. She must have missed counting one of the enemy''s most important people - this person speaking was probably the overall commander of the Ancient God Religion army invading Lantine Oasis!


    "What''s happening? Were there other enemies here? Good thing I didn''t rush out just now!"


    Adrian''s memory and thoughts had clearly been "reset" like everyone else''s. He looked completely confused about the situation. Only Nicola seemed to remember what had just happened.


    "High Priest? You came personally!"


    So the Gray Bishop was called Gilbert. Although he wasn''t clear about the situation either, when he saw a figure walk out from another passage, he immediately went to greet respectfully and asked: "Did something happen that made you step in?"


    No wonder that voice sounded so familiar but Nicola couldn''t place it - when she saw who it was, she instantly recognized Selene, the light mage she met when she first crossed over from Earth!


    Of course, this was actually another Selene from a parallel world who didn''t know Nicola. Because Nicola hadn''t seen Selene for so long, she couldn''t really remember just from the voice.


    So in this world, Selene had joined the Ancient God Religion! From her aura, Nicola could feel she was still a light mage, but what was that time reversal about?

 Vol 6/Chapter 15, Almost a Counter-Kill

    "Didn''t you hear what I said? If I hadn''t turned back time to save you, you''d be dead by now!"


    This Selene clearly knew everything that happened before. She glared at Gilbert with an unhappy face, then gave a meaningful look at Adrian''s place and warned, "Hurry up! Or do you want to die again?"


    "Not good!"


    Seeing that they''d been exposed, Nicola quickly ran deeper into the passage without looking back. However, Adrian, who was standing closer to the exit, was caught by Gilbert''s Psionic Energy. He floated helplessly in mid-air, struggling while slowly drifting towards the two people in the control room.


    "Looks like one still got away... If I''m not wrong, this guy we caught should be the king of New Parristol?"


    Seeing that they only caught one enemy, Gilbert sighed with some disappointment. But he clearly recognized Adrian''s face and wasn''t in a hurry to kill him. Instead, he first used Psionic Energy to break Adrian''s arms and legs. Then he praised Selene again with great admiration.


    "High Priest is truly amazing. Your ability to control time and turn defeat into victory is simply incredible! You''re truly worthy of being one of the rare chosen ones who can communicate directly with Lord ''Spring'' and bear the power of time. Thanks to your personal involvement this time, with King Adrian captured, the entire city is now within our grasp!"


    "That person who ran away didn''t seem very strong... Well, we have more important things to deal with! That one shouldn''t be much of a threat."


    Selene glanced again in the direction where Nicola fled, seemingly not too concerned. Then she turned to Gilbert and reminded him:


    "All the paths are now open. Quickly get the church''s soldiers from above to take over. Though I got some time control powers through direct communication with Lord ''Spring'', it was given by divine grace. I already use most of my mental power just to keep the side effects from appearing! You must be more careful from now on - I can''t reverse time for that long to save you every time!"


    Nicola hadn''t actually run far. Seeing that they weren''t chasing after her, she boldly sneaked back to observe from the shadows, because there were too many things she couldn''t understand!


    First, humans using time control wasn''t really rare. For example, some advanced wind mages and Sage Council Chairman Adonis - Nicola had even fought the latter once. But they all had many limitations, like only being able to reverse time in a local area instead of reversing time for the entire world.


    The Ancient God Religion''s Selene''s power had clearly broken through normal limits! Moreover, the combination of time and Psionic Energy was truly overpowered. Unless back at full strength, Nicola alone couldn''t possibly win in a direct fight - even with dozens of Adrians it would be impossible!


    The key issue was that every time Gilbert used Psionic Energy, he visibly aged several years. But Selene seemed to have almost no side effects when using such incredible powers. She even looked younger than the Selene that Nicola knew from the other world, which meant there must be some trick behind it!


    Nicola had always been proud and never willing to accept defeat. Whether facing the huge pressure from Michelle in her weaker days, or seeing Adrian as an opponent. Even now with just herself left, she was still thinking about how to turn things around, and Selene''s words had given her a hint.


    After all, the Authority of time was in her hands, and time manipulation, though seemingly overpowered, didn''t actually affect Nicola much. Moreover, Selene had just hinted that she couldn''t use her powers freely!


    The best evidence was that if she just wanted to save Gilbert, she didn''t need to go back so far in time! Based on her experience, Nicola immediately figured out that Selene indeed had some control issues and couldn''t use her power precisely - perhaps this was also the secret to how she suppressed the side effects?This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Besides that, she hadn''t shown any other special abilities. The light element aura around her showed she only had fourth-rank strength at most, so she was actually less threatening than Gilbert.


    "If she can''t control time precisely, then I still have a chance for a counter-kill!"


    This weakness gave Nicola a glimmer of hope. Looking at the two arrows marked with "Swift" and "Speed" that Adrian had dropped nearby earlier, she actually thought of a way that might work to seal off Gilbert with his powerful Psionic Energy...


    Meanwhile, to figure out the path to Lantine Oasis city''s core, the two Ancient God Religion leaders quickly turned their attention back to their captives. They first checked the destroyed control panel, and seeing it couldn''t be used, Selene turned her attention to Adrian''s crown.


    "According to Lord ''Spring''s'' instructions, this king''s crown should hide the highest authority to control the entire city. The key might be hidden inside the crown."


    This world''s Selene clearly didn''t know Adrian well from the start, as she directed Gilbert to take off the crown.


    However, just when she was alone closest to the tunnel, and the gray-robed bishop happened to have his back to the tunnel exit, Nicola caught this perfect opportunity...


    Following Adrian''s example, she stuck the two arrows into her own arm. With Nicola''s current injured wings, her physical abilities were far worse than Adrian''s. Though not enough to handle Psionic Energy, her bold charge wasn''t aimed at Gilbert, but at Selene!


    "Someone''s coming!"


    Selene never expected the person she let escape would come back so quickly, and was heading towards her at unexpected speed.


    With Adrian''s killing of Gilbert as a precedent, Selene didn''t think she could fight back alone with just fourth-rank reaction speed. But she couldn''t be sure if Gilbert, who had his back to her, could turn around in time to save her, so she very cautiously used her special ability again.


    This time Selene used time stop to deal with the enemy. If it was a normal person, even the strongest attacker would fall to this "High Priest" whose real strength wasn''t even fifth rank.


    Unfortunately, this move had no effect on Nicola. She stopped in front of Selene and said with a smile:


    "So you''ve been reversing your own body''s time to cancel out side effects, fixing your body''s time! Most of your energy is spent on this, no wonder you lack control when trying to manipulate the whole world''s time."


    Though from one perspective this method was indeed good - theoretically could even maintain eternal youth!


    "You... why aren''t you affected?"


    While everyone else''s movements were frozen in mid-action, Selene saw this situation for the first time and was shocked and scared. But seeing that Nicola''s raised weapon hand had withdrawn, she couldn''t help but ask curiously:


    "And why aren''t you killing me?"


    "I''m not that stupid! If I kill you or shock you somehow, the time stop might end automatically!"


    Nicola casually answered. As she finished speaking, she saw Selene angrily grab her magic staff and swing it at her, so she simply stepped aside without bothering to react.


    This was her goal! When Selene felt her life was threatened, she would definitely choose to stop time without hesitation, but as expected she couldn''t cancel it at will. This loophole undoubtedly turned the biggest threat Gilbert into a statue that couldn''t move!


    Now the whole world had fallen silent, with only the two of them able to move. Don''t forget the acceleration effect from the two arrows was still stacked on Nicola, and her actual rank was already above seventh rank. She didn''t have Adrian''s problem of reactions not keeping up with speed, so Selene couldn''t hurt her no matter what she tried.


    The next target was Gilbert - theoretically, killing Gilbert first then Selene would let Nicola achieve a solo counter-kill from a desperate situation. However, at this moment Nicola was surprised to find the time around them started flowing normally again...


    "Lord ''Spring'' is this world''s only true god, and also this world''s original creator! He promised us that if we sacrifice ourselves for our firm faith, after death we can ascend to the divine realm and become beings like them!"


    Looking over, she saw Selene frantically muttering something, life force rapidly draining from her body, her face quickly aging until she looked middle-aged.


    It turned out that Selene, realizing her weakness and discovering Nicola''s true intentions, recklessly gave up the time reversal state she had maintained on her body for so long.


    As her control was freed, the special ability''s side effects emerged. But Selene unhesitatingly gave up everything and actively cancelled the time stop, which undoubtedly also restored Gilbert, who hadn''t been killed yet.


    "I was careless - I should have gone all out to kill Gilbert first!"


    Completely unexpected that Selene''s faith would be so devoted and decisive, Nicola could only choose to flee in panic again seeing the situation turn bad. However, this time thanks to the acceleration arrows'' effect, while the gray-robed bishop still hadn''t realized what was happening, she also managed to grab Adrian on the ground as she escaped.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 16: The Tide Has Turned

    When Adrian woke up, he found himself lying on the floor of a very dark room.


    Earlier, Gilbert not only broke all his limbs but also knocked him unconscious.


    Seeing his current situation, Adrian quickly figured out who must have rescued him.


    "Why you take so long to wake up? So weak!"


    Nicola''s mocking voice came from beside him. She had just opened the door and walked in from outside. Seeing Adrian''s condition, she asked in a sarcastic tone while taking out a metal ring-shaped object.


    "Perfect timing! I been trying to use this thing for so long but dunno how. Can help me check if it''s spoilt from the previous fight or not?"


    The ring was actually the crown that Adrian used to wear on his head.


    Because she had overheard the conversation between Selene and Gilbert, Nicola knew how important Adrian''s crown was. Since rescuing Adrian, she had been playing with the crown for quite some time.


    She had tried wearing it once or twice, but nothing happened - it seemed just like any normal crown. Now that the owner was awake, she couldn''t wait to ask him what was going on.


    "Well..."


    At this moment, Adrian''s four limbs were still broken, making him unable to move. He hadn''t even figured out what was happening, let alone worry about why his crown was in her hands. Though he hesitated a bit, he still answered truthfully.


    "Only people with Loren Family blood can use the crown properly. No others can get any response from it, even angels!"


    The Loren Family was the royal family that had ruled Parristol for thousands of years. No wonder he didn''t seem worried at all about others taking his crown.


    "Tsk, what a waste!"


    Though Nicola had suspected this earlier, she still felt very disappointed when it was confirmed. Her initial plan to replace Adrian and take control of Lantine Oasis was completely ruined, so she just threw the crown back to him.


    "Where are we?"


    Finally it was Adrian''s turn to ask questions. After all, he had no idea what happened during the time he was unconscious, and as the new king of Parristol, he was very anxious to understand the situation.


    "Should be some underground warehouse!"


    Nicola shrugged, as she wasn''t very sure about the exact location either. She only remembered dragging Adrian for a very long time, and since Lantine Oasis''s underground space was huge, they were now far beyond the area invaded by the Ancient God Religion. The enemy probably couldn''t find them for a while, so they were temporarily safe.


    "Then what about the Ancient God Religion?"


    Adrian quickly asked, but the situation wasn''t looking good.


    Nicola had just gone out to gather information. According to what she found out, the remaining few dozen church guards had successfully invaded the underground space. Moreover, Selene was still alive, and both she and Gilbert remained as troublesome as ever.


    Although in the previous fight, Selene had rapidly aged several decades after she released time control over her body. She was originally very young. The total life force she lost wasn''t too much, so unluckily the accumulating side effects didn''t kill her directly.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Later, to find the two escapees, Selene even tried several times to turn back time to before they escaped. Fortunately, Nicola could choose not to be affected, so the enemy didn''t succeed. Nicola also discovered another major weakness - Selene could only turn back time for at most one minute.


    This showed that even god-given powers had many limitations.


    Because time kept being reversed during the whole process, even though not much time had passed since Nicola rescued Adrian, it felt much longer to her.


    "Thank you, if not for you, I don''t know how bad my situation would be now!"


    After hearing her explanation of what happened, Adrian immediately expressed his gratitude.


    After all, Nicola was originally very powerful! She had broken through Lantine Oasis''s city barrier all by herself, and Adrian hadn''t forgotten this shocking scene, even though she was injured later.


    As for the High Priest who appeared later and could easily control time, Nicola still managed to help him escape from the enemy''s pursuit. To him, this was already beyond what normal humans could understand.


    "As expected, the legendary angels are really powerful, worthy of their reputation!"


    Because he had never actually seen angels before, and Nicola couldn''t be bothered to explain that she was a special case as a Wind Angel, Adrian thought all angels were this powerful.


    However, there were still many things he couldn''t understand, like how Nicola seemed to hate him so much at first, but ended up risking herself to save him in the crisis?


    "Of course it''s for that crown on your head! If you die how to control such a big city? Don''t forget my original purpose was to ally with you against the Ancient God Religion!"


    Nicola thought for a moment before answering. It wasn''t completely made up - during their process of working together against the Ancient God Religion, her anger towards Adrian had already decreased quite a lot without her realizing it!


    Of course, this didn''t mean Nicola had completely forgotten about how the Adrian from another world had stolen her love, but for this world''s Adrian, he was indeed innocent, and she finally could stop transferring her anger to him.


    More importantly, he had just admitted she was more powerful! The strength difference between the two worlds'' Adrians wasn''t big, and this time Nicola had saved his life, doing him a huge favor. It was enough to show who was superior, and she finally felt vindicated after so long!


    As her resentment disappeared, she naturally didn''t find Adrian so  unlikeable anymore. She even readily agreed when he asked her to help take some things out from his storage ring since his hands and feet weren''t working.


    "What are all these?"


    Adrian''s storage ring was filled with all kinds of arrows. Some had writing, some didn''t, and they had feathers of different colors - it was really dazzling!


    Following his instructions, Nicola took out a bunch of arrows with blue feathers and stuck them one by one into his injured joints. Suddenly, Adrian, who couldn''t move at all before, became energetic again and jumped up from the ground.


    The first thing he did after recovering was to pick up the crown and put it back on. He said he could directly connect to the city''s monitoring system to check the enemy''s situation.


    "Not good, they''ve already reached the underground shelter!"


    According to what Adrian described, there were quite many invaders, almost all gathered in that place. The High Priest who controlled time still looked the same as when they first met, not appearing very old.


    Nicola guessed that after she escaped, Selene probably used her time control power again to reverse her body back to its young state. However, such frequent releasing and suppressing of side effects couldn''t possibly come without any cost.


    As expected, Adrian soon observed that Selene needed others'' help to walk, perhaps due to blindness or leg problems - most likely another side effect of her time control power.


    "They''re gathering all the civilians and forcing them to tell where we are. Several who refused to talk were killed on the spot!"


    The problem was that this large group of invaders gathering in the underground shelter would definitely clash with the Parristol refugees. Soon Adrian saw something he couldn''t accept, he grabbed his weapons and was about to rush out.


    "Wait first! You can fight them or not? Running there now is just going to die for nothing!"


    Nicola quickly pulled him back. They had barely survived when facing just High Priest and Bishop earlier, not to mention now with so many church guards called down from above ground as support.


    Very likely the scene they were seeing now was deliberately set up by Selene and Gilbert - they were just waiting for Adrian and Nicola to take the bait!


    "As long as we keep control of the city, even if we can''t beat the Ancient God Religion, we can still use it as a bargaining chip or even use it to escape."


    Anyway, the tide had turned against them. At worst, leaving invaders with a dead city they couldn''t control was acceptable - still better than letting the enemy completely take over Lantine Oasis. This was Nicola''s plan.

 Vol 6/Chapter 17: The Origin of "Calamity"

    However, Adrian couldn''t accept this plan at all.


    "I''m the king of New Parristol, how can I not care about my people!"


    The people in the underground shelter were all civilians of Parristol. They had firmly rejected the Astralrealm Kingdom''s tempting offers and chose to stand with their new king. So logically, Adrian absolutely couldn''t abandon these people.


    "Seriously, what''s wrong with this guy? Got something more important than his own life?"


    Seeing him grab his bow and arrow and rush out, Nicola felt like she''d met a real idiot.


    Even knowing he couldn''t win, Adrian still decided to go die! At least he thought his appearance might stop the Ancient God Religion from hurting civilians. But from Nicola''s point of view, she couldn''t just watch this happen, so she had to chase after him.


    After all, as the only human who could control Lantine Oasis, she had to ensure his safety and make sure the enemy couldn''t use him, not to mention that crown was still on Adrian''s head!


    Although she couldn''t do anything with this "genetically bound" device, it didn''t mean the Ancient God Religion was the same. That "Spring" god had left quite an impression on Nicola! Being able to give normal humans powers comparable to gods - if Selene got the crown, the outcome really hard to say.


    "Slow down! Even if you want to die, no need to rush!"


    After recovering from his injuries, Adrian''s abilities far exceeded Nicola''s current state. After turning a few corners in the complicated underground passages, he disappeared in a flash, making Nicola curse in frustration.


    However, unexpectedly, Adrian stopped. But not to wait for her - he had met someone familiar.


    "Lisa, what happened to you?"


    When Nicola caught up, she saw Adrian questioning a woman dressed as a mage, while the light elements in the surrounding air increased several times.


    She knew this woman too - seemed like she was one of the New Parristol guards who went up to the surface to support the king. Nicola remembered sensing weak light element aura from her, so could tell she was probably a light mage.


    But the intense light elements in the surroundings obviously wasn''t coming from her. Because Lisa''s rank wasn''t high, not even reaching fourth rank.


    Adrian''s subordinates had mostly been wiped out by the Grey Bishop, but that was limited to the personnel in the two breached control rooms.


    Since they had also sent some people to other control room at first, and Lisa was among them, Adrian had been hoping to regroup with them. Unfortunately, looking from afar, both her appearance and reactions seemed somewhat strange.


    "Lisa! Why you not answering my question? Where did you go..."


    Seeing her slowly approaching with lifeless eyes, Adrian couldn''t help raising his voice. But before he could finish speaking, an invisible shock suddenly hit.


    With a dull "boom", Nicola felt intense pain sweeping through her mind. At the same time, she saw a terrifying thing behind Lisa - a pure white head surrounded by six white wings, slowly floating out from the deep end of the corridor, revealing its full form.


    Then a voice she''d never heard before, not belonging to any language, sounded in her mind.


    "I am Beluto, God of Light, and I''m facing an unprecedented crisis! Your body is still a bit weak, but it''s enough for me to descend into the real world and escape from those who call themselves ''Spring''! Sign a contract with me, and I promise you countless glory and power!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "God of Light Beluto? You still not properly dead in this world?"


    Nicola suddenly found it funny - who would have thought she''d hear the voice of that Beluto here? If it was normal people or normal angels, they probably would have surrendered, unable to resist his mental control.


    But who was Nicola? Now she just needed to isolate a bit of her newly accumulated wind elements around her body to block his mental influence.


    After returning to normal, she looked up at Adrian again. This guy was also showing signs of severe headache. But fortunately, humans didn''t have as much light element in their bodies as angels, and he had awakened Battle Qi! So he was not fully controlled - at least he could stay conscious for now, though his body could hardly move.


    "Quick! Use this arrow, shoot at that ''Calamity''!"


    Adrian obviously knew what that six-winged head thing behind Lisa was. Lying on the ground, he used all his strength to take out several black-feathered arrows and urged Nicola.


    "Shoot arrow? I don''t know how! Also who exactly is this ''Calamity''?"


    Although Nicola said this, she still quickly went forward to take the arrows. But unexpectedly, Lisa, who hadn''t said anything, suddenly rushed out and kicked Adrian away before Nicola could reach him.


    "What? He''s your king right? Why you so violent!"


    Obviously Lisa was controlled by the six-winged head, but she could only follow simple commands. The black arrows in Adrian''s hand scattered all over the ground, then she rushed forward to fight with Nicola.


    However, even without wings, Nicola''s current strength was still much higher than Lisa''s. During the fight, she picked up an arrow and saw the word "Dark" on it, suddenly understanding Adrian''s intention.


    After some time, Nicola won without surprise and successfully stabbed the black arrow into the target''s face.


    From start to finish, the six-winged head itself never made any resistance, and its floating escape was very slow - its biggest threat was mainly mental. After being hit by the dark element carried by the black arrow, all mental shock effects instantly disappeared. Lisa, who was about to chase and kill them desperately, fell straight to the ground like a puppet with cut strings, and the six-winged head also slowly dissolved into points of light in the air.


    "Tell me, what exactly is this ''Calamity'' thing?"


    Lisa was still unconscious at the scene, and Adrian should be fine even after being kicked away. Nicola took a deep breath, walked to Adrian''s side and asked in confusion.


    First, she understood that although the six-winged head was made of pure light element, it wasn''t the Light God''s true form. The real God of Light had no physical form and could at most be considered a medium for spreading his power. But the question was, what was the origin of the six-winged head? At least in her world, she had never seen such a thing!


    "You''re an angel but you don''t know? ''Calamity'' is what happens when male and female angels combine! It only brings terrible disasters to the world, must use dark element to remove it. And they say among angels, male and female combining is absolutely forbidden - all these not secret!"


    Due to the aftereffects, although Adrian couldn''t move normally, he could slowly sit up by himself. Hearing this, he looked at Nicola in surprise, then took out a bunch of things from his storage ring and placed them on the ground.


    "Why become like this? Male and female combine shouldn''t produce new angels?"


    Nicola was shocked - she knew this world had both male and female angels, after all she had already gone through a mental shock when hearing from her other self that almost all classmates were still alive. But how could she accept that the product of their combination was that kind of thing?


    "How I know! Even how angels come about, no one knows, we only know that angels live very long. Maybe it was already like this when they were created at the beginning of the world!"


    Adrian didn''t understand the reasons behind it, but his words later inadvertently reminded Nicola.


    Because later when Nicola recovered some memories from her time as Liana, while sitting in front of me telling this part, she suddenly had an insight, seeming to remember why the angel ancestors originally set all angels in our world to be female -


    Angels were initially born from the Angel Descent Formation, essentially a kind of magical product. Having bodies similar to humans was just simulating their form using light elements, but exactly to what extent this simulation went was unknown.


    According to Nicola''s speculation, this simulation likely had some defects. When male and female angels combined, their offspring, lacking the effective constraints of the formation, couldn''t maintain high concentrations of light element in human form, leading to cases of devouring the mother. And the extremely high concentration of light element would likely attract attention from the God of Light whose soul wasn''t completely dead in another world, using it as a tool to spread his influence in the real world - this was the specific source of "Calamity".


    As for offspring between humans and angels, since they were no longer pure light element products - theoretically, the less light element in the human parent''s body, the higher the survival rate of the offspring.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 18: Recovering Power

    One thing was clear - the "Calamity" couldn''t just appear out of nowhere in New Parristol''s underground space.


    Everyone on this continent knew that "Calamity" only happens when two angels mate, or when an angel mates with a human who has high light element affinity. So the one that Nicola and Adrian just met must have been brought in from outside.


    From what Adrian knew, there were rumors that the Ancient God Religion had helped Edenmere clean up "Calamity" long ago. So it wasn''t strange if they had secretly kept a few of these creatures during all this time.


    "So you think the Ancient God Religion released these things to find us? If that''s true, it means Selene and her people must have found a way to not be affected by the ''Calamity''."


    After seeing how powerful their enemies were, and knowing how the Ancient God Religion operated with the "Spring" god backing them, Nicola quickly understood what Adrian meant.


    Things were getting more difficult! Just fighting one was already so hard, and she could clearly feel the light element getting more insense ahead. This probably wasn''t just her imagination - there might be more than one "Calamity" released in this underground space!


    But controlling "Calamity" wasn''t easy either. In theory, you had to fight for control with the being behind it - the Light God Beluto.


    But this world''s Beluto was special! Maybe he wasn''t completely destroyed back then. Like how Galadra''s soul left her body completely and now lives in another dimension to keep the Cycle of Rebirth running, Beluto''s soul was probably hiding in some higher dimension too.


    Based on Adrian''s different experience - he said that when the "Calamity" affected him, he only heard Beluto''s voice trying to make him serve the "Spring" god! So Nicola had a feeling that Beluto was being controlled at that time. Maybe what he told her earlier was actually him secretly asking for help to escape being controlled?


    "Didn''t you want to save your people? Now you''ll probably have to be ready to die. Maybe we should think this through first?"


    The road ahead would clearly be dangerous. Nicola couldn''t help but mock him, planning to convince Adrian to give up. But as soon as he could move a bit, he pulled out many arrows and still firmly said:


    "No matter how dangerous it is ahead, I must hurry there!"


    "Are you crazy or what!"


    Adrian''s strong sense of duty as King made no sense to Nicola. Be it for the public good or her own reasons, she didn''t want this happen. She wondered if she had been talking to a crazy person all this time?


    But Nicola was too weak to stop him now. She could only watch as Adrian picked a blue-feathered arrow from his pile and stuck it into his wound.


    "What do these arrows do anyway?"


    This wasn''t the first time she''d seen what the blue arrows could do. She remembered how he used the same method to fix his twisted arms and legs. Nicola got curious and picked up an arrow. She saw the word "Heal" written on it.


    "''Heal'' means treatment..."


    At first she didn''t get it, but after a few seconds she suddenly understood. "Hey! Why didn''t you tell me you had such good stuff? Did you forget I''m injured too?"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Your injuries? These arrows have healing powers like water magic, but they probably won''t work on angels, right?"


    When Adrian heard Nicola''s question, he was surprised at first, then explained why he hadn''t shown them earlier.


    His explanation made sense: Angels'' bodies are made of pure light elements, so they resist magic and elements strongly. So even healing arrows made from Battle Qi should barely affect angels.


    "Who said I wanted to use it to heal my body?"


    Sure, Nicola had many internal injuries and was in great pain running around, but the main reason she couldn''t recover quickly was because she was extremely low on magic power!


    As soon as she finished speaking, she stuck a blue arrow into her back where her wings grow. Angels'' wings aren''t made of pure light elements, and they''re actually the only part that angel''s healing magic can''t heal...


    Soon, ten wings spread out from Nicola''s back again. This sight made Adrian, who had never seen this before, freeze in surprise.


    "So I leveled up? It''s been quite a while since the last time!"


    Clearly Nicola was also surprised to find an extra pair of wings on her back, but that wasn''t her main focus right now. The familiar wind elements was flowing into her body through her wings again.


    In the next second, you could see a blur around her body, like a shadow. All her old injuries instantly healed, and her body returned to full strength.


    "These past few days really showed me how powerless I am without my wings!"


    Nicola couldn''t help but sigh. Now that her power was fully back, everything would be different. She looked at Adrian, who was still standing there shocked. Even though things had come to this point, she couldn''t bring herself to want revenge like before. But she did have another idea.


    "Don''t you want to save your people? Here''s a chance - if you kneel down and sing ''Conquest'' for me, I''ll help you take back your New Parristol!"


    "Huh? You really can? But what''s this ''Conquest''?"


    Adrian finally snapped out of it, but his happiness lasted only a second before he got confused again. He had no idea what ''Conquest'' was. It sounded like a song name, but he didn''t know how to sing it.


    "Don''t worry, I can teach you later!"


    Thinking about finally being able to put this stubborn guy under her foot, Nicola felt better than ever before.


    But when Adrian saw her smiling face as she said this, he looked worried. He seemed to regret showing her the healing arrows so openly earlier.


    ...


    Later, in the underground shelter of Lantine Oasis.


    "How did our released ''Calamity'' work?"


    The gray-robed bishop Gilbert was getting tired of questioning the New Parristol civilians, who really seemed not to know where their king was. He walked over to Selene, who was resting in a corner, and asked.


    "We can''t be sure yet. I need to do a ritual to contact the ''Spring'' Lord again to know exactly what happened. Only the ''Spring'' Lord can directly control those ''Calamity'', and these were all we had saved up over many years!"


    Right now, several church guards were busy around Selene, setting up a huge and complex formation on the ground. According to Selene, this formation was mainly to boost her mental communication, so she could talk directly with their god.


    "Too bad! But I probably killed all those things already!"


    Suddenly a voice came from above, making everyone look up.


    But there was nothing up there, and it was very dark, so they couldn''t see anyone at first.


    "I remember this voice. It''s that light mage... no, it might actually be an angel!"


    Selene was blind from the side effects of time control, but she could recognize who it was.


    "Not bad, my fan! You could even guess that!"


    Sure enough, Nicola appeared not far ahead, looking very relaxed. She clapped her hands while slowly walking into everyone''s view.


    Everyone could clearly see five pairs of wings on her back, proving Selene''s guess right. But being a ten-winged high-ranking angel didn''t shock the Ancient God Religion people like it would shock other humans.


    "Everyone protect the High Priest!"


    One of the church guards suddenly shouted, then rushed at Nicola with several others, showing their good training.


    "Hmph, just moths flying into the fire!"


    Then gray-robed bishop Gilbert didn''t dare slack off either. He gathered his Psionic Energy and sent out a fierce invisible attack from another direction.


    Almost everyone there believed that even a ten-winged angel, no matter how strong, couldn''t possibly win against a group attack from church guards above level 5 and an Ancient God Religion bishop.


    "Ahhh¡ª"


    And it really seemed that way. First they heard a terrible scream - the invisible Psionic Energy hit its target. Then a group of guards surrounded her and beat her up until her cries for help got quieter and quieter. Someone felt something was wrong and shouted to stop...

 Vol 6/Chapter 19: Taking Her Own Life

    "What happened! Why is it Bishop Gilbert?"


    The church guards who were beating realized they hit the wrong person! Gray-robed Bishop Gilbert was standing far away just moments ago, but somehow became the victim. Nobody saw how he suddenly appeared where Nicola was standing.


    Of course, the guards didn''t attack the wrong location! Their beating wasn''t the main problem. The worst part was that Gilbert got hit by his own full-power Psionic Energy. He had no time to defend himself and died from just that one hit - he basically killed himself!


    Meanwhile Nicola, who was their real target, stood quietly nearby watching everything happen, like she wasn''t involved at all.


    Just like that, the Ancient God Religion lost their high-ranking bishop. Even though everyone could see their enemy standing right in front of them, no one dared to attack like before.


    "Just now... time was stopped! So you can control time like me!"


    Only Selene could sense what happened. She didn''t need eyes to know where Nicola was, and she angrily revealed the truth.


    When it came to controlling time, Selene was definitely one of the best among humans. She was almost as good as Adonis, the Sage Council chairman from the other world!


    But this power was given to her by others, so it wasn''t as good as a real Wind Angel''s Authority. Though she could tell how Nicola switched Gilbert''s position during the time stop, she couldn''t even speak up to stop it.


    "Hahaha! The show is over!"


    Without the gray-robed bishop and his super strong Psionic Energy, nobody here could threaten Nicola anymore. Finally she could release all her frustration. After taking care of all the church guards, she slowly walked to Selene, the only one left.


    "Just kill me if you want! Under Lord ''Spring''s protection, death is just a new beginning for me. I''ll come back for revenge sooner or later!"


    Since her time control powers were useless against Nicola, Selene knew she had lost. She couldn''t fight alone, so she just lifted her head bravely, ready to die, but still kept talking tough.


    "Actually, I don''t want to kill you..."


    For Nicola, Selene was an old friend. Looking at her face, Nicola remembered how another version of Selene had helped her a lot in another world. So she couldn''t bring herself to kill her, and instead sighed and tried to convince her: "''Spring'' won''t help you go to the so-called god realm! They''re just using you. You''ve all been tricked!"


    To Nicola and Galadra, who controlled space, the god realm were just another dimension. Galadra had said that although the Ancient God Religion''s god ''Spring'' promised followers they could enter the god realm, in the nearly 100 years since the Religion claimed to contact ancient gods, countless followers had died. But Galadra never felt the number of ''Spring'' increase - all dead souls went back to the Cycle of Rebirth...


    This meant the Ancient God Religion''s god was lying to control their followers. But was such a god really a true god? Were they worth worshipping? At least Nicola clearly thought not, and she was the first to say no!


    "I won''t be fooled by your lies! The Book of Ancient Gods warns us to resist demon temptations, no matter how attractive their words sound, no matter how real their illusions seem! This world was created by Lord ''Spring''. ''Spring'' knows and can do everything. Only by following them can we be saved! Everyone who opposes Lord ''Spring'' is a devil!"Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But Selene wouldn''t listen to anything Nicola said. She kept muttering what seemed to be verses from the Book of Ancient Gods, completely rejecting everything.


    "What a joke! All-knowing and all-powerful? If your Lord ''Spring'' is so great, where are they now? What are they doing? Why aren''t they coming to save you? When I destroyed all the ''Calamity'' they controlled, why didn''t they do anything? Why don''t they come down here and beat me up? Instead they just rely on fools like you to kill all humans who don''t obey them!"


    Nicola couldn''t hold back anymore and laughed coldly as she argued back. Getting emotional, she remembered when she first came to this world and saw Ancient God Religion followers burn and kill an entire city that mainly believed in other religions!


    That was a medium-sized city with almost 10,000 people, gone in just a few days! Some scared people said they would convert to the Ancient God Religion right away, but they were still killed because their "souls weren''t pure enough."


    This experience was definitely why Nicola later agreed to help Galadra fight the Ancient God Religion. Though Galadra also promised to send her back to her world and help make her stronger, it showed how much Nicola hated the Ancient God Religion.


    "You can never imagine Lord ''Spring''s wisdom and power! Only the most faithful humans deserve to go to the god realm and follow Lord ''Spring'' forever! Light and dark have been enemies since Lord ''Spring'' created this world. You''re just dark''s representatives, rotting away in your corner of greed. The worst part is you destroy everyone you touch, spreading despair and darkness to them. Even if my power isn''t enough, Lord ''Spring'' will come to end all this and free the world!"


    But Selene clearly didn''t agree with Nicola. To her, those were just necessary steps to reach the ultimate harmonious world.


    To resist what she called "demon" temptation, her voice got louder and louder. Then she suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed her own throat, choosing to kill herself rather than listen to Nicola anymore.


    "You..."


    Since coming to this world, Nicola had killed many enemies, but mostly ones she thought should die. This was the first time someone killed themselves so decisively in front of her. She raised her hand to try to stop it, but it was too late.


    Of course, with her new ten-wing power, she might have been able to save Selene. But Nicola knew there was no point in saving this Selene, so she just sighed deeply at the body.


    "Now you know why I came to ask you to join me against the Ancient God Religion? So can you tell me your choice?"


    After a few seconds, still standing there, she suddenly looked up and asked.


    "From now on, New Parristol stands with the angels! We''re willing to help fight the Ancient God Religion!"


    Adrian walked out seriously from the crowd behind her and announced his decision loudly to all the citizens there.


    Finally, Nicola completed this "difficult" task Galadra gave her.


    Of course the story didn''t end here. There''s more to add.


    The main parts were about how she and Galadra joined with the angels led by Nicora from another world. Using the floating city Lantine Oasis as a moving base, they started a second rescue in Lumina Sanctum and finally found and saved the captured Michelle.


    Then element Angels were busy preparing to start the Angel Descent Formation to make a new body for Feliciara. But soon, as expected, the Ancient God Religion attacked crazily again.


    This time was completely different from before. They say even a ''Spring'' god came directly to the world, but using that world''s Fernando''s body.


    As the former Hero of that world, Fernando of course had higher light element affinity than even Selene, so he could easily communicate directly with ''Spring''.


    But when the ''Spring'' god came into his body, Galadra said: it was probably only 70% power, but even that was very hard to deal with!


    When a "god" fights personally, they''re super powerful of course. They could control space, time, any elements and energy easily! Four element angels fighting together were at a big disadvantage - mainly because except Michelle, they were all incomplete versions, and they also had to protect Angel Descent Formation from being destroyed.


    During the chaotic fight, when Nicola was about to be hit by an energy attack from the ''Spring'' god, Galadra had to use her last power to send her back...


    "So what''s this ''Spring'' anyway?"


    After hearing all of Nicola''s parallel world experiences, several hours had passed. It was now late at night, and I couldn''t help asking a question I''d been holding back for a long time.

 Vol 6/Chapter 20 - Following Behind

    I must say, Nicola''s story from the parallel world was really interesting, with many mysteries still unsolved. She probably came to talk to me late at night to discuss these things.


    "Actually, I''m not very sure either!" she said.


    In the Ancient God Religion believers'' minds, "Spring" was without doubt the highest-level god in Eldoria Continent since the beginning of time. But in that world, the male Earth Angel Galadra had different thoughts.


    "''Spring'' wasn''t born in Eldoria Continent, and doesn''t even belong to this world! They all came from high-dimensional spiritual beings deep in the universe, very far away. Many similar demons live there, but only a very small number can come down to our world!"


    When Nicola told me these words from Galadra, it suddenly reminded me of something I''d been thinking about for a long time - since Eldoria Continent had sun and stars just like Earth, with day and night cycles, it might actually be on a planet. As for what other worlds existed beyond this planet, and whether aliens might visit - that was still unknown.


    So could "Spring" actually be aliens? That seemed to be what the male Galadra meant. But their form was said to be very different from humans, even existing in different dimensions. This reminded me of another special type of being I knew well - the "Holy Ones".


    Both lived in higher dimensions and had very strong powers. You couldn''t deny that "Spring" and "Holy Ones" were connected in many ways, but they acted completely opposite! But what exactly caused this difference?


    "Whatever, let''s not talk about this for now!"


    Luckily, in my world there was no "Spring", and I''d never even heard of "Ancient God Religion", so there probably wasn''t any similar risk.


    "What happened between you and the Adrian from that other world?"


    I had a reason for asking Nicola this. She had talked a lot about how she changed her view of the parallel world Adrian earlier, giving many details, but barely mentioned him later. From my experience, this usually meant something fishy was going on.


    "What do you mean what happened? Oh..."


    Nicola looked up at me strangely, then suddenly seemed to understand what I meant. She clarified with a dismissive attitude: "You''re thinking too much. I''m not like you! He was just a new subordinate, that''s all. Even though I ended up helping him big time, that doesn''t mean I had any special feelings. We were just working together! What, are you jealous?"


    "How could that be possible!"


    Speaking of jealousy, I''d seen way too many similar situations at the H-country base when the transport portal broke. I''d become immune to it. But just now, I clearly saw Nicola''s cheeks turn visibly redder, which made me doubt what she said. I couldn''t help asking again: "Is that really how you feel?"


    "What''s wrong with you?!"


    Nicola got very impatient when she heard this. She slammed the table and snapped back: "Didn''t you see I came back alone? If it was you, you probably would''ve cried and insisted on going back to be lovey-dovey with Adrian! Don''t forget I still have some old scores to settle with the Adrian in this world. My power isn''t like before - when I crush him under my feet later, don''t you cry!"If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Finally, Nicola''s arrogant, domineering self was back! She stood up looking very unhappy and left these words behind, walking out without looking back. She kept muttering that coming to talk to me was a complete mistake.


    "What''s all this about!"


    Watching her leave, I had to admit her explanation made some sense, but I was just guessing - did she need to get so worked up? Besides, didn''t she say at the start that she''d come to terms with my relationship with Adrian?


    I never expected our talk would end so badly. I didn''t try to stop her, and could only turn around with a bitter smile. But suddenly I noticed something wasn''t right - at this hour, someone else had appeared in my room uninvited.


    This person wasn''t a stranger to me at all - it was my old acquaintance from Earth - Number 18 Cyra!


    "No way? How did you come here too?"


    Cyra always appeared and disappeared mysteriously. I hadn''t seen her since fighting with Camille. Though I was used to how she showed up by now, the key problem was - this wasn''t Earth!


    When the transport portal returned to normal, all the parallel world visitors were sent back to their own worlds.


    Now seeing Cyra had also come to Eldoria Continent through the transport portal, my first thought was to take out the "Galadra''s Eye" that I hadn''t returned yet, and send her back.


    "Perfect timing, come touch this crystal ball, you should be able to get home!"


    "Galadra''s Eye" needed to be touched to determine the user''s world location. I moved closer to Cyra, trying to get her to reach out and touch the ball''s surface. But just as her hand was about to touch it, she suddenly spoke for the first time:


    "Galadra''s power..."


    As soon as she said this, the perfectly fine crystal ball vanished from my palm like it shouldn''t exist in this world.


    This wasn''t Galadra taking back her celestial weapon from far away. As someone who had reached ten wings, I could clearly feel what was wrong - this was reality erasure, the crystal ball''s existence had been directly erased from reality!


    "Impossible!"


    Controlling reality had always been Water Angel''s special ability. Even with my current power, I couldn''t erase things so smoothly. If Number 14 Feliciana had done this it wouldn''t be surprising, but the person in front of me was clearly Cyra! How could she do this?


    More accurately, I should ask how she got Water Angel''s power! I clearly remembered that Number 18 Cyra always appeared and disappeared instantly with unusual water element traces in the environment, almost exactly like Number 14 Feliciana''s movement pattern.


    But there were also clear differences between them. Though Number 14 Feliciana wasn''t a real person, at least her mind was normal and she talked like regular people. Number 18 Cyra''s mental state had always seemed confused, with fuzzy awareness.


    To be blunt, I''d always suspected something had hit her head before - she seemed completely stupid! So naturally, even when I asked her questions, I usually got no response.


    "Home... this is home!"


    Sure enough, this time was no different. Facing my questions, Number 18 Cyra didn''t explain anything, but said with a confused face that she was already home. Then she disappeared silently right after we met.


    "What in the world is going on!"


    This room was supposed to be my private space, but everyone just came and went as they pleased. Couldn''t they at least ask me first, or give some warning?


    I stood there feeling mentally exhausted, then fell face-first onto my pillow. Thinking about heading to the capital tomorrow, I didn''t want to do anything and just fell into a dizzy sleep.


    That same deep night, in some far unknown corner of Eldoria Continent, several human figures suddenly appeared from thin air. They wore different outfits, most carrying weapons - swords, bows, guns, one even had what looked like a rocket launcher on his shoulder.


    Their sudden appearance didn''t catch anyone''s attention, and nobody knew about it since the area was basically empty of human dwellings. They all looked like they''d transported here on purpose, then quickly and skillfully spread out to check their surroundings.


    Two people stayed behind. In front of them was a deep cliff. A muscular bald young man walked to the cliff''s edge, took a deep breath of fresh air, then asked his companion who was buried in a book:


    "This should be the world from the book <Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation>, right? Can you assess the current situation?"

 Vol 6/Chapter 21: The Origin of the Book

    "Yes, Captain!"


    A blonde girl with two braids and freckles, dressed in a modern Earth outfit, immediately put down her book. She had clearly memorized the content long ago and began to recount the story effortlessly:


    "¡¶Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation¡· seems to be a real world just like the rumors said! The story is about a group of recently graduated college students who accidentally get transported to another world called Eldoria Continent during a high school reunion. The main character is named Reilly, who transforms into a female angel and renames herself Nicora. Like most fantasy stories, this world is mixed with various religions, countries, races, and monsters, and even gods! The main god mentioned is ''Spring'', who isn''t directly described much but seems to be the world''s ultimate power, surrounded by many mysteries.


    "Nicora, though a reincarnated Wind Angel with time-manipulation abilities, was initially powerless against the Ancient God Religion controlled by ''Spring''. The book also mentions how the Earth Angel Galadra summoned a more powerful Wind Angel from another parallel world to help turn the tide. This Wind Angel not only sent Nicora''s classmate Cyrae back to Earth but also helped a lot. However, when trying to resurrect another early deceased classmate Feliciara, ''Spring'' personally intervened, forcing the Wind Angel back to her own world. Eventually, under Nicora''s leadership, the four Elemental Angels and the reorganized angel clan completely eliminated ''Spring'' and the Ancient God Religion..."


    After slowly finishing the plot summary, she curled her lip disdainfully and commented:


    "Basically, it''s a pretty ordinary fantasy novel in my opinion, full of typical protagonist plot armor and last-minute power-ups. Nothing special. The ''System'' mission is clear - assist the protagonist in defeating their final enemy by any means! Based on the provided information, we''ve likely entered the world shortly after Feliciara''s resurrection, with a few weeks remaining before the final battle. Since we have some time, I suggest we hide and avoid direct contact with main characters, just observing the situation!"


    "But that''s a god... This is one of the rare worlds that explicitly mentions divine beings!" the bald young man responded, gazing at the night sky with a worried expression.


    "Although the ''System'' mission didn''t specify the exact enemy, based on the book''s content, it''s clearly ''Spring'' who invaded Eldoria Continent! Our current team is definitely no match for a god, especially considering this is a multi-team game, and we''re a weaker team. and while the ''System'' focuses on capability development, we can''t arbitrarily break its rules, or we''ll be eliminated. Our chances of survival are slim!"


    At this moment, another team member walked over and chimed in: "Captain, I don''t think we should be so pessimistic! To compensate for team differences, the ''System'' provided an opportunity for one person to cross over early. Reider''s mission is to create an initial advantage for us. The time here flows differently from the ''System'', and roughly 10-20 years have passed since his entry. If everything goes well, and with our prior knowledge of the plot, he''s probably already controlled an entire country. We should find his headquarters and meet him!"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Hmm, good point! We can only hope Reider doesn''t mess up!" the bald young man and blonde girl nodded in agreement, and the group started walking towards a populated area.


    In a populous city in the northern part of the continent, a mysterious person completely covered in a black robe entered a small house on the second floor, immediately catching the attention of the three other people in the room.


    "Finally found out, we''re in the capital of Astralrealm Kingdom, Norvale! The house was a bookstore selling various books downstairs. But a few months ago, the owner was arrested by the religious court for violating some local True Church regulations. Although he survived, he could no longer establish himself in the city and reportedly moved to the countryside! This place is completely empty and can serve as our temporary base!"


    The black-robed person removed their hood, revealing an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman. However, her announcement didn''t spark much excitement among the others. A black-haired young man standing by the window turned to his bespectacled companion sitting on the bed and asked:


    "True Church... I don''t remember this name being in the book. But I''ve heard of the Astralrealm Kingdom! Are we really in the world of ¡¶Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation¡·?"


    "Hmm... There might be some details we could easily overlook," the bespectacled companion replied, adjusting his glasses and giving a meaningful look.


    "June Ching, do you remember the full name of the world the ''System'' provided?"


    "¡¶Ethereal Ascendance: A Journey of Transformation¡·..." the black-haired young man blurted out, then paused, suddenly realizing something. "Wait! It was ''Journey'', right?"


    "Exactly! If it''s ''Journey'', that means these might not be the same world. Even if there are close connections between them, it means the book''s content can only be used as a limited reference."


    The bespectacled companion closed the book, revealing its title: ¡¶Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation¡·.


    "Captain, can I ask something? Where did this book come from?"


    The last person, a young boy in student clothes who looked around 12-13 years old, spoke up from the corner of the room.


    June Ching didn''t seem annoyed by the interruption but instead delegated the explanation to the middle-aged woman who had just returned from gathering information.


    "You''ve just joined the ''System'', so you might not know some of the legends. Have you heard of ''Irene''?"


    "Irene? Of course!" The young boy excitedly raised his hand, eager to share. "During my last mission, I overheard people discussing that ''Irene'' is the most mysterious legend in the ''System''. Supposedly, her true identity isn''t even human! There are rumors she existed in one of the early ''System'' teams but mysteriously disappeared. Some think she might have died during a mission, but others believe she has a special privilege to exit the ''System'' at will - the only person ever able to do so!"


    "Pretty much correct!" the middle-aged woman said, looking pleased. "As for ¡¶Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation¡·, we discovered it by chance in a world similar to Earth, during a ''System'' mission completely unrelated to the book. In that world, the book was incredibly popular, adapted into animations, TV series, and various media. What we have is just a random paperback bought from a bookstore."


    "Who wrote the book? Who''s the author?" the boy asked eagerly.


    "Could it be Irene?" he immediately wondered aloud.


    "Can''t be certain, but we can''t rule out the possibility," the bespectacled companion chimed in, tossing the book across the room.


    "In that world, the original author used a pseudonym and never revealed themselves. After writing the book, they seemingly vanished from the internet. All subsequent adaptations were managed by a company called Royal Roadal, which owned the book''s rights."

 Vol 6/Chapter 22: The Systems Purpose

    Theoretically, Royal Roadal, the copyright holder, should have access to the author''s personal information.


    However, the strange part was when the company tried to retrieve the author''s details, they discovered an empty record - a mysterious identity that seemingly appeared out of thin air, with no traceable origin. In other words, this person simply didn''t exist!


    In fact, for system carriers who can constantly travel between worlds, such operations were quite familiar. Unless they completely left the system, they couldn''t permanently stay in one world. During crossovers, the system typically prepared a fake identity for the mission - which became the primary reason they suspected Irene might be the author.


    "What does this have to do with us?" the student-uniformed boy asked, looking confused. He opened the book, flipped through a few pages, and immediately followed up, "What if it was written by another system member before?"


    "Lance Wenky, do you know why you were bound to the system? Why you entered the system space?" the bespectacled young man suddenly sneered, asking with obvious disdain.


    Seeing the boy shake his head blankly, the middle-aged woman in the black robe looked at the team captain. Noticing he wasn''t speaking, she quickly continued the explanation:


    "This relates to a long-standing rumor about Irene from the earliest system carriers. Although the details are too ancient to verify completely, the basic meaning is clear - entering a world with the angel Cyrae might reveal the entire truth about the system''s existence!"


    "The system''s truth?" Lance Wenky was stunned. He had already read through the book before entering this world and knew exactly who Cyrae was. But if this was related to the system''s existence, it was definitely personally relevant to him.


    Lance Wenky remembered being possessed by the system during his way to school, forcibly brought into the system space. The system then issued task after task, compelling him to travel with his team through various worlds, gradually becoming stronger through skill learning and combat, occasionally even experiencing conflicts with other teams.


    Fortunately, his luck was good. The "Radiance Team" was among the top-tier teams in the system space. Their captain, June Ching, was exceptionally powerful. With the team''s seamless cooperation, they rarely suffered casualties during their world-hopping adventures.


    However, despite the system''s miraculous nature, almost no system carrier understood its logic, principles, how it was created, or the ultimate purpose of gathering so many people into this space. Besides completing assigned tasks, many members dedicate themselves to uncovering the truth. But Lance Wenky, being relatively new, was still caught up in the novelty and hadn''t yet found time to investigate deeply.


    "Our ''Radiance Team'' has gone through countless missions," June Ching suddenly spoke, turning from the window with a rare hint of excitement in his usually cold eyes. "But before this, information about the angel Cyrae was extremely rare across numerous worlds. Until now, only ¡¶Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation¡· has detailed her story. This mission might be our closest approach to the truth! If we''re lucky, we might find some useful clues and potentially escape the system''s constraints, maybe even returning to our original worlds!"Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "But as Chu Helm said earlier, this might not be the exact world described in the book. We might end up with no useful information..." the middle-aged woman warned.


    The bespectacled young man interrupted immediately: "Don''t worry. Despite the slight difference in world names, the background should be fundamentally similar! Moreover, I''ve already spent points to inquire with the system, and its response clearly confirmed that Cyrae exists in this world!"


    "Wait," Lance Wenky interjected, "Didn''t the system provide information that we''re at a time after Cyrae was sent back to Earth? So how can you say Cyrae exists in this world..."


    He trailed off, realizing Chu Helm was suggesting this was a parallel world where different plot lines could occur. So he lowered his hand and asked loudly in front of everyone:


    "System, I want to pay 12,000 credits to ask a question about the mission: Are there gods in this world? Specifically like ''Spring''? And I request that all team members can hear the answer!"


    "Certainly, there are indeed gods existing in this world!" the system''s mechanical voice responded in everyone''s mind within seconds.


    "Hmm... as expected. Things get interesting now!" Chu Helm adjusted his glasses, breaking the silence after June Ching''s prompting.


    Chu Helm habitually adjusted his glasses with a finger, and after a moment of silence, urged by June Ching, finally began his analysis.


    "The existence of gods in this world actually highly matches our expectations of the system and is very consistent with the system''s purpose. However, since this is a group mission, I estimate the task''s focus will primarily be centered on itself. The gods'' existence can at most be considered the system''s assessment of all mission members'' capabilities ¡ªwe probably haven''t reached the stage of executing the final mission yet!"


    "Hmph, we still haven''t gained the system''s recognition for our capabilities?"


    June Ching immediately complained disdainfully. "Although our first-phase task is to destroy the angels'' headquarters at Edenmere, for our team''s capabilities, this doesn''t seem like a particularly challenging task. As for other teams in the system space, they probably can''t pose a significant threat to us right now. What I''m worried about is the system would suddenly issue restrictions at the critical moment, preventing me from eliminating those system members with potential. This would be incredibly frustrating! When will the final mission arrive?"


    "Theoretically, it should be soon. But you must first lead us through this mission safely. And even successfully completing the final mission doesn''t guarantee we can leave the system!"


    The usually cautious Chu Helm rolled his eyes, pulled out a lollipop from somewhere, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. Speaking with slightly muffled words, he continued to remind everyone: "Although our '' Radiance Team'' is indeed at the top tier in the system space, don''t forget the system typically helps balance all teams in group missions. Most likely, other teams have already entered this world. They would most probably build relationships with local people in this world to counteract us. But the  result depends on what they can achieve when we meet!"


    "Wait a moment! The ''final mission'' you mentioned, and the system''s purpose¡ªdo you already know?"


    The always curious Lance Wenky inadvertently caught a key point in their conversation and raised his hand to inquire again.


    "Shortly before you arrived in the system space, our team gathered all members'' credit points, spending 1,000,000 points to ask the system this question. We were also strictly forbidden from mentioning it to anyone outside our team, with immediate elimination as the consequence. The answer we received was..."


    As usual, the middle-aged woman in the black robe answered this question. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled the final two words:


    "Slaying God!"

 Vol 6/ Chapter 23: Shifting Circumstances

    "Dam! Why didn''t anyone wake me up?"


    The next morning, when I finally lifted my head from the soft pillow, I realized the sky outside was already completely bright. This shock was no small matter - I jumped out of bed like a startled cat and dashed out of the room in a flash.


    I had originally planned to return with the First Legion of Angels this morning, and now that the departure time had passed, leaving everyone waiting for me was totally unacceptable.


    But when I landed on the village''s open ground, I discovered there weren''t as many people around as I''d expected. There was absolutely no sign of a large military expedition about to set out.


    Could my tardiness have delayed the departure? That seemed unlikely! Besides, there were light elf villagers hurrying past me, and Nicola and Adrian were sitting at a nearby stone table, casually eating breakfast.


    "Hey, have you seen Serena?" I called out as I approached them, immediately noticing the tension between the two. Though they were sitting together, their attitudes were far from friendly.


    On the table, only a medium-sized, unnamed fruit remained. Clearly, both of them wanted to claim it, so they were locked in a staring contest, each waiting for the perfect moment to snatch it.


    My arrival distracted Adrian, and Nicola seized the opportunity, swiftly grabbing the fruit. She couldn''t help but gloat:


    "What a total weakling! It''s the same in every world. You missed your chance!"


    She then turned to me and thoughtfully handed me the fruit.


    "Feliciana, I saved this breakfast for you! I think it''s called an elf fruit or something. Apparently it''s a local specialty. I ate tons of them earlier - they''re absolutely delicious!"


    I couldn''t help but roll my eyes. It was clear Nicola was back to her old game of competing with Adrian. Thankfully, her temper was more stable now compared to before - at least she wasn''t shouting about fighting anymore, which was a small relief.


    "Weren''t we supposed to leave? Where''s the First Legion? I don''t see a single one of them!"


    Seeing Adrian''s disappointed expression, I shot Nicola a fierce look.


    "They received an urgent military report from the northern Barren Lands just before dawn," Adrian explained. "They''ve cancelled their planned return to Norvale and are heading directly to the front lines for support!"


    "The northern Barren Lands? Isn''t that the monsters'' territory? Are they launching another attack?"


    I was quite familiar with such information, but I was puzzled about why Michelle seemed to be returning to her old ways. Had her attempt to seek allies not gone well?


    "So why are you still here?" I asked Nicola. She used to lead Angel Legions deep into monster territories to hunt traitors - why did she look so uninvolved now?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "It''s not as bad as you might think!" Nicola explained. "It''s not an invasion, but something big happening inside the monster ranks. Apparently, a new force has been trying to reorganize all monster powers over the past couple of months. They''re called the ''Supreme God'' or something. And they''re progressing incredibly fast, with almost no resistance. The front-line Legion commanders noticed the changing situation and requested Edenmere send the First Legion to reinforce their defenses."


    Nicola''s intelligence was clearly more detailed than Adrian''s. She shrugged innocently, "As for me, I was just a victim tricked to the front lines by Elara! I''m not interested in fighting monsters. Instead of following the First Legion, I''d rather go back and see what Elara has to say!"


    "The Supreme God? Who exactly are they?"


    I was stunned. The ''Fire God'' wasn''t even dead yet, and now another mysterious powerful entity had emerged.


    However, even Nicola wasn''t entirely clear about the specific circumstances. The appearance of a new ruler among monster forces was significant - at least from my perspective, it seemed to signify the ''Fire God'' Michelle''s influence was rapidly declining, which might not be entirely a bad thing.


    "So, are we still heading to Norvale?" Cyrae asked, having finished her meal and approaching us. As a parallel world traveler who came with us, she was eager to reunite with her still-living mentor, Elara.


    We - myself, Adrian, and Nicola - had no objections, as this was the original plan. But we were surprised to learn that Reed and her bodyguard Mia had already followed the First Legion.


    "Reed said she needs some dark elements for an experiment," Cyrae explained. "While Edenmere does store these extremely dangerous energies, the quantity is limited. So to get a large amount, they''d need to retrieve it directly from monster-controlled territories."


    Nobody was particularly worried. Reed could handle herself, especially with an eight-winged angel by her side.


    My focus was now on our journey. Although angels could fly, traveling from southern Ilandra Dominion''s Sifur back to the northern continental region wasn''t easy - a one-way trip would take several days. No wonder Serena and the First Legion were in such a hurry.


    Having gotten used to teleportation, I wasn''t about to waste time flying back. We were originally teleported here by Galadra, so with our small group, the best option was to ask her for help again.


    "Galadra, can you hear me? Galadra, are you there?"


    But things weren''t that simple. When I tried to mentally contact her as usual, I received no response.


    Ever since she gave me the ''Galadra''s Eye'', I hadn''t heard from her. I wasn''t sure if I should be worried, but since she was always mysteriously coming and going, being unreachable didn''t seem unusual.


    However, this complicated things. Not only our travel plans but also our ability to understand the monsters'' internal changes and identify the ''Supreme God''. Galadra, with her network of "cameras" across the continent, would have found such intelligence effortless to obtain.


    "This Galadra," Nicola mused, "even without a body, is maintaining the Cycle of Rebirth really that time-consuming?"


    Her thoughts were interrupted by Gwendolyn, a long-time angel serving as a maid in the local Sifur lord''s house, who arrived with some exclusive information for Elara.


    "Former Imperial Emperor Reider is back!" she announced. "After his disgraceful defeat against the Earth forces, he returned to face unanimous opposition from the Cedric royal family. When negotiations failed, he launched a massive massacre, wiping out the entire palace guard with his terrifying strength. He''s now controlling the imperial capital Kyndrill."


    We were all shocked. After the Earth forces'' departure, such drama was unfolding in Ilandra Dominion! While the empire''s overall military was strong, top-tier individual powerhouses were rare. Reider''s system-enhanced abilities making him reclaim the throne wasn''t surprising.


    But his desperate actions would likely backfire. His brutal methods quickly sparked anger throughout the empire. Taking advantage of the unstable situation, many local lords and military commanders opposed his rule. Some were even rallying under the banner of restoring Cedric royal glory, including the local Sebastian family in Sifur.


    "Hmph, the entire empire was never worth much anyway!" Nicola scoffed. "Isn''t it good to see them fighting each other?"


    Her attitude stemmed from the Ilandra Dominion''s long-standing covert collaboration with monsters. Their current chaos seemed like a form of karmic retribution to her.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 24: Intervention

    This bombshell comment was quite a blast, and for Nicola, it wasn''t her first time. But for others present, her words sounded particularly harsh.


    Setting aside the light elf villagers native to the empire, Elder Gwendolyn , the top maid of the Sebastian family, immediately voiced her objection:


    "That''s not fair! Even if the empire has problems, those were mistakes made during Reider''s reign. Our lord''s family has always lived peacefully, rarely involvd in national affairs. Besides, many imperial citizens have long been dissatisfied with Reider''s actions!"


    Though her defense seemed somewhat biased in favor of her master''s family, Gwendolyn''s statement was mostly factual. However, these excuses meant nothing to Nicola, who scoffed dismissively:


    "They''ve built such a massive military base on your own territory and claim you''re uninvolved! If you hate Reider so much, why don''t you march to the capital and do something about it?"


    "We''re definitely going, but given the current situation, we need assistance..."


    Just when Nicola thought she''d shut Gwendolyn down, she''d actually played right into her hands. Gwendolyn was here with another purpose - seeking help for the rebel forces to win this civil war.


    After all, someone capable of wiping out the entire imperial capital''s royal guard clearly possessed extraordinary strength. Some rough estimates even put Reider at nearly seventh rank.


    While the imperial military was powerful, they notably lacked top-tier individual combats. The Sebastian family had decided to join the rebellion, and Gwendolyn''s status as a ten-winged angel wasn''t enough, especially since she needed to protect her master''s family.


    This was why both myself and Nicola were being recruited. After our recent experiences, we''d quickly reached ten-winged status. As an Elder, Gwendolyn was well aware of how we differed from ordinary angels. Dealing with Reider should be well within our capabilities.


    "What? Help you take down Reider? This is the empire''s internal affairs. I''m not interested. Not going, not going!"


    Nicola immediately refused when Gwendolyn further explained her intentions. She even criticized Gwendolyn for being an angel yet willingly involving herself in imperial affairs, calling it a total waste of time.


    Her reluctance stemmed partly from being previously tricked by Elara into fighting on the northern front. Nicola psychologically resisted any task requests from angel leadership. Fortunately, her "Ancestor Inheritor" status meant that even Gwendolyn, with her respected Elder position, couldn''t compel her.


    "Honored Inheritor... this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We cannot allow the empire to fall into Reider''s hands!"


    Seeing Nicola''s complete indifference, Gwendolyn unusually raised her voice, persistently attempting to persuade her again.


    Her determination wasn''t groundless. This wasn''t just about helping the Sebastian family fight the former emperor. Ilandra Dominion was among the most powerful nations, particularly renowned for its magic technology developed in collaboration with the Sage Council.


    Especially after the Earth invasion, removing Reider - an extremely unstable factor - could significantly reduce future continental troubles.


    "Maybe we should just make a quick trip to Kyndrill? It''s just helping out a bit..."


    Although seventh-rank power was impressive, defeating him no longer seemed impossible to us. Considering Gwendolyn had helped us numerous times before, and weighing various pros and cons, I finally joined in trying to convince Nicola.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Moreover, compared to the mysterious Reider, I naturally found Princess Katarina more reliable. However, she had likely perished in the capital''s upheaval. Whoever ruled the empire in the future would surely be better than Reider - a sentiment Gwendolyn and I surprisingly agreed upon.


    "Just help out? It''s not that simple. Are you really willing to get involved in this mess?" Nicola''s tone softened slightly upon seeing me side with Gwendolyn, though she remained reluctant.


    She wasn''t naive. She understood the broader situation as well as we did. But Kyndrill was located even further south than Sifur, completely opposite our original plan to return to the Astralrealm Kingdom. Her reluctance to make such a significant detour was understandable.


    "Angels are the Lord''s faithful assistants! We should focus our energy on helping and sharing the burden, not getting held back by such trivial matters!"


    Suddenly, a voice came from behind - a group of humans we''d never seen before.


    The newcomers exuded a strong religious atmosphere, about five or six in total. The leader, holding a staff and wearing a typical cardinal''s bright red robe, was clearly from the church.


    "The True Church? How are you here?" I couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. This was a remote elven village in the southern continent, protected by an advanced illusion formation that had kept imperial forces from entering for years.


    I apologize for any previous misunderstandings. I''ll provide a complete and fluent translation that captures the meaning of the text while using simple English:


    "Honored Harold is the special inspector for the True Church stationed in the border region of the Crestvale Republic. He heard that angels were recently staying in our village, so he made a special detour to visit while traveling to Sifur on official trip. It''s worth knowing that the church in Duala, a city in the Republic, occasionally tries to establish connections with people across the border, beyond their local affairs. Our village has frequently received the church''s grace, and during times of tension in the empire, we can sometimes obtain additional resources through their channels. So there''s no need to worry - we''re all old friends!"


    As the village leader, Kalati quickly stepped forward to introduce the situation and clarify the misunderstanding in time.


    There''s no doubt that the Crestvale Republic doesn''t prohibit the True Church''s missionary activities. Although the empire, due to Reider, completely forbids the spread of any religious beliefs, border areas like Sifur are inevitably infiltrated by the church''s influence from the outside.


    Not to mention other things, just recall how Irene was handed over to the Norvale Preston Cathedral and sent to such a place - this shows how the church''s behind-the-scenes operations should not be underestimated.


    "Ahem, that''s too polite!" Harold said. "After all, we''re all naturally aligned with the light elements of Lord. Helping each other during difficult times is only right! Moreover, I''m recently honored to be promoted to Cardinal by the Pope, so naturally, I must work harder and try to perfectly complete the tasks assigned by the Pope!"


    Harold was extremely modest, producing various courteous greetings. Of course, the Pope he mentioned was no longer Cysper I knew, but the new Pope Eminem who was later elected.


    Gwendolyn couldn''t help but ask with surprise, "True Church aside, why would a Cardinal personally come to imperial land? What task did the new Pope give you?"


    After all, a Cardinal is a position second only to the Pope in the True Church hierarchy. Although there are likely more than one, most occupy high positions and are not easily seen.


    Moreover, during these turbulent times, the fact that he disregarded the Ilandra Dominion''s religious belief ban and personally risked crossing the border suggests something significant is about to happen.


    "The Sebastian family, who controls the Sifur city, is probably part of the resistance, right?" Harold explained candidly. "Considering the empire''s current unstable situation, our church, which has the largest influence across the continent, naturally has an obligation to contribute to the future stability and harmony of the land. Therefore, the Pope has officially decided to respond to the assistance request and send troops to support the lords within the empire who are resisting the tyrannical rule of the former Emperor Reider, and bring justice to the imperial people!"


    Unexpectedly, he had come because of the empire''s internal conflict. Harold didn''t hide anything and straightforwardly explained his intentions to everyone.


    The reason the resistance sought help from the True Church ultimately stems from the former emperor''s aggressive centralization of power over the past few years, reducing the control of various lords. This uprising doesn''t have the support of all lords - some who have benefited and still hold significant military power choose to stand with Reider. Thus, weaker lords unwilling to become cannon fodder secretly seek help from external countries.


    However, the church''s decision to intervene militarily was made unilaterally, and most members of the imperial resistance are likely still unaware. Therefore, the Pope first chose to make contact with the Sifur city bordering the Crestvale Republic, which also serves to demonstrate the True Church''s level of concern and sincerity regarding the matter.

 Vol 6/Chapter 25: The Churchs Suspicious Moves

    Undeniably, the Holy City''s actions were somewhat unexpected. Before others could react, Gwendolyn immediately jumped up, loudly and dissatisfied, voicing her strong opposition.


    "This is unacceptable! The Cresthaven Papal Dominion is recklessly intervening militarily, disregarding international implications. This is the empire''s internal affair - they don''t need your so-called assistance!"


    While the previous Pope Cysper had ruled the True Church for thousands of years, in recent centuries they had rarely involved themselves in human wars. However, the newly elected Pope, who had just taken office, was now breaking long-standing traditions by actively intervening in another country''s conflict - a decision that would appear unwise to anyone.


    Harold was not angered by her outburst. He eloquently justified the military intervention using familiar rhetoric, then subtly changed his tone with a pointed reminder. "Moreover, isn''t the resistance''s strength insufficient to defend against attacks from the imperial capital? You should understand the importance of reinforcements better than anyone! I''m here to discuss this matter with local lords, so can you truly refuse the Pope''s goodwill on behalf of the empire?"


    Though his tone remained respectful, his words left Gwendolyn speechless. She wasn''t even an imperial citizen and had just been persuading me and Nicola to help - she hardly had the standing to prevent others from getting involved.


    Unexpectedly, Cyrae stepped forward with a question. "From what I know, the Cresthaven Papal Dominion has deployed most of its military forces to defend against monsters in the northern Barren Lands. How do you have the capacity to get involved in Ilandra Dominion''s affairs?"


    Having heard much about this world from Cyra previously, she noticed some inconsistencies and couldn''t help but seek clarification.


    "Oh, it''s ''Saint Angel''..." Harold, who hadn''t previously noticed her, mistook Cyrae for Cyra. He candidly admitted, "Indeed, the Pope had already considered this issue and specially dispatched four seats of the ''Star Glory Knight Order'' to supplement the mission. They should already be on their way to the imperial capital."


    "Star Glory Knight Order!"


    This immediately sparked discussions among the surrounding elven villagers. The True Church''s most powerful and renowned combat division was the Star Glory Knight Order. Reportedly, they had twelve seats, each led by a guardian knight of at least sixth-rank strength. Each guardian knight commanded attendants, monks, logistics personnel, and soldiers - their total scale comparable to a regular military legion.


    The Star Glory Knight Order was most famous for assisting the previous Pope Cysper in eliminating numerous opposing religious groups over long years. However, in recent centuries, as the church''s primary enemies became the rising monsters in the north, the order began focusing on guarding the Holy City and protecting the Pope, rarely appearing elsewhere.


    Because of this, despite the Holy City''s geographical proximity to the Barren Lands being closer than the Astralrealm Kingdom, it had historically rarely suffered monster invasions. The new Pope dispatching four seats at once was indeed somewhat risky and a significant investment.


    "In summary, our church has taken full responsibility for defeating Reider. So please, Angel, do not worry further and simply wait patiently for good news," Harold said confidently.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Given his pressing matters and limited time, after expressing his intentions, Harold didn''t linger. He bid farewell with his entourage and continued towards Sifur city.


    "Feliciana, we must not let the True Church''s plot succeed! The best solution now is to eliminate Reider before their reinforcements arrive and end the empire''s internal conflict as soon as possible!"


    Unexpectedly, the moment Harold left, Gwendolyn urgently pleaded with me, seemingly having anticipated the outcome of Harold''s meeting with the Sebastian family. Since Nicola was unmovable, she had turned to me.


    "Why would it be a plot? Isn''t it good that the True Church is offering help?"


    I felt somewhat puzzled. While Gwendolyn and many angels seemed unfriendly towards the True Church, this level of hostility seemed excessive.


    Firstly, I believed I had some credibility regarding the True Church. Recalling our difficult journey to the Holy City and finally meeting Pope Cysper - though many mysterious aspects remained unresolved - his accompanying us to Parristol and ultimately sacrificing himself to save Cyra suggested that he and the True Church were not as terrible as rumors implied.


    However, Gwendolyn, as a thousands-of-years-old Elder, was not shallow like other angels. Her distrust of the True Church was based on her own reasoning, and she even presented evidence suggesting the church might be secretly collaborating with monsters:


    "Multiple records show that in the past few years, the Cresthaven Papal Dominion has secretly transported at least ten supply convoys to the northern Barren Lands border region. All convoys went but never returned, with unknown cargo and unclear purpose!"


    These records were actually military reconnaissance reports, but this time they originated from the imperial side rather than the angel clan.


    Gwendolyn obtained these imperial military reports thanks to the power vacuum caused by Reider''s sudden escape. Altima, the daughter of the Sifur lord with good relations with former royal princess Katarina, had her family seize part of the national intelligence network''s command during the empire''s intense negotiations with the Earth government.


    While Katarina initially decentralized these powers to help local lord families monitor Earth''s military movements, it inadvertently allowed Altima and the Sebastian family''s head maid access to previously high-level confidential information, including details about the Cresthaven Papal Dominion.


    Transporting supplies to monster-controlled areas was potentially significant. The convoy directions seemed to point towards uninhabited regions with few monsters or humans. Initially, due to the small number of convoys, everyone''s analysis aligned with imperial intelligence - considering it possibly individual actions within the True Church, not warranting serious attention.


    However, since my and Adrian''s return through the space portal, reports related to the Cresthaven Papal Dominion had suddenly increased. In recent weeks, the number and scale of convoys to the Barren Lands had been constantly and dramatically increasing, sometimes multiplying several times over.


    This could no longer be explained as a coincidence. All information suggested these large-scale convoy shipments were likely official actions, yet the True Church had never publicly disclosed related measures - an attitude that appeared highly suspicious, explaining Gwendolyn''s resolute opposition.


    "Isn''t this a bit of an overreaction? Though it seems connected to the True Church, maybe they''re just trying to expand their defensive infrastructure during monster internal conflicts?"


    However, concluding that the traditionally light-aligned True Church was collaborating with monsters based on such limited evidence seemed far-fetched. I recalled recent reports about a new force on the Dark Continent attempting to reorganize monster powers. Combined with imperial reconnaissance reports detailing the convoys'' cargo of primarily construction materials and minerals, I considered another possibility.


    "Building defenses doesn''t require such secrecy, and certainly not for several years!" Gwendolyn disagreed.


    In her view, all church changes began shortly after the papal succession a few months ago. The new Pope Eminem became her primary suspect. She promptly presented another supposed piece of evidence: "Recently, churches across the continent received the Holy City''s highest directive, roughly requiring membership expansion and local formation of guard battalions. This is clearly military buildup, preparing for future warfare! I suspect the True Church''s fundamental approach is changing internally, so we absolutely cannot allow their next plot to succeed - starting with this imperial civil war!"

 Vol 6/Chapter 26: Heading to the Imperial Capital

    "Ah... is it really that serious?"


    Seeing Gwendolyn speak with such conviction, I was a bit bewildered. Even if the True Church had some connection with monsters, I didn''t think the situation was as grave as she made it sound. After all, there were some good monsters too, and the whole thing was still just speculation.


    However, Elder Gwendolyn remained firmly convinced that the new Pope Eminem was suspicious and deeply hidden! This made me recall the bespectacled priest I''d encountered before, but I couldn''t find any concrete doubts. I could only look at my companions behind me.


    "Uh, I''m not familiar with the situation here, but... the way that cardinal treated me, the ''Saint Angel'', didn''t seem as respectful as the legends suggested?"


    Unexpectedly, it was Cyrae who first voiced her observation. Indeed, the "Saint Angel" status was extremely noble, and Harold''s attitude had been a bit too casual.


    Gwendolyn, however, had a different take. Since the First Angel Legion had already reported Cyra''s identity swap, she knew Cyrae''s true identity. Hearing Cyrae''s tone, Gwendolyn thought she might have some special thoughts about the True Church and didn''t hesitate to remind her:


    "Regardless of the situation in your original world, now that you''re in this world, remember that our angel tribe has never been involved in human religious affairs. You are not some ''Saint Angel''!"


    Cyrae herself wasn''t religious and certainly didn''t have such intentions. Being cautious in this new world, she quickly turned to explain. But in that moment, Adrian, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up with a hint of realization.


    "Could this indirectly prove that the church''s beliefs have somehow changed?"


    "Change in beliefs? Impossible..." I instinctively denied.


    The True Church was an ancient organization with an extremely long history. How could such a massive change occur in just a few months? But undeniably, the sudden sacrifice of former Pope Cysper had brought a huge shock to the church. Thinking about this, I wasn''t so certain anymore.


    Kalati, the village chief, broke the silence and shared his perspective:


    "As residents of the empire who have suffered under Reider for generations, we support the True Church''s decision to join the uprising against the former emperor. But from my limited understanding, the imperial capital isn''t easy to conquer. Reider has always claimed divine mandate, and when he seized power, he miraculously turned certain defeat into victory multiple times. With Cresthaven Papal Dominion so far away, can even the Star Glory Knights defeat Reider?"


    Just then, Adrian leaned close and whispered to me, "Didn''t you mention that Reider has some powerful ''System'' that seems unstoppable? Could this System throw a wrench into everything?"


    His reminder made my heart skip a beat. How could I have almost forgotten such a crucial detail?This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Reider should be cornered and without hope now. But from the cardinal Harold''s attitude, the resistance army seemed to be facing significant troubles. Otherwise, Elder Gwendolyn wouldn''t have come specifically to seek our help. Considering Reider''s possession of the System, things started to make more sense.


    From my understanding of the "System", even though the former imperial emperor is now cornered, if he secretly exchanges some points for powerful items, he might just turn defeat into victory.


    "Oh? System?" Nicola, with her sharp ears, overheard Adrian''s whisper to me. The two words instantly piqued her extreme interest.


    "Who is carrying a ''System''?"


    Nicola had previously learned about the System from Irene in another world. She quickly pulled me aside, eager to understand all the details.


    Since we hadn''t had a chance to discuss this before, Nicola was incredibly curious, especially someone as significant as the former Ilandra Dominion Empire emperor.


    "Since Elder is so sincere in seeking our help, we might as well make another trip!" Nicola changed her mind, leading the charge in agreeing to Gwendolyn''s request.


    Her purpose was clearly to interrogate Reider about the System. The dramatic shift left Gwendolyn shocked and Cyrae caught off guard.


    Fortunately for Gwendolyn, her objective was achieved, and she flew away satisfied.


    "What? System? You mean that thing from novels? How could it possibly exist in this world?" Cyrae was the last to learn about this. She had thought they would continue north to Norvale as originally planned, but circumstances had changed dramatically.


    However, after receiving confirmation from me and hearing Nicola''s account of Irene''s experience, she decisively agreed to join us in heading to the imperial capital to confront Reider:


    "Based on what you''ve said, Reider is likely not a native of this world. If he truly possesses a ''System'', he might cause immeasurable harm in the future! Since I''ve arrived in this world, I should definitely contribute to helping the angels eliminate this threat. This might also help them more easily accept me in place of Cyra!"


    We naturally had no objections to her approach. But Adrian threw cold water on their enthusiasm:


    "I know you''re all powerful now, especially Nicola and Feliciana. But don''t forget, Reider isn''t someone to take lightly. From what you''ve described, his System can help a person grow almost infinitely if resources are sufficient. Are you really sure you can defeat him?"


    "Are you kidding? Are you still looking down on me? Want to have another fight? Remember our last fight wasn''t conclusive. This time, I''ll show you the real difference!"


    Nicola, now confident in her time control abilities, looked challengingly at Adrian. I quickly intervened to mediate:


    "It''s okay. Even Systems have varying strengths, and theoretically, using System comes with a cost. As long as we''re careful, it''s not entirely unmanageable!"


    Since understanding how to use water element to manipulate part of reality, my confidence had significantly increased. Adrian, hearing my words, no longer seemed doubtful, though he still looked somewhat unconvinced by Nicola''s bold claims.


    "Let''s get moving. We''ll need to fly south for about a day. Even if we''re not in a hurry, we should consider where to rest tonight."


    Not wanting the recently reconciled companions to start another conflict, I grabbed Adrian''s collar and headed towards the sky.


    Since Elder Gwendolyn specifically requested my participation, Adrian would naturally accompany us. However, considering the past grudges between him and Nicola, I and Cyrae might not prevent potential renewed conflicts.


    In fact, even before the cross-world space portal opened, their relationship had completely fractured. Adrian wasn''t a passive pushover, and after Nicola''s power upgrade, she seemed to intentionally provoke him. I could sense that Adrian''s old grievances and anger weren''t entirely extinguished, merely suppressed by my presence.


    Nicola had already told me she wouldn''t continue her relentless pursuit. I hoped she would stop doing such meaningless things. However, while flying, I noticed the Wind Angel''s gaze fixed on us. I couldn''t tell what she was thinking, and when our eyes met, Nicola unexpectedly turned her head away, leaving me feeling somewhat confused.


    Deep down, I sensed that the experiences from another world might have changed her far more profoundly than I had imagined.

 Vol 6/Chapter 27: Corovots Market

    Corovots was a major city in the southern part of the Ilandra Dominion Empire. Its proximity to the capital Kyndrill, combined with its excellent climate, had made its economy surprisingly good.


    Rumor had it that the continent''s largest commodity trading market was located right here. Every day, merchant caravans from all over the world came, creating an incredibly bustling scene.


    But when we arrived in the city, it was already late at night. We couldn''t feel any of the market''s bustling and could only find a random inn to stay in.


    "Flying from Corovots to Kyndrill will take less than half a day," Cyrae said. "But recent news shows that rebel armies from various regions have almost surrounded the capital. The fighting has been going on for days with barely any progress. Just to be safe, I think we should gather some information about the situation tomorrow and take some time to check our equipment!"


    After everyone finished checking in, Cyrae proposed this plan for our next move. Naturally, no one objected. What surprised me was that even Nicola agreed.


    I knew Nicola as someone who''d been having an easy ride since crossing over, always charging ahead, fighting first and asking questions later. Now she was being so cautious. Was this just because she''d been embarrassed by Adrian in another world?


    "Could it be that Nicola is actually from another parallel world, accidentally sent by Galadra, without even knowing it herself?" I wondered, though I had no evidence to support such a wild guess. Fortunately, I couldn''t find any other major issues with her.


    "Feliciana, the central square in Corovots is one of the top international trading markets on the continent. All kinds of goods should be available. Want to go take a look tomorrow morning?"


    Just after I returned to my room, Cyrae walked in with a local guidemap. She had barely spoken when she noticed Adrian sitting beside me on the bed. Cyrae quickly gave a knowing look, and swiftly closed the door and left.


    "Um... we weren''t really doing anything, right?" Adrian looked back at me with a slightly awkward expression.


    We''d actually been discussing Reider, our primary target. To extract information about the system, we''d need to keep him alive, so we needed to be careful in our approach.


    But discussions aside, some physical closeness between us was inevitable.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "It''s getting late. I should probably return to my room..." Adrian kissed my cheek and stood up. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly made a bold suggestion:


    "How about I stay here tonight?"


    I understood exactly what he meant at this late hour. Although I''d accepted my current identity and established a romantic relationship with Adrian - we''d even kissed - I still felt somewhat uncertain about taking that final step. Nervously, I made an excuse:


    "That doesn''t seem right. We might have an intense battle tomorrow. Besides, we''ve already paid for this expensive inn. It''d be such a waste to leave it empty."


    "...You''re right," Adrian said, disappointment flickering in his eyes. He seemed to immediately regret his suggestion, nodding as he walked towards the door. But just as he was about to open it, he turned back with determination:


    "After we resolve the Reider issue, when we return to Norvale, I plan to explain our relationship to Lady Elara and propose! Although I''m no longer a Parristol royal, from what you''ve described, Lady Elara doesn''t seem to mind. Maybe we''ll succeed!"


    I was stunned, touched, and slightly guilty. Honestly, I hadn''t even thought about marriage. To me, being together was what mattered most, regardless of Elara''s approval or other angels'' opinions.


    But for Adrian and some others in this world, formal procedures seemed necessary. His attitude suggested he might think I was worried about our status, which is why he brought it up.


    We''d planned to tell Elara anyway, so I wouldn''t obstruct his intentions. But would things really go so smoothly? Watching him gently close the door, I fell into deep thought.


    Although there were a few precedents, angel-human unions remained extremely rare over thousands of years. The obstacles would surely be significant. With no experience in such matters, my only strategy was to stay adaptable. Worst case, we could always hide away somewhere on the continent.


    The night passed quietly. I woke up early, before dawn, and went to the hallway to wake my companions. Surprisingly, I discovered Nicola''s room was wide open and completely empty.


    "How strange," I muttered to myself. "I''m up early, but Nicola''s already gone?"


    After breakfast, Cyrae, Adrian, and I left the inn. Our plan was simply to explore the city. Since Kyndrill was currently surrounded by rebel force, entering through main roads seemed impossible. We''d need to find another way, and maybe gather some intelligence from local residents.


    Unfortunately, the city had no impressive sights or historical sites. Adrian and I couldn''t find anything interesting, so we followed Cyrae to Corovots Central Square to try our luck.


    I had to admit, the trading market was truly impressive - its scale rivaling modern Earth''s large trading centers, with several massive buildings dedicated. But the crowd was much smaller than rumors suggested, with shops looking almost deserted. Asking a random passerby, we learned this was due to the ongoing war.


    With fierce battles happening nearby, even the bravest merchants were avoiding the region. Consequently, the information we could gather was extremely limited.


    "Maybe we should visit the city''s defense office," I suggested, licking an ice cream while sitting on a bench. "They must have collected lots of information about the situation near the capital."


    "The defense office will be heavily guarded," Adrian responded distractedly. "We''re not afraid, but causing unnecessary trouble might complicate our plans..."


    I noticed he seemed preoccupied, constantly checking the time on his magical watch.

 Vol 6/Chapter 28: Rare Goods Exhibition Hall

    "So what do you want to do? Just hanging around here?" I asked a bit irritably. Although the market had countless types of goods, for adventurers at our level, most were practically useless, and we were naturally not interested.


    There was one exception: Cyrae. Although she''d crossed over to another parallel Eldoria Continent, most of her time had been limited to the small world of Edenmere. The massive cities of the main world were completely new to her, let alone a super market collecting rare treasures from across the continent!


    Despite being nearly 80 years old, Cyrae''s curiosity remained as vibrant as ever. She had immediately wandered off, leaving us behind.


    "We''ve got quite a while before noon. Why don''t we go check that place out?" Adrian pointed to a building hundreds of meters away.


    It was an unusually shaped structure - a perfectly standard giant spherical building, magically suspended about ten meters above the ground, making it incredibly eye-catching.


    "Rare Goods Exhibition Hall? The problem is, we don''t have that amount of money!" I hesitated. After all, the items inside were rumored to start at millions of silvers - way beyond my current economic capabilities.


    "Don''t worry," Adrian suddenly became confident. "Didn''t I mention I recovered quite a few royal treasures from Parristol''s underground vault? We''re just looking, anyway. We don''t have to buy anything!"


    Before I could argue, he pulled me towards the building. Seeing his determined attitude, I could only follow.


    The spherical Rare Goods Exhibition Hall floated in midair, but people didn''t fly in. The entrance was actually in the plaza below, with several reception rooms around. In the center, a magic transportation circle was drawn - every customer would pass through this spot.


    "All weapons, armor, and space rings must be stored in the deposit area!"


    We immediately encountered a problem. Normally, one needed a special invitation to enter this hall. Recently, due to the nearby rebellion, they''d relaxed requirements and offered free admission. However, security measures had correspondingly increased.


    How annoying!


    I wasn''t about to comply with their security demands. My space ring contained many important items from Earth - I couldn''t just hand them over! Moreover, rules were made to be broken.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I simply touched a few security guards'' foreheads, and they immediately forgot the rules, respectfully escorting us to the transportation circle.


    "Is this okay?" Adrian whispered worriedly. "There are many humans skilled in spiritual magic. What if someone discovers what you''ve done?"


    "Don''t worry!" I assured him. "I''m a ten-winged angel. Bypassing a security procedure? Piece of cake!"


    "Welcome to the Adventurers'' Association Rare Goods Exhibition Branch in Corovots!" a voice announced as we were transported inside.


    Blinding sunlight hung overhead. We appeared to be on a breathtakingly beautiful forest lakeside. Turning slightly, several spectacular, luxurious castles were visible, connected by winding forest paths.


    Clearly, they''d used spatial magic to expand the exhibition area. A service staff explained that each castle represented a different category of exhibits - the collection was truly mind-boggling.


    "This place is so massive we''ll never finish exploring," Adrian, who seemed particularly time-conscious today, suggested, "Why don''t we split up and each explore our preferred sections? It''ll save time."


    "Sure!" I agreed. The resources were surprisingly vast - using multiple castles for exhibitions! I''d definitely take a proper look around.


    We agreed on a meeting point, and I headed to the weapons castle.


    Located by the lake on the right side, it would take an ordinary person over ten minutes just to walk there. The entire castle would likely require a full day to explore thoroughly. Fortunately, with my current abilities, I reached the destination in just a few minutes.


    The interior was meticulously organized, with each floor dedicated to different weapon categories. Visitors didn''t even need to climb stairs - transportation circles at the entrance could directly send you to any floor!


    After a quick, effortless exploration taking about an hour, I confirmed the exhibits truly deserved the "rare" title.


    Each weapon was protected by a powerful field and had a dramatic name like "Fire''s Joy" or "Frost Tornado", usually accompanied by an incredible, somewhat suspicious story.


    Most numerous were elemental weapons - not just a single piece, but entire sets covering almost every type. The resources required were unimaginable.


    While beautiful, these elemental weapons were expensive - at least a million silvers each. Just as I was about to leave the "Bows and Hidden Weapons" floor, I spotted something familiar: Earth firearms!


    These were clearly recently acquired from Earth. With abundant supply, prices were reasonable - the cheapest pistol was just tens of thousands of silvers, easily affordable.


    I wouldn''t waste money frivolously, but I was impressed by the Adventurers'' Association''s efficiency. Then, near the Earth weapons section, something caught my eye: a deep blue arrow.


    Called the "Deep Sea Ghost", it was supposedly crafted by a legendary marine humanoid tribe. Weightless and with an incredible ability to multiply based on the user''s spiritual power, creating identical arrows without numerical limit.


    "This could be great for Adrian!" The arrow was reasonably priced at just 150,000 silvers. Although Adrian had been favoring his new golden Gatling gun recently, bullets would eventually run out.


    Noticing the strong water and light elements, I felt confident about its capabilities. Without further hesitation, I called a service staff and paid in full.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 29: A Duel Initiated

    "What? He left early?"


    After spending almost half an hour touring the weapon-type castle, I excitedly returned to the lake entrance, clutching my newly purchased "Deep Sea Ghost". But I was stunned to learn that Adrian had already left the Exhibition Hall.


    "Yes, that gentleman left a message!" the hall staff informed me. "He has some urgent matters to handle, so if you have no other plans, you can return to the hotel and rest. He''ll meet up with you after finishing his matters!"


    "No way, how could he have urgent matters? And I wasn''t informed at all!"


    This unexpected turn of events left me bewildered. Honestly, I couldn''t understand why Adrian would just leave me alone. It was around lunchtime, and the only possibility I could guess was that he couldn''t resist hunger and rushed out to find food.


    But this didn''t match his usual character at all.


    Losing interest in the remaining exhibitions, I left the hall with my head full of questions, planning to return to the hotel as Adrian suggested.


    But just a street away, I unexpectedly ran into Cyrae, casually strolling and munching on a pile of snacks.


    "Eh? I just saw Adrian heading towards the city outskirts. Why are you still here?"


    One moment, Cyrae had a massive lollipop in her mouth. The next, she''d stored all her snacks in her storage space and greeted me with a puzzled look.


    "...You''ve got some food stains around your mouth," I commented, finding her sudden snack-hiding bizarre. Considering Cyrae was probably close to a hundred years old, I understood her quirk. Right then, I was struggling to find Adrian''s whereabouts, so I seized the chance to ask, "By the way, you saw Adrian? Which direction did he go?"


    "Definitely towards the east gate! Most likely that direction! Weren''t you with him? What happened? Did you get separated?"


    Cyrae''s additional information was vague, but it seemed enough. The east gate of Corovots wasn''t far, and I could probably fly and intercept Adrian quickly. But why would he leave me behind and rush to the east gate? Neither of us had a clue.


    "Maybe he couldn''t get information about the capital''s situation here and wanted to check personally?" Cyrae guessed, then immediately dismissed her own theory. The direction was off, and walking would be too slow.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "I feel like he''s secretly up to something!" I said, recalling Adrian''s suspicious behavior that morning. He''d been constantly checking the time, looking distracted, clearly having an appointment with someone. This made me wonder about a certain missing person - could it be her?


    We found a deserted alley, spread our wings, and flew towards the eastern city outskirts. Soon, we sensed a powerful, familiar light elemental energy that could only come from a high-ranking angel.


    "Nicola! What are those two sneaking around for?"


    The situation was becoming clear. I knew Nicola thoroughly despised Adrian, so they couldn''t be involved romantically. But something had changed about Nicola since returning from another world. Their private interactions were now unpredictable. Don''t forget, the twelve-winged Nicola, who traveled from the future back to the past, had a remarkably flirtatious and ambiguous attitude, which only deepened my doubts further.


    "Why worry? We''ve already followed them. We''ll just ask directly and find out!" Cyrae said, flying ahead and descending first.


    The scene was different from what we expected. Adrian and Nicola stood far apart in an open space, weapons drawn, looking ready to fight - not meet secretly.


    Our sudden appearance caught their attention. Nicola seemed indifferent, barely glancing our way. Adrian, however, frowned and sighed.


    "Let''s settle this clearly! If I win this duel, you must stop interfering with me and Feliciana!"


    "Of course!" Nicola responded, swinging her Condensation Sword at nearby tree branches. "Every previous attempt was interrupted. This time, we should finally resolve our grievances!"


    My heart sank. This was exactly the confrontation we''d been trying to prevent.


    "Hey, what are you doing? Sneaking off to duel?" Cyrae asked, bewildered.


    I couldn''t even explain the complicated dynamics to Cyrae. Seeing their determination, I was worried. Adrian couldn''t match Nicola''s strength, especially without his previous protective necklace.


    "Didn''t you say you''d made peace with our relationship? Why fight like this?" I asked Nicola.


    "Nonsense! He challenged me, specifically arranging this time and place. I''m not backing down. Ask him about it!" Nicola responded with a cold smile, pointing her long sword towards the opposite direction.


    I was shocked. Adrian initiated this challenge? Why would he do something so reckless?


    My gaze involuntarily turned to Adrian''s original position, but it was empty - not a trace of him to be seen.


    "He''s probably using his invisibility skill!"


    At this point, Adrian certainly wouldn''t chicken out. Nicola froze for just a moment before quickly recovering, then leaped into the air.


    Suddenly, three arrows marked with "Explode" shot from the sky, creating a massive dust cloud that obscured everything.


    Adrian''s voice came through: "Feliciana, we were already fighting before you arrived. I must defeat Nicola decisively to stop her interference. Stay back to be safe."


    Adrian''s greatest reliance right now was his invisibility skill. However, by speaking during the battle, he had inevitably exposed his location, especially dangerous against an opponent like Nicola.


    Nicola, now in a nearby tree, hurled her Condensation Sword at a tree branch where Adrian''s voice originated.


    At that moment, my heart nearly leaped into my throat. After all, the power of the Condensation Sword was no joke, and Adrian''s voice had indeed come from that tree branch.


    To everyone''s surprise, what fell wasn''t Adrian, but a black, rectangular object.


    "Is this... a Bluetooth speaker?!"

 Vol 6/Chapter 30: Adrians Counterattack

    Though Nicola wasn''t present during my journey to Earth with Adrian, she had heard stories about it. But even I didn''t expect Adrian would use Earth technology in today''s duel.


    No doubt, Nicola was caught off guard by this unexpected move. Before she could even process what was happening, the thunderous sound of Gatling gun shots began erupting behind her.


    For some reason, a classic saying popped into my head: times are changing! After contact with Earth civilization, Adrian definitely didn''t bring back two golden Gatling guns just to display them at home.


    What''s more, the bullets weren''t ordinary. Each shot hitting Nicola triggered a violent explosion. I realized he had already infused Battle Qi into the bullet heads, dramatically increasing the Gatling''s power. The scene was like a saturated rocket bombardment.


    No matter how strong Nicola was - normally immune to regular gunfire - she was struggling against this dual suppression of Battle Qi and technology.


    Thankfully, just twenty bullets wouldn''t cause fatal damage. At worst, she''d get some nasty surface wounds. But, it must''ve hurt like crazy!


    Covered in blood and her clothes in tatters, Nicola flew through the air, desperately dodging, but unable to escape the Gatling''s targeting range. This was a fair duel they''d agreed on, so she couldn''t use her wings to fly afar.


    A typical ten-winged angel would''ve surrendered by now. But Wind Angel? Nicola had plenty of tricks up her sleeve!


    Just as she was cornered, she suddenly vanished, then reappeared behind the bullet''s trajectory, her wings turning from pure white to a misty gray.


    "That was probably a time manipulation skill," I thought.


    Previously, I might not have noticed anything due to my inability to sense wind elements. But now, I could detect the subtle elemental disturbance caused by time''s forced stoppage, even through water elements.


    "You lose!" Nicola shouted confidently. "Feliciana will resurrect you later!"


    Positioning herself behind Adrian, she wouldn''t miss this chance to counterattack. Five Condensation Swords materialized around her, all stabbing toward the seemingly empty ground.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Unexpectedly, she only destroyed a golden Gatling gun with two arrows stuck in it. Adrian was nowhere to be seen.


    "Damn this annoying invisibility!"


    I was as confused as Nicola, who spun around irritably as more bullets fired from another direction - clearly from Adrian''s second golden Gatling gun.


    In an attempt to destroy the weapons since she couldn''t defeat the enemy, Nicola used her time-stop ability again. But this time, she found an arrow marked "Explosion" pressed against her neck.


    Adrian had anticipated her every move. Though he couldn''t prevent time stopping, he knew her targets and intentions. He''d simply wait for her to move towards him and strike her vulnerable spot.


    Against a normal opponent, this would''ve been brilliant. But Nicola wasn''t normal. Theoretically, even if beheaded, she could reverse time to before the strike - seemingly unbeatable.


    Strangely, Nicola didn''t use her ability to escape. Instead, she looked shocked and asked: "What have you done to me?"


    Adrian explained his breakthrough: using Battle Qi words in a formation, like an array, to create combined effects. The ground had a triangular pattern with arrows at each corner, each bearing a different word: "Forbid", "Time", "Trick".


    "Time trick forbidden!" Nicola realized, understanding why she lost.


    Having lost her ability to manipulate time, she naturally couldn''t come up with a solution in such a short time. After a brief silence, she finally admitted: "Fine, you win!"


    "Great! Remember our agreement¡ªyou can no longer interfere ..."


    Adrian, about to continue speaking, suddenly looked pale from the intense battle. He softly collapsed. I immediately rushed forward to catch him.


    "He''ll be okay,"  After a rough examination, Cyrae confirmed he just needed rest .


    Nicola, now free, showed interest in the arrows. Though their power had faded, she picked one up, muttering: "Just like you... always surprising me, even in different worlds..."


    "You threw the fight on purpose just now, didn''t you? Besides, you could have reversed time and started everything over again. He wouldn''t have succeeded a second time."


    Other onlookers might not have understood the situation, but I saw it clearly. No matter how powerful Adrian''s Battle Qi was, it couldn''t indefinitely suppress Nicola''s control over the Authority of Time. After all, that Authority governs the fundamental rules of the world, and for an ordinary human to manage even a few seconds of suppression was already extraordinary.


    The glow from the three arrows was proof of this! By the time we arrived, the effect of the arrows had diminished to almost nothing. Nicola could have easily broken free before conceding defeat. Yet, she chose not to.


    "You wouldn''t understand. Attempting to reverse time to change the past is impossible. Only an ''observer'' could break that curse."


    Nicola shook her head and turned to glance at Adrian, a hint of complixity flickering in her eyes. This immediately reinforced my suspicion¡ªthere were definitely untold stories between her and the Adrian from another world!


    Without explaining further, Nicola stuck the arrow in a tree trunk, spread her wings, and flew toward Corovots city. "Let''s go back. I''ve checked Kyndrill early this morning. We''ll plan our attack on Reider tonight, once Adrian wakes up!"

 Vol 6/ Chapter 31: The Empire Capitals Shield

    "Am I in the hotel room?"


    A couple of hours later, after we had returned to our lodgings, Adrian woke up from his sleep. According to Cyrae''s diagnosis, he had mainly passed out from using too much Battle Qi. Thankfully, he hadn''t been unconscious for too long.


    "Of course! And congratulations on beating Nicola all by yourself. She has promised not to bother us anymore about our relationship!"


    As soon as he opened his eyes, I was ready to praise him lots and help him feel at ease.


    But really, we''re talking about Nicola here! The Wind Angel who controls time - even I''m not confident I could win in a one-on-one fight with her right now. But Adrian somehow managed to do it. I must say, this Battle Qi thing is quite something.


    "That''s good. Finally, this troublesome matter is settled..."


    Adrian nodded and let out a sigh of relief. Even though he had just woken up, he didn''t want to rest. He quickly took out a small box from his storage ring and handed it to me, saying:


    "Oh right! This is a necklace I saw at the Rare Goods Exhibition Hall. I thought it would suit you!"


    "Huh? You bought something there?"


    I was quite surprised, not expecting Adrian to actually purchase anything during our visit. It seemed to be jewelry, but since it was classified as a rare item, it couldn''t be just a decorative necklace.


    Unlike the arrow I bought, which didn''t even have packaging, this box looked very fancy. Besides having many patterns, it had words carved on the lid: "Soul Light Necklace."


    "Soul Light Necklace?"


    I couldn''t help but wonder, already guessing the necklace''s purpose just from its name. Sure enough, when I opened it, the rush of elemental energy and the text on the manual instantly confirmed my thoughts.


    "According to records, it was discovered about three thousand years ago on an island at the southernmost part of the continent. It changed hands many times until the Adventurers'' Guild collected it about a hundred years ago. It''s said to be a magical artifact from an ancient civilization. The wearer has the ability to self-resurrect and preserve their soul, but the actual effect depends on whether the necklace has absorbed enough external elements. It''s estimated that it takes several hundred years to fully charge once. Experts now estimate it''s at about 80% capacity!"


    After reading the whole manual, I could only feel speechless. Without doubt, Adrian isn''t someone who wastes money. The 80% charge level should be more than enough to fully resurrect a normal human or low-rank warrior, but for an angel of my rank, the effect would be hard to predict.


    Moreover, I already have resurrection abilities! Most water element magic belongs to the recovery type, and I don''t lack even advanced resurrection magic. I can cast it without even chanting! The only drawback is that I can''t use it multiple times in succession.


    So in my opinion, this "Soul Light Necklace" would be more useful if Adrian kept it for himself! Plus, it probably wasn''t cheap, right? Although fully resurrecting someone of Adrian''s level might be a bit difficult, it could still help keep him alive when I''m not around.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "I know your level isn''t low now, and I''ve heard that you can use certain resurrection magic! But don''t forget one thing - Nicola and the others can''t. You might be able to save others, but what if you''re the one in danger? So for everyone''s safety, it makes the most sense for you to wear this necklace!"


    Before I could speak up, Adrian had already seen through my intention, and threw a bunch of reasoning at me.


    Seeing how determined he was, and since he had just won a duel, I didn''t want to go against his wishes right away. So I could only accept this gift and put the necklace around my neck.


    I have to say, this was the first time in my life wearing a necklace. The Soul Light gem felt cool against my chest - it was quite strange.


    Fortunately, I had also bought a gift for Adrian. When I saw him playing with the "Deep Sea Ghost" arrow in his hands, I finally felt relieved. Although it didn''t have the same novelty as guns and ammunition from Earth, I was worried Adrian wouldn''t like it. That would have been a waste of money. Moreover, with this exchange of gifts, it didn''t feel like I was just accepting his present for free.


    "See, I told you he would wake up soon!"


    Suddenly, the room''s door was pushed open. It was Cyrae. Seeing Adrian safe and sound, she happily asked him, "How do you feel? It''s about time - if you''re feeling okay, let''s go to Nicola''s room to hear her detailed plans for tonight."


    "Oh? Are we starting to take action? Of course I''m fine! Besides, we''re dealing with that Reider guy - how could I possibly be left out!"


    Adrian hadn''t forgotten that Reider was one of the forces that had tried to seize Lantine Oasis. Upon hearing this, he jumped up from the bed, looking completely energetic.


    On our way, Cyrae couldn''t stop praising Adrian''s strategy during the duel. Even though she had inherited some of Elara''s memories and was quite knowledgeable, cases like Adrian''s where someone could develop their abilities to such a degree and win despite being weaker were extremely rare.


    "Everyone''s here... No time to waste, let''s begin!"


    Adrian wasn''t originally part of the plan, so when Nicola saw him, her eyes showed a hint of surprise, but she had no other reaction.


    Next, she took out a map of the capital Kyndrill from her ring - who knows where she got it from - and spread it out on the table.


    "The biggest obstacle we face now is the city''s defensive formation. If we can''t break through this barrier, it will be very difficult to find Reider''s exact location!"


    Getting to the point, Nicola immediately identified the main problem.


    City-specific large-scale barriers aren''t really anything new - we had encountered them before at the military base near Sifur. However, that one was specially optimized to prevent enemy reconnaissance, while the capital''s version is a very classic and practical defensive type.


    Simply put, in a national capital, there should be extremely strong defensive formation pre-built. And this can''t be ordinary defensive formations: first, it blocks magic, energy, arrows, and physical attacks - basically every type of attack is blocked. Especially with multiple large energy supply points in the city, even Forbidden Spells would have trouble breaking through! You could say it has almost no weaknesses.


    This is also the fundamental reason why even though the rebels has been besieging Kyndrill for many days, they still can''t break through!


    "But something''s not right! I understand that the Ilandra Dominion Empire has always been powerful, and it''s normal for the capital to have strong formations. But there are always pros and cons - to maintain such a huge defensive formation must consume massive amounts of energy! How have they managed to stand firm for so many days while under siege?"


    However, faced with Nicola''s conclusion, Adrian couldn''t help but raise an objection. Having personally controlled the huge floating city of Lantine Oasis before, he was very sensitive to energy supply issues.


    I definitely agreed. This was indeed a major question. As the saying goes, war is mainly about logistics! No matter how resource-rich the capital is, they can''t keep consuming like this indefinitely.


    "According to my calculations, for a city barrier of Kyndrill''s level, without any rear support arriving, it should normally run out of all backup elements after about three days!"


    After thinking for a moment, Cyrae chimed in.


    Here''s where the problem lies - the capital has been surrounded for almost a week now, yet shows no signs of weakening. This could only mean that Reider must have found some unknown method of resupply.

 Vol 6/Chapter 32: Entering the City

    "I remember Reed developed something before... a formation that could absorb elements from the surrounding environment, right?"


    Faced with everyone''s doubts, Nicola fell into deep thought. But no matter how much she speculated, even connecting it to Reed''s research, she still couldn''t explain everything.


    First, this type of formation hadn''t been widely used in the main world due to various factors, and its effects were far from ideal. Second, even if the capital was using this formation, the huge consumption would still exist. The main world wasn''t like Edenmere - to maintain the capital''s barrier for a long time would drain all elements within a ten-kilometer range in just a day or two! But so far, we hadn''t seen any signs of this.


    "After ruling out all the impossible factors, there''s only one answer left..."


    Cyrae tilted her head, reaching an unpleasant conclusion.


    "So it''s really because of the ''System'', isn''t it?"


    I already knew in my heart, and could only sigh in agreement.


    From the information I got when peeking into Reider''s mind, it was clear that this System could provide various effects out of thin air. Though I wasn''t sure exactly how it worked, it definitely gave System carriers huge advantages. As long as Reider had enough of points, getting supplies while under siege shouldn''t be a problem. Being even bolder, it might even be possible to run the formation without consuming energy.


    "If that''s true, then we''re in big trouble. This means we can''t attack the logistics chain unless we wait until Reider runs out of everything! But how can we break through the capital''s defenses?"


    Heaven knows how long Reider could hold out with the System, but we weren''t planning to wait that long. When we took over this task from Elder Gwendolyn, we planned to finish it quickly. Now Nicola couldn''t think of any solution and could only lie helplessly on the bed, staring at the ceiling.


    "Not even your Condensation Sword would work?"


    Remembering how Nicola could easily break through Lantine Oasis''s defenses, I couldn''t help but ask in surprise.


    "So far I haven''t found anything my Condensation Sword can''t cut through, but the problem is I can''t even get in! You don''t know how annoying these barriers are... ah, forget it! I don''t know how to explain it!"


    Surprisingly, Nicola showed an annoyed expression about the Condensation Sword question. Probably finding it troublesome to explain verbally, she then looked like she couldn''t be bothered to say more.


    Since it was a negative answer, others stayed quiet. Theoretically, if we could contact Galadra, she should be able to teleport us directly into the capital. But unfortunately, there was no word from her, and even the celestial weapon "Galadra''s Eye" she left behind was only set for sending parallel world people home, so we couldn''t count on her.


    Seeing that nobody had any ideas, I hesitated for a moment before speaking somewhat uncertainly.


    "I do have an unpolished trick... but it doesn''t work every time. We''d probably need to try it on site to know if it works!"


    "Oh? You really have a way?"


    Hearing this, Nicola immediately sat up straight. She had always looked down on my abilities, but seeing me nod again in confirmation, she stood up and patted my shoulder, saying, "Then it''s up to you!"This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Several hours later, when the sky had completely darkened, we finally left Corovots and flew to above the capital Kyndrill.


    The entire capital was brightly lit, but there seemed to be very few people on the streets. In stark contrast, the flat areas around the moat outside the city were completely surrounded by dense armies.


    These were obviously the rebels led by those rebellious lords. Though some troops were of varying quality and generally couldn''t match regular legions, they made up for it with sheer numbers. You couldn''t imagine they were actually facing significant troubles now.


    "The barrier''s range reaches exactly this spot. It''s completely transparent, but it becomes visible with just a slight touch."


    Since Nicola had been here before, she led us directly to a quiet corner by the inner bank of the moat where no one would notice us. As she spoke, to demonstrate to everyone, she summoned her Condensation Sword and tried swinging it at the seemingly empty air ahead.


    The next moment, a very strange scene appeared. The Condensation Sword passed through a transparent soap bubble-like membrane without any resistance. Although it could easily glide and slash across its surface, the gaps were always filled in by the surrounding membrane, making it impossible to create any holes.


    This meant that at most, only the Condensation Sword could go through, while the person and other objects remained blocked outside.


    "See? If you have any tricks, you can try them now!"


    Nicola spread her hands, signaling me to begin my performance.


    To be honest, given such an important task made me quite nervous. Although past experiences had made me more confident, directly using water elements to change reality was still too challenging for me.


    That''s right! What I planned to use was the same move I used against Camille! The plan was to convert part of the barrier ahead into irrelevant substances at the rule level, which theoretically should create a hole for us to enter.


    Though it sounds simple, because my grasp of the Authority was incomplete, every use came with severe side effects like intense headaches. Moreover, this time I needed to maintain the output for quite a while to let everyone enter.


    The good news was, compared to dealing with Camille, what I faced now was just a few fairly solid barrier layers, with element density far lower than a biological body.


    Plus, I had practiced several times. So before long, the barrier layers ahead seemed to encounter some obstacle and scattered around, finally forming a person-sized hole.


    "Oh? Gisphrael''s Universal Flow! You''ve already awakened to this level? No... that looks like just an incomplete version, still far from the real thing!"


    Nicola seemed to notice something, but quickly saw that I was red-faced and struggling. She didn''t hesitate any longer, carrying me quickly through the hole while calling others to hurry over.


    It took about half a minute, and as soon as I relaxed, the hole behind us was quickly filled in by the barrier again.


    "Wow! You saw how hard that was for me and you just stood there..."


    Finally having enough energy to speak, I couldn''t help but fall to my knees and complain loudly. The next second, an intense feeling of exhaustion followed - this was the price of using water elements to change reality. I probably needed to lie on the ground for several minutes to recover a bit.


    While Adrian and Cyrae hurried over to apologize, Nicola, having crossed this annoying defense line, flew to the top of the city wall to observe the surroundings.


    "How is it? Found any useful information?"


    When I finally recovered and caught up with everyone to her position, we found Nicola standing alone in a secluded spot inside the city, with several guard corpses lying around.


    We thought she had just arrived and at most cleared and explored the nearby area. However, to everyone''s surprise, when Nicola heard my question, she turned around and recited the city''s information like she knew it by heart.


    "I''ve investigated the entire city area! Except for the palace, all four barrier energy supply formations have been found, located inside buildings at the four corners of the city walls. The guards there are all humans and basically no match at all. The barrier formation itself and Reider are probably within the palace, but their exact location can''t be determined yet. So if we need to destroy the barrier first, we should be able to do it by destroying all four energy supply formations!"


    "No way? Have you been here before? How do you know it so well?"


    Cyrae immediately felt something was off and asked suspiciously.


    You see, this capital was not small at all - though it couldn''t match Earth''s major cities, it still covered dozens of kilometers in area. Flying from our current position to any corner of the city walls would take at least ten minutes. And I had only rested for less than ten minutes - how could Nicola possibly have explored the entire city?

 Vol 6/Chapter 33 New Relationship Conflict

    Chapter 33 New Relationship Conflict


    "It''s simple - when we came in, we alerted some soldiers guarding the city. I used some special methods to find our target! Kyndrill is nothing - with me here, it''s a piece of cake!"


    Since returning from another world, although Nicola had changed in many ways, she still kept her habit of showing off and being full of herself.


    Though she didn''t say it directly, I could easily tell that Nicola had probably used her time control ability again, since I could now sense disturbances!


    "Don''t tell me you used time reversal to walk through the entire city?"


    I called her out, since after getting used to her abilities, it was natural to think in that direction.


    "Uh, time travel isn''t like selling cabbage - even now, using it consumes a large part of my power. And I can only go back ten minutes at most. This time it was just precognition..."


    Seeing that I had figured it out, Nicola scratched her head awkwardly, then immediately put on a serious face to correct me.


    This precognition - even human mages could do it to some degree. Since Nicola could control time, it was no problem for her.


    "Unlike directly controlling time, precognition is a very energy-efficient method..."


    According to her, because we had Adrian the Fate Breaker - an Observer - with us, the future could develop in countless different possibilities.


    In other words, theoretically we might make many different choices going forward - like heading in different directions, down different streets. Unlike human prophets who could only make vague predictions, when Nicola activated her precognition ability, she could very clearly "see" every detail of every future for a long time ahead, including even herself currently explaining to us!


    So after integrating all the experiences from all timelines, she could understand everything about the capital city''s situation while standing in one place.


    "That''s really convenient! If that''s the case, couldn''t you directly observe the final result of our mission? Like whether we successfully killed Reider... But you just mentioned that you still couldn''t properly scout such an important area as the palace?"


    Since Reider, being the former emperor, would most likely be in the palace in the center of the city, Cyrae couldn''t help but ask.


    "Are you kidding me! You''re just a lowly six-winged angel - just stand aside and watch, you have no place to talk here! Do you know how complicated the situation in the palace is? The various possibilities that branch out later are countless. Even though I caught glimpses of Reider a few times, he appeared in different locations each time, so nothing was certain! Not to mention there were always strangers with weird abilities appearing in the palace, nearly causing us to fail several times. How could I remember every future!"


    Nicola seemed unhappy again and quickly threw out a bunch of reasons to explain. Simply put, she still only had ten wings and hadn''t retrieved the complete power from Liana the Wind Angel. Of course, compared to me, she was undoubtedly quite powerful already.


    "What do you mean by that? Although I only have six wings, I inherited most of Lady Elara''s memories and battle experience. So what if you have ten wings - you just got them for free from the Wind Angel! Let me ask you one more thing - can you truly use all the power in your body?"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    However, unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Nicola''s earlier words looking down on Cyrae had accidentally stirred up a hornet''s nest. Unlike the former Cyra who was used to swallowing her pride, Cyrae had completely different experiences. Seeing the other party belittle her, she immediately jumped up with various rebuttals.


    "Huh? Elara? I wouldn''t think much of her even if she were here herself, let alone you who''s probably not even as good as her!"


    But unfortunately, at the mention of Elara''s name, Nicola became even more dismissive, and added fuel to the fire with one last comment: "I just don''t get it - obviously you''re also a high school classmate who crossed over like us, right? Although we started in different worlds, why do you always act like such a bootlicker when it comes to her? Elara wasn''t a bad person, but she wasn''t that great either. Why are you so obsessed with her? Did she brainwash you, or did you really fall for her? I heard Cyra was quite popular in Edenmere - don''t tell me you two had that kind of relationship in the other world?"


    "Nonsense! Who could possibly enchant me!"


    Even knowing how much Cyrae valued Elara, Nicola still recklessly provoked her. Cyrae laughed coldly in anger and shot back mercilessly:


    "You don''t understand Lady Elara at all, or the effort she put into this world and the entire angel race! I see you just bullying the weak all day - can you do everything with just that bit of power you have? Don''t forget your power will run out one day, and you''ll end up just another failure who couldn''t change anything!"


    "What do you mean I can''t change anything! Don''t underestimate me - I control time... no, I inherited all of Liana''s power, the strongest incarnation derived from the Wind Element! Right now I''m just not powerful enough, but someday I''ll take back all my power, and then there will be nothing I can''t do!"


    Unexpectedly, in that instant, as if hit in a sore spot, Nicola suddenly flashed in front of Cyrae, grabbed her collar, and started shouting as if losing control of her emotions.


    "So you''ve already discovered your power isn''t omnipotent?"


    Seeing this, Cyrae showed no fear, instead revealing a mocking smile. Actually, not just her, but Adrian and I also noticed this issue. Nicola''s attitude clearly showed she had suffered some significant setback! Based on my guess, it might not even have been when she was captured by Adrian in the other world, but she had never told any of us what exactly happened.


    "Although I really can''t do anything about your time control ability, didn''t you look down on my rank? If you''ve got what it takes, try fighting me without using time control! Even with just six wings, I''m more than enough to handle a rookie who crossed over one year ago!"


    Faced with Cyrae''s further provocation, we thought Nicola would agree without hesitation. But surprisingly, after her face changed expressions several times - probably because the earlier words had hit another nerve - she let go of Cyrae, turned around, and replied unusually calmly:


    "Now is not the time! It''s not that I''m afraid of you, but right now we''re preparing to kill Reider, and completing this mission is more important! Based on the information I got, he might not be as easy to catch as we imagine, so I don''t want any side issues before this thing is finished!"


    "...Could it be that she saw some incredible future scene again?"


    Adrian and I looked at each other in bewilderment - this change was too quick! She had seemed so impulsive just before, but suddenly let go just like turning a page. Completely unpredictable...


    Fortunately, Cyrae was also a sensible elder. Seeing the other party back down, she didn''t push further. However, having just resolved the grudge with Adrian, it seemed another feud had formed between these two - who knows when it might explode again.


    Anyway, since we had already scouted the city and everything had been explained, Nicola didn''t say anything more and flew ahead toward the palace.


    "Huh? Shouldn''t we destroy the barrier supply formations first?"


    Seeing the direction she left in, I was a bit surprised. In my initial thoughts, destroying the barrier formations should be the first priority after entering the city. After all, there were so many rebels surrounding the city outside - if we just let them charge in, even if we didn''t do anything else, the situation would probably resolve in our favor.


    "Never mind, you guys go after her! Nicola''s goal isn''t as simple as just chasing away or killing Reider. I''ll handle these small matters. Destroying a few supply formations isn''t much trouble for me anyway - it''ll be good to let that kid know I''m not useless!"


    In the end, it was still Cyrae who stepped up to take on this task. With her handling it, I was completely at ease, so Adrian and I hurried toward the palace.


    In stark contrast to all of Kyndrill being brightly lit, although we could see the majestic Ilandra Palace standing ahead from far away, its entire interior was very dark. Only near the entrances and the surrounding high walls could we vaguely see signs of people patrolling. Obviously, after the delay, the palace had received news of the invasion and entered emergency status.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 34: The Secret Door

    The security at Kyndrill Palace was super tight. Not only were there troops all over the ground, but they even had airships patrolling above the buildings.


    But these human soldiers weren''t much of a threat to me and Adrian anymore. We could easily trick them just by using invisibility skills and some flying moves.


    "But now the problem is, how do we find Reider?"


    Nicola was right - the palace layout was super complicated. The whole palace was very quiet. Except for some patrol guards, we couldn''t see anyone else around. But since we couldn''t sense enemies from far away, even though we managed to sneak inside, we were like blind people trying to figure out what an elephant looks like - totally lost.


    Never mind all those winding paths between different buildings, almost every building was about the same size, with passages connecting to each other inside. We couldn''t tell which way led where! In this situation, we didn''t even know what most rooms were for, let alone find our target!


    "Eh? She''s actually nearby?"


    While we couldn''t find Reider anywhere, the light elements coming from angels was very eye-catching. Earlier we were so far behind Nicola, I thought she''d already charged in. But surprisingly, she was doing the same as us - quietly crouching outside a second-floor window.


    "Shh... better keep it down, or that Reider might run away!"


    When she saw us appear and fly down beside her, Nicola quickly put her finger to her lips to warn us. Seeing her act like this, I got excited and whispered:


    "Is Reider hiding in this room?"


    We''d been searching everywhere with no luck, but Nicola had found him by herself! Though this room didn''t look special at all - it seemed like just a place for servants to rest, not somewhere an empire''s emperor would stay. Plus, after watching for a while, it was totally dark inside - basically nobody was there!


    "It''s not that simple. I just used my foresight and found there''s some secret passage in this room! But now that he''s here, the future is becoming uncertain with many possibilities. We''ll have to see how things go!"


    Nicola turned her head slightly to look at Adrian beside me, seeming unsatisfied. But I didn''t really understand what she was saying, so I had to ask:


    "Wait! What secret passage? If you already knew about it, why are you waiting outside instead of going in? And what''s this got to do with Adrian?"


    "You''re so slow, aren''t you very sensitive to time stuff..."


    Nicola seemed annoyed again, but she still explained the situation to us.


    Basically, when she was flying nearby, she accidentally foresaw a royal guard secretly coming to this room alone and opening a secret door using some kind of authentication. Since there was only one possible future without Fate Breaker''s interference, following that timeline, she could foresee herself going through the secret door behind the passage, following the guard to another place, and successfully finding Reider there!


    Unfortunately, for some reason, the other party already knew that outsiders had invaded the secret passage, and was just about to escape. At this point, Nicola, who was planning to chase, got blocked by a huge man and a strange girl. As for what would happen next, because Nicola''s foresight ability started showing many different possible branches from that point on, she couldn''t really tell how things would develop.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "From what you''re saying, could it be that I was nearby when you got blocked and saw what happened? Or maybe there''s another Fate Breaker who''s been by the emperor''s side all along?"


    Adrian couldn''t help analyzing. Truth is, Fate Breakers should be very rare and hard to find. But the empire''s emperor was no ordinary person - having one or two hidden nearby hoping to change an unchangeable future wasn''t completely impossible. But hearing Nicola''s words, I somehow had a bad feeling too. Maybe assassinating Reider wouldn''t be as easy as we thought.


    "Careful, someone''s coming!"


    Just then, we heard footsteps coming from the wooden corridor on the other side of the room. Nicola perked up - this was almost exactly like what she''d foreseen. She quickly signaled us to stop talking.


    In theory, what should happen next was the royal guard walking in alone and opening the secret door leading to where Reider was hiding, but suddenly something unexpected happened...


    "Vice Captain, bad news! We just got reports from nearby patrol that they spotted a black shadow passing over the palace! Since the whole capital is under a protective shield, it can''t be natural birds, and plus the city guard reported losing contact with some soldiers, so they strongly suspect enemies have infiltrated the palace. Please hurry to meet with the Captain to begin search!"


    Another imperial soldier, who sounded like a messenger, suddenly came running after him, explaining urgently. Then the Vice Captain, who was about to enter the room, abandoned his original plan and hurriedly left with the messenger.


    "This... is quite different from what you said before!"


    I was stunned, and felt worried too. Could it be that earlier when Adrian and I carelessly showed ourselves and flew down, we were spotted by patrols on the ground?


    "Isn''t this all because of you two!"


    Nicola glared at me and Adrian hard, but didn''t dwell on it. She flipped through the window straight into the room that had been empty all this time.


    Right now all the palace guards must have increased their alertness - staying outside too long might get us discovered! The room that Vice Captain left would definitely be safer than outside.


    Adrian and I jumped in without hesitation. Looking around, the room''s furnishings were very ordinary, clearly just officers''s rest quarters, even having a two-room layout with a living room and bedroom. As for all the furniture and decorations, they were spotless, showing that someone used them often - maybe even that Vice Captain just now!


    "The secret entrance should be here!"


    Nicola went straight to the bedroom, opened a cabinet there, and pointed inside. From her attitude, I suddenly understood - this girl probably wasn''t going to wait anymore, she was ready to force her way in!


    "Wait, didn''t you mention before? That soldier had to use some kind of authentication to enter the secret passage behind the door. I think this might be some kind of magical device, maybe even connected to the whole palace''s alert system! If we mess around here, won''t we risk alerting everyone!"


    Adrian saw things weren''t good and quickly ran over to block her, kindly reminding her.


    "Like I need you to tell me that - you think I''m the kind of person who wouldn''t think of this?"


    Of course, with Nicola''s personality, she definitely wouldn''t be scared off. She very disdainfully pushed aside his blockade, gently moved away the clothes used as cover, and revealed the solid wall behind the cabinet.


    "Strange, where is the mechanism? I only remember that soldier seemed to make some gestures on the wall with his hand, then said some weird words, and the door opened by itself... but I couldn''t see exactly what movements..."


    Since Nicola had watched everything from hiding in her vision, she still wasn''t very clear about many details of opening the door. But this seemed to be within her expected range, and didn''t really trouble her.


    "Oh right, you just said there might be an alert system connected to the whole palace. So if the entire door including the device suddenly disappeared, would this alarm still trigger?"


    She seemed to think of something and turned around to follow up on what Adrian said earlier, asking with interest.


    "Huh? Probably nothing would happen... right?"


    Even Adrian with his broad knowledge was stumped by this question. Hearing her ask like this, he of course understood what Nicola wanted to do next, and quickly added:


    "Of course if the device is set up somewhere else besides the main door, it might not be alerted in this situation!"


    "No doubt this time we have to take a gamble, but I''m completely confident we won''t run into the situation you mentioned!"


    Obviously Nicola must have discovered some clues from the many chaotic future visions. She turned to me very confidently and signaled:


    "Now it''s time for your reality-changing ability to shine - hurry up and make this wall disappear!"

 Vol 6/Chapter 35: The Royal Villa

    "Again?"


    Although I''d only shown off once, I never expected Nicola would understand my ability so well already.


    To be honest, I''d just used it not long ago, and I seriously doubted if I had enough strength left to do it again. But seeing Nicola''s smiling face staring at me, she didn''t seem worried about failing at all. Plus, we had no other good way to open this secret door, so I had no choice but to give it a try.


    A few minutes later...


    Looking at the now-disappeared cabinet wall, sure enough, there was a dark passage with stairs inside! As for me, no surprise, I collapsed on the ground again from exhaustion.


    "Strange, you should have gotten back some of your original power like me. How come you end up like this after using your power just twice?"


    The alarm didn''t go off as hoped, but Nicola was very doubtful about my stamina.


    "Easy for you to say... you know very well I only have part of a broken Water Angel soul, and you''re still making such comments!"


    I couldn''t help talking back, feeling unsatisfied. Unlike Nicola, I probably could only reach this level. Adrian quickly helped me lie down on the nearby bed to rest, while asking her with some confusion.


    "From what I know about your time control ability, if nothing goes wrong, you should be able to destroy the secret door and its alarm system by changing its time flow, right? Why must Feliciana do it?"


    Adrian seemed a bit worried about me. According to his theory, just rewinding an object''s time to before it was created or fast-forwarding to after it was destroyed could achieve almost the same effect.


    "It''s true I can change the time of objects and even the whole world, but didn''t I say before? I''ve only gotten back part of my original power too. Unlike simply looking into the future with my mind, once it involves the real world, I can only control time within about ten minutes. Unless I reach twelve wings and get back all my complete Authority, this small time change won''t do much."


    Nicola rolled her eyes at us, answering a bit impatiently. At the same time, she carefully examined the now fully open secret passage, and suddenly looked shocked.


    "This isn''t right! I remember this is in a second-floor room, so why does this passage go upwards?"


    She wasn''t wrong - when Adrian and I landed, we saw this was just a normal two-story building, meaning we were already on the top floor. Going up would only lead to the attic!


    But how come Nicola had predicted earlier that she''d find traces of Reider through the passage? Surely Reider, being the emperor, wouldn''t hide in this building''s attic - that seemed impossible!


    "This is definitely the right path, but why... Wait! I can see those people again, and they seem to be talking about some book, and they''re saying ''our world is actually...''"


    Just then, Nicola seemed to use her time prediction ability again.


    "Impossible. You two wait here, let me go check it out first!"


    With Adrian the Fate Breaker still around, facing countless possible future scenes, she seemed to accidentally touch some very important information. Her face changed, and she quickly threw down a few words to Adrian and me before rushing into the passage ahead by herself.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Huh?"


    I looked at Adrian with a confused face, but unfortunately, I hadn''t rested long enough to recover and didn''t even have the strength to stand up, let alone chase after her.


    "What book was she talking about? Which book exactly?"


    As for Adrian, he was even more clueless. Plus he didn''t want to leave me alone, so he could only watch her disappear at the end of the passage.


    "Who knows what she''s up to now! If only Cyrae were here, at least she could follow and check what''s happening!"


    It was that same feeling again - felt like Nicola was hiding something from us after coming back. Anyway, this habit of only saying half a sentence before running off was really annoying.


    But angry as we were, all we could do was wait for my body and power to recover.


    ...


    Because I''d forced myself to use reality-changing power twice in a row, recovery took even longer this time. But after more than ten minutes, suddenly a sharp alarm sounded above the whole palace. From what the guards running outside were shouting, seems they''d discovered angels invading.


    "Could Nicola have been discovered?"


    I couldn''t help exchanging looks with Adrian. We couldn''t tell if the invading angel was Nicola who''d entered the passage, or Cyrae who''d volunteered earlier to destroy the barrier''s supply formation.


    Of course, what worried us most was the hurried footsteps coming from the corridor. They were heading our way - probably that Vice Captain coming back.


    Dealing with just a vice captain would be piece of cake. But just in time my power had mostly recovered, and with this huge secret passage right in front of us, we should handle the most important thing first.


    "Forget about him, let''s go!"


    Before the person could open the door, I grabbed Adrian''s hand and rushed into the passage.


    This was a narrow passage with very smooth walls and tiled stairs, showing that quite some effort was spent building it. But unfortunately there was no lighting inside, so we had to use our own light magic to see the path ahead.


    "There''s light ahead, must be the end!"


    Luckily the whole passage wasn''t too long. In less than a minute, Adrian saw the exit and we quickly rushed over.


    "Eh? What is this place?"


    After seeing the surroundings clearly, we realized we''d come out through a very elaborate door. The exit was on a huge, smooth platform with railings all around. Beyond the railings were lush cliff walls, and further away, a magnificent waterfall with mist everywhere.


    "No way, who builds a passage leading to a rooftop?"


    Standing by the railing looking down, Adrian couldn''t help commenting in surprise. Turns out this platform was actually on top of a tall building, no wonder he was so shocked.


    And this whole building was incredibly grand, both in decorative details and size. Looking around, it seemed to be built in an outdoor valley! Obviously we weren''t in the capital''s palace anymore.


    "Must be Reider''s trick - turns out that was a space-crossing passage directly connecting the palace to here!"


    From observation, the passage we walked through should have been carved directly into the rock wall, then after some distance it connected to the cabinet in the palace through space magic.


    We''d experienced too many crossings before, so it only took a little thought to figure out what was going on. Plus with Reider having "System" on his side, during his years as emperor, building this secret passage made perfect sense!


    "I think I''ve heard of this place. If I''m not wrong, this should be the Ilandra Dominion Empire''s royal villa! The Ilandra royal family is said to have several villas, and one of them was built in a valley not far from the capital Kyndrill. They say it''s like spring all year round, with beautiful scenery... quite a few pictures have leaked out before!"


    Adrian looked around the whole platform and quickly came to his conclusion.


    Anyway, no matter what this place was, one thing was clear - although the capital had been tightly surrounded, the real target - former emperor Reider - had never been in the city at all, but was hiding outside! Even if the capital really fell, he could easily escape. Really cunning!


    "Who are you, why are you here..."


    As expected, not long after we arrived, the vice captain followed us here after discovering something was wrong. Unfortunately, as soon as he showed up, Adrian who was ambushing outside the exit knocked him out and threw him into the pond outside the railing.


    "Looks like Nicola must have come here ahead of us? Strange! Why is it so quiet? Did they all go inside the building?"


    I couldn''t help but look with a headache at the main door leading inside the building. The whole villa was built against the mountain and was really huge. According to Adrian''s knowledge, what we could see might only be part of it. Maybe the whole mountain was hollowed out - we had no idea what defenses might be inside!


    Plus from Nicola''s prediction, we probably were discovered as soon as we set foot here. Of course, neither Adrian nor I were afraid - if we were, we wouldn''t have come here in the first place. Plus we had our trusty invisibility skills, so we rushed straight through the villa''s main door without hesitation.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 36: Secret Mission

    As we entered the villa, we first saw a fancy hall. The walls had beautiful carvings that gave off an old and mysterious feeling. You could tell this place was built many years ago.


    But there wasn''t anyone around.  To be cautious, Adrian put an invisibility spell on both of us.


    At the end of the entrance hall was a dark corridor. We held our breath and walked in, but still couldn''t hear anything. I started to worry a bit.


    "Strange. Reider should be hiding somewhere, but it doesn''t look like anyone''s around! Could they have noticed something wrong and run away already?" Adrian whispered his doubts. Actually, we couldn''t even sense Nicola''s aura from ahead.


    We knew Nicola arrived here before us. Of course, maybe there were too many rooms in the villa blocking the aura. Light elements aura can go through walls, but if it gets too weak along the way, we won''t be able to sense it.


    "Let''s just go with it. Maybe they''re all hiding in the deepest part!" Don''t forget this villa was super big, and who knows what was waiting for us ahead! Plus, Nicola wouldn''t just ignore such a valuable target and go somewhere else alone!


    After walking in the corridor for a few minutes, we arrived at what looked like an open courtyard with a small garden.


    Bright sunlight came through a hole in the ceiling and shone on the plants, covering everything in a misty glow. We were definitely deep inside the mountain now. Right then, we heard metal clashing sounds coming from another direction.


    "Someone''s fighting over there? Could it be Nicola fighting with Reider?"


    Adrian got excited, but I still couldn''t sense any light element aura. I could only shake my head and suggest we go check it out first.


    As we kept going, we soon started seeing dead imperial soldiers lying on the ground. Just as we thought, this villa had already been attacked before we came. But if it wasn''t Nicola, who could it be?


    The sound of weapons clashing continued for a while, then slowly stopped.


    Finally, we reached a huge area that could fit a whole basketball court.


    The place looked like some kind of arena for dueling. There were lots of seats all around. About ten people were in the middle of the arena.


    Since everything was indoors, there were only a few magic lamps for light. I and Adrian hid in the VIP area at the very top. With our invisibility spell, nobody would find us.


    "You''re not imperial guards! First, they don''t fight like you do, and your clothes look nothing like what they''re supposed to wear!"


    After the fight, one group had clearly lost. The winning side only had three people.


    The losers were crowded in one corner while one winner was questioning them: "So who are you? Why are you here? Don''t tell me Reider hired you to protect him?"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    From far away, we could see different kinds of weapons scattered on the ground, besides the dead bodies. You could even spot machine guns and sniper rifles. Of course the other two winners found these special weapons too.


    "These weapons... the empire must got them when armies from other worlds invaded recently. No wonder they''re so powerful. If we hadn''t gotten the information beforehand, we might have lost even more people!"


    "What other world armies? You dare ask when you''re the invaders? Listen up, you better let us go. Otherwise when Reider gets here, he will show you what real power is!"


    Surprisingly, some of the captives were tough. They weren''t scared at all and even threatened back.


    "Haha, Reider? What a joke! Have you forgotten about all those rebel lords surrounding Kyndrill? Plus our church reinforcements are on the way. Reider has already got his hands full, how would he care about small stuff like you? Otherwise he wouldn''t be hiding here!"


    The winners seemed sure the captives must be guards Reider found somewhere to make up numbers. They mocked back without holding back. But these words definitely revealed the speaker''s identity, and right away another captive couldn''t help asking:


    "Church? You mean that True Church?"


    "That''s right. No need to hide it anymore. After all, this is exactly why we came here!"


    The winner doing the questioning revealed their purpose and identity. "First of all, we don''t mean any harm. You attacked us first and we had to fight back! We are from the Star Glory Knights Order under True Church. We came here secretly on Pope''s orders to invite former Emperor Reider to the holy city Jethrobaines for a talk!"


    "Star Glory Knights Order!"


    Never mind how the captives reacted - me and Adrian were super surprised. Although we knew True Church decided to get involved in the empire''s civil war, we didn''t expect them to be so fast. So the knights had already sneaked into Reider''s hiding place before us.


    Mentioning the Star Glory Knights Order reminded me of two old friends. I think it was Mike of the first seat and Ron of the fifth seat, but sadly they didn''t seem to be here.


    "Since you''re church people, what else is there to talk about?"


    Since the church already announced support for the rebels, they were definitely enemies. But there was clearly something off about the knights'' attitude, which made the captives feel worried and confused.


    "The Pope told us to pass on this message: the Star is coming, and this is the rare time of chaos once every hundred years. He remembers his old connection with Reider, so he wants to give Reider a chance, and help him escape from this life-threatening situation!"


    You could tell the knights really had a mission. After winning, they didn''t kill everyone right away, but tried to reduce the hostility.


    "What''s this about a Star coming, and what does once-in-a-hundred-years chaos mean?"


    I quietly asked Adrian beside me.


    "Hmm... I think it''s quite an old legend. They say there''s a shooting star in the sky that appears about every hundred years. Whenever it shows up, the whole continent gets lots of earthquakes and tsunamis, even strange things happening. If these disasters hit small countries, they definitely cause troubles, that''s why they call it a time of chaos..."


    Adrian was really knowledgeable. You could see he knew quite a bit about legends and stories from the Eldoria Continent.


    But to me, this stuff was disappointing because Earth has way too many stories about disaster stars. And most are completely made up.


    "...some things probably only Reider and the Pope know about. Just take us to where Reider is hiding. Once he meets the Pope, you''ll understand everything!"


    The knight tried to convince them, urging the captives to show them the way quickly.


    "Since when did Reider have any connection with your Pope? Even if we can''t defend the city without his help, nothing will happen to us! And if your Pope wants to see him, why doesn''t he come?"


    Things didn''t go as planned. The captives were quite smart - how could they easily believe what their enemies said? Finally one of the three knigths started losing patience:


    "Meredith, we''ve wasted too much time here. The mission is urgent - if they won''t help, let''s just kill them! Even without anyone showing us the way, I don''t believe we can''t find where Reider is!"

 Vol 6/ Chapter 37: Mutual Destruction

    That was a bit too arrogant. The royal villa was super huge inside. Even I and Adrian got lost.


    "Elton, stop talking nonsense! It''s not that simple. What if there are secret passages, and Reider runs away? Pope specifically told us we must get Reider..."


    Sure enough, Meredith, who was doing the questioning, immediately rejected the suggestion. But right when the two were arguing, a spear pierced through his chest from behind. The killer wasn''t anyone else - it was the third knight who had been cleaning up the battlefield nearby.


    Things can change in just one moment. How come the three knights who were winning suddenly started fighting each other?


    "How is this possible... Dylan! Are you crazy? Why are you doing this?"


    The knight called Elton had a super confused look when he saw this. He shouted at his friend who stabbed from behind, but didn''t get any response.


    The one he called Dylan moved very quickly. Seeing Meredith fall down badly injured, he quickly pulled his weapon out and stabbed straight at Elton.


    Now not just Elton, but I and Adrian could also see that Dylan must have been controlled by someone! But the problem was, not many spells can control high-level fighters. Only high-level light mages or angels can barely do it. But I couldn''t sense any light element aura nearby.


    "Hurry up! The enemy is too strong, I can only control one of them!"


    Suddenly a girl''s voice came from a dark corner. Only then did I know there was another group of people hiding not far below us.


    Right after that, a young boy having an unusually strong build jumped out from the corner. Without saying anything, he rushed straight at Elton who was fighting with Dylan.


    "Eh?"


    When Adrian saw this, he couldn''t help making a surprised sound. Not because the boy was wearing Earth-style clothes (after Earth armies invaded, many similar clothes appeared in Eldoria Continent), but because he didn''t bring any weapons at all - he went into battle completely empty-handed!


    Everyone knows weapons are super important in fights! In the whole continent, it''s very rare to see someone fight bare-handed against enemies with weapons.


    But the knight being attacked wasn''t weak at all - after all, Star Glory Knights Order members are at least level six. Elton''s weapons were two short swords a bit longer than daggers, one in each hand. With his super quick movements, he could still hold on for a while.


    Looking at his friend and enemy Dylan, probably because his mind was controlled, he wasn''t fighting at his full level. The main pressure came from the empty-handed boy who just joined the fight.


    "These moves... look like kung fu!"Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    After watching for a while, I couldn''t help commenting. Nobody expected the empty-handed boy would use his palms to attack! Yes, not punching, but hitting enemies with his palm!


    Never mind how much damage a palm hit would do if it landed. But throughout the whole thing, his palms crossed with Elton''s short swords many times and always came out fine, not hurt at all! Of course it wasn''t because the short swords weren''t sharp enough - it was because his palms released an invisible force at crucial moments that made enemy attacks miss.


    "Kung fu? You mean those novels from Earth right?"


    Adrian had been to Earth so of course he knew a bit about it. Actually some Battle Qi masters could copy some kung fu moves if they really tried. But this was the first time he saw someone using palms in real fights.


    To be fair, looking at it from a kung fu view, the boy''s palm force was pretty strong, but still needed more practice. Too bad his enemy was a real knight close to level six. Even fighting two people at once, he could still hold on for a while.


    "Strange, seems like there''s a tiny bit of light element aura..."


    This time I finally noticed - while the three people were fighting non-stop, some light element aura sneaked into the battlefield. Then Elton started getting distracted during the fight.


    This was deadly of course. Soon after a few moves he got caught off guard and took a palm hit to the chest, then the spear went through his heart, pinning him straight to the wall.


    "Finally won. Didn''t expect to meet such tough enemies right away!"


    When everything was over, a blonde girl with two braids walked out from the corner. The knight Dylan who had been controlled just stood there like a wooden block. The empty-handed boy turned around and said excitedly:


    "That was great, Sister Mamos is really awesome! If you hadn''t disturbed that guy''s mind, it would''ve been much harder to take him down!"


    "That''s because your skills aren''t good enough. If the captain was here, I wouldn''t need to use so much energy dealing with these three top fighters!"


    Mamos talked back to the boy a bit annoyed, then quickly went to the people who were captured by the knights earlier. She untied their ropes while sighing. "Looks like it''s not safe anymore for newbies to stay here. We must tell the captain about this right away, let him decide what to do!"


    "Sister Mamos, those people said they were knights, and they came here to..."


    One of the so-called newbies who had been tied up for a long time just got free and stood up, about to report to the blonde girl, but got interrupted by the boy:


    "This guy seems still alive. Should we finish him off?"


    He was pointing at Meredith, who got stabbed through the chest by Dylan. Probably because it didn''t hit vital spots, even though Meredith had fallen down weak from blood loss, he wasn''t really dead.


    "Kill him! We can just ask the guy I''m controlling about their stuff later. I don''t want any more trouble!"


    No mercy at all - even though Mamos the blonde girl looked young, she was super decisive.


    But right when the empty-handed boy was about to palm strike Meredith''s head, a super bright golden light burst out from his body, instantly throwing the boy several meters away.


    "What, another twist?"


    I couldn''t help muttering. This knight was too tough - even hurt so badly he could still fight back!


    But watching Meredith shakily stand up from the ground, he looked like he was at his limit. Still, I felt something wasn''t right, mainly because of that golden light around him.


    "Even though this mission failed... I''m sure you people aren''t humans, maybe you''re not even from this world!"


    After throwing the empty-handed boy away, the golden light on Meredith didn''t fade, but got stronger instead. He kept mumbling, then spread his arms and started shouting at the sky like he was crazy.


    "Oh great and mighty Lord! Please give us a miracle, clean up all these invaders! Under the Pope''s leadership, we will welcome a new future!"


    Meredith''s Lord must be the god True Church believes in. Usually this kind of prayer isn''t strange - I heard enough from Cyra too. But next second the golden light got stronger again, so bright people couldn''t even open their eyes!


    Not only that, the area affected by the light quickly expanded...

 Vol 6/ Chapter 38: The Book

    "This isn''t normal light!"


    In less than a second, I came to this conclusion.


    Being so close, I could easily see that the golden light coming from Meredith had some kind of corrosive, destructive quality. Whatever it touched got eaten up without any trace.


    Other people might not notice anything wrong, but since I had touched Reality Authority, I could definitely tell something wasn''t right - this light actually had the power to change and destroy matter!


    Even I couldn''t easily use rules affecting such a large area. So seeing this from a Star Glory Knight who wasn''t even seventh level really surprised me.


    "How is this possible!"


    The golden light kept spreading quickly. The other people were already covered by it. There was no way to know what would happen to them.


    In such a dangerous situation, even though I had an angel''s body with super strong element resistance, I didn''t dare take any chances.  I quickly grabbed Adrian and ran away.


    "What was that? It couldn''t be a weapon from Earth, right?"


    After running a short distance, the light started getting weaker. Adrian asked while looking back, seeing that the light only went a few meters past the arena before getting dim. Then everything quickly calmed down.


    When we returned to check the scene, we found a super huge hole...


    "I''m sure that knight didn''t even awaken Battle Qi yet. How did one person do something like this?"


    Looking at this newly formed black hole that was hundreds of meters wide, Adrian stood at the edge silent for a good minute before sighing.


    After making sure it was safe, I flew back to check the center area several times. Not only could I not find even a scrap of clothing from the people caught in it, even Meredith who was the source of the light had vanished without a trace. I could only guess they probably died together.


    "Did you think of something?"


    Seeing me standing there lost in thought with a worried look, Adrian noticed something was off and asked.


    I didn''t know how to explain properly. It made me think about what Nicola described happening in another parallel world.


    In so called Ancient God Religion, some followers could pray to their god and release huge power, but they had to pay a price.


    These things shouldn''t exist in our world. We hadn''t even heard of Ancient God Religion! But what that knight did before dying was very similar. It made me wonder if those "Spring" guys had arrived in this world too.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "...It''s nothing, probably just overthinking! Anyway, that group with the blonde girl was very suspicious. I just feel if Nicola were here, we might understand more!"


    I promised Nicola I wouldn''t tell anyone about what happened to her in another world, and she specifically mentioned Adrian. All I could do was to gloss over and change the topic.


    "True, our main goal is to kill Reider. Those strange people fighting with True Church doesn''t really matter to us. We better discuss this stuff later!"


    Luckily Adrian didn''t push further.


    I definitely agreed with this suggestion. However, after getting back on track and moving forward, we still had no clue where Reider was.


    Walking and exploring for so long, Adrian and I had seen many weapon storage rooms, living quarters, and training rooms. We were pretty sure this villa was planned as a military fortress. Besides royals coming here for vacation, the space inside the mountain could also be used for defense. This explained why the structure was so complex, like a maze.


    But trying to find where Reider was hiding in such a big fortress wasn''t easy. He might have even escaped through some secret passage. No wonder that knight Meredith insisted on getting Reider''s location by questioning people.


    "Wait!"


    I suddenly noticed a trace of disturbance at the rules level. I quickly stopped and pointed at a corridor nearby. "Over there... I think it''s Nicola!"


    After experiencing it many times, I was getting familiar with Nicola''s time modifications! If I wasn''t wrong, she probably just used time stop or time reversal.


    She must have gotten into a fight. This was great news for me and Adrian who were wandering around clueless!


    Running quickly along the direction I sensed, turning several corners, we soon reached a relatively wide area. The situation ahead was just as I expected. Nicola had five pairs of grey-white wings spread behind her, pinning someone hard to the ground.


    "She never disappoints..."


    Looks like she didn''t need our help. No matter who that person pinned down was, at least we caught someone alive. Better than having no leads at all.


    "Answer clearly! You read a book that recorded what happened to me in another world. What''s going on?"


    But surprisingly, Nicola didn''t ask about where Reider was. Instead she asked about some book she mentioned before?


    "We can talk, just let me go!!"


    The man on the ground was only in his twenties, dressed in Earth-style clothes with a gold necklace, looking a bit like a street thug. He showed no sign of wanting to fight back, just kept begging. But hearing this, he suddenly looked very confused. "I read so many books, how would I know which one you''re talking about? And I don''t even know who you are?"


    "Stop pretending! I saw you and your friends discussing the contents of that book, and you mentioned my name. This was about... two minutes ago!"


    Nicola wouldn''t fall for his act. She pressed down harder with her foot and checked her watch while questioning him. This didn''t surprise me and Adrian, but it shocked the man with the gold nechlace.


    "Two minutes ago? But I don''t think I said any of this two minutes ago? No... I didn''t say anything at all!"


    "Hmph! You didn''t say it because you were busy running away, and we''re now on a different future path. But you must know about that book..."


    Letting out a cold laugh, Nicola didn''t bother talking more. She started searching through his rings and pockets, but none of his jewelry, including the big gold necklace, seemed to be storage space tools.


    "Tell me! Where did you hide the book ''Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation''?"


    Not finding what she wanted, Nicola got angry and stabbed her Condensation Sword into his hand.


    In that instant, a huge bloody hole was "corroded" through the man''s palm. He rolled around on the ground screaming in pain, but my attention was caught by the book''s name.


    "''Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation''? What''s going on? Why does this name sound like it''s talking about... us?"


    I''m sure I didn''t hear wrong, so I tried to control my excitement and asked Nicola.


    "Could it be someone already knows about your crossing over, and wrote it into a book?"


    Adrian also thought it was unbelievable. After all, who would be so bored to do something like this? It was hard to understand the motivation behind it.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 39: The Ending in Another World

    "...I get it now, you''re the main characters, and you must be Nicola!"


    The gold necklace man lying on the ground, who looked confused before, suddenly brightened up after hearing our conversation. He pointed at Nicola and us excitedly. "This is great, meeting you here! Please don''t kill me - we don''t have any real conflict. We could even work together!"


    "Main characters? What do you mean? Who exactly are you?"


    Hearing this made me more confused. Like the blonde girl Mamos we met earlier, this gold necklace man didn''t talk like a normal guard. I quickly stepped forward to ask.


    "If I''m not wrong, he''s probably a ''System'' carrier like Reider!"


    Before he could answer, Nicola chimed in. She seemed to know more secrets than us, probably from sorting through messy future visions. She gave a cold laugh and explained:


    "About the main characters he mentioned, from what I know, he probably wasn''t talking about us. The book you asked about too - it''s likely about the parallel world I crossed over to before."


    "That book ''Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation'' is about another world?"


    Hearing this, I finally felt relieved. After all, it''s scary to have your own experiences written in a book. Though Cyrae''s world was similar to this one in some ways, there were still big differences.


    "Wait! Even if it''s a parallel world, why is there a book recording what happened there? And how is he also a ''System'' carrier?"


    But Adrian found many things still didn''t make sense. The situation had gotten more complex, with another ''System'' person appearing out of nowhere.


    "Unfortunately, I''m not very clear about the book details either! All I know for sure is that Reider isn''t the only one with a ''System'' - they''re probably all working together!"


    Nicola answered helplessly. Actually, she had already gotten lots of information about how the ''System'' worked from Irene before, like how there were multiple carrier teams, and many restrictions on them. Adrian and I had heard about this too!


    But whether Reider''s ''System'' was the same as the one Irene mentioned was still a mystery. This was one reason why we took on the mission to find Reider.


    But now it seemed Nicola was completely convinced they were the same thing!


    "Tell me! Where exactly did you hide ''Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation''?"


    We clearly needed to get our hands on the book and read it. The only clue now was this gold necklace man. After explaining things to us, Nicola questioned him again.


    "Whoa! We should be allies, not enemies! I''ll tell you everything..."


    Maybe because he now knew who we were, the gold necklace man was much less resistant this time. As soon as he felt pain, he gave up struggling and spilled everything.


    It turned out the book wasn''t actually on him. He was supposed to patrol this area today with a teammate called Hanno, but their captain had sent an emergency gathering notice midway. So in the scene Nicola foresaw, Hanno, who had the book, never actually showed up.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "This ''captain'' you''re talking about must be the same person Mamos mentioned earlier, right?"


    Though I had no idea who "Hanno" was, I caught this detail and connected it to the blonde girl we met before.


    "Yes, this likely means they''re all part of the same team. That matches what Nicola and Irene told us!"


    Adrian nodded in agreement. But thinking about it, if this guess was right, finding the book would probably be quite difficult.


    Based on the timing, the incident where the Star Glory Knight and the gold necklace man''s teammate died together must have happened not long before Nicola''s vision of their discussion. I remembered quite a few people were captured along with Mamos - Hanno was probably among them. If so, wouldn''t that mean "Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation" was destroyed by Meredith too?


    "So that''s what happened on the other side? We can''t rule out that possibility!"


    After hearing what Adrian and I described, Nicola''s face darkened. She turned and yanked the gold necklace man up from the ground, then asked fiercely:


    "You must have read the book before, right? Tell me everything about the plot and ending right now! What happened to everyone in the end?"


    "Ah, the ending? You want to know the ending! But you''re the main characters - won''t this change how the story goes..."


    When gold necklace man heard Nicola''s demand, he seemed hesitant. But his little bit of resistance couldn''t stand up to the Condensation Sword. As expected, after a few rounds he confessed everything.


    "Don''t worry! It was a very good ending, a happy ending! Feliciara was successfully revived, all four elemental angels came together, and you defeated the invasion from ''Spring''..."


    From how he talked, it seemed the Feliciara in that other world didn''t have my problem of incomplete soul. So she gave that world''s Nicola huge help in the final battle, even erasing ''Spring''s'' mental imprints from another dimension, leading to victory.


    "I''m not asking about that - I mean the others! Like..."


    But Nicola didn''t look satisfied. She seemed to have something hard to say, wanting to express but hesitating. After thinking for a while, she finally found the right words and excitedly blurted out: "Supporting characters! Yes, what happened to those supporting characters who helped the main characters through hard times? In the book you read, what were their endings?"


    "Huh? Supporting characters? Not many of them died..."


    Unfortunately, though the gold necklace man had read the book, he hadn''t studied it carefully. He looked up very confused, thinking for a while before giving a broken answer. "Besides some high school classmates who crossed over and sadly died, about half of them were still alive!"


    "Idiot! That''s not what I meant..."


    Seemingly frustrated by his response, Nicola still hadn''t gotten the answer she wanted. I could tell she was conscious of Adrian and me being nearby. Seeing the gold necklace man always missing the key points, she finally glanced at me and softened her voice:


    "Fine, I''m mainly asking about Adrian, the new king of Parristol who had a sky city!"


    "Eh?"


    Adrian beside me heard this and pointed at himself in surprise. Fortunately, he had experienced multiple parallel world crossings and had seen other versions of himself, so he quickly understood Nicola wasn''t talking about him.


    "That guy? Wasn''t he already dead before Feliciara was revived? Though his sky city helped a lot in rescuing Michelle, it was old and not fully functional. Plus with their god personally stepping in, it was quickly destroyed."


    With Nicola''s prompt, the gold necklace man suddenly remembered and gave his puzzled answer.


    "So he died after all?"


    This was the first time I learned that the Adrian from another world had died! However, Nicola didn''t seem very surprised, as if she had expected it, though she still asked reluctantly: "Didn''t the revived Feliciara try to bring him back to life?"


    It made sense to ask this since the other world''s version of me probably had some revival powers too.


    "I don''t know about that! I didn''t read the later parts carefully..."


    This question stumped the gold necklace man. He tried hard to remember but couldn''t recall that part of the story, making Nicola grab his collar and shake him. "What kind of reading did you do? Where were your eyes? Just tell me if he was saved or not!"


    "I really don''t know! He was just a supporting character, and our team only had one copy of the book. Everyone focused on important parts..."


    It seemed he really didn''t know what happened later. Looking at Nicola''s attitude, everyone including Adrian and me could tell something was off. Combined with his knowledge of the other world''s story, the gold necklace man suddenly guessed the reason.


    "Could it be... you''re Wind Angel Nicola, the one Galadra summoned from another world?"

 Vol 6/ Chapter 40: The Ambush

    It was probably at this moment that the gold necklace guy finally realized we weren''t the same as the main characters he had read about in his book. Seeing that Nicola didn''t deny it, his face showed a look of disbelief.


    "This isn''t right! Weren''t you supposed to be sent back already? Why are you still in this world? Could this be because the story has changed too much?"


    "Didn''t I just tell you? This isn''t the world from your book - you''ve been wrong from the start!" Nicola couldn''t help but snort coldly.


    "How is that possible! Aren''t we in the world of ''Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation''?"


    Now it was the gold necklace guy''s turn to be shocked. His eyes became unfocused as his brain was clearly working, trying to figure out what was going on.


    Several minutes passed, and the gold necklace guy was still standing there, looking completely confused.


    "Hmph! Looks like you people ended up in the wrong world!"


    Remembering what Irene had said about the "System" allowing its carriers to travel between different worlds, Nicola quickly understood their situation.


    "No wonder almost everything we encountered was completely different from the book''s description. At first, I thought it was because Reider had entered early..."


    The gold necklace guy wasn''t stupid. After getting this hint, he immediately realized how serious the situation was. Looking panicked, he quickly begged Nicola, "This is really important! I have no ill intentions - can you let me leave? I must go inform the Captain right away!"


    According to the gold necklace guy, this Captain was the leader of his team, supposedly a bald, tough-looking man. Since everyone just called him Captain, even the gold necklace guy didn''t know his real name.


    "You have a ''System,'' don''t you? Don''t you have any way to communicate remotely?" I couldn''t help but comment. I had thought the "System" was something really impressive. But seeing how weak this guy was, it seemed far less impressive than I''d imagined.


    "But how did you know I have a ''System''?"


    He was surprised to hear this, but seeing that Nicola also looked interested in knowing the answer, he quickly explained:


    "Many ''System'' functions need points to unlock, and I''ve never had many points. We usually have a mental communication between team members, but for some reason, Mamos, who acts as the hub, didn''t respond, so I have to find the Captain!"


    That mental communication sounded very similar to the "Spiritual Convergence" used among angels, and I was very familiar with the name Mamos! Of course, as the hub, she was probably involved by True Church knight Meredith''s self-destruction.


    "Does anyone else know what''s in the book?"


    However, Nicola still wasn''t ready to let him go. After all, we had finally caught someone with a "System," so she wanted to get all the information she could. Since the gold necklace guy had clearly stated he couldn''t remember the information about Adrian, there was no point pressing him about that - she had to try another approach.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Of course! The Captain and Reider were the first ones to finish reading the whole book, and they probably still remember what happens with Adrian! Why don''t you come with me to meet them?"


    From what the gold necklace guy was saying, it seemed his Captain and Reider were currently hiding in a inner fortress built within the mountain. He immediately gave us directions to their location, which didn''t seem too far away. Nicola immediately urged him to lead the way, walking in front of us.


    "We should be careful - this might be a trap!"


    For some reason, I noticed the guy''s eyes had become shifty after we started moving, giving me a bad feeling. I fell behind Nicola and quietly warned her.


    "Don''t worry, what could he possibly do?"


    As expected, Nicola dismissed my warning. However, Adrian remained cautious and took out some arrows.


    Although this royal villa was officially the emperor''s vacation retreat, I was certain it was planned as a military fortress, which explained why Reider chose it as his final hiding place.


    "There''s a shortcut behind this door. Why don''t we try going this way? If none of the doors ahead are locked, we can reach the inner fortress where Reider is directly!"


    The gold necklace guy made several turns and quickly led us to an old-looking large door.


    "Is this really okay? Didn''t we agree to go around the defense command zone?" Adrian immediately noticed something was wrong.


    "What are you afraid of? I can easily break through these doors even if they''re locked!"


    But Nicola didn''t care at all. She swung her Condensation Sword at the door, quickly turning the metal door into a mess, revealing what looked like a war room with a huge round table behind it.


    "Which door should we take next?"


    The war room was enormous, over a hundred square meters! There were doors in all four directions leading to other areas.


    I was about to ask which way to go when suddenly the gold necklace guy broke away from us and ran toward the right exit.


    "He''s trying to escape, stop him!"


    Thankfully, I was prepared and shouted while chasing after him. The gold necklace guy couldn''t run very far at his speed, but suddenly someone blocked my path - looking closely, it was Nicola?


    "What are you standing there for?"


    At first, I couldn''t process what was happening and instinctively urged Nicola to chase after him, but then I noticed a faint trace of light element aura coming from her head, which made my back go cold.


    When Nicola was in her grey wing state, she shouldn''t emit any light element aura, because during this time her body''s elemental composition was completely taken over by the Wind Angel''s will.


    Normal magic attacks couldn''t harm Nicola, but the light element aura coming from her was strangely familiar - it was the same trick Mamos had used to mentally control the church knights!


    "Adrian!"


    In this critical moment, I didn''t have time to think and instinctively shouted while throwing myself sideways. I could clearly feel the Condensation Sword''s blade, carrying an extremely distorted aura, slash past my hair. If I had hesitated for half a step, the consequences would have been unthinkable!


    Nicola must have been controlled at some point. Although I had expected something might go wrong, I never thought it would become this troublesome!


    Of course, whoever could control her must be a "System" expert skilled in mental attacks, like Mamos! Unfortunately, I couldn''t find where the culprit was hiding. I could only keep dodging Nicola''s attacks within the limited space.


    Now there was good news and bad news. The good news was that probably because of being controlled, Nicola''s speed and strength had decreased quite a bit, so I didn''t feel too much pressure even without counterattacking. The bad news was that Adrian was also caught up fighting someone - looking carefully - it was actually that earth-style-dressed young boy fighting with palms we''d met before!


    Could it be that Mamos and her group hadn''t died in that destruction?


    Fortunately, even in close combat without weapons, Adrian was clearly much more skilled than the palm boy. Not only did he suppress his opponent, but he also managed to shoot an arrow toward Nicola during a gap.


    The effect was immediate - the arrow with the word for "Wake" written on it accurately grazed Nicola''s back skin, leaving a blood mark and instantly returning her to consciousness.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 41: The Captain

    "Which idiot dares to control me!"


    After coming back to her senses, Nicola''s wings returned to their original pure white color. Now protected by the light element, she wasn''t afraid of enemy control anymore. She kept looking around, trying to find who was behind this.


    "Hanno, things have changed - retreat now!"


    Surprisingly, the gold necklace man who had escaped earlier hadn''t gone far. His voice came from behind the door. Hanno, who was already losing the fight against Adrian, immediately escaped through another door. He was apparently well-trained and had prepared for this.


    "That guy is Hanno?"


    Adrian and I weren''t planning to chase after him, but Nicola couldn''t stay calm when she heard that name. Based on what the gold necklace man said earlier, the book "Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation" she''d been searching for might be with that young man. Plus, she still had a score to settle about being mind-controlled. Seeing him about to disappear into the darkness, she spread her wings and flew after him.


    "Aren''t we going to follow them?"


    Seeing Adrian signaling me not to chase, I turned back and asked in confusion.


    "This isn''t the first time something like this has happened. With Nicola''s skills, catching Hanno shouldn''t be too hard. We don''t need to worry about her!"


    Adrian walked to the war room''s round table. Looking at a map left there, he seemed thoughtful and waved me over. "Come look at this!"


    The map showed the layout of the entire royal villa inside the mountain. It clearly marked every place we''d been through. At the innermost area, we saw a fortress-like symbol, exactly matching the inner fortress Reider might be hiding.


    "So you want to go straight for Reider?"


    Obviously, that girl Mamos who could control minds was probably still alive, and their attack on us was likely just to rescue someone. Now that they''d achieved their goal, they must have escaped.


    Reider was our real target for this mission, and since we didn''t know the area well, there was no point chasing the others.


    "Even though they changed their plans and set this trap, it seems the information they revealed wasn''t all lies."


    The inner fortress wasn''t too far from here. Adrian studied the route carefully, then put away the map and led me back to the command area we''d passed through earlier.


    There was a wider road here, with lamps placed along both sides. Following this road, it didn''t take long before we reached the inner fortress marked on the map.


    "The Ilandra Dominion Empire sure has deep pockets, building such a fancy place even here?"


    Looking at the scene before me, I couldn''t help but comment.


    Carving a small fortress in a mountain cave wasn''t special in the Eldoria Continent. But this fortress took up an entire wall of the cave, and every part of its outer walls was covered in beautiful carvings. With natural light falling from the ceiling above, it was truly breathtaking.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Next, Adrian and I rushed straight in. The fortress wasn''t actually very spacious inside, though it had several floors. Most of it was narrow corridors connecting different rooms, and we couldn''t see a single person anywhere.


    "Did we come here for nothing?"


    I couldn''t hide my disappointment.


    "What! This isn''t the world of ''Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation''?"


    But unexpectedly, at that moment, we heard voices coming from a room on the second floor.


    Adrian and I looked at each other, then turned invisible. We held our breath and sneaked toward the room.


    Our patience paid off. Looking through the door crack, we saw two people inside. One was Reider, who we''d been searching for! The other man was a stranger - he was very muscular, much more built than common people, wearing sunglasses with a bald head. He was probably another person carrying a system. We heard him speaking calmly to Reider:


    "I''m not sure exactly what''s going on, but this is the urgent news Mamos just sent through spiritual link. Looks like the ''System'' has been fooling us!"


    "No wonder I''ve been confused all these years about why I couldn''t find any trace of the Ancient God Religion, but instead this True Church! Even the later story went completely different from the book. I thought it was because I entered the world early and caused butterfly effects..."


    So Reider was only learning the truth now. He looked shocked and fell into deep thought:


    "But many questions still remain! Like what exactly is this True Church? Though it''s almost identical to the religion we know about, there are many differences. Most importantly, how did it appear in this world?"


    "You''ve been working in this world for so many years but haven''t figured out why - the secrets hidden here must be very deep and not easy to uncover."


    But the bald man with sunglasses wasn''t interested in thinking too much about it. He stepped forward, patted Reider''s shoulder, and said in a deep voice: "According to Mamos''s guess, although this world isn''t the one from the book, it must be closely connected. Things aren''t looking good - we need to retreat and rethink our plans!"


    "What, retreat?"


    This was shocking news. Reider almost jumped up: "Captain, didn''t I say earlier that we could probably hold out? Those rebels probably don''t know this place. If we keep charging out to kill them, then hide back inside the city''s protective barrier to recover, eventually the enemy will be worn down!"


    "You dare bring that up!"


    These words suddenly angered the bald man. As captain, and he scolded Reider harshly:


    "All team members pooled resources to get enough points so you could enter this world early and build advantages for us. But you''ve made a complete mess of the Ilandra Dominion Empire! Mamos just reported that True Church Knights have invaded this place and killed many of our newbies, so your plan has totally failed! Not only that, all current plans must be scrapped and reconsidered. Plus, there are bigger enemies waiting - we can''t get stuck here and die!"


    "Captain, there are reasons! That out-of-control Space Tunnel actually connected to Earth in another world - how could imperial soldiers stand against guns? The empire would eventually be swallowed up and divided by Earth. That''s why I had to retreat to survive and regroup with you to fight back later. But then the tunnel went back to normal and closed, and the System tasks started on schedule, so I fought hard to come back. Even if I don''t deserve credit, I''ve suffered for it!"


    Who would have thought that the once mighty emperor, who ruled supreme, would become so humble in front of the bald man with sunglasses.


    After reaching agreement, they went to a wall in the room. Reider stepped forward and took down a huge painting, revealing a secret passage behind it.


    "This tunnel leads directly to a garden of the royal villa. We can tell Mamos''s team to go first, then meet up once we''re safe!"


    Having been emperor for so many years, Reider finished explaining to the captain and prepared to enter the tunnel.


    "Don''t run!"


    But Adrian and I couldn''t let them escape. We shouted and charged in.


    "Who''s there!?"


    The bald man with sunglasses reacted very quickly, turning his head and immediately locating my position. Remember, the invisibility spell hadn''t worn off yet - he pinpointed my location just from the moving air, and threw a punch toward me.


    This wasn''t an ordinary punch. While I was still surprised that the stone floor under his feet was starting to crack, an incredibly powerful shockwave came at me with a loud "BANG!"

 Vol 6/Chapter 42: Skills

    "What''s this now?"


    It seems System carriers always pull out weird moves. At first, I thought it was some kind of magic, but I quickly realized that explosion sound was probably just a sonic boom from the force of his punch.


    Since coming to this world, I''d never seen anyone create such powerful wind force just from their body strength. Even Mike, the First Seat of Star Glory Knights who focused on physical enhancement with Battle Qi, wasn''t anywhere near this level.


    With such crazy power targeting me, I definitely didn''t dare to block it head-on. I quickly dodged to the side, barely avoiding his attack. The wind force from his punch went past my shoulder and smashed the wall behind me to pieces. The whole room was filled with flying rocks and dust, making it impossible to see what was happening around us.


    I started to panic a bit - having two strong enemies nearby while not being able to see was definitely dangerous. In the chaos, I heard several more explosion sounds nearby, which made things even worse.


    "Quick, let''s get out of here!"


    Suddenly a hand grabbed my arm - it was Adrian''s voice. I immediately spread my wings and flew out based on memory, landing in the plaza at the entrance of the inner fortress.


    Looking back at that room on the second floor now, thick dust and smoke were still pouring out. We couldn''t see what was happening inside, but nobody else had escaped, which made me worried.


    "Did those two escape through the tunnel?"


    "Don''t worry, I already destroyed the tunnel entrance with explosive arrows!"


    Adrian answered confidently, but kept staring at the doorway.


    He was right. Just seconds later, a bright light flashed from inside the door, followed by a huge beam of light shooting towards our feet at incredible speed.


    Why does this move look so familiar?


    The light beam blasted a huge crater on the ground. Luckily, Adrian and I had already jumped aside when we noticed something wrong. We just had to dodge some flying rocks, but weren''t really affected.


    "Feliciana, watch out!"


    But we celebrated too early. The first explosion hadn''t even settled when Adrian shouted another warning.


    While we were catching our breath, another bright light was already coming at us!


    It must be Reider and his bald captain! They probably escaped from the collapsing room while we were distracted.


    Surprisingly, when I turned to look, I found Reider floating in the air, shooting the light beam from his cupped hands.


    Though I was mentally prepared that System carriers could travel between different worlds, Reider''s signature pose looked very similar to a move from a manga I''d read on Earth. Based on what I knew about the System, could this mean it could take its users into manga worlds too?Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "If that''s really the famous ''shock wave'', it shouldn''t work on me!"


    Seeing this, I raised my arm toward the second light beam. As expected, I managed to block it with just my palm.


    "How is that possible? Is this some kind of magic or pure energy attack?"


    A move that could crush solid rock barely made my palm tingle. Adrian was shocked by my cool-looking move, but quickly guessed the reason behind it.


    To be honest, I was taking a bit of a risk. Though I was pretty sure it wasn''t summoning magic involving real creatures, it was still just a guess. Plus, Reider clearly hadn''t mastered the technique.


    "So this is the legendary angel defense ability?"


    Unfortunately, while Reider was easy to handle, his captain was still there. The muscular man with sunglasses snorted, then his whole body started swelling up like a balloon, instantly bursting through his clothes to reveal ridiculous muscles.


    "No way? Is he really human?"


    Even the strongest humans couldn''t build muscles like that, and he even grew several centimeters taller! Adrian couldn''t hide his shock.


    "I guess he... is?"


    I found it pretty unbelievable too. In Eldoria Continent, you''d only see this kind of thing with magical monsters. But after seeing Reider''s moves, I suddenly remembered an old manga I''d read long ago.


    Could this be another ability learned from some manga world?


    Too late to ask him though - the bald captain attacked right after his "transformation." He targeted me, moving at an unbelievably fast speed with his fist raised.


    "Whew-"


    I couldn''t help gasping. In just one exchange, I could tell his strength and speed clearly surpassed me, a ten-winged angel. Especially his strength - I''d never seen anyone this strong except Michelle. All I could do was use my wings to keep flying up and dodging.


    Though the bald man with sunglasses couldn''t fly like Reider, his jumping power was insane! Despite all those heavy muscles, even when I quickly flew up over ten meters, he could easily jump above my head and throw those simple but powerful punches down at me.


    I really hadn''t expected the captain to be this strong. If I was alone, I might have already fled. But Adrian was still on the ground below, and he wasn''t just watching - he was fighting Reider.


    They were both good at ranged attacks. Reider could even summon flying saw discs that he could control to attack from multiple angles. But Adrian''s Battle Qi arrows were just as good. They seemed evenly matched for now.


    My situation was much worse. Absolute strength advantage is really hard to deal with. In just a few rounds of the bald captain''s fist pounding, he''d smashed many meter-deep holes in the walls around us. His power was no less than Reider''s charged-up ''shock wave'', but this was pure physical attack - I didn''t dare even counter it once.


    After my body and face got scratched several times by near misses from his punches, I finally decided to change tactics and switched my wings to blue state.


    Switching to blue wings meant losing light element protection, like what happened to Nicola earlier. Reider was especially good in this area, and I was worried he might sneak attack me.


    But the bald captain''s pressure was just too strong - if I didn''t find a way to fight back, I''d probably lose soon. In blue wing state, I quickly summoned my Water Abyss Sword. This time I didn''t back down, but slashed straight at his incoming fist!


    "Ugh..."


    Though his punch slammed me deep into the wall where I got stuck, I managed to pierce his arm with Water Abyss Sword.


    The sword didn''t cause any physical damage, but the dehydration effect quickly kicked in. The previously unstoppable bald captain fell to the ground clutching his right arm. His right arm started rapidly shriveling and turning black, spreading toward his shoulder.


    If left alone, the dehydration effect would spread through his whole body and kill him. But I had to admit the bald captain was tough - he used tremendous strength to tear off his whole right arm at the shoulder, without making a single sound.


    "Captain! Are you okay?"


    Reider, still fighting Adrian, somehow had time to show concern. But the next second, he got hit in the head by an explosive arrow because he was distracted. He just got a bloody head wound though - guess his skull was pretty hard too.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 43: Clone

    "It''s not a big deal, worry about yourself first. I only lost an arm temporarily!"


    The bald man with sunglasses didn''t seem to have the ability to regrow his arm, which made me feel relieved. I thought he would back off after getting hurt, but he just quickly treated his wound, then looked at me calmly and said:


    "So this is the power of Water Angel? It really touches the legendary realm of gods. But maybe I just need to be more careful and dodge your sword attacks?"


    Actually, his punch affected me quite a bit too. Even though I used healing magic right away, my left shoulder still feels numb. I couldn''t help but ask in confusion:


    "You''re seriously injured now. Can you still fight with just your left hand?"


    After all, he wasn''t my target for this mission. I was at a disadvantage earlier because he was attacking with both hands. But now the threat level has dropped by half, and he doesn''t seem to know any magic. I don''t think he can handle Water Abyss Sword anymore.


    "I admit you''re as formidable as the records say, but as the captain of the Horizon Tide Team, I haven''t used my full power yet! Anyway, before I meet a real god, I won''t give up easily!"


    Even at this point, the bald man still looked ready to keep fighting. Although he couldn''t fly, he could still quickly get close to me by using the surrounding cliff walls as stepping stones.


    "God?"


    When he mentioned this word, I couldn''t help but think of a mysterious race I met before.


    In my experience, the only ones who could truly be considered gods were those "Holy Ones." But they didn''t seem to think of themselves as gods. They rarely showed themselves, and except for angels who could sometimes communicate with them through light elements, other races rarely heard about their existence.


    Could these System carriers know about the "Holy Ones" too? But there was no chance to confirm it because the bald man was already jumping close again.


    " Our target wasn''t even you, it was Reider! Why do you have to keep getting in our way!"


    Since this was our first meeting and we had no real grudge, I really couldn''t understand why this guy was rushing to get himself killed. I could only guess he was trying to keep me busy so I couldn''t help Adrian fight Reider.


    Even though he only had one arm left, I still didn''t dare underestimate him, so I quickly flew back into the air.


    But then something amazing happened - as the bald man jumped toward me with his fist raised, a figure separated from his body, and the situation turned into "two people" attacking me!


    This figure looked very similar to the bald man, but with one difference - his "entire body" had an unnatural deep purple color, making it easy to tell apart from the original.


    At first I thought this might be some kind of illusion trick, but the purple figure suddenly accelerated, and reached me first.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Is this some kind of clone?"


    I''d never seen such a bizarre fighting style before, but then again, maybe it wasn''t so strange coming from a System carrier?


    To be honest, this clone''s strength was a bit weaker than the original. Otherwise, that hit should have sent me crashing straight into the ground instead of just dropping a few meters before I stabilized myself in the air.


    "You can see it?"


    The bald man with sunglasses seemed surprised at first, as if other people shouldn''t be able to see his clone. Then he landed and "kindly" corrected me: "This isn''t a clone, it''s a Stand! I just learned it recently. If I wasn''t in such an embarrassing situation, I wouldn''t use it now!"


    This Stand made my situation much more difficult again. It had all four limbs intact and could even fly, completely making up for its weaker strength.


    I''m not sure if this Stand was completely controlled by the original or had some independence, but either way, they worked together perfectly! In the following battle, they could pull off weird moves like double jumps and 90-degree turns in mid-air. The most annoying part was that the Stand wasn''t affected by Water Abyss Sword''s dehydration effect! With it blocking attacks in front and the original throwing heavy punches from behind, the advantage I had just gained completely disappeared.


    Two fists can''t fight four hands... well, three hands! Anyway, I eventually felt overwhelmed and could only keep flying around.


    "Feliciana, how are you doing? How can he fly? And why does he seem even stronger after losing an arm?"


    There was such a big purple Stand chasing and hitting me, but Adrian couldn''t see it?


    "I''m not dead yet!"


    Unfortunately, I had no time to explain. But thanks to the Stand''s flying speed being slightly slower than mine, I could hold out for a while even at a disadvantage.


    Luckily, the battle with Reider below was coming to an end.


    First, Reider seemed to be running out of "qi" and rarely used moves like shockwaves anymore. But he seemed to know Adrian''s weakness in close combat, so he kept moving around and trying to fight hand-to-hand with weapons.


    But on Adrian''s side, he still had a "Golden Gatling" left - that''s a powerful weapon that even Camille had to avoid! How could Reider get close?


    The Golden Gatling had never failed except against Nicola! Suddenly caught in dense bullet rain, Reider was completely panicked, could only dodge around, and started cursing.


    He might be able to endure normal bullets for a while, but with the Gatling enhanced with "Explosion" Battle Qi, even one hit would leave him a bloody mess.


    "Captain, I''m coming to help!"


    Seeing that he really couldn''t handle the Gatling''s super dense bullet rain, this guy desperately jumped into the air toward me. His intention was obvious! Since he couldn''t win, he thought of using me as a shield, and this move really worked.


    Adrian was shooting happily but when he saw me suddenly appear in his line of fire, he quickly lowered his gun and didn''t dare shoot. The result was that Reider fought dirty, attacking me together with the bald man from two directions.


    There was nothing Adrian could do since he couldn''t fly. He could only watch anxiously from below, trying to shoot arrows to interfere, but it didn''t help much.


    "In that case, don''t blame me for getting serious!"


    Finally pushed to my limit, I made up my mind, gritted my teeth, turned around and rushed down, quickly returning to Adrian''s side.


    As I expected, the two enemies and the Stand soon landed too, but they didn''t dare advance when they saw the Gatling gun aimed at them.


    "As long as the captain is here, we won''t lose even if both of you attack together!"


    Seeing this, Reider thought I wanted to team up with Adrian. Then he took out a bean from somewhere and handed it to his captain, warning: "That kid with the Gatling is really tough to deal with. To be safe, you better recover first!"


    "You still have some left after all these years?"


    Even at this point, the bald man with sunglasses couldn''t help asking in surprise as he took the bean and swallowed it. The next moment, his severed right arm instantly recovered.


    "What is that thing?"


    Adrian hadn''t read that manga, so naturally he found this scene amazing. Although I was mentally prepared, I was still surprised - because when the captain ate the bean, I could sense very rich water element energy coming from his body. This was the first time proving that things from manga had some connection to elements!


    But now wasn''t the time to worry about these things. After all, the bald man back at full strength couldn''t be handled with normal methods. To turn the situation around, I had to use my final trump card, so I very seriously said to Adrian:


    "Get behind me!"

 Vol 6/ Chapter 44: Lost Paradise Annihilation Wave

    "...You''re planning to use that move?"


    Adrian was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood what I meant. But even as he moved behind me as told, he was still worried, "Will it work? Didn''t you say it still isn''t ready?"


    "It should be fine... probably!"


    I answered absent-mindedly, though I couldn''t help feeling a bit nervous inside.


    After Nicola recently forced me to overuse Reality Authority twice, I noticed my tolerance for the side effects seemed to have improved somewhat. If I wasn''t wrong, maybe some of the magic and moves I''d only imagined before could actually be used now!


    "What are you two talking about? Don''t tell me you''re hiding some power? Impossible..."


    The bald man with sunglasses, who was testing his new right arm, sensed something was wrong when he heard us talking. He quietly gave Reider a hand signal. Without another word, they both charged at me.


    "Heh, ever heard of a palm that comes from the sky?"


    But they were too late. I was already prepared, raising my finger to the sky, then swinging it down hard¡ª


    As I finished speaking, a bright blue light appeared overhead, instantly turning into a huge light pillar several meters wide that rushed down, immediately engulfing both of them.


    At first glance, this looked a lot like the "Lost Paradise Shock Wave" I''d used many times before, but it was actually something I''d been slowly developing since awakening my blue wings. By using the principles of " Lost Paradise Shock Wave" but replacing light elements with water elements, and adding in the reality control ability I''d mastered later, I created a completely new technique - "Lost Paradise Annihilation Wave"!


    Of course, I came up with the name myself, but its effects were totally different from "Lost Paradise Shock Wave" which only worked against monsters. "Lost Paradise Annihilation Wave" was a real killing move.


    "Did you get them?"


    Adrian could hardly believe it. After the light pillar disappeared, he walked forward and looked down at the bottomless hole that had appeared in the ground, and couldn''t help exclaiming, "Looks like you really did it!"


    Actually, this deep hole formed similarly to Star Glory Knight Meredith''s self-destruction. In theory, anything touched by the light pillar, whether monster or object, would be directly erased from reality, leaving absolutely no trace of its existence.


    "It still needs a bit more of work..."


    But I shook my head and sighed. Leaving aside the side effects of using this move, just the actual area of the annihilation effect was much smaller than I''d planned! Not to mention the time needed to gather elements was a bit too long, which might give enemies a chance to counter.


    "So did we actually eliminate those two..."


    Seeing I didn''t look too good, Adrian quickly turned and came to help me up, but his question stopped halfway.


    Because he also noticed something wrong. Looking up, at the top of the cave behind us, through the round "skylight" newly created by the annihilation wave, there was actually a transparent sphere floating there, with three figures vaguely visible inside.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Soon after, that transparent sphere lowered its height and stopped in mid-air. Looking carefully, two of them were the bald man with sunglasses and Reider, while the third one in the middle was Mamos, the blonde girl we''d seen before.


    "What were you guys thinking? That was way too close! If I''d been just a bit slower there would have been big trouble!"


    As expected earlier, she hadn''t died in Meredith''s self-destruction! Right now Mamos seemed to be complaining to the two beside her. It looked like this sphere-like barrier was also created by her.


    "How is this possible!"


    But the key question was, what kind of barrier could withstand the power of "Lost Paradise Annihilation Wave"? I couldn''t help blurting out in surprise, but quickly noticed that there were signs of light distortion around the sphere.


    Could it be...


    When I thought of this I picked up a small stone and threw it at them.


    Just as expected! The moment the stone was about to touch the edge of the barrier, it mysteriously disappeared, then the next second quickly flew out from the other side, as if it had skipped the flying process inside the barrier.


    "What''s going on? Are these all illusions?"


    Adrian was completely confused, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.


    "They shouldn''t be illusions, it seems more like something on the spatial level..."


    I corrected thoughtfully. Although this barrier looked weird on the surface, you could still find certain patterns and principles in it.


    I remembered seeing this kind of thing in many sci-fi novels - it was a purely theoretical barrier that warped the continuity of surrounding space. This also explained how they survived the "Lost Paradise Annihilation Wave" - they were never actually hit!


    "As expected of someone who crossed over from Earth, you saw through the mystery right away!"


    My guess was confirmed by Mamos, but this time they didn''t continue attacking us. Instead, Mamos apologized to me:


    "We really caused too much trouble earlier, the captain was too rash,  ignoring my advice! If I hadn''t arrived at the last critical moment, they would have already died by your hand."


    "What? I was also anxious to retreat, but they kept blocking the way..."


    Hearing this, the bald man with sunglasses immediately dropped his tough muscle and called out quite grievously. But seeing Mamos glaring at him with an annoyed look, he instantly deflated like a punctured balloon and rubbed his shining head, changing his tune: "Fine! We did lose the fight, and I was somewhat driven by competitiveness! Anyway, thanks to your space skill. I''ll be more careful next time!"


    "So what exactly do you want?"


    I couldn''t hold back anymore and cut in loudly, while quickly changing my wings back to white wing state.


    Although they seemed to be showing a desire to clear up misunderstandings, Mamos was probably also involved in the earlier attack that controlled Nicola and rescued the man with gold necklace. So even though she was showing goodwill now, I didn''t dare let my guard down.


    "Don''t worry! We never meant to be your enemies from start, it was just to save and protect ourselves! If possible, we could even cooperate..."


    Seeing the situation, the bald man with sunglasses restated their thoughts again. But Mamos interrupted him:


    "About our background, with your insight you probably already have a rough understanding. But even so, due to various restrictions, we can''t explain to you here. Moreover, there''s an even bigger crisis waiting for us, so for now we have one request - please be merciful and let Reider go! After all, he''s a very important member of our team."


    Was this asking for mercy? Seeing their attitude seemed quite sincere, and also not having found an effective way to break through that barrier yet, I felt somewhat hesitant. However, Adrian still had many doubts, staring at Reider while reminding me:


    "Don''t forget this guy is the main culprit who threw the whole empire into chaos, and this civil war was also triggered by his stubbornness! As long as they still have designs on the empire, the aftermath of this incident won''t easily end!"


    "You don''t need to worry about that at all!"


    Hearing this, the bald man with sunglasses immediately guaranteed: "The capital was already taken by the rebels not long ago, Mamos saw it herself! So there''s no meaning for us to stay here anymore. We''ll give up on the Ilandra Dominion Empire. As captain, I can promise that from now on, no one in our team including Reider will ever interfere with the empire''s situation again!"


    Actually, they had nothing to fear! Even if we didn''t agree, there was nothing we could do to them.


    "Anyway, this conflict was all due to misunderstanding, and I believe we''ll meet again soon!"


    After saying all this, Mamos waved goodbye very friendlily. The entire barrier along with the three people inside instantly vanished from before our eyes.

 Vol 6/ Chapter 45: Pressing Questions

    "Another teleportation!" Adrian complained, unable to hide his frustration.


    Then he turned to look at me worriedly and asked, "What should we do? Do you really think we can trust them?"


    "We don''t have much choice. All we can do is hope they keep their promise not to interfere with the Empire anymore!" I shrugged. To be honest, if we chose to fight instead, it would have been quite dangerous. Never mind whether Adrian and I could handle fighting against three people - just Mamos''s mind control were enough to make me worried.


    But thinking about it another way, since they chose to retreat even when they had the upper hand, could this mean they were actually showing some sincerity?


    Anyway, this mission could be considered somewhat completed. Although we didn''t actually kill Reider himself, the end result was probably close to what we expected.


    Also, the rebel army led by various lords should have occupied the Imperial capital by now. As for what direction things would develop next, that wasn''t something we needed to worry too much about.


    "We better not stay here too long. After all, this villa isn''t very far from the Imperial capital. If the rebel army''s control has already extended to this area, we might cause some misunderstanding if their soldiers find us!"


    After searching the surrounding buildings one more time to make sure no other enemies were hiding around, we were about to leave when Nicola suddenly appeared behind us, looking quite upset.


    "So I still came too late? How did you let them get away? What happened?"


    After hearing our description of what happened earlier, Nicola sighed with frustration and complained about how we couldn''t stop these System carriers.


    "Why don''t you try it yourself! Aren''t you supposed to be able to control time? Go ahead and redo everything!"


    Seeing that she still hadn''t fixed her arrogant attitude, I rolled my eyes and snapped back at her.


    The reason Nicola only found this place now was obviously because she didn''t know the way. However, I realized that if she had arrived in time, things might have turned out differently.


    "It''s not that easy! I''ve explained so many times. Without an observer nearby, it doesn''t matter how many times I try to go back, it won''t work!"


    To my surprise, Nicola brought up her same old explanation again, saying that even if she activated time reversal, she couldn''t change the final result of being late. Moreover, even if she did use an observer to change the past, that would only create a new parallel world, completely separate from our current one - in other words, there was nothing she could do about it.


    "Didn''t you go after that guy called Hanno? Did you catch him?"


    Since the outcome couldn''t be changed, Adrian changed the subject and asked thoughtfully. After all, Nicola had separated from us in the beginning because she insisted on going after that System carrier. And her pursuit of Hanno wasn''t just for revenge - she was also looking for that book, "Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation." However, seeing her empty-handed now, it seemed things didn''t go very smoothly?


    "Of course I caught him. How could I possibly fail!"You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Hearing this question, Nicola immediately raised her head proudly. But the good mood didn''t last long, as she deflated a bit and added, "But the book wasn''t with him. I interrogated him for quite a while before that Hanno guy finally told me some truth. Unfortunately, he wasn''t very familiar with the story either, but the book was indeed kept with him for some time. However, after being attacked by church knights, he returned it to their team leader for safety."


    Based on speculation, "Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation" must be quite valuable for System carriers. The team leader should be the captain or Mamos who we just fought with. The important target had come full circle back to these guys.


    "Then what about Hanno?"


    Adrian couldn''t help but ask curiously. Even if we couldn''t stop the high-ranking members now, just catching a foot soldier would still be quite valuable - we might be able to get a lot of  information out of him.


    However, Nicola regretfully told us that she had killed Hanno! Hanno got desperate after being questioned so much, and he claimed some system limitations that Nicola wouldn''t believe. So when she wasn''t paying attention, he tried to escape.


    Unfortunately, he was caught again.


    Since she really couldn''t get anything else out of him, to prevent similar trouble from happening again, Nicola simply decided to kill Hanno. However, something strange happened after he died - a cross-shaped object floated up from his body, glowing, and then disappeared from her sight along with Hanno''s corpse.


    "Could it be some kind of revival item?"


    That cross somehow sounded familiar, and I couldn''t help but ponder. Adrian also seemed to notice something from this, and asked Nicola: "Did you use your time reversal ability to catch Hanno? Why did your power work at that time? If you haven''t been lying all along, there''s only one possibility that makes sense!"


    "...That''s right! That Hanno was like you - he was also an Observer (Fate Breaker)!"


    After a brief silence, Nicola admitted his guess.


    "Another Observer (Fate Breaker)? Are you sure?"


    I couldn''t help but feel surprised and doubtful. Observers (Fate Breakers) were extremely rare among humans - finding Adrian alone was basically an unexpected gain. Theoretically, it would be very difficult to find a second one! Not to mention two observers appearing at almost the same time and place.


    However, as a Wind Angel who controlled time Authority, it wasn''t too difficult for Nicola to discover an Observer (Fate Breaker)''s traces in the flow of time. Moreover, considering that Hanno wasn''t actually a human from this world, but rather an outsider System carrier, this conclusion didn''t seem too contrary to common sense.


    "What if there''s some kind of connection between System carriers and Observers (Fate Breakers)?"


    Adrian seemed to notice a blind spot we had been ignoring all along - this was quite an interesting angle. But Nicola didn''t seem to care much about it. After all, she was still more concerned about the future development of the other world.


    "I won''t be going with you. You guys head back to Norvale first. I''m planning to go to the holy city of Jethrobaines!"


    She seemed to have made up her mind long ago. After giving us these instructions, she jumped up into the air and turned to fly toward the cave exit.


    "Wait!"


    Her departure caught Adrian and me off guard. In the past, I might not have bothered to stop her - more so because I couldn''t stop her anyway. But thinking about Nicola''s strange behaviors lately, I quickly turned to Adrian and told him to wait here, then rushed after Nicola.


    "Are you going to ask why I''m going to the holy city?"


    Seemingly already aware of my intentions, Nicola stopped to wait for me to catch up. Then, without hiding anything, she explained the reason.


    It turned out that under her harsh questioning, Hanno had also revealed some other important information. For example, there seems to be more than one System teams that entered our world, and some other information obtained from the mind-controlled Star Glory knight Dylan.


    According to him, the current Pope had once told his subordinates that there might be a major secret hidden under the Pope''s palace in the center of the holy city, related to this world''s origins!


    This undoubtedly aroused great interest among the System carriers led by Mamos, so naturally, it could be concluded that they would very likely go to the holy city.


    "But... the problems don''t end there!"


    However, these contents didn''t seem like the key point to me. Looking straight into her eyes, I asked ruthlessly, "Why are you so determined to chase after them? Is it really necessary to figure out what''s written in that book?"


    "..."


    This seemed to hit a sensitive topic, as Nicola suddenly looked a bit awkward but didn''t say anything more.


    "Anyway, Adrian isn''t here right now, so you don''t need to worry! Did something else happen between you and the Adrian from the other world?"


    This question had been held back for a long time, and I blurted it out without thinking.

 Vol 6/Chapter 46: The Unchangeable Fate

    Chapter 46: The Unchangeable Fate


    "It''s not that complicated..." Nicola''s face turned red as she tried to deny it. But seeing me disbelieving, she could only shrug and pretend not to care as she explained.


    "Fine, there was a bit more story. When we first tried to rescue Michelle, we faced many problems. Even with help from the floating city and the angels, it was really hard to break through the defenses set up by those ''Spring'' followers. In the end, we had to resort to some special methods..."


    These special methods involved using time reversal to find weak spots in the enemy''s headquarters at Lyenatibaines. This city, which existed in the same location as the holy city of Jethrobaines but in another world, had become the power center of the Ancient God Religion''s Lumina Sanctum. They say Michelle was taken there after being kidnapped.


    The trickiest part was that even though "Spring" hadn''t truly arrived yet, all of Lyenatibaines was already under special protection. Looking for a secret prisoner in enemy territory was never going to be easy. Even someone as powerful as Galadra could only roughly guess that the target was somewhere underground in the city center through her space-viewing abilities.


    "The only way was for me to sneak deep into Lyenatibaines, find exactly where Michelle was being held, and then plan the rescue operation for our main forces!"


    Though she made it sound easy, I knew how difficult Nicola''s mission must have been.


    Indeed, she was chosen for this task precisely because Wind Angel could reverse time almost unlimited times, allowing her to find the right path through countless tries - but only with Adrian the Fate Breaker by her side.


    "...I lost count of how many times we had to go back. Though it seemed like just a few hours passed that night, Adrian and I might have spent several years in Lyenatibaines! That''s when I started to understand what you went through at the ''Dona'' Strategic Research Institute."


    I almost didn''t recognize what she meant by the ''Dona'' Strategic Research Institute at first, but then remembered it was where Adrian and I had accidentally entered the time-looping testing space.


    The rest of the story was predictable - even the strongest enemies couldn''t stand against the time-reversing power backed by a Fate Breaker. They finally found where Michelle was being held and successfully rescued her. Michelle would later be crucial in reviving Feliciara.


    This was an unprecedented achievement in that world. Everyone praised them as the perfect pair, saying their combination was practically invincible, even against "Spring."


    As for whether Nicola and Adrian developed any feelings for each other during their long time together, she didn''t say.


    Then came a crucial turning point right after the rescue! The formation to revive Feliciara needed to be guarded. Since Nicora''s angel clan in the other world had suffered heavy losses, Nicola decided to have Adrian pilot the floating city to guard the revival formation, using Lantine Oasis''s remaining Divine Punishment reserves.


    But flush from their big victory, she overlooked something - she never expected that after their impressive mission, "Spring," watching from another space, had noticed their time-reversal trick of repeatedly entering and leaving Lyenatibaines.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    A plan specifically targeting them was put into action when Adrian returned alone to the new Parristol.


    Following their supreme god''s guidance, the Ancient God Religion followers gathered several high-level magicians to attack the slowly moving new Parristol with forbidden spells. They sacrificed several advanced magicians , destroying the entire sky city with lightning speed, deliberately giving up this ancient relic that was almost in their grasp!


    Of course, their real target was Adrian, the controller of Lantine Oasis. Killing this isolated Fate Breaker was their quickest way to break Nicola''s time abilities!


    But when Nicola learned this terrible news, more than ten minutes had already passed since they separated. This was clearly calculated, far beyond the time limit she could reverse.


    "Spring" obviously knew this well - without the Fate Breaker''s interference, she alone couldn''t change any established facts by reversing time! But Nicola, like me now, had some hope at first. After all, the incident wasn''t too far from where she was. Though she couldn''t go back to when she last saw Adrian, she thought she could still go back a few minutes before Adrian''s death to stop the enemy''s  attack.


    But this time, the merciless convergence of world lines made her taste despair countless times - no matter how hard she tried, even if she killed every Ancient God Religion follower she could see, strange accidents kept happening. Sometimes enemy reinforcements would suddenly appear from unknown directions; sometimes a stray fireball spell would hit Lantine Oasis''s core area, causing the whole city to explode; when she asked Galadra to teleport her directly into the floating city, the teleport would mysteriously fail and send her to other parts of the continent; there were even more ridiculous incidents like the floating city being struck by over ten bolts of lightning. It was as if the whole world couldn''t tolerate Adrian''s existence anymore. Nicola never even got a chance to approach Lantine Oasis - every attempt ended in failure, and the ten-minute limit on time reversal meant she couldn''t seek more help.


    That''s when she truly understood what her future self had meant when she traveled back in time.


    "Everything happening here is already destined. Only observers can give us other possibilities! My observer has completely gone in another world, and in this world, Adrian is destined to be yours. I won''t compete with you for him, nor will I make extra demands like before! I keep pursuing the ending of another world... just to try to resolve a regret in my heart. What I''m doing now is still trying to protect this world we worked so hard to preserve... and you, just like another me did in her world!"


    Though this didn''t happen in this world, I could see Nicola had been through much more than I first imagined. As she finished speaking, her eyes seemed to shine strangely. She gently touched my cheek, then  flew away without looking back.


    "Nicora is the main character in the other world! You''re not necessarily that here, so be more careful!" I couldn''t help calling out to warn her. This time, I finally didn''t mind her leaving the team on her own. And maybe it wasn''t just my imagination, but for a moment I seemed to sense something strange about Nicola, like she reminded me of Liana whom I''d only met in dreams.


    ...


    "So what should we do next?"


    When I returned to Adrian''s side, seeing I was alone, he immediately understood that Nicola had gone off on her own again.


    "Of course we''re going back to Norvale, but before that, we need to meet up with Cyrae in the imperial capital!"


    Though I couldn''t talk about what happened between Nicola and the other world''s Adrian, I had already decided what to do next. After all, my relationship with Adrian was heading toward a direct confession to Edenmere, which I was actually quite looking forward to in a way.


    Leaving this place was simple now. I carried Adrian and flew straight out of the cave toward the imperial capital. Soon we found many rebel force around the entrance of the royal villa - they had indeed found this place.


    When we reached Kyndrill again, the fighting had basically stopped, and that incredibly strong city barrier had vanished without a trace. After all, former Emperor Reider had been confirmed missing again, and the remaining garrison troops, now leaderless, naturally couldn''t put up any resistance.

 Vol 6/Chapter 47: Another Avatar

    "At this time, Cyrae should be with those rebel lords, right?"


    I initially thought that since we''d helped the rebels win the siege, Cyrae as a six-winged angel shouldn''t be hard to find - we could probably just ask around.


    "It''s we fighting hard to capture Kyndrill - what''s it got to do with you angels? And if you''re looking for angels, aren''t you one yourself? We haven''t seen any angels helping us!"


    After landing and asking some rebel soldiers in the city, I found they weren''t very welcoming of my appearance as an angel.


    From what they said, there had been some mysterious explosions that weakened the barrier, but no one had come forward to claim responsibility.


    So the rebel leaders had simply declared it heaven''s will, saying: Reider''s actions had been against divine law! It was heaven''s doing that made the city''s barrier resources run out at just the right time.


    "Strange, where did Cyrae go?"


    After discussing it with Adrian, I was quite sure those mysterious explosions must have been Cyrae''s doing. But now that everything was over, we couldn''t find any trace of her, which made me quite anxious.


    "Don''t worry about that - my main body left a message for me to pass on to you. She''s near the palace now, watching the rebel leaders. You should be able to find her if you go there."


    Suddenly a voice came from the end of the alley behind us. When we turned around, we saw an unfamiliar rebel soldier walking towards us from around the corner.


    "Who are you? What do you mean?"


    Adrian frowned, asking cautiously. We figured this person must have followed us after seeing us descend from the sky. But they clearly weren''t just a simple messenger - common people usually feared angels appearing suddenly. Something was clearly off.


    "Main body ?"


    The way they referred to Cyrae caught my attention!


    If I remembered correctly, Cyrae had invented an amazing avatar magic on Earth. She could separate part of her soul into an independent personality and give it a body to act as her helper. Cylaren, the Horayze Medical president whom I''d met with Cyra on Earth, was one example.


    "So you''re saying you''re Cyrae''s new avatar?"


    After careful examination, I confirmed this soldier''s body was indeed made of thin light elements.


    But I found it strange - with the portal between worlds closed, Cyrae should have lost connection with her avatar. Never mind Cylaren who stayed on Earth helping Cyra would eventually fade away, how could Cyrae, having lost part of her soul, have the energy to create a new avatar here right away?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "I''m not newly created - I was actually one of the original two avatars from decades ago!"


    The soldier chuckled and shook their head to correct me.


    "Two avatars?"


    Adrian had only heard me mention one, and couldn''t hide his surprise. Only then did I vaguely remember that Cylaren had indeed mentioned Cyrae had sent someone to Eldoria Continent, apparently through official channels.


    "Could you be... that expert who claimed monsters carried an otherworldly virus, and used holy water pretending it was special medicine to cure the whole base?"


    Suddenly it clicked, and I connected all the unsolved mysteries from back then. But their face looked too young, quite different from what I knew.


    "So you knew about all that!"


    But they openly admitted to my guess without hesitation, as strange ripples appeared on their body, transforming them into an elderly woman.


    "I know that face! It''s Amber Shu, the biologist who was often on TV news on Earth! But after communication between worlds resumed, declassified documents showed she went to the other world to investigate and unfortunately disappeared after a monster ambush!"


    Adrian blurted out upon seeing their face. Since their body was purely magical, changing appearance was normal. Of course, this could also help deceive others and hide their identity.


    "That attack actually did happen, but those low-level monsters wouldn''t dare touch me. So when my bodyguards were knocked unconscious by the monsters, I left alone to avoid the H-country soldiers, and went deeper into this world."


    The elderly Amber Shu explained with a smile. She was Cyrae''s avatar specializing in medicine, also employed by Horayze Medical. Being invited to solve the dark element crisis at the H-country base and later proposing to investigate this world were all part of her Main body ''s reconnaissance mission. She left mainly because the H-country military''s security was too strict.


    Initially, she planned to return to Earth with some excuse after understanding this world''s situation. But then Cyrae came to this world too. So she transformed into a low-ranking soldier of the Empire.


    "With the conditions here unlike Earth, you must have passed as a light mage?"


    As an avatar, they could manage some basic light magic, though not very powerful. But as one of the rare human light mage, their position was enough to ensure basic safety.


    "My name in this world is Kaius, and I''m male!"


    The avatar smiled, then returned to their initial appearance and introduced their newest identity, before urging us to meet with Cyrae. "The main body hasn''t found your companions in the palace, so she guessed you might not be in the city anymore. Since she''s new to this world, she doesn''t want to attract too much attention. So after destroying the city barrier, she''s kept a low profile, and asked me to watch out in case you returned and couldn''t find her!"


    "Who would''ve thought the other world''s Cyra was so capable! A true hidden expert. Were they really the same person once?"


    Adrian seemed very interested in these unexpected avatars, but they didn''t want to chat more with us. After delivering Cyrae''s message, they left first, saying they''d been gone too long and might make other rebels suspicious.


    "She has some of Elara''s memories, plus years of research and experiences. I believe given enough time, even our world''s Cyra could accomplish great things on Earth!"


    Somehow, my view of Cyra had completely changed from dismissal to confidence.


    After saying goodbye to the avatar, Adrian and I rushed to the Kyndrill palace. As expected, we soon sensed the light elements coming from Cyrae.


    "She seems to be in the main hall?"


    I couldn''t help but find it strange as I looked toward the center of the palace. That place was supposedly where the emperor received foreign envoys and held ceremonial banquets. I''d checked before the city fell and found no one there, but now it should be under rebel control, with all the lords gathered there.


    Hadn''t Kaius said Cyrae was keeping a low profile and avoiding appearing before the rebels? Why was she with them now?

 Vol 6/ Chapter 48: The Envoys

    "She''s hiding outside the building again?"


    Wait, why did I say ''again''? But true enough, after we found where Cyrae was, we discovered she wasn''t properly inside the palace. Instead, like us before, she was hiding outside the roof skylight, trying to listen to what was happening inside the building.


    "What''s going on here?"


    Adrian was also confused seeing this. Reider had already lost, so why was she still sneaking around like this? Cyrae''s actions were really puzzling.


    "You''re back!"


    Cyrae didn''t seem surprised by our appearance. She waved at us while gesturing for us to land beside her.


    "What''s happening? There are soldiers almost everywhere - aren''t you afraid of being discovered?"


    As soon as I landed, I quickly folded my wings and warned her. The current situation was very different from our first time here. Back then, Reider was extremely short on manpower and this palace was just for show, there weren''t any light magicians nearby who could sense our presence. But things were different now that the rebels had taken the city. Although their mages were still only at the lowest level with weak element sensing abilities, there was still a chance of being discovered. If that happened, we probably couldn''t talk our way out.


    "You''ll understand when you see for yourself! Not long after the city fell, some strange people appeared from the adventurer guild''s transfer formation in the imperial capital. They said they were envoys from the True Church, coming to visit the rebel s. But I felt something wasn''t quite right, so I followed them here."


    Sure enough, Cyrae hadn''t done this without reason. She pointed downward, and following her direction, we could see several figures standing inside the palace below.


    This great hall in the center of the Kyndrill imperial palace had several transparent skylights in the roof for lighting, so it was easy to see what was happening inside just by looking down from the roof.


    "Isn''t it just them having a meeting to celebrate their victory?"


    I didn''t pay much attention at first. Though almost all the rebel leaders were gathered inside, seemingly discussing something important with the visitors, I suddenly noticed something strange about one of the bald envoys'' clothes.


    No! More accurately, they looked oddly familiar, because this guy looked exactly like a Buddhist monk!


    "No way? Does this world really have Amitabha Buddhism?"


    I asked in surprise. After all, there had never been any concept of Amitabha Buddhism spreading on the Eldoria Continent. Even in the easternmost countries of the continent that shared similar culture with Earth, nothing like this had ever existed!


    Of course, the root cause of this situation had to be traced back to the True Church. Perhaps similar religions existed hundreds or thousands of years ago, but ever since the True Church''s previous Pope Cysper forcefully unified all religious beliefs on the continent, other religions had barely any room to survive.


    Come to think of it, the True Church''s way of doing things had always been quite strange. Although they never forced humans to follow their god, they never held back in suppressing other religions. Especially those with similar light element worship - they were all considered cults and would be mercilessly eliminated as soon as they showed up!


    Because of this, when I saw someone wearing a kasaya and holding a vajra appear before my eyes, you can imagine how strange it felt, especially since they claimed to be True Church envoys, which made even less sense.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "At least there''s definitely nothing like this in what I know!"


    After searching through all memories including those left by Elara, Cyrae shook her head firmly in denial, but quickly thought of another possibility. "But could these two guys possibly be those ''System'' carriers you mentioned before?"


    "But shouldn''t they be on Reider''s side? How did they end up working with the True Church and rebels?"


    Adrian blurted out immediately, but I remembered the clue Nicola revealed before leaving - apparently there was more than one "System" team that had entered our world?


    If my guess wasn''t wrong, different teams might hold different or even opposing positions, which wasn''t completely unreasonable.


    However, I still couldn''t quite understand why "System" carriers would be willing to work for the True Church. After all, judging from the performance of that muscular captain and Mamos, the strength of "System" teams were quite impressive, not inferior to any single force in this world, and maybe even superior!


    "What do you mean by that? Your church''s Star Glory knights have always been known for their strong fighting skills. I''m afraid we don''t have anyone who can match them?"


    But just as I was lost in thought, the conversation below seemed to take an unexpected turn. A high-ranking official in the rebel camp, wearing heavy armor, raised his voice and questioned one of the envoys somewhat unhappily.


    One of the envoys dressed like a priest in the group couldn''t hold back and quietly suggested that the rebels might have killed the church''s knights.


    "If you hadn''t mentioned it, we really didn''t know beforehand that Reider was hiding in the royal villa! Although we did sign an assistance agreement with your church, your promised troops never arrived, and we had already successfully captured the imperial capital while they were still on the way! If we must investigate this matter, perhaps we should ask why you knew about Reider''s whereabouts in advance but chose not to tell us, which delayed the rescue of the two knights?"


    Another rebel commander spoke more politely but his words carried hidden meaning.


    "That''s ridiculous! Not to mention anything else, just your army''s pathetic strength probably wouldn''t have been enough!"


    These words were spoken righteously and justly, but unexpectedly drew mockery from the bald envoy dressed in Buddhist attire.


    Although he was wearing a kasaya, this guy''s words had absolutely no trace of Buddhist teachings. It was only then that I noticed his clothes were actually dark yellow overall, seemingly belonging to an eastern branch sect.


    "We can''t say that! After all, the purpose of this visit is to ask if the rebels knows anything about the whereabouts of several Star Glory knights. From the looks of it, they more likely met with misfortune due to a direct confrontation with Reider at the villa. Perhaps we need to investigate the scene to reach a conclusion!"


    Seeing the rebel lords'' faces showing some embarrassment, another envoy covered in a robe quickly raised his hand to signal his companion not to speak so harshly, but actually made no attempt to clarify anything.


    "There''s no need for such trouble! Even before you arrived, we had already sent an elite unit to investigate Sebastian family''s villa. We should get results soon!"


    The rebel leaders seemed to want to save some face by showing their quick decision-making, but the church envoys didn''t want to bother with them. Seeing they couldn''t get any useful information, they simply waved goodbye and turned to leave the palace hall.


    "What should we do? Should we follow them?"


    Seeing them walk away, Cyrae immediately gave me a look. After all, if those two really had "System" as suspected, wouldn''t this be like finding what we wanted without even trying?


    But although Nicola had always been persistent in tracking "System" carriers, after dealing with Reider, Adrian and I didn''t seem to have much motivation to keep chasing these people anymore. The "System" sounded amazing but still didn''t have much connection with us. Moreover, experience told us these guys usually had some unexpected tricks up their sleeves, so it probably wouldn''t be easy to catch them.


    "...Forget it! The issues involved are complicated, and we''ve actually had some contact with some of them before. Maybe it''s better not to get too involved."


    After thinking for a moment, I chose to ignore them - after all, we weren''t looking for trouble. I reminded Cyrae, "Haven''t you always wanted to meet our world''s Elara? Why don''t we head to Norvale soon? She won''t stay long in the Astralrealm kingdom!"


    "Indeed, there''s no need to cause more trouble at this point!"


    This time Adrian shared my thoughts, nodding in agreement. However, mentioning our next destination Norvale, he suddenly came up with a great idea.


    "Now that the war is over, the adventurer guild''s transfer magic formation in the imperial capital seems to be working again. We can skip all the traveling and just teleport there - wouldn''t that be much easier!"


    I almost forgot! Both Norvale and Kyndrill''s adventurer guilds had transfer networks connecting all major cities. Wasn''t that how those True Church envoys came? Moreover, I had high-ranking adventurer guild member privileges and could bring companions to use it freely, so why not?

 Vol 6/ Chapter 49: Who Am I

    Unfortunately, it was already nighttime.


    When we reached the adventurer guild in the imperial capital, it was already closed. After asking the guild staff nearby, we learned that the inter-city transfer formation had only been test-running after the war. Regular service wouldn''t start until tomorrow.


    I remembered we had arrived here just one day ago. Most of our time was spent looking for Reider and dealing with that confusing maze at the royal villa, plus several battles. But now there was no rush, and everyone was tired anyway, so we just found a nearby inn to rest.


    "...That''s basically what happened. Your world''s classmates and friends finally defeated the big villain ''Spring'' after going through many hardships. They cleared all threats and achieved peace in the end. Even Michelle made up with the other Element Angels and agreed to stop her monster subordinates from invading the continent. By the time the story ended, basically everyone was doing well, and even my other self was revived!"


    Everyone gathered in Cyrae''s room while Adrian and I told her in detail about the story from the other parallel world we learned about. Of course, to avoid unnecessary trouble, we specially left out the part about Adrian''s unfortunate death in that other world.


    "Are you sure it was really my world?"


    At first Cyrae couldn''t help but doubt us. After all, hearing that all this came from a book called "Ethereal Ascendance: A Journal of Transformation", it wasn''t something anyone could easily accept.


    "Of course it''s all true!"


    Although we couldn''t rule out the possibility of different parallel worlds branching out during the story''s development, to comfort her, I confidently guaranteed while patting my chest: "Don''t forget Nicola said she personally went to your world? The book also mentioned the parts about her experience, and they match almost perfectly!"


    Come to think of it, in some sense, wasn''t the Cyrae in front of us like a character who jumped out from the book? Looking at her from another angle suddenly gave me a strange feeling.


    "Indeed, I can find some impression of the name ''Spring'' in Elara''s memories. Although in her memories this god never actually appeared, she always kept some wariness towards the ''Ancient God Religion''..."


    Seeing both Adrian and I vouching so strongly, Cyrae finally had no reason to doubt anymore. After all, now that "System" carriers had appeared, having another mysterious person who could observe the world''s entire development and record it in a book didn''t seem too unacceptable.


    She let out a long breath and showed us a knowing smile while nodding: "In that case, I choose to believe you. It''s wonderful that they''re all safe and sound!"


    This "they" naturally referred to Nicora, Feliciara, and others from the parallel world. Speaking of which, when Cyrae was sent back to Earth by the other Nicora without warning, she had been very worried about her classmates. Although she eventually gave up on trying to go back, now learning that they achieved such great things finally put her mind at ease about this matter.


    "If nothing unexpected happens, you should be able to meet this world''s Elara tomorrow. Don''t forget she''s somewhat different from the Elara in your memories, so make sure you don''t cause any misunderstandings!"


    It was getting late now, and we had finally passed on all the important information. I stretched and stood up, reminding Cyrae while opening the door to leave. Suddenly I heard Adrian say quietly to me:Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Actually, I also have something important to do tomorrow..."


    Though he didn''t say it directly, I immediately understood what he meant - it was about proposing to Elara that he had mentioned before.


    Although proposing didn''t mean getting married right away, it undoubtedly meant the relationship between Adrian and me was taking a substantial step forward. However, the problem was that proposing to the angel race hadn''t always been successful in the past. Thinking about all the possible situations we might face, it was impossible not to feel a bit nervous.


    After a tiring day, the next thing to do was return to my room to sleep. However, when I opened the door, I was surprised to find someone already standing inside. Looking carefully, it turned out to be Cyra Number 18, who had been mysteriously following us to this world several times before!


    "You''re out again..."


    To be honest, after so many encounters, I wasn''t shocked anymore. Instead, this person really gave me a headache! Because every time she would just disappear without warning, barely saying anything useful, and I couldn''t get much useful information from her!


    "Wait, let me call the others to talk with you!"


    I remembered Cyrae next door had the memories of the other world''s Elara, and since both of them should be Cyras from parallel worlds, maybe having her come over would give us better ideas.


    "There''s no one here? Did you see wrong?"


    But most frustratingly, after I dragged Cyrae back to my room, even bringing Adrian along, we found the room completely empty. As expected, Cyra Number 18 had disappeared again.


    "I believe Feliciana didn''t see wrong, but the problem is this person following us probably isn''t just a coincidence. There might be some special reason we don''t know about!"


    Since Adrian had personally seen what seemed to be Cyra Number 18''s "appearance" before, he didn''t doubt my words like Cyrae did. But he still couldn''t figure out the specific reason. Fortunately, we could be almost certain that she didn''t have any bad intentions.


    Adrian could only remind me to watch out for Cyra Number 18 possibly appearing again, then everyone returned to their own rooms to rest.


    "...As expected!"


    Not long after the others left, I felt water elements mysteriously surge behind me, and this mysterious person appeared again like a ghost.


    After several previous attempts, I could be pretty sure she would only appear in front of me alone. Maybe because she didn''t want others to see her, this time I didn''t hurry to leave and find help. Instead, like before, I turned around and tried to stay calm while asking her:


    " Why do you only talk to me? Why not the others?"


    "Because... you''re very similar to me..."


    Maybe she was hesitating about how to answer, but anyway, after a long time, she finally stammered out an answer.


    Come to think of it, she seemed to have said something similar when she appeared before. Afraid she would disappear again the next moment, I immediately asked:


    "Similar? Aren''t you Cyra? No... you should be Cyra from another parallel world! Theoretically you should be more similar to Cyra and Cyrae, so why don''t you follow them?"


    "Cy...ra...?"


    After hearing what I said, Cyra Number 18''s face showed a confused expression. But this time she seemed to understand something and, very rarely, continued to answer:


    "...I''m not... Cyra!"


    "Not Cyra? How is that possible!"


    This was completely puzzling - if she wasn''t Cyra, who else could she be? Putting aside whether she could have changed her appearance through some magic, at least her appearance had definitely been Cyra''s.


    "Then what''s your real identity? Can you tell me your name?"


    Afraid of upsetting her and breaking off the conversation, I continued asking more carefully. No matter what, through our talk I had learned a bit more about this person who seemed to be Cyra Number 18. Today we finally made great progress.


    "My name... yes! Who am I..."


    However, she seemed to completely forget, staring blankly ahead like she had lost her soul.


    "No way, you don''t even know who you are? Did you lose your memory?"


    Just as I couldn''t hold back and asked a third time, Cyra Number 18''s eyes suddenly burst with bright blue light. While looking at me, she reached out one hand and grabbed my arm tightly.


    I remembered the last time we had physical contact, she let me feel her unparalleled water element control ability, which was indeed one significant difference between her and Cyra.


    But this time was completely different. I felt her form suddenly become transparent, and huge amounts of water element like a tide silently surrounded us both.


    Then Cyra Number 18 and I involuntarily started moving closer to each other. Just when we were about to crash together, my mind went blank like a broken film, my vision went dark, and I lost consciousness...

 Vol 6/ Chapter 50: The Lost Day

    "Oh no,  I overslept!"


    I suddenly woke up and opened my eyes, only to find that it was already the next morning. The bright sunlight was shining on my bedside. By now, I should have been heading to the Adventurer''s Guild with Adrian and Cyrae.


    Wait! I sat up and shook my head, suddenly realizing something wasn''t right. When did I go to bed yesterday? And this room...


    My last memory was when I made physical contact with the mysterious Cyra No. 18, and after that, I couldn''t remember anything at all!


    Even more strange was that the room wasn''t the spacious and fancy room at the Kyndrill inn in the imperial capital. At first glance, it was very small and simple, with various clothes and items piled up in the corner, like an ordinary bedroom that hadn''t been used for a long time.


    Of course, the view outside the window had completely changed too. It seemed I was now in a small cabin in a lush forest. I had somehow ended up in a totally different place! Did I travel through space again?


    "How can this be? Where are Adrian and Cyrae?"


    My whole body suddenly shivered as the situation was completely beyond what I expected. I quickly walked out of the room. Sure enough, what I saw was a farmhouse courtyard full of lush green plants.


    "You''re awake! You must have been very tired yesterday. Did you sleep well?"


    Probably hearing my call earlier, a door opposite to mine opened, and Adrian walked out stretching. He greeted me and sat down in the middle of the courtyard to do some exercises while saying, "We should be quite close to the empire''s border now. If everything goes well, we can enter the Kingdom of Astralrealm today and probably reach Norvale tomorrow!"


    "The empire''s border? Weren''t we supposed to use the Adventurer''s Guild''s teleportation circle to go directly?"


    Adrian''s words left me confused, but the fact that I woke up in a completely different place was more important! I couldn''t care about other things and quickly asked, "By the way, where is this place? Weren''t we at the inn in Kyndrill?"


    "Why are you asking this? Don''t you remember?"


    Not surprisingly, my strange questions immediately alerted Adrian. He frowned and looked at me with confusion, examining me up and down for a while. After a good moment, he explained everything. "We''ve been away from Kyndrill for more than a day! The guild''s teleportation circle had a malfunction and dropped us in the middle of nowhere in the central empire. Then we spent a whole day traveling before finding a local family to stay with temporarily."


    I never expected this outcome, and my spine felt cold as I had absolutely no memory of anything Adrian mentioned!


    Moreover, how could the Adventurer''s Guild''s teleportation circle malfunction so easily? This technology had been developed for several hundred years and had always been very reliable. There had never been any reports of people being dropped halfway!


    According to Adrian, when he and Cyrae first encountered this situation, they also found it very incredible. However, I was the only one who remained calm and even said there was no rush, and that we could take this opportunity to appreciate the scenery of the southern continent!This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Are you sure I said that? Appreciate the scenery?"


    This was terrifying! We had already wasted so much time and were in a hurry, how could I possibly have the mood to appreciate the scenery!


    Obviously, this wasn''t another space travel incident! During the time I lost consciousness, someone had secretly taken control of my body while traveling with Adrian for a whole day.


    However, this wasn''t the first time something like this had happened - when Cyra and Cysper accidentally switched bodies before, it was very similar to this. The only difference was that I had no memory of controlling anyone else''s body.


    "Could it be her! That mysterious Cyra No. 18, did she control my body?"


    I suddenly had a flash of insight and blurted out. Since the physical contact with Cyra No. 18 was what triggered this incident, it was natural to think of her.


    "What Cyra? I think I heard you say someone controlled you?"


    Probably attracted by my voice, another door behind me opened, and Cyrae walked out, together with what appeared to be a very elderly person in eighties.


    It turned out Cyrae had woken up even earlier than Adrian and me, but since she had nothing to do early in the morning, she was chatting with the house owner who was almost the same age as her.


    Since the house owner was just an ordinary human, after quickly reassuring the uninvolved person, the three of us closed the door and got together to seriously discuss this issue again.


    "How can this be! Was the person who stayed with us yesterday really not you?"


    As soon as we sat down, Cyrae immediately asked me with disbelief. After all, this was no joking matter. If the person controlling my body had evil intentions, it could possibly lead to everyone being wiped out, or cause some even more terrible disasters.


    "That''s right! The most possible suspect is Cyra No. 18. After we made contact, I didn''t wake up until just now."


    Considering they all knew about what happened the night before yesterday, I restated my theory. Of course, it was just a theory.


    "Is it possible that you just lost your memory of yesterday?"


    Adrian cautiously offered another possibility. The main reason for this was that yesterday I didn''t show the blank expression that Cyra No. 18 supposedly had.


    I have to say this perspective made some sense. We couldn''t rule out the possibility that Cyra No. 18 had used some special ability that could  erase memories.


    "But don''t you think yesterday''s Feliciana was really strange in many ways? She was basically in a playful mood the whole time. If it wasn''t for this reason, we probably would have already entered the Kingdom of Astralrealm by now!"


    However, Cyrae immediately objected. She also felt things couldn''t be that simple, mainly because I didn''t act like me yesterday, and I didn''t even care about ridiculous things like the teleportation circle malfunction.


    "So you just let me play around like that?"


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but twitch my mouth. Everyone had their own reasons for wanting to get back to Norvale quickly, but this strange incident unexpectedly delayed us for more days.


    However, Adrian said that yesterday''s me actually gave a reasonable explanation! I told them that something unexpected had occurred in Norvale, so Elara would stay there for a while longer and there was no need to hurry. Since I was usually the one who contacted Elara through the "Spiritual Convergence" magic, others didn''t have much doubt and happily believed it.


    "So, this reason was probably fake too?"


    After learning that I hadn''t actually contacted Elara in the past two days, even Adrian felt the situation was becoming serious.


    "No matter who it is, maybe the person controlling you actually wanted to prevent us from getting back to Norvale early? We must leave immediately! Otherwise, we might have fallen for the enemy''s plan!"


    Cyrae stood up and suggested. Now, to prove whether these guesses were correct, the best thing to do was undoubtedly to return to the royal capital as soon as possible!


    We immediately said goodbye to the elderly house owner and flew at full speed towards our destination.


    Several hours later, it was noon, which happened to be the regular time for communicating with Elara. I quickly cast the magic to enter the spiritual network hosted by Elara.


    "Some events did happen here in Norvale, about magical beasts... but it''s not necessarily a bad thing. Let''s discuss the details when you arrive, there''s no rush! But you just said someone controlled you, what exactly happened? You know that we angels are immune to any spiritual magic..."


    The message I received was even more puzzling. Elara actually confirmed what "I" had said yesterday. Also, she confirmed that I hadn''t initiated any contact with her yesterday.